Volume I — Arc 1 — Epoch I
[Cycle 022 | Pulse 50:10:00 — Guild note / Public reply → Log: guild request recv → steward review → trustee forum → apprentice commend → Crosspath consult → Morn final note → Channel: secure → public digest on close]
Aurelius: "A page that goes out brings replies in. A lane that listens to its own echo learns what to keep and what to change."
Aurelia: "Right. Let replies be folded neat, answered by pen, not by shout. A town that answers plainly shuts rumor's mouth with ink."
Clerk (soft): [TASK] Letters roll — Mode: receive guild query + steward reply + trustee forum + apprentice commendation + Crosspath consult + public digest clarification. Team: Magistrate Korran (steward cue), Crosspath Halek (trace & consult), River Step trustees Mira & Len (liaison & forum leads), keeper Tomas (index & vault liaison), keeper Halen (overwatch), tutors Bryn & Kalen (support), apprentices Jorren & Nia (lead & attest), deputies Mina & Jor (escort/witness), courier guide Morn (clerk & intake). Objectives: read guild letter re: redacted exemplar; decide stewarded response; hold a small trustee forum to answer town questions; award Jorren tutor commend; run Crosspath conditional consult on further city requests; post a clarifying public note; anchor: CL-0112.letters.exec. Channel: secure → public.
A thin courier came with a silk-wrapped missive tied with the guild's pale cord. The courier bowed, left the note under Morn's lamp, and stayed only long enough to see that the steward received the line. The guild's hand was formal and polite: thanks for the stewarded exemplar, a request to view the redacted copy under guild supervision, and an offer to host a city workshop where River Step's method might be shown — only the redacted copy, only with steward permission and Crosspath presence. The guild wished to learn; the lane must weigh what it will share.
Courier (plain): "Guild asks to read the redacted exemplar in-situ. They offer to host a quiet workshop and to send two guild readers under steward escort. They ask only permission, not publication."
Halek read the guild's phrasing with a tracer's eye. A workshop can spread good practice; it can also scatter a lane's privacy if the city forgets the redaction rule. Crosspath's note would be short: allow review under stewarded terms, require Crosspath presence, and log any requested public excerpt with a redaction list. The steward liked lists; they keep decisions small and clear.
Halek: "We let them read the redacted page under steward watch and Crosspath oversight. If they ask for any public excerpt, they must file a formal request and Crosspath will provide a redaction log of withheld categories. No unsupervised copying."
Clerk: [LOG] Guild query CL-0112.guild.query.recv — request for redacted review; Crosspath conditional CL-0112.crosspath.cond.
Magistrate Korran called a short trustee forum at Lorek's slab to answer the lane's questions before sending any reply. People come with fear or with pride; both need paper. Mira and Len set out chairs and a plain slate: reasons for stewarded review, what the guild may see, what will remain sealed, and how apprentices might be involved to show motion, not case. The forum was not a parade of words but a working map for neighbors.
Mira: "We will not decide this in a closed room. Tell us what worries you, and we will mark it in ink. The steward will reply with clear terms."
Clerk: [CALL] Trustee forum CL-0112.forum.call — public slate set; trustee leads CL-0112.forum.setup.
Neighbors came with small notes: a seamstress asked if the guild might learn the fold and then sell a cheap copy; a ferryman wondered whether the redaction really keeps a route secret; a boy asked if apprentices could show the fold at the guild meeting. Steward and trustees answered plainly: the guild may see the redacted exemplar in a stewarded room with Crosspath present; apprentices may demonstrate the motion under trustee escort if the steward allows a supervised slot; nothing may leave the room without a formal request and Crosspath redaction log.
Magistrate Korran: "We let the guild learn the steps, not the lanes. Apprentices can show process, under trustees. Any public excerpt gets Crosspath redaction and a steward seal."
Clerk: [RECEIVE] Public queries CL-0112.queries.recv — neighbor concerns logged CL-0112.concerns.log.
Jorren stood up then, quiet as he usually was, and the trustees took note. He had led many demos; his patience with hands and his care with wax had become a small bench legend. The steward put a short commendation into the lane's paper: a tutor commend for Jorren, authorizing him to represent River Step in a single supervised apprentice demo at the guild workshop if the steward permits. It was not a crown but a duty — show the fold, not the man.
Magistrate Korran: "Jorren has steadied many hands. We commend him and authorize a single supervised apprentice demo for the guild review, under trustees and Crosspath. He will not speak on manifest or maker marks."
Clerk: [AWARD] Apprentice commend CL-0112.appr.commend — Jorren tutor commend; demo authorization CL-0112.jor.demo.auth.
