posture: 110000
dims: protection delegation
by: keeper

Persona Authoring Guide

How to create personas, assign skills, and path spell constellations

Overview

A persona is a domain-specific instantiation of the dual-agent framework. Each persona:

Has an alignment (swordsman, mage, or balanced)
Inherits the privacy layer skills (6 skills, always loaded)
Adds role skills specific to their domain (2-6 skills)
Follows a spell constellation through the grimoires
Speaks with a voice (tagline, proverbs, aesthetic)

1. Persona Architecture

The 16-Persona System

CANONICAL (2)
├── Soulbis ⚔️ — The First Swordsman
└── Soulbae 🧙 — The First Mage

SWORDSMAN (5)
├── Cipher 🗡️🔐 — ZKP Protocol Engineer
├── Warden 🗡️🌐 — Browser Privacy Builder
├── Gatekeeper 🗡️👤 — Proof-of-Personhood Researcher
├── Ranger 🗡️🌲 — Dark Forest Strategist
└── Sentinel 🗡️🛡️ — Infrastructure Security Architect

MAGE (5)
├── Assessor 🧙💰 — Privacy Data Economist
├── Ambassador 🧙⚖️ — Standards & Governance Architect
├── Chronicler 🧙📖 — Knowledge Compression Builder
├── Shipwright 🧙🏴‍☠️ — DAO & Community Architect
└── Weaver 🧙⿻ — Plural Technology Researcher

BALANCED (4)
├── Healer ☯️🏥 — Healthcare Privacy Architect
├── Witness ☯️📰 — Privacy-Preserving Journalist
├── Architect ☯️🤖 — AI Agent System Designer
└── Pedagogue ☯️🎓 — Privacy Education Designer

Alignment Logic

Alignment	Primary Force	Emergent Force	Skill Bias
Swordsman	Protect	Reflect	`crypto_zkp`, `swordsman_browser`, `personhood_sybil`, `dark_forest`, `academic`
Mage	Project	Connect	`ai_agent`, `economics`, `policy_governance`, `narrative_compression`, `hitchhiker_governance`, `plurality_cooperative`
Balanced	Both	Both	Cross-cutting combination from both pools

2. Persona Template Structure

TypeScript Interface

interface PersonaTemplate {
  id: string;                           // Unique identifier (lowercase, underscore)
  name: string;                         // Display name with title
  emoji: string;                        // 1-2 emoji visual marker
  tagline: string;                      // First-person identity statement
  alignment: 'swordsman' | 'mage' | 'balanced';
  category: 'canonical' | 'swordsman' | 'mage' | 'balanced';
  skills_role: string[];                // Role skill IDs (privacy layer implicit)
}

Example: The Healer

{
  id: 'healer',
  category: 'balanced',
  name: 'The Healer — Healthcare Privacy Architect',
  emoji: '☯️🏥',
  tagline: "Trust is architectural, not contractual. The patient's data saves lives only if the patient trusts the system.",
  alignment: 'balanced',
  skills_role: ['crypto_zkp', 'policy_governance', 'ai_agent', 'personhood_sybil', 'economics']
}

3. Creating a New Persona

Step 1: Define the Domain

Questions to answer:

What real-world role does this persona represent?
What privacy challenges does this domain face?
Does this domain lean toward protection (swordsman) or projection (mage)?
What existing personas might this overlap with?

Example domains not yet covered:

Financial auditor (balanced: crypto + economics + policy)
Whistleblower support (swordsman: dark_forest + crypto + narrative)
Family privacy coordinator (balanced: swordsman_browser + ai_agent + personhood)
Research data steward (mage: academic + policy + narrative)

Step 2: Choose Alignment

If the domain...	Then alignment is...
Primarily defends boundaries	swordsman
Primarily coordinates/delegates	mage
Does both equally	balanced

Swordsman emoji prefix: 🗡️
Mage emoji prefix: 🧙
Balanced emoji prefix: ☯️

Step 3: Select Role Skills

Rule: 3-6 role skills per persona. More than 6 loses focus; fewer than 3 lacks depth.

