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@@ -51,6 +51,16 @@ Drenwick is the titular seat of the **Duchy of Sudermere**, ruled by **Duke Rode
- Functional, bureaucratic, unceremonial — a counter clerk, a ledger, a seal, a fee
- Marriage filing is a non-religious civil process by default; religious ceremonies exist but are optional and run separately from the registry. Most Drenwick residents file first and ceremonialise later (or not at all)
- Because Drenwick is the duchy seat, residents do not travel for registry business — it's a short walk from most of the city
- **Second floor — civil registry (Ch21 / Epilogue canon):** Counter two is the civil partnerships (marriage) desk. Clerk works from a ledger "the size of a wagon wheel" with a notary stamp worn smooth from use. Hours posted on a small board that has been painted fresh at some point in the last decade and has not been painted fresh since. **Hours: second afternoon bell through seventh bell, daily except Godsday.** Long clock on the south wall tracks minutes precisely (used for effective-time logging on contracts).
- **Marriage filing procedure (Epilogue canon):**
1. Six silvers filing fee laid on the counter. Clerk weighs by palm, does not count.
2. Name exchange — clerk asks each party for their name in turn.
3. Papers exchange — clerk asks for *"Papers"* and both parties produce crown papers. Clerk pulls both cards toward her without picking them up, checks the royal seals against a **reference plate mounted under the counter lip**, slides them back without comment.
4. Clerk reads the clause — two lines from a standard form. Asks whether the parties have any existing joint contract on file with the crown or with any of the six duchies. Both parties answer verbally.
5. Clerk presses the notary stamp into the page at the minute the filing is logged. Stamp lands flat.
6. Clerk closes the ledger, tells the parties the contract is now in effect *(but see below re: the ten-day waiting period)*, hands one party a copy of the filing, and dismisses.
- **Ten-day waiting period:** After filing, the contract enters a ten-day hold before it takes full legal effect. The filing record says the contract is "in effect" (per the clerk's scripted language) but legal enforcement / registry recognition activates at the tenth day. Parties do not need to return for the effective date — it is automatic.
- **Reference plate:** Physical non-magical stamp-verification tool mounted under the civil registry counter lip. Clerks check crown seals on ID papers against the plate to verify authenticity. Part of standard civil registry procedure.
### The Thresholds
- Magical liminal spaces throughout the city

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@@ -135,6 +135,27 @@ Corvel runs its civil contract law through the crown registry, one office per du
For Drenwick residents, the filing counter is the **Drenwick court house** in the Guild Quarter. See `world/locations/drenwick.md`.
### Crown Papers (Civil Identification)
Every adult subject of the Corvel crown carries **crown papers** — a folded parchment card issued by a crown clerk, bearing the royal seal pressed into wax along one edge, plus the subject's name and birth year written in a clerk's hand. Issued once at adulthood (or at naturalization for immigrants); replaced only if lost or damaged. The wax seal is the authenticating element — crown-registry counters across all six duchies and the Crownhold carry **reference plates** mounted under the counter lip, physical (non-magical) stamp-verification tools used to confirm seal authenticity.
Crown papers are required for civil registry filings (marriage, deeds, inheritance), guild charter signings, noble-adjacent transactions, and any crown-recognised contract. Most adults carry theirs folded in a pocket or purse. Older cards develop characteristic creases from long folding.
Crown registry counters **cross-check marriage filings against both crown records and all six duchy records** for prior joint contracts. A prior contract in any duchy blocks a new filing until the prior contract is resolved.
### Marriage Filing Procedure (Summary)
1. Both parties present themselves at a duchy-seat crown registry counter during posted hours.
2. Filing fee (amount varies by duchy; **six silvers in Sudermere / Drenwick**).
3. Name exchange — clerk records each party's name from their own statement.
4. Papers exchange — clerk verifies crown papers against the reference plate.
5. Clerk reads the standard clause, asks about existing joint contracts across the crown and six duchies.
6. Clerk stamps the page at the filing minute.
7. **Ten-day waiting period** (amount varies by duchy; **ten days in Sudermere / Drenwick**) before the contract takes full legal effect. Automatic — no return visit required.
8. Parties are handed one copy of the filing.
Non-religious default. Ceremonial add-ons (rings, pastors, feasts) are not part of the civil procedure.
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## The Crown and the Compact