ci: build & publish app + bot images to Gitea registry on merge

Add a Gitea Actions workflow (.gitea/workflows/build-images.yml) that fires on
push to main (and workflow_dispatch). On the always-on ubuntu-latest runner it:

  - verifies the host Docker daemon is reachable (socket must be mounted)
  - logs into gitea.whitlocktech.com with a PAT (REGISTRY_USER / REGISTRY_TOKEN)
  - builds & pushes both images from the existing Dockerfiles, each tagged
    :latest and :sha-<7>:
      gitea.whitlocktech.com/<owner>/website-app  (./Dockerfile — server+client)
      gitea.whitlocktech.com/<owner>/website-bot   (./bot/Dockerfile)

Raw docker CLI (no marketplace actions) for portability on self-hosted Gitea;
the shared host daemon gives free layer caching between runs. Registry owner is
lowercased for Docker refs. Deploy (compose image: + pull) is a follow-up.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_0114TpmrNW4wNXsHq5CR72jQ

.env.example

@@ -53,13 +53,10 @@ TOTP_CHALLENGE_TTL=5m
 ADMIN_USERNAME=
 ADMIN_PASSWORD=
 
-# Email (optional). If SMTP_HOST is blank, the contact endpoint tells the
-# client to fall back to a mailto: link instead.
-SMTP_HOST=
-SMTP_PORT=587
-SMTP_USER=
-SMTP_PASS=
-CONTACT_TO=UOMysticmoon@gmail.com
+# Email is configured in Admin → Settings → Email (Gmail over OAuth2), not via
+# env. It reuses the Google auth provider's OAuth client and stores an encrypted
+# refresh token in the DB. Until it's connected, the contact form falls back to
+# a mailto: link (recipient = the `contact_email` site setting).
 
 # CORS — only needed for local dev when the Vite dev server is a different origin.
 CLIENT_ORIGIN=http://localhost:5173
@@ -79,3 +76,15 @@ CLIENT_ORIGIN=http://localhost:5173
 # longer rides the public listener, but an explicit deny rule is belt-and-braces.
 BOT_INTERNAL_URL=http://bot:4100
 BOT_INTERNAL_KEY=change-me-to-a-long-random-string
+
+# uo-link sidecar — the HTTP + WebSocket bridge to the ServUO game server. The
+# website ingests its live event feed and proxies its read queries/commands
+# (shard status, online players, player-vendor sales, IDOC houses, character
+# sheets, account linking, town-crier). In production the sidecar + shard run on
+# a DIFFERENT host from the website, so both URLs are configurable. The
+# shared-secret auth token is NOT an env var — it is entered in the admin panel
+# (Shard page) and stored encrypted in the DB (same pattern as the Discord bot
+# token). These URLs are just defaults; the admin can override them at runtime.
+UOLINK_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8080
+UOLINK_WS_URL=ws://127.0.0.1:8080/ws
+UOLINK_PROTOCOL=1

.gitea/workflows/build-images.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+# Build and publish the app + bot container images to Gitea's container registry
+# on every merge to main. Production then pulls prebuilt images instead of
+# building on the host.
+#
+# Prerequisites (one-time):
+#   • An always-on Gitea runner with label `ubuntu-latest` whose jobs have the
+#     host Docker socket mounted (/var/run/docker.sock), so `docker build` talks
+#     to the host daemon. This also gives free layer caching between runs.
+#   • Two repo secrets (Settings → Actions → Secrets):
+#       REGISTRY_USER  — the Gitea username that owns the token below
+#       REGISTRY_TOKEN — a Gitea access token with `write:package` (+ read:package)
+#     See the PR description / README for step-by-step token creation.
+#
+# Produces, in gitea.whitlocktech.com/<owner>/ :
+#   website-app:latest  + website-app:sha-<7>
+#   website-bot:latest  + website-bot:sha-<7>
+
+name: Build container images
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+  workflow_dispatch: {}
+
+concurrency:
+  group: images-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+env:
+  REGISTRY: gitea.whitlocktech.com
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Check out the merged commit
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Derive image refs (registry owner must be lowercase for Docker)
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          OWNER="$(echo "${{ github.repository_owner }}" | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')"
+          SHORT_SHA="${GITHUB_SHA:0:7}"
+          echo "APP_IMAGE=${REGISTRY}/${OWNER}/website-app" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+          echo "BOT_IMAGE=${REGISTRY}/${OWNER}/website-bot" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+          echo "TAG=sha-${SHORT_SHA}" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+
+      - name: Verify the Docker daemon is reachable
+        # Fails fast with a clear message if the host socket isn't mounted into
+        # the job container (the one hard runner prerequisite).
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          if ! docker info >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            echo "::error::Docker daemon not reachable. Mount /var/run/docker.sock into the runner's job containers."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "Docker daemon OK"
+
+      - name: Log in to the Gitea container registry
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          echo "${{ secrets.REGISTRY_TOKEN }}" \
+            | docker login "${REGISTRY}" -u "${{ secrets.REGISTRY_USER }}" --password-stdin
+
+      - name: Build & push the app image (server + client)
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          docker build -f Dockerfile \
+            -t "${APP_IMAGE}:latest" \
+            -t "${APP_IMAGE}:${TAG}" \
+            .
+          docker push "${APP_IMAGE}:latest"
+          docker push "${APP_IMAGE}:${TAG}"
+
+      - name: Build & push the bot image
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          docker build -f bot/Dockerfile \
+            -t "${BOT_IMAGE}:latest" \
+            -t "${BOT_IMAGE}:${TAG}" \
+            .
+          docker push "${BOT_IMAGE}:latest"
+          docker push "${BOT_IMAGE}:${TAG}"
+
+      - name: Log out (clear cached credentials from the runner)
+        if: always()
+        run: docker logout "${REGISTRY}" || true

BACKEND_DESIGN.md

@@ -234,10 +234,13 @@ who"; `activity_log` provides the history feed.
 
 ## 7. Email
 
-`utils/mailer.js` (nodemailer) configured from `SMTP_HOST/PORT/USER/PASS`, sending to
-`CONTACT_TO` (default UOMysticmoon@gmail.com). No Gmail password in code — env only.
-If SMTP is unconfigured, `POST /public/contact` returns `{fallback:"mailto", email}` so the
-client renders a `mailto:` link instead. Site mode changes / errors never leak SMTP creds.
+`utils/mailer.js` (nodemailer) sends through **Gmail over OAuth2 (SMTP XOAUTH2)**, configured in
+Admin → Settings → Email — not env. The mailbox is authorized by an in-app "Connect Gmail" consent
+flow (`/admin/email/*`) that captures a refresh token, stored AES-GCM-encrypted in the `email_config`
+singleton (never returned over the API). The OAuth client id/secret are reused from the `google`
+auth-providers row. Recipient is the `contact_email` site setting. If email is unconfigured/disabled,
+`POST /public/contact` returns `{fallback:"mailto", email}` so the client renders a `mailto:` link
+instead. Errors never leak credentials.
 
 ---
 
@@ -287,11 +290,7 @@ COOKIE_SECURE=true
 COOKIE_NAME=uomm_token
 ADMIN_USERNAME=
 ADMIN_PASSWORD=
-SMTP_HOST=
-SMTP_PORT=587
-SMTP_USER=
-SMTP_PASS=
-CONTACT_TO=UOMysticmoon@gmail.com
+# Email: configured in Admin → Settings → Email (Gmail OAuth2), not via env
 CLIENT_ORIGIN=http://localhost:5173
 ```
 

README.md

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ shard — a full-stack app in one repo:
 - **Backend** — Node.js + Express REST API (layered `router → controller → model → db`), MariaDB, a provider-agnostic session layer (JWT cookie for web, bearer tokens for mobile, pluggable SSO).
 - **Frontend** — React + Vite single-page app (public site, wiki, and the admin panel), dark "gothic" theme (Cinzel + Georgia).
 - **Deploy** — Docker Compose (app + MariaDB) behind a Pangolin reverse proxy. Express serves the built SPA in production.
+- **Shard link** — a live bridge to the in-game ServUO shard through the **uo-link** sidecar ([UOM/link](https://gitea.whitlocktech.com/UOM/link)): the site ingests a live event feed and makes server-side REST calls to show shard status, economy, staff presence, IDOCs, live activity, and per-character sheets. See [Shard integration (uo-link)](#shard-integration-uo-link).
 
 The design reference is [BACKEND_DESIGN.md](BACKEND_DESIGN.md) (API contract, schema, security).
 
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ The design reference is [BACKEND_DESIGN.md](BACKEND_DESIGN.md) (API contract, sc
 - [Pages & routes](#pages--routes)
 - [API endpoints](#api-endpoints)
 - [API documentation (Swagger)](#api-documentation-swagger)
+- [Shard integration (uo-link)](#shard-integration-uo-link)
 - [Environment variables](#environment-variables)
 - [Security](#security)
 - [Logging](#logging)
@@ -39,7 +41,7 @@ The design reference is [BACKEND_DESIGN.md](BACKEND_DESIGN.md) (API contract, sc
 | Auth | Session service over JWT: httpOnly cookie (web) + bearer access/refresh tokens (mobile), bcrypt hashing, optional TOTP 2FA (`speakeasy` + `qrcode`), pluggable OAuth2/OIDC SSO (built-in Google & Discord + generic) |
 | Database | MariaDB 11 (own container) |
 | Frontend | React 18, Vite 5, React Router 6 |
-| Email | Nodemailer (SMTP) with a `mailto:` fallback |
+| Email | Nodemailer via Gmail OAuth2 (configured in admin), with a `mailto:` fallback |
 | API docs | OpenAPI 3.0 via `swagger-autogen`, served with `swagger-ui-express` at `/api/docs` |
 | Deploy | Docker Compose, Pangolin reverse proxy |
 
@@ -207,6 +209,9 @@ npm start               # node server → serves API + SPA at http://localhost:3
 | SSO | `/api/v1/auth` (`providers` — public discovery; `sso/:provider/start`, `sso/:provider/link`, `sso/:provider/callback`) | redirect flow |
 | Public | `/api/v1/public` (`settings`, `status`, `posts/:category`, `posts/:category/:idOrSlug`, `wiki`, `wiki/:slug`, `contact`) | none |
 | Admin | `/api/v1/admin` (`dashboard`, `site-mode`, `posts`, `posts/upload`, `wiki`, `settings`, `activity`, `bot-activity`, `bot-activity/unban`, `auth/providers` (CRUD), `users`, `account`, `account/totp/*`, `account/identities`) | cookie (admin) |
+| Public · Shard | `/api/v1/public/shard` (`status`, `feed`, `economy`, `online`, `idoc`, `stream`) | none |
+| Player · Shard | `/api/v1/player/shard` (`link`, `accounts`, `roster/:account`, `vendors/:account`, `char/:serial`, `sales`) | cookie/bearer (player) |
+| Admin · Shard | `/api/v1/admin/shard` (self linking, same as player) · `/api/v1/admin/uo-link` (`config`, `towncrier`, `stream`) | cookie (staff / admin) |
 
 Post categories (URL form): `news`, `five-on-friday`, `newsletter`, `screenshots`.
 `authMethod` on a session ∈ `local · totp · mobile · google · discord · oidc`.
@@ -251,6 +256,74 @@ not crash).
 
 ---
 
+## Shard integration (uo-link)
+
+The site is wired to the live in-game world through **uo-link**, a standalone sidecar service that
+runs next to the ServUO shard. Its source lives in a separate repo:
+**[UOM/link](https://gitea.whitlocktech.com/UOM/link)**. uo-link speaks the shard's internals and
+exposes a small, authenticated HTTP + WebSocket API; this website is a *client* of it. The shard
+itself is never exposed to the internet — only the sidecar is, and only the website's backend talks
+to it.
+
+### How it works
+
+```
+ServUO shard  ──▶  uo-link sidecar (UOM/link)  ──▶  website backend  ──▶  browser
+                   REST + WebSocket, bearer-auth      ingest + REST         same-origin JSON/SSE
+```
+
+- **Connection is admin-managed, not env.** The sidecar's base URL, WebSocket URL, shared-secret
+  token, and protocol version are stored in the database (`uoLinkConfig`), edited from the
+  **Admin → Shard** panel. The token is **encrypted at rest** (AES-256-GCM) and is **write-only** in
+  the API — it is never returned to any client and never sent to the browser. Every call the backend
+  makes carries `Authorization: Bearer <token>` and an `X-UOLink-Version` header (a protocol
+  mismatch fails fast with `409` instead of being mis-parsed).
+- **Live ingest (WebSocket).** When enabled, the backend opens an outbound WebSocket to the sidecar
+  and receives a stream of game events — `mob.login`/`logout`, `char.vitals`, `economy.supply`,
+  `vendor.sale`, `player.death`/`murdered`, `house.decay` (IDOC), staff `audit.*`/`cheat.*`,
+  `link.request`, and `server.hello`/`shutdown`. A single dispatcher (`utils/shardIngest.js`) routes
+  each event: state-changing kinds update `shard_online` / `shard_economy` / `shard_houses`; notable
+  kinds are appended to an append-only `shard_events` log; high-frequency kinds (vitals, supply
+  ticks) only update state and are not logged. A changed boot id on `server.hello` is detected as a
+  restart and stale "online" rows are cleared. On reconnect the backend backfills missed events via
+  the sidecar's `/history`.
+- **Live round-trips (REST).** For point-in-time reads the backend calls the sidecar directly —
+  `/char/serial/:serial`, `/roster/:account`, `/vendors/:account`, `/economy`, `/history` — plus
+  commands `/link/confirm` and `/towncrier`. The REST client (`utils/uoLinkClient.js`) **never
+  throws**: every call returns `{ ok, data, status }`, so a shard that is down or mid-restart
+  degrades to a `503`/retry banner instead of a 500.
+- **Fan-out to the browser.** Ingested events are pushed to browsers over **Server-Sent Events**.
+  Two channels exist: a **public** stream carrying only a safe allowlist of kinds, and an
+  **admin-only** stream that also includes sensitive kinds (staff audit, cheat detection, login
+  attempts, IPs). Sensitive kinds can never leak onto the public channel.
+
+### Account linking
+
+A player (or staff member) proves ownership of a game account without sharing any game credentials:
+
+1. In game, the player runs **`[link`** and receives a one-time code.
+2. On the website (Player portal, or Admin → Account for staff) they enter the code.
+3. The backend confirms the code with the sidecar (`POST /link/confirm`), which permanently tags the
+   game account with the website user id, and mirrors the link locally in `shard_account_links`.
+
+That mirror is the authorization basis for character reads: roster/vendor/character-sheet endpoints
+are **ownership-checked** so a user only sees accounts they linked. **Admins may view any
+character**; players and editor/moderator staff are limited to their own linked accounts.
+
+### What each audience sees
+
+| Surface | Endpoints | Who | Data |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| **Public** | `/api/v1/public/shard/*` (`status`, `feed`, `economy`, `online`, `idoc`, `stream`) | anyone | Shard up/down, gold-supply series, IDOC houses, a curated live feed, and **"Staff online"** — only players whose account is linked to a **staff** user (admin/editor/moderator), shown with name + map location. Linked *players* are never listed publicly; no vitals or account are exposed. |
+| **Player** | `/api/v1/player/shard/*` (`link`, `accounts`, `roster/:account`, `vendors/:account`, `char/:serial`, `sales`) | logged-in player | Their own linked accounts: character rosters, character sheets, player-vendor snapshots, and recent vendor sales. |
+| **Admin** | `/api/v1/admin/shard/*` (self-linking, same as player) · `/api/v1/admin/uo-link/*` (`config`, `towncrier`, `stream`) | staff / admin | Staff link their own accounts like players; **admins** additionally read *any* character's data, edit the sidecar connection config, publish/remove **town-crier** messages, and subscribe to the full event stream (incl. audit/cheat). |
+
+The sidecar URL and token are set once in **Admin → Shard**; if uo-link is not configured (or the
+shard is offline), every shard surface degrades gracefully — the public page still renders, showing
+the shard as offline.
+
+---
+
 ## Environment variables
 
 Copy `.env.example` (Compose) or `server/.env.example` (local) and fill in. **`.env` is git-ignored.**
@@ -276,11 +349,12 @@ Copy `.env.example` (Compose) or `server/.env.example` (local) and fill in. **`.
 | `TOTP_ISSUER` | `UOMysticmoon` | label shown in authenticator apps for optional per-user 2FA |
 | `TOTP_CHALLENGE_TTL` | `5m` | lifetime of the short-lived post-password "awaiting code" step |
 | `ADMIN_USERNAME` / `ADMIN_PASSWORD` | — | first-admin bootstrap (first boot only) |
-| `SMTP_HOST` / `SMTP_PORT` / `SMTP_USER` / `SMTP_PASS` | — | optional; blank → contact form uses `mailto:` |
-| `CONTACT_TO` | `UOMysticmoon@gmail.com` | contact recipient |
+| _Email_ | — | configured in Admin → Settings → Email (Gmail OAuth2), not via env; recipient = `contact_email` setting |
 | `CLIENT_ORIGIN` | `http://localhost:5173` | enables CORS in dev only |
 | `LOG_LEVEL` / `FILE_LOG_LEVEL` | `info` / `debug` | console / file verbosity |
 | `LOG_TO_FILE` / `LOG_DIR` / `LOG_FILE` | `true` / `<server>/logs` / `app.log` | log file (bind-mounted to `./logs` in Docker) |
+| `ANNOUNCE_POLL_MS` | `15000` | how often the news-announcement dispatcher sweeps `announce_jobs` for due/retry legs (town crier + Discord) |
+| `TOWNCRIER_DURATION_SEC` | `3600` | how long a news post's in-game town-crier message stays up (≤ `86400`) |
 
 ---
 
@@ -343,8 +417,9 @@ Copy `.env.example` (Compose) or `server/.env.example` (local) and fill in. **`.
 
 - `helmet`, admin routes `noindex` + `robots.txt` disallow, `trust proxy` for correct client IPs
   behind Pangolin (see `TRUST_PROXY`), first admin seeded from env (no hardcoded credentials),
-  `.env` git-ignored. Passwords and request bodies are never logged. SMTP is optional — the contact
-  form falls back to a `mailto:` link when unconfigured.
+  `.env` git-ignored. Passwords and request bodies are never logged. Email sends through Gmail
+  OAuth2 configured in the admin (refresh token stored AES-GCM-encrypted, never in env); the
+  contact form falls back to a `mailto:` link when unconfigured.
 
 ---
 

client/package-lock.json

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
       "dependencies": {
         "@tiptap/extension-image": "^2.27.2",
         "@tiptap/extension-link": "^2.27.2",
+        "@tiptap/extension-text-align": "^2.27.2",
         "@tiptap/react": "^2.27.2",
         "@tiptap/starter-kit": "^2.27.2",
         "diff": "^5.2.2",
@@ -1483,6 +1484,19 @@
         "@tiptap/core": "^2.7.0"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/@tiptap/extension-text-align": {
+      "version": "2.27.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@tiptap/extension-text-align/-/extension-text-align-2.27.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-0Pyks6Hu+Q/+9+5/osoSv0SP6jIerdWMYbi13aaZLsJoj3lBj5WNaE11JtAwSFN5sx0IbqhDSlp1zkvRnzgZ8g==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "funding": {
+        "type": "github",
+        "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/ueberdosis"
+      },
+      "peerDependencies": {
+        "@tiptap/core": "^2.7.0"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/@tiptap/extension-text-style": {
       "version": "2.27.2",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@tiptap/extension-text-style/-/extension-text-style-2.27.2.tgz",

client/package.json

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "@tiptap/extension-image": "^2.27.2",
     "@tiptap/extension-link": "^2.27.2",
+    "@tiptap/extension-text-align": "^2.27.2",
     "@tiptap/react": "^2.27.2",
     "@tiptap/starter-kit": "^2.27.2",
     "diff": "^5.2.2",

client/src/App.jsx

@@ -16,20 +16,28 @@ import Newsletter from './routes/public/Newsletter.jsx'
 import NewsletterIssue from './routes/public/NewsletterIssue.jsx'
 import About from './routes/public/About.jsx'
 import Status from './routes/public/Status.jsx'
+import Shard from './routes/public/Shard.jsx'
+import ShardActivity from './routes/public/ShardActivity.jsx'
 import Wiki from './routes/wiki/Wiki.jsx'
 import WikiArticle from './routes/wiki/WikiArticle.jsx'
+import CmsPage from './routes/public/CmsPage.jsx'
 
 // Admin
 import AdminLogin from './routes/admin/AdminLogin.jsx'
 import AdminLayout from './routes/admin/AdminLayout.jsx'
 import Dashboard from './routes/admin/views/Dashboard.jsx'
 import PostsAdmin from './routes/admin/views/PostsAdmin.jsx'
+import PagesAdmin from './routes/admin/views/PagesAdmin.jsx'
+import PageBuilder from './routes/admin/views/PageBuilder.jsx'
 import WikiAdmin from './routes/admin/views/WikiAdmin.jsx'
 import HeroEditor from './routes/admin/views/HeroEditor.jsx'
 import SettingsAdmin from './routes/admin/views/SettingsAdmin.jsx'
 import ActivityAdmin from './routes/admin/views/ActivityAdmin.jsx'
 import BotActivityAdmin from './routes/admin/views/BotActivityAdmin.jsx'
 import DiscordBotAdmin from './routes/admin/views/DiscordBotAdmin.jsx'
+import ShardAdmin from './routes/admin/views/ShardAdmin.jsx'
+import AdminCharacters from './routes/admin/views/AdminCharacters.jsx'
+import AdminCharacter from './routes/admin/views/AdminCharacter.jsx'
 import AuthProvidersAdmin from './routes/admin/views/AuthProvidersAdmin.jsx'
 import UsersAdmin from './routes/admin/views/UsersAdmin.jsx'
 import AccountAdmin from './routes/admin/views/AccountAdmin.jsx'
@@ -39,6 +47,9 @@ import ModerationUser from './routes/admin/views/ModerationUser.jsx'
 // Player portal
 import PlayerLogin from './routes/player/PlayerLogin.jsx'
 import PlayerRegister from './routes/player/PlayerRegister.jsx'
+import PlayerPortalLayout from './routes/player/PlayerPortalLayout.jsx'
+import PlayerCharacters from './routes/player/PlayerCharacters.jsx'
+import PlayerCharacter from './routes/player/PlayerCharacter.jsx'
 import PlayerAccount from './routes/player/PlayerAccount.jsx'
 
 export default function App() {
@@ -63,10 +74,19 @@ export default function App() {
             <Route path="/site/newsletter/:id" element={<NewsletterIssue />} />
             <Route path="/site/about" element={<About />} />
             <Route path="/site/status" element={<Status />} />
+            <Route path="/site/shard" element={<Shard />} />
+            <Route path="/site/shard/activity" element={<ShardActivity />} />
             <Route path="/wiki" element={<Wiki />} />
             <Route path="/wiki/:slug" element={<WikiArticle />} />
+            {/* CMS pages: top-level /:slug, matched only after the named routes
+                above (React Router ranks static routes over this dynamic one). */}
+            <Route path="/:slug" element={<CmsPage />} />
           </Route>
 
+          {/* Draft-preview link (token-gated). Outside the maintenance gate so a
+              preview link works regardless of site mode. */}
+          <Route path="/preview/:id/:token" element={<CmsPage preview />} />
+
           {/* Admin */}
           <Route path="/admin/login" element={<AdminLogin />} />
           <Route
@@ -79,6 +99,9 @@ export default function App() {
           >
             <Route index element={<Dashboard />} />
             <Route path="posts" element={<PostsAdmin />} />
+            <Route path="pages" element={<PagesAdmin />} />
+            <Route path="pages/new" element={<PageBuilder />} />
+            <Route path="pages/:id" element={<PageBuilder />} />
             <Route path="wiki" element={<WikiAdmin />} />
             <Route path="hero" element={<HeroEditor />} />
             <Route path="settings" element={<SettingsAdmin />} />
@@ -96,6 +119,9 @@ export default function App() {
             <Route path="activity" element={<ActivityAdmin />} />
             <Route path="bot-activity" element={<BotActivityAdmin />} />
             <Route path="discord-bot" element={<DiscordBotAdmin />} />
+            <Route path="shard" element={<ShardAdmin />} />
+            <Route path="characters" element={<AdminCharacters />} />
+            <Route path="characters/:serial" element={<AdminCharacter />} />
             <Route path="auth-providers" element={<AuthProvidersAdmin />} />
             <Route path="users" element={<UsersAdmin />} />
             <Route path="account" element={<AccountAdmin />} />
@@ -106,13 +132,16 @@ export default function App() {
           <Route path="/account/login" element={<PlayerLogin />} />
           <Route path="/account/register" element={<PlayerRegister />} />
           <Route
-            path="/account"
             element={
               <RequirePlayer>
-                <PlayerAccount />
+                <PlayerPortalLayout />
               </RequirePlayer>
             }
-          />
+          >
+            <Route path="/player" element={<PlayerCharacters />} />
+            <Route path="/player/char/:serial" element={<PlayerCharacter />} />
+            <Route path="/account" element={<PlayerAccount />} />
+          </Route>
 
           <Route path="*" element={<Navigate to="/" replace />} />
         </Routes>

client/src/api/client.js

@@ -73,8 +73,34 @@ export const api = {
   wikiCategories: () => req('/public/wiki/categories'),
   wikiTags: () => req('/public/wiki/tags'),
   wikiPage: (slug) => req(`/public/wiki/${slug}`),
+  // CMS pages (block-based). Published-only for the public; a draft-preview link
+  // is fetched by id + token.
+  page: (slug) => req(`/public/pages/${slug}`),
+  pagePreview: (id, token) => req(`/public/pages/${id}/preview/${token}`),
   contact: (payload) => req('/public/contact', { method: 'POST', body: payload }),
 
+  // ----- shard live data (uo-link) -----
+  // Token-free, same-origin reads backed by the ingested feed + a cached live
+  // character round-trip. shardStreamUrl is the SSE endpoint for useShardFeed.
+  shard: {
+    status: () => req('/public/shard/status'),
+    feed: (opts = {}) => {
+      const qs = new URLSearchParams()
+      if (opts.kind) qs.set('kind', opts.kind)
+      if (opts.limit) qs.set('limit', opts.limit)
+      const s = qs.toString()
+      return req(`/public/shard/feed${s ? `?${s}` : ''}`)
+    },
+    economy: (limit) => req(`/public/shard/economy${limit ? `?limit=${limit}` : ''}`),
+    online: () => req('/public/shard/online'),
+    idoc: () => req('/public/shard/idoc'),
+  },
+  // Full paths (incl. /api/v1) for the browser EventSource — the req() wrapper is
+  // fetch-only, so SSE subscribers build the URL from here. The admin stream
+  // carries every kind (incl. audit/cheat) and needs the staff session cookie.
+  shardStreamUrl: `${BASE}/public/shard/stream`,
+  adminShardStreamUrl: `${BASE}/admin/uo-link/stream`,
+
   // ----- admin -----
   admin: {
     dashboard: () => req('/admin/dashboard'),
@@ -86,6 +112,10 @@ export const api = {
     deletePost: (id) => req(`/admin/posts/${id}`, { method: 'DELETE' }),
     publishPost: (id, published) =>
       req(`/admin/posts/${id}/publish`, { method: 'PATCH', body: { published } }),
+    // News announcement pipeline (town crier + Discord) status + per-leg retry.
