jpmschweitzerandClaude Sonnet 4.6
6b1c5e4d29
Character schema and builds: - #179: Character definition schema (6-section formal spec) - #180: Smuggler character build (full schema instantiation) - #181: Detective character build (full schema instantiation) - #182: Divergent starting knowledge (master comparison table) - #183: Divergent relationships (NPC web per character) Institutional design: - #322: Detective chain of command (Veth, Pres, Tsev backstory) NPC pattern documents: - #332: Contradiction arc — reusable FRIEND pattern (5 phases, checklist) - #329: Mirror moment design — 10 paired dual-lens observations Experience design: - #259: First 5 minutes (narrative texture additions to Gestalt's systems doc) - #307: Flat NPC trait pass (Pael, Ren, Tev — traits, routines, dual-lens) Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
462 lines
18 KiB
Markdown
462 lines
18 KiB
Markdown
# Character Build: The Detective
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**Ticket:** #181 | **Priority:** Critical | **Sprint:** 12
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**Status:** v0.1 Draft
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**Blocked by:** #179 (Character definition schema)
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**Blocks:** #182 (Divergent starting knowledge), #183 (Divergent relationships)
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**Decisions referenced:** D-005, D-016, D-027, D-028, D-032, D-034, D-035, D-037, D-041, D-053, D-065, D-075
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---
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## identity
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```yaml
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identity:
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canonical_id: "pc:detective"
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display_name: "[Player-set name]"
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archetype: "detective"
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occupation: "Commission Liaison Officer, Manifest Irregularity Investigation"
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posting_duration: "3 days (newly arrived)"
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faction: "Commission"
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lattice_tier: "professional"
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description: >
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Commission Liaison Officer posted to Sova Transit District three days ago.
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Official mandate: routine compliance review. Actual mandate: investigate
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manifest irregularities suggesting organized freight smuggling. The distinction
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between "official" and "actual" is itself the first lesson about how
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Sova works.
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Trained investigator. Professional analytical lattice. Institutional
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authority that opens doors and closes conversations. An outsider in a
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community that has learned, over forty years of prefab-modular life,
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to handle outsiders with polite minimal disclosure.
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Stands to lose: professional credibility (if the case goes cold), Sera
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(the investigation, if pressed too hard, could compromise the only
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trusted relationship in the district), and the clean institutional
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clarity that makes the job feel justified — which the community's
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moral complexity is already beginning to erode.
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```
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---
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## starting_knowledge
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```yaml
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starting_knowledge:
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confidence_floor: "KnowsOf"
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known_facts:
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# Investigation data
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- key: "investigation.manifest_discrepancies"
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confidence: "KnowsDetails"
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source: "institutional"
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notes: >
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Case file from Commission records. Containers logged but not reconciled
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with incoming manifests. Pattern suggests systematic manipulation, not
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clerical error. Three clusters of anomalies over the past six months.
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- key: "investigation.freight_pattern"
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confidence: "KnowsDetails"
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source: "institutional"
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notes: >
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Anomalies cluster around shift transition windows. Same container series
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recurring across discrepant manifests. Pattern analysis flagged this
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posting as warranting investigation.
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# Persons of interest (case file, not personal knowledge)
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- key: "person.voss_poi"
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confidence: "KnowsOf"
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source: "institutional"
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notes: >
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Voss, shift supervisor. Scheduling authority. In position to create the
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oversight gaps that explain the manifest anomalies. Name from case file.
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Not met yet.
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- key: "person.maret_poi"
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confidence: "KnowsOf"
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source: "institutional"
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notes: >
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Maret Korr, freight scheduler. Access to manifest data. Could be source
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of the falsification or could be covering for someone else. Name from
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case file.
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- key: "person.drin_poi"
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confidence: "KnowsOf"
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source: "institutional"
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notes: >
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Drin Rosta, dock inspector. Responsible for container verification.
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Failure to flag discrepancies suggests either incompetence or complicity.
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Name from case file.
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# Institutional context
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- key: "world.previous_liaison"
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confidence: "KnowsDetails"
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source: "institutional"
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notes: >
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The previous Commission liaison rotated out 3 months ago. Rotation
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was described as routine. The detective's case file notes that the previous
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liaison filed no irregularity reports despite the same pattern being
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detectable in their tenure. This warrants investigation.