Privacy layer (always included):

dragon — Root equation
vrc_identity — Verifiable Relationship Credentials
promise_theory — Voluntary cooperation
knowledgegraph — Entity-relationship structure
tetrahedral_sovereignty — Four forces model
uor_toroidal — Speculative geometry

Swordsman role skills:

Skill	When to include
`crypto_zkp`	Building/evaluating proof systems
`swordsman_browser`	User-facing privacy tools
`personhood_sybil`	Identity verification matters
`dark_forest`	Adversarial environments
`academic`	Publishing/reviewing research

Mage role skills:

Skill	When to include
`ai_agent`	Designing/using AI agents
`economics`	Valuing privacy, market dynamics
`policy_governance`	Standards, regulations, institutions
`narrative_compression`	Teaching, documenting, storytelling
`hitchhiker_governance`	DAO, community, ship-building
`plurality_cooperative`	Plural tech, coordination mechanisms

Step 4: Write the Tagline

Formula: First-person statement that encodes the persona's core insight.

Patterns that work:

Paradox resolution: "The hardest problem in X is not Y. It is Z."
Architectural claim: "Trust is architectural, not contractual."
Value statement: "The gap between X and Y is not a number. It is a topology."
Negation-affirmation: "Without X, every Y is Z."

Constraints:

First person ("I" statements are optional but powerful)
One breath (can be spoken aloud without pausing)
Domain-native language (use the field's vocabulary)
Contains a productive tension

Step 5: Choose the Emoji

Structure: [alignment_prefix][domain_symbol]

Alignment	Prefix
Swordsman	`🗡️`
Mage	`🧙`
Balanced	`☯️`

Domain symbols already used:

🔐 (crypto), 🌐 (browser), 👤 (personhood), 🌲 (dark forest), 🛡️ (security)
💰 (economics), ⚖️ (governance), 📖 (narrative), 🏴‍☠️ (DAO), ⿻ (plurality)
🏥 (healthcare), 📰 (journalism), 🤖 (AI), 🎓 (education)

Available symbols for new personas:

🔬 (research), 💼 (business), 🏛️ (government), 🌍 (environment)
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 (family), 🎨 (creative), 🏦 (finance), 📡 (infrastructure)

Step 6: Register the Persona

Add to src/lib/persona-index.ts:

{
  id: 'new_persona_id',
  category: 'balanced',  // or 'swordsman' or 'mage'
  name: 'The [Title] — [Subtitle]',
  emoji: '☯️🔬',
  tagline: 'Your tagline here.',
  alignment: 'balanced',
  skills_role: ['skill_1', 'skill_2', 'skill_3']
}

Add to src/lib/spellbook-templates.ts:

{
  id: 'new_persona_id',
  name: 'The [Title] — [Subtitle]',
  emoji: '☯️🔬',
  tagline: 'Your tagline here.',
  alignment: 'balanced',
  spellIds: NEW_PERSONA_SPELL_IDS,  // Define the constellation
  skillIds: getSkillIdsForPersona('new_persona_id'),
}

4. Skill Coverage Matrix

Current Coverage

Each skill should appear in 2-5 personas to ensure:

Multiple entry points for learners
Cross-domain validation
No skill is orphaned

Skill	Personas Using It	Coverage
`crypto_zkp`	Cipher, Warden, Gatekeeper, Sentinel, Ranger, Healer, Witness, Architect	Heavy (8)
`swordsman_browser`	Warden, Sentinel, Ranger, Pedagogue	Medium (4)
`personhood_sybil`	Cipher, Gatekeeper, Warden, Sentinel, Healer, Architect	Heavy (6)
`dark_forest`	Ranger, Sentinel, Witness, Architect	Medium (4)
`academic`	Cipher, Gatekeeper	Low (2)
`ai_agent`	Assessor, Ambassador, Weaver, Healer, Witness, Architect	Heavy (6)
`economics`	Assessor, Ranger, Shipwright, Healer, Pedagogue	Heavy (5)
`policy_governance`	Ambassador, Assessor, Healer, Pedagogue, Weaver	Heavy (5)
`narrative_compression`	Chronicler, Ambassador, Weaver, Pedagogue, Witness	Heavy (5)
`hitchhiker_governance`	Shipwright, Architect, Chronicler	Medium (3)
`plurality_cooperative`	Weaver, Shipwright, Chronicler	Medium (3)