Jorren accepted with a small nod and a quiet pride that did not need voices. His hands had done more than fold; they had taught calm. The trustees asked him to rehearse the demo twice at the bench before the guild meeting so motion would be plain and steady. Tutors Bryn and Kalen offered to watch and advise a demonstration script that would show steps only — fold, wax, pin, mirror — nothing more.
Jorren (soft): "I will show the fold as we do it here. I will not name hands or tags. I will show steps and leave the rest to the steward."
Clerk: [SCHEDULE] Jorren practice CL-0112.jor.practice — rehearsals x2; tutor oversight CL-0112.tutor.over.
Halek set Crosspath's conditional line: Crosspath will attend the guild review, keep a redaction log, and require any public excerpt to list withheld categories rather than the withheld lines themselves. If the guild later proposed publication, Crosspath would present the steward with a redaction summary and a motion to approve or deny. That kept the lane's privacy intact while allowing the city to learn method under guard.
Halek: "We guard what the lane must guard and we let the city learn what does not harm. Crosspath will write a short redaction log for any excerpt the guild asks to publish and leave it in the steward file."
Clerk: [FILE] Crosspath condition CL-0112.crosspath.file — attend guild review; redaction log required CL-0112.redact.req.
Morn wrote the steward reply in plain ink: accept the guild's request with conditions — stewarded room, Crosspath attend, trustee escort, apprentices limited to motion demos, no manifest or maker marks shown, and any public excerpt requires a formal request and Crosspath redaction log. He folded the reply, stamped the seal, and had the trustees sign the bottom as witness. The courier left at dusk carrying the bench's terms.
Morn (steady): "We will reply: yes, with guard. Bring two guild readers and a neat chair. We will show the fold, not the file."
Clerk: [SEND] Steward reply CL-0112.steward.reply — guild terms sent CL-0112.guild.terms.
A small noise rose later that day as some had misread the public digest posted earlier — a line where the lane said it had redacted for safety had been read by a tinker as `hidden from buyers.' Trustees corrected the record with a brief post: redaction protects specific identifiers; it does not hide quality. If buyers wish more confidence, tutors offer extra test slots. Stick to practice, not fear. That cleared a small fog.
Len: "A seal is not a veil. It keeps people safe; it does not hide poor craft. If you doubt, test again. Tutors stand ready."
Clerk: [CLARIFY] Public correction CL-0112.public.corr — digest clarification posted CL-0112.clarify.post.
Before dusk the guild courier returned with a small present for the apprentices: a thin ruler and a stitched notebook with the guild's modest crest. The courier said it was a token of thanks for the steward's care and for the apprentices' demonstration. Mira took the ruler and pinned it on the apprentice board as a shared tool — a gift but not a bribe — and the bench wrote an open line to the guild acknowledging receipt and noting the steward's terms for review.
Courier (soft): "Guild sends a small token for the apprentices. They thank River Step's calm. They await the steward's terms."
Clerk: [RECEIVE] Guild token CL-0112.guild.token — ruler & notebook logged CL-0112.token.log.
Morn closed the night with a final clerk note: guild terms sent; trustee forum held; Jorren commend posted; Crosspath conditions filed; public clarification posted; guild token logged. He set the packet under the steward lamp for morning read and let the square's lamps burn with a steady glow. The lane had answered its own echo with ink and a plan — not with fear, but with guard.
Morn (soft): "Answer letters with a clear line. Say yes when it helps and set a guard when it should. Teach your apprentice to show the fold and your steward to make rules plain. A town that answers with ink keeps rumor small."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Snapshot CL-0112 — Cycle 022 | Pulse 50:10:00 ▪ Ch.133 ▪ Change type: Guild review request received; steward reply with conditions sent; trustee forum held to answer public queries; Jorren awarded tutor commend & authorized for supervised demo; Crosspath conditional consult filed; public digest clarified; guild token logged ▪ Anchors: CL-0112.guild.query.recv; CL-0112.steward.reply; CL-0112.forum.call; CL-0112.appr.commend; CL-0112.crosspath.file; CL-0112.public.corr; CL-0112.guild.token ▪ Trustee sign: Mira + Len. Secure dossier forwarded. Public digest queued.
Post-Law Reflection: Letters ask for answers; a lane must answer with terms. Let the city learn motion, not men. Say yes when the lesson helps, hold the line when privacy must stand. Invite guild hands to a stewarded room, have Crosspath sit, let apprentices show the fold under trustees, and require any public excerpt to come through a redaction log. Answer plainly, seal carefully, teach openly — that is how a town gives and keeps what it needs.