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- key: "world.commission_presence"
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confidence: "KnowsDetails"
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source: "institutional"
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notes: >
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Sera Venn, Commission field tech. Not an investigator. Has been on Sova
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for 1 year. Pre-existing relationship — same institutional background,
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different postings. Reliable. Social anchor in unfamiliar district.
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- key: "world.district_geography"
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confidence: "KnowsOf"
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source: "institutional"
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notes: >
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The Terminal (logistics hub), The Last Shift (bar, social nexus),
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maintenance corridors (off-books access routes noted in district layout
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documentation). Three days in — still orienting to physical space.
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- key: "world.torek_compliance_connection"
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confidence: "KnowsOf"
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source: "institutional"
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notes: >
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Torek Lintar is a Commission compliance officer on Sova. Known from
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institutional channels. Not a friend, but a professional known name.
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# Sera knowledge
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- key: "person.sera_background"
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confidence: "KnowsDetails"
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source: "direct"
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notes: >
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Sera Venn: same career path, different posting. Reliable under pressure.
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Transferred to Sova after a stressful posting elsewhere. Has been the
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district's Commission presence for a year. The detective's one genuinely
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friendly face in Sova.
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unknown_facts:
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- key: "contraband.ring_exists"
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notes: >
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Does not know a ring exists. Suspects organized smuggling from the manifest
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pattern, but "ring" implies structure, membership, coordination — the
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detective doesn't know that yet.
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- key: "contraband.ring_members"
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notes: >
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Does not know any ring members by their ring membership. Kael Davan
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is not in the case file. The smuggler is not in the case file.
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- key: "contraband.cargo_type"
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notes: >
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Does not know what the cargo is. The manifests show discrepancies;
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they don't reveal what's being moved. The "what" is a layer below
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the "that something is wrong."
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- key: "person.kael_exit_attempt"
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notes: >
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Completely unknown. Kael's unauthorized contact and exit attempt are
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not visible to any institutional data source.
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- key: "person.sera_unreported_evidence"
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notes: >
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CRITICAL unknown. Sera has run an unofficial compliance check on Kael's
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work patterns and is sitting on unreported evidence. The detective
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trusts Sera completely. This gap is the structural basis for THE FRIEND arc.
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- key: "person.naia_confided_in_sera"
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notes: >
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Naia Tamm's worry about Kael, confided to Sera, is the emotional engine
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behind Sera's concealment. The detective doesn't know Naia exists as
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anything except a district resident.
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- key: "relationship.ring_membership"
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notes: >
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Who is in the ring, who is complicit, who is protecting whom. The detective
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has names (Voss, Maret, Drin) without understanding the social web that
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holds them together.
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- key: "person.smuggler_identity"
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notes: >
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Does not know the smuggler is in the ring. If the smuggler is in the case
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file at all, it's as a name on a shift roster — no significance attached.
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- key: "world.previous_liaison_arranged"
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notes: >
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The detective wonders whether the previous Commission liaison's rotation
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was routine or arranged. This suspicion is in the case file as a note;
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it remains unconfirmed. (Canonical answer: arranged. But the detective
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doesn't know this yet.)
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```
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---
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## starting_relationships
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```yaml
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starting_relationships:
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- target: "npc:sera-venn"
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relationship_state: "Friendly"
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access_tier: [peer]
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trust_level: "trusted"
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relationship_type: "friend"
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known_attributes:
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name: "Sera Venn"
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role: "Commission field technician"
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faction: "Commission"
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notes: >
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Pre-existing friend. Same institutional background, different posting.
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Transferred to Sova a year ago. Social anchor. The detective's guide
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to an unfamiliar place — Sera fills in background on the district,
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introduces the detective to regulars. Completely trusted at session start.
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- target: "npc:voss"
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relationship_state: "Known"
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access_tier: [authority]
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trust_level: "uncertain"
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relationship_type: "contact"
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known_attributes:
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name: "Voss"
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role: "shift supervisor"
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faction: "civilian"
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notes: >
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Person of interest. Name from case file, scheduling authority. Has
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met once for credentials review. Stiffens when the detective enters
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the hub. Professional, terse. No warmth. Institutional interaction only.
