• Location: Riverfront, Hope
• Address: Riverfront Way 14, Hope
• Surroundings: Adjacent to River Dock Market
• Founded by: Ralph Keunecke (Beta Age)

A high-throughput river dock and processing house active in the Beta Age, Keunecke Dock House ran two to three skiffs on the Arla River targeting [misttail_crab|Misttail Crabs]] and Silverscale Gliders. Under one roof it handled landing, gutting/cleaning, brining, steaming/smoking, and market delivery. Fresh catch went each morning to the River Dock Market; weekly preserved lots shipped to New Kourou.

Status: Closed 2631 after the Great War activities outlawed under the Peace Treaty (ExoHuman diet restricted to vegetarian only). Building sealed; gear mothballed.

• Construction Material: Timber frame on river-stone pilings; shellac-sealed siding; tarred composite roof
• Piers: Twin loading slips with rope winches and block-and-tackle cranes
• Interior: Crab steaming kettles; fish gutting line; brine room; smoke bay; drying loft; battery-chilled cold room (QFB)
• Lighting: Oil lamps and crank-lanterns; mirrored task boards over benches

• Boat Slips (×2–3): Skiffs *Early Tide*, *Reed Runner*, and (seasonal) *Blue Current*
• Crab Kettle Bay: Steam kettles; cracking benches; shell bins
• Gutting & Grading Line: Stainless tables; scale hooks; drains (for Gliders)
• Brine Room: Casks for wet cure; salt bins; shellac floors
• Smokehouse Bay: Four kettles; baffled chimneys; rack ladders to loft (for Glider fillets)
• Drying Loft: Net-strung racks; airflow shutters
• Cold Room: Quantum Fusion Batteries-powered chill box for morning holds and market staging
• Market Door: Rolling hatch to handcarts bound for the River Dock Market
• Office & Locker Nook: Weigh slips, ledger desk, tally board; crew gear

• Dockmaster (1): Schedules boats, signs weigh slips, sets prices
• Skippers (2–3): Lead river crews, maintain nets/pots, pilot skiffs
• River Crew (6–8): Pots and nets, hauling, deck work
• Processing Crew (6–10): Cleaning, brining, steaming/smoking, packing
• Market Runners (2): Cart fresh lots to the River Dock Market at first bell
• Apprentices (2): Rotate across stations; learn tally and seal

Brine and smoke cling to the rafters; steam beads on shellac-sealed walls. At first bell, skiffs nudge the piles while river birds wheel above the slips. Inside, knives whisper over scales, kettles hiss, crab shells crack in steady rhythm, and tally bells ring as carts rattle through the market hatch toward the River Dock Market. Grain dust from nearby granaries drifts in and mixes with the scent of the river—work, weather, and commerce in one breath.

• Operating Hours: 03:30–19:00 (processing line 05:00–16:00)
• Sales Rhythm: Fresh trays to market daily at dawn; preserved lots dispatched each Seventhday
• Community Role: Primary fresh/preserved supplier for Hope and caravans up the Seedway

Legal

• Arrange daily deliveries to specific stalls at the River Dock Market
• Negotiate bulk smoked-glider or pickled-crab contracts to New Kourou caravans
• Hire skiff and crew for upriver survey or messenger runs

Illegal

• Hide contraband beneath brine casks or in false-bottom barrels
• Bribe a tally clerk to alter weigh slips and tax notes
• Poach in restricted backwaters at fogfall to boost quotas

A living node that touches boats, market, and ledgers—ideal for smuggling, labor disputes, or quota wars.

Adventure Hook Example

• Weights & Whispers — Market inspectors flag a week of “light” crab barrels from Keunecke’s. The dockmaster swears sabotage. PCs must shadow skiffs, check brine salinity logs, and interrogate market runners—unraveling whether a rival dock is skimming meat, a clerk is selling forged stampings, or a crew is off-loading prime cuts to a Sidestreet speakeasy.

• Beta Age · Hope · Arla River
• River Dock Market · Free State of Settlers
• Peace Treaty (closure) · Gamma Age
• Misttail Crab · Silverscale Glider