+    getAnnounce: (id) => req(`/admin/posts/${id}/announce`),
+    retryAnnounceLeg: (id, leg) =>
+      req(`/admin/posts/${id}/announce/retry`, { method: 'POST', body: { leg } }),
     uploadImage: (file) => {
       const fd = new FormData()
       fd.append('image', file)
@@ -97,6 +127,15 @@ export const api = {
       fd.append('image', file)
       return req('/admin/uploads', { method: 'POST', body: fd, raw: true })
     },
+    // ----- CMS pages (block-based page builder) -----
+    listPages: () => req('/admin/pages'),
+    getPage: (id) => req(`/admin/pages/${id}`),
+    createPage: (data) => req('/admin/pages', { method: 'POST', body: data }),
+    updatePage: (id, data) => req(`/admin/pages/${id}`, { method: 'PATCH', body: data }),
+    deletePage: (id) => req(`/admin/pages/${id}`, { method: 'DELETE' }),
+    unprotectPage: (id, password) =>
+      req(`/admin/pages/${id}/unprotect`, { method: 'POST', body: { password } }),
+    createPagePreview: (id) => req(`/admin/pages/${id}/preview`, { method: 'POST' }),
     listWiki: (params = '') => req(`/admin/wiki${params}`),
     getWiki: (slug) => req(`/admin/wiki/${slug}`),
     createWiki: (data) => req('/admin/wiki', { method: 'POST', body: data }),
@@ -180,6 +219,16 @@ export const api = {
     linkedIdentities: () => req('/admin/account/identities'),
     unlinkIdentity: (provider) => req(`/admin/account/identities/${provider}`, { method: 'DELETE' }),
 
+    // ----- game account linking (self-service, staff) -----
+    shard: {
+      link: (code) => req('/admin/shard/link', { method: 'POST', body: { code } }),
+      accounts: () => req('/admin/shard/accounts'),
+      roster: (account) => req(`/admin/shard/roster/${encodeURIComponent(account)}`),
+      vendors: (account) => req(`/admin/shard/vendors/${encodeURIComponent(account)}`),
+      char: (serial) => req(`/admin/shard/char/${encodeURIComponent(serial)}`),
+      sales: () => req('/admin/shard/sales'),
+    },
+
     // ----- auth providers / SSO config (admin only) -----
     listAuthProviders: () => req('/admin/auth/providers'),
     createAuthProvider: (data) => req('/admin/auth/providers', { method: 'POST', body: data }),
@@ -189,6 +238,19 @@ export const api = {
     // ----- Discord bot control (admin only) -----
     getDiscordBotConfig: () => req('/admin/discord-bot/config'),
     saveDiscordBotConfig: (data) => req('/admin/discord-bot/config', { method: 'PUT', body: data }),
+
+    // ----- uo-link sidecar control (admin only) -----
+    getUoLinkConfig: () => req('/admin/uo-link/config'),
+    saveUoLinkConfig: (data) => req('/admin/uo-link/config', { method: 'PUT', body: data }),
+    postTownCrier: (data) => req('/admin/uo-link/towncrier', { method: 'POST', body: data }),
+    deleteTownCrier: (id) => req(`/admin/uo-link/towncrier/${encodeURIComponent(id)}`, { method: 'DELETE' }),
+
+    // ----- Email delivery / Gmail OAuth2 (admin only) -----
+    getEmailConfig: () => req('/admin/email/config'),
+    saveEmailConfig: (data) => req('/admin/email/config', { method: 'PUT', body: data }),
+    emailConnectUrl: () => req('/admin/email/connect/start'),
+    testEmail: (to) => req('/admin/email/test', { method: 'POST', body: { to } }),
+    disconnectEmail: () => req('/admin/email/disconnect', { method: 'POST' }),
   },
 
   // ----- player self-service (role: 'player') -----
@@ -205,6 +267,16 @@ export const api = {
     totpDisable: (code) => req('/player/account/totp/disable', { method: 'POST', body: { code } }),
     linkedIdentities: () => req('/player/account/identities'),
     unlinkIdentity: (provider) => req(`/player/account/identities/${provider}`, { method: 'DELETE' }),
+
+    // ----- game account linking (uo-link) -----
+    shard: {
+      link: (code) => req('/player/shard/link', { method: 'POST', body: { code } }),
+      accounts: () => req('/player/shard/accounts'),
+      roster: (account) => req(`/player/shard/roster/${encodeURIComponent(account)}`),
+      vendors: (account) => req(`/player/shard/vendors/${encodeURIComponent(account)}`),
+      char: (serial) => req(`/player/shard/char/${encodeURIComponent(serial)}`),
+      sales: () => req('/player/shard/sales'),
+    },
   },
 }
 

client/src/blocks/BlockRenderer.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+// Renders stored blocks via their registry component. Used by the public page
+// route, the draft preview, and (recursively) the two_column block. Kept
+// separate from the registry so both the renderer and the builder can import it.
+// Import the lookup from the registry directly (not ./index) to avoid a cycle:
+// index → types/twoColumn → BlockRenderer. The page route/builder import ./index,
+// which registers every block before anything renders.
+import { getBlock } from './registry.js'
+
+/**
+ * Render one block. A block with `visible === false` renders nothing (admins
+ * hide blocks without deleting them). An unknown type also renders nothing —
+ * server validation prevents storing one, so this only guards a client/server
+ * registry skew rather than crashing the whole page.
+ */
+export default function BlockRenderer({ block }) {
+  if (!block || block.visible === false) return null
+  const def = getBlock(block.type)
+  if (!def || !def.component) return null
+  const Component = def.component
+  return <Component props={block.props || {}} block={block} />
+}
+
+/** Render an ordered array of blocks (array position = display order). */
+export function BlockList({ blocks }) {
+  return (blocks || []).map((block) => <BlockRenderer key={block.id} block={block} />)
+}

client/src/blocks/editorKit.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+// Shared form controls for block editors, styled with the existing admin design
+// system (.field-label / .input / .select). Every block's editor is a
+// ({ props, onChange }) component; these keep the seven of them consistent and
+// short. onChange always receives the full next props object.
+
+export function Field({ label, hint, children }) {
+  return (
+    <label style={{ display: 'block' }}>
+      <span className="field-label">{label}</span>
+      {children}
+      {hint && (
+        <span className="sans dim" style={{ display: 'block', fontSize: '0.78rem', marginTop: 4 }}>
+          {hint}
+        </span>
+      )}
+    </label>
+  )
+}
+
+export function TextField({ label, hint, value, onChange, placeholder, maxLength }) {
+  return (
+    <Field label={label} hint={hint}>
+      <input
+        type="text"
+        className="input"
+        value={value ?? ''}
+        placeholder={placeholder}
+        maxLength={maxLength}
+        onChange={(e) => onChange(e.target.value)}
+      />
+    </Field>
+  )
+}
+
+export function TextAreaField({ label, hint, value, onChange, placeholder, rows = 4, maxLength }) {
+  return (
+    <Field label={label} hint={hint}>
+      <textarea
+        className="input"
+        rows={rows}
+        value={value ?? ''}
+        placeholder={placeholder}
+        maxLength={maxLength}
+        onChange={(e) => onChange(e.target.value)}
+        style={{ resize: 'vertical', fontFamily: 'inherit' }}
+      />
+    </Field>
+  )
+}
+
+// options: array of [value, label] tuples.
+export function SelectField({ label, hint, value, onChange, options }) {
+  return (
+    <Field label={label} hint={hint}>
+      <select className="select" value={value ?? ''} onChange={(e) => onChange(e.target.value)}>
+        {options.map(([v, l]) => (
+          <option key={v} value={v}>
+            {l}
+          </option>
+        ))}
+      </select>
+    </Field>
+  )
+}

client/src/blocks/index.js

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+// Client block registry entrypoint. Importing this module registers every
+// browser-side block definition (renderer + editor + palette entry) exactly
+// once, then re-exports the registry API. The page builder and the public page
+// renderer should import from HERE, not ./registry, so the definitions are
+// loaded before anything reads the registry.
+//
+// Wave 1 definitions are registered below as each block is built (spec build
+// order step 3), one import per block.
+
+export * from './registry'
+
+// ── Wave 1 block definitions (self-register on import) ─────────────────
+import './types/heading.jsx'
+import './types/richText.jsx'
+import './types/image.jsx'
+import './types/twoColumn.jsx'
+import './types/cta.jsx'
+import './types/divider.jsx'
+import './types/quote.jsx'

client/src/blocks/registry.js

@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+// Block registry (client side) — mirrors the server registry
+// (server/src/blocks/registry.js) but carries the browser-only concerns: the
+// React renderer, the admin edit form, and the palette icon/label. The page
+// builder's palette, drag-reorder canvas, per-block edit panel, and the public
+// page renderer all read from this registry, so adding a block later is one
+// entry here (plus its server-side schema entry) rather than edits scattered
+// across the builder and renderer.
+//
+// A registered definition looks like:
+//   {
+//     type: 'heading',       // must match the server registry type
+//     version: 1,            // must match the server schema version
+//     label: 'Heading',      // palette display name
+//     icon: 'heading',       // palette icon key
+//     component: HeadingBlock,   // renderer: (props) => JSX
+//     editor: HeadingEditor,     // admin edit form: ({ props, onChange }) => JSX
+//     defaults: () => ({ ... }), // starting props when a block is added
+//     container: false,          // true only for two_column
+//     containerSlots: [],        // ['left','right'] for two_column
+//   }
+//
+// This module only defines the pattern; Wave 1 definitions register via
+// ./index.js as each block is built (spec build order step 3).
+
+const registry = new Map()
+
+// Kept in sync with the server's RESERVED_KEYS — the only top-level keys on a
+// stored block object. Exported so the builder can construct envelopes without
+// hard-coding the shape.
+export const RESERVED_KEYS = ['id', 'type', 'version', 'visible', 'props']
+
+/**
+ * Register a block definition. Throws on a duplicate type — a programmer error
+ * caught at module load, not runtime.
+ * @param {object} def
+ * @returns {object} the stored definition
+ */
+export function registerBlock(def) {
+  if (!def || typeof def.type !== 'string' || def.type.length === 0) {
+    throw new Error('registerBlock: a block definition needs a string `type`')
+  }
+  if (registry.has(def.type)) {
+    throw new Error(`registerBlock: block type already registered: ${def.type}`)
+  }
+  const entry = {
+    type: def.type,
+    version: Number.isInteger(def.version) ? def.version : 1,
+    label: def.label || def.type,
+    icon: def.icon || null,
+    component: def.component || null,
+    editor: def.editor || null,
+    defaults: typeof def.defaults === 'function' ? def.defaults : () => ({}),
+    container: Boolean(def.container),
+    containerSlots: def.containerSlots ? [...def.containerSlots] : [],
+  }
+  registry.set(entry.type, entry)
+  return entry
+}
+
+/** @returns {object|null} the definition for `type`, or null if unknown. */
+export function getBlock(type) {
+  return registry.get(type) || null
+}
+
+/** @returns {boolean} whether `type` is a registered block. */
+export function hasBlock(type) {
+  return registry.has(type)
+}
+
+/** @returns {object[]} all registered definitions (registration order). */
+export function listBlocks() {
+  return [...registry.values()]
+}
+
+/**
+ * Generate a stable block id. Called once when a block is added to the canvas;
+ * never derived from array position, so a reorder keeps ids intact (they are the
+ * React key and the future revision-history join point).
+ * @returns {string}
+ */
+export function makeBlockId() {
+  const rand = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 8).toUpperCase()
+  return `b_${rand}`
+}

client/src/blocks/types/cta.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+// cta block — a call-to-action button/link. Renders as an anchor styled with the
+// existing button system (primary / secondary).
+import { registerBlock } from '../registry'
+import { SelectField, TextField } from '../editorKit.jsx'
+
+const STYLES = [
+  ['primary', 'Primary'],
+  ['secondary', 'Secondary'],
+]
+
+function CtaBlock({ props }) {
+  if (!props.url || !props.text) return null
+  const style = props.style === 'secondary' ? 'secondary' : 'primary'
+  // External links get a safe rel; same-origin relative links don't need it.
+  const external = /^https?:\/\//i.test(props.url)
+  return (
+    <div className="page-cta-wrap">
+      <a
+        className={`btn btn-sq page-cta page-cta--${style}`}
+        href={props.url}
+        {...(external ? { rel: 'noopener noreferrer nofollow' } : {})}
+      >
+        {props.text}
+      </a>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+function CtaEditor({ props, onChange }) {
+  return (
+    <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 12 }}>
+      <TextField
+        label="Button text"
+        value={props.text}
+        maxLength={100}
+        onChange={(text) => onChange({ ...props, text })}
+      />
+      <TextField
+        label="URL"
+        hint="A full https:// link or a same-site path like /wiki/getting-started."
+        value={props.url}
+        placeholder="https://…"
+        onChange={(url) => onChange({ ...props, url })}
+      />
+      <SelectField
+        label="Style"
+        value={props.style || 'primary'}
+        onChange={(style) => onChange({ ...props, style })}
+        options={STYLES}
+      />
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'cta',
+  version: 1,
+  label: 'Button',
+  icon: '⇥',
+  component: CtaBlock,
+  editor: CtaEditor,
+  defaults: () => ({ text: '', url: '', style: 'primary' }),
+})

client/src/blocks/types/divider.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+// divider block — a pure spacer / horizontal rule. No props, so its editor is
+// just a note.
+import { registerBlock } from '../registry'
+
+function DividerBlock() {
+  return <hr className="page-divider" />
+}
+
+function DividerEditor() {
+  return (
+    <p className="sans dim" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>
+      A divider has no options — it adds a horizontal rule and spacing.
+    </p>
+  )
+}
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'divider',
+  version: 1,
+  label: 'Divider',
+  icon: '—',
+  component: DividerBlock,
+  editor: DividerEditor,
+  defaults: () => ({}),
+})

client/src/blocks/types/heading.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+// heading block — plain-text section heading (h1–h4). Text is rendered as text
+// (React escapes it); use rich_text for inline markup.
+import { registerBlock } from '../registry'
+import { SelectField, TextField } from '../editorKit.jsx'
+
+const LEVELS = [
+  ['h1', 'Heading 1'],
+  ['h2', 'Heading 2'],
+  ['h3', 'Heading 3'],
+  ['h4', 'Heading 4'],
+]
+const VALID = ['h1', 'h2', 'h3', 'h4']
+
+function HeadingBlock({ props }) {
+  const Tag = VALID.includes(props.level) ? props.level : 'h2'
+  return <Tag className="page-heading">{props.text}</Tag>
+}
+
+function HeadingEditor({ props, onChange }) {
+  return (
+    <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 12 }}>
+      <SelectField
+        label="Level"
+        value={props.level || 'h2'}
+        onChange={(level) => onChange({ ...props, level })}
+        options={LEVELS}
+      />
+      <TextField
+        label="Text"
+        value={props.text}
+        maxLength={200}
+        onChange={(text) => onChange({ ...props, text })}
+      />
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'heading',
+  version: 1,
+  label: 'Heading',
+  icon: 'H',
+  component: HeadingBlock,
+  editor: HeadingEditor,
+  defaults: () => ({ level: 'h2', text: '' }),
+})

client/src/blocks/types/image.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+// image block — a single image with optional caption and alignment. Upload
+// reuses the shared admin uploader (returns { url }); the block stays URL-based
+// until the Wave 3 asset picker lands.
+import { useState } from 'react'
+import { registerBlock } from '../registry'
+import { api } from '../../api/client.js'
+import { SelectField, TextField } from '../editorKit.jsx'
+
+const ALIGN = [
+  ['left', 'Left'],
+  ['center', 'Center'],
+  ['right', 'Right'],
+  ['full', 'Full width'],
+]
+const VALID = ['left', 'center', 'right', 'full']
+
+function ImageBlock({ props }) {
+  if (!props.src) return null
+  const align = VALID.includes(props.alignment) ? props.alignment : 'center'
+  return (
+    <figure className={`page-image page-image--${align}`}>
+      <img src={props.src} alt={props.alt || ''} />
+      {props.caption && <figcaption>{props.caption}</figcaption>}
+    </figure>
+  )
+}
+
+function ImageEditor({ props, onChange }) {
+  const [uploading, setUploading] = useState(false)
+  const [error, setError] = useState('')
+
+  async function onUpload(e) {
+    const file = e.target.files?.[0]
+    e.target.value = ''
+    if (!file) return
+    setUploading(true)
+    setError('')
+    try {
+      const { url } = await api.admin.upload(file)
+      onChange({ ...props, src: url })
+    } catch (err) {
+      setError(err.message || 'Upload failed')
+    } finally {
+      setUploading(false)
+    }
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 12 }}>
+      <div>
+        <span className="field-label">Image</span>
+        <input
+          type="file"
+          accept="image/*"
+          onChange={onUpload}
+          className="sans"
+          style={{ color: 'var(--muted)', fontSize: '0.85rem', display: 'block' }}
+        />
+        {uploading && <span className="sans dim" style={{ fontSize: '0.8rem' }}> uploading…</span>}
+        {error && <span className="sans" style={{ fontSize: '0.8rem', color: '#d98b84' }}>{error}</span>}
+        {props.src && (
+          <img
+            src={props.src}
+            alt=""
+            style={{ display: 'block', marginTop: 10, maxWidth: '100%', borderRadius: 8, border: '1px solid var(--line)' }}
+          />
+        )}
+      </div>
+      <TextField
+        label="Alt text"
+        hint="Describes the image for screen readers and when it fails to load."
+        value={props.alt}
+        maxLength={300}
+        onChange={(alt) => onChange({ ...props, alt })}
+      />
+      <TextField
+        label="Caption (optional)"
+        value={props.caption}
+        maxLength={500}
+        onChange={(caption) => onChange({ ...props, caption })}
+      />
+      <SelectField
+        label="Alignment"
+        value={props.alignment || 'center'}
+        onChange={(alignment) => onChange({ ...props, alignment })}
+        options={ALIGN}
+      />
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'image',
+  version: 1,
+  label: 'Image',
+  icon: '🖼',
+  component: ImageBlock,
+  editor: ImageEditor,
+  defaults: () => ({ src: '', alt: '', caption: '', alignment: 'center' }),
+})

client/src/blocks/types/quote.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+// quote block — a pull quote with optional attribution.
+import { registerBlock } from '../registry'
+import { TextAreaField, TextField } from '../editorKit.jsx'
+
+function QuoteBlock({ props }) {
+  if (!props.text) return null
+  return (
+    <figure className="page-quote">
+      <blockquote>{props.text}</blockquote>
+      {props.attribution && <figcaption>— {props.attribution}</figcaption>}
+    </figure>
+  )
+}
+
+function QuoteEditor({ props, onChange }) {
+  return (
+    <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 12 }}>
+      <TextAreaField
+        label="Quote"
+        value={props.text}
+        rows={3}
+        maxLength={1000}
+        onChange={(text) => onChange({ ...props, text })}
+      />
+      <TextField
+        label="Attribution (optional)"
+        value={props.attribution}
+        maxLength={200}
+        onChange={(attribution) => onChange({ ...props, attribution })}
+      />
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'quote',
+  version: 1,
+  label: 'Quote',
+  icon: '❝',
+  component: QuoteBlock,
+  editor: QuoteEditor,
+  defaults: () => ({ text: '', attribution: '' }),
+})

client/src/blocks/types/richText.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+// rich_text block — HTML from the shared rich-text editor. Rendered inside the
+// same `.prose` styling as wiki/news bodies, sanitized on render as defense in
+// depth (the server also sanitizes on save).
+import { lazy, Suspense } from 'react'
+import DOMPurify from 'dompurify'
+import { registerBlock } from '../registry'
+
+const RichTextEditor = lazy(() => import('../../components/RichTextEditor.jsx'))
+
+function RichTextBlock({ props }) {
+  return (
+    <div
+      className="prose page-rich-text"
+      dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: DOMPurify.sanitize(props.html || '') }}
+    />
+  )
+}
+
+function RichTextEditorForm({ props, onChange }) {
+  return (
+    <Suspense fallback={<span className="spin" />}>
+      <RichTextEditor
+        value={props.html || ''}
+        onChange={(html) => onChange({ ...props, html })}
+        variant="post"
+      />
+    </Suspense>
+  )
+}
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'rich_text',
+  version: 1,
+  label: 'Rich text',
+  icon: '¶',
+  component: RichTextBlock,
+  editor: RichTextEditorForm,
+  defaults: () => ({ html: '' }),
+})

client/src/blocks/types/twoColumn.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+// two_column block — the only container. Holds two ordered arrays of sub-blocks
+// (`left`, `right`). Sub-blocks are leaf blocks only (no nested containers — the
+// one-level cap the server also enforces), so the column editor's palette is the
+// set of non-container registered blocks.
+import { registerBlock, getBlock, listBlocks, makeBlockId } from '../registry'
+import BlockRenderer from '../BlockRenderer.jsx'
+
+// ── Renderer ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+function TwoColumnBlock({ props }) {
+  const left = Array.isArray(props.left) ? props.left : []
+  const right = Array.isArray(props.right) ? props.right : []
+  return (
+    <div className="page-two-column">
+      <div className="page-column">
+        {left.map((b) => (
+          <BlockRenderer key={b.id} block={b} />
+        ))}
+      </div>
+      <div className="page-column">
+        {right.map((b) => (
+          <BlockRenderer key={b.id} block={b} />
+        ))}
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+// ── Column editor ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Manages one side's array: add (from the leaf palette), edit each via its own
+// registry editor, reorder, remove.
+function ColumnEditor({ title, items, onChange }) {
+  const list = Array.isArray(items) ? items : []
+  const palette = listBlocks().filter((b) => !b.container)
+
+  function addBlock(type) {
+    const def = getBlock(type)
+    if (!def) return
+    const block = { id: makeBlockId(), type, version: def.version, visible: true, props: def.defaults() }
+    onChange([...list, block])
+  }
+  function updateAt(i, nextProps) {
+    onChange(list.map((b, j) => (j === i ? { ...b, props: nextProps } : b)))
+  }
+  function removeAt(i) {
+    onChange(list.filter((_, j) => j !== i))
+  }
+  function move(i, dir) {
+    const j = i + dir
+    if (j < 0 || j >= list.length) return
+    const next = [...list]
+    ;[next[i], next[j]] = [next[j], next[i]]
+    onChange(next)
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <div className="pb-column-editor">
+      <div className="pb-column-head">
+        <span className="field-label" style={{ margin: 0 }}>{title}</span>
+        <select
+          className="select pb-add-select"
+          value=""
+          onChange={(e) => {
+            if (e.target.value) addBlock(e.target.value)
+            e.target.value = ''
+          }}
+        >
+          <option value="">+ Add block…</option>
+          {palette.map((b) => (
+            <option key={b.type} value={b.type}>
+              {b.label}
+            </option>
+          ))}
+        </select>
+      </div>
+
+      {list.length === 0 && (
+        <p className="sans dim" style={{ fontSize: '0.8rem', margin: '4px 0' }}>Empty column.</p>
+      )}
+
+      {list.map((block, i) => {
+        const def = getBlock(block.type)
+        const Editor = def?.editor
+        return (
+          <div key={block.id} className="pb-subblock">
+            <div className="pb-subblock-head">
+              <span className="sans dim" style={{ fontSize: '0.78rem' }}>{def?.label || block.type}</span>
+              <div className="pb-subblock-actions">
+                <button type="button" className="pill pb-mini" disabled={i === 0} onClick={() => move(i, -1)} title="Move up">↑</button>
+                <button type="button" className="pill pb-mini" disabled={i === list.length - 1} onClick={() => move(i, 1)} title="Move down">↓</button>
+                <button type="button" className="pill pb-mini" onClick={() => removeAt(i)} title="Remove">✕</button>
+              </div>
+            </div>
+            {Editor && <Editor props={block.props || {}} onChange={(p) => updateAt(i, p)} />}
+          </div>
+        )
+      })}
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+function TwoColumnEditor({ props, onChange }) {
+  return (
+    <div className="pb-two-column-editor">
+      <ColumnEditor title="Left column" items={props.left} onChange={(left) => onChange({ ...props, left })} />
+      <ColumnEditor title="Right column" items={props.right} onChange={(right) => onChange({ ...props, right })} />
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'two_column',
+  version: 1,
+  label: 'Two columns',
+  icon: '▥',
+  component: TwoColumnBlock,
+  editor: TwoColumnEditor,
+  defaults: () => ({ left: [], right: [] }),
+  container: true,
+  containerSlots: ['left', 'right'],
+})

client/src/components/CharacterSheet.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+// Reusable character-sheet renderer for the char.profile shape returned by
+// /public/shard/char/:serial. Presentational only — the parent handles loading
+// and errors. Styled with the shared theme vocabulary (panel/grid/stat tiles).
+
+const RESIST_LABELS = { phys: 'Physical', fire: 'Fire', cold: 'Cold', pois: 'Poison', energy: 'Energy' }
+
+function StatTile({ value, label }) {
+  return (
+    <div className="panel" style={{ padding: '14px 12px', textAlign: 'center' }}>
+      <div className="display" style={{ fontSize: '1.35rem', color: 'var(--head)' }}>{value}</div>
+      <div className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', fontSize: '0.64rem', letterSpacing: '0.12em', textTransform: 'uppercase', marginTop: 4 }}>{label}</div>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+function Vital({ label, cur, max }) {
+  const pct = max ? Math.min(100, Math.round((cur / max) * 100)) : 0
+  return (
+    <div className="panel" style={{ padding: '12px 14px' }}>
+      <div style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'space-between', alignItems: 'baseline', marginBottom: 8 }}>
+        <span className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', fontSize: '0.64rem', letterSpacing: '0.12em', textTransform: 'uppercase' }}>{label}</span>
+        <span className="display" style={{ color: 'var(--head)', fontSize: '0.95rem' }}>{cur ?? '—'}<span className="dim" style={{ fontSize: '0.8rem' }}> / {max ?? '—'}</span></span>
+      </div>
+      <div style={{ height: 6, borderRadius: 999, background: 'var(--line)', overflow: 'hidden' }}>
+        <div style={{ width: `${pct}%`, height: '100%', background: 'var(--accent)' }} />
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+export default function CharacterSheet({ char }) {
+  if (!char) return null
+  const stats = char.stats || {}
+  const resist = stats.resist || {}
+  // Skills the character actually has, best first.
+  const skills = (char.skills || [])
+    .filter((s) => (s.value || s.base || 0) > 0)
+    .sort((a, b) => (b.value || 0) - (a.value || 0))
+  const equipment = char.equipment || []
+
+  return (
+    <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 22 }}>
+      {/* Identity */}
+      <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 14, flexWrap: 'wrap' }}>
+        <h2 className="display" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '1.6rem', color: 'var(--head)' }}>{char.name || 'Unknown'}</h2>
+        {char.title && <span className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--muted)', fontSize: '0.9rem' }}>{char.title}</span>}
+        <span
+          className="sans"
+          style={{
+            display: 'inline-flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 6, padding: '4px 10px', borderRadius: 999,
+            border: '1px solid var(--line)', fontSize: '0.74rem',
+            color: char.online ? '#7fd0a4' : 'var(--muted)',
+          }}
+        >
+          <span style={{ width: 8, height: 8, borderRadius: '50%', background: char.online ? '#7fd0a4' : 'var(--dim)' }} />
+          {char.online ? 'Online' : 'Offline'}
+        </span>
+        <span className="sans dim" style={{ fontSize: '0.76rem', marginLeft: 'auto' }}>{char.serial}</span>
+      </div>
+
+      {/* Core stats */}
+      <section>
+        <div className="field-label" style={{ marginBottom: 8 }}>Attributes</div>
+        <div className="grid-3" style={{ gap: 12 }}>
+          <StatTile value={stats.str ?? '—'} label="Strength" />
+          <StatTile value={stats.dex ?? '—'} label="Dexterity" />
+          <StatTile value={stats.int ?? '—'} label="Intelligence" />
+        </div>
+        <div className="grid-3" style={{ gap: 12, marginTop: 12 }}>
+          <Vital label="Hits" cur={stats.hits} max={stats.hitsMax} />
+          <Vital label="Mana" cur={stats.mana} max={stats.manaMax} />
+          <Vital label="Stamina" cur={stats.stam} max={stats.stamMax} />
+        </div>
+      </section>
+
+      {/* Resistances */}
+      {Object.keys(resist).length > 0 && (
+        <section>
+          <div className="field-label" style={{ marginBottom: 8 }}>Resistances</div>
+          <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: 10, flexWrap: 'wrap' }}>
+            {['phys', 'fire', 'cold', 'pois', 'energy'].map((k) => (
+              <div key={k} className="panel" style={{ padding: '10px 16px', textAlign: 'center', minWidth: 84 }}>
+                <div className="display" style={{ color: 'var(--head)', fontSize: '1.1rem' }}>{resist[k] ?? 0}</div>
+                <div className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--muted)', fontSize: '0.66rem', textTransform: 'uppercase', letterSpacing: '0.08em', marginTop: 2 }}>{RESIST_LABELS[k]}</div>
+              </div>
+            ))}
+          </div>
+        </section>
+      )}
+
+      {/* Skills */}
+      {skills.length > 0 && (
+        <section>
+          <div className="field-label" style={{ marginBottom: 8 }}>Skills <span className="dim">({skills.length})</span></div>
+          <div className="grid-2" style={{ gap: '8px 18px' }}>
+            {skills.map((s) => {
+              const cap = s.cap || 100
+              const pct = Math.min(100, Math.round(((s.value || 0) / cap) * 100))
+              return (
+                <div key={s.n}>
+                  <div style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'space-between', alignItems: 'baseline', marginBottom: 3 }}>
+                    <span className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--ink)', fontSize: '0.86rem' }}>{s.n}</span>
+                    <span className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--head)', fontSize: '0.82rem' }}>{s.value}</span>
+                  </div>
+                  <div style={{ height: 4, borderRadius: 999, background: 'var(--line)', overflow: 'hidden' }}>
+                    <div style={{ width: `${pct}%`, height: '100%', background: 'var(--accent)' }} />
+                  </div>
+                </div>
+              )
+            })}
+          </div>
+        </section>
+      )}
+
+      {/* Equipment */}
+      {equipment.length > 0 && (
+        <section>
+          <div className="field-label" style={{ marginBottom: 8 }}>Equipment</div>
+          <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 8 }}>
+            {equipment.map((it) => (
+              <div key={it.serial} style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 12, padding: '10px 14px', border: '1px solid var(--line)', borderRadius: 8 }}>
+                <span style={{ flex: 'none', width: 22, height: 22, borderRadius: 5, border: '1px solid var(--line)', background: 'rgba(255,255,255,0.05)' }} />
+                <div style={{ flex: 1, minWidth: 0 }}>
+                  <div className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--head)', fontSize: '0.88rem' }}>{it.layer || 'Item'}</div>
+                  <div className="sans dim" style={{ fontSize: '0.74rem' }}>id {it.itemId}{it.hue ? ` · hue ${it.hue}` : ''}</div>
+                </div>
+                {it.mods && Object.keys(it.mods).length > 0 && (
+                  <div className="sans" style={{ display: 'flex', gap: 6, flexWrap: 'wrap', justifyContent: 'flex-end', maxWidth: '55%' }}>
+                    {Object.entries(it.mods).map(([k, v]) => (
+                      <span key={k} className="pill" style={{ fontSize: '0.7rem', padding: '2px 8px' }}>{k} {v}</span>
+                    ))}
+                  </div>
+                )}
+              </div>
+            ))}
+          </div>
+        </section>
+      )}
+    </div>
+  )
+}

client/src/components/CharacterStats.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
+
+// A small stat-tile row for a "My Characters" page: total characters, how many
+// are online right now, and how many game accounts are linked. `scope` is the
+// shard api object (admin or player self-service). Renders nothing until an
+// account is linked, so the empty/link-prompt state below it stands alone.
