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The assessment of one’s worth and vocation is formalized through the Jurvesh, a society-wide examination administered at critical junctures such as career shifts or appointments to higher office. The Jurvesh evaluates prior achievements, personal conduct, and intellectual grounding in Vitari philosophy. It probes not just knowledge but motivation, seeking to reveal how deeply one aligns with the Federation’s ideals. Presiding over this system is a distinct and almost mythic class of Untouchables, who operate entirely independent of political or economic influence. Their sole responsibility is to maintain, update, and oversee the examination, safeguarding the impartiality that underpins Vitari meritocracy.

The Karnesh serves as the supreme executive of the Vitari Commerce Federation, a position that blends ancient lineage with earned merit. Though the title often passes through bloodlines it is not purely hereditary, it is inherited by worth and not simply the consequence of one's birth. Upon the death or retirement of the incumbent Karnesh, all eligible heirs of the ruling clan, by blood, elevation, or adoption must undergo the Jurvesh if they wish to seek the post. Only those who demonstrate themselves in both deeds and examination are considered worthy of being elevated to the position of Karnesh.

Deeds are weighed by one's competence in any of the following; governance, military service, or public service, while the one's scores in the Jurvesh quantifies their views and positions on Vitari society as well as their judgements regarding it. The candidate who's combined merits place them above the rest are given the selection to be elevated to the position of Karnesh, often by a formal ceremony presided over by the heads of all major Varkel clans.

Should the direct bloodline fail to produce a capable successor, the heads of the Varkel clans may select their own candidates from their own clans. Likewise these nominees must also face the Jurvesh and the other selection criteria and the most capable will find themselves in a small pool of possible candidates before the Varkel clan heads, including the current Karnesh or their second, vote on the next Karnesh. In this way the Commerce Federation preserves both continuity of leadership and adaptability, ensuring that no unworthy heir ascends based on their bloodline alone.

In the society of the Vitari Commerce Federation the Karneshi stand as its highest office and highest clan, the original guiding lineage that presides over all matters within their borders. While the original bloodline that united the clans of Verisk and took them to the stars still exists, the Vitari's devotion to merit and capability ensures that leadership is not confined to ancestry and bloodline alone. Over the generations talented individuals from lesser and even rival clans have risen into the Karneshi, chosen for their aptitude and service to the Commerce Federation's continued progress rather than their circumstance of birth.

This balance between lineage and merit exists by long and old painful lessons that played out on their homeworld time and time again, were bloodline mattered above all else and all the folly it brought to their society was plain to see. Thus while a blood heir of the Karneshi traditionally receives first consideration for any post, failure to measure up to the demands and exceptions of the office results in the consideration passing to the next most suitable candidate, even if the individual hails from another clan. Such alternates and pursuits of them are part of the larger cycle that keeps the Karneshi as the main means of keeping the Commerce Federation on the path of expansion and progress with each new injection of blood. For those of the line that fail it is not seen as a disgrace, merely a misstep, and often times will be the start of a journey to find their truer paths. A path that will best serve both their clan and the Commerce Federation as a whole. This practice limits the resentment an individual may find with the simple fact that they weren't capable and allows them to find something more suited to their talents and to better serve the goals of societal prosperity.

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• Standard human anatomy in this regard, gestation slightly longer at ten months.

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