The Lake-Wardens

Founding and Charge

The Lake Wardens began as an act of clear policy. The Council of Naath saw that Selenmere lay close to the city yet outside its streets and watchlines. Trade, pilgrimage, and private craft moved on its shores without a single standard. After a series of quarrels at the pier and one failed rescue during a sudden squall, the Council issued a simple order. A sworn body would patrol the lake, set rules that any visitor could understand, and act first in danger. Rootwatch could not spare long water service, and city militia were land fit. So the Council drafted a new oath and posted it at the Fountain.

The first Wardens were boat hands from Naath, a handful of Rootwatch scouts with river skill, and two Lorekeepers who agreed to record what worked and what failed. Their seal carried the Council mark, yet their post lay north at the pier. From the start, the Wardens were not city guards on holiday. They were lake keepers with clear work. They enforced bans on unstable magic near open water, set steady quotas for net and line, posted weather flags, and held authority to stop a craft that ignored orders. They were told to keep the peace, not to seek war. They were told to reach drowning hands first, argue second, and file the ledger before sleep.

Structure, Training, and Daily Work

The Wardens operate from a longhouse at the main pier. A boat shed and a rope yard sit behind it. A signal mast and a covered chart bench face the water. The longhouse holds bunks for on duty crews, a small clinic, a lock room for tagged items, a hearing room set with three plain chairs, and a cork wall for daily postings. Patrols run on rotating watches. Each watch keeps three lake boats and one shore team. Boats are shallow draft cutters with reinforced ribs and oar banks. Each carries a weather kit, a tow line, and a sealed chest for evidence. The shore team walks the common paths, checks nets and lines for proper tag marks, and answers market questions.

Training follows a fixed plan. Every recruit learns to row, sail, swim strong, and right a capsized hull. They drill with polehooks, throw lines, and board a moving craft without damage. They learn simple healing for cold and strain. They study the lake map with depth marks and the known stone remains in the east shallows. They practice quiet approach for situations that may turn hostile. They drill shield work in case of arrows from the bank. Once each month, the Lorekeepers send an instructor to run a session on the limits of ritual near open water. The rule is clear. No channeling that may disrupt sight, sound, or balance of the boat lanes. No binding, summoning, or strong shaping in the shallows. Any other act must be declared before a Warden with a written plan and a witness.

Law, Permits, and Response

The Wardens use three tools to keep order. The first is notice. Flags rise on the mast at dawn. White for clear. Yellow for caution. Red for hold. Notices at the pier list the day’s weather signs, the present quota for nets and baskets, and any closed stretches. The second tool is permit. Fishing, ferry work, salvage, and guided dives all require a simple license with a name, craft mark, and weight or time limit. Permits carry a seal and a tally chip. When a crew comes in, the chip is checked against the ledger. Violations bring fines, a temporary hold, or loss of license. The third tool is hearing. A three person board meets twice a week or on call after an incident. The board includes one senior Warden, one Naath Councilmember, and a rotating third from the permit holders. The hearing is short and uses plain speech.

The board posts a ruling the same day and sends a copy to the Council clerk. Response drills happen in every watch. When a red flag goes up, boats launch with a set kit. Ropes, blankets, fire pots, and a stretcher go aboard. If a craft is in hazard, the Wardens close the lane, tow out the crew, and then see to cargo. If magic is involved, they call for a Lorekeeper and tag the site with a cordon pin until review is done. When a dive team claims a find in the east shallows, a Warden rides the claim boat and records the mark and the weight. No relic leaves the water near the eastern line without a seal. If a crew refuses to comply or casts on the run, the Wardens have right of interception. They use hooks to turn rudders, not blades to end lives. They bind with cord, set the craft on the tow, and bring all to the hearing room before sunset.

Neighbors, Threats, and Ongoing Work

The Wardens answer to the Council yet work among many hands. Traders want quick turns. Fishers want wider quotas. Pilgrims want quiet space on the shore. Salvagers want a clear process that will stand in other courts. The Wardens keep firm hours for filings and do not take private gifts. They make time for Rootwatch briefings, since storms change paths on the north trails and crowds move without warning. They share notes with Seekers when a contract touches the lake edge. They often ride along on the first mile to watch for poachers who think early light hides their nets. The eastern shallows give the most trouble. Old stone sits there. Weather and the pull of curious crews make a bad mix. The Wardens laid a ring of simple posts with mirrored tags to show the line. They offer a legal path for study teams under a capped count. They will not allow free diving there without plan and witness.

Storms are the other constant. Fog sets hard at first light. Winds shift without clear sign. The Wardens run a bell chain from two shore towers to the pier for fast alerts. They keep dry rooms with hot stones for rescued crews. They hold stock of spare oars, tar, sailcloth, and rope for public need at fair price. Each winter they lift the lake boats for full repair, scrape the ribs, oil the planks, and replace lines. In spring they review the code with the pier crews in a public meeting. In summer they send small teams to mark safe bathing stretches for families and to set simple rules for festival nights. The Wardens do not promise that nothing will go wrong. They promise that someone is watching, that rules are clear, and that help will not wait.