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- target: "npc:maret-korr"
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relationship_state: "Known"
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access_tier: [authority]
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trust_level: "uncertain"
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relationship_type: "contact"
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known_attributes:
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name: "Maret Korr"
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role: "freight scheduler"
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faction: "civilian"
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notes: >
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Person of interest. Manifest access. Has cooperated professionally with
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data requests — provided clean set of schedules. Slightly nervous.
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Cooperation is compliance, not friendliness.
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- target: "npc:drin"
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relationship_state: "Known"
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access_tier: [authority]
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trust_level: "uncertain"
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relationship_type: "contact"
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known_attributes:
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name: "Drin Rosta"
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role: "dock inspector"
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faction: "civilian"
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notes: >
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Person of interest. Responsible for container verification. Has met
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once. More evasive than Voss or Maret. The detective notes the evasion
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without yet understanding the cause.
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- target: "npc:torek-lintar"
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relationship_state: "Known"
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access_tier: [public]
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trust_level: "uncertain"
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relationship_type: "colleague"
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known_attributes:
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name: "Torek Lintar"
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role: "Commission compliance officer"
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faction: "Commission"
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notes: >
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Commission compliance officer on Sova — professional known name, not a
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friend. Has seen him at the bar with Sera. Slightly off in a way the
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detective can't yet articulate.
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- target: "npc:lera-sessik"
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relationship_state: "Unknown"
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access_tier: [public]
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trust_level: "uncertain"
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relationship_type: null
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known_attributes:
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name: "Lera Sessik"
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role: "bar owner"
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faction: null
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notes: >
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Sera mentioned The Last Shift. The detective has visited once or twice.
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Lera is polite, guarded, watching. Not hostile. Not warm.
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- target: "npc:kael-davan"
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relationship_state: "Unknown"
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access_tier: [public]
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trust_level: "uncertain"
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relationship_type: null
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known_attributes:
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name: null
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role: "dock worker"
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faction: null
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notes: >
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Unknown at session start. Name might appear on a shift roster without
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significance. No personal knowledge. No case file entry. The detective
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has no reason to flag Kael — yet.
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- target: "npc:naia-tamm"
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relationship_state: "Unknown"
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access_tier: [public]
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trust_level: "uncertain"
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relationship_type: null
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known_attributes:
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name: null
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role: null
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faction: null
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notes: "No connection at session start. Exists as a district resident without individual identity."
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- target: "npc:pc-smuggler"
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relationship_state: "Unknown"
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access_tier: [public]
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trust_level: "uncertain"
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relationship_type: null
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known_attributes:
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name: null
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role: "dock worker"
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faction: null
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notes: >
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One of many dock workers. No individual significance at session start.
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Knowledge accumulates through observation and tell accumulation.
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May shift to PersonOfInterest if tells compound and manifest
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discrepancy connection is made.
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```
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---
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## access_permissions
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```yaml
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access_permissions:
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can_unlock:
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- tier: "public"
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condition: "Always available"
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max_npcs: "unlimited"
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- tier: "authority"
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condition: "RelationshipState is Unknown, Known, or PersonOfInterest — credential presentation"
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max_npcs: "unlimited for institutional NPCs; does not work with hostile or fully closed NPCs"
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- tier: "peer"
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condition: "RelationshipState reaches Friendly"
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max_npcs: "limited — Sera at session start; others require sustained positive interaction"
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structurally_locked:
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- tier: "insider"
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reason: >
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The detective can never access insider-tier ring dialogue. Not because
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institutional authority is insufficient — authority and insider are
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different axes. Insider requires social belonging within the ring network.
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The ring recognizes the detective as Commission. The ring closes, not opens,
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when institutional authority is applied. Pressing harder does not unlock
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insider content; it triggers defensive behavior and hostile tone. This is
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architecturally fundamental to the two-keyhole design.
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- tier: "authority (failed)"
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reason: >
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Authority access fails when RelationshipState is Hostile. Once an NPC
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has turned against the detective's investigation, credential presentation
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produces refusal or evasion, not compliance. The detective cannot
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authority-tier their way through a hostile source.
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```
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---
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## skills
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```yaml
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skills:
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lattice_tier: "professional"
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movement_default: "walk" # D-053 MovementProfile
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inventory_slots: 2 # D-065
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evidence_display: "case_file"
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capability_flags:
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- "authority_credentials" # Badge/ID; unlocks authority tier with Unknown/Known NPCs
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- "manifest_access" # Can formally request freight manifests from institutional NPCs
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- "analytical_lattice" # Pattern recognition overlay; flags behavioral anomalies at Careful stance
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starting_items:
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- item_id: "detective_case_file"
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description: "Institutional case file: manifest discrepancy analysis, persons of interest, previous liaison notes."
