Cord

Not to be confused with Chord, the avout utility cord.

Cord is an extramuros (outside math walls) machinist and the sib (close companion) of Fraa Erasmas. Practical and unflappable, she favors tools and fixes that work in the field and is comfortable making snap judgments around machines and terrain.

Context and First Mention

Cord travels with Erasmas while he pursues Fraa Orolo, handling driving and on-the-spot repairs. At Orithena she is invited inside the gates with trusted companions. When a Geometers (alien visitors) probe descends into the pit, she helps the group approach it safely and works the hatch.

Roles and Actions

• Field logistics and driving: operates a fetch (rugged utility truck), scouts routes, and keeps spares and hand tools ready.
• Orithena probe work: climbs to the capsule, removes small access panels, and operates T-handles to equalize pressure so the hatch will drop. She describes the occupant as "close, but not from Arbre," helps with extraction for physicians, warns bystanders clear of hazards, and later pockets a few bolts from the hardware.
• Post-landing aftermath: during the improvised beach encampment after evacuation, she and Yulassetar Crade announce their engagement. The ring is hammered from a metal ring cut off the Geometers' parachute rigging. Many onlookers seek their recollections because the probe was largely destroyed; they may be called to speak at the Convox in Tredegarh. Cord notes their fetch should be safe at Norslof and plans with Yul to retrieve it, then head into the mountains for a delayed honeymoon.
• Delegation to the Daban Urnud: later chosen—alongside Yulassetar Crade—to join the Arbran delegation aboard Daban Urnud in recognition of their visibility during the Visitation of Orithena. Upon arrival she adapts quickly to microgravity, reunites warmly with Erasmas in the Core, and weathers media attention (a speelycaptor attempts a staged narration before Yul intervenes).
• Peace proceedings and security devices: during opening ceremonies in an Urnudan orb, Cord attends funeral rites and formalities at the meeting pool. She discreetly hands over a small device issued to delegates and described to her as a tracking aid; Erasmas privately implies such devices are tied to the "Everything Killers" contingency.
• Founding work at Orolo: collaborates closely with Fraa Jesry on the summit solar timepiece later known as Jesry’s Clock. She helps build and break successive prototypes and gathers the tools needed, culminating in a reliable noon trigger that drops the cornerstone on the rubble island.
• Wedding day on the island: during the cornerstone celebrations at the crater community named for Saunt Orolo, Cord and Yulassetar Crade are married by Magister Sark.

Description and Outlook

Cord is direct, capable, and pragmatic. In conversations after the Orithena events, she begins interpreting what happened from a Kelx point of view (ascribed to Magister Sark's influence), an outlook she embraces on her own terms. She has a keen appreciation for precise mechanical craftsmanship; Erasmas later thinks of her when examining an exceptionally well-machined ring bearing on a suit during technical preparations. When attending the delegation’s ceremonies aboard the ship, she dresses up—milled metal jewelry, newly cut hair—yet keeps her practical style (barefoot, shoes buckled to her belt).

Relationships

• Fraa Erasmas: sib; mutual trust and candor. They address each other as cousins and remain closely supportive during the delegation’s activities and the later founding work at the crater.
• Yulassetar Crade: spouse; longtime partner in travel and repairs. Their earlier engagement is followed by a marriage officiated by Magister Sark during the cornerstone day on the island.
• Physicians and technical aides: cooperates readily with specialists when handling the capsule and relays practical observations.

Current Status / Location

Active at the crater community associated with Fraa Orolo under the Second Reconstitution. Recently married to Yulassetar Crade and collaborating with Fraa Jesry on the sun-driven clock used to time the cornerstone laying on the island.

Notes

• Hatch handling details include activating pressure-equalization hardware before the door fell free.
• She retained a small handful of bolts taken from the probe hardware for later examination.