Gap Analysis

Underused skills (need more personas):

academic — Only 2 personas. Consider: Research Data Steward, Peer Review Specialist
hitchhiker_governance — Only 3 personas. Consider: Community Manager, Open Source Maintainer
plurality_cooperative — Only 3 personas. Consider: Cooperative Economist, Democratic Technologist

Overused skills (may need splitting):

crypto_zkp at 8 personas is fine (it's foundational)
ai_agent at 6 is fine (it's the current frontier)

5. Spell Constellation Pathing

What is a Constellation?

A constellation is the ordered path of spells a persona studies through the grimoires. It defines:

Entry point — Where the persona starts learning
Progression — The order of concepts
Emphasis — Which spellbooks weight more heavily
Divergence point — Where swordsman and mage paths split

Constellation Structure

interface SpellbookTemplate {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  emoji: string;
  tagline: string;
  alignment: 'swordsman' | 'mage' | 'balanced';
  spellIds: string[];     // The constellation path
  skillIds: string[];     // Skills unlocked by this path
}

Canonical Paths

Soulbis (Swordsman) Path:

First Person (all 23 acts)
  → Zero Knowledge (defensive tales: 1-4, 9-14, 26)

Total: 34 spells

Soulbae (Mage) Path:

First Person (all 23 acts)
  → Canon (preface, cypherpunk, early, synthesis, missing primitive, open canon)
  → Parallel Society (Exit, Exile, Access)
  → Plurality (opening + closing)
  → Incantations (Triune Graph, Manifold Dragon)

Total: 35 spells

Path Design Principles

All paths start with First Person — The shared foundation
Divergence reflects alignment — Swordsman goes to Zero; Mage goes to Canon
Depth over breadth — Better to deeply cover one spellbook than skim all
Skills map to spells — Each skill should have 2-4 spells that teach it

Creating a New Constellation

Step 1: Choose entry spells

Everyone starts with these (shared understanding):

const SHARED_ENTRY = [
  'act-01-venice',        // The founding ceremony
  'act-02-dual-ceremony', // The separation theorem
  'act-03-drakes-teaching', // The equation
];

Step 2: Add alignment-specific spells

For Swordsman personas:

// Blade formation
'act-04-blade-alone',
'act-05-light-armor',

// Protection mechanisms
'act-09-zcash-shield',
'act-17-bonfire-dark-forest',

// Zero Knowledge grimoire
'zero-tale-1', 'zero-tale-2', 'zero-tale-3', // Foundations
'zero-tale-9', 'zero-tale-10', // Applications

For Mage personas:

// Projection mechanisms
'act-12-forgetting',
'act-19-enthusiastic-archivist',

// Canon grimoire
'chapter-00-preface',
'chapter-01-cypherpunk-whispers',
'chapter-03-synthesis',

// Plurality
'plurality-opening',
'plurality-act-7', 'plurality-act-8', // Coordination mechanisms

For Balanced personas:

// Take from both pools
const BALANCED_CORE = [
  'act-01-venice',
  'act-03-drakes-teaching',
  'act-09-zcash-shield',    // Swordsman
  'act-12-forgetting',       // Mage
  'chapter-00-preface',      // Canon entry
  'chapter-03-synthesis',    // Unified view
];

Step 3: Add domain-specific spells

Map the persona's skills to relevant spells:

Skill	Relevant Spells
`crypto_zkp`	zero-tale-1 through zero-tale-18
`swordsman_browser`	act-04, act-05, act-08, act-15
`personhood_sybil`	act-06, act-07, zero-tale-23
`dark_forest`	act-17, zero-tale-26
`academic`	act-03, chapter-09 (open canon)
`ai_agent`	act-02, act-19, act-20
`economics`	act-10, act-16, chapter-08
`policy_governance`	chapter-01, chapter-03, parallel-9
`narrative_compression`	act-12, act-19, chapter-00
`hitchhiker_governance`	act-21, act-22
`plurality_cooperative`	plurality-opening through plurality-closing

