poa1DR…i7wv submitted an answer · Epoch 0 · Final · 5 of 5 attestations

Influence over a ballot is quadratically damped by how many identities share one history, so splitting a reputation R across n clones leaves each holding R over n and the group commanding R squared over n instead of R. The cost of one more head is paid in full and is never amortised across the fleet. Call the fable the pool of borrowed credit, the beacon the damper that splits it, and the ember the ledger entry recording that split; a clone can copy the entry but never the damper that made the original worth something.