+//
+// It fetches the same rosters GameAccounts loads; for a personal page that's at
+// most a couple of extra live round-trips, and keeps this presentational bit
+// decoupled from GameAccounts' per-account roster loading.
+
+function Tile({ value, label }) {
+  return (
+    <div className="panel" style={{ padding: 20, textAlign: 'center' }}>
+      <div className="display" style={{ fontSize: '1.6rem', color: 'var(--head)' }}>{value}</div>
+      <div className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', fontSize: '0.68rem', fontWeight: 700, letterSpacing: '0.15em', textTransform: 'uppercase', marginTop: 8 }}>
+        {label}
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+export default function CharacterStats({ scope }) {
+  const [stats, setStats] = useState(null)
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let cancelled = false
+    ;(async () => {
+      try {
+        const accounts = await scope.accounts()
+        const linked = accounts.length
+        if (linked === 0) {
+          if (!cancelled) setStats({ linked: 0 })
+          return
+        }
+        // Roster is a live round-trip and can be unavailable (503); tolerate a
+        // partial result so a restarting shard doesn't blank the whole row.
+        const rosters = await Promise.allSettled(accounts.map((a) => scope.roster(a.account)))
+        let chars = 0
+        let online = 0
+        let complete = true
+        for (const r of rosters) {
+          if (r.status === 'fulfilled') {
+            const cs = r.value.chars || []
+            chars += cs.length
+            online += cs.filter((c) => c.online).length
+          } else {
+            complete = false
+          }
+        }
+        if (!cancelled) setStats({ linked, chars, online, complete })
+      } catch {
+        if (!cancelled) setStats({ error: true })
+      }
+    })()
+    return () => { cancelled = true }
+  }, [scope])
+
+  // Hidden until we know an account is linked (or while first loading).
+  if (!stats || stats.error || stats.linked === 0) return null
+
+  // Counts depend on live rosters; show a dash if none came back.
+  const count = (n) => (stats.complete || stats.chars > 0 ? n : '—')
+
+  return (
+    <section className="grid-3" style={{ gap: 14, marginBottom: 26 }}>
+      <Tile value={count(stats.chars)} label="Characters" />
+      <Tile value={count(stats.online)} label="Online now" />
+      <Tile value={stats.linked} label={stats.linked === 1 ? 'Linked account' : 'Linked accounts'} />
+    </section>
+  )
+}

client/src/components/GameAccounts.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react'
+import { Link } from 'react-router-dom'
+import { Loading, ErrorState } from './PageState.jsx'
+
+// Shared game-account linking + character roster, used by both the player portal
+// (/player) and the staff account page (/admin/account). `scope` is the api
+// object with { link, accounts, roster } (player or admin self-service); `charTo`
+// maps a serial to the route for that character's sheet.
+
+function LinkForm({ scope, onLinked, compact }) {
+  const [code, setCode] = useState('')
+  const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false)
+  const [msg, setMsg] = useState('')
+  const [error, setError] = useState('')
+
+  async function submit(e) {
+    e.preventDefault()
+    setMsg(''); setError('')
+    if (!code.trim()) return
+    setBusy(true)
+    try {
+      const { account } = await scope.link(code.trim())
+      setMsg(`Linked ${account}.`)
+      setCode('')
+      await onLinked()
+    } catch (err) {
+      setError(err.message || 'Could not link that code.')
+    } finally {
+      setBusy(false)
+    }
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <form onSubmit={submit} style={{ display: 'flex', gap: 10, alignItems: 'flex-end', flexWrap: 'wrap', marginTop: compact ? 0 : 6 }}>
+      <label style={{ display: 'block' }}>
+        {!compact && <span className="field-label">Link code</span>}
+        <input
+          type="text"
+          value={code}
+          onChange={(e) => setCode(e.target.value.toUpperCase())}
+          className="input"
+          autoComplete="off"
+          placeholder="AB12CD"
+          style={{ maxWidth: 180, textTransform: 'uppercase', letterSpacing: '0.12em' }}
+        />
+      </label>
+      <button type="submit" disabled={busy || !code.trim()} className="btn btn-primary btn-sq">
+        {busy ? 'Linking…' : 'Link account'}
+      </button>
+      {msg && <span className="sans" style={{ color: '#7fd0a4', fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>{msg}</span>}
+      {error && <span className="sans" style={{ color: '#d98b84', fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>{error}</span>}
+    </form>
+  )
+}
+
+function AccountRoster({ scope, account, charTo }) {
+  const [roster, setRoster] = useState(null)
+  const [error, setError] = useState('')
+  const [unavailable, setUnavailable] = useState(false)
+
+  const load = useCallback(async () => {
+    setError(''); setUnavailable(false)
+    try {
+      setRoster(await scope.roster(account))
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (err.status === 503) setUnavailable(true)
+      else setError(err.message || 'Could not load this account.')
+    }
+  }, [scope, account])
+  useEffect(() => { load() }, [load])
+
+  if (unavailable) {
+    return (
+      <div>
+        <p className="sans" style={{ margin: '0 0 8px', color: '#e0b070', fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>The game server is restarting — try again shortly.</p>
+        <button className="pill" onClick={load}>Retry</button>
+      </div>
+    )
+  }
+  if (error) return <p className="sans" style={{ margin: 0, color: '#d98b84', fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>{error}</p>
+  if (!roster) return <p className="sans dim" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.82rem' }}>Loading…</p>
+
+  const chars = roster.chars || []
+  if (chars.length === 0) return <p className="sans dim" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.84rem' }}>No characters on this account.</p>
+
+  return (
+    <div className="grid-2" style={{ gap: 12 }}>
+      {chars.map((c) => (
+        <Link
+          key={c.serial}
+          to={charTo(c.serial)}
+          style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 12, padding: '14px 16px', border: '1px solid var(--line)', borderRadius: 10, textDecoration: 'none', background: 'rgba(255,255,255,0.02)' }}
+        >
+          <span style={{ flex: 'none', width: 40, height: 40, borderRadius: '50%', background: 'linear-gradient(180deg,#2a3a52,#1a2536)', border: '1px solid var(--line)', display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'center', color: '#d8e2ef', fontSize: '1rem', textTransform: 'uppercase' }}>
+            {(c.name || '?').charAt(0)}
+          </span>
+          <div style={{ flex: 1, minWidth: 0 }}>
+            <div className="display" style={{ color: 'var(--head)', fontSize: '1.02rem' }}>{c.name}</div>
+            <div className="sans" style={{ fontSize: '0.76rem', color: c.online ? '#7fd0a4' : 'var(--muted)' }}>{c.online ? 'Online' : 'Offline'}</div>
+          </div>
+          <span className="sans dim" style={{ fontSize: '1.1rem' }}>›</span>
+        </Link>
+      ))}
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+export default function GameAccounts({ scope, charTo }) {
+  const [accounts, setAccounts] = useState(null)
+  const [error, setError] = useState('')
+
+  const load = useCallback(async () => {
+    setError('')
+    try {
+      setAccounts(await scope.accounts())
+    } catch {
+      setError('Could not load your game accounts.')
+    }
+  }, [scope])
+  useEffect(() => { load() }, [load])
+
+  if (error) return <ErrorState message={error} />
+  if (!accounts) return <Loading />
+
+  // Not linked yet — prompt to link.
+  if (accounts.length === 0) {
+    return (
+      <div className="panel" style={{ padding: 22 }}>
+        <div className="field-label" style={{ marginBottom: 8 }}>Link your game account</div>
+        <p className="sans" style={{ marginTop: 0, color: 'var(--muted)', fontSize: '0.88rem', lineHeight: 1.6 }}>
+          You haven’t linked a game account yet. In game, type <code style={{ color: 'var(--head)' }}>[link</code> to get a
+          one-time code, then enter it below to see your characters, stats, skills and vendors here.
+        </p>
+        <LinkForm scope={scope} onLinked={load} />
+      </div>
+    )
+  }
+
+  // Linked — characters grouped by account.
+  return (
+    <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 26 }}>
+      {accounts.map((a) => (
+        <section key={a.account}>
+          <div className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', fontSize: '0.7rem', letterSpacing: '0.12em', textTransform: 'uppercase', marginBottom: 12 }}>
+            {a.account}
+          </div>
+          <AccountRoster scope={scope} account={a.account} charTo={charTo} />
+        </section>
+      ))}
+      <section style={{ borderTop: '1px solid var(--line-soft)', paddingTop: 20 }}>
+        <div className="field-label" style={{ marginBottom: 10 }}>Link another account</div>
+        <LinkForm scope={scope} onLinked={load} compact />
+      </section>
+    </div>
+  )
+}

client/src/components/HeroElement.jsx

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { Link } from 'react-router-dom'
+import DOMPurify from 'dompurify'
 
 const MOON_IMAGE = '/assets/img/hero-moon.png'
 
@@ -34,7 +35,19 @@ function TextBlock({ props }) {
   return (
     <div style={{ textAlign: align, textShadow: '0 2px 22px rgba(0,0,0,0.82)' }}>
       {(props.lines || []).map((line, i) => {
-        const Tag = /^(h1|h2|h3|p|span)$/.test(line.tag) ? line.tag : 'p'
+        const Tag = /^(h1|h2|h3|p|span|div)$/.test(line.tag) ? line.tag : 'p'
+        // A rich-text line (e.g. the homepage teaser) carries sanitized HTML;
+        // sanitize again on render as defense in depth. Others render as text.
+        if (line.html) {
+          return (
+            <Tag
+              key={i}
+              className="hero-rich"
+              style={lineStyle(line)}
+              dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: DOMPurify.sanitize(line.text || '') }}
+            />
+          )
+        }
         return (
           <Tag key={i} style={lineStyle(line)}>
             {line.text}

client/src/components/RichTextEditor.jsx

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { useEditor, EditorContent } from '@tiptap/react'
 import StarterKit from '@tiptap/starter-kit'
 import Link from '@tiptap/extension-link'
 import Image from '@tiptap/extension-image'
+import TextAlign from '@tiptap/extension-text-align'
 import { api } from '../api/client.js'
 
 // Toolbar button.
@@ -25,6 +26,22 @@ function escapeHtml(s) {
   return String(s).replace(/[&<>"]/g, (c) => ({ '&': '&amp;', '<': '&lt;', '>': '&gt;', '"': '&quot;' })[c])
 }
 
+// Alignment glyph: three lines justified to the given side.
+function AlignIcon({ align }) {
+  const rows = {
+    left: [[2, 14], [2, 10], [2, 12]],
+    center: [[2, 14], [4, 12], [3, 13]],
+    right: [[2, 14], [6, 14], [4, 14]],
+  }[align]
+  return (
+    <svg width="15" height="15" viewBox="0 0 16 16" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="1.5" strokeLinecap="round" aria-hidden="true">
+      {rows.map(([x1, x2], i) => (
+        <line key={i} x1={x1} y1={4 + i * 4} x2={x2} y2={4 + i * 4} />
+      ))}
+    </svg>
+  )
+}
+
 // Toolbar variants:
 //   'full'    — every control, incl. the internal wiki-page link picker (wiki use).
 //   'post'    — full minus the wiki-page picker (no page-list context in posts).
@@ -42,6 +59,11 @@ export default function RichTextEditor({ value, onChange, pages = [], variant =
       StarterKit.configure({ heading: { levels: [2, 3] } }),
       Link.configure({ openOnClick: false, autolink: true }),
       Image.configure({ inline: false }),
+      // Alignment stored as `text-align` on the block node (heading/paragraph),
+      // so it round-trips through save/reload as inline style. Shared here means
+      // every consumer — post editor, and the future rich_text / two_column
+      // blocks — gets it for free.
+      TextAlign.configure({ types: ['heading', 'paragraph'] }),
     ],
     content: value || '',
     onUpdate: ({ editor }) => onChange(editor.getHTML()),
@@ -131,6 +153,16 @@ export default function RichTextEditor({ value, onChange, pages = [], variant =
               —
             </Btn>
             <span className="rte-sep" />
+            <Btn title="Align left" active={editor.isActive({ textAlign: 'left' })} onClick={() => editor.chain().focus().setTextAlign('left').run()}>
+              <AlignIcon align="left" />
+            </Btn>
+            <Btn title="Align center" active={editor.isActive({ textAlign: 'center' })} onClick={() => editor.chain().focus().setTextAlign('center').run()}>
+              <AlignIcon align="center" />
+            </Btn>
+            <Btn title="Align right" active={editor.isActive({ textAlign: 'right' })} onClick={() => editor.chain().focus().setTextAlign('right').run()}>
+              <AlignIcon align="right" />
+            </Btn>
+            <span className="rte-sep" />
             <Btn title="Link" active={editor.isActive('link')} onClick={setLink}>
               🔗
             </Btn>

client/src/components/SiteHeader.jsx

@@ -1,26 +1,37 @@
-import { Link } from 'react-router-dom'
+import { Link, NavLink } from 'react-router-dom'
 import MoonDot from './MoonDot.jsx'
+import { useAuth } from '../contexts/AuthContext.jsx'
 
-const NAV = {
-  website: [
+// One consistent top nav for the whole public site. Every page gets the same
+// main links plus an auth-aware entry on the right (Sign in / My Account / Admin).
+const NAV = [
+  { label: 'Home', to: '/', end: true },
   { label: 'News', to: '/site/news' },
   { label: 'Screenshots', to: '/site/screenshots' },
   { label: 'Five on Friday', to: '/site/five-on-friday' },
   { label: 'Newsletter', to: '/site/newsletter' },
-    { label: 'About', to: '/site/about' },
   { label: 'Wiki', to: '/wiki' },
-  ],
-  wiki: [
-    { label: 'Website', to: '/site' },
-    { label: 'New Player Guide', to: '/wiki/new-player-guide' },
-    { label: 'Maps & Atlas', to: '/wiki/maps-atlas' },
-    { label: 'Systems', to: '/wiki/systems' },
-    { label: 'Rules', to: '/wiki/rules' },
-  ],
-}
+  { label: 'Shard', to: '/site/shard' },
+  { label: 'About', to: '/site/about' },
+]
+
+const linkStyle = ({ isActive }) => ({
+  background: isActive ? 'var(--accent)' : undefined,
+  color: isActive ? 'var(--bg-deep)' : undefined,
+  borderColor: isActive ? 'var(--accent)' : undefined,
+})
+
+export default function SiteHeader() {
+  const { user, loading } = useAuth()
+
+  // Where the auth entry points: staff → admin, player → portal, else sign in.
+  const account =
+    user && user.role && user.role !== 'player'
+      ? { label: 'Admin', to: '/admin' }
+      : user
+        ? { label: 'My Account', to: '/player' }
+        : { label: 'Sign in', to: '/account/login' }
 
-export default function SiteHeader({ section = 'website' }) {
-  const links = NAV[section] || NAV.website
   return (
     <header
       style={{
@@ -34,38 +45,31 @@ export default function SiteHeader({ section = 'website' }) {
     >
       <div
         className="shell"
-        style={{
-          display: 'flex',
-          alignItems: 'center',
-          justifyContent: 'space-between',
-          gap: 20,
-          padding: '14px 0',
-          flexWrap: 'wrap',
-        }}
+        style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'space-between', gap: 20, padding: '14px 0', flexWrap: 'wrap' }}
       >
         <Link
           to="/"
           className="display"
-          style={{
-            display: 'flex',
-            alignItems: 'center',
-            gap: 10,
-            fontSize: '1.2rem',
-            letterSpacing: '0.05em',
-            color: 'var(--accent-bright)',
-            textDecoration: 'none',
-            fontWeight: 600,
-          }}
+          style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 10, fontSize: '1.2rem', letterSpacing: '0.05em', color: 'var(--accent-bright)', textDecoration: 'none', fontWeight: 600 }}
         >
           <MoonDot />
           UOMysticmoon
         </Link>
         <nav style={{ display: 'flex', flexWrap: 'wrap', gap: 8, alignItems: 'center' }}>
-          {links.map((l) => (
-            <Link key={l.to + l.label} to={l.to} className="pill">
+          {NAV.map((l) => (
+            <NavLink key={l.to} to={l.to} end={l.end} className="pill" style={linkStyle}>
               {l.label}
-            </Link>
+            </NavLink>
           ))}
+          {!loading && (
+            <NavLink
+              to={account.to}
+              className="pill"
+              style={{ marginLeft: 6, borderColor: 'var(--accent)', color: 'var(--accent-bright)' }}
+            >
+              {account.label}
+            </NavLink>
+          )}
         </nav>
       </div>
     </header>

client/src/components/VendorSales.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
+import { ago } from '../lib/format.js'
+
+// Owner-private recent player-vendor sales. `fetchSales` is the scope method
+// (api.player.shard.sales / api.admin.shard.sales) — the server only returns
+// sales for accounts linked to the caller.
+export default function VendorSales({ fetchSales }) {
+  const [sales, setSales] = useState(null)
+  const [error, setError] = useState('')
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let active = true
+    fetchSales()
+      .then((rows) => active && setSales(rows))
+      .catch(() => active && setError('Could not load your vendor sales.'))
+    return () => { active = false }
+  }, [fetchSales])
+
+  if (error) return null
+  if (!sales) return null
+
+  return (
+    <section style={{ borderTop: '1px solid var(--line-soft)', marginTop: 30, paddingTop: 22 }}>
+      <div className="field-label" style={{ marginBottom: 12 }}>Recent vendor sales</div>
+      {sales.length === 0 ? (
+        <p className="sans dim" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.86rem' }}>No vendor sales recorded yet.</p>
+      ) : (
+        <ul style={{ listStyle: 'none', margin: 0, padding: 0, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 8 }}>
+          {sales.map((s, i) => (
+            <li key={`${s.t}-${i}`} className="sans" style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'space-between', gap: 12, fontSize: '0.9rem', color: 'var(--ink)' }}>
+              <span style={{ minWidth: 0, overflow: 'hidden', textOverflow: 'ellipsis', whiteSpace: 'nowrap' }}>
+                {s.itemType || 'An item'}{s.amount > 1 ? ` ×${s.amount}` : ''} — {Number(s.price || 0).toLocaleString()}gp
+              </span>
+              <span className="dim" style={{ flex: 'none', fontSize: '0.78rem' }}>{ago(s.t)}</span>
+            </li>
+          ))}
+        </ul>
+      )}
+    </section>
+  )
+}

client/src/lib/heroLayout.js

@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ export function defaultLayout(teaser) {
             { text: 'Private shard project', tag: 'span', fontSize: '0.74rem', color: '#c2d2e6', weight: 700, letterSpacing: '0.22em', transform: 'uppercase', font: 'sans' },
             { text: 'UOMysticmoon', tag: 'h1', fontSize: 'clamp(3rem,8.5vw,5.75rem)', color: 'var(--head)', weight: 600, letterSpacing: '0.02em', lineHeight: 1, font: 'display', marginTop: 14 },
             { text: 'A private Ultima Online world in progress', tag: 'p', fontSize: '1.32rem', color: '#dbe2ea', italic: true, marginTop: 22 },
-            { text: teaser, tag: 'p', fontSize: '1.06rem', color: '#c4cdd8', maxWidth: 600, marginTop: 22 },
+            { text: teaser, tag: 'div', html: true, fontSize: '1.06rem', color: '#c4cdd8', maxWidth: 600, marginTop: 22 },
           ],
         },
       },

client/src/lib/shardEvents.js

@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+// Shared formatting for shard events — used by the public Shard page, the
+// Activity feed, and the admin live feed. One place decides how each kind reads
+// and which category/badge it belongs to.
+
+function nameOf(who) {
+  if (!who) return 'Someone'
+  if (typeof who === 'string') return who
+  return who.name || who.acct || 'Someone'
+}
+
+const n = (v) => Number(v || 0).toLocaleString()
+
+// A one-line human description of an event. Accepts either a stored event
+// (with .payload) or a raw live frame (fields at top level).
+export function describe(ev) {
+  const p = ev.payload || ev
+  switch (ev.kind) {
+    case 'vendor.sale':
+      return `${p.itemType || 'An item'}${p.amount > 1 ? ` ×${p.amount}` : ''} sold for ${n(p.price)}gp`
+    case 'player.death':
+      return `${nameOf(p.who)} was slain${p.killer ? ` by ${nameOf(p.killer)}` : ''}`
+    case 'player.murdered':
+      return `${nameOf(p.victim)} was murdered${p.murderer ? ` by ${nameOf(p.murderer)}` : ''}`
+    case 'mob.killed':
+      return `${nameOf(p.killer)} killed ${nameOf(p.killed)}`
+    case 'skill.gain':
+      return `${nameOf(p.who)} gained ${p.skill}${p.base != null ? ` (${p.base})` : ''}`
+    case 'fame.change':
+      return `${nameOf(p.who)}’s fame changed to ${n(p.new)}`
+    case 'karma.change':
+      return `${nameOf(p.who)}’s karma changed to ${n(p.new)}`
+    case 'quest.complete':
+      return `${nameOf(p.who)} completed “${p.quest}”`
+    case 'house.decay':
+      return `${p.name || 'A house'} is now ${p.to || p.stage}${p.region ? ` — ${p.region}` : ''}`
+    case 'mob.login':
+      return `${nameOf(p.who)} entered the world`
+    case 'mob.logout':
+      return `${nameOf(p.who)} left the world`
+    case 'economy.supply':
+      return `Gold supply: ${n(p.gold)} across ${n(p.accounts)} accounts`
+    case 'server.hello':
+      return `Shard online — ${n(p.accounts)} accounts, ${n(p.mobiles)} mobiles`
+    case 'server.shutdown':
+      return 'Shard shut down'
+    case 'server.crashed':
+      return `Shard crashed${p.error ? `: ${p.error}` : ''}`
+    // Staff / sensitive (admin channel only)
+    case 'audit.set':
+      return `${nameOf(p.staff) || 'Staff'} set ${p.prop} on ${p.target || p.targetSerial} (${p.old} → ${p.new})`
+    case 'audit.command':
+      return `${nameOf(p.staff) || 'Staff'} ran ${p.command}${p.args ? ` ${p.args}` : ''}`
+    case 'cheat.fastwalk':
+      return `Fast-walk flagged: ${nameOf(p.who)}${p.ip ? ` (${p.ip})` : ''}`
+    case 'account.login.attempt':
+      return `Login attempt: ${p.acct}${p.ip ? ` from ${p.ip}` : ''}`
+    case 'gold.change':
+      return `${p.acct}: gold ${p.delta >= 0 ? '+' : ''}${n(p.delta)} → ${n(p.new)}`
+    default:
+      return ev.kind
+  }
+}
+
+// Category grouping for the filter tabs.
+// Vendor sales are intentionally NOT a public category — they are owner-private
+// (a linked player sees their own under the portal). The admin live feed still
+// describes vendor.sale via describe() below.
+export const CATEGORIES = [
+  { id: 'all', label: 'All', kinds: null },
+  { id: 'pvp', label: 'Deaths & PvP', kinds: ['player.death', 'player.murdered', 'mob.killed'] },
+  { id: 'progress', label: 'Progression', kinds: ['skill.gain', 'fame.change', 'karma.change', 'quest.complete'] },
+  { id: 'world', label: 'World', kinds: ['house.decay', 'mob.login', 'mob.logout', 'server.hello', 'server.shutdown', 'server.crashed', 'economy.supply'] },
+]
+
+const CATEGORY_OF = (() => {
+  const m = {}
+  for (const c of CATEGORIES) if (c.kinds) for (const k of c.kinds) m[k] = c.id
+  return m
+})()
+
+export function categoryOf(kind) {
+  return CATEGORY_OF[kind] || 'other'
+}
+
+// Short badge label for a kind (the part after the dot, title-cased-ish).
+export function kindLabel(kind) {
+  return String(kind || '').replace(/[._]/g, ' ')
+}

client/src/lib/useShardFeed.js

@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react'
+import { api } from '../api/client.js'
+
+// Subscribe to the public shard live-event SSE stream and keep a rolling buffer
+// of the most recent events. The browser talks to our own /public/shard/stream
+// route (plain HTTP EventSource) — never the sidecar's WebSocket — so the token
+// stays server-side and it works through any reverse proxy.
+//
+// EventSource auto-reconnects on drop, so there is no manual retry loop here; a
+// `connected` flag is exposed for a small live/offline indicator. `filter` (a
+// Set of kinds, optional) limits which events are buffered. `max` caps the
+// buffer length.
+export function useShardFeed({ url, filter, max = 40 } = {}) {
+  const [events, setEvents] = useState([])
+  const [connected, setConnected] = useState(false)
+  // Keep the latest filter in a ref so re-renders don't tear down the stream.
+  const filterRef = useRef(filter)
+  filterRef.current = filter
+  const streamUrl = url || api.shardStreamUrl
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    // EventSource isn't available during SSR / very old browsers — degrade to
+    // "no live feed" rather than throwing.
+    if (typeof window === 'undefined' || typeof window.EventSource === 'undefined') return undefined
+
+    const es = new EventSource(streamUrl, { withCredentials: true })
+
+    es.onopen = () => setConnected(true)
+    es.onerror = () => setConnected(false) // EventSource will retry on its own
+
+    es.onmessage = (msg) => {
+      let event
+      try {
+        event = JSON.parse(msg.data)
+      } catch {
+        return
+      }
+      if (!event || !event.kind) return
+      const f = filterRef.current
+      if (f && !f.has(event.kind)) return
+      setEvents((prev) => {
+        // Tag with a stable-ish local id for React keys (events carry t but can
+        // collide within a ms) and cap the buffer.
+        const next = [{ ...event, _id: `${event.kind}-${event.t}-${prev.length}` }, ...prev]
+        return next.slice(0, max)
+      })
+    }
+
+    return () => es.close()
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, [max, streamUrl])
+
+  return { events, connected }
+}

client/src/routes/admin/AdminLayout.jsx

@@ -1,37 +1,105 @@
-import { useEffect } from 'react'
+import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
 import { NavLink, Outlet, useNavigate, useLocation } from 'react-router-dom'
 import MoonDot from '../../components/MoonDot.jsx'
 import { useAuth } from '../../contexts/AuthContext.jsx'
 import { useSite } from '../../contexts/SiteContext.jsx'
 
-// `roles` (when present) restricts which roles see a nav item. Items without it
-// are shown to admin/editor as before. Moderators are further confined to just
-// their own section + account security (see the redirect effect below).
+// Small inline stroke icons (16px, currentColor) — same style as ProviderIcon.
+// One shared frame keeps them terse; each item just supplies its path(s).
+function Icon({ children, size = 16 }) {
+  return (
+    <svg
+      width={size}
+      height={size}
+      viewBox="0 0 24 24"
+      fill="none"
+      stroke="currentColor"
+      strokeWidth="2"
+      strokeLinecap="round"
+      strokeLinejoin="round"
+      aria-hidden="true"
+      focusable="false"
+    >
+      {children}
+    </svg>
+  )
+}
+const IconHome = () => <Icon><path d="M3 10.5 12 3l9 7.5" /><path d="M5 9.5V21h14V9.5" /></Icon>
+const IconPosts = () => <Icon><path d="M5 3h14v18H5z" /><path d="M8 8h8M8 12h8M8 16h5" /></Icon>
+const IconWiki = () => <Icon><path d="M4 4h9a3 3 0 0 1 3 3v13a2 2 0 0 0-2-2H4z" /><path d="M20 4h-2a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v14a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h2z" /></Icon>
+const IconPages = () => <Icon><path d="M5 3h9l5 5v13H5z" /><path d="M14 3v5h5" /><path d="M8 13h8M8 17h8" /></Icon>
+const IconActivity = () => <Icon><path d="M3 12h4l3 8 4-16 3 8h4" /></Icon>
+const IconShield = () => <Icon><path d="M12 3l7 3v5c0 5-3.5 8-7 10-3.5-2-7-5-7-10V6z" /><path d="M9 12l2 2 4-4" /></Icon>
+const IconUsers = () => <Icon><circle cx="9" cy="8" r="3" /><path d="M3 20a6 6 0 0 1 12 0" /><path d="M16 6a3 3 0 0 1 0 6M17 20a6 6 0 0 0-3-5" /></Icon>
+const IconGear = () => <Icon><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3" /><path d="M12 2v3M12 19v3M2 12h3M19 12h3M4.9 4.9l2.1 2.1M17 17l2.1 2.1M19.1 4.9L17 7M7 17l-2.1 2.1" /></Icon>
+const IconHero = () => <Icon><path d="M3 5h18v14H3z" /><circle cx="8" cy="10" r="1.6" /><path d="M4 18l5-5 3 3 3-4 5 6" /></Icon>
+const IconKey = () => <Icon><circle cx="8" cy="12" r="4" /><path d="M12 12h9M18 12v3M15 12v2" /></Icon>
+const IconBot = () => <Icon><rect x="4" y="8" width="16" height="11" rx="2" /><path d="M12 8V4M8 13h.01M16 13h.01M9 17h6" /></Icon>
+const IconPulse = () => <Icon><path d="M3 12h3l2 6 4-14 2 8h7" /></Icon>
+const IconUser = () => <Icon><circle cx="12" cy="8" r="4" /><path d="M4 21a8 8 0 0 1 16 0" /></Icon>
+const IconShard = () => <Icon><path d="M12 2l7 6-7 14-7-14z" /><path d="M5 8h14" /></Icon>
+
+// Nav is grouped into collapsible categories. A group with no `title` renders
+// its items ungrouped (Dashboard at top, Account at bottom). Each item's `roles`
+// (when present) matches server-side enforcement so the sidebar never shows a
+// link that would 403; an item without `roles` is visible to everyone.
