diff --git a/api/app/narrate.py b/api/app/narrate.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8f61a8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/app/narrate.py
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+"""The Narrator role service (charter §5). Renders the digest, routes the model,
+calls Ollama with one retry, logs the call (§10), and returns raw prose — tags
+left intact for the client's TagExtractor to harvest (§2/§6). Raises ModelError
+on failure for the handler to map to a 502.
+"""
+
+import random
+from time import perf_counter
+
+from . import call_log, ollama_client, prompts, routing
+
+
+def run(canon_log: dict) -> str:
+    cfg = routing.for_role("narrator")
+    options = {**cfg.options, "seed": random.randint(0, 2**31 - 1)}
+    messages = [
+        {"role": "system", "content": prompts.system_prompt("narrator")},
+        {"role": "user", "content": prompts.render_digest(canon_log)},
+    ]
+
+    start = perf_counter()
+    try:
+        text = ollama_client.chat(cfg.model, messages, options, think=cfg.think)
+    except ollama_client.ModelError as exc:
+        call_log.record(
+            role="narrator", model=cfg.model, options=options, messages=messages,
+            canon_log=canon_log, ok=False,
+            latency_ms=int((perf_counter() - start) * 1000), error=str(exc),
+        )
+        raise
+
+    call_log.record(
+        role="narrator", model=cfg.model, options=options, messages=messages,
+        canon_log=canon_log, ok=True,
+        latency_ms=int((perf_counter() - start) * 1000), response=text,
+    )
+    return text
diff --git a/api/tests/test_narrate.py b/api/tests/test_narrate.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a9f42d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/tests/test_narrate.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+import app.narrate as narrate
+from app.ollama_client import ModelError
+
+VALID = json.loads((Path(__file__).parent / "fixtures" / "canon_log_valid.json").read_text())
+
+
+def test_run_returns_prose_and_logs_success(monkeypatch):
+    seen = {}
+
+    def fake_chat(model, messages, options, *, think=None):
+        seen.update(model=model, messages=messages, options=options, think=think)
+        return "You stand on the wharf. [FACT: the gulls have gone quiet]"
+
+    logs = []
+    monkeypatch.setattr(narrate.ollama_client, "chat", fake_chat)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(narrate.call_log, "record", lambda **kw: logs.append(kw))
+
+    out = narrate.run(VALID)
+    assert out.startswith("You stand on the wharf.")
+    assert seen["model"] == "qwen3.5:latest"
+    assert seen["think"] is False
+    assert seen["messages"][0]["role"] == "system"
+    assert seen["messages"][1]["role"] == "user"
+    assert "seed" in seen["options"]
+    assert logs and logs[0]["ok"] is True and logs[0]["response"] == out
+
+
+def test_run_logs_failure_and_reraises(monkeypatch):
+    def boom(*args, **kwargs):
+        raise ModelError("upstream down")
+
+    logs = []
+    monkeypatch.setattr(narrate.ollama_client, "chat", boom)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(narrate.call_log, "record", lambda **kw: logs.append(kw))
+
+    with pytest.raises(ModelError):
+        narrate.run(VALID)
+    assert logs and logs[0]["ok"] is False and "down" in logs[0]["error"]