Volume I — Arc 1 — Epoch I
[Cycle 010 | Pulse 33:30:00 — Runner trace follow / Broker reply → Log: broker excerpt lead → runner locate → steward invite → witness hand prep → Morn supervised anchor round → Channel: secure → public digest on close]
Aurelius: "A single slip that bears a name can pull a long road into view. The call is not to punish but to learn where bargains ran and who passed what. Put the man in a room with law, paper, and a tutor. Let facts come slow and plain."
Aurelia: "Right. A small hand that once moved fast may now fold truth if given guard and warm bread. Do not hunt with a torch; ask with a quiet voice and a safe chair. A town that asks soft finds truth loud enough."
Clerk (soft): [TASK] Runner locate roll — Mode: broker follow → coastal port probe → witness invite → steward soft summons → Morn anchor duty → apprentice attest. Team: Crosspath Halek (lead), Magistrate Korran (steward cue), River Step trustees Mira & Len (liaison), keeper Halen (overwatch), tutors Kalen & Bryn, apprentices Nia & Tomas, deputies Mina & Jor (escort / witness cradle), courier guide Morn (probation duty & mirror lead), apprentice Jorren (attest). Objectives: trace runner named in broker excerpt; seek a soft invite first; prep witness guard kit; log Morn anchors; fold new notes to steward pack; anchor: CL-0086.runner.follow. Channel: secure → public.
Dawn had a thin hush, the kind that keeps words low and hands steady. Halek walked the desk with a small map and a slip folded in his palm: the broker's excerpt that named a runner, a dash of shorthand, a note of a port where he had last been seen. It was not proof of guilt; it was a lead. Crosspath moves on leads the way a weaver follows a new thread, not a master who razes a cloth for one snag.
Halek: "We do not shout. Ask first. Invite the man to speak in the steward's room. If he fears, offer a shelter rota and a token of bread. If he stands, his note may bind a line; if not, we note refusal and move on. Keep tutors on call in case craft must be shown."
Clerk: [OPEN] Runner follow packet CL-0086.runner.follow — broker excerpt CL-0085.broker.excerpt.recv; guild echo CL-0085.guild.reply; shorthand match CL-0085.shorthand.match.
A courier moved south with Halek's letter folded in a small case: a plain ask to the port master that a man named in the excerpt be asked to come to town for a short talk. The wording was soft: no threat, a steward's ask for a note. Crosspath prefers paper invitations before summons; many men will come to a warm chair where they can show a ledger or call a neighbor so the bench may read the fact without a public dragnet.
Halek: "Send the invite sealed and plain. If the man comes, meet him under trustee watch and bring a loaf. If he refuses, mark the fact. We will not hunt. We will call if paper and witness meet."
Clerk: [SEND] Port invite CL-0086.port.invite — courier sent; reply path CL-0086.port.reply.
While the courier rode, tutors ran a short prep at the quay: comb kits ready, hash slips stacked, demo press set near Lorek's stall in case the trader or the runner asks to show a maker's test on the pad. Tutors move not as judges but as repair men. Their work is to make craft visible so a bench can weigh mercy with facts, not rumor.
Kalen: "If the runner brings a pack or a mark, show the method. If a maker asks, demo the repeat. Repair first, then law can read less sharply."
Clerk: [EQUIP] Tutor prep CL-0086.tutor.prep — comb kits x4; hash slips x30; demo slab set CL-0086.demo.ready.
At the ferry Lorek's stall held its small crowd; buyers flowed but with the calm of those who had learned to ask. Jorren tied his strap and stood with a mirror stack at hand. He had been asked to attest if the runner came — he had heard the seamstress' note and had seen the trader's teach. A boy who once feared his hands now faced the day with a steady calm.
Jorren (steady): "If he comes, I will pin a mirror and call the code. I have kept the fold neat for a week now. I will not break the chain."
Clerk: [SCHEDULE] Jorren attest slot CL-0086.jorren.slot — ready at dusk.
Midday the port reply came: the port master had located the named runner at a small quay two tides off. He was known there as a hands man who mended nets and moved small lots — not a lord or a ring chief, but a man who had run fast years back. The port master agreed to a soft invite: a steward's hand at his door and a small reward for travel if he would come to town to speak.
Port Master (plain): "He is at the low quay mending nets. He has a limp and a quick laugh. He will come if you bring a warm note and a pledge that no dragnet will meet him at the gate."
Halek: "We will send an invite with trustee sign and a bread token. We do not march. We ask in a room with law and a tutor at hand. If he comes, we listen. If he flees, we note refusal and close the addendum."
Clerk: [RECEIVE] Port reply CL-0086.port.reply.recv — runner sighted; soft invite OK; transport note CL-0086.transport.note.
Trustees set a small plan: Mira would take a bread chest and a token of shelter; Len would post a neighbor rota in the runner's quay; Mina would ride with the invite as witness. Comforts are not gifts but tools: a loaf, a lamp, a neighbor watch — these keep a man safe enough to speak. Courage needs warm hands.
Mira: "We bring a loaf and a light. We bring a pledge of shelter if he fears the road. A man will speak when he knows his coat will not be at the stake."
Clerk: [SET] Trustee kit CL-0086.trustee.kit — bread chest; shelter token; rota sheet CL-0086.rota.set.
The invite moved with halting speed. Halek rode with Mina and an old courier who knew the quay's paths; Morn rode in the rear to carry mirror pads and a spare seal. The run was not swift; it was the gait of a place that does not rush a man's tale. Crosspath moves where paper meets a hand, not where rumor hounds a street.
Halek: "Take no more men than need. Keep steps low. Offer the man a chair and let him set his book if he has one. If he gives names, we record them. If not, no harm. Let the steward read what paper he brings."