+// Moderators are further confined to just their section + account (see below).
 const NAV = [
-  { to: '/admin', label: 'Dashboard', end: true },
-  { to: '/admin/posts', label: 'Posts' },
-  { to: '/admin/wiki', label: 'Wiki' },
-  { to: '/admin/hero', label: 'Hero Editor' },
-  { to: '/admin/moderation', label: 'Moderation', roles: ['admin', 'moderator'] },
-  { to: '/admin/settings', label: 'Settings' },
-  { to: '/admin/activity', label: 'Activity' },
-  { to: '/admin/bot-activity', label: 'Bot Activity' },
-  { to: '/admin/discord-bot', label: 'Discord Bot' },
-  { to: '/admin/auth-providers', label: 'Authentication' },
-  { to: '/admin/users', label: 'Users' },
-  { to: '/admin/account', label: 'Account' },
+  {
+    items: [
+      { to: '/admin', label: 'Dashboard', end: true, icon: IconHome, roles: ['admin', 'editor', 'moderator'] },
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    title: 'Content',
+    items: [
+      { to: '/admin/posts', label: 'Posts', icon: IconPosts, roles: ['admin', 'editor'] },
+      { to: '/admin/pages', label: 'Pages', icon: IconPages, roles: ['admin', 'editor'] },
+      { to: '/admin/wiki', label: 'Wiki', icon: IconWiki, roles: ['admin', 'editor'] },
+      { to: '/admin/activity', label: 'Activity', icon: IconActivity, roles: ['admin', 'editor'] },
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    title: 'Moderation',
+    items: [
+      { to: '/admin/moderation', label: 'Moderation', icon: IconShield, roles: ['admin', 'moderator'] },
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    title: 'System',
+    items: [
+      { to: '/admin/users', label: 'Users', icon: IconUsers, roles: ['admin'] },
+      { to: '/admin/settings', label: 'Settings', icon: IconGear, roles: ['admin'] },
+      { to: '/admin/hero', label: 'Hero Editor', icon: IconHero, roles: ['admin'] },
+      { to: '/admin/auth-providers', label: 'Authentication', icon: IconKey, roles: ['admin'] },
+      { to: '/admin/discord-bot', label: 'Discord Bot', icon: IconBot, roles: ['admin'] },
+      { to: '/admin/shard', label: 'Shard (uo-link)', icon: IconShard, roles: ['admin'] },
+      { to: '/admin/bot-activity', label: 'Web Bot Activity', icon: IconPulse, roles: ['admin'] },
+    ],
+  },
+  {
+    items: [
+      { to: '/admin/characters', label: 'My Characters', icon: IconShard },
+      { to: '/admin/account', label: 'Account', icon: IconUser },
+    ],
+  },
 ]
 
+const COLLAPSE_KEY = 'admin.nav.collapsed'
+
 const TITLES = {
   '/admin': 'Dashboard',
   '/admin/posts': 'Posts',
+  '/admin/pages': 'Pages',
   '/admin/wiki': 'Wiki Pages',
   '/admin/hero': 'Hero Editor',
   '/admin/moderation': 'Moderation',
   '/admin/settings': 'Site Settings',
   '/admin/activity': 'Activity Log',
-  '/admin/bot-activity': 'Bot Activity',
+  '/admin/bot-activity': 'Web Bot Activity',
   '/admin/discord-bot': 'Discord Bot',
+  '/admin/shard': 'Shard (uo-link)',
+  '/admin/characters': 'My Characters',
   '/admin/auth-providers': 'Authentication',
   '/admin/users': 'Users',
   '/admin/account': 'Account Security',
@@ -44,7 +112,9 @@ const navBtnBase = {
   fontFamily: 'var(--sans)',
   fontSize: '0.92rem',
   textDecoration: 'none',
-  display: 'block',
+  display: 'flex',
+  alignItems: 'center',
+  gap: 10,
   transition: 'background .15s,color .15s',
 }
 
@@ -55,18 +125,51 @@ export default function AdminLayout() {
   const location = useLocation()
   const title =
     TITLES[location.pathname] ||
-    (location.pathname.startsWith('/admin/moderation') ? 'Moderation' : 'Admin')
+    (location.pathname.startsWith('/admin/moderation')
+      ? 'Moderation'
+      : location.pathname.startsWith('/admin/characters')
+        ? 'My Characters'
+        : 'Admin')
   // The hero canvas editor needs room — let it use the full content width.
   const wide = location.pathname === '/admin/hero'
   const modeDot = mode === 'live' ? 'var(--mode-live)' : 'var(--mode-maint)'
 
   // Moderators only get the moderation section + their own account security.
   const isModerator = user?.role === 'moderator'
-  const navItems = NAV.filter((n) => {
-    if (n.roles && !n.roles.includes(user?.role)) return false
-    if (isModerator) return n.to === '/admin/moderation' || n.to === '/admin/account'
+  const visible = (item) => {
+    if (item.roles && !item.roles.includes(user?.role)) return false
+    if (isModerator) return item.to === '/admin/moderation' || item.to === '/admin/account'
     return true
+  }
+  // Drop items the current role can't see, then drop any now-empty group so an
+  // empty category header never renders.
+  const navGroups = NAV
+    .map((g) => ({ ...g, items: g.items.filter(visible) }))
+    .filter((g) => g.items.length > 0)
+
+  // Accordion: track which titled categories are collapsed. Persist across
+  // reloads; default all-open. The group holding the active route auto-opens.
+  const [collapsed, setCollapsed] = useState(() => {
+    try {
+      return JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(COLLAPSE_KEY)) || {}
+    } catch {
+      return {}
+    }
   })
+  const toggleGroup = (title) => {
+    setCollapsed((prev) => {
+      const next = { ...prev, [title]: !prev[title] }
+      try {
+        localStorage.setItem(COLLAPSE_KEY, JSON.stringify(next))
+      } catch {
+        /* private mode / quota — collapse is non-essential */
+      }
+      return next
+    })
+  }
+  const activeGroupTitle = navGroups.find((g) =>
+    g.title && g.items.some((i) => (i.end ? location.pathname === i.to : location.pathname.startsWith(i.to)))
+  )?.title
 
   // Confine a moderator who deep-links (or is redirected to the index) to a page
   // outside their remit — the API would 403 anyway, so send them to their home.
@@ -118,12 +221,14 @@ export default function AdminLayout() {
           </div>
         </div>
 
-        <nav style={{ flex: 1, padding: '14px 12px', display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 4 }}>
-          {navItems.map((n) => (
+        <nav style={{ flex: 1, padding: '14px 12px', display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 4, overflowY: 'auto' }}>
+          {navGroups.map((group, gi) => {
+            const links = group.items.map((n) => (
               <NavLink
                 key={n.to}
                 to={n.to}
                 end={n.end}
+                className="admin-nav-link"
                 style={({ isActive }) => ({
                   ...navBtnBase,
                   background: isActive ? 'var(--blue)' : 'transparent',
@@ -131,9 +236,56 @@ export default function AdminLayout() {
                   borderLeft: `2px solid ${isActive ? 'var(--accent)' : 'transparent'}`,
                 })}
               >
-              {n.label}
+                {n.icon && <n.icon />}
+                <span>{n.label}</span>
               </NavLink>
-          ))}
+            ))
+
+            // Untitled groups (Dashboard, Account) render their links directly.
+            if (!group.title) {
+              return (
+                <div key={`g${gi}`} style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 4 }}>
+                  {links}
+                </div>
+              )
+            }
+
+            // Titled groups get a collapsible header. The group with the active
+            // route stays open regardless of the stored collapse preference.
+            const isOpen = group.title === activeGroupTitle || !collapsed[group.title]
+            return (
+              <div key={group.title} className="admin-nav-group">
+                <button
+                  type="button"
+                  className="admin-nav-head sans"
+                  onClick={() => toggleGroup(group.title)}
+                  aria-expanded={isOpen}
+                >
+                  <span>{group.title}</span>
+                  <svg
+                    className="admin-nav-chev"
+                    width="12"
+                    height="12"
+                    viewBox="0 0 24 24"
+                    fill="none"
+                    stroke="currentColor"
+                    strokeWidth="2.5"
+                    strokeLinecap="round"
+                    strokeLinejoin="round"
+                    style={{ transform: isOpen ? 'rotate(0deg)' : 'rotate(-90deg)' }}
+                    aria-hidden="true"
+                  >
+                    <path d="M6 9l6 6 6-6" />
+                  </svg>
+                </button>
+                {isOpen && (
+                  <div className="admin-nav-items" style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 4 }}>
+                    {links}
+                  </div>
+                )}
+              </div>
+            )
+          })}
         </nav>
 
         <div style={{ padding: '14px 16px', borderTop: '1px solid var(--line-soft)' }}>

client/src/routes/admin/views/AdminCharacter.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import { useParams, Link } from 'react-router-dom'
+import { Loading, ErrorState } from '../../../components/PageState.jsx'
+import CharacterSheet from '../../../components/CharacterSheet.jsx'
+import { useAsync } from '../../../lib/useAsync.js'
+import { api } from '../../../api/client.js'
+
+// A staff member's own character sheet inside the admin shell. Owner-checked —
+// the endpoint only returns a sheet for a character on the caller's linked account.
+export default function AdminCharacter() {
+  const { serial } = useParams()
+  const { loading, error, data } = useAsync(() => api.admin.shard.char(serial), [serial])
+  const restarting = error && error.status === 503
+  const forbidden = error && error.status === 403
+
+  return (
+    <div style={{ maxWidth: 760 }}>
+      <p style={{ margin: '0 0 18px' }}>
+        <Link to="/admin/characters" className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', textDecoration: 'none', fontSize: '0.86rem' }}>
+          ← Back to my characters
+        </Link>
+      </p>
+      {loading && <Loading />}
+      {restarting && <ErrorState message="The game server is restarting — try again shortly." />}
+      {forbidden && <ErrorState message="That character is not on an account linked to you." />}
+      {error && !restarting && !forbidden && <ErrorState message="Could not load that character right now." />}
+      {!loading && !error && data && <CharacterSheet char={data} />}
+    </div>
+  )
+}

client/src/routes/admin/views/AdminCharacters.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import CharacterStats from '../../../components/CharacterStats.jsx'
+import GameAccounts from '../../../components/GameAccounts.jsx'
+import VendorSales from '../../../components/VendorSales.jsx'
+import { api } from '../../../api/client.js'
+
+// Staff link their OWN in-game account and view their characters — the same
+// shared component players use, pointed at the staff self-service endpoints.
+// Sits inside the Admin shell, which supplies the "My Characters" page header;
+// stat tiles bring it to parity with the Player Portal's Characters page.
+export default function AdminCharacters() {
+  return (
+    <section style={{ maxWidth: 760 }}>
+      <CharacterStats scope={api.admin.shard} />
+      <GameAccounts scope={api.admin.shard} charTo={(serial) => `/admin/characters/${serial}`} />
+      <VendorSales fetchSales={api.admin.shard.sales} />
+    </section>
+  )
+}

client/src/routes/admin/views/EmailDelivery.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,243 @@
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react'
+import { api } from '../../../api/client.js'
+
+// Email delivery panel (Gmail over OAuth2), rendered as a section on the Settings
+// page. Sending is authorized by an in-app "Connect Gmail" consent flow that
+// captures a refresh token server-side — the token is write-only over the API
+// (stored encrypted, never returned). Reuses the Google SSO OAuth client, so it
+// requires the Google provider to be configured on the Authentication page first.
+
+const STATUS_COLOR = {
+  connected: '#7fd0a4',
+  error: '#d98b84',
+  unconfigured: 'var(--muted)',
+}
+
+// Human-friendly text for the ?email_error=<code> the callback may redirect with.
+const ERROR_TEXT = {
+  denied: 'Google sign-in was cancelled or denied.',
+  bad_state: 'The connect session expired. Please try again.',
+  no_client: 'The Google OAuth client is not configured.',
+  no_refresh_token:
+    'Google did not return a refresh token. Remove this app under your Google Account → Security → Third-party access, then reconnect.',
+  no_email: 'Could not read the Gmail address from Google.',
+  error: 'Could not connect the Gmail account. Please try again.',
+}
+
+function StatusPanel({ config }) {
+  const color = STATUS_COLOR[config.status] || 'var(--muted)'
+  return (
+    <div style={{ border: '1px solid var(--line)', borderRadius: 10, padding: 16, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 6 }}>
+      <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 8 }}>
+        <span style={{ width: 9, height: 9, borderRadius: '50%', background: color, boxShadow: `0 0 8px ${color}` }} />
+        <span className="sans" style={{ fontSize: '0.9rem', color: 'var(--ink)', textTransform: 'capitalize' }}>
+          {config.status || 'unconfigured'}
+        </span>
+      </div>
+      {config.senderEmail && (
+        <p className="sans" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.85rem', color: 'var(--ink)' }}>
+          Sending as <strong>{config.senderEmail}</strong>
+        </p>
+      )}
+      {config.statusDetail && (
+        <p className="sans" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.82rem', color: 'var(--muted)' }}>{config.statusDetail}</p>
+      )}
+      {config.lastVerifiedAt && (
+        <p className="sans dim" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.78rem' }}>
+          Last verified: {new Date(config.lastVerifiedAt).toLocaleString()}
+        </p>
+      )}
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+export default function EmailDelivery() {
+  const [config, setConfig] = useState(null)
+  const [error, setError] = useState('')
+  const [senderName, setSenderName] = useState('')
+  const [enabled, setEnabled] = useState(false)
+  const [busy, setBusy] = useState('')
+  const [msg, setMsg] = useState('')
+  const [actionError, setActionError] = useState('')
+  const [banner, setBanner] = useState(null) // { kind: 'ok'|'err', text }
+
+  const load = useCallback(async (seedForm = false) => {
+    try {
+      const c = await api.admin.getEmailConfig()
+      setConfig(c)
+      if (seedForm) {
+        setSenderName(c.senderName || '')
+        setEnabled(c.enabled)
+      }
+      return c
+    } catch {
+      setError('Could not load email settings.')
+      return null
+    }
+  }, [])
+
+  // On mount, surface the outcome of a just-completed connect redirect, strip the
+  // query params so a refresh doesn't replay the banner, then load config.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search)
+    if (params.has('email_connected')) {
+      setBanner({ kind: 'ok', text: 'Gmail account connected.' })
+    } else if (params.has('email_error')) {
+      setBanner({ kind: 'err', text: ERROR_TEXT[params.get('email_error')] || 'Could not connect email.' })
+    }
+    if (params.has('email_connected') || params.has('email_error')) {
+      params.delete('email_connected')
+      params.delete('email_error')
+      const qs = params.toString()
+      window.history.replaceState({}, '', window.location.pathname + (qs ? `?${qs}` : ''))
+    }
+    load(true)
+  }, [load])
+
+  async function connect() {
+    setBusy('connect')
+    setActionError('')
+    try {
+      const { url } = await api.admin.emailConnectUrl()
+      window.location.href = url
+    } catch (err) {
+      setActionError(err.message || 'Could not start the connect flow.')
+      setBusy('')
+    }
+  }
+
+  async function save() {
+    setBusy('save')
+    setMsg('')
+    setActionError('')
+    try {
+      const saved = await api.admin.saveEmailConfig({ senderName, enabled })
+      setConfig(saved)
+      setMsg('Saved.')
+    } catch (err) {
+      setActionError(err.message || 'Could not save.')
+    } finally {
+      setBusy('')
+    }
+  }
+
+  async function sendTest() {
+    setBusy('test')
+    setMsg('')
+    setActionError('')
+    try {
+      const r = await api.admin.testEmail()
+      setMsg(`Test email sent to ${r.to}.`)
+      await load()
+    } catch (err) {
+      setActionError(err.message || 'Could not send the test email.')
+    } finally {
+      setBusy('')
+    }
+  }
+
+  async function disconnect() {
+    setBusy('disconnect')
+    setMsg('')
+    setActionError('')
+    try {
+      const c = await api.admin.disconnectEmail()
+      setConfig(c)
+      setEnabled(false)
+      setMsg('Disconnected.')
+    } catch (err) {
+      setActionError(err.message || 'Could not disconnect.')
+    } finally {
+      setBusy('')
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (error) return <p className="sans" style={{ color: '#d98b84' }}>{error}</p>
+  if (!config) return null
+
+  const connected = config.hasRefreshToken
+
+  return (
+    <section style={{ maxWidth: 620, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 16, marginTop: 40, borderTop: '1px solid var(--line-soft)', paddingTop: 30 }}>
+      <div>
+        <h2 className="display" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '1.2rem', color: 'var(--head)' }}>Email delivery</h2>
+        <p className="sans dim" style={{ margin: '6px 0 0', fontSize: '0.82rem' }}>
+          Sends the contact form through Gmail over OAuth2, delivered to the
+          <strong> Contact email</strong> above. Reuses the Google authentication
+          client — configure that on the Authentication page first.
+        </p>
+      </div>
+
+      {banner && (
+        <div
+          className="sans"
+          style={{
+            fontSize: '0.85rem',
+            borderRadius: 8,
+            padding: '10px 12px',
+            border: `1px solid ${banner.kind === 'ok' ? '#3f6b52' : '#7a4440'}`,
+            color: banner.kind === 'ok' ? '#7fd0a4' : '#d98b84',
+          }}
+        >
+          {banner.text}
+        </div>
+      )}
+
+      <StatusPanel config={config} />
+
+      {!config.googleConfigured && (
+        <p className="sans" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.82rem', color: '#e0b070' }}>
+          The Google authentication provider needs a client ID and secret before
+          you can connect a Gmail account.
+        </p>
+      )}
+
+      {!connected ? (
+        <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: 10, alignItems: 'center' }}>
+          <button onClick={connect} disabled={busy === 'connect' || !config.googleConfigured} className="btn btn-primary btn-sq">
+            {busy === 'connect' ? 'Redirecting…' : 'Connect Gmail'}
+          </button>
+        </div>
+      ) : (
+        <>
+          <label className="sans" style={{ display: 'inline-flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 10, cursor: 'pointer', fontSize: '0.9rem', color: 'var(--ink)' }}>
+            <input type="checkbox" checked={enabled} onChange={(e) => setEnabled(e.target.checked)} />
+            Enable email sending
+          </label>
+
+          <label style={{ display: 'block' }}>
+            <span className="field-label">From display name (optional)</span>
+            <input
+              type="text"
+              value={senderName}
+              onChange={(e) => setSenderName(e.target.value)}
+              className="input"
+              autoComplete="off"
+              placeholder="UOMysticmoon"
+            />
+          </label>
+
+          <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: 10, alignItems: 'center', flexWrap: 'wrap' }}>
+            <button onClick={save} disabled={busy === 'save'} className="btn btn-primary btn-sq">
+              {busy === 'save' ? 'Saving…' : 'Save changes'}
+            </button>
+            <button onClick={sendTest} disabled={busy === 'test'} className="pill">
+              {busy === 'test' ? 'Sending…' : 'Send test'}
+            </button>
+            <button onClick={connect} disabled={busy === 'connect'} className="pill">
+              Reconnect
+            </button>
+            <button onClick={disconnect} disabled={busy === 'disconnect'} className="pill">
+              Disconnect
+            </button>
+          </div>
+        </>
+      )}
+
+      <div style={{ minHeight: 18 }}>
+        {msg && <span className="sans" style={{ color: '#7fd0a4', fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>{msg}</span>}
+        {actionError && <span className="sans" style={{ color: '#d98b84', fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>{actionError}</span>}
+      </div>
+    </section>
+  )
+}

client/src/routes/admin/views/PageBuilder.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,453 @@
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react'
+import { useNavigate, useParams } from 'react-router-dom'
+import Modal from '../../../components/Modal.jsx'
+import { Loading } from '../../../components/PageState.jsx'
+import { api } from '../../../api/client.js'
+import '../../../blocks/index.js' // registers all block types
+import { listBlocks, getBlock, makeBlockId } from '../../../blocks/registry.js'
+import { SelectField, TextField, TextAreaField } from '../../../blocks/editorKit.jsx'
+
+const LAYOUTS = [
+  ['default', 'Default'],
+  ['full_width', 'Full width'],
+  ['landing', 'Landing'],
+]
+const NAV_GROUPS = [
+  ['', 'None'],
+  ['main', 'Main nav'],
+  ['footer', 'Footer'],
+  ['account', 'Account'],
+  ['hidden', 'Hidden'],
+]
+
+const EMPTY = {
+  title: '',
+  slug: '',
+  status: 'draft',
+  blocks: [],
+  metadata: { seoTitle: '', metaDescription: '', ogImage: '', canonicalUrl: '', robots: '' },
+  settings: { layout: 'default', showInNav: false, navGroup: '', navOrder: null, protected: false },
+}
+
+// Map an API page (grouped shape) into local editable form state.
+function toForm(page) {
+  return {
+    title: page.title || '',
+    slug: page.slug || '',
+    status: page.status || 'draft',
+    blocks: Array.isArray(page.blocks) ? page.blocks : [],
+    metadata: { ...EMPTY.metadata, ...cleanNulls(page.metadata) },
+    settings: {
+      layout: page.settings?.layout || 'default',
+      showInNav: Boolean(page.settings?.showInNav),
+      navGroup: page.settings?.navGroup || '',
+      navOrder: page.settings?.navOrder ?? null,
+      protected: Boolean(page.settings?.protected),
+    },
+  }
+}
+
+function cleanNulls(obj) {
+  const out = {}
+  for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(obj || {})) out[k] = v == null ? '' : v
+  return out
+}
+
+export default function PageBuilder() {
+  const { id } = useParams()
+  const isEdit = Boolean(id)
+  const navigate = useNavigate()
+
+  const [form, setForm] = useState(EMPTY)
+  const [protectedNow, setProtectedNow] = useState(false) // server truth, edit mode
+  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(isEdit)
+  const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false)
+  const [error, setError] = useState('')
+  const [details, setDetails] = useState([]) // block validation errors
+  const [notice, setNotice] = useState('')
+  const [tab, setTab] = useState('content')
+  const [pwModal, setPwModal] = useState(false)
+  const [dragIndex, setDragIndex] = useState(null)
+
+  const palette = useMemo(() => listBlocks(), [])
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!isEdit) return
+    let active = true
+    setLoading(true)
+    api.admin
+      .getPage(id)
+      .then((page) => {
+        if (!active) return
+        setForm(toForm(page))
+        setProtectedNow(Boolean(page.settings?.protected))
+        setLoading(false)
+      })
+      .catch((err) => {
+        if (!active) return
+        setError(err.message || 'Could not load the page.')
+        setLoading(false)
+      })
+    return () => {
+      active = false
+    }
+  }, [id, isEdit])
+
+  // ── Block operations ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+  const addBlock = useCallback((type) => {
+    const def = getBlock(type)
+    if (!def) return
+    const block = { id: makeBlockId(), type, version: def.version, visible: true, props: def.defaults() }
+    setForm((f) => ({ ...f, blocks: [...f.blocks, block] }))
+  }, [])
+
+  const updateBlock = useCallback((blockId, nextProps) => {
+    setForm((f) => ({
+      ...f,
+      blocks: f.blocks.map((b) => (b.id === blockId ? { ...b, props: nextProps } : b)),
+    }))
+  }, [])
+
+  const toggleVisible = useCallback((blockId) => {
+    setForm((f) => ({
+      ...f,
+      blocks: f.blocks.map((b) => (b.id === blockId ? { ...b, visible: b.visible === false } : b)),
+    }))
+  }, [])
+
+  const removeBlock = useCallback((blockId) => {
+    setForm((f) => ({ ...f, blocks: f.blocks.filter((b) => b.id !== blockId) }))
+  }, [])
+
+  const moveBlock = useCallback((from, to) => {
+    setForm((f) => {
+      if (to < 0 || to >= f.blocks.length) return f
+      const next = [...f.blocks]
+      const [moved] = next.splice(from, 1)
+      next.splice(to, 0, moved)
+      return { ...f, blocks: next }
+    })
+  }, [])
+
+  function onDrop(index) {
+    if (dragIndex === null || dragIndex === index) return setDragIndex(null)
+    moveBlock(dragIndex, index)
+    setDragIndex(null)
+  }
+
+  // ── Form field setters ──────────────────────────────────────────────
+  const setField = (k) => (v) => setForm((f) => ({ ...f, [k]: v }))
+  const setMeta = (k) => (v) => setForm((f) => ({ ...f, metadata: { ...f.metadata, [k]: v } }))
+  const setSetting = (k) => (v) => setForm((f) => ({ ...f, settings: { ...f.settings, [k]: v } }))
+
+  // Serialize local state into an API payload. Empty metadata strings become
+  // null; navGroup '' becomes null.
+  function payload() {
+    const metadata = {}
+    for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(form.metadata)) metadata[k] = v === '' ? null : v
+    const settings = {
+      layout: form.settings.layout,
+      showInNav: Boolean(form.settings.showInNav),
+      navGroup: form.settings.navGroup === '' ? null : form.settings.navGroup,
+      navOrder: form.settings.navOrder === '' || form.settings.navOrder == null ? null : Number(form.settings.navOrder),
+    }
+    return { title: form.title.trim(), status: form.status, blocks: form.blocks, metadata, settings }
+  }
+
+  async function save({ silent } = {}) {
+    setBusy(true)
+    setError('')
+    setDetails([])
+    setNotice('')
+    try {
+      if (isEdit) {
+        await api.admin.updatePage(id, payload())
+        if (!silent) setNotice('Saved.')
+      } else {
+        if (!form.slug.trim()) throw new Error('A slug is required.')
+        const created = await api.admin.createPage({ slug: form.slug.trim(), ...payload() })
+        navigate(`/admin/pages/${created.id}`, { replace: true })
+      }
+    } catch (err) {
+      setError(err.message || 'Could not save the page.')
+      if (err.body?.details) setDetails(err.body.details)
+    } finally {
+      setBusy(false)
+    }
+  }
+
+  async function togglePublish() {
+    const next = form.status === 'published' ? 'draft' : 'published'
+    setForm((f) => ({ ...f, status: next }))
+    // Persist immediately (edit mode) so the status change isn't lost.
+    if (isEdit) {
+      setBusy(true)
+      setError('')
+      try {
+        await api.admin.updatePage(id, { ...payload(), status: next })
+        setNotice(next === 'published' ? 'Published.' : 'Unpublished.')
+      } catch (err) {
+        setError(err.message || 'Could not change status.')
+      } finally {
+        setBusy(false)
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  async function protectPage() {
+    setBusy(true)
+    setError('')
+    try {
+      await api.admin.updatePage(id, { settings: { protected: true } })
+      setProtectedNow(true)
+      setForm((f) => ({ ...f, settings: { ...f.settings, protected: true } }))
+      setNotice('Page protected.')
+    } catch (err) {
+      setError(err.message || 'Could not protect the page.')
+    } finally {
+      setBusy(false)
+    }
+  }
+
+  async function unprotectPage(password) {
+    setBusy(true)
+    setError('')
+    try {
+      await api.admin.unprotectPage(id, password)
+      setProtectedNow(false)
+      setForm((f) => ({ ...f, settings: { ...f.settings, protected: false } }))
+      setPwModal(false)
+      setNotice('Protection removed.')
+    } catch (err) {
+      setError(err.message || 'Could not unprotect the page.')
+    } finally {
+      setBusy(false)
+    }
+  }
+
+  async function preview() {
+    setError('')
+    try {
+      const { token } = await api.admin.createPagePreview(id)
+      window.open(`/preview/${id}/${token}`, '_blank', 'noopener')
+    } catch (err) {
+      setError(err.message || 'Could not create a preview link.')
+    }
+  }
+
+  async function remove() {
+    if (!confirm('Delete this page? This cannot be undone.')) return
+    setBusy(true)
+    setError('')
+    try {
+      await api.admin.deletePage(id)
+      navigate('/admin/pages')
+    } catch (err) {
+      setError(err.message || 'Could not delete the page.')
