// Shared language
REALM Glossary
The operating language of a human-agent company, collected in one reference. Every definition points back to the part of the framework where the concept is used.
Direction
- Bearing
The direction in which the Realm is moving. REALM uses bearing to keep work aligned with the Oath and Destiny instead of treating a calendar deadline as the ultimate measure of progress.
Three principles →- Destiny
The long-range destination of the Realm, usually three to ten years away. The Destiny describes what the company is becoming and gives its Sagas a shared horizon.
Goal hierarchy →- Oath
The enduring reason the Realm exists. It is the root of direction and the standard against which the Destiny, Sagas, Quests, and Tasks should remain aligned.
Goal hierarchy →- REALM
A free, technology-agnostic operating framework for companies where humans and AI agents work together as a single crew with explicit roles, shared memory, and human control.
The framework →
People and roles
- Character
A human or AI role operating inside the Realm. Each Character has a defined Class, Zone, responsibilities, knowledge access, personality, abilities, and limitations.
Character Classes →- Character Card
The human-readable definition of a Character: name, Class, Zone, role, abilities, personality, knowledge access, responsibilities, and limitations.
Character Cards in practice →- Class
A reusable operating archetype that defines the natural domain and limits of a Character. REALM has five Classes: Warrior, Mage, Hunter, Cleric, and Bard.
Five Classes →- Cleric
The Character Class that coordinates, protects continuity, tracks blockers, delivers the Scroll, and keeps the Realm running without taking over strategy or specialist work.
Cleric video guide →- Hunter
The Character Class that enters unknown territory and returns with raw intelligence by researching, discovering, monitoring, and surfacing information without turning it into final analysis.
Hunter video guide →- Mage
The Character Class that turns available information into intelligence by identifying patterns, risks, trends, relationships, and implications that support Player decisions.
Mage video guide →- Player
The human who sets direction, establishes boundaries, approves consequential action, and makes the strategic and judgment-based decisions that must remain human.
REALM in one minute →- SOUL File
The Character Card translated into first person for an AI agent to use as operating context. It defines identity, behavior, knowledge, decision boundaries, and how the Character serves the Player.
SOUL files in practice →- Warrior
The Character Class that executes clearly defined work with precision and speed once the goal, instructions, and boundaries are already established.
Warrior video guide →- Zone
A functional area of the Realm, such as Commerce, Marketing, Finance, or Operations, that gives knowledge and responsibilities a stable place in the Codex.
Zones in practice →
Work
- Minimum Viable Realm
The smallest useful starting structure: an Oath and Destiny, one Saga, one Character Card with a SOUL file, and one Quest broken into clear Tasks.
Get started →- Quest
A specific goal with a clear outcome that advances a Saga. A Quest ends when its outcome is achieved, and its work is divided into Tasks that Characters can understand and execute.
Example Quest flow →- Saga
A meaningful seasonal chapter, usually lasting three to twelve months, that moves the Realm toward its Destiny through one or more related Quests.
Goal hierarchy →- Task
A single SMART-defined action, usually measured in hours or days. A Task is complete only when its result and relevant context have been written back to the Codex.
Goal hierarchy →
Memory and rhythm
- Codex
The living memory and written source of truth for the Realm. It holds purpose, direction, roles, active work, decisions, results, and the context that Players and Characters read from and write back to.
The Codex →- Energy
The Player's current capacity for a Session, commonly expressed as High, Medium, or Low. Energy determines how much work should be taken on without pretending that every day has the same capacity.
Sessions →- Raid Response
A focused response ceremony for an urgent event or threat that requires the Realm to coordinate outside its normal operating rhythm while preserving clear roles and write-backs.
Session rhythm →- Save Point
The ritual that closes a Session. Completed work, decisions, results, and carry-forwards are written to the Codex so progress becomes permanent and the next Session can resume with context.
Session rhythm →- Scroll
A concise briefing prepared for the Player at Session Start. It summarizes what happened while the Player was offline, what changed, and what needs attention.
Session rhythm →- Session
A bounded period of active play that begins with a Session Start and ends with a Save Point. Sessions are shaped by the Player's Energy and current priorities, not an arbitrary fixed length.
Sessions →
Boundaries and evolution
- Autonomy Tier
A boundary that defines how freely a Character may act. Tier 1 covers internal, reversible work; Tier 2 covers collaboration through the Codex; Tier 3 requires Player approval before consequential external action.
Autonomy Tiers →- Guild
An external relationship documented in the Codex, such as a supplier, collaborator, partner, or alliance. A Guild record preserves its terms, value, status, and relevant history.
Advanced concepts →- Patch
A deliberate update to how the Realm operates, such as a new process, rule, Character, ceremony, or autonomy boundary. A Patch is approved by the Player and written into the Codex.
Advanced concepts →