Volume I — Arc 1 — Epoch I
[Cycle 022 | Pulse 50:50:00 — Guild workshop prep / Rehearsal & Redaction log → Log: guild terms prep → apprentice rehearsals → Crosspath attendance plan → trustee escort schedule → demo script finalize → public notice → Channel: secure → public digest on close]
Aurelius: "When a town opens its door, it must also set the hinges. A careful hinge keeps the draft out and the light in."
Aurelia: "Exactly. Teach the step under watch. Let the guest leave knowing how we fold, not whom we fold for."
Clerk (soft): [TASK] Workshop roll — Mode: prepare stewarded guild workshop + finalize demo script + apprentice rehearsal + Crosspath redaction log prep + trustee escort rota + public notice draft + steward packet. Team: Magistrate Korran (steward cue), Crosspath Halek (redaction & attendance), River Step trustees Mira & Len (escort & seal), keeper Tomas (index & vault liaison), keeper Halen (overwatch), tutors Bryn & Kalen (demo direction), apprentices Jorren (lead), Nia & Tomas (assist), deputies Mina & Jor (escort/witness), courier guide Morn (clerk & intake). Objectives: agree final demo script limited to motion steps; prepare redaction log template CL-0113.redact.log; set Crosspath observers; assign trustee escorts & watch rotations; rehearse apprentice demo twice; prepare public notice clarifying steward conditions; anchor: CL-0113.workshop.prep. Channel: secure → public.
The steward's room smelled of peat and ink. Lantern light warmed the oak table where the sealed redacted exemplar waited under trustee silk. Korran spoke first, his voice a steady hammer that shaped the meeting: the guild review would occur at the city room two days hence; River Step would send a supervised apprentice demo, a stewarded redacted page, trustees to escort, and Crosspath to attend and keep a redaction log. Everything leaving the lane must wear the lane's guard.
Magistrate Korran: "We will show steps, not nodes. Jorren shows the fold, tutors instruct the press, apprentices show mirror handling. Crosspath sits with a pen and a tape; trustees walk the guild floor at all times. Any request to print must file through steward and Crosspath. No exceptions."
Clerk: [OPEN] Steward prep CL-0113.steward.prep — redacted exemplar ready CL-0111.redact.exec; guild meeting set CL-0113.guild.set.
Bryn set the demo script with the lean eye of a tutor who teaches by habit. The script had four moves: 1) index find and pad show (keeper Tomas reads pad); 2) mirror-trip fold (apprentice Jorren folds linen band, places paper); 3) wax press & pin witness (Morn warms wax, witness pin by trustee); 4) mirror registration & steward seal (trip code logged and steward signs). Each move was rehearsed twice with explicit language prohibiting any mention of maker marks, pallet tags, manifest numbers, or names. Rehearsal would make silence a practice, not a rule imposed in panic.
Bryn: "Script clear: show the hand, not the mark. No mention of makers, no hint of pallets, no route language. If a question asks for those, direct them to steward review and Crosspath reply."
Clerk: [FINALIZE] Demo script CL-0113.demo.script — four steps; redaction boundaries CL-0113.redact.bound.
Jorren led the first dry run at the slab. Hands steady, voice low, motion exact. Tomas called the index line, Nia held the mirror pad, Morn pressed the wax, and Mina clicked the witness pin. Tutors noted small rhythms to smooth — Jorren's pause before sealing should be half a breath longer; the keeper should read the pad aloud without glancing at manifest. The apprentices practiced until the motion was second nature and their faces calm.
Jorren (soft): "We do not hurry. Each step is a promise to the room. Practice until the hand knows to hush the words we will not say."
Clerk: [REHEARSE] Apprentice runs CL-0113.rehearse — runs x4; tutor notes CL-0113.tutor.notes.
Halek prepared the Crosspath presence. He would send two observers: one to sit in the guild room and keep the redaction log (CL-0113.redact.log) listing withheld categories (e.g., maker mark, pallet tag, manifest line) and one to oversee any request from guild readers who asked to see more. The policy was explicit: Crosspath's log records types withheld, never the withheld text. That log would be attached to the steward packet and kept in the vault.
Halek: "We mark categories, not content. If the guild asks for more, they must file a formal request and we will produce a redaction summary for steward review. Our observers must be present and visible."
