by Kati Evans
Here is the full production script for Week 4, Day 1.
To ensure this event fills the 30–60 minute window, I have added a specific interactive segment called "The Tax Audit" where you quiz the audience on how much specific hypothetical characters would owe. This "Math of the City" segment consumes time and ensures they understand the law.
📜 SECOND LIFE SCRIPT: WEEK 4, DAY 1
Event: The Lecture (The Coin of the Realm) Host: Kati Evans Target Duration: 35–45 Minutes (plus gathering time)
🟢 PRE-EVENT CHECKLIST
[ ] Rez the Stage. (Add a prop chest or strongbox to the podium if possible).
[ ] Staff: Ensure Plant A and Plant B have their Question Notecards.
[ ] 1:00 PM: Announce 5-minute gathering period.
🎤 PART 1: THE WELCOME
(Walk to the podium. Place a heavy bag of coins [prop or imaginary] on the wood with a thud.)
[Chat Block 1] /me steps up to the podium, placing a heavy leather sack on the wood. It lands with a dull, metallic thud. "Tal, Citizens. Welcome to Week 4 of The Circle."
[Chat Block 2] "We have spent three weeks looking up at the sky—discussing High Ideals, Authority, and the glorious Caste System. Today, we look down at our belts."
[Chat Block 3] "We talk about the thing that weighs down every purse in this city: Copper."
[Chat Block 4] "A city needs walls. Walls need stone. Stone costs money. Guards need bread. Bread costs money. That is why we have Law 1.10: Taxes. It is not a suggestion. It is the fuel that keeps the engine of Teletus burning."
💰 PART 2: THE RATES (Who Pays?)
[Chat Block 5] /me unties the sack, pulling out a single coin and holding it up to the firelight. "Law 1.10 says clearly: All Citizens and Residents aged twenty-five or older shall pay quarterly taxes."
[Chat Block 6] "Note the age: Twenty-Five. If you are young, enjoy your freedom. If you are twenty-five, you owe the City. It does not matter if you live in a mansion or a hut. You pay."
[Chat Block 7] "The rates are set by the Ubarate. Listen closely, so you do not underpay:" "30 Copper for Citizens and Residents." "20 Copper if you merely run a stall in the market."
[Chat Block 8] "Some of you complain. 'Thirty copper is too much!' Is it? It is the price of a few drinks. For that price, you get guards who keep your throat uncut while you sleep. You get roads that do not break your wagon wheels. It is a small price for civilization."
[Chat Block 9] "And here is the most important part: Taxes are Individual." "Law 1.10.2.d: 'Taxes must be paid individually by each Free Person, regardless of the size of their Household.'"
[Chat Block 10] "If you are a rich Merchant with a Free Companion and three adult sons living in your house... you do not pay 30 copper for the house. You pay 30. Your Companion pays 30. Each son pays 30. The Ubar taxes the head, not the roof."
📉 PART 3: THE CRISIS (What if I can't pay?)
[Chat Block 11] /me drops the coin back into the bag with a clink. "Now, life is hard. Sometimes the net comes up empty. Sometimes the crop fails."
[Chat Block 12] "Law 1.10.3 allows for an 'Economic Crisis.' If you truly cannot pay, you do not just hide. You must find a Civil Advocate to certify your poverty. With that certification, the Ubar may authorize delayed or reduced payments."
[Chat Block 13] /me leans forward, expression hardening. "But be warned: If you simply refuse to pay because you are stingy... or if you lie about your poverty... that is a crime."
[Chat Block 14] "Law 1.10.2.d says failure to pay results in prosecution by the Administration. Do not gamble with the Treasury. The Treasury has more swords than you do."
🧮 PART 4: THE TAX AUDIT (Interactive Math Game)
[Chat Block 15] /me smiles slightly. "Let us see if you understand the cost of living. I will give you a scenario. You tell me the Total Tax owed by the household."
[Chat Block 16] "Scenario 1: A Scribe lives alone. He is 40 years old. He is a Citizen. How much does he pay?" (WAIT for audience to type "30".)
[Chat Block 17] "Correct. 30 Copper."
[Chat Block 18] "Scenario 2: A Warrior (age 30) lives with his Free Companion (age 26). They have a son who is 18. How much does the household pay in total?" (WAIT. This is a trick. Answer is 60. 30+30. Son is too young.)
[Chat Block 19] "The answer is 60. The Warrior pays 30. The Companion pays 30. The son is 18—he is under the age of 25, so he pays nothing. Good."
[Chat Block 20] "Scenario 3: A Traveling Peddler sets up a stall for one week. He sleeps in the Inn. He is 50 years old. How much tax?" (WAIT. Answer is 20.)
[Chat Block 21] "20 Copper. He is a Stall Merchant. He does not reside permanently, but he trades. He pays the lower rate."
❓ PART 5: Q&A SEGMENT
[Chat Block 22] /me rests hands on the podium. "I will take questions now regarding Taxes, Collection, or the Treasury."
(Signal PLANT A)
[PLANT A QUESTION] (Plant asks): "Mistress! I own three slaves. Do I have to pay tax on them?"
[Chat Block 23 - Answer] /me shakes her head. "No. Slaves are property, not people. You do not pay tax on your table, and you do not pay tax on your slave."
[Chat Block 24] "HOWEVER... if you sell that slave, you pay a Sales Tax. Law 5.4 says a sales tax of one percent applies to purchases. But for the quarterly head tax? No. Slaves are exempt."
(Signal PLANT B)
[PLANT B QUESTION] (Plant asks): "Mistress, when exactly is the collection? How do I know when to pay?"
[Chat Block 25 - Answer] /me nods. "Law 1.10.2.a says taxes are collected every three Gorean months."
[Chat Block 26] "Usually, the Ubar appoints Tax Collectors—often Scribes accompanied by Guards—to move through the districts. They will knock on your door. If you are wise, you will have a small bag ready by the door. If the Collector has to wait for you to find your purse, he may decide to inspect your house for other violations. Pay quickly."
🏁 THE CLOSING
[Chat Block 27] /me reties the bag of coins on the podium. "Pay your share. Keep the walls strong. A city that does not pay its bills is a city that falls to the first warlord who passes by."
[Chat Block 28] "Tomorrow, we move to the stage. Our players will perform a comedy titled 'The Empty Purse.'"
[Chat Block 29] "It is the story of a merchant named Boggs who tried to hide his coin from the Collector. It is funny for us, but it was not funny for Boggs. Dismissed!"
(Signal Crier/Slave to end.)
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