Capabilities and Writs

In the archipelago, authority is not a role — it is an object. A capability is a cryptographic token that says what you are allowed to do, who gave you permission, and when it expires. A writ is a capability you can hold in your hand.

What is a capability?

A capability is a signed statement: “This person may do this thing, in this scope, until this time.” It is issued by someone who already has the authority, and it cannot be forged.

When you connect to a realm as a guest, you hold a minimal capability bag — you can move, look, speak, and carry items. When the operator grants you builder access, they issue you a :write capability. When a builder grants you script access, they issue :author_scripts. Each capability is specific, scoped, and revocable.

You never see capabilities directly in play mode. They are the invisible structure beneath permissions. But writs — writs you can see.

Writs

A writ is a capability made tangible. It appears in your inventory as an object — a copper disc, a sealed letter, a stamped token. It carries the same cryptographic authority as any capability, but it exists in the fiction as something you can give, examine, and lose.

> inventory

You are carrying:
  a copper disc (writ: cellar-access)
  an iron lantern

Examine it:

> look copper disc

A small copper disc, warm to the touch. Stamped on one face:
a key and a door. On the reverse, a seal you recognise as Maren's.

  Scope: room:winding-stair/cellar
  Issued by: did:archi:maren
  Expires: dawn (06:00)
  Attenuable: no

This writ grants you access to the cellar until dawn. Maren gave it to you. You cannot pass it on (not attenuable). When dawn comes, it vanishes from your inventory — the authority expires.

Receiving a writ

Writs are given to you by NPCs, other players, or the realm itself:

Maren hands you a small copper disc. "A writ. The cellar key,
while I'm out. Keep it on you. Don't give it away."

  You received: writ:cellar-access
    from: did:archi:maren
    scope: room:winding-stair/cellar
    expires: dawn (06:00)

The fiction and the mechanism arrive together. The copper disc is the writ. The writ is the authority.

Using a writ

You do not “use” a writ explicitly. You simply do the thing it authorises. If you hold a writ granting cellar access, you can walk into the cellar. If you do not hold it, the door resists:

> south

The cellar door holds fast. You lack the authority to pass.

With the writ:

> south

You descend the narrow stairs. The air is cool and smells of
old wine.

The system checks your capability bag on every action. The writ in your inventory is the proof.

Delegation and attenuation

Some writs can be passed on. If a writ is marked attenuable, you can give it to someone else — but only with equal or narrower scope:

> give copper disc to ren

You offer the copper disc to Ren.
Ren takes it. The authority transfers.

Attenuation means the new holder cannot exceed your authority. If your writ grants access to the cellar, you cannot delegate access to the entire building. The chain narrows, never widens.

Revocation

The issuer can revoke a writ at any time:

Maren pulls the copper disc from you with a look. "You've lost
the right. I'm taking it back."

  writ:cellar-access revoked by issuer did:archi:maren.

The disc vanishes. If you had delegated it to someone else, their copy vanishes too — revocation cascades down the delegation chain.

Why writs matter

Writs make authority legible. In most games, permissions are invisible database flags. In the archipelago, they are objects in the world — things that can be given as gifts, demanded as tribute, stolen (if the system allows it), and displayed as proof of standing.

A traveler carrying a writ from the harbormaster is visibly authorised. A traveler without one is visibly a stranger. The social fabric of the island is woven from these tokens.