SLARVATHOffice of Off-World Correspondence

Bureau of Returning Persons — area sheet

The Areas

The area sheet: eleven painted vignettes on one paper — Thur in an upright frame, Old Grieth in a wide oval, the Quiet Belt in a dashed circle, the Vennet Shelf in a rectangle left open on one side, the Vennet Road in a long lozenge, Ammeth in a rectangle left open on the fog side, Dollen in a small oval, Hesk in a circle cut flat across the top where the fog fills to a line, Ruvenn in a long lozenge, Brathe in a circle cut flat across the top, and Issun in a small oval — joined by dotted lines labelled with durations, with a numbered key down the left and a compass pointing down, marked BELOW. Stapled on below the sheet is the Office of Off-World Correspondence’s own drawing of the world: a triaxial body, flattened at the poles and drawn with its long axis running between the two bodies, labelled dessum and tollun, with pale fog standing in its basins and one rectangle of surveyed ground.

The sheet, full size

The sheet shows the areas, and how long it takes to pass between them. It does not show where any of them is. That is not recorded.

Thirty-four entries are listed. Twenty-seven are marked. Colours are those of the Bureau, not of the ground.

OLD GRIETH the least altered THUR built in five levels THE QUIET BELT nothing is here THE VENNET ROAD it is always the night before THE VENNET SHELF grey, and always has been HESK the day is counted here AMMETH the town stops at the fog DOLLEN a halt on the Crossing RUVENN under the Shelf, on the same fog ISSUN a pool with houses at it BRATHE low, and dry SENN the night before VOSSA where the glass is worked CORREN the year begins here SELLEN where the way waits for the herd VERREN the first night home IVVEL at ivven's edge DUNMORRENVESKALLUN four shores, and one town TARRASK on the largest pool HOLLIM on the north sea KELLID where the vessels come in MABBET the first halt and the last QUELLIN reached in the evening ENNOTH opposite the Shelf SABBIN the rooms between KETHE where the east comes in SISKAR the farthest east on the north sea ULLETH where the two ways meet USSET on its own pool DRAVVET the east end of the shore way HOSSUN one house deep EBBETH the short crossing RENNITH the newest ground PELLEN one house older VITHE on its own way home
Office annotation Three records of Slarvathia are held. This sheet asserts durations. The Office’s figure, enclosed below it, asserts positions, and the body, turning, asserts them in the round. The Office has not been asked which is correct and has not established it.