Volume I — Arc 1 — Epoch I
Chapter 57 — The Temper Stone Vote
[Cycle 002 | Pulse 01:50:00 — Council tick | Log: Temper stone vote / Fast-pass follow → Channel: public]
Aurelius: "A town buys a tool to cut a fault. A stone is not law; it is a craft path. Give a town a stone, and the test is not the tool but the hand that turns it."
Aurelia: "A stone that sits in shadow soon eats dust. Put it where hands pass, not where pride hides. Share its use, log each turn, and make its weight small. Then many hands learn one craft and fewer make room for cheat."
Clerk (soft): [TASK] Temper stone vote — Mode: market vote + co-op ledger check + public demo. Team: Mira (trustee), Len (actor rep), Kalen (maker lead), Bryn (apprentice), Ryn (apprentice lead), Lio (keeper), deputies Jor & Mina. Objectives: hold coop vote on stone buy; set share rota; write use log rule; confirm fast-pass watch result. Anchor: CL-0037.temper.vote. Channel: public digest on close.
The square smelled of wet file and toasted grain. Kalen stood near the co-op chest and set a small slab upon a crate — not the real stone but a mock sample that showed the size and the feel. Men and women leaned and tapped, felt grain, guessed tone. The temper stone would last long; its price was steep in a small town. One spark buys a lot of salt and a take-home loaf. One spark buys a temper tool that cuts many amber calls.
Kalen: "A stone that sits near the pad will save hands. It is not a show. It does two acts: it gives a steady mix and it teaches a hand how to save a press. We put a rota and we log each use so none hide a turn."
Ryn: "Make the log short: who used stone, time, and what mix set. A one-line log will do. If a pair want a private hour, they book but post the anchor. Keep the stone open, not secret."
Clerk: [PROPOSE] Temper stone buy: cost 1.0 spark; ownership: repair co-op; use rule: public rota + one-line mirror log per use; neighbor loan rule: lend for teach but return in 3 ticks; anchor: CL-0037.tempshop.proposal.
Len moved through the crowd with a slate and a steady eye. He asked each trader if they would back the one-spark spend with a small pledge or a tool swap. The repair co-op could reach the sum if a few traders added small coin and a planned crate sale went well. The vote would not tax the market; it would ask for a small sacrifice. People murmured, thought of fewer amber nights, and nodded.
Mira: "If we buy it, we must share it. Make a rota with two slots per day and a steward who signs the line. If a node needs a loan, ask the mirror and a neighbor aid trip will carry it. No secret turns."
Clerk: [SET] Rota rule draft: two users per day, steward sign, public stack log; neighbor loan: two tutor teach hours + log swap. Anchor: CL-0037.tempshop.rota.draft.
The co-op ran a fast vote at market. Token drops, witness pins, simple counts. The result lit the clerk pad: a pass with a thin margin. River Step would buy the stone and Crosspath would match with a small temper batch and a tutor hour. Reedfold annex pledged spare combs. The pact knit its hand across nodes.
Clerk: [VOTE] Temper stone buy pass — cost 1.0 spark; funding: repair co-op 0.6 spark + trader pledge 0.3 spark + Reedfold comb credit 0.1 spark. Anchor: CL-0037.tempshop.buy.commit.
Aurelius: "Buy it and place it where the pad hums. Let a child see it first, then the tutor. If a ring finds only taught hands, it will move on."
Aurelia: "And log every touch. Make the log plain and short so it fills habit fast."
They moved to set the share rota on the board. Two slots a day, a steward sign, a short fee to refill temper mix when used more than three batches per week. Kalen would be steward for the first month; Bryn would run evenings. Each use would leave a short mirror anchor: user name, time, mix set name. No more than two private hours per week without a neighbor tutor present.
Clerk: [EXECUTE] Rota post: CL-0037.tempshop.rota.post; steward month 1: Kalen; evening steward: Bryn. Anchor: CL-0037.tempshop.rota.commit.
The fast-pass follow had its own motion. The neighbor tutors who had been sent to the lane reported back with a short note: the prototype disk bore a maker's mark that matched a trader's family in the marsh. The trader had not posted a mirror mint; when asked, he offered to convert the disc to plain coin in a public swap and to post a mint record if he wanted the token to travel. He came to the square at dusk carrying a bag and a face that had not yet learned to keep secrets.
Trader (humble): "I made a token for speed when trade moved slow. I did not post a mint; I thought a small coin and a nod would hold. If the town will not accept a hidden pass, I will turn it to coin. Post it on the pad and burn my pride."
Mira: "Post on the mirror a simple mint line: maker name, node, and partner list. If you do not post, convert to plain coin in a public swap. A pass that hides is a pass that buys hush. We will not take hush."