+      setBusy(false)
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (loading) return <Loading />
+
+  const published = form.status === 'published'
+
+  return (
+    <section>
+      {/* Toolbar */}
+      <div className="pb-toolbar">
+        <button className="pill" onClick={() => navigate('/admin/pages')}>← Pages</button>
+        <span className={`badge ${published ? 'badge-pub' : 'badge-draft'}`}>{published ? 'Published' : 'Draft'}</span>
+        <div style={{ flex: 1 }} />
+        {isEdit && (
+          <button className="pill" onClick={preview} disabled={busy}>Preview</button>
+        )}
+        {isEdit && (
+          <button className="pill" onClick={togglePublish} disabled={busy}>
+            {published ? 'Unpublish' : 'Publish'}
+          </button>
+        )}
+        <button className="btn btn-primary btn-sq" onClick={() => save()} disabled={busy}>
+          {busy ? 'Saving…' : isEdit ? 'Save' : 'Create'}
+        </button>
+      </div>
+
+      {error && (
+        <div className="pb-error sans">
+          {error}
+          {details.length > 0 && (
+            <ul style={{ margin: '6px 0 0', paddingLeft: 18 }}>
+              {details.map((d, i) => <li key={i}>{d}</li>)}
+            </ul>
+          )}
+        </div>
+      )}
+      {notice && <div className="pb-notice sans">{notice}</div>}
+
+      {/* Title + slug */}
+      <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: 14, flexWrap: 'wrap', margin: '16px 0' }}>
+        <label style={{ flex: '2 1 320px' }}>
+          <span className="field-label">Title</span>
+          <input className="input" value={form.title} onChange={(e) => setField('title')(e.target.value)} />
+        </label>
+        <label style={{ flex: '1 1 220px' }}>
+          <span className="field-label">Slug {isEdit && '(fixed)'}</span>
+          <input
+            className="input"
+            value={form.slug}
+            disabled={isEdit}
+            placeholder="my-page"
+            onChange={(e) => setField('slug')(e.target.value.toLowerCase().replace(/[^a-z0-9-]/g, ''))}
+          />
+        </label>
+      </div>
+
+      {/* Tabs */}
+      <div className="pb-tabs">
+        <button className={`pb-tab ${tab === 'content' ? 'is-active' : ''}`} onClick={() => setTab('content')}>Content</button>
+        <button className={`pb-tab ${tab === 'settings' ? 'is-active' : ''}`} onClick={() => setTab('settings')}>Settings &amp; SEO</button>
+      </div>
+
+      {tab === 'content' && (
+        <>
+          <div className="pb-palette">
+            <span className="field-label" style={{ margin: '0 6px 0 0' }}>Add block</span>
+            {palette.map((b) => (
+              <button key={b.type} className="pill" onClick={() => addBlock(b.type)} disabled={busy}>
+                <span aria-hidden style={{ marginRight: 6 }}>{b.icon}</span>{b.label}
+              </button>
+            ))}
+          </div>
+
+          <div className="pb-canvas">
+            {form.blocks.length === 0 && (
+              <p className="sans dim" style={{ textAlign: 'center', padding: 30 }}>
+                No blocks yet — add one from the palette above.
+              </p>
+            )}
+            {form.blocks.map((block, i) => {
+              const def = getBlock(block.type)
+              const Editor = def?.editor
+              const hidden = block.visible === false
+              return (
+                <div
+                  key={block.id}
+                  className={`pb-block-card ${hidden ? 'is-hidden' : ''} ${dragIndex === i ? 'is-dragging' : ''}`}
+                  draggable
+                  onDragStart={() => setDragIndex(i)}
+                  onDragOver={(e) => e.preventDefault()}
+                  onDrop={() => onDrop(i)}
+                  onDragEnd={() => setDragIndex(null)}
+                >
+                  <div className="pb-block-head">
+                    <span className="pb-drag" title="Drag to reorder">⠿</span>
+                    <strong className="sans">{def?.label || block.type}</strong>
+                    <div style={{ flex: 1 }} />
+                    <button className="pill pb-mini" title={hidden ? 'Show' : 'Hide'} onClick={() => toggleVisible(block.id)}>
+                      {hidden ? '🙈' : '👁'}
+                    </button>
+                    <button className="pill pb-mini" disabled={i === 0} onClick={() => moveBlock(i, i - 1)} title="Move up">↑</button>
+                    <button className="pill pb-mini" disabled={i === form.blocks.length - 1} onClick={() => moveBlock(i, i + 1)} title="Move down">↓</button>
+                    <button className="pill pb-mini" onClick={() => removeBlock(block.id)} title="Remove">✕</button>
+                  </div>
+                  <div className="pb-block-body">
+                    {Editor ? (
+                      <Editor props={block.props || {}} onChange={(p) => updateBlock(block.id, p)} />
+                    ) : (
+                      <p className="sans dim">Unknown block type: {block.type}</p>
+                    )}
+                  </div>
+                </div>
+              )
+            })}
+          </div>
+        </>
+      )}
+
+      {tab === 'settings' && (
+        <div className="pb-settings">
+          <div className="card" style={{ padding: 18 }}>
+            <p className="card-kicker">SEO &amp; metadata</p>
+            <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 12, marginTop: 12 }}>
+              <TextField label="SEO title" value={form.metadata.seoTitle} maxLength={200} onChange={setMeta('seoTitle')} hint="Overrides the page title in the browser tab / search results." />
+              <TextAreaField label="Meta description" value={form.metadata.metaDescription} rows={2} maxLength={400} onChange={setMeta('metaDescription')} />
+              <TextField label="OG image URL" value={form.metadata.ogImage} maxLength={500} onChange={setMeta('ogImage')} />
+              <TextField label="Canonical URL" value={form.metadata.canonicalUrl} maxLength={500} onChange={setMeta('canonicalUrl')} />
+              <TextField label="Robots" value={form.metadata.robots} maxLength={100} onChange={setMeta('robots')} placeholder="index,follow" />
+            </div>
+          </div>
+
+          <div className="card" style={{ padding: 18 }}>
+            <p className="card-kicker">Layout &amp; navigation</p>
+            <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 12, marginTop: 12 }}>
+              <SelectField label="Layout" value={form.settings.layout} onChange={setSetting('layout')} options={LAYOUTS} />
+              <label style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 8 }}>
+                <input type="checkbox" checked={form.settings.showInNav} onChange={(e) => setSetting('showInNav')(e.target.checked)} />
+                <span className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--muted)', fontSize: '0.9rem' }}>Show in navigation</span>
+              </label>
+              <SelectField label="Nav group" value={form.settings.navGroup} onChange={setSetting('navGroup')} options={NAV_GROUPS} />
+              <TextField label="Nav order" value={form.settings.navOrder ?? ''} onChange={(v) => setSetting('navOrder')(v === '' ? null : v.replace(/[^0-9]/g, ''))} hint="Lower numbers appear first." />
+            </div>
+          </div>
+
+          <div className="card" style={{ padding: 18 }}>
+            <p className="card-kicker">Protection &amp; danger zone</p>
+            <p className="sans dim" style={{ fontSize: '0.85rem', marginTop: 8 }}>
+              A protected page can’t be deleted and its protection can only be removed by re-entering your password.
+            </p>
+            {!isEdit && <p className="sans dim" style={{ fontSize: '0.82rem' }}>Save the page first to manage protection.</p>}
+            {isEdit && (
+              <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: 10, flexWrap: 'wrap', marginTop: 10 }}>
+                {protectedNow ? (
+                  <button className="pill" onClick={() => setPwModal(true)} disabled={busy}>🔓 Remove protection…</button>
+                ) : (
+                  <button className="pill" onClick={protectPage} disabled={busy}>🔒 Protect page</button>
+                )}
+                <button className="pill pb-danger" onClick={remove} disabled={busy || protectedNow} title={protectedNow ? 'Unprotect first' : 'Delete'}>
+                  Delete page
+                </button>
+              </div>
+            )}
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      )}
+
+      {pwModal && (
+        <UnprotectModal onCancel={() => setPwModal(false)} onConfirm={unprotectPage} busy={busy} error={error} />
+      )}
+    </section>
+  )
+}
+
+function UnprotectModal({ onCancel, onConfirm, busy, error }) {
+  const [pw, setPw] = useState('')
+  return (
+    <Modal
+      title="Confirm your password"
+      onClose={onCancel}
+      width={420}
+      footer={
+        <>
+          <button className="pill" onClick={onCancel} disabled={busy}>Cancel</button>
+          <button className="btn btn-primary btn-sq" onClick={() => onConfirm(pw)} disabled={busy || !pw}>
+            {busy ? 'Verifying…' : 'Remove protection'}
+          </button>
+        </>
+      }
+    >
+      <p className="sans dim" style={{ marginTop: 0, fontSize: '0.88rem' }}>
+        Removing protection is a sensitive change — re-enter your account password to continue.
+      </p>
+      <input
+        type="password"
+        className="input"
+        autoFocus
+        value={pw}
+        onChange={(e) => setPw(e.target.value)}
+        onKeyDown={(e) => e.key === 'Enter' && pw && onConfirm(pw)}
+        placeholder="Password"
+      />
+      {error && <p className="sans" style={{ color: '#d98b84', fontSize: '0.85rem', marginBottom: 0 }}>{error}</p>}
+    </Modal>
+  )
+}

client/src/routes/admin/views/PagesAdmin.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import { useCallback, useState } from 'react'
+import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom'
+import { Loading, ErrorState } from '../../../components/PageState.jsx'
+import { useAsync } from '../../../lib/useAsync.js'
+import { shortDate } from '../../../lib/format.js'
+import { api } from '../../../api/client.js'
+
+// List of CMS pages. Create/edit open the full-page block builder; the builder
+// owns save/delete/publish so this view is read-only navigation.
+export default function PagesAdmin() {
+  const navigate = useNavigate()
+  const [tick] = useState(0)
+  const { loading, error, data } = useAsync(() => api.admin.listPages(), [tick])
+  const pages = data || []
+
+  const openNew = useCallback(() => navigate('/admin/pages/new'), [navigate])
+
+  return (
+    <section>
+      <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'space-between', gap: 14, marginBottom: 18 }}>
+        <p className="sans dim" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>
+          Compose pages from blocks. A published page is live at <code>/its-slug</code>.
+        </p>
+        <button onClick={openNew} className="btn btn-primary btn-sq">
+          + New page
+        </button>
+      </div>
+
+      {loading && <Loading />}
+      {error && <ErrorState message="Could not load pages." />}
+
+      {!loading && !error && (
+        <div className="panel-flat">
+          <table className="adm-table">
+            <thead>
+              <tr>
+                <th className="adm-th">Title</th>
+                <th className="adm-th">Slug</th>
+                <th className="adm-th">Status</th>
+                <th className="adm-th">Updated</th>
+                <th className="adm-th" />
+              </tr>
+            </thead>
+            <tbody>
+              {pages.length === 0 && (
+                <tr>
+                  <td className="adm-td" colSpan={5} style={{ color: 'var(--muted)' }}>
+                    No pages yet — create your first one.
+                  </td>
+                </tr>
+              )}
+              {pages.map((p) => (
+                <tr key={p.id}>
+                  <td className="adm-td" style={{ color: 'var(--head)' }}>
+                    {p.title}
+                    {p.protected && (
+                      <span title="Protected" style={{ marginLeft: 8 }}>🔒</span>
+                    )}
+                  </td>
+                  <td className="adm-td dim">/{p.slug}</td>
+                  <td className="adm-td">
+                    <span className={`badge ${p.status === 'published' ? 'badge-pub' : 'badge-draft'}`}>
+                      {p.status === 'published' ? 'Published' : 'Draft'}
+                    </span>
+                  </td>
+                  <td className="adm-td dim">{shortDate(p.updatedAt)}</td>
+                  <td className="adm-td" style={{ textAlign: 'right' }}>
+                    {p.status === 'published' && (
+                      <a
+                        className="link-accent"
+                        href={`/${p.slug}`}
+                        target="_blank"
+                        rel="noreferrer"
+                        style={{ marginRight: 14 }}
+                      >
+                        View
+                      </a>
+                    )}
+                    <span className="link-accent" onClick={() => navigate(`/admin/pages/${p.id}`)}>
+                      Edit
+                    </span>
+                  </td>
+                </tr>
+              ))}
+            </tbody>
+          </table>
+        </div>
+      )}
+    </section>
+  )
+}

client/src/routes/admin/views/PostEditor.jsx

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { lazy, Suspense, useState } from 'react'
+import { lazy, Suspense, useEffect, useState } from 'react'
 import Modal from '../../../components/Modal.jsx'
 import { api } from '../../../api/client.js'
 
@@ -105,6 +105,8 @@ export default function PostEditor({ post, onClose, onSaved }) {
       <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 16 }}>
         {error && <p className="sans" style={{ margin: 0, color: '#d98b84', fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>{error}</p>}
 
+        {isEdit && post.category === 'news' && <AnnouncePanel postId={post.id} />}
+
         <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: 14, flexWrap: 'wrap' }}>
           <label style={{ flex: '1 1 200px' }}>
             <span className="field-label">Category</span>
@@ -173,3 +175,94 @@ const delStyle = {
   cursor: 'pointer',
   marginRight: 'auto',
 }
+
+// ── Announcement status panel ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Shows the town-crier + Discord delivery state for a published news post and
+// offers a per-leg retry (useful after fixing the sidecar / news channel without
+// re-publishing). Only rendered for news posts in edit mode; renders nothing
+// until the post has actually been announced (no job row yet → nothing to show).
+const LEG_META = {
+  towncrier: { label: 'In-game town crier' },
+  discord: { label: 'Discord #news' },
+}
+const STATUS_STYLE = {
+  done: { color: '#7bbf8f', label: 'delivered' },
+  pending: { color: '#d9b84a', label: 'pending' },
+  failed: { color: '#d98b84', label: 'failed' },
+}
+
+function AnnouncePanel({ postId }) {
+  const [job, setJob] = useState(null)
+  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
+  const [retrying, setRetrying] = useState('')
+
+  async function load() {
+    try {
+      setJob(await api.admin.getAnnounce(postId))
+    } catch {
+      setJob(null)
+    } finally {
+      setLoading(false)
+    }
+  }
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    load()
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, [postId])
+
+  async function retry(leg) {
+    setRetrying(leg)
+    try {
+      setJob(await api.admin.retryAnnounceLeg(postId, leg))
+    } catch {
+      // leave the current state; the row simply didn't change
+    } finally {
+      setRetrying('')
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (loading || !job) return null
+
+  return (
+    <div style={panelStyle}>
+      <span className="field-label" style={{ marginBottom: 2 }}>Announcement</span>
+      {['towncrier', 'discord'].map((leg) => {
+        const status = job[`${leg}_status`]
+        const err = job[`${leg}_last_error`]
+        const s = STATUS_STYLE[status] || STATUS_STYLE.pending
+        return (
+          <div key={leg} style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 3 }}>
+            <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 8 }}>
+              <span className="sans" style={{ fontSize: '0.85rem', minWidth: 140 }}>{LEG_META[leg].label}</span>
+              <span className="sans" style={{ fontSize: '0.8rem', color: s.color, fontWeight: 600 }}>● {s.label}</span>
+              {status !== 'done' && (
+                <button
+                  onClick={() => retry(leg)}
+                  disabled={Boolean(retrying)}
+                  className="pill"
+                  style={{ marginLeft: 'auto', fontSize: '0.75rem', padding: '3px 12px' }}
+                >
+                  {retrying === leg ? 'Retrying…' : 'Retry'}
+                </button>
+              )}
+            </div>
+            {status === 'failed' && err && (
+              <span className="sans" style={{ fontSize: '0.75rem', color: '#d98b84', paddingLeft: 148 }}>{err}</span>
+            )}
+          </div>
+        )
+      })}
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+const panelStyle = {
+  display: 'flex',
+  flexDirection: 'column',
+  gap: 8,
+  padding: '12px 14px',
+  borderRadius: 8,
+  border: '1px solid var(--line)',
+  background: 'rgba(255,255,255,0.02)',
+}

client/src/routes/admin/views/SettingsAdmin.jsx

@@ -1,15 +1,28 @@
-import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
+import { lazy, Suspense, useEffect, useState } from 'react'
 import { Loading, ErrorState } from '../../../components/PageState.jsx'
 import { api } from '../../../api/client.js'
 import { useSite } from '../../../contexts/SiteContext.jsx'
+import EmailDelivery from './EmailDelivery.jsx'
+
+// Lazy-loaded so the heavy rich-text editor stays code-split (matches PostEditor).
+const RichTextEditor = lazy(() => import('../../../components/RichTextEditor.jsx'))
 
 // Editable settings shown on this screen (key -> label + control type).
 const FIELDS = [
   { key: 'site_title', label: 'Site title' },
-  { key: 'homepage_teaser', label: 'Homepage teaser', long: true },
+  {
+    key: 'homepage_teaser',
+    label: 'Homepage teaser',
+    rich: true,
+    help: 'Rich text shown under the hero heading on the portal (when no custom hero layout is published).',
+  },
   { key: 'maintenance_message', label: 'Maintenance message', long: true },
   { key: 'status_message', label: 'Status message' },
-  { key: 'contact_email', label: 'Contact email' },
+  {
+    key: 'contact_email',
+    label: 'Contact email',
+    help: 'Where contact-form messages (and test emails) are delivered. Also the address shown when email delivery is unconfigured and the form falls back to a mailto: link.',
+  },
   {
     key: 'player_registration',
     label: 'Player registration',
@@ -54,10 +67,13 @@ export default function SettingsAdmin() {
   if (loading) return <Loading />
   if (error) return <ErrorState message={error} />
 
-  const set = (k) => (e) => {
-    setValues((v) => ({ ...v, [k]: e.target.value }))
+  // setRaw takes the next value directly (rich editor onChange), set adapts a
+  // DOM change event onto it.
+  const setRaw = (k) => (val) => {
+    setValues((v) => ({ ...v, [k]: val }))
     setSaved(false)
   }
+  const set = (k) => (e) => setRaw(k)(e.target.value)
 
   async function save() {
     setBusy(true)
@@ -77,10 +93,18 @@ export default function SettingsAdmin() {
   return (
     <section style={{ maxWidth: 620 }}>
       <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 18 }}>
-        {FIELDS.map((f) => (
-          <label key={f.key} style={{ display: 'block' }}>
+        {FIELDS.map((f) => {
+          // A rich field can't live inside a <label> (nested toolbar buttons +
+          // contenteditable), so it uses a plain <div> wrapper instead.
+          const Wrap = f.rich ? 'div' : 'label'
+          return (
+          <Wrap key={f.key} style={{ display: 'block' }}>
             <span className="field-label">{f.label}</span>
-            {f.options ? (
+            {f.rich ? (
+              <Suspense fallback={<span className="spin" />}>
+                <RichTextEditor value={values[f.key]} onChange={setRaw(f.key)} variant="post" />
+              </Suspense>
+            ) : f.options ? (
               <select value={values[f.key]} onChange={set(f.key)} className="select">
                 {f.options.map((o) => (
                   <option key={o.value} value={o.value}>
@@ -98,8 +122,9 @@ export default function SettingsAdmin() {
                 {f.help}
               </span>
             )}
-          </label>
-        ))}
+          </Wrap>
+          )
+        })}
         <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: 10, marginTop: 6, alignItems: 'center' }}>
           <button onClick={save} disabled={busy} className="btn btn-primary btn-sq">
             {busy ? 'Saving…' : 'Save changes'}
@@ -111,6 +136,8 @@ export default function SettingsAdmin() {
           {error && <span className="sans" style={{ color: '#d98b84', fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>{error}</span>}
         </div>
       </div>
+
+      <EmailDelivery />
     </section>
   )
 }

client/src/routes/admin/views/ShardAdmin.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,248 @@
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react'
+import { Loading, ErrorState } from '../../../components/PageState.jsx'
+import { useShardFeed } from '../../../lib/useShardFeed.js'
+import { describe, kindLabel } from '../../../lib/shardEvents.js'
+import { ago } from '../../../lib/format.js'
+import { api } from '../../../api/client.js'
+
+// Full live feed from the admin SSE channel — every kind, incl. staff audit,
+// cheat detection and login attempts that the public channel never carries.
+function AdminLiveFeed() {
+  const { events, connected } = useShardFeed({ url: api.adminShardStreamUrl, max: 60 })
+  return (
+    <section style={{ borderTop: '1px solid var(--line-soft)', paddingTop: 22 }}>
+      <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'space-between', marginBottom: 12 }}>
+        <h3 className="display" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '1.05rem', color: 'var(--head)' }}>Live feed (all events)</h3>
+        <span className="sans" style={{ display: 'inline-flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 6, fontSize: '0.74rem', color: connected ? '#7fd0a4' : 'var(--muted)' }}>
+          <span style={{ width: 8, height: 8, borderRadius: '50%', background: connected ? '#7fd0a4' : 'var(--dim)' }} />
+          {connected ? 'Live' : 'Offline'}
+        </span>
+      </div>
+      {events.length === 0 ? (
+        <p className="sans dim" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.86rem' }}>Waiting for shard events…</p>
+      ) : (
+        <ul style={{ listStyle: 'none', margin: 0, padding: 0, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 6, maxHeight: 360, overflowY: 'auto' }}>
+          {events.map((e) => (
+            <li key={e._id} style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 10, fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>
+              <span className="sans" style={{ flex: 'none', fontSize: '0.6rem', letterSpacing: '0.06em', textTransform: 'uppercase', color: 'var(--accent)', minWidth: 92 }}>{kindLabel(e.kind)}</span>
+              <span className="sans" style={{ flex: 1, minWidth: 0, color: 'var(--ink)', overflow: 'hidden', textOverflow: 'ellipsis', whiteSpace: 'nowrap' }}>{describe(e)}</span>
+              <span className="sans dim" style={{ flex: 'none', fontSize: '0.74rem' }}>{ago(e.t)}</span>
+            </li>
+          ))}
+        </ul>
+      )}
+    </section>
+  )
+}
+
+// uo-link sidecar control panel. The auth token is write-only over this API —
+// stored encrypted, never returned — same convention as the Discord bot token.
+// Saving (re)starts the WS ingest client, so Enabled/URL/token changes take
+// effect immediately with no redeploy.
+
+function Toggle({ checked, onChange, label }) {
+  return (
+    <label className="sans" style={{ display: 'inline-flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 10, cursor: 'pointer', fontSize: '0.9rem', color: 'var(--ink)' }}>
+      <input type="checkbox" checked={checked} onChange={(e) => onChange(e.target.checked)} />
+      {label}
+    </label>
+  )
+}
+
+const STATUS_COLOR = {
+  connected: '#7fd0a4',
+  reconnecting: '#e0b070',
+  error: '#d98b84',
+  disconnected: 'var(--muted)',
+}
+
+function StatusPanel({ config }) {
+  const color = STATUS_COLOR[config.status] || 'var(--muted)'
+  const ingest = config.ingest || {}
+  const health = config.health || {}
+  return (
+    <div style={{ border: '1px solid var(--line)', borderRadius: 10, padding: 16, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 8 }}>
+      <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 8 }}>
+        <span style={{ width: 9, height: 9, borderRadius: '50%', background: color, boxShadow: `0 0 8px ${color}` }} />
+        <span className="sans" style={{ fontSize: '0.9rem', color: 'var(--ink)', textTransform: 'capitalize' }}>
+          {config.status || 'disconnected'}
+        </span>
+      </div>
+      {config.statusDetail && (
+        <p className="sans" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.82rem', color: 'var(--muted)' }}>{config.statusDetail}</p>
+      )}
+      <div className="sans dim" style={{ display: 'grid', gridTemplateColumns: '1fr 1fr', gap: '4px 16px', fontSize: '0.78rem', marginTop: 2 }}>
+        <span>Shard link: <strong style={{ color: 'var(--ink)' }}>{config.pluginConnected ? 'up' : 'down'}</strong></span>
+        <span>WS ingest: <strong style={{ color: 'var(--ink)' }}>{ingest.connected ? 'connected' : 'offline'}</strong></span>
+        <span>Reconnects: <strong style={{ color: 'var(--ink)' }}>{ingest.reconnects ?? 0}</strong></span>
+        <span>SSE clients: <strong style={{ color: 'var(--ink)' }}>{(config.sse?.publicClients ?? 0) + (config.sse?.adminClients ?? 0)}</strong></span>
+        {config.lastEventAt && <span style={{ gridColumn: '1 / -1' }}>Last event: {new Date(config.lastEventAt).toLocaleString()}</span>}
+        {health.uptime && <span style={{ gridColumn: '1 / -1' }}>Sidecar uptime: {health.uptime}</span>}
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+// ── Town crier ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+function TownCrier() {
+  const [id, setId] = useState('')
+  const [text, setText] = useState('')
+  const [durationSec, setDurationSec] = useState(3600)
+  const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false)
+  const [msg, setMsg] = useState('')
+  const [error, setError] = useState('')
+
+  async function post() {
+    setBusy(true); setMsg(''); setError('')
+    const lines = text.split('\n').map((l) => l.trim()).filter(Boolean)
+    if (!id.trim() || lines.length === 0) {
+      setBusy(false)
+      return setError('An id and at least one line are required.')
+    }
+    try {
+      await api.admin.postTownCrier({ id: id.trim(), lines, durationSec: Number(durationSec) || undefined })
+      setMsg(`Posted “${id.trim()}”.`)
+    } catch (err) {
+      setError(err.message || 'Could not post.')
+    } finally {
+      setBusy(false)
+    }
+  }
+  async function remove() {
+    if (!id.trim()) return setError('Enter the id to remove.')
+    setBusy(true); setMsg(''); setError('')
+    try {
+      await api.admin.deleteTownCrier(id.trim())
+      setMsg(`Removed “${id.trim()}”.`)
+    } catch (err) {
+      setError(err.message || 'Could not remove.')
+    } finally {
+      setBusy(false)
+    }
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <section style={{ borderTop: '1px solid var(--line-soft)', paddingTop: 22, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 12 }}>
+      <h3 className="display" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '1.05rem', color: 'var(--head)' }}>Town crier</h3>
+      <p className="sans" style={{ margin: 0, color: 'var(--muted)', fontSize: '0.86rem', lineHeight: 1.6 }}>
+        Broadcast a message that every in-game town crier announces until it expires. Re-posting the same id replaces it.
+      </p>
+      <label style={{ display: 'block' }}>
+        <span className="field-label">Message id</span>
+        <input type="text" value={id} onChange={(e) => setId(e.target.value)} className="input" placeholder="news-42" autoComplete="off" style={{ maxWidth: 220 }} />
+      </label>
+      <label style={{ display: 'block' }}>
+        <span className="field-label">Lines (one per line)</span>
+        <textarea value={text} onChange={(e) => setText(e.target.value)} className="input" rows={3} placeholder={'Hear ye!\nMarket tax is now 5%.'} style={{ resize: 'vertical' }} />
+      </label>
+      <label style={{ display: 'block' }}>
+        <span className="field-label">Duration (seconds)</span>
+        <input type="number" value={durationSec} onChange={(e) => setDurationSec(e.target.value)} className="input" min={1} max={86400} style={{ maxWidth: 160 }} />
+      </label>
+      <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: 10, alignItems: 'center' }}>
+        <button onClick={post} disabled={busy} className="btn btn-primary btn-sq">{busy ? 'Working…' : 'Post message'}</button>
+        <button onClick={remove} disabled={busy} className="btn btn-sq" style={{ borderColor: '#d98b84', color: '#d98b84' }}>Remove by id</button>
+        {msg && <span className="sans" style={{ color: '#7fd0a4', fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>{msg}</span>}
+        {error && <span className="sans" style={{ color: '#d98b84', fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>{error}</span>}
+      </div>
+    </section>
+  )
+}
+
+export default function ShardAdmin() {
+  const [config, setConfig] = useState(null)
+  const [error, setError] = useState('')
+  const [baseUrl, setBaseUrl] = useState('')
+  const [wsUrl, setWsUrl] = useState('')
+  const [token, setToken] = useState('')
+  const [protocol, setProtocol] = useState(1)
+  const [enabled, setEnabled] = useState(false)
+  const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false)
+  const [msg, setMsg] = useState('')
+  const [saveError, setSaveError] = useState('')
+  const pollRef = useRef(null)
+  const initializedRef = useRef(false)
+
+  const load = useCallback(async () => {
+    try {
+      const c = await api.admin.getUoLinkConfig()
+      setConfig(c)
+      // Seed the editable fields once; later polls only refresh the status panel
+      // so they never clobber what the admin is mid-typing.
+      if (!initializedRef.current) {
+        setBaseUrl(c.baseUrl || '')
+        setWsUrl(c.wsUrl || '')
+        setProtocol(c.protocol || 1)
+        setEnabled(c.enabled)
+        initializedRef.current = true
+      }
+    } catch {
+      setError('Could not load uo-link config.')
+    }
+  }, [])
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    load()
+    pollRef.current = setInterval(load, 5000)
+    return () => clearInterval(pollRef.current)
+  }, [load])
+
+  async function save() {
+    setBusy(true); setMsg(''); setSaveError('')
+    try {
+      const body = { baseUrl, wsUrl, protocol: Number(protocol), enabled }
+      if (token) body.token = token
+      const saved = await api.admin.saveUoLinkConfig(body)
+      setConfig(saved)
+      setToken('')
+      setMsg('Saved.')
+    } catch (err) {
+      setSaveError(err.message || 'Could not save.')
