The legislative branch is headed by the chief councillor, who is chosen from among the Council; which is in turn composed of the heads of houses and trades and whatever other interests have been voted a seat.
Either governor or council may invoke the Chief Militiar, whose responsibility is only to the Governor or the Council, but not to the Chief Councillor.
Heads of houses may appeal to the Governor and own position within the Council.
The Chief Councillor is elected biennially from and by the Council.
The Chief Militiar is appointed by the Council and approved each five years, though it is usually de factoappointment for life.
The Governor chooses his own successor but the succession must have the approval of the Council, the Chief Militiar, and the Astronomer. The Governor holds office for life or until resignation or impeachment, the latter of which must originate in Council and command an 80 percent majority vote of both Council and Militia rank and file.
No document of law is official without the Seal; the Keeper of the Seal is de factovice-governor, and functions for the governor in many capacities.
Merovan Boats
Sea-going
The sea freighters are by and large sail-craft with diesel engines which they use sparingly. The most common routes are coastal, up and down the Chattalen or the settlements of Canbera and Savajen; a few cross the Cape of Storms to Wold; and a great variety of craft ply the the Inner Sea of Wold. The Falkenaers are the most daring seafarers of Merovingen and Falkenaer ships carry a great deal of freight and most of the passengers willing to commit themselves to sea travel. The rocky isles of the Falkenaers are only the port-of-convenience for these sailors, the focus of loyalty. Falkenaer crews are born to their ships and may live birth to death never having set eyes on the Falken Isles, to which, nevertheless the Falkenaers maintain a staunch devotion.
The Praesi of Wold South and the Jakkinin of Sirene are noted also among sea-farers: but the livelihood of the Praesi is fishing, and their months-long voyages return to their home ports.
Navigation on the Sundance south of the Chattalen is rare, except for coastal craft. The southern Sundance is given to contrary winds and typhoons.
Riverboats
The boats that ply the Det vary from small blunt-bowed barges about 25 feet in length, used by locals, to the big passenger packets, of which the most famous are the Obligationand the Sundancer;triple-decked, hollow-hulled, screw-driven, about 250 feet in length and 30 feet beam to beam, they offer cabin space and deck passage. The ill-fated Det Starwas larger, at 300 feet and 35 feet beam; and relied on sail as well as engines.
The majority of Det freight moves on motor barges, many of which also accept passengers.
The felucs of the Goth River of Nevander are similar, but use a triangular sail.
The smaller waterways of Wold and Megon use craft of similar design but smaller size.
The Boats of Merovingen
Some Det-river craft can come beyond the Harbor, most freight, however is transferred to small canalboats, which are of design too eclectic to set forth here: but the notable types are:
1. THE SKIP: a flat-bottomed, blunt-bowed craft about 5 feet by 22 feet, with a very small inboard engine.
The living arrangement is often a tarp awning set with a couple of poles and guys, but it is not practical to have up while using the pole, which requires a lot of walking back and forth.
The bottom is slatted for water drainage; the rear has a cubbyhole forward of the engine mount under a sort of raised quarterdeck on which the poler can walk. It is common to shelter in this place, though it is tight quarters. The cubby (canalers call it the hidey) is about 5x5 with 1.2 feet of engine wall to the rear and about 1.5' overhead clearance. So there is about 16 feet of free cargo room on the slats to the front plus the deck surface, A good deal of gear is stowed to the sides of the cubby, which makes the centerspace quite tight.
The deck has a shallow rim that keeps things from going overboard and the pole, about 12' long, with the boathook, lies along the rim in a special rack. Other large items are stored in the open and shifted about at need. Ropes and tackle are stored along the sides of the forward well and down in the well, where needed,
The bow is not truly square but rather a blunt rounded affair. This type of boat is the most common craft in Merovingen,
2. The CANALER: about a third larger man the skip, confined to the main waterways and used for heavy cargo.
3. The POLEBOAT: a motorless gondola-like craft, long and slim and used commonly for hire, the taxi of Merovingen.
4. The CATBOAT: catamaran, a boat confined to the bay and usually propelled by paddle or sail, for small fishing and harbor freight.
5. The LONGBOAT: a 10-oar gondola-style craft used for state occasions and funerals.
6. The COASTER: one of the fisher-boats, high-sided and broad of beam for its length. It sails the edge of the Sundance.
7. The FANCYBOAT: a motor launch for the rich, generally used only in the uptown area.
8. The YACHT: a large motor-sail vessel used primarily by the wealthiest for transport either on the river or along the coast.
Canalers Slang
The Ancestors of Merovin were not spacers, but station-dwellers and employees of the founding corporations some of whom were planet-based. The original Merovans were polyglot, with some influence of spacer-culture, with which they worked.
Events combined to break down linguistic conformity: the Scouring and the lack of formal education.
Other factors tended to prevent breakdown: the religions.
And there was the necessity of coping with new professions and new environments, which meant new vocabulary.
Old French, Italian, Turkish, English, Russian, Hindi, German and the Slavic-influenced Union Standard station-speak of Fargone were among the predominant influences.
Add to that the abbreviated grammar and musical lilt of ships peak.
Merovan languages vary considerably, particularly the trade-languages, the languages of profession, which deliberately seek to exclude outsiders to the trade.
An example is the jargon of the Merovingian canalers, which, like many unwritten languages, is highly contextuaclass="underline" one word may have a dozen implications depending on situation and tone of voice.
Ware! Lookout!
Ware hey! Calamity! Alarm!
Ware portWatch boat's left.
Ware starb'dWatch boat's right.
Ware deck! (sometimes just Deck!)Hit the deck.
Scup! Object about to roll overboard.
May be combined with direction, as aft, port, starb'd.
Bow a-port, a-starb'd! Turn left, right.
HinPut the pole on the bottom.
Ya-hinYou put the pole in.
Hey-hinI put the pole in.
HupLift the pole from the bottom.