Common Infrastructure of Survival
Across Atherfall, most permanent settlements maintain some form of public work ledger—a shared space where needs are made visible and solutions are invited rather than commanded.
These boards go by many names: Open Ledgers, Contract Walls, Notice Trees, Bounty Stones. Their construction varies—oak planks, carved stone, spirit-silk scrolls—but their purpose remains consistent. They exist where authority is limited, danger is common, and survival depends on initiative.
In large cities, ledgers are often regulated by guilds, merchant coalitions, or local councils. In frontier towns and neutral zones, they are typically unclaimed and self-policed. In such places, reputation replaces law. Word spreads quickly about who finishes work, who fails, and who vanishes after taking a notice they should not have touched.
Ledgers commonly post:
Monster threats and local dangers
Escort and travel contracts
Resource and salvage claims
Missing persons or recoveries
Discreet requests that avoid official channels
Not every posting is honest. Not every reward is worth the risk. This uncertainty is understood. Taking work from a public ledger is considered an act of consent to consequence.
For Outlanders, Drifters, and the newly arrived, these boards often serve as the first point of contact with a settlement’s unspoken priorities. What a town chooses to post publicly reveals more than any welcome speech.
In practice, a public ledger is more than infrastructure—it is a narrative pressure valve. When paths are unclear, when choices are too open, the Ledger offers direction without obligation.
Atherfall does not assign purpose.
It posts it and waits to see who answers.