Volume I — Arc 1 — Epoch I
Chapter 10 — Aid Ballot
[Pulse 02:40:05 — Ballot tick | Log: Aid ballot | Channel: public]
Aurelius: "We set aid to fund task cost. Len, show roll."
Aurelia: "Aid must help true want, not buy out work. Keep rule plain."
Len (swift): "Actor roll live. Item: Aid for task cost support — mode: trustee loan or grant. Threshold: 60%. Timer: six ticks."
Clerk (calm): [BALLOT — ITEM] Aid mode options: 1) Loan — repay via work or coin; 2) Grant — no repay if witness and need verify; 3) Mixed — loan with partial grant based on need. Vote options open.
Aurelius: "Why three paths?"
Aurelia: "Need has shades. Some can pay with work, some cannot. Law must fit life."
A voice piped up — a woman named Hara, who runs a small wash stall.
Hara: "If grant, who gets it first? How to stop those who fake need?"
Clerk: [NOTE] Guard: witness tokens + trustee check + short field test. If false claim → repay + sanction.
Aurelius: "We keep witness rule. The fund will not feed fraud."
Aurelia: "And trustees will vet. Mira, you set a plan."
Mira (firm): "I will ask for two witness tokens plus a short task demo. If true need, then grant; if partial need, loan. We will not give coin to those who can pay."
Clerk: [PROPOSAL] Trustee vet steps: 1) Claim + tokens; 2) Trustee quick demo or site check; 3) Decide grant vs loan; 4) If grant, log with watch tag; if loan, set repay plan via work schedule.
Aurelius: "Good. Now we need to test on a live case. Who asks?"
A child's voice broke soft across ribbon.
Child (shy): "My name is Miri. Our roof leaks. Rain takes food. I can not fix. I have no coin."
Len: "Bring proof. Who saw leak?"
Old neighbor, Karo: "I saw. I give witness."
Clerk: [REVIEW REQUEST] Claim: roof fix. Witness: Karo (token valid). Trustee action: Mira + Len + Aurelius (sub). Action: demo check.
Aurelia: "We run trustee check now. Mira, see site."
Mira: "I will. Bring tool list."
Clerk: [ACTION] Site check → result pending.
Aurelius felt the small sway of a town that must learn to help and to test. "We must be swift for rain."
Aurelia: "Speed with guard. That is craft."
Mira returned: "Roof weak. Need: tar cloth + nails + two ticks labor. Cost if loan: 20 sparks; if grant: 20 sparks grant. Family need clear. Trustees vote grant."
Clerk: [TRUSTEE VOTE] Result: grant → 3/3. Action: issue aid. Mode: grant. Log: Aid#0003 → Miri roof → cost 20 sparks → trustee sign: Mira, Len, Aurelius.
Aurelius: "Issue aid now. Let roof fix before next rain."
Clerk: [EXECUTE] Aid transfer: 20 sparks hold → tool loan + supply. Watch tag: active. Report deadline: weekly.
Aurelia: "We give, we watch, we learn."
The bidder for balance spoke: Trader (low): "If many grants, fund runs dry. We need income."
Aurelius: "We have tithe and Mira hold now. We need steady seed."
Len: "Actors will vote on small levy at next roll: market stall add 0.5% daily trade tithe to fund. That will grow pot slow."
Clerk: [QUEUE] Ballot: market tithe 0.5% → tick +8.
Aurelia: "Small tithe not to crush trade. It seeds repair and aid."
A hush then — a new flag from clerk.
Clerk: [ALERT] Aid audit: request spike noted. If grants outpace seed, fund will drop below safety buffer. Action: set safety buffer rule: fund min = 25% of monthly seed need. If below → auto-hold for grants; loans still allowed.
Aurelius: "Set buffer so we do not run out."
Clerk: [SET] Safety buffer: 25% monthly seed. If breach → hold grants pending trustee review.
Aurelia: "This keeps mercy from ruin."
A murmur: Rax spoke, quieter now after mend work done.
Rax: "I heard of grant. I saw false token get caught before. Who tests token truth?"
Clerk: [NOTE] Token verification flow: cross-check time → witness tally → live check. False token → sanction + work. Token issuance: clerk only at teach events.
Aurelius: "We will run token class before next fair. Len, plan."
Len: "I will. I will issue 100 tokens next fair with demo."
Clerk: [SCHEDULE] Token class: tick +5. Token batch: 100.
Aurelia: "One more: we must track grant impact. If grant helps then grant more; if grant breeds slack, change plan."
Clerk: [METRIC] Aid impact track: success = repair held after 14 ticks + witness confirm. Failure → trustee review + possible repay conversion.
Aurelius: "So grant that fails becomes loan?"
Aurelia: "If failure due to sloth, then repay plan. If failure due to new harm, then more aid may be needed. We act by cause."
A tick after aid issue, a message: Gath's probation report.
Clerk: [PROBATION REPORT] Gath: day 3 of 14. Monitor: pass. Write restrict: active. Note: work steady. Trust score: +0.01.
Aurelius: "Good. Repair path works."
Aurelia: "It binds folk back to town root."
At dusk a thin voice came — watcher, steady.
Watcher: "I will set a watch map near river. Grants flow to real need, not to trick."
Aurelius: "We accept watcher map. Clerk, mark watch nodes."
Clerk: [ADD] Watch nodes: river, market, small huts. External monitor: watcher tag active.
Aurelia: "We move with soft watch, not hard lock."
Len: "Actors, vote soon on tithe. Trader, voices will shape plan."
Trader: "I will stand at next roll. I will ask for limit on tithe target and a cap for monthly total."
Clerk: [QUEUE] Ballot: tithe cap option → tick +8.
Aurelius: "We plan slow, with small guard rails."
Aurelia: "Care first, craft next. The spiral must spin fair."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Snapshot 02:41:02 — Entries: Aid#0003 grant executed; Safety buffer set; Token class scheduled; Aid metric set; Watch nodes added.
Aurelius: "One last thought: aid will test our heart and our math."
Aurelia: "Let them both meet. Heart without math can starve; math without heart can harden."
Post-Law Reflection: Aid must be both kind and firm. A grant can save a life now, but a fund needs seed and guard so mercy lasts. Loan can teach work; grant can heal swift harm. Witness, trustee checks, and watch nodes turn aid from rumor to craft. The Spiral grows by the twin art of care and account.