In addition to sounding alarms and assemblies, bells are used to make known the time onboard ship. A bell is rung every half hour of the 4 hour watch. The day is divided into six 4 hour watches, and the ship's day (a new calendar day) begins at Minëtir.

The bells are struck for every half-hour of each watch, with a maximum of eight bells. For instance, during Minëtir the following is heard:

At eight bells the watch was over, but of course it is still forbidden to leave the station until properly relieved by the next watch. A customary way for the one standing down to report to the next watch-stander is ''Eight bells and all is well.''

By custom and regulation, the ship's company is divided into thirds, with most assigned to one of three watches under an Officer of the Watch.

Attatir, 10 AM to 2 PM, is the watch with all hands awake and working, although certain positions are exempt from watch-standing (i.e. the purser, steward, cook, carpenter, sailmaker) while others have their own schedules (the Marines, the cabin boys). Naturally, the Kano, Nukano and Marine Commander do not stand fixed watches.

Dominion coins are not flat but spherical. All the Paltry coins are minted from copper, all the Dominions from gold, and all the Strongs from mithral.

General rules of trade and commerce between worlds of the Dominion.

1. Trade and commerce, at agreed-upon rates of exchange or barter, are encouraged between all member worlds of the Dominion, except where involving any items which have been placed into interdict status (see attachment) due to their illegality on either the destination world (where intended for transport), or recognized illegality throughout the Dominion.
2. Member worlds of the Dominion may have their existing or probationary membership status evaluated and reconsidered, based on their interactions of trade and commerce with another member world, in such cases that a formal protest or injunction is duly filed in the Dominion Courts. Such cases generally involve interdicted items, inequitable trade practices, or deliberately and artificially unequal rates of exchange.
3. Trade and commerce between Dominion members and non-member worlds may only be conducted under the auspices of the Commission on Interspheral Trade, on a pre-approved, case-by-case basis, with special emphasis placed on ensuring appropriate practices between trade partners and the due monitoring of interdicted items and their prohibitions for trade.
4. The CDN has authority to enforce regulations regarding trade and commerce which involve the ownership by, launch from, or transport to, any parties on a Dominion member world or its duly-recognized territories, or the transport of material goods via Discontinuity Points through Known Space. This authority may extend to search and seizure, formal interdiction, and/or the active utilization of naval resources.

Contact Home Power
(Conjuration/Summoning)

Sphere: All
Level: 2
Range: Unlimited
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 turn
Duration: 1 week (Sabbath to Sabbath)
Area of Effect: The caster
Saving Throw: None

This spell establishes a conduit between the priest's present location and that of the patron deity. This connection permits the cleric to regain spells as if the god is recognized and venerated within the crystal sphere. Distance has no effect upon the priest's attempt to contact the home power, but dimensional gates, antimagic fields, and the effects of Dispel Magic will prevent the use of the spell. Also, the spell will not function in areas from which the power has been specifically banished (whether from death of an avatar, banishment by spell, or some voluntary action of the god). A priest attempting to link with his or her patron power in such locations become aware that contact with the god is not possible, but will not know the reason.

The duration of the spell is one week. A successful Dispel Magic breaks the spell, as will magicks to prevent scrying and teleportation. The material component of this spell is a small horn, whistle, gong, or bell, the material and nature of the sound specific to the affinities of the deity, as finely wrought and pleasing to the god as the supplicant can procure. When sounded, the instrument calls the attention of the deity to its servant (it also attracts the notice of anyone else within earshot).

DC8590505: The CDIS Office of Strategic Divination presented a report from the Dweometric Conditions Investigative Committee to the CDIS Grand Council Commission for Safety in Spacefaring on extreme, erratic and unstable dweometric activity arising from a non-member sphere within the astrophysical boundaries of Known Space.

After thorough review, the Commission made a formal request to the Admiralty, seeking the dispatch of a CDN vessel on an exploratory mission. Their objective: take additional readings, evaluate the condition and stability of the DPs within that sphere, and determine whether any of the circumstances posed a risk or danger to the Dominion.

