Volume I — Arc 1 — Epoch I
[Cycle 028 | Pulse 58:10:00 — Guild topics / Crosspath vet → Log: guild topics recv → Crosspath review → steward reply → trustee rota set → apprentice prep schedule → tutor script refine → public digest → Channel: secure → public digest on close]
Aurelius: "A teacher's list shows what a room will hear. Give the city a clear list and you teach without giving away a road."
Aurelia: "Right. Tell them what you will show and keep the rest folded. If a guild asks the lane to teach, hand them a lamp, not a map."
Clerk (soft): [TASK] Seminar roll — Mode: receive guild seminar topics → Crosspath redaction review → steward approval or edit → trustee escort rota set → apprentice & tutor prep schedule → prepare guild response packet → public digest post. Team: Magistrate Korran (steward cue), Crosspath Halek (redaction vet), River Step trustees Mira & Len (escort & seal), keeper Tomas (index & vault liaison), keeper Halen (overwatch), tutors Bryn & Kalen (script refine), apprentices Jorren (lead), Nia & Tomas (assist), deputies Mina & Jor (escort/witness), courier guide Morn (clerk & intake). Objectives: vet guild topics list; mark any item needing redaction or steward clause; set apprentice demo slots & rehearsal dates; attach Crosspath note CL-0123.crosspath.note; anchor: CL-0123.seminar.exec. Channel: secure → public.
The guild's courier arrived at the third bell with a thin folded pack: an itemized seminar outline, names of three city tutors, and a pledge to adhere to River Step's redaction terms. Morn slit the cord and read the list aloud by the lamplight. The topics were practical and, by tone, careful: (1) Apprentice demo script & pause timing; (2) Tutor checklist for mirror registration; (3) Index map method in abstract; (4) Crowd management for a tutor slot; (5) Workshop staging (lighting & press angle). The list avoided manifest or maker items — a polite city hand, indeed — but Crosspath will still read it. River Step likes a list that speaks process.
Morn (steady): "They asked for motion, staging, and crowd craft — no manifest. We will vet and permit with Crosspath notes and two trustee escorts at the seminar. Prepare rehearsals and a short handout for guild tutors."
Clerk: [RECEIVE] Guild topics CL-0123.guild.topics.recv — items 1–5; guild pledge CL-0123.guild.pledge.
Halek read the outline with that quiet care Crosspath men give to ink that might become a road. He marked two items for a slight redaction clause: the Index map method in abstract needed phrasing limits to ensure no ledger code examples travel; and Workshop staging must avoid showing press face angles in diagrams. Halek proposed clear wording edits and a Crosspath note to the steward that would attach to any excerpt the guild keeps. His pen set the difference between help and hazard.
Halek: "We allow the topics but require phrasing limits: no ledger examples in the index method, and staging diagrams must hide the press face angle. We append Crosspath notes explaining categories withheld for safety. Send edits back with steward terms."
Clerk: [FLAG] Crosspath vet CL-0123.crosspath.vet — index phrasing limit; staging diagram limit CL-0123.limit.note.
Korran made two small edits in the steward's hand: a line emphasizing abstract method only — no ledger codes or sample pad numbers and a second: diagrams show hand motion and not stamp faces. He added the steward clause reminding the guild that any future public excerpt needs Crosspath's redaction summary and a certified guild warranty. His ink was clean and final. Trustees would watch the seminar; the lane would teach motion, not nodes.
Magistrate Korran: "Approve topics with edits. Send the list back with limits and the steward clause. Trustees will escort and Crosspath will attend. Apprentices practice under Bryn for two rehearsals before the seminar day."
Clerk: [EDIT] Steward edits CL-0123.steward.edit — abstract method clause; diagram redaction clause CL-0123.edit.
Mira and Len set the escort rota for the seminar day: two trustees with the apprentices at the demo slab, two at the room door, one to receive the guild tutors and manage arrivals. Rota shifts would be short — twenty-minute turns — to keep watch clear and quiet. Trustees also asked that apprentice rehearsals be open to one trustee for observation so any drift toward naming nodes could be stopped before the city sees it.
Mira: "Short turns. One trustee sits with the rehearsal; others share door and slab. If the guild's tutor asks about ledger examples, divert with the stewarded clause."
Clerk: [SCHEDULE] Trustee rota CL-0123.trustee.rota — slab x2; door x2; arrivals x1; rehearsal observer CL-0123.rehearsal.obs.