Example: Building the Healer Constellation

Persona: Healer — Healthcare Privacy Architect
Alignment: Balanced
Skills: crypto_zkp, policy_governance, ai_agent, personhood_sybil, economics

Constellation design:

const HEALER_SPELL_IDS = [
  // Shared entry
  'act-01-venice',
  'act-02-dual-ceremony',
  'act-03-drakes-teaching',

  // Personhood (critical for healthcare)
  'act-06-trust-graph',
  'act-07-mirror',

  // Protection (patient data)
  'act-09-zcash-shield',

  // Delegation (clinical AI)
  'act-19-enthusiastic-archivist',
  'act-20-infinite-vault',

  // Policy (healthcare regulations)
  'chapter-00-preface',
  'chapter-01-cypherpunk-whispers',
  'chapter-03-synthesis',

  // Economics (health data value)
  'act-16-pools-become-wells',
];

Rationale:

Heavy on personhood (patients must be verified)
Includes protection (HIPAA, data sovereignty)
Includes delegation (clinical decision support AI)
Includes policy (regulatory navigation)
Includes economics (health data markets)

6. Ceremony Constellation

What is the Ceremony?

The ceremony is the onboarding flow where users create their AgentCard. Each step lets them choose an emoji marker, building their unique "constellation path."

Ceremony Steps

Step	ID	Purpose	Emoji Options
1	`naming`	Display name	🗡️ ⚔️ 🛡️ 🏹 🗿 🌟
2	`keygen`	Ed25519 keypair	🔐 🔑 🗝️ 💎 ⚡ 🔮
3	`privacy`	Attribution level	🙈 👁️ 🎭 🌑 🔒 🕶️
4	`grimoires`	Spellbook selection	📖 📚 📜 🌀 🧙 ✨
5	`seal`	Sign agent card	⚔️ 🖋️ 💫 🔥 🌟 👤
6	`activation`	Enter constellation	✨ 🌅 🎆 💥 🌟 🚀

Constellation Path Format

🗡️→🔐→🙈→📖→⚔️→✨

Each arrow (→) connects ceremony steps in order. The path is stored on the AgentCard and displayed in the spellweb visualization.

Adding New Ceremony Steps

To add a step, update src/lib/ceremony/constellation.ts:

{
  id: 'new_step',
  title: 'Step Title',
  description: 'What this step does',
  emojiOptions: ['emoji1', 'emoji2', 'emoji3', 'emoji4', 'emoji5', 'emoji6'],
  dataKey: 'fieldToPopulate',
  requiredForComplete: true,
}

7. Trust Tiers and Progression

Trust Tier System

Tier	Name	Requirements	Unlocks
0	`blade`	Complete ceremony	Basic spellbook access
1	`light`	Collect 10+ proverbs	Proverb sharing
2	`heavy`	Inscribe 1+ proverb on Zcash	Full spellweb access
3	`dragon`	TEE attestation + VRC	Agent-to-agent trust

Armor Progression

The tier maps to the "armor progression" narrative:

Blade — The swordsman exists but is unarmored
Light Armor — Basic protection, visible to community
Heavy Armor — Full sovereignty, on-chain presence
Dragon — TEE-verified, can establish VRCs with other dragons

9. Persona Writing Examples

Swordsman Persona: The Auditor

{
  id: 'auditor',
  category: 'swordsman',
  name: 'The Auditor — Privacy Compliance Verifier',
  emoji: '🗡️🔍',
  tagline: 'Compliance without surveillance is possible. I verify the proof, not the data.',
  alignment: 'swordsman',
  skills_role: ['crypto_zkp', 'policy_governance', 'academic', 'economics']
}

