Flags of the Rossan city-states

Prior to the unification of La Rossa, flags and trade ensigns saw wide use across the island. Originally made to designate the trade vessels of tradesmen and business magnates, they soon became synonymous with the city-states they based themselves in. Used as identification on the sea as well as in ports, dishonesty in use (such as flying a different city's flag in order to avoid trade embargoes) was often met with harsh punishments. The flags of all major cities brandished floral emblems, often as their central details. The intricacy of the designs, difficult to replicate on a mass scale, served as a symbolical marker of the city's prosperity.

As the period after the unification saw the centralization of the state, and free trade between the cities becoming mandated by it, the flags slowly fell out of use in the decades that followed it. The Second Calming, once more birthing the conditions necessitating distinction in an international world, saw the revival of ensigns on Rossan ships. The flag of La Rossa, adopted in 14 PC and chosen from a publicly held contest by the Entrance Commission, drew heavy inspiration from the history of the flags of the city-states. Although the old flags have not seen official use in eight centuries, they have been noted to be sometimes used in nationalist displays.