Bryn and Kalen refined the tutor script for the apprentice demo and the guild's checklist. They stripped any example indices into neutral placeholders and rewrote staging diagrams to show hand arcs only. Bryn added a rehearsal drill emphasizing the half-breath pause and the mirror-call cadence; Kalen added a short crowd-control line: If asked for node data, close the answer and offer steward review. Tutors prefer scripts clear enough to be ritual — ritual keeps hands honest.
Bryn: "Script must be muscle, not thought. Two rehearsals make the pause a habit. Teach the guild to ask in writing if they want more than the motion."
Clerk: [FINALIZE] Tutor script CL-0123.tutor.script — motion-only handouts CL-0123.handout.set.
Apprentices received their rehearsal schedule: two full runs the day before the seminar and one final quick run an hour before the start. Jorren would lead the demonstration; Nia and Tomas would handle mirror pads and index calls. They would practice with a trustee observing one rehearsal and with Bryn coaching the rhythm. Jorren folded the schedule into his small book and felt the familiar quiet: practice is the lane's true armor.
Jorren (soft): "Two rehearsals, one calm run. Keep the hands steady and the words lean. We show the step, we do not answer the route."
Clerk: [ASSIGN] Apprentice schedule CL-0123.appr.schedule — rehearsals x2; pre-show run CL-0123.preshow.run.
Morn prepared the stewarded reply packet for the guild: the edited topics list, Crosspath notes on limits, the steward clause, trustee rota, rehearsal dates, and a single-page guild handout — motion-only — that apprentices would deliver at the seminar. He folded the packet with the same care he gives wax and mirror and sent the courier with instructions: guild tutors must confirm receipt and acknowledge steward terms in writing before their city seminar. A short, binding loop keeps a classroom from widening into a map.
Morn (steady): "Send edits and conditions, ask for written acknowledgment, and schedule the seminar only after guild confirms. We teach with clear paper, not open mouths."
Clerk: [SEND] Steward packet CL-0123.steward.send — topics sent CL-0123.topics.sent; guild ack awaited CL-0123.guild.ack.
Halek filed the Crosspath note to the central pad: vet complete, limits applied, monitor attendance set. He added a final line: Crosspath will review any guild-submitted handouts for public distribution and will append a redaction summary to the steward packet if the guild later files for publication. This keeps a trail for future audits without stopping instruction today.
Halek: "Crosspath will sit, watch, and log categories withheld. If public ask occurs, we provide a redaction summary and steward then decides on release."
Clerk: [FILE] Crosspath note CL-0123.crosspath.note — vet complete CL-0123.vet.ok; monitor attendance CL-0123.monitor.att.
A short public digest at Lorek's slab closed the day: Guild topics received; steward edits applied. Seminar approved under steward terms — motion-only. Apprentices rehearse; trustees will escort. Guild must acknowledge steward terms in writing before seminar day. The note reassured neighbors and kept the market's small machinery humming. When a town posts facts plainly, rumor finds itself unemployed.
Morn (calm): "A posted fact is a town's best quiet. Tell the lane what we will show and how we hold the rest."
Clerk: [POST] Public digest CL-0123.public.post — seminar notice CL-0123.notice.post.
Before the lamp cooled, Bryn ran a final private drill with Jorren and the apprentices: a slow demo, a quick fix for a mirror slip, and a trustee interruption rehearsal — how to close a question with steward clause and move on. The apprentices practiced the phrase until it landed like a tool. Teaching a city to ask in the right frame is part of teaching a craft — form keeps the lesson whole.
Bryn: "If the guild steps past the hand, close with the clause and continue. Teach the room to ask with respect and ink."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Snapshot CL-0123 — Cycle 028 | Pulse 58:10:00 ▪ Ch.145 ▪ Change type: Guild seminar topics received & vetted; Crosspath phrasing limits applied (index & staging); steward edits attached; trustee escort rota scheduled; apprentice rehearsal schedule set; tutor script finalized; steward packet sent to guild; Crosspath monitor attendance noted ▪ Anchors: CL-0123.guild.topics.recv; CL-0123.crosspath.vet; CL-0123.steward.edit; CL-0123.trustee.rota; CL-0123.appr.schedule; CL-0123.tutor.script; CL-0123.steward.send; CL-0123.crosspath.note ▪ Trustee sign: Mira + Len. Secure dossier forwarded. Public digest queued.
Post-Law Reflection: If the city asks, give it a list and a limit. Vet topics for anything that could point to a node; require phrase limits for index examples; hide press faces in diagrams; escort and watch, but teach openly. Rehearse the pause until the hand will not forget. Send a stewarded packet, demand written guild acknowledgment, and attach Crosspath's note to future publication reviews. Teach motion; keep the map folded. Small rules make a public lesson safe.