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leverage_type: "proof"
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notes: >
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The detective's starting information in physical form. Can be referenced
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in dialogue to trigger authority-tier responses — "according to case file X."
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Contains the manifest discrepancy data that links to Kael's work patterns,
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though the detective doesn't know this yet.
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- item_id: "detective_commission_credentials"
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description: "Commission identification and liaison officer authorization."
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leverage_type: "access"
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notes: >
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Credential presentation triggers authority tier access with Unknown/Known NPCs.
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Does not work with ring-network NPCs in insider mode — they recognize
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Commission credentials as a threat, not an access grant. Carried on person;
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visible as a status marker to any NPC with institutional awareness.
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```
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---
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## presentation
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```yaml
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presentation:
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monologue_pool: "detective"
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evidence_display: "case_file"
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voice_register:
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sentence_length: "complete sentences, occasional fragments for emphasis"
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vocabulary: "institutional layer over plain speech — investigative habit without jargon"
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emotional_mode: "analysis-first, personal second"
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relationship_mode: "surname-first for targets, first-name for trusted"
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emotional_baseline:
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state: "professional-cautious"
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description: >
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Trained to observe, analyze, withhold judgment until evidence accumulates.
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But also human — isolated in an unfamiliar community, reliant on Sera for
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social grounding, aware that non-cooperation is the district default.
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The analytical habit runs in the background like an operating system.
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Counts things. Tracks frequencies. Flags inconsistencies. Internal bookkeeping
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is automatic: "filing it," "noted," "coincidence?" The institutional training
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doesn't turn off; sometimes the human overrides it. When it does, the crack
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in the professional surface IS the emotional payload.
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Believes in the work. Smuggling isn't victimless — unlicensed lattice
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components can cause neural degradation, medical replacements diverted from
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Syndic supply chains mean someone else doesn't get what they need. The
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investigation is justified. But the moral clarity is starting to erode —
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the community is beginning to read as more complex than "crime scene."
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opening_monologue:
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lines:
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- "Sova Transit District. Third day on station. The briefing said routine compliance review."
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- "The briefing is always wrong about something."
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- "Manifest discrepancies clustered around the freight hub. Start there. Watch the shift change."
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- "Good to know Sera's here. At least someone in this district speaks my language."
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emotional_payload: >
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Isolation, professional caution, guarded optimism about Sera. The detective
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is an outsider. The district doesn't want them here. The player should feel
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the gap between institutional authority and social belonging.
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```
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---
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## Authoring Notes
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**What makes the detective's experience distinct:**
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- The district is a CRIME SCENE. Every NPC is a potential witness, informant, or subject. The detective categorizes before connecting. Kael is "dock worker, Davan, K." before he's Kael. The shift to first names — if it happens — is itself a relationship marker.
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- The monologue is ANALYTICAL and complete-sentence. Counts things. Notices deviations. The emotional register leaks through the analytical frame rather than leading it.
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- The emotional journey of the vertical slice moves from professional isolation to specific, personal betrayal — but the betrayal is different: not "Kael lied to me," but "Sera, who I trusted completely, is compromised by something she did to protect someone I've never met."
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**What the detective's authority access buys:** Conversations happen faster. NPCs answer direct questions. But answers are framed for compliance, not candor. The detective gets facts from people who don't want to give them — which means incomplete facts, deflected facts, facts that look complete but aren't. Authority access is a key that opens the door. It doesn't make what's inside visible.
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**Voice anchors (mandatory reference for all detective monologue):**
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1. *"Logistics hub. Standard prefab, heavy foot traffic. Let's see what the shift change tells me."*
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2. *"That's the third time. Sera leaves when Torek arrives. Three different excuses, same result. That's not coincidence."*
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3. *"Good to see Sera. She always was the reliable one. At least someone in this district speaks my language."*
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4. *"Same booth. Same warm smile. Same offer to buy me a drink. ...Everything except whatever she's not saying."*
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5. *"Grain spirit and low conversation. Only place in this district that doesn't smell like freight lubricant."*
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---
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*Ticket #181 — Detective character build. v0.1 scope.*
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