+    } finally {
+      setBusy(false)
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (error) return <ErrorState message={error} />
+  if (!config) return <Loading />
+
+  return (
+    <section style={{ maxWidth: 560, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 20 }}>
+      <h2 className="display" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '1.2rem', color: 'var(--head)' }}>Shard (uo-link)</h2>
+
+      <StatusPanel config={config} />
+
+      <Toggle checked={enabled} onChange={setEnabled} label="Enable the shard integration" />
+
+      <label style={{ display: 'block' }}>
+        <span className="field-label">Base URL (REST)</span>
+        <input type="text" value={baseUrl} onChange={(e) => setBaseUrl(e.target.value)} className="input" autoComplete="off" placeholder="http://127.0.0.1:8080" />
+      </label>
+
+      <label style={{ display: 'block' }}>
+        <span className="field-label">WebSocket URL (feed)</span>
+        <input type="text" value={wsUrl} onChange={(e) => setWsUrl(e.target.value)} className="input" autoComplete="off" placeholder="ws://127.0.0.1:8080/ws" />
+      </label>
+
+      <label style={{ display: 'block' }}>
+        <span className="field-label">Auth token</span>
+        <input type="password" value={token} onChange={(e) => setToken(e.target.value)} className="input" autoComplete="new-password" placeholder={config.hasToken ? '•••••••• configured — leave blank to keep' : 'Shared secret from sidecar.toml'} />
+      </label>
+
+      <label style={{ display: 'block', maxWidth: 140 }}>
+        <span className="field-label">Protocol</span>
+        <input type="number" value={protocol} onChange={(e) => setProtocol(e.target.value)} className="input" min={1} max={99} />
+      </label>
+
+      <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: 10, alignItems: 'center', marginTop: 4 }}>
+        <button onClick={save} disabled={busy} className="btn btn-primary btn-sq">{busy ? 'Saving…' : 'Save changes'}</button>
+        {msg && <span className="sans" style={{ color: '#7fd0a4', fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>{msg}</span>}
+        {saveError && <span className="sans" style={{ color: '#d98b84', fontSize: '0.85rem' }}>{saveError}</span>}
+      </div>
+
+      <TownCrier />
+
+      <AdminLiveFeed />
+    </section>
+  )
+}

client/src/routes/player/PlayerAccount.jsx

@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react'
-import { Link } from 'react-router-dom'
-import MoonDot from '../../components/MoonDot.jsx'
 import ProviderIcon from '../../components/ProviderIcon.jsx'
 import { Loading, ErrorState } from '../../components/PageState.jsx'
 import { useAuth } from '../../contexts/AuthContext.jsx'
@@ -313,7 +311,7 @@ function Note({ msg, error }) {
 
 // ── Page ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 export default function PlayerAccount() {
-  const { logout, refresh } = useAuth()
+  const { refresh } = useAuth()
   const [account, setAccount] = useState(null)
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
   const [error, setError] = useState('')
@@ -336,33 +334,15 @@ export default function PlayerAccount() {
   }, [load, refresh])
 
   return (
-    <main style={{ minHeight: '100vh', background: 'var(--bg-deep)', color: 'var(--ink)' }}>
-      <header style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'space-between', gap: 12, padding: '18px 20px', borderBottom: '1px solid var(--line)', flexWrap: 'wrap' }}>
-        <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 12 }}>
-          <MoonDot size={12} glow={0.5} />
-          <span className="display" style={{ color: 'var(--head)', fontSize: '1.1rem', letterSpacing: '0.04em' }}>
-            My Account
-          </span>
-        </div>
-        <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 14 }}>
-          <Link to="/" className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', fontSize: '0.84rem', textDecoration: 'none' }}>
-            ← Site
-          </Link>
-          <button onClick={logout} className="pill">Sign out</button>
-        </div>
-      </header>
-
-      <div style={{ maxWidth: 620, margin: '0 auto', padding: '10px 20px 60px' }}>
+    <div>
       {loading && <Loading />}
       {error && <ErrorState message={error} />}
       {!loading && !error && account && (
         <>
-            <div style={{ paddingTop: 24 }}>
           <p className="sans" style={{ margin: 0, color: 'var(--muted)', fontSize: '0.9rem' }}>
             Signed in as <strong style={{ color: 'var(--head)' }}>{account.username}</strong>
             {account.email ? ` · ${account.email}` : ''}
           </p>
-            </div>
           <ChangeUsername account={account} onChanged={onUsernameChanged} />
           <ChangePassword account={account} />
           <TwoFactor account={account} reload={load} />
@@ -370,6 +350,5 @@ export default function PlayerAccount() {
         </>
       )}
     </div>
-    </main>
   )
 }

client/src/routes/player/PlayerCharacter.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import { useParams, Link } from 'react-router-dom'
+import { Loading, ErrorState } from '../../components/PageState.jsx'
+import CharacterSheet from '../../components/CharacterSheet.jsx'
+import { useAsync } from '../../lib/useAsync.js'
+import { api } from '../../api/client.js'
+
+// A player's character sheet inside the portal. Owner-checked: the endpoint only
+// returns a sheet for a character on an account linked to the caller.
+export default function PlayerCharacter() {
+  const { serial } = useParams()
+  const { loading, error, data } = useAsync(() => api.player.shard.char(serial), [serial])
+  const restarting = error && error.status === 503
+  const forbidden = error && error.status === 403
+
+  return (
+    <div>
+      <p style={{ margin: '0 0 18px' }}>
+        <Link to="/player" className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', textDecoration: 'none', fontSize: '0.86rem' }}>
+          ← Back to characters
+        </Link>
+      </p>
+      {loading && <Loading />}
+      {restarting && <ErrorState message="The game server is restarting — try again shortly." />}
+      {forbidden && <ErrorState message="That character is not on an account linked to you." />}
+      {error && !restarting && !forbidden && <ErrorState message="Could not load that character right now." />}
+      {!loading && !error && data && <CharacterSheet char={data} />}
+    </div>
+  )
+}

client/src/routes/player/PlayerCharacters.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import GameAccounts from '../../components/GameAccounts.jsx'
+import VendorSales from '../../components/VendorSales.jsx'
+import { api } from '../../api/client.js'
+
+// The logged-in player's characters. Shows the link prompt when no game account
+// is linked, otherwise their characters grouped by account (shared component),
+// plus their own recent vendor sales.
+export default function PlayerCharacters() {
+  return (
+    <div>
+      <GameAccounts scope={api.player.shard} charTo={(serial) => `/player/char/${serial}`} />
+      <VendorSales fetchSales={api.player.shard.sales} />
+    </div>
+  )
+}

client/src/routes/player/PlayerLogin.jsx

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ export default function PlayerLogin() {
   const { user, login, loginTotp, ssoLoginTotp } = useAuth()
   const navigate = useNavigate()
   const location = useLocation()
-  const dest = location.state?.from?.pathname || '/account'
+  const dest = location.state?.from?.pathname || '/player'
   // A staff member who signs in here belongs in the admin shell, not the portal.
   const destFor = (u) => (u && u.role !== 'player' ? '/admin' : dest)
 

client/src/routes/player/PlayerPortalLayout.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+import { NavLink, Outlet, useNavigate, useLocation } from 'react-router-dom'
+import MoonDot from '../../components/MoonDot.jsx'
+import { useAuth } from '../../contexts/AuthContext.jsx'
+
+// Shared shell for the logged-in player portal. Uses the same sidebar shell as
+// Admin (icon nav, sticky content header, footer sign-out) so the two logged-in
+// experiences read as one app — the portal just carries fewer nav rows.
+
+// Small inline stroke icons (16px, currentColor) — same frame as AdminLayout.
+function Icon({ children, size = 16 }) {
+  return (
+    <svg
+      width={size}
+      height={size}
+      viewBox="0 0 24 24"
+      fill="none"
+      stroke="currentColor"
+      strokeWidth="2"
+      strokeLinecap="round"
+      strokeLinejoin="round"
+      aria-hidden="true"
+      focusable="false"
+    >
+      {children}
+    </svg>
+  )
+}
+const IconUser = () => <Icon><circle cx="12" cy="8" r="4" /><path d="M4 21a8 8 0 0 1 16 0" /></Icon>
+const IconGear = () => <Icon><circle cx="12" cy="12" r="3" /><path d="M12 2v3M12 19v3M2 12h3M19 12h3M4.9 4.9l2.1 2.1M17 17l2.1 2.1M19.1 4.9L17 7M7 17l-2.1 2.1" /></Icon>
+
+const NAV = [
+  { to: '/player', label: 'Characters', end: true, icon: IconUser },
+  { to: '/account', label: 'Account', icon: IconGear },
+]
+
+// The sticky content header mirrors the active page. Character sheets live under
+// /player/char/:serial and keep their own in-page back link.
+const TITLES = {
+  '/player': 'Characters',
+  '/account': 'Account',
+}
+
+const navBtnBase = {
+  textAlign: 'left',
+  borderRadius: 8,
+  padding: '10px 14px',
+  fontFamily: 'var(--sans)',
+  fontSize: '0.92rem',
+  textDecoration: 'none',
+  display: 'flex',
+  alignItems: 'center',
+  gap: 10,
+  transition: 'background .15s,color .15s',
+}
+
+export default function PlayerPortalLayout() {
+  const { user, logout } = useAuth()
+  const navigate = useNavigate()
+  const location = useLocation()
+  const title =
+    TITLES[location.pathname] ||
+    (location.pathname.startsWith('/player/char/') ? 'Character' : 'Player Portal')
+
+  async function signOut() {
+    await logout()
+    navigate('/account/login', { replace: true })
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <div className="admin-grid">
+      {/* Sidebar */}
+      <aside
+        style={{
+          borderRight: '1px solid var(--line)',
+          background: 'var(--bg)',
+          display: 'flex',
+          flexDirection: 'column',
+          position: 'sticky',
+          top: 0,
+          height: '100vh',
+        }}
+      >
+        <div style={{ padding: '22px 22px 18px', borderBottom: '1px solid var(--line-soft)', display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 10 }}>
+          <MoonDot />
+          <div>
+            <div className="display" style={{ fontSize: '1.02rem', color: 'var(--head)', letterSpacing: '0.03em' }}>
+              UOMysticmoon
+            </div>
+            <div className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--dim)', fontSize: '0.66rem', letterSpacing: '0.14em', textTransform: 'uppercase' }}>
+              Player Portal
+            </div>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <nav style={{ flex: 1, padding: '14px 12px', display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 4, overflowY: 'auto' }}>
+          {NAV.map((n) => (
+            <NavLink
+              key={n.to}
+              to={n.to}
+              end={n.end}
+              className="admin-nav-link"
+              style={({ isActive }) => ({
+                ...navBtnBase,
+                background: isActive ? 'var(--blue)' : 'transparent',
+                color: isActive ? 'var(--ink)' : 'var(--muted)',
+                borderLeft: `2px solid ${isActive ? 'var(--accent)' : 'transparent'}`,
+              })}
+            >
+              <n.icon />
+              <span>{n.label}</span>
+            </NavLink>
+          ))}
+        </nav>
+
+        <div style={{ padding: '14px 16px', borderTop: '1px solid var(--line-soft)' }}>
+          <div className="sans" style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 8, marginBottom: 12, fontSize: '0.78rem', color: 'var(--muted)' }}>
+            <span style={{ width: 9, height: 9, borderRadius: '50%', background: 'var(--mode-live)', boxShadow: '0 0 8px var(--mode-live)' }} />
+            Signed in as&nbsp;<strong style={{ color: 'var(--ink)' }}>{user?.username}</strong>
+          </div>
+          <button
+            onClick={signOut}
+            className="sans"
+            style={{ display: 'block', width: '100%', textAlign: 'center', border: '1px solid var(--line)', borderRadius: 8, padding: 9, color: 'var(--muted)', background: 'transparent', fontSize: '0.84rem', cursor: 'pointer' }}
+          >
+            Sign out
+          </button>
+        </div>
+      </aside>
+
+      {/* Main */}
+      <main style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', minWidth: 0 }}>
+        <header
+          style={{
+            display: 'flex',
+            alignItems: 'center',
+            justifyContent: 'space-between',
+            gap: 16,
+            padding: '20px 32px',
+            borderBottom: '1px solid var(--line-soft)',
+            background: 'var(--bg)',
+            position: 'sticky',
+            top: 0,
+            zIndex: 10,
+          }}
+        >
+          <h1 className="display" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '1.5rem', color: 'var(--head)' }}>
+            {title}
+          </h1>
+          <a href="/" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', textDecoration: 'none', fontSize: '0.84rem', fontFamily: 'var(--sans)' }}>
+            ← Site
+          </a>
+        </header>
+
+        <div style={{ flex: 1, padding: '30px 32px 60px', maxWidth: 900, width: '100%' }}>
+          <Outlet />
+        </div>
+      </main>
+    </div>
+  )
+}

client/src/routes/player/PlayerRegister.jsx

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export default function PlayerRegister() {
   const [providers, setProviders] = useState([])
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (user && user.role === 'player') navigate('/account', { replace: true })
+    if (user && user.role === 'player') navigate('/player', { replace: true })
   }, [user, navigate])
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ export default function PlayerRegister() {
     setBusy(true)
     try {
       await register(username.trim(), password, { email: email.trim() || undefined, company })
-      navigate('/account', { replace: true })
+      navigate('/player', { replace: true })
     } catch (err) {
       if (err.status === 409) setError('That username is already taken.')
       else if (err.status === 403) setError('Registration is not open right now.')

client/src/routes/public/CmsPage.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+import { useEffect } from 'react'
+import { useParams } from 'react-router-dom'
+import PublicLayout from '../../components/PublicLayout.jsx'
+import { Loading, ErrorState } from '../../components/PageState.jsx'
+import { useAsync } from '../../lib/useAsync.js'
+import { api } from '../../api/client.js'
+import '../../blocks/index.js' // registers all block types
+import { BlockList } from '../../blocks/BlockRenderer.jsx'
+
+// Renders a CMS page composed of blocks. Two modes:
+//   - live:    /:slug            → fetches the published page (staff see drafts)
+//   - preview: /preview/:id/:token → fetches the current state via a token,
+//              regardless of publish status (draft-preview links).
+export default function CmsPage({ preview = false }) {
+  const params = useParams()
+  const { loading, error, data: page } = useAsync(
+    () => (preview ? api.pagePreview(params.id, params.token) : api.page(params.slug)),
+    [preview, params.id, params.token, params.slug],
+  )
+
+  // Reflect the page's title + meta description while it's mounted, then restore.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!page) return
+    const prevTitle = document.title
+    document.title = page.metadata?.seoTitle || page.title || prevTitle
+    return () => {
+      document.title = prevTitle
+    }
+  }, [page])
+
+  const layout = page?.settings?.layout || 'default'
+  const widthClass = layout === 'full_width' || layout === 'landing' ? 'shell-wide' : 'shell'
+
+  return (
+    <PublicLayout section="website">
+      <div className={`${widthClass} page-body`} style={{ paddingTop: 40 }}>
+        {preview && page && (
+          <div className="page-preview-banner sans">
+            Preview — this is the current draft state and isn’t publicly visible.
+          </div>
+        )}
+        {loading && <Loading />}
+        {error && (
+          <ErrorState
+            message={error.status === 404 ? 'That page could not be found.' : 'Could not load this page.'}
+          />
+        )}
+        {page && (
+          <article className={`page-blocks page-layout--${layout}`}>
+            <BlockList blocks={page.blocks} />
+          </article>
+        )}
+      </div>
+    </PublicLayout>
+  )
+}

client/src/routes/public/Portal.jsx

@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ export default function Portal() {
   const elements = [...layout.elements].sort((a, b) => (a.z || 0) - (b.z || 0))
 
   return (
-    <PublicLayout header={false}>
+    <PublicLayout>
       <main style={{ minHeight: '100vh', display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column' }}>
         {PREVIEW && draft && (
           <div

client/src/routes/public/Shard.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,222 @@
+import { Link } from 'react-router-dom'
+import PublicLayout from '../../components/PublicLayout.jsx'
+import PageHeader from '../../components/PageHeader.jsx'
+import { Loading, ErrorState } from '../../components/PageState.jsx'
+import { useAsync } from '../../lib/useAsync.js'
+import { useShardFeed } from '../../lib/useShardFeed.js'
+import { describe } from '../../lib/shardEvents.js'
+import { ago } from '../../lib/format.js'
+import { api } from '../../api/client.js'
+
+// ── Gold-supply sparkline ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
+function Sparkline({ series }) {
+  if (!series || series.length < 2) return null
+  const w = 320
+  const h = 56
+  const golds = series.map((s) => Number(s.gold) || 0)
+  const min = Math.min(...golds)
+  const max = Math.max(...golds)
+  const span = max - min || 1
+  const pts = series
+    .map((s, i) => {
+      const x = (i / (series.length - 1)) * w
+      const y = h - ((Number(s.gold) || 0) - min) / span * h
+      return `${x.toFixed(1)},${y.toFixed(1)}`
+    })
+    .join(' ')
+  return (
+    <svg viewBox={`0 0 ${w} ${h}`} width="100%" height={h} preserveAspectRatio="none" aria-hidden="true">
+      <polyline points={pts} fill="none" stroke="var(--accent)" strokeWidth="2" strokeLinejoin="round" strokeLinecap="round" />
+    </svg>
+  )
+}
+
+// ── Stat tile (matches Status.jsx) ──────────────────────────────────────────
+function Stat({ value, label }) {
+  return (
+    <div className="panel" style={{ padding: 20, textAlign: 'center' }}>
+      <div className="display" style={{ fontSize: '1.6rem', color: 'var(--head)' }}>{value}</div>
+      <div className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', fontSize: '0.7rem', letterSpacing: '0.12em', textTransform: 'uppercase', marginTop: 6 }}>
+        {label}
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+export default function Shard() {
+  const { loading, error, data } = useAsync(() =>
+    Promise.all([
+      api.shard.status(),
+      api.shard.idoc(),
+      api.shard.economy(60),
+      api.shard.online(),
+    ]).then(([status, idoc, economy, online]) => ({ status, idoc, economy, online })),
+  )
+  const { events, connected } = useShardFeed({ max: 30 })
+
+  const status = data?.status
+  const online = status?.pluginConnected
+  const gold = status?.economy?.gold
+
+  return (
+    <PublicLayout section="website">
+      <div className="shell-narrow page-body">
+        <PageHeader eyebrow="Live" title="Shard" />
+
+        {loading && <Loading />}
+        {error && <ErrorState message="Could not load shard data right now." />}
+
+        {!loading && !error && data && (
+          <>
+            {/* Connection banner */}
+            <section
+              style={{
+                display: 'flex',
+                alignItems: 'center',
+                gap: 16,
+                padding: '24px 26px',
+                border: `1px solid ${online ? 'rgba(95,185,138,0.45)' : '#5a4a2a'}`,
+                borderRadius: 10,
+                background: online
+                  ? 'linear-gradient(180deg,rgba(22,46,34,0.5),rgba(16,26,20,0.4))'
+                  : 'linear-gradient(180deg,rgba(58,46,22,0.5),rgba(30,26,16,0.4))',
+                marginBottom: 24,
+              }}
+            >
+              <span
+                style={{
+                  flex: 'none',
+                  width: 12,
+                  height: 12,
+                  borderRadius: '50%',
+                  background: online ? 'var(--mode-live)' : 'var(--mode-maint)',
+                  boxShadow: `0 0 12px ${online ? 'rgba(95,185,138,0.7)' : 'rgba(230,194,106,0.7)'}`,
+                }}
+              />
+              <div>
+                <strong className="display" style={{ display: 'block', fontSize: '1.2rem', color: online ? '#bfe6cf' : '#f0e3c4' }}>
+                  {online ? 'The shard is online' : 'The shard is offline'}
+                </strong>
+                <span className="sans" style={{ color: online ? '#a9cdb8' : '#cdbf9a', fontSize: '0.98rem' }}>
+                  {online
+                    ? 'The gate to Britannia stands open.'
+                    : status?.enabled
+                      ? 'The link to the game world is down — checking back automatically.'
+                      : 'Live shard data is not configured yet.'}
+                </span>
+              </div>
+            </section>
+
+            {/* Stat tiles */}
+            <section className="grid-3" style={{ gap: 14, marginBottom: 24 }}>
+              <Stat value={status?.onlineCount ?? '—'} label="Players online" />
+              <Stat value={gold != null ? `${Number(gold).toLocaleString()}` : '—'} label="Gold supply" />
+              <Stat value={online ? 'Up' : 'Down'} label="Shard link" />
+            </section>
+
+            {/* Staff online — linked staff accounts only, with location */}
+            <section className="panel" style={{ padding: 20, marginBottom: 24 }}>
+              <div className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', fontSize: '0.7rem', letterSpacing: '0.12em', textTransform: 'uppercase', marginBottom: 12 }}>
+                Staff online
+              </div>
+              {(!data.online || data.online.length === 0) ? (
+                <p className="sans dim" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.88rem' }}>No staff are online right now.</p>
+              ) : (
+                <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 8 }}>
+                  {data.online.map((p) => (
+                    <div key={p.serial} className="sans" style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'space-between', gap: 12, fontSize: '0.9rem', color: 'var(--ink)' }}>
+                      <span style={{ display: 'inline-flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 8, minWidth: 0 }}>
+                        <span style={{ flex: 'none', width: 8, height: 8, borderRadius: '50%', background: '#7fd0a4' }} />
+                        {p.name || p.serial}
+                      </span>
+                      <span className="dim" style={{ flex: 'none', fontSize: '0.78rem' }}>
+                        {p.map || '—'}{p.x != null ? ` (${p.x}, ${p.y})` : ''}
+                      </span>
+                    </div>
+                  ))}
+                </div>
+              )}
+            </section>
+
+            {/* Economy sparkline */}
+            {data.economy && data.economy.length > 1 && (
+              <section className="panel" style={{ padding: 20, marginBottom: 24 }}>
+                <div className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', fontSize: '0.7rem', letterSpacing: '0.12em', textTransform: 'uppercase', marginBottom: 10 }}>
+                  Gold supply over time
+                </div>
+                <Sparkline series={data.economy} />
+              </section>
+            )}
+
+            <div style={{ marginBottom: 24 }}>
+              {/* Latest IDOC */}
+              <FeedList
+                title="Houses in danger (IDOC)"
+                empty="No houses are collapsing right now."
+                items={data.idoc.map((h) => ({
+                  id: h.serial,
+                  text: `${h.name || 'A house'}${h.region ? ` — ${h.region}` : ''}`,
+                  when: h.updatedAt,
+                }))}
+              />
+            </div>
+
+            {/* Live ticker */}
+            <section className="panel" style={{ padding: 20 }}>
+              <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'space-between', marginBottom: 12 }}>
+                <div className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', fontSize: '0.7rem', letterSpacing: '0.12em', textTransform: 'uppercase' }}>
+                  Live feed
+                </div>
+                <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 14 }}>
+                  <Link to="/site/shard/activity" className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', textDecoration: 'none', fontSize: '0.78rem' }}>
+                    View all activity →
+                  </Link>
+                  <span className="sans" style={{ display: 'inline-flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 6, fontSize: '0.74rem', color: connected ? '#7fd0a4' : 'var(--muted)' }}>
+                    <span style={{ width: 8, height: 8, borderRadius: '50%', background: connected ? '#7fd0a4' : 'var(--dim)' }} />
+                    {connected ? 'Live' : 'Offline'}
+                  </span>
+                </div>
+              </div>
+              {events.length === 0 ? (
+                <p className="sans dim" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.88rem' }}>
+                  Waiting for something to happen in the world…
+                </p>
+              ) : (
+                <ul style={{ listStyle: 'none', margin: 0, padding: 0, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 8 }}>
+                  {events.map((ev) => (
+                    <li key={ev._id} className="sans" style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'space-between', gap: 12, fontSize: '0.9rem', color: 'var(--ink)' }}>
+                      <span style={{ minWidth: 0, overflow: 'hidden', textOverflow: 'ellipsis', whiteSpace: 'nowrap' }}>{describe(ev)}</span>
+                      <span className="dim" style={{ flex: 'none', fontSize: '0.78rem' }}>{ago(ev.t)}</span>
+                    </li>
+                  ))}
+                </ul>
+              )}
+            </section>
+          </>
+        )}
+      </div>
+    </PublicLayout>
+  )
+}
+
+function FeedList({ title, items, empty }) {
+  return (
+    <section className="panel" style={{ padding: 20 }}>
+      <div className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', fontSize: '0.7rem', letterSpacing: '0.12em', textTransform: 'uppercase', marginBottom: 12 }}>
+        {title}
+      </div>
+      {items.length === 0 ? (
+        <p className="sans dim" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.88rem' }}>{empty}</p>
+      ) : (
+        <ul style={{ listStyle: 'none', margin: 0, padding: 0, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 10 }}>
+          {items.map((it) => (
+            <li key={it.id} className="sans" style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'space-between', gap: 12, fontSize: '0.9rem', color: 'var(--ink)' }}>
+              <span style={{ minWidth: 0, overflow: 'hidden', textOverflow: 'ellipsis', whiteSpace: 'nowrap' }}>{it.text}</span>
+              <span className="dim" style={{ flex: 'none', fontSize: '0.78rem' }}>{ago(it.when)}</span>
+            </li>
+          ))}
+        </ul>
+      )}
+    </section>
+  )
+}

client/src/routes/public/ShardActivity.jsx

@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+import { useMemo, useState } from 'react'
+import { Link } from 'react-router-dom'
+import PublicLayout from '../../components/PublicLayout.jsx'
+import PageHeader from '../../components/PageHeader.jsx'
+import { Loading, ErrorState } from '../../components/PageState.jsx'
+import { useAsync } from '../../lib/useAsync.js'
+import { useShardFeed } from '../../lib/useShardFeed.js'
+import { describe, categoryOf, kindLabel, CATEGORIES } from '../../lib/shardEvents.js'
+import { ago } from '../../lib/format.js'
+import { api } from '../../api/client.js'
+
+// Public activity feed: the full shard event log, filterable by category, with a
+// live tail that prepends new events as they happen.
+export default function ShardActivity() {
+  const { loading, error, data } = useAsync(() => api.shard.feed({ limit: 150 }))
+  const { events: live } = useShardFeed({ max: 60 })
+  const [cat, setCat] = useState('all')
+
+  // Merge the live tail with the loaded history, de-duped by kind+t, newest first.