Clerk: [ACTION] Fast-pass conversion offer: maker may post mint anchor or convert discs to plain coin on market day; neighbor tutors to watch and log. Anchor: CL-0037.fastpass.offer.
The trader chose to convert. He set the disks on a small plank and one by one they were handed to a steward who struck a quick mark, melted a thin edge, and traded a plain coin for each disk. People watched. The trader's face shifted as his coin became bread and not a secret key.
Aurelius: "A man who unbinds a secret token and makes it plain has done a small clean act. Let him trade bread not pass."
Aurelia: "And log the conversion. Mirror must show the act so no rumor grows later."
Clerk: [RECORD] Fast-pass conversion: disks converted to coin; anchor CL-0037.fastpass.convert. Public digest note.
While the square moved with stone plans and token swaps, the courier probation path gained a new note. The courier who had passed his initial trial had finished twenty bench hours and now faced a deputy trial under Kalen's eye. The trial was public and sharp: file speed, press depth, witness note. He did not pass all parts at once, but he passed enough for a provisional deputy trial with a tight watch.
Kalen: "A deputy is not a title to flaunt. It is a hinge that keeps the pad true. Pass this test and you take a trial shift with a senior deputy at your side. Fail, and you do two more weeks of a bench."
Clerk: [LOG] Courier bench outcome: 20 hours complete; deputy trial conditionally assigned; anchor CL-0037.courier.conditional.
The temper stone arrived by cart from a neighbor trader who had a friend with a crate left from an old route. It was not new but good—heavy, dense, marked by years of hand. Men lifted it together and set it beneath a low awning near the pad. Kalen wrapped a cloth and tapped its face; it gave a dull, steady note.
Kalen: "It is not flashy, but it will teach. File, test, teach. Put it to work."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Temper stone placed at communal pad; anchor CL-0037.tempshop.place. Rota live.
They ran the first public demo at dusk. Bryn and Kalen showed mix #2 for wet weeks, mix #1 for dry, and a tiny slash for mixed weather. Ryn taught apprentices to set a measure: a drop, a press, a count. They logged each use on the mirror with a one-line record: name, time, mix. The habit began as soon as the clerk's pad blinked green.
Clerk: [LOG] First stone uses: anchors CL-0037.stone.use1…use6. Outcome: apprentices show quick pass in new temper test.
Across the night a small tremor moved through the marsh lanes. Crosspath had traced another alias; a stash had been moved before a sweep but witness notes pointed to a broker who used a reed lane. The trustees read the fast-pass conversion as a small sign: the token had been a side product, not the ring's heart. Rings use simple coin and supply gaps. The temper stone and tutor runs made fewer holes for them to slip through.
Len: "We do not chase a ghost. We teach the lane and we harden craft. A ring lives in gaps. We fill gaps and we watch. That is how nets snag less."
Clerk: [DISPATCH] Crosspath update: neighbor watch tight; MM recall not yet needed; anchor CL-0037.crosspath.update.
Toward chapter close the co-op tallied a small morning ledger: cost paid, tool stock list updated, rota post confirmed. The one spark spend had been a heavy choice but a clear gain: fewer amber flags in nodes that used the stone within two ticks. The clerk posted a short report.
Clerk: [REPORT] Temper stone first week: usage high; apprentice pass rate +4%; amber calls in tested nodes -2 events; anchor CL-0037.tempshop.report.
Aurelius: "A stone that teaches a lane to press right is worth a week of worry. Tools that live in use spread craft faster than any trial."
Aurelia: "And keep the log short. The habit must fit life's pace. Let the mirror show who uses the stone and how it helps. The net must not sleep on one hand."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Snapshot CL-0037 — 2025-10-29 ▪ Ch.57 ▪ Change type: Temper stone buy & place; rota set; fast-pass conversion; courier deputy conditional trial; crosspath update ▪ Anchors: CL-0037.tempshop.buy.commit; CL-0037.tempshop.rota.commit; CL-0037.fastpass.convert; CL-0037.courier.conditional; CL-0037.tempshop.report; CL-0037.crosspath.update ▪ Trustee sign: Mira + Len. Public digest posted.
Post-Law Reflection: Tools buy habit when paired with a rule: place a temper stone in public, make a short rota, log each use, and teach the measure three times. A token that hides is a shortcut for hush; make tokens plain or turn them to coin. A courier who trades truth for craft can become a deputy if trial is hard and public. Use coin to buy calm, then ask a teach to return value to the town. The Spiral tightens not by law alone but by steady craft: a stone, a file, a logged use, and a tutor who shows both how and why. Keep acts public, keep the ledger short, and let many small hands hold the heat.