by Kati Evans
Here is the full production script for Week 7, Day 4.
To ensure this fills the 30–60 minute window, the Storyteller portion is written as a detailed character study of greed. I have also included an interactive segment called "The Customer's Right" to teach the audience how to roleplay inspecting goods properly.
Special Instruction: You must copy the "Part 2: The Story" section into a Notecard named Script: The Baker's Thumb and give it to your Guest Speaker (or perform it yourself) before the event.
📜 SECOND LIFE SCRIPT: WEEK 7, DAY 4
Event: The Storyteller ("The Baker's Thumb") Host: Kati Evans Guest Performer: The Storyteller (Guest or Kati) Target Duration: 40–50 Minutes
🟢 PRE-EVENT CHECKLIST
[ ] Rez the Stage. (Props: A table with bread loaves, a scale, and perhaps a hammer).
[ ] The Storyteller: Ensure they have the script notecard.
[ ] 1:00 PM: Start formal RP. Announce 5-minute gathering.
🎤 PART 1: THE INTRODUCTION (Kati)
(Walk to the podium. Pick up a loaf of bread (prop). Hold it up.)
[Chat Block 1] /me steps onto the stage, holding a loaf of bread. She looks at it suspiciously, turning it over in her hands. "Tal, Citizens. Welcome to Day 4 of The Circle."
[Chat Block 2] "This week, we have spoken of Licenses and Scales. We have spoken of the mechanisms of trade."
[Chat Block 3] "But there is a crime in the market that is harder to spot than a missing license. It is the Invisible Crime. It is the crime that happens inside the weight itself."
[Chat Block 4] "Law 5.1.c states that any merchant deviating by more than five percent from the Standard Scale shall be charged with Fraud. Why is this a specific crime? Because it is a betrayal of the public belly."
[Chat Block 5] "Today, our Storyteller brings us the tale of 'The Baker's Thumb.' It is the story of Gorm, a man who found a way to turn lead into gold... until the lead betrayed him."
/me places the bread on the podium and takes a seat near the fire, gesturing for the Storyteller to take the chair.
📖 PART 2: THE STORY (For the Guest Speaker)
(Give this text to your Storyteller. They should paste one block at a time, pacing themselves.)
[Block 1] /me sits in the storyteller's chair, leaning forward with a conspiratorial grin. "Gorm was the best baker in the lower district. His crusts were crisp. His dough was soft. Every morning, the smell of his oven drew a line of customers around the block."
[Block 2] "But Gorm had a problem. He loved coin more than he loved flour. He looked at his ledger and thought, 'If I could just save one ounce of flour per loaf... I would be a rich man.'"
[Block 3] "Now, Gorm was smart. He knew the customers watched the scale. He knew he couldn't just give them a small loaf. So, he went to his workshop in the dead of night."
[Block 4] "He took his iron weights—the 1-pound weight and the 2-pound weight. They bore the Seal of the City. They looked perfect."
[Block 5] /me mimes drilling into an object. "But Gorm took a drill. He drilled into the bottom of the weights. He hollowed them out. He removed the heavy iron heart and filled the hole with wax and dust, then painted over it."
[Block 6] "To the eye, the weight looked like a pound. To the hand, it felt like a pound. But on the scale? It was only 14 ounces."
[Block 7] "For months, Gorm grew rich. Every time he weighed a 'pound' of flour or dough, he was saving 2 ounces. Over a thousand loaves, he stole mountains of grain. He bought silk. He bought a slave."
[Block 8] "But greed makes a man careless. One day, a Matron of the Builders came to his shop. She was a woman who knew stone. She knew heft."
[Block 9] "She ordered five pounds of flour. Gorm put his '5 Pound' weight on the scale. He poured the flour. The scales balanced. 'Here you go,' he smiled."
[Block 10] "The Matron frowned. She lifted the sack of flour. 'This feels light,' she said."
[Block 11] "Gorm laughed. 'Your arm is tired, Mistress! The scale does not lie! Look at the City Seal!'"