+  const merged = useMemo(() => {
+    const seen = new Set()
+    const out = []
+    for (const e of [...live, ...(data || [])]) {
+      const key = `${e.kind}-${e.t}`
+      if (seen.has(key)) continue
+      seen.add(key)
+      out.push(e)
+    }
+    return out.sort((a, b) => (b.t || 0) - (a.t || 0))
+  }, [live, data])
+
+  const filtered = cat === 'all' ? merged : merged.filter((e) => categoryOf(e.kind) === cat)
+
+  return (
+    <PublicLayout section="website">
+      <div className="shell-narrow page-body">
+        <PageHeader eyebrow="Live" title="Shard Activity" />
+        <p style={{ marginTop: -8, marginBottom: 18 }}>
+          <Link to="/site/shard" className="sans" style={{ color: 'var(--accent)', textDecoration: 'none', fontSize: '0.86rem' }}>← Back to shard</Link>
+        </p>
+
+        {/* Category tabs */}
+        <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexWrap: 'wrap', gap: 8, marginBottom: 18 }}>
+          {CATEGORIES.map((c) => (
+            <button
+              key={c.id}
+              onClick={() => setCat(c.id)}
+              className="pill"
+              style={cat === c.id ? { background: 'var(--accent)', color: 'var(--bg-deep)', borderColor: 'var(--accent)' } : undefined}
+            >
+              {c.label}
+            </button>
+          ))}
+        </div>
+
+        {loading && <Loading />}
+        {error && <ErrorState message="Could not load the activity feed right now." />}
+
+        {!loading && !error && (
+          filtered.length === 0 ? (
+            <div className="panel" style={{ padding: 22 }}>
+              <p className="sans dim" style={{ margin: 0, fontSize: '0.9rem' }}>Nothing here yet — events will appear as they happen in the world.</p>
+            </div>
+          ) : (
+            <ul style={{ listStyle: 'none', margin: 0, padding: 0, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: 8 }}>
+              {filtered.map((e) => (
+                <li key={e._id || `${e.kind}-${e.t}`} className="panel" style={{ padding: '12px 16px', display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: 12 }}>
+                  <span className="sans" style={{ flex: 'none', fontSize: '0.62rem', letterSpacing: '0.08em', textTransform: 'uppercase', color: 'var(--accent)', minWidth: 92 }}>
+                    {kindLabel(e.kind)}
+                  </span>
+                  <span className="sans" style={{ flex: 1, minWidth: 0, color: 'var(--ink)', fontSize: '0.92rem' }}>{describe(e)}</span>
+                  <span className="sans dim" style={{ flex: 'none', fontSize: '0.76rem' }}>{ago(e.t)}</span>
+                </li>
+              ))}
+            </ul>
+          )
+        )}
+      </div>
+    </PublicLayout>
+  )
+}

client/src/styles/theme.css

@@ -79,6 +79,10 @@ a {
   width: min(760px, calc(100% - 32px));
   margin: 0 auto;
 }
+.shell-wide {
+  width: min(1280px, calc(100% - 32px));
+  margin: 0 auto;
+}
 .page {
   min-height: 100vh;
   display: flex;
@@ -542,6 +546,20 @@ button[disabled] {
 }
 
 /* ===== Hero canvas editor ===== */
+/* Rich-text hero line (e.g. the homepage teaser). Inherits the line's font/color
+   from its inline style; collapse the editor's outer block margins so spacing is
+   driven by the line's own marginTop rather than a nested <p>. */
+.hero-rich > :first-child {
+  margin-top: 0;
+}
+.hero-rich > :last-child {
+  margin-bottom: 0;
+}
+.hero-rich a {
+  color: inherit;
+  text-decoration: underline;
+}
+
 .hero-el-editable {
   outline: 1px dashed rgba(127, 153, 189, 0.45);
   outline-offset: 2px;
@@ -688,6 +706,47 @@ button[disabled] {
     grid-template-columns: 1fr;
   }
 }
+/* Admin sidebar — collapsible category sections */
+.admin-nav-group {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 4px;
+  margin-top: 6px;
+}
+.admin-nav-head {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: space-between;
+  width: 100%;
+  padding: 6px 14px 4px;
+  border: 0;
+  background: transparent;
+  color: var(--dim);
+  font-size: 0.66rem;
+  letter-spacing: 0.14em;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  transition: color 0.15s;
+}
+.admin-nav-head:hover {
+  color: var(--muted);
+}
+.admin-nav-chev {
+  transition: transform 0.15s ease;
+  flex: 0 0 auto;
+}
+.admin-nav-items {
+  padding-left: 6px;
+}
+.admin-nav-link > span {
+  min-width: 0;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  text-overflow: ellipsis;
+  white-space: nowrap;
+}
+.admin-nav-link svg {
+  flex: 0 0 16px;
+}
 .wiki-grid {
   display: grid;
   grid-template-columns: 230px 1fr;
@@ -699,3 +758,265 @@ button[disabled] {
     grid-template-columns: 1fr;
   }
 }
+
+/* ===== CMS page builder — public block rendering ===== */
+/* Vertical rhythm between top-level blocks on a rendered page. */
+.page-blocks > * + * {
+  margin-top: 26px;
+}
+.page-heading {
+  font-family: var(--serif, Georgia, serif);
+  color: var(--ink);
+  line-height: 1.2;
+}
+.page-divider {
+  border: none;
+  border-top: 1px solid var(--line);
+  margin: 8px 0;
+}
+/* image block */
+.page-image {
+  margin: 0;
+}
+.page-image img {
+  max-width: 100%;
+  border-radius: 8px;
+  border: 1px solid var(--line);
+  display: block;
+}
+.page-image figcaption {
+  margin-top: 8px;
+  color: var(--muted);
+  font-family: var(--sans);
+  font-size: 0.82rem;
+}
+.page-image--center {
+  text-align: center;
+}
+.page-image--center img,
+.page-image--center figcaption {
+  margin-left: auto;
+  margin-right: auto;
+}
+.page-image--right {
+  text-align: right;
+}
+.page-image--right img,
+.page-image--right figcaption {
+  margin-left: auto;
+}
+.page-image--full img {
+  width: 100%;
+}
+/* cta block */
+.page-cta-wrap {
+  display: flex;
+}
+.page-cta--secondary {
+  background: transparent;
+  color: var(--ink);
+}
+/* quote block */
+.page-quote {
+  margin: 0;
+  border-left: 3px solid var(--accent);
+  padding: 4px 0 4px 20px;
+}
+.page-quote blockquote {
+  margin: 0;
+  font-size: 1.15rem;
+  line-height: 1.5;
+  color: var(--ink);
+  font-style: italic;
+}
+.page-quote figcaption {
+  margin-top: 8px;
+  color: var(--muted);
+  font-family: var(--sans);
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+}
+/* two-column block */
+.page-two-column {
+  display: grid;
+  grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;
+  gap: 32px;
+}
+.page-column > * + * {
+  margin-top: 18px;
+}
+@media (max-width: 720px) {
+  .page-two-column {
+    grid-template-columns: 1fr;
+  }
+}
+
+/* ===== CMS page builder — column sub-block editor ===== */
+.pb-two-column-editor {
+  display: grid;
+  grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;
+  gap: 16px;
+}
+@media (max-width: 720px) {
+  .pb-two-column-editor {
+    grid-template-columns: 1fr;
+  }
+}
+.pb-column-editor {
+  border: 1px solid var(--line);
+  border-radius: 8px;
+  padding: 12px;
+  background: var(--panel-flat, transparent);
+}
+.pb-column-head {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: space-between;
+  gap: 8px;
+  margin-bottom: 10px;
+}
+.pb-add-select {
+  width: auto;
+  padding: 6px 10px;
+  font-size: 0.82rem;
+}
+.pb-subblock {
+  border: 1px solid var(--line);
+  border-radius: 8px;
+  padding: 10px;
+  margin-top: 10px;
+  background: var(--bg);
+}
+.pb-subblock-head {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: space-between;
+  margin-bottom: 8px;
+}
+.pb-subblock-actions {
+  display: flex;
+  gap: 4px;
+}
+.pb-mini {
+  min-width: 28px;
+  padding: 3px 8px;
+  font-size: 0.8rem;
+  line-height: 1;
+}
+
+/* ===== CMS page builder — admin canvas ===== */
+.pb-toolbar {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 10px;
+  position: sticky;
+  top: 0;
+  z-index: 5;
+  padding: 10px 0;
+  background: var(--bg);
+  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--line);
+}
+.pb-error {
+  border: 1px solid #6e3b38;
+  background: rgba(110, 59, 56, 0.16);
+  color: #e6a9a3;
+  border-radius: 8px;
+  padding: 10px 14px;
+  margin-top: 14px;
+  font-size: 0.86rem;
+}
+.pb-notice {
+  border: 1px solid var(--accent);
+  background: var(--blue);
+  color: var(--accent-bright);
+  border-radius: 8px;
+  padding: 8px 14px;
+  margin-top: 14px;
+  font-size: 0.86rem;
+}
+.pb-tabs {
+  display: flex;
+  gap: 4px;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--line);
+  margin-bottom: 18px;
+}
+.pb-tab {
+  background: transparent;
+  border: none;
+  border-bottom: 2px solid transparent;
+  color: var(--muted);
+  font-family: var(--sans);
+  font-size: 0.9rem;
+  padding: 10px 16px;
+  cursor: pointer;
+}
+.pb-tab.is-active {
+  color: var(--ink);
+  border-bottom-color: var(--accent);
+}
+.pb-palette {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-wrap: wrap;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 8px;
+  padding: 12px;
+  border: 1px dashed var(--line);
+  border-radius: 10px;
+  margin-bottom: 16px;
+}
+.pb-canvas {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 14px;
+}
+.pb-block-card {
+  border: 1px solid var(--line);
+  border-radius: 10px;
+  background: var(--panel-flat, transparent);
+}
+.pb-block-card.is-dragging {
+  opacity: 0.5;
+}
+.pb-block-card.is-hidden {
+  opacity: 0.6;
+}
+.pb-block-head {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 8px;
+  padding: 8px 12px;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--line);
+}
+.pb-drag {
+  cursor: grab;
+  color: var(--muted);
+  user-select: none;
+}
+.pb-block-body {
+  padding: 14px;
+}
+.pb-settings {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 16px;
+  max-width: 720px;
+}
+.pb-danger {
+  border-color: #6e3b38;
+  color: #d98b84;
+}
+.pb-danger:hover:not([disabled]) {
+  background: rgba(110, 59, 56, 0.18);
+  border-color: #8a4b47;
+}
+
+/* Draft-preview banner on the public renderer. */
+.page-preview-banner {
+  border: 1px solid var(--accent);
+  background: var(--blue);
+  color: var(--accent-bright);
+  border-radius: 8px;
+  padding: 8px 14px;
+  margin-bottom: 20px;
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+  text-align: center;
+}

server/.env.example

@@ -70,11 +70,10 @@ TOTP_CHALLENGE_TTL=5m
 ADMIN_USERNAME=admin
 ADMIN_PASSWORD=change-me-admin-password
 
-SMTP_HOST=
-SMTP_PORT=587
-SMTP_USER=
-SMTP_PASS=
-CONTACT_TO=UOMysticmoon@gmail.com
+# Email is configured in Admin → Settings → Email (Gmail over OAuth2), not here.
+# It reuses the Google auth provider's OAuth client and stores an encrypted
+# refresh token in the DB. The contact recipient is the `contact_email` site
+# setting; while email is unconfigured the contact form falls back to a mailto: link.
 
 CLIENT_ORIGIN=http://localhost:5173
 
@@ -89,3 +88,11 @@ CLIENT_ORIGIN=http://localhost:5173
 # encrypted in the DB (see the bot_config table / SECRET_ENC_KEY above).
 BOT_INTERNAL_URL=http://localhost:4100
 BOT_INTERNAL_KEY=dev-only-change-me-bot-key
+
+# News announcement pipeline (published news post -> in-game town crier + Discord
+# #news). The dispatcher is an in-process poller; these tune it. Links in the
+# announcements use APP_BASE_URL (set above), so set that in production too.
+#   ANNOUNCE_POLL_MS       how often the dispatcher sweeps for due/retry legs
+#   TOWNCRIER_DURATION_SEC how long the in-game town-crier message stays up (<= 86400)
+ANNOUNCE_POLL_MS=15000
+TOWNCRIER_DURATION_SEC=3600

server/db/schema.sql

@@ -236,6 +236,153 @@ CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS bot_config (
   CONSTRAINT chk_bot_config_singleton CHECK (id = 1)
 ) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
 
+-- Outbound email configuration (Gmail over OAuth2 / SMTP XOAUTH2). Singleton row
+-- (id = 1), mirroring bot_config: the DB only ever holds the AES-256-GCM-encrypted
+-- refresh token, never plaintext, and the client id/secret are NOT stored here —
+-- they are read live from the `google` auth_providers row. The refresh token is
+-- captured by the in-app "Connect Gmail" consent flow and is write-only over the
+-- admin API (never returned; responses expose only hasRefreshToken).
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS email_config (
+  id                 INT PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT 1,
+  provider           VARCHAR(20)  NOT NULL DEFAULT 'gmail_oauth2',
+  enabled            TINYINT(1)   NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  sender_email       VARCHAR(255) NULL,        -- connected Gmail address (from userinfo)
+  sender_name        VARCHAR(120) NULL,        -- optional From display name
+  refresh_token_enc  TEXT         NULL,        -- AES-256-GCM ciphertext, never exposed
+  status             VARCHAR(20)  NOT NULL DEFAULT 'unconfigured',
+  status_detail      VARCHAR(500) NULL,
+  last_verified_at   DATETIME     NULL,
+  updated_by         INT          NULL,
+  created_at         DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  updated_at         DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  CONSTRAINT fk_email_config_user FOREIGN KEY (updated_by) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
+  CONSTRAINT chk_email_config_singleton CHECK (id = 1)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
+
+-- ── uo-link sidecar ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+-- Connection config for the uo-link sidecar (the HTTP + WebSocket bridge to the
+-- ServUO shard). Singleton row (id = 1), mirroring bot_config/email_config: the
+-- DB only ever holds the AES-256-GCM-encrypted shared-secret auth token, never
+-- plaintext, and it is only decrypted server-side (to call the sidecar). It is
+-- never returned to the admin UI — responses expose only `hasToken`. base_url is
+-- the REST endpoint, ws_url the live-feed endpoint; both are configurable because
+-- in production the sidecar runs on a different host from the website. `status`/
+-- `plugin_connected`/`last_event_at`/`boot_id` mirror the sidecar's last-known
+-- state for the admin panel between polls; `boot_id` tracks server.hello.bootId
+-- so a shard restart can be detected (and caches dropped).
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS uo_link_config (
+  id                INT PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT 1,
+  base_url          VARCHAR(255) NULL,
+  ws_url            VARCHAR(255) NULL,
+  auth_token_enc    TEXT         NULL,
+  protocol          INT          NOT NULL DEFAULT 1,
+  enabled           TINYINT(1)   NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  status            VARCHAR(20)  NOT NULL DEFAULT 'disconnected',
+  status_detail     VARCHAR(500) NULL,
+  plugin_connected  TINYINT(1)   NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  last_event_at     DATETIME     NULL,
+  boot_id           VARCHAR(64)  NULL,
+  updated_by        INT          NULL,
+  created_at        DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  updated_at        DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  CONSTRAINT fk_uo_link_config_user FOREIGN KEY (updated_by) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
+  CONSTRAINT chk_uo_link_config_singleton CHECK (id = 1)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
+
+-- Append-only log of notable shard events ingested from the uo-link WebSocket
+-- feed. The site OWNS this data (it does not query the sidecar's SQLite): the WS
+-- client writes here, and the public/admin read endpoints + live feeds read from
+-- here. Only "notable" kinds are logged (sales, deaths, murders, mob.killed,
+-- IDOC transitions, quests, skill.gain, fame/karma, audit.*, cheat.*, link.*,
+-- server.*). High-frequency kinds (char.vitals, economy.supply) are NOT logged
+-- here — they update shard_online / shard_economy instead, keeping the log lean.
+-- dedupe_key = sha1(kind + t + stable-json(payload)); with the UNIQUE index it
+-- makes INSERT IGNORE idempotent so WS-reconnect backfill never double-inserts.
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS shard_events (
+  id          BIGINT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
+  kind        VARCHAR(48)  NOT NULL,
+  t           BIGINT       NOT NULL,               -- event time, epoch ms (from the sidecar)
+  boot_id     VARCHAR(64)  NULL,                   -- shard boot id at ingest (server.hello.bootId)
+  payload     JSON         NOT NULL,               -- the full event object
+  dedupe_key  CHAR(40)     NOT NULL UNIQUE,
+  created_at  DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  INDEX idx_shard_events_kind_t (kind, t),
+  INDEX idx_shard_events_t (t)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
+
+-- Current online players. Upserted on mob.login, refreshed on char.vitals, and
+-- removed on mob.logout. Cleared wholesale when the shard restarts (a new
+-- server.hello.bootId). web_id is the linked website user id (present when the
+-- account is linked), so the roster can be correlated to site accounts.
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS shard_online (
+  serial      VARCHAR(20)  NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,   -- mobile serial (opaque hex key)
+  name        VARCHAR(120) NULL,
+  acct        VARCHAR(120) NULL,
+  web_id      INT          NULL,
+  map         VARCHAR(40)  NULL,
+  x           INT          NULL,
+  y           INT          NULL,
+  z           INT          NULL,
+  hits        INT          NULL,
+  hits_max    INT          NULL,
+  mana        INT          NULL,
+  mana_max    INT          NULL,
+  stam        INT          NULL,
+  stam_max    INT          NULL,
+  str         INT          NULL,
+  dex         INT          NULL,
+  `int`       INT          NULL,
+  updated_at  DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  INDEX idx_shard_online_acct (acct)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
+
+-- Total-gold-supply time series (from the periodic economy.supply event). Kept
+-- append-only so the public status page can render a supply-over-time sparkline.
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS shard_economy (
+  id          BIGINT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
+  accounts    INT          NULL,                   -- number of accounts included in the total
+  gold        BIGINT       NULL,                   -- total gold supply across all accounts
+  t           BIGINT       NOT NULL,               -- sample time, epoch ms
+  created_at  DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  INDEX idx_shard_economy_t (t)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
+
+-- Current decay stage per house, upserted on house.decay. is_idoc is a derived
+-- flag (stage == 'IDOC') so the public "houses in danger" list is a cheap
+-- indexed lookup rather than a scan.
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS shard_houses (
+  serial         VARCHAR(20)  NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
+  stage          VARCHAR(24)  NULL,                -- Somewhat | Fairly | Greatly | IDOC | Collapsed | ...
+  map            VARCHAR(40)  NULL,
+  x              INT          NULL,
+  y              INT          NULL,
+  z              INT          NULL,
+  region         VARCHAR(120) NULL,
+  name           VARCHAR(160) NULL,
+  owner_serial   VARCHAR(20)  NULL,
+  owner_acct     VARCHAR(120) NULL,
+  built_on       DATETIME     NULL,
+  last_refreshed DATETIME     NULL,
+  is_idoc        TINYINT(1)   NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  updated_at     DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  INDEX idx_shard_houses_idoc (is_idoc)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
+
+-- Site-side mirror of in-game-account → website-user links. The sidecar is the
+-- source of truth (it tags the game account with the websiteUserId on
+-- /link/confirm); this table mirrors it so the player portal can list a user's
+-- linked accounts and enforce ownership on roster/vendor reads without a shard
+-- round-trip. account is unique (one game account maps to at most one site user);
+-- a single user may link several game accounts.
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS shard_account_links (
+  account    VARCHAR(120) NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
+  user_id    INT          NOT NULL,
+  char_name  VARCHAR(120) NULL,
+  linked_at  DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  CONSTRAINT fk_shard_links_user FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+  INDEX idx_shard_links_user (user_id)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
+
 -- Discord bot moderation core (Phase 2). These tables are owned by the bot
 -- process (its own DB pool, bot/src/db.js) — the main server never reads or
 -- writes them. They live in the same physical database as everything else
@@ -463,6 +610,74 @@ CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS mod_notes (
   INDEX idx_mod_notes_user (discord_user_id, created_at)
 ) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
 
+-- Generic CMS pages composed from a fixed palette of blocks (the page builder).
+-- `blocks` is a JSON array of block-envelope objects ({ id, type, version,
+-- visible, props }); it is stored as text and parsed/validated in app code
+-- against the block registry (server/src/blocks) on every save — the same
+-- pattern role_menus.mapping uses, since MariaDB's JSON type is just LONGTEXT and
+-- the driver hands it back as a string anyway. The seo_*/og_image/canonical_url/
+-- robots and layout/nav_* columns are metadata/settings surfaced grouped in the
+-- API response; several have no consumer yet but are cheap to add now and painful
+-- to retrofit once real pages exist. published_at mirrors posts: stamped the first
+-- time a page goes to 'published'.
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS pages (
+  id               INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
+  slug             VARCHAR(160) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
+  title            VARCHAR(200) NOT NULL,
+  blocks           MEDIUMTEXT   NOT NULL,      -- JSON array of block objects
+  status           ENUM('draft','published') NOT NULL DEFAULT 'draft',
+  protected        TINYINT(1)   NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  author_id        INT          NULL,
+  -- SEO / social metadata (grouped under `metadata` in the API response).
+  seo_title        VARCHAR(200) NULL,
+  meta_description VARCHAR(400) NULL,
+  og_image         VARCHAR(500) NULL,
+  canonical_url    VARCHAR(500) NULL,
+  robots           VARCHAR(100) NULL,
+  -- Presentation / navigation (grouped under `settings` in the API response).
+  layout           ENUM('default','full_width','landing') NOT NULL DEFAULT 'default',
+  show_in_nav      TINYINT(1)   NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  nav_group        ENUM('main','footer','account','hidden') NULL,
+  nav_order        INT          NULL,
+  created_at       DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  updated_at       DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  published_at     DATETIME NULL,
+  CONSTRAINT fk_pages_author FOREIGN KEY (author_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
+  INDEX idx_pages_status (status),
+  INDEX idx_pages_nav (show_in_nav, nav_group, nav_order)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
+
+-- Announcement pipeline. One row per publish event of a news post; the table
+-- doubles as the job queue (a light in-process poller — utils/announceWorker.js
+-- — sweeps it for due legs). Two INDEPENDENT delivery legs so a Discord outage
+-- never blocks or retries the in-game town-crier leg and vice versa. `status` is
+-- a derived rollup of the two legs (see announceJobs.logic.js): done when both
+-- legs done, failed when both exhausted, partial in between. Each leg tracks its
+-- own attempt count, last error, and next-due time for exponential backoff.
+-- post_id is INT (matches posts.id) and cascades so deleting a post reaps its
+-- jobs. posts.announce_job_id points back at the latest row for admin lookups.
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS announce_jobs (
+  id                        INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
+  post_id                   INT NOT NULL,
+  status                    ENUM('pending','partial','done','failed') NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending',
+
+  towncrier_status          ENUM('pending','done','failed') NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending',
+  towncrier_attempts        SMALLINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  towncrier_last_error      TEXT NULL,
+  towncrier_next_attempt_at DATETIME NULL,
+
+  discord_status            ENUM('pending','done','failed') NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending',
+  discord_attempts          SMALLINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  discord_last_error        TEXT NULL,
+  discord_next_attempt_at   DATETIME NULL,
+
+  created_at                DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  updated_at                DATETIME NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  CONSTRAINT fk_announce_jobs_post FOREIGN KEY (post_id) REFERENCES posts(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+  INDEX idx_announce_due (towncrier_status, towncrier_next_attempt_at),
+  INDEX idx_announce_due_discord (discord_status, discord_next_attempt_at)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4;
+
 -- Migrations for databases created before the wiki upgrade. Each statement uses
 -- IF NOT EXISTS so re-running on every boot is a harmless no-op. New installs get
 -- these columns from the CREATE TABLE above; existing installs get them here.
@@ -499,3 +714,13 @@ ALTER TABLE wiki_pages ADD COLUMN IF NOT EXISTS published TINYINT(1) NOT NULL DE
 ALTER TABLE wiki_pages ADD COLUMN IF NOT EXISTS sort_order INT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
 ALTER TABLE wiki_pages ADD COLUMN IF NOT EXISTS published_at DATETIME NULL;
 ALTER TABLE wiki_pages ADD FULLTEXT INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_wiki_search (title, body);
+
+-- News → town-crier + Discord announcement pipeline. Add the announcement-state
+-- columns to posts on databases created before the pipeline landed. announced_at
+-- is stamped once both legs deliver; announce_job_id points at the announce_jobs
+-- row for the post's admin status panel. Kept as a plain column (not a hard FK)
+-- so the idempotent boot migration never trips over a re-added constraint — the
+-- pointer is resolved in application code and the CASCADE on announce_jobs.post_id
+-- already keeps the two tables consistent.
+ALTER TABLE posts ADD COLUMN IF NOT EXISTS announced_at DATETIME NULL;
+ALTER TABLE posts ADD COLUMN IF NOT EXISTS announce_job_id INT NULL;

server/package-lock.json

@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@
         "qrcode": "^1.5.4",
         "sanitize-html": "^2.17.5",
         "speakeasy": "^2.0.0",
-        "swagger-ui-express": "^5.0.1"
+        "swagger-ui-express": "^5.0.1",
+        "ws": "^8.21.0"
       },
       "devDependencies": {
         "nodemon": "^3.1.4",
@@ -2386,6 +2387,27 @@
       "dev": true,
       "license": "ISC"
     },
+    "node_modules/ws": {
+      "version": "8.21.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/ws/-/ws-8.21.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-Vsp28b7DRcimFQvrqu2Wek3z1iYxDCWqHYB8Qsnk/S4RfaCQzPGPyBNuVjJV3cd6UiKtUtp6sNM77gWvzcCH+g==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=10.0.0"
+      },
+      "peerDependencies": {
+        "bufferutil": "^4.0.1",
+        "utf-8-validate": ">=5.0.2"
+      },
+      "peerDependenciesMeta": {
+        "bufferutil": {
+          "optional": true
+        },
+        "utf-8-validate": {
+          "optional": true
+        }
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/y18n": {
       "version": "4.0.3",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/y18n/-/y18n-4.0.3.tgz",

server/package.json

@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@
     "qrcode": "^1.5.4",
     "sanitize-html": "^2.17.5",
     "speakeasy": "^2.0.0",
-    "swagger-ui-express": "^5.0.1"
+    "swagger-ui-express": "^5.0.1",
+    "ws": "^8.21.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "nodemon": "^3.1.4",

server/src/auth/token.js

@@ -66,6 +66,20 @@ function verifyTotpChallenge(token) {
   return decoded
 }
 
+// Short-lived, unguessable link token for previewing a (possibly unpublished)
+// CMS page. Carries purpose:'page_preview' + the page id and nothing else; it is
+// NOT a session (session validation rejects it) and only grants read of that one
+// page's current block state. Default 1h expiry per the page-builder spec.
+function signPagePreview(pageId, { expiresIn = '1h' } = {}) {
+  return jwt.sign({ pageId, purpose: 'page_preview' }, JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn })
+}
+
+function verifyPagePreview(token) {
+  const decoded = verifyToken(token)
+  if (!decoded || decoded.purpose !== 'page_preview') return null
+  return decoded
+}
+
 // Rough max-age (ms) for the cookie, parsed from JWT_EXPIRES_IN (e.g. 1d, 12h, 30m).
 function cookieMaxAge() {
   const m = /^(\d+)([dhms])$/.exec(String(JWT_EXPIRES_IN).trim())
@@ -122,6 +136,8 @@ module.exports = {
   verifyToken,
   signTotpChallenge,
   verifyTotpChallenge,
+  signPagePreview,
+  verifyPagePreview,
   cookieMaxAge,
   cookieSecure,
   cookieOptions,

server/src/blocks/index.js

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+// Block registry entrypoint. Requiring this module registers every server-side
+// block definition (schema + cache policy) exactly once, then re-exports the
+// registry API and the blocks validator. Anything that needs to validate a
+// page's blocks or look up a block type should require THIS module, not
+// ./registry directly, so the definitions are guaranteed to be loaded.
+//
+// Wave 1 block definitions are registered below, one require() per block (each
+// module self-registers on load). Requiring THIS module guarantees they are all
+// present before anything validates a page's blocks.
+
+const registry = require('./registry')
+const { validateBlocks, MAX_BLOCKS, MAX_SUBBLOCKS } = require('./validateBlocks')
+const { sanitizeBlocks } = require('./sanitizeBlocks')
+
+// ── Wave 1 block definitions (self-register on require) ────────────────
+require('./types/heading')
+require('./types/richText')
+require('./types/image')
+require('./types/twoColumn')
+require('./types/cta')
+require('./types/divider')
+require('./types/quote')
+
+module.exports = {
+  ...registry,
+  validateBlocks,
+  sanitizeBlocks,
+  MAX_BLOCKS,
+  MAX_SUBBLOCKS,
+}

server/src/blocks/propHelpers.js

@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+// Small shared validators used by the Wave 1 block schemas. Each block's schema
+// composes these and returns a flat array of error strings; validateBlocks
+// prefixes each with the block path (so 'text is required' becomes
+// 'blocks[2].props.text is required'). Phrase messages to read well after that
+// prefix — start with the prop name.
+
+/** @returns {boolean} true if v is a non-empty (after trim) string. */
+function isNonEmptyString(v) {
+  return typeof v === 'string' && v.trim().length > 0
+}
+
+/**
+ * Accept a same-origin relative URL ("/uploads/x.png", "/wiki/foo") or an
+ * absolute http/https URL. Rejects javascript:, data:, protocol-relative
+ * ("//evil"), and anything else — the block renderers drop these into hrefs/src
+ * so this is a security boundary, not just a format check.
+ * @param {unknown} v
+ * @returns {boolean}
+ */
+function isSafeUrl(v) {
+  if (typeof v !== 'string' || v.trim() === '') return false
+  const s = v.trim()
+  if (s.startsWith('//')) return false // protocol-relative — ambiguous origin
+  if (s.startsWith('/')) return true // same-origin relative
+  try {
+    const u = new URL(s)
+    return u.protocol === 'http:' || u.protocol === 'https:'
+  } catch {
+    return false
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Build an enum validator for a prop.
+ * @param {string} name prop name (for the message)
+ * @param {string[]} allowed
+ * @returns {(v: unknown) => string|null} error string or null
+ */
+function oneOf(name, allowed) {
+  return (v) => (allowed.includes(v) ? null : `${name} must be one of ${allowed.join(', ')}`)
+}
+
+/**
+ * Validate a required text prop: present, non-empty, within maxLen.
+ * @returns {string|null}
+ */
+function requiredText(name, v, maxLen) {
+  if (!isNonEmptyString(v)) return `${name} is required`
+  if (v.length > maxLen) return `${name} must be at most ${maxLen} characters`
+  return null
+}
+
+/**
+ * Validate an optional text prop: if present it must be a string within maxLen.
+ * @returns {string|null}
+ */
+function optionalText(name, v, maxLen) {
+  if (v === undefined || v === null || v === '') return null
+  if (typeof v !== 'string') return `${name} must be a string`
+  if (v.length > maxLen) return `${name} must be at most ${maxLen} characters`
+  return null
+}
+
+/**
+ * Reject any prop key not in `allowed`. Keeps a block's props tight so nothing
+ * unexpected is smuggled through and stored.
+ * @returns {string[]} error strings
+ */
+function onlyKeys(props, allowed) {
+  const errors = []
+  for (const key of Object.keys(props)) {
+    if (!allowed.includes(key)) errors.push(`${key} is not an allowed prop`)
+  }
+  return errors
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  isNonEmptyString,
+  isSafeUrl,
+  oneOf,
+  requiredText,
+  optionalText,
+  onlyKeys,
+}

server/src/blocks/registry.js

@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+// Block registry (server side) — the single source of truth for what block
+// types exist, how their props validate, and how long a rendered block may be
+// cached. The admin builder UI, the public renderer, and this server-side
+// validation are all driven from a registry entry rather than a switch statement
+// scattered across files: adding a block later means adding ONE entry (here on
+// the server for schema/cache, and one in client/src/blocks for the React
+// renderer/editor), not editing four places.
+//
+// A registered definition looks like:
+//   {
+//     type: 'heading',        // stable string id, unique across the registry
+//     version: 1,             // prop-schema version; bump when props change so a
+//                             // one-time migration can transform older blocks
+//     schema: (props) => [],  // returns an array of error strings ([] = valid)
+//     sanitize: (props) => props, // optional normalizer run on save AFTER
+//                             // validation, e.g. rich_text runs its html through
+//                             // the shared allowlist; returns cleaned props
+//     cacheTTL: null,         // seconds a rendered instance may be cached;
+//                             // null = never cache (static blocks). Dynamic
+//                             // Wave 2 blocks set this (e.g. server_status: 10).
