Table of Contents
Races | Economy | Buildings & Organizations
CANONBERG DOCK HOUSE
Overview
- Location: Riverfront, Hope
- Address: Riverfront Way 15
- Surroundings: Adjacent to Keunecke Dock House
- Founded by: Elisabeth Canonberg
Canonberg Dock House operated a boat-to-barrel workflow: two skiffs worked the Arla River shallows for Silverscale Gliders while a shallow-draft barge ferried bulk Misttail Crabs to its grading hall, pickling room, and smoke lofts.
Status: Closed 2631 under the Peace Treaty (ExoHuman fishing prohibited). Doors boarded; stamp cabinet impounded.
Architectural Significance
- Construction Material: A broad-front industrial framework of heavy timber beams and cross-bracing, reinforced and partially clad with salvaged cargo-container wall segments from the Last Frontier. Container panels form large portions of the exterior skin, while the structural load is carried by a timber-and-steel hybrid frame anchored into high river-stone piers.
- Hybrid Container Integration: Unlike fully stacked container buildings, Canonberg Dock House uses container hull sections as armored walls, cold-room enclosures, and smoke-loft cladding. Burn marks, serial stencils, and re-entry scoring remain visible, interrupted by welded reinforcements and bolted timber braces.
- Roof & Signage: The roofline is flat and functional, pierced by smoke flues, vent stacks, and access hatches. Mounted above the central roof ridge stands a pale red neon sign reading CANONBERG. The glow is weak but constant, bleeding softly into the river mist and serving as a long-range identifier for barges approaching at night-equivalent hours.
- Design Purpose: The reinforced frame-and-container design favors volume, durability, and export reliability.
Building Structure
- Berths (×3): Skiffs *Silver Reed* & *Hooklight*; barge *Millrun*
- Grading Hall: Scale tables; quality stamps; seal-press kiosk
- Pickling Room: Stone vats; spice racks; oak lids; drainage channel
- Smoke Loft: Long-rack arrays; flue shutters; resin stores (for Glider fillets)
- Cold Alcove: QFB chill for premium trays and carcass holds
- Market Gate: Roll-up hatch to porters for the River Dock Market
- Office Nook: Ledger desk; shift board; stamp cabinet (locked)
Roles and Responsibilities
- Factor (1): Contracts, stamp control, price posts
- Skippers (2) + Barge Pilot (1): Route planning, boat upkeep
- River Crew (6–8): Nets, pots, lines, load/unload
- Grading & Pickle Team (8–10): Quality checks, vats, jar line
- Smoke Loft Hands (4–6): Rack turns, fire control, packing
- Apprentices (2): Rotate stations; learn tally & seal
Products and Prices (Beta Age)
| Product | Description | Price (Kourou) |
| Premium Glider Trays (kg) | Choice fillets, chilled, tray-stamped | 24–28 K |
| Pickled Misttail Crab (2 kg jar) | Spice-vinegar cure, caravan grade | 28 K |
| Smoked Glider Barrel | Long-rack smoked, export lot | 80–90 K |
| Shell Glue (tin) | Rendered adhesive for woodwork | 10 K |
Look and Feel
The sprawling hall breathes river weather: fog wafts through the pillars, bells clink on the boat lines, and spices from the pickling factory permeate the thick smoke that descends from the attics. Courier Drones land repeatedly to pick up finished fish and take them to the courier station, from where they are delivered to hungry settlers throughout the Free State.
Public Access, Operating Hours & Operational Rhythm
- Operating Hours: 04:00–20:00 (boats often out before bell)
- Sales Rhythm: Premium trays at first bell; pickled jars mid-day; smoked exports on Seventhday
- Community Role: Contract supplier for outfitters and caravans; secondary wholesaler to market stalls
Player Interactions
Legal interactions
- Apply for a job at the dock house
- Book bulk pickled-crab lots for expedition rations
- Contract the barge *Millrun* for upriver freight
- Commission custom spice cures for festival orders
Illegal interactions
- Swap genuine lids for forged seal stampings
- Use *Millrun*’s cargo voids to move illicit goods
- Launder skimmed Kourou through “broken barrel” write-offs
Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters
A perfect hinge between waterfront, markets, and upriver routes—ripe for forgery plots, labor intrigue, or tribal boundary tensions.
Adventure Hook Example
- The Missing Millrun — The barge Millrun fails to return and the factor’s ledger shows a covert “after-bell” contract. PCs must triangulate last sightings, question stamp-room staff about off-books lids, and brave reed-choked side channels where sacred backwaters—and armed rivals—make the river as political as it is perilous.