Volume I — Arc 1 — Epoch I
Chapter 5 — Trial & Tremor
[Pulse 01:04:12 — Trial tick | Log: Lampfold trial → border check | Alert: Local heat rise]
Aurelius: "Dawn came. Did the lamps light?"
Aurelia: "Five posts light. Market lane shows glow. Trader kept word."
Clerk (soft): [STATUS] Lampfold trial: posts active = 5. Upkeep stream: pending (first day). Border map: monitor active. Harm readout: 0.08 → ok.
Aurelius watched the lane on the ribbon like a child watches tide. Voices rose in small praise: safer walk, more trade. Mira's face was set calm; Len ran notes to actor list.
Then a thin bell — not from joy but alert.
Clerk: [ALERT] Local heat cluster detected. Node: Hearthhum net near post#3. Harm index: 0.21 → above threshold. Action: temporary limit → auto-notify.
Aurelius: "Heat index rose past guard."
Aurelia: "Find cause. Is it lamp or hearth?"
Clerk: [DIAG] Prox check: Lamp post#3 distance to Hearthhum cluster = 2 posts (border=3). Violation: true. Hearthhum owner: Sarn. Upkeep log: last feed tick = -1 (miss). Result: Hearthhum failed to refresh → decay event. Harm cause: combined: proximity + missed upkeep.
Aurelius: He felt the news like a small cold. "Sarn missed spark?"
Aurelia: "He did. He said he had trade. He thought one miss safe."
Aurelius: "One miss and heat did the rest?"
Aurelia: "Heat and no feed pair. Clerk flagged risk. We set border for this reason."
Sarn's voice, small and broken: "My hearth— it dimmed. I could not feed. The stone went still."
Clerk: [ENTRY] Hearthhum(Item#0002): state → decayed. Owner note: Sarn. Cause log: upkeep fail + proximity breach. Action: repair protocol.
Aurelius: "Can we heal it?"
Aurelia: "We try. The clerk has repair modes. But repair asks cost."
Clerk: [REPAIR OPTIONS] 1) Quick mend — cost 50 sparks + ritual tick → 70% restore. 2) Deep mend — cost 200 sparks + 7 ticks → 95% restore. 3) Archive — retire item, note loss.
Aurelius looked at Sarn's hands on the ribbon. "I have little coin."
Sarn: "I can give half of coin, if others help."
Mira's voice: "I will help for town good. I pledge 30 sparks."
Len: "Actor pool can chip in small share."
Aurelia: "That is neighbor work. But note: the trader must hold part of cost. He set posts too close."
Trader: "I did try to keep map but I misread a mark. I will pay what is due."
Clerk: [AUDIT] Trader compliance: pending. Proposed levy: trader pay 40% of quick mend cost as sanction for border breach. Remaining cost to owner + fund + trader split.
Aurelius: "We will not blame without tally. Clerk tally the split."
Clerk: [TALLY] Quick mend cost = 50 sparks. Trader levy = 20 sparks. Mira pledge = 30 sparks. Sarn pay = 0 (no coin). Fund seed → none. Shortfall = 0. Action: proceed with quick mend; ledger update pending.
Aurelius: "Do quick mend. Save Sarn's hearth."
Clerk: [ACTION] Repair exec: quick mend initiated. Tick: repair +1. Result: Hearthhum state → liminal.
Aurelia: "We mend for human need. We mark lesson: border map must hold, upkeep must be strict."
Aurelius: "Then we teach Sarn to set reminder."
Clerk: [SET] Owner aid: auto-remind → daily spark cue. Mode: gentle ping via ribbon.
Sarn: "I will heed. I am sorry."
Trader: "I pay my part. I misread the mark. I will re-map posts farther."
Clerk: [UPDATE] Trader action: re-map in progress. Border map adjust: post#3 → move +1 space. Trial condition: hold until border pass. Trader sanction noted: levy paid to repair log.
Aurelia: "This is why guard exists. Rules are small chains that hold life."
Aurelius: "We healed. Will all learn?"
Aurelia: "Some will. Some will not. The clerk must keep watch."
Clerk: [NOTE] Harm threshold breach → log. Recommend: add auto-border check pre-bind for future public law. Proposed rule: pre-bind border verification mandatory.
Aurelius: "Add rule. No bind until border pass."
Aurelia: "And add soft aid: owner reminders for upkeep on new binds."
Clerk: [SET] New protocol proposed → pre-bind border check: mandatory. Owner auto-remind: default true for public-bound items. Vote: actor tier (60% threshold).
Aurelius: "Will actors agree?"
Aurelia: "They will if they see harm cost. We show them the mend log."
Clerk: [PUBLISH] Incident report: Hearthhum decayed; repair done; trader levy paid; border re-map done. Channel: public. Vote slate: pre-bind protocol.
A murmur moved across the ribbon. Some voiced anger at trader, some pity for Sarn, some praise for quick act.
Old watcher: "You mend quick. But who pays for future harm if harm grows like web?"
Aurelius: "We set funds, we set tithe. We learn to tax new law a small share to seed repair fund."
Aurelia: "We set seed tax. Clerk note: add to vote slate."
Clerk: [ADD] Vote item: tithe to fund = 1% initial deposit. Linked to Lampfold trial.
Aurelius: "We will try small tax now, not big hand."
Aurelia: "Small tax that saves life is craft."
They watched the dim ring for the tick of mend. The hearth pulsed faint, then stronger. Sarn sighed like one who is given air back.
Sarn: "Thank you. I will heed reminders."
Aurelius: "We will mark this day. Let it teach."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Snapshot 01:04:59 — Entries: Hearthhum repair (quick mend), Trader levy record, Border map adjust, Pre-bind protocol proposed, Tithe vote added.
Aurelia: "A first trial shows both gain and cost. We will keep small tests and make new rule from them."
Aurelius: "And we will not hide harm."
Aurelia: "Never hide. Ledger is light that keeps truth."
Post-Law Reflection: A small test can show how many parts must fit. A public boon can warm lane but also press on small heat. Guard rules, owner care, and fund save will craft a better web. When harm comes, quick repair and shared cost heal trust. The real craft is not to stop all risk but to make risk known, paid for, and lesson-bound.