Clerk: [ARRANGE] Crosspath attend CL-0113.crosspath.attend — observers x2; redact log template CL-0113.redact.log created.
Mira and Len worked the escort rota with the practical manner of men who know the steps of a road. Two trustees would always be near the apprentice during the guild demo; two others would stand at the guild room door to watch arrivals and departures. A local deputy would hold stewarded custody of the redacted exemplar. The rota cycles were short: two-hour stretches to keep eyes fresh and not make the presence a performance.
Mira: "Keep rotations short. Visible watch, not a show of force. Make it clear to the guild we guard because we teach, not because we fear. Two at the door, two near the slab, one with the steward."
Clerk: [SCHEDULE] Trustee rota CL-0113.trustee.rota — door watch; slab watch; vault guard CL-0113.rota.assign.
Morn drafted the public notice to post at Lorek's slab and on the bench: short, plain, and meant to quiet rumor. The notice told the lane: Guild review scheduled — redacted exemplar to be shown under steward & Crosspath oversight. Apprentices will demo steps only. No names or manifest shown. Questions may be lodged with clerk before the meeting. The notice invited the public to bring questions in writing — a simple way to keep the room focused on craft.
Morn (steady): "A clear note puts curiosity on paper. Let them file questions before the room opens; it lessens needless calls during the demo."
Clerk: [POST] Public notice CL-0113.notice.post — guild review notice; question box CL-0113.qbox.setup.
Tutors ran a final rehearsal with an eye for audience: where would hands fall when many watched? How to keep a witness pin visible so a guild reader cannot mistake a stamped impression for an identifier? They adjusted the position of the wax press to obscure the maker angle and made the mirror pad display only the trip code (a neutral hash) without showing ledger columns. These small staging choices made the craft legible and the lane safe.
Kalen: "Stage the hand so no stamp angle shows. Mirror code only, no ledger view. Keep light soft where the wax falls."
Clerk: [ADJUST] Demo staging CL-0113.staging — wax press angle set; mirror display method CL-0113.mirror.hide.
Before the lanterns burned low there was a short trustee forum to answer final written questions from neighbors. Most were simple: will apprentices be safe? will the guild use this to undercut local craft? The steward answered plainly: apprentices are supervised, the guild may not publish without steward & Crosspath approval, and any request will come through a formal redaction review. The forum closed with a small round of nods; neighbors left calmer than they arrived.
Magistrate Korran: "We teach the fold and keep the town's faces private. That is the line. If the city learns the method, it will be by our terms."
Clerk: [RECEIVE] Forum replies CL-0113.forum.reply — neighbor queries answered CL-0113.queries.done.
Night fell with the lamp steady over the oak. Morn folded the steward packet: demo script, Crosspath redaction template, trustee rota, apprentice rehearsal notes, public notice copies, and the chronicler's sealed unedited page (for vault hold). He wrote a brief clerk memo: guild workshop ready under steward terms; Crosspath observers ready; apprentices rehearsed; public notice posted; trustee rota set. He placed the packet under the lamp for Magistrate Korran's signature in the morning.
Morn (soft): "We will teach what we choose, protect what we must, and show how the lane weaves craft and guard. The guild will learn the fold, and the lane will stay safe because it set the hinges first."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Snapshot CL-0113 — Cycle 022 | Pulse 50:50:00 ▪ Ch.134 ▪ Change type: Guild stewarded workshop prepared; demo script finalized; apprentices rehearsed; Crosspath observers assigned & redact log template CL-0113.redact.log created; trustee escort rota set; public notice posted; steward packet prepared ▪ Anchors: CL-0113.workshop.prep; CL-0113.demo.script; CL-0113.rehearse; CL-0113.crosspath.attend; CL-0113.trustee.rota; CL-0113.notice.post; CL-0113.steward.prep ▪ Trustee sign: Mira + Len. Secure dossier forwarded. Public digest queued.
Post-Law Reflection: Open a door and hang a hinge. Teach the motion with clear steps, stage the hand so no map slips through, and send watchers who mark what you withheld by category, not by text. Apprentices must know the script by heart; Crosspath must mark redactions by type; trustees must escort with short, visible turns. A town that chooses how to teach keeps its people safe and its craft useful. Set the room, rehearse twice, post a plain notice — then let the lesson happen under the lamp.