Clerk: [MOVE] Port party CL-0086.port.party — Halek lead; Mina witness; Morn mirror pad; courier run CL-0086.courier.run.
At the low quay they found the man kneading rope and singing low, a crude tune that the sea keeps. He had a limp and a thin scar across his knuckle. He looked up with a wary face when Halek spoke and held out the steward's sealed invite. Halek did not brandish law; he offered a seat and a plain line: come to town, speak to the steward with trustee guard, no public broadcast.
Runner (soft): "I ran when I had to. I kept no name for myself. If you bring a warm loaf and a seat with no ropes at the door, I will come. I will tell what I saw if I can remember it safe."
Mina: "We bring watch and bread. We will not drag you in public. Come with us and speak in the steward room. You will have a neighbor rota at your door on the night you return."
Clerk: [OFFER] Runner soft invite CL-0086.runner.invite — trustee pledge CL-0086.trustee.pledge; bread token given.
The runner agreed with a low nod. He rose slow, the limp a careful pace, and he tied his coat. He took the trustee token as if reading a small price for safety. Crosspath walked with him; Halek kept his notes folded and silent. When a man gives names in a room, the town's work can be small and just. A public dragnet is for kings; a warm chair is for truth.
Halek: "If he stands in the steward room and gives a clean note, we will seal it and hand it to the clerk. If the names match shards, we will ask for manifest checks. For now: a man who speaks is a tool. We use his talk to stitch the map."
Clerk: [RECORD] Runner accept CL-0086.runner.accept — trustee pledge CL-0086.trustee.pledge; transport log CL-0086.transport.log.
They rode back slow. The town met them with lamps and a path. Trustees set a watch at the runner's home so his return lane would have a neighbor rota. Morn set a mirror pad on the bench and turned the wax pot warm. The steward's room is a quiet place where paper and talk meet without crowd or shout.
Morn (low): "Warm the wax and set the pads. If he brings a note, we seal it and fold triplicate. Two pins, two seals. Let the room be a place where a man can tell the truth without fear."
Clerk: [PREP] Steward room prep CL-0086.prep — wax warm; mirror pads x3; witness pins set CL-0086.wit.pins.
When the runner sat before the steward he did not tell a long story. He spoke in small arcs: a ferry meet, a patched cloak, a crate passed with a stamped ring, a man who called no name, a quick trade at dusk. He gave a rough list and a place near a warehouse where a broker had once met a runner. His speech was spare; his memory held to moments. Crosspath folded each line with a careful pen.
Runner (low): "It was dusk. A man with a red stitch on his cloak passed a small crate. He did not tarry. He told a runner name I did not catch right; he gave a coin and moved. I took notes after, but I sell fish now and do not keep fancy pages. I can show the place where the trade ran."
Halek: "We will take your note, fold it sealed, and cross it with the broker's excerpt. If it matches, we add a narrow tie to the ferry packet. For now, we thank you and we keep your name quiet. We will shield you from press."
Clerk: [FILE] Runner note CL-0086.runner.note — witness attest CL-0086.runner.wit; crosspath link CL-0086.crosslinkA.
The steward read the runner's note and folded his hand. He set a small motion: Crosspath will add the runner note to the sealed folder; trustees will keep the runner's shelter flag for three nights; tutors will set a follow teach slot at the berth the runner named; if the runner's line matches manifest codes later, summons will follow. It was not a shout. It was a craft path.
Magistrate Korran: "We accept his note and keep it sealed. Protect the man. Use the note to guide careful tests at the berth he named. If paper ties, we act narrow. If not, we close and move on. This is how law stays fair."
Clerk: [DECIDE] Steward motion CL-0086.steward.motion — runner note sealed; shelter flag set x3 nights; tutor follow slot CL-0086.tutor.follow2; Crosspath add CL-0086.crosspath.addA.
At dusk Lorek ran a small demo at the berth and the trader whose crate had been held came with a small sample. The press sang; the third bite held. A buyer left a mirror slip and a short note: "I test and return." The clerk added the slip to the sealed folder. Each small slip is a stitch. The map grows not by rage but by acts that can be read.
Clerk: [RECEIVE] Berth teach log CL-0086.berth.teach; buyer slip CL-0086.buyer.new.
Morn closed his day with three seals and a steady hand. Jorren folded his last mirror slip and placed it into the learner pouch. The runner slept under a trustee watch that night; the lane felt less sharp and more like a hand that had been steadied by a neighbor's palm.
Morn (soft): "We kept the invite soft. The man came. He spoke and the town listened. That is the work that keeps law fair."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Snapshot CL-0086 — Cycle 010 | Pulse 33:30:00 ▪ Ch.106 ▪ Change type: Runner trace followed; port invite accepted; runner brought witness note; steward room hearing held; runner note sealed; trustee shelter set x3 nights; tutor follow slot set; berth teach held; buyer slip new; Morn anchor round logged ▪ Anchors: CL-0086.runner.follow; CL-0086.port.invite; CL-0086.runner.note; CL-0086.steward.motion; CL-0086.tutor.follow2; CL-0086.berth.teach; CL-0086.buyer.new; CL-0086.morn.prep ▪ Trustee sign: Mira + Len. Secure dossier forwarded. Public digest posted.
Post-Law Reflection: A found slip is not a sword; it is a map pin. Ask soft, bring bread, and shield the hand that speaks. Let a man sit in a warm room with law and a tutor at hand. If his note ties to manifest or shard, add a narrow call; if not, close the folder and teach the lane. The Spiral moves by small acts: invite, note, seal, teach. Keep mirrors neat, seal with two presses, pin with two hands, and let trustees keep watch so witness will not retreat. Law that moves slow and plain gives a town more room to mend.