Volume I — Arc 1 — Epoch I
Chapter 6 — Vote of Threads
[Pulse 01:12:45 — Vote tick | Log: Actor vote | Channel: public]
Aurelius: "Today we vote on two things: pre-bind border check and tithe to seed fund. Len, tally?"
Aurelia: "Keep tally plain. Let numbers show."
Len (breezy): "Actor list ready. I ran doors. Sarn yes, Mira yes, Trader pending, Tall abstain, Len yes, Mira's friends yes. Vote rolls now."
Clerk (soft): [VOTE — ITEMS] 1) Pre-bind border check → threshold 60% actor. 2) Tithe to fund = 1% deposit → threshold 60%. Mode: public tally. Timer: 6 ticks.
Aurelius: "Why set timer so long?"
Aurelia: "Time lets more voice come. Haste cuts trust."
Len: "We need two more actor votes to lock the tithe. I'll fetch more names."
Aurelius: "While you do, the trader?"
Trader (flat): "I will not lie. I feel sore at levy. I paid. I will also seek to redo post map. But tithe eats my starting coin."
Aurelia: "Tithe is seed for repair. It keeps town from burn."
Trader: "What if tithe sinks trade? What of poor traders who have no backers?"
Aurelius: "We set aid for poor trade via fund when fund has form. That is the point."
Clerk: [PROPOSAL] Aid rule: fund may seed public need for confirmed poor actors. Activation: trustee vote + 70% actor rep.
A trader voice muttered; some on ribbon cheered the fund idea, others feared tax.
Watcher (low): "Who will watch trustees when they spend fund?"
Aurelius: "Trustees will sign in groups. No one hand will spend alone. Clerk will log each exit and post report weekly."
Clerk: [SET] Trustee spend rule: dual-sign + weekly report. Violation → audit + recall.
Aurelia: "The spiral grows rules from test. Each test must add guard."
Len returned breathless with two new names.
Len: "Here— Jaro and Heth. Actor yes."
Clerk: [TALLY UPDATE] Votes in: pre-bind border check = 72% pass. Tithe = 64% pass.
Aurelius: He felt a small warmth like the ring's glow. "Both pass?"
Aurelia: "Both pass. Now we must bind the new rules."
Clerk: [COMMIT] New protocol: pre-bind border verification mandatory. New tax: tithe = 1% initial deposit to fund. Trustee rules active.
Aurelius: "We passed law by voice. What now for trial and lamp?"
Aurelia: "Lampfold trial remains. Trader must obey border re-map and deposit rules. Fund will not pay trader. Fund will seed public need, not subsidy for maker failure."
Trader: "Understood. I will re-map. I will seek more posts only after deposit held."
Sarn: "My hearth is stronger now." He touched his palm to ring. "The mend held."
Aurelius: "Good. Learn: eyes that bind must also feed."
Aurelia: "And note: pass does not end test. We watch the runt and the root."
Clerk: [MONITOR] Lampfold trial — continued monitor. Fund seed account created: balance = Mira pledge (750 sparks hold). Trustee list: Mira, Len, Aurelius (pending actor rep confirmation). External monitor: watcher role active.
A soft ripple on ribbon — a new voice, younger, edge bright.
Youth: "I like light. I like coin. But what of those who cannot feed upkeep? Do we let them star?"
Aurelius: "The fund will help where need is need and proof shows need. But fund is not magic. It must have coin."
Aurelia: "You will not star alone if you build link. Build link by witness, by work, by ask."
Clerk: [NOTE] Aid activation rule: need must show witness + actor check + trustee sign.
Aurelius: "We craft rule that makes help reach fast, not slow."
Aurelia: "But fast without ledger is risk. We keep balance."
Len: "Actors ask for a day of show: a small task fair to show who needs help and who can aid. We will run market fair on tick 10."
Aurelius: "A fair will also test Lampfold's value to people."
Aurelia: "And it teaches trade that law is work and space."
Clerk: [SCHEDULE] Market fair: tick 10. Tasks: aid petitions, trader demo, Lampfold show, trustee report.
A murmur ran. Some traded small praise; some fear. The watcher's tone stayed thin but less sharp.
Watcher: "I stay near market. My mark will flag any misuse."
Aurelius: "We accept watcher flag. It keeps clerk honest."
Aurelia: "And we add one more: a rule that any actor may call for review with two witness tokens."
Clerk: [ADD] Review call: two witness token req → clerk triage → trustee convene.
Aurelius: "Two witness tokens? How do we get tokens?"
Aurelia: "Witnesses are people who saw the act. Tokens are marks from clerk that validate witness. Len can show how."
Len: "I'll hand out witness tokens at fair. People will sign and clerk will mark."
Clerk: [ISSUE] Witness token mode: clerk issues mark on verified statement. Use: review call.
Aurelius: He breathed slow, thinking on spiral. "Each new law draws new need to care. Each care draws new law to hold care."
Aurelia: "And each law brings cost. This is spiral weave. We must choose which loop to spin next."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Snapshot 01:13:33 — Entries: Pre-bind protocol active, Tithe law active, Fund account active (Mira hold 750 sparks), Market fair scheduled, Review call rule set.
Aurelius: "Before fair, one more: we make a simple school for upkeep — how to feed hearth, how to keep lamp safe. Teach small acts."
Aurelia: "Skill is root. Teach skill, not just pay."
Len: "I can teach a run of tasks at fair. We'll show how to feed a hearth, set lamp border, sign witness."
Aurelius: "Good. Teach town craft so law is not a chain but a tool."
Aurelia: "Tools are kind when taught well."
They closed the tick with a soft note. Voices folded into plans. Sarn practiced the habit of daily spark, Mira logged pledge as seal, trader re-mapped posts, and watchers watched. The clerk hummed with new lines.
Post-Law Reflection: A vote is more than yes or no. It is a net that ties voice to task. Law that wins by many hands must also teach hands how to hold it. Seed fund and pre-bind guard pass by voice, but their life will hinge on craft: fair days, witness marks, and small school runs. The Spiral will lift when law and skill braid tight; else it will snag.