A collection explaining how Korr grudges begin, how chosen kin become responsible for one another, and what must happen before a serious dispute can end.
A Korr grudge is not the same as anger. Anger may pass after an argument, a meal, or a night's rest. A grudge records a breach of trust that has not been repaired. It should name the person, the agreement, the failure, and the harm that followed.
The first story concerns a brace maker who substituted cheaper metal in a pressure support. The brace failed during a shift and broke a miner's leg. The maker apologized and offered a replacement brace. The injured miner refused to end the grudge because the apology did not cover lost wages, medical care, or the other supports made from the same metal. The grudge ended after the maker paid the costs, recalled the unsafe work, and showed the guild how the substitution had been hidden.
The second story concerns two guards who named one another kin after surviving a tunnel collapse. Years later, one guard accepted work on another moon and stopped answering messages. The other recorded no grudge. Being named kin creates a standing obligation to help when help is needed. It does not require daily contact, shared housing, or permission to travel. The absent guard had broken no agreement.
The third story concerns a forge owner who owed compensation to a dead worker. The owner claimed that the debt ended because the worker had no blood relatives. The worker had named three guildmates as kin before the accident. The guild recognized all three as kin. Chosen kin receive the same duties and protections as relatives by blood because the obligation was stated and accepted while the worker lived.
A grudge belongs to the people and institutions responsible for the breach. It does not pass automatically to their children. A descendant becomes involved only by accepting the old obligation, keeping property obtained through the breach, or continuing the same harmful practice. Family name alone is not proof of guilt.
An apology can begin a settlement, but it cannot complete one by itself. The person who caused the harm must understand what failed, repair what can still be repaired, and compensate for what cannot. If the harmed person asks for something unrelated or impossible, a guild hearing may set fair terms. Refusing an unfair demand does not create a new breach.
Korr contracts are short because every term is expected to hold under pressure. Korr loyalty lasts for the same reason. Trust allows dangerous work to continue without every person checking every other person's hands. When that trust fails, the grudge remains until the cause and the harm have both been addressed.