DC8591216: The CDN Scout Rincavornon arrived on station and began its investigations. The sphere had one habitable planet, called Haven by its inhabitants, which was the origination point of the disturbing readings. Preliminary reports documented the existence of astonishing manifestations of dweometric activity--magic items of epic power were as commonplace as trees in a forest, and the inhabitants spoke of artefacts of even more stupendous potentiality. Disturbingly, findings also suggested steadily increasing deific activity.

The Admiralty ordered that Havensphere be added to regular Naval regional patrols.

DC8720218: The Interspheral Criminal Law Enforcement Commission advised the CDIS Grand Council that magic items of Havensphere origin were turning up in spaceports from Anticon to Yseth in violation of numerous Dominion edicts proscribing the trafficking in goods from non-member worlds. These illicit items were causing serious disruption in trade. Additionally, there were reports of weapons that posed a severe threat to Dominion constabulary forces.

After due deliberation the council voted to interdict Havensphere and the Admiralty was advised to establish a blockade at each of the seven Havensphere DPs.

DC8720508 - DC9140802: Naval records documented a long procession of smugglers, pirates and privateers that attempted to run the CDN blockades from both directions. To the exasperation of Navy personnel, these bold opportunists were too often successful.

DC9140902: The dweometric activity emanating from Haven increased precipitously, spiking to immensurable heights. Nikerym Tawarthion, a prudent and battle-wary elf, captain of the small lineship Aglareb and in command of the Havensphere blockade detachment, ordered all ships to prepare for immediate tactical withdrawal at his order. The detachment, consisting of two large and four small frigates in addition to the Aglareb, adjusted their trajectories, prepared to insert into the DP they were each assigned to monitor, and then watched and waited.

DC9140905: The CDN detachment watched in horror as the planet Haven exploded. They first saw the hellish light from the world, as it moved out in coruscating waves from what had been the planet's surface. They initially calculated the force of that blast would reach them in just about 60 hours--until they saw the Havenite sun was also struck by the shock wave less than two hours from the time of planetary explosion. At the point when the sun itself exploded in part, they knew they were in a less-than-six-hour race for their lives. Nikerym Tawarthion immediately ordered his least experienced captain to withdraw, and had the other ships peel off at his order, with the Aglareb holding position until the growing instability threatened the very existence of the DPs themselves. He retreated four hours after the sun's partial detonation, having collected invaluable data on the magnitude of the blast if not its causation. His ship suffered moderate damage but no casualties as the DP actually collapsed behind it. All hands escaped the resulting nova and the first known occurrence of a spheral destruction.

Observation over the next several years confirmed that the force of the blast and much of the debris of the shattered sphere concentrated into six nodes of incredible dweometric brightness shooting out from the epicentre.

DC983417: From the contact authority (the Collegium Magicus) of the single habitable planet of probationary Dominion member Erdensphere came the report of a wave of energy and debris approaching them on a collision course. They claimed the wave would impact or penetrate the spheral boundary in twelve years. The wave was of unknown nature but the reporting agency believed it originated from the destruction of a star (confirmed: reported vector tallies with one of the known loci generated when Havensphere ruptured, DC9140905).

Determination was made by the CDIS Ministry of Science, Magick and Technomancy to monitor the emergent situation.

DC9950713: The CDIS Ministry of Science, Magick and Technomancy recorded a violent disturbance, causal agency unknown, occurring within the dweometric and astronomic manifestation designated HVL5 (Havenitic Vortical Locus 5) immediately prior to it impacting the spheral boundary of Erdensphere. The momentum of HVL5 slowed markedly.

DC9980516: From the contact authority of Erdensphere came a formal and urgent petition to the CDIS Grand Council, asking for assistance. They alleged that powerful and disruptive artefacts from HVL5 had landed on the planetary surface, and furthermore that they were under attack by the malevolent entity from the interdicted Redsphere (alternatively known as Grolantsphere).

The petition was referred to the Admiralty which dispatched CDN Small Frigate Imirie to investigate and render assistance as required.