[Block 12] "The Matron reached into her own basket. She pulled out a Mason's Hammer. 'We shall see,' she said."
[Block 13] /me mimes swinging a hammer down hard. CRACK! "She smashed the hammer down onto Gorm's iron weight. It did not clang like solid iron. It cracked. The wax plug shattered. Dust poured out."
[Block 14] "The shop went silent. The crowd saw the hollow shell. They saw the lie."
[Block 15] "The Merchant Magistrate did not just fine Gorm. He revoked his license under Law 5.1.c. He seized the shop. And Gorm? He was sent to the quarries to lift real weights for the rest of his days."
(The Storyteller bows/nods.)
🎤 PART 3: THE ANALYSIS (Kati Returns)
(Walk back to the podium.)
[Chat Block 16] /me stands and nods to the Storyteller. "Gorm thought he was clever. But physics always wins."
[Chat Block 17] "This story teaches us the severity of Fraud. If Gorm had just raised his prices, people might have grumbled, but he would be a free man."
[Chat Block 18] "By tampering with the weights, he attacked the Standard Stone of Teletus. That is why the punishment was total ruin. If we cannot trust the measure, trade stops. And if trade stops, the city dies."
🔍 PART 4: THE CUSTOMER'S RIGHT (Interactive)
[Chat Block 19] /me picks up the loaf of bread again. "I want to teach you how to be the Matron. How to protect yourself."
[Chat Block 20] "In Teletus, the Customer has the Right of Inspection. I want to roleplay a transaction. I need a volunteer to be the Merchant."
(Signal PLANT A to step up, or a volunteer.)
[Chat Block 21] "I am the Buyer. You are selling me this bread. I suspect it is light. Watch what I do."
(Roleplay with Plant/Volunteer)
Plant: "Fresh bread! One copper!" Kati: /me picks up the bread. "It feels airy. Weigh it for me." Plant: "Trust me, mistress! I baked it myself!" Kati: "I trust the Stone. Weigh it."
[Chat Block 22 - To Audience] "Did you hear that? 'I trust the Stone.' That is the phrase. If a merchant refuses to put his goods on the scale in front of you, walk away."
[Chat Block 23] "Also, look at the weight itself. Turn it over. Law 5.1 requires the Official Seal. If the bottom is scratched off, or covered in wax... call the Guard."
❓ Q&A SEGMENT
[Chat Block 24] "I will take questions now regarding Fraud, Weights, or how to spot a cheat."
(Signal PLANT A)
[PLANT A QUESTION] (Plant asks): "Mistress! What if I buy something pre-packaged? Like a sealed jar of wine? I can't weigh the liquid inside."
[Chat Block 25 - Answer] /me nods. "A difficulty. You weigh the jar full. If you drink it and find the bottom is false (pushed up to reduce volume), you bring the jar to the Magistrate."
[Chat Block 26] "The Magistrate will measure the volume of the empty jar. If it holds less than the label claims, the Merchant is guilty of Fraud. Save your jars if you suspect a cheat."
(Signal PLANT B)
[PLANT B QUESTION] (Plant asks): "Mistress, can I carry my own weights to check? Is that allowed?"
[Chat Block 27 - Answer] /me smiles. "Allowed? It is encouraged. Every wise Head of Household should have a set of verified weights."
[Chat Block 28] "However, ensure your weights are verified at the Sardar Fair too. If you accuse a merchant, and it turns out your weight is wrong... you will be the one paying the fine for Slander. Be sure before you accuse."
🏁 THE CLOSING
[Chat Block 29] /me smooths her robes. "Tomorrow is the end of Week 7. We have talked about Licenses, Scales, and Fraud."
[Chat Block 30] "Day 5 will be an Open Forum. We will bring a real scale to the stage and practice weighing goods. We will also discuss the Sales Tax and where it goes."
[Chat Block 31] "Thank you to our Storyteller. The Circle is closed!"
(Signal Crier/Slave to end.)
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