AF 0, Month 3. Before dawn, Pale Hearth—the small bakery near the market—lit its oven. The alley smelled of warm crust and wet stone. Inside the mill room under the waterwheel, the founder met the Seven Voices and the Archivist.
Objective: hire the first field agents by giving them a job that looks normal but quietly tests timing, calm, and basic judgment.
Stakes: if we pick the wrong people, the group is exposed; if we pick no one, hungry streets grow violent.
Constraint: the test must look like paid work; one chance only.
"Plain card," Strategist said, holding up a slate. "One route, one time, one signal."
"Errand posted on the door," Whisper said. "Pay listed. No mention of us."
"I'll stand in as a clerk at the ferry shed," Arbiter said, lifting a folded letter with a wax seal. "They show the seal, not the page."
"Spotters here, here, and here," Watcher said, tapping a street sketch—corners where a tail would show.
"Shadow covers the back lane," the founder said. Shadow nodded once.
Internal Rule Card — L1 Loyalty Test (Agent)
1. From → To: Brewhouse → Pale Hearth (back door)
2. Time: midmorning
3. Item: spent grain
4. Say: "Spent grain. Pig feed."
5. Signal: Lantern left = Go; Lantern right = Stop
6. If Blocked: show seal → wait → change route once
"Let the day look normal," the founder said.
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By midmorning, a chalk note hung on the bakery door: "Need cart hand. Pay at delivery." A small line formed—farm hands, a ferryman, a mill clerk, a quiet man from the dye yard. None knew they were being tested.
A woman in a flour apron (a front worker) pointed to the cart. "Spent grain," she said. "Pig feed." She spoke the line flat. Why: seed the cover so it sounds natural later.
Pair One — Jo and Mara
Jo, a narrow-shouldered ferryman, gripped the cart. Mara, the mill clerk with flour on her sleeves, walked steady beside him.
They rolled out. At the ferry shed, Arbiter stepped into view as a bored clerk. Mara showed the seal. He glanced at one line and waved them through.
Why: law first calms officials; no debate needed.
At the corner a spotter turned with them once, then again. Mara slowed one step. The spotter slowed too. Jo slid the cart into the upper lane without a word.
Why: small change early shakes a tail quietly.
They reached Pale Hearth before the time window closed. The apron woman paid two coppers and a heel of crust. "Thank you," she said, as if it were any morning job. They left. Neither looked back.
In the mill room, Keeper spoke the time. The Archivist wrote a single line—Pass (two)—and set a small tick next to it.
Pair Two — Porter and Stable Hand
The porter took the handles as if racing a bell. The stable hand talked to fill the noise.
They arrived at the shed hot and quick. The porter tried to push past the clerk, talking over him. The clerk frowned. A small knot formed.
Why: rushing + extra talk draws eyes.
"Stop there," the clerk said, holding the cart. The line grew. Someone in the crowd turned to see why. The porter raised his voice. The stable hand tried to explain. Now three people were listening.
They finally made it through, late and flustered. Paid anyway, they were waved off with a nod and no future. In the mill room the Archivist wrote: Fail (two)—and did not add names.
Pair Three — Tomas and the Dye-Yard Woman
Tomas took the near handle; the dye-yard woman took the far. They moved at a normal pace. At the shed, Tomas showed the seal; no talk.
Why: short beats long; quiet beats clever.
A spotter turned with them twice. Tomas slowed one beat. The spotter slowed too. He pointed with two fingers to the side lane. They changed route once, then kept the new pace, and reached the back door on time. Paid. Gone.
In the mill room: Pass (two).
Pair Four — The Panic
A broad-shouldered man took the cart and met the sight of a city guard at the top of the lane. The guard wasn't watching him; he was eating a fig. The man panicked, lifted the cart too fast, and spilled grain into the street. People laughed. He cursed, tried to gather it with his hands, and drew a crowd. The apron woman came and gently took the cart back. He got paid for the mess and left red-faced.
In the mill room: Fail (one).
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By noon the line had thinned. Four had passed. Three had failed. One had fled before the shed. The street already forgot; it had bread to buy.
Inside, the founder faced the Seven.
"No one knows," Whisper said. "The errand felt normal."
"We'll send invitations to passers after dark," Watcher said. "Plain notes under doors: 'Work available. Same pay. Come after dusk. Knock twice.'"
"Those who failed?" the founder asked.
"Paid and left alone," Warden said. "One chance only."
The founder set a small iron mask on the table but did not put it on. "Tomorrow is my turn," he said. "I join a cart run as a quiet hand. I follow the card. I do not lead."
Keeper nodded to the Archivist. "We'll log it," he said.
Internal Rule Card — L5 Loyalty Test (Founder)
1. From → To: Lower Ferry Step → Pale Hearth
2. Time: midmorning tomorrow
3. Item: spent grain
4. Say: "Spent grain. Pig feed."
5. Signal: Lantern left = Go; Lantern right = Stop
6. If Blocked: show seal → wait → change route once
"Name Burn comes after you pass," Keeper added. "We'll witness it before the World's Seat."
The founder looked around the room—the chalked map, the slate, the lamp, the plain stool in the center.
"We keep orders short," he said. "We answer to this." He tapped the World's Seat. "The world remembers. Not us. The work."
He dismissed people in ones and twos so no group left together. The bakery girl swept the step. A lantern on a nail hung left. No one noticed.
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Outcome (mission): Success. Four passers found; three ruled out without noise; cover and fronts hold.
Consequence: first agents will be invited after dark; training begins in pairs at dawn.
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Archive Entry: 0003
Era: Founding
Year: AF 0 (Month 3)
Content: Covert L1 Loyalty Test run via Pale Hearth front; results—Pass: 4, Fail: 3, Abandon: 1; invitations set for passers (after dark); founder's L5 Loyalty Test — Command scheduled midmorning tomorrow (Lower Ferry Step → Pale Hearth); signals and permits functioned as planned; crowd impact minimal.
SEAL: Recorded before the World's Seat. The Remnant endures. The world remembers.