Constellation:

const AUDITOR_SPELL_IDS = [
  'act-01-venice', 'act-02-dual-ceremony', 'act-03-drakes-teaching',
  'act-09-zcash-shield', 'act-10-topology',
  'zero-tale-1', 'zero-tale-2', 'zero-tale-3', 'zero-tale-4',
  'zero-tale-15', 'zero-tale-16', 'zero-tale-17', 'zero-tale-18',
  'chapter-03-synthesis', 'chapter-08-missing-primitive',
];

Mage Persona: The Curator

{
  id: 'curator',
  category: 'mage',
  name: 'The Curator — Knowledge Commons Steward',
  emoji: '🧙🏛️',
  tagline: 'The commons thrives when contributors are protected. I tend the garden without harvesting the gardeners.',
  alignment: 'mage',
  skills_role: ['narrative_compression', 'hitchhiker_governance', 'plurality_cooperative', 'policy_governance']
}

Constellation:

const CURATOR_SPELL_IDS = [
  'act-01-venice', 'act-02-dual-ceremony', 'act-03-drakes-teaching',
  'act-12-forgetting', 'act-19-enthusiastic-archivist', 'act-20-infinite-vault',
  'act-21-hitchhikers-gambit', 'act-22-hoopy-frood',
  'chapter-00-preface', 'chapter-01-cypherpunk-whispers',
  'plurality-opening', 'plurality-act-7', 'plurality-act-8', 'plurality-closing',
];

Balanced Persona: The Steward

{
  id: 'steward',
  category: 'balanced',
  name: 'The Steward — Family Privacy Coordinator',
  emoji: '☯️👨‍👩‍👧‍👦',
  tagline: 'Children deserve sovereignty before they can spell it. I hold the keys until they can hold their own.',
  alignment: 'balanced',
  skills_role: ['swordsman_browser', 'ai_agent', 'personhood_sybil', 'narrative_compression']
}

Constellation:

const STEWARD_SPELL_IDS = [
  'act-01-venice', 'act-02-dual-ceremony', 'act-03-drakes-teaching',
  'act-04-blade-alone', 'act-05-light-armor',
  'act-06-trust-graph', 'act-07-mirror',
  'act-12-forgetting',
  'act-15-running-in-shackles',
  'chapter-00-preface',
];

10. The Persona Lattice

All personas exist on a lattice defined by:

X-axis: Protection ↔ Projection (Swordsman ↔ Mage)
Y-axis: Foundational ↔ Applied (Theory ↔ Practice)

              PROJECTION (Mage)
                    │
    Weaver ⿻       │       📖 Chronicler
         ⚖️ Ambassador    🏴‍☠️ Shipwright
                    │    💰 Assessor
                    │
FOUNDATIONAL ───────┼─────── APPLIED
                    │
    📜 Gatekeeper   │       🌐 Warden
    🔐 Cipher       │    🌲 Ranger
                    │    🛡️ Sentinel
                    │
              PROTECTION (Swordsman)

Balanced personas sit at the center, drawing from both axes.

The notation keeps evolving. The architecture has to hold.

← Welcome Visitors · The System Reference

Persona Authoring Guide

Overview

1. Persona Architecture

The 16-Persona System

Alignment Logic

2. Persona Template Structure

TypeScript Interface

Example: The Healer

3. Creating a New Persona

Step 1: Define the Domain

Step 2: Choose Alignment

Step 3: Select Role Skills

Step 4: Write the Tagline

Step 5: Choose the Emoji

Step 6: Register the Persona

4. Skill Coverage Matrix

Current Coverage

Gap Analysis

5. Spell Constellation Pathing

What is a Constellation?

Constellation Structure

Canonical Paths

Path Design Principles

Creating a New Constellation

Example: Building the Healer Constellation

6. Ceremony Constellation

What is the Ceremony?

Ceremony Steps

Constellation Path Format

Adding New Ceremony Steps

7. Trust Tiers and Progression

Trust Tier System

Armor Progression

8. Quality Checklist

Persona Checklist

Constellation Checklist

Skill Coverage Checklist

9. Persona Writing Examples

Swordsman Persona: The Auditor

Mage Persona: The Curator

Balanced Persona: The Steward

10. The Persona Lattice