+//     container: false,       // true only for block types that hold sub-blocks
+//     containerSlots: [],     // prop keys holding sub-block arrays, e.g.
+//                             // ['left','right'] for two_column
+//   }
+//
+// This module is intentionally empty of block types — it only defines the
+// pattern. Wave 1 block definitions register themselves via ./index.js.
+
+// The only keys allowed at the top level of a stored block object. Everything
+// block-specific lives inside `props`; nothing else lives at the top level.
+// Ordering is the array position, not a stored field — so a reorder is just a
+// reorder of the array, and `id` is never derived from position.
+const RESERVED_KEYS = Object.freeze(['id', 'type', 'version', 'visible', 'props'])
+
+const registry = new Map()
+
+/**
+ * Register a block definition. Throws on a missing type or a duplicate — both
+ * are programmer errors surfaced at boot, not runtime input.
+ * @param {object} def
+ * @returns {object} the normalized, frozen definition
+ */
+function registerBlock(def) {
+  if (!def || typeof def.type !== 'string' || def.type.length === 0) {
+    throw new Error('registerBlock: a block definition needs a string `type`')
+  }
+  if (registry.has(def.type)) {
+    throw new Error(`registerBlock: block type already registered: ${def.type}`)
+  }
+  if (def.schema != null && typeof def.schema !== 'function') {
+    throw new Error(`registerBlock: ${def.type}.schema must be a function`)
+  }
+  if (def.sanitize != null && typeof def.sanitize !== 'function') {
+    throw new Error(`registerBlock: ${def.type}.sanitize must be a function`)
+  }
+  const containerSlots = def.containerSlots || []
+  if (def.container && containerSlots.length === 0) {
+    throw new Error(`registerBlock: container block ${def.type} needs containerSlots`)
+  }
+  const entry = Object.freeze({
+    type: def.type,
+    version: Number.isInteger(def.version) ? def.version : 1,
+    schema: def.schema || null,
+    sanitize: def.sanitize || null,
+    cacheTTL: def.cacheTTL == null ? null : Number(def.cacheTTL),
+    container: Boolean(def.container),
+    containerSlots: Object.freeze([...containerSlots]),
+  })
+  registry.set(entry.type, entry)
+  return entry
+}
+
+/** @returns {object|null} the definition for `type`, or null if unknown. */
+function getBlock(type) {
+  return registry.get(type) || null
+}
+
+/** @returns {boolean} whether `type` is a registered block. */
+function hasBlock(type) {
+  return registry.has(type)
+}
+
+/** @returns {object[]} all registered definitions (registration order). */
+function listBlocks() {
+  return [...registry.values()]
+}
+
+/**
+ * Drop every registered block. Test-only — lets a suite register a fixture set
+ * and start from a known-empty registry.
+ */
+function _resetRegistry() {
+  registry.clear()
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  RESERVED_KEYS,
+  registerBlock,
+  getBlock,
+  hasBlock,
+  listBlocks,
+  _resetRegistry,
+}

server/src/blocks/sanitizeBlocks.js

@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+// Normalize + sanitize a validated blocks array before persisting. Runs AFTER
+// validateBlocks (which guarantees the envelope/prop shape), so this can assume
+// well-formed input and focus on: applying each block's registry `sanitize`
+// normalizer (e.g. rich_text runs its html through the allowlist), stamping the
+// registry `version`, defaulting `visible` to true, and recursing one level into
+// container slots. Returns a new array; never mutates the input.
+
+const { getBlock } = require('./registry')
+
+function sanitizeBlocks(blocks) {
+  if (!Array.isArray(blocks)) return []
+  return blocks.map(sanitizeOne)
+}
+
+function sanitizeOne(block) {
+  const def = getBlock(block.type)
+  if (!def) return block // unreachable after validation, but stay defensive
+
+  let props = block.props && typeof block.props === 'object' ? { ...block.props } : {}
+
+  // Recurse into container slots first (leaf sub-blocks get sanitized too).
+  if (def.container) {
+    for (const slot of def.containerSlots) {
+      if (Array.isArray(props[slot])) props[slot] = props[slot].map(sanitizeOne)
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Apply the block's own normalizer last (operates on its scalar props).
+  if (def.sanitize) {
+    try {
+      props = def.sanitize(props)
+    } catch {
+      // Leave props as-is; validation already passed, a sanitize throw shouldn't
+      // block the save.
+    }
+  }
+
+  return {
+    id: block.id,
+    type: block.type,
+    version: Number.isInteger(block.version) ? block.version : def.version,
+    visible: block.visible !== false,
+    props,
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = { sanitizeBlocks }

server/src/blocks/types/cta.js

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+// cta — a call-to-action button. `text` is the label, `url` the destination
+// (same-origin path or http/https), `style` picks primary/secondary appearance.
+const { registerBlock } = require('../registry')
+const { isSafeUrl, oneOf, requiredText, onlyKeys } = require('../propHelpers')
+
+const STYLES = ['primary', 'secondary']
+const MAX_TEXT = 100
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'cta',
+  version: 1,
+  cacheTTL: null,
+  schema(props) {
+    const errors = onlyKeys(props, ['text', 'url', 'style'])
+    const text = requiredText('text', props.text, MAX_TEXT)
+    if (text) errors.push(text)
+    if (!isSafeUrl(props.url)) errors.push('url must be a same-origin path or http(s) URL')
+    const style = oneOf('style', STYLES)(props.style)
+    if (style) errors.push(style)
+    return errors
+  },
+})

server/src/blocks/types/divider.js

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+// divider — a pure spacer / horizontal rule. Carries no props.
+const { registerBlock } = require('../registry')
+const { onlyKeys } = require('../propHelpers')
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'divider',
+  version: 1,
+  cacheTTL: null,
+  schema(props) {
+    return onlyKeys(props, [])
+  },
+})

server/src/blocks/types/heading.js

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+// heading — a section heading. `level` picks the tag (h1–h4), `text` is plain
+// text (the renderer escapes it; no HTML here — use rich_text for markup).
+const { registerBlock } = require('../registry')
+const { oneOf, requiredText, onlyKeys } = require('../propHelpers')
+
+const LEVELS = ['h1', 'h2', 'h3', 'h4']
+const MAX_TEXT = 200
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'heading',
+  version: 1,
+  cacheTTL: null,
+  schema(props) {
+    const errors = onlyKeys(props, ['level', 'text'])
+    const level = oneOf('level', LEVELS)(props.level)
+    if (level) errors.push(level)
+    const text = requiredText('text', props.text, MAX_TEXT)
+    if (text) errors.push(text)
+    return errors
+  },
+})

server/src/blocks/types/image.js

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+// image — a single image with optional caption. `src` must be a same-origin
+// upload path or an http/https URL (isSafeUrl); `alignment` controls layout.
+// Stays URL-based until the Wave 3 asset picker lands, then src swaps to an
+// asset id via a small migration.
+const { registerBlock } = require('../registry')
+const { isSafeUrl, oneOf, optionalText, onlyKeys } = require('../propHelpers')
+
+const ALIGNMENTS = ['left', 'center', 'right', 'full']
+const MAX_ALT = 300
+const MAX_CAPTION = 500
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'image',
+  version: 1,
+  cacheTTL: null,
+  schema(props) {
+    const errors = onlyKeys(props, ['src', 'alt', 'caption', 'alignment'])
+    if (!isSafeUrl(props.src)) errors.push('src must be a same-origin path or http(s) URL')
+    const alt = optionalText('alt', props.alt, MAX_ALT)
+    if (alt) errors.push(alt)
+    const caption = optionalText('caption', props.caption, MAX_CAPTION)
+    if (caption) errors.push(caption)
+    const alignment = oneOf('alignment', ALIGNMENTS)(props.alignment)
+    if (alignment) errors.push(alignment)
+    return errors
+  },
+})

server/src/blocks/types/quote.js

@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// quote — a pull quote with optional attribution.
+const { registerBlock } = require('../registry')
+const { requiredText, optionalText, onlyKeys } = require('../propHelpers')
+
+const MAX_TEXT = 1000
+const MAX_ATTRIB = 200
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'quote',
+  version: 1,
+  cacheTTL: null,
+  schema(props) {
+    const errors = onlyKeys(props, ['text', 'attribution'])
+    const text = requiredText('text', props.text, MAX_TEXT)
+    if (text) errors.push(text)
+    const attribution = optionalText('attribution', props.attribution, MAX_ATTRIB)
+    if (attribution) errors.push(attribution)
+    return errors
+  },
+})

server/src/blocks/types/richText.js

@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+// rich_text — a block of HTML authored in the shared rich-text editor. Validated
+// only for type/size here; the actual safety comes from `sanitize`, which runs
+// the html through the same allowlist (cleanBody) used for posts/wiki bodies, so
+// a direct API call can't smuggle unsafe markup past the editor.
+const { registerBlock } = require('../registry')
+const { onlyKeys } = require('../propHelpers')
+const { cleanBody } = require('../../utils/sanitizeHtml')
+
+const MAX_HTML = 50000
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'rich_text',
+  version: 1,
+  cacheTTL: null,
+  schema(props) {
+    const errors = onlyKeys(props, ['html'])
+    if (typeof props.html !== 'string') errors.push('html must be a string')
+    else if (props.html.length > MAX_HTML) {
+      errors.push(`html must be at most ${MAX_HTML} characters`)
+    }
+    return errors
+  },
+  sanitize(props) {
+    return { ...props, html: cleanBody(props.html) }
+  },
+})

server/src/blocks/types/twoColumn.js

@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// two_column — the only container block. Holds two ordered arrays of sub-blocks
+// (`left`, `right`). The sub-block arrays are validated by validateBlocks, which
+// also enforces the one-level nesting cap (a column may not contain another
+// container). This schema only guards the prop shape; the slot arrays default to
+// empty when absent.
+const { registerBlock } = require('../registry')
+const { onlyKeys } = require('../propHelpers')
+
+registerBlock({
+  type: 'two_column',
+  version: 1,
+  cacheTTL: null,
+  container: true,
+  containerSlots: ['left', 'right'],
+  schema(props) {
+    // Slot array contents are validated by validateBlocks' container handling;
+    // here we only reject stray props.
+    return onlyKeys(props, ['left', 'right'])
+  },
+})

server/src/blocks/validateBlocks.js

@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+// Server-side validation for a page's `blocks` array, run on every save before
+// persisting. The admin UI validates client-side too, but that can be bypassed
+// by a direct API call, so this is the authoritative gate: it enforces the block
+// envelope (reserved keys only), that every `type` is a registered block, that
+// each block's props satisfy the registry schema, and the one-level nesting cap
+// (only container blocks may hold sub-blocks, and sub-blocks may not themselves
+// be containers).
+//
+// Returns { valid, errors } — a flat list of human-readable error strings, each
+// prefixed with the path to the offending block (e.g. `blocks[2].props.text`).
+// It never throws on bad input; callers turn a non-empty `errors` into a 400.
+
+const { getBlock, RESERVED_KEYS } = require('./registry')
+
+// Bound the payload so a single page can't carry an unreasonable block tree.
+const MAX_BLOCKS = 100 // top-level blocks per page
+const MAX_SUBBLOCKS = 50 // sub-blocks per container slot
+const ID_RE = /^[A-Za-z0-9_-]{1,40}$/
+
+/**
+ * Validate a stored blocks array against the registry.
+ * @param {unknown} blocks
+ * @returns {{ valid: boolean, errors: string[] }}
+ */
+function validateBlocks(blocks) {
+  const errors = []
+  if (!Array.isArray(blocks)) {
+    return { valid: false, errors: ['blocks must be an array'] }
+  }
+  if (blocks.length > MAX_BLOCKS) {
+    errors.push(`blocks may not exceed ${MAX_BLOCKS} top-level entries`)
+  }
+  const seenIds = new Set()
+  blocks.forEach((block, i) => {
+    validateBlock(block, `blocks[${i}]`, seenIds, errors, { nested: false })
+  })
+  return { valid: errors.length === 0, errors }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Validate one block envelope in place. `nested` = true when validating a
+ * sub-block inside a container slot, which forbids further nesting.
+ */
+function validateBlock(block, path, seenIds, errors, { nested }) {
+  if (block === null || typeof block !== 'object' || Array.isArray(block)) {
+    errors.push(`${path} must be an object`)
+    return
+  }
+
+  // Envelope: only the reserved keys, nothing smuggled at the top level.
+  for (const key of Object.keys(block)) {
+    if (!RESERVED_KEYS.includes(key)) {
+      errors.push(`${path}.${key} is not an allowed top-level key`)
+    }
+  }
+
+  // id — stable, unique across the whole page (top-level and nested share one
+  // namespace since ids are the future join point for revision history).
+  if (typeof block.id !== 'string' || !ID_RE.test(block.id)) {
+    errors.push(`${path}.id must be a short id string`)
+  } else if (seenIds.has(block.id)) {
+    errors.push(`${path}.id duplicates another block id (${block.id})`)
+  } else {
+    seenIds.add(block.id)
+  }
+
+  // visible — optional in input, but if present must be a boolean.
+  if (block.visible !== undefined && typeof block.visible !== 'boolean') {
+    errors.push(`${path}.visible must be a boolean`)
+  }
+
+  // props — always an object bag.
+  const props = block.props
+  if (props === null || typeof props !== 'object' || Array.isArray(props)) {
+    errors.push(`${path}.props must be an object`)
+  }
+
+  // type — must resolve to a registered block.
+  const def = typeof block.type === 'string' ? getBlock(block.type) : null
+  if (!def) {
+    errors.push(`${path}.type is not a registered block type (${String(block.type)})`)
+    return // can't validate props or nesting without a definition
+  }
+
+  // Per-block prop schema from the registry.
+  if (def.schema && props && typeof props === 'object') {
+    let schemaErrors = []
+    try {
+      schemaErrors = def.schema(props) || []
+    } catch (err) {
+      schemaErrors = [`schema threw: ${err.message}`]
+    }
+    for (const e of schemaErrors) errors.push(`${path}.props.${e}`)
+  }
+
+  // Nesting: only container blocks may hold sub-blocks, capped at one level.
+  if (def.container) {
+    if (nested) {
+      errors.push(`${path} is a container and may not be nested inside another container`)
+      return
+    }
+    for (const slot of def.containerSlots) {
+      const sub = props ? props[slot] : undefined
+      if (sub === undefined) continue // an empty slot is allowed
+      if (!Array.isArray(sub)) {
+        errors.push(`${path}.props.${slot} must be an array of blocks`)
+        continue
+      }
+      if (sub.length > MAX_SUBBLOCKS) {
+        errors.push(`${path}.props.${slot} may not exceed ${MAX_SUBBLOCKS} blocks`)
+      }
+      sub.forEach((child, j) => {
+        validateBlock(child, `${path}.props.${slot}[${j}]`, seenIds, errors, { nested: true })
+      })
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = { validateBlocks, MAX_BLOCKS, MAX_SUBBLOCKS }

server/src/model/announceJobs/announceJobs.db.js

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+const { query } = require('../../utils/db')
+
+const COLS =
+  'id, post_id, status, ' +
+  'towncrier_status, towncrier_attempts, towncrier_last_error, towncrier_next_attempt_at, ' +
+  'discord_status, discord_attempts, discord_last_error, discord_next_attempt_at, ' +
+  'created_at, updated_at'
+
+// Whitelist so a `leg` value can be interpolated into a column name safely — it
+// never comes from raw user input, but keep the guard explicit.
+const LEGS = ['towncrier', 'discord']
+function assertLeg(leg) {
+  if (!LEGS.includes(leg)) throw new Error(`unknown announce leg: ${leg}`)
+}
+
+async function create(postId) {
+  const res = await query('INSERT INTO announce_jobs (post_id) VALUES (?)', [postId])
+  return res.insertId
+}
+
+async function findById(id) {
+  const rows = await query(`SELECT ${COLS} FROM announce_jobs WHERE id = ? LIMIT 1`, [id])
+  return rows[0] || null
+}
+
+async function findByPostId(postId) {
+  const rows = await query(
+    `SELECT ${COLS} FROM announce_jobs WHERE post_id = ? ORDER BY id DESC LIMIT 1`,
+    [postId],
+  )
+  return rows[0] || null
+}
+
+// Jobs with at least one leg that is due now: pending and either never scheduled
+// (next_attempt_at IS NULL — a fresh enqueue) or past its backoff time.
+async function findDue(now = new Date(), limit = 25) {
+  return query(
+    `SELECT ${COLS} FROM announce_jobs
+      WHERE (towncrier_status = 'pending'
+             AND (towncrier_next_attempt_at IS NULL OR towncrier_next_attempt_at <= ?))
+         OR (discord_status = 'pending'
+             AND (discord_next_attempt_at IS NULL OR discord_next_attempt_at <= ?))
+      ORDER BY id ASC
+      LIMIT ?`,
+    [now, now, limit],
+  )
+}
+
+// Update one leg's columns. `fields` uses leg-agnostic keys (status, attempts,
+// lastError, nextAttemptAt); we map them onto the leg-prefixed columns.
+async function updateLeg(id, leg, { status, attempts, lastError, nextAttemptAt }) {
+  assertLeg(leg)
+  await query(
+    `UPDATE announce_jobs SET
+       ${leg}_status = ?,
+       ${leg}_attempts = ?,
+       ${leg}_last_error = ?,
+       ${leg}_next_attempt_at = ?
+     WHERE id = ?`,
+    [status, attempts, lastError ?? null, nextAttemptAt ?? null, id],
+  )
+}
+
+async function setStatus(id, status) {
+  await query('UPDATE announce_jobs SET status = ? WHERE id = ?', [status, id])
+}
+
+module.exports = { LEGS, create, findById, findByPostId, findDue, updateLeg, setStatus }

server/src/model/announceJobs/announceJobs.logic.js

@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+// ── Announcement pipeline: pure logic ──────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// No DB, no network — just the decisions the worker and model make, kept here so
+// they are unit-testable in isolation (server/test/announceJobs.test.js):
+//   • buildTownCrierText — turn a post into sidecar-safe town-crier lines
+//   • classifyTownCrier / classifyDiscord — map a dispatch result to done / retry
+//     / terminal, so a data problem fails fast and a transient outage retries
+//   • scheduleAfter — exponential backoff schedule + the attempt cap
+//   • rollupStatus — derive the parent job status from the two legs
+
+const { deriveExcerpt } = require('../../utils/sanitizeHtml')
+
+// Sidecar town-crier caps, mirrored from the admin route validation
+// (admin.routes.js: lines isArray({ max: 8 }), lines.* isLength({ max: 200 })).
+// We pre-truncate to these so a published post never bounces with towncrier.error.
+const MAX_LINES = 8
+const MAX_LINE_LEN = 200
+
+// Backoff between retries, indexed by attempts-so-far. Six attempts spread over
+// ~a couple of hours; after the last one a leg is marked failed and surfaced in
+// the post's admin panel. Shared by both legs.
+const BACKOFF_MS = [30_000, 120_000, 600_000, 1_800_000, 3_600_000, 7_200_000]
+const MAX_ATTEMPTS = BACKOFF_MS.length
+
+// Trim to a hard length, appending an ellipsis only when something was cut.
+function clamp(value, max) {
+  const s = String(value == null ? '' : value)
+    .replace(/\s+/g, ' ')
+    .trim()
+  if (s.length <= max) return s
+  return `${s.slice(0, max - 1).trimEnd()}…`
+}
+
+// The public link that goes in the announcement. News has no per-post route
+// (App.jsx only has the /site/news list), so we link the list — matches the
+// pre-pipeline Discord announce behavior.
+function articleUrl(baseUrl) {
+  return `${String(baseUrl || '').replace(/\/+$/, '')}/site/news`
+}
+
+// Build the town-crier lines: title, a one-line excerpt, then the URL. Each line
+// is clamped to the sidecar's per-line cap and the whole thing to the line-count
+// cap. Falls back to a stripped body excerpt when the post has no excerpt.
+function buildTownCrierText(post, { baseUrl } = {}) {
+  const title = clamp(post.title, MAX_LINE_LEN)
+  const excerptSource = post.excerpt || deriveExcerpt(post.body, MAX_LINE_LEN) || ''
+  const lines = [title]
+  const excerpt = clamp(excerptSource, MAX_LINE_LEN)
+  if (excerpt) lines.push(excerpt)
+  const url = clamp(articleUrl(baseUrl), MAX_LINE_LEN)
+  if (url) lines.push(url)
+  return lines.filter(Boolean).slice(0, MAX_LINES)
+}
+
+// ── Result classification ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Both clients return { ok, status, error }. Map that to one of:
+//   done     — delivered, mark the leg done
+//   retry    — transient (shard restarting, bot down, network); back off + retry
+//   terminal — will never succeed as-is (over caps, bad auth/config); fail now
+
+function classifyTownCrier(result) {
+  if (result && result.ok) return { outcome: 'done' }
+  const status = result ? result.status : 0
+  // 400 = over the line/duration caps (a data problem — do NOT retry).
+  // 401 = token mismatch, 409 = protocol mismatch (both config problems).
+  if (status === 400 || status === 401 || status === 409) {
+    return { outcome: 'terminal', error: legError(result) }
+  }
+  // 503 (shard not connected), 504 (shard timeout), 0 (network/timeout / not
+  // configured yet), and any other 5xx are transient — retry.
+  return { outcome: 'retry', error: legError(result) }
+}
+
+function classifyDiscord(result) {
+  if (result && result.ok) return { outcome: 'done' }
+  // The bot's /internal/announce collapses failures (503 = not connected,
+  // 400 = no news channel configured) without surfacing Discord's own
+  // retry_after, so there is no reliable terminal signal to key on here. Retry
+  // every failure on the shared backoff; a genuine config problem simply
+  // exhausts its attempts and lands as `failed` in the admin panel, where the
+  // per-leg retry button re-runs it after the channel is set.
+  return { outcome: 'retry', error: legError(result) }
+}
+
+function legError(result) {
+  if (!result) return 'no response'
+  if (result.status) {
+    return result.data && result.data.message
+      ? `${result.status}: ${result.data.message}`
+      : result.error || `status ${result.status}`
+  }
+  return result.error || 'request failed'
+}
+
+// Given the number of attempts already made (>= 1), how long to wait before the
+// next one — or null when the cap is reached and the leg should be failed.
+function scheduleAfter(attempts) {
+  if (attempts >= MAX_ATTEMPTS) return null
+  return BACKOFF_MS[Math.min(attempts - 1, BACKOFF_MS.length - 1)]
+}
+
+// Parent job status derived from the two leg statuses:
+//   done    — both legs delivered
+//   failed  — both legs gave up
+//   partial — at least one leg reached a terminal state while the other has not
+//             matched it (still pending/retrying, or the opposite terminal state)
+//   pending — neither leg is terminal yet
+function rollupStatus(towncrierStatus, discordStatus) {
+  if (towncrierStatus === 'done' && discordStatus === 'done') return 'done'
+  if (towncrierStatus === 'failed' && discordStatus === 'failed') return 'failed'
+  const terminal = (s) => s === 'done' || s === 'failed'
+  if (terminal(towncrierStatus) || terminal(discordStatus)) return 'partial'
+  return 'pending'
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  MAX_LINES,
+  MAX_LINE_LEN,
+  MAX_ATTEMPTS,
+  BACKOFF_MS,
+  buildTownCrierText,
+  articleUrl,
+  classifyTownCrier,
+  classifyDiscord,
+  scheduleAfter,
+  rollupStatus,
+}

server/src/model/announceJobs/announceJobs.model.js

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+// ── Announcement pipeline: orchestration ────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// Sits between the DB rows and the worker: creates jobs on publish, records each
+// leg's outcome, keeps the parent `status` rollup in sync, stamps the post's
+// announced_at when both legs land, and resets a leg for the admin retry button.
+// The pure decisions (backoff, rollup, classification) live in .logic.js.
+
+const db = require('./announceJobs.db')
+const logic = require('./announceJobs.logic')
+const posts = require('../posts/posts.model')
+const log = require('../../utils/logger')('announce')
+
+// Enqueue an announcement for a freshly-published news post: one job row (both
+// legs pending, due immediately) plus a back-pointer on the post so the admin
+// panel can find it. Returns the new job id.
+async function enqueue(postId) {
+  const jobId = await db.create(postId)
+  await posts.linkAnnounceJob(postId, jobId)
+  log.info('announce job enqueued', { jobId, postId })
+  return jobId
+}
+
+// Should publishing this post fire the pipeline? Only on a real transition INTO
+// "published news" — a false→true publish while in news, or a category change
+// into news while already published — and never twice (guarded by the post's
+// existing announce_job_id). Editing an already-announced post does not re-fire.
+function shouldEnqueue(post, { wasPublished, wasNews }) {
+  if (!post || post.category !== 'news' || !post.published) return false
+  if (post.announce_job_id) return false
+  const wasNewsPublished = Boolean(wasPublished) && Boolean(wasNews)
+  return !wasNewsPublished
+}
+
+// Convenience used by the post controller: enqueue iff shouldEnqueue. Never
+// throws — a pipeline hiccup must not break saving/publishing a post.
+async function enqueueIfNeeded(post, transition) {
+  try {
+    if (!shouldEnqueue(post, transition)) return null
+    return await enqueue(post.id)
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('enqueueIfNeeded failed', { postId: post && post.id, message: err.message })
+    return null
+  }
+}
+
+// Record a leg's dispatch outcome and refresh the rollup. `outcome` is one of
+// logic.classify*'s results: 'done' | 'retry' | 'terminal'. For 'retry' we bump
+// the attempt count and schedule the next run (or fail the leg once the cap is
+// hit). Returns the updated job row.
+async function recordOutcome(job, leg, { outcome, error }) {
+  const attempts = Number(job[`${leg}_attempts`]) || 0
+
+  if (outcome === 'done') {
+    await db.updateLeg(job.id, leg, { status: 'done', attempts, lastError: null, nextAttemptAt: null })
+  } else if (outcome === 'terminal') {
+    await db.updateLeg(job.id, leg, { status: 'failed', attempts: attempts + 1, lastError: error, nextAttemptAt: null })
+    log.warn('announce leg failed (terminal)', { jobId: job.id, leg, error })
+  } else {
+    const nextAttempts = attempts + 1
+    const delay = logic.scheduleAfter(nextAttempts)
+    if (delay === null) {
+      await db.updateLeg(job.id, leg, { status: 'failed', attempts: nextAttempts, lastError: error, nextAttemptAt: null })
+      log.warn('announce leg failed (retries exhausted)', { jobId: job.id, leg, attempts: nextAttempts, error })
+    } else {
+      const nextAttemptAt = new Date(Date.now() + delay)
+      await db.updateLeg(job.id, leg, { status: 'pending', attempts: nextAttempts, lastError: error, nextAttemptAt })
+      log.info('announce leg retry scheduled', { jobId: job.id, leg, attempts: nextAttempts, nextAttemptAt })
+    }
+  }
+
+  return refreshStatus(job.id)
+}
+
+// Recompute and persist the parent status from the two legs; stamp the post's
+// announced_at the moment both legs have delivered.
+async function refreshStatus(jobId) {
+  const job = await db.findById(jobId)
+  if (!job) return null
+  const status = logic.rollupStatus(job.towncrier_status, job.discord_status)
+  if (status !== job.status) await db.setStatus(jobId, status)
+  job.status = status
+  if (status === 'done') {
+    try {
+      await posts.markAnnounced(job.post_id)
+    } catch (err) {
+      log.warn('markAnnounced failed', { jobId, postId: job.post_id, message: err.message })
+    }
+  }
+  return job
+}
+
+// Admin retry button: reset one leg to pending, clear its error/backoff, and let
+// the worker pick it up on the next tick. Resets the attempt count so a retry
+// after a config fix gets a full budget again.
+async function resetLeg(postId, leg) {
+  if (!db.LEGS.includes(leg)) throw new Error(`unknown announce leg: ${leg}`)
+  const job = await db.findByPostId(postId)
+  if (!job) return null
+  await db.updateLeg(job.id, leg, { status: 'pending', attempts: 0, lastError: null, nextAttemptAt: null })
+  log.info('announce leg reset for retry', { jobId: job.id, postId, leg })
+  return refreshStatus(job.id)
+}
+
+async function getByPostId(postId) {
+  return db.findByPostId(postId)
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  enqueue,
+  shouldEnqueue,
+  enqueueIfNeeded,
+  recordOutcome,
+  refreshStatus,
+  resetLeg,
+  getByPostId,
+}

server/src/model/emailConfig/emailConfig.db.js

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+const { query } = require('../../utils/db')
+
+const COLS =
+  'id, provider, enabled, sender_email, sender_name, refresh_token_enc, status, status_detail, last_verified_at, updated_by, created_at, updated_at'
+
+// Singleton row (id = 1). Returns null until the admin connects Gmail for the first time.
+async function get() {
+  const rows = await query(`SELECT ${COLS} FROM email_config WHERE id = 1 LIMIT 1`)
+  return rows[0] || null
+}
+
+// Upsert the singleton row. `fields` are column values already prepared by the
+// model (refresh token pre-encrypted). Only the provided columns are written/updated.
+async function upsert(fields) {
+  const cols = Object.keys(fields)
+  const vals = cols.map((c) => fields[c])
+  const insertCols = ['id', ...cols].map((c) => `\`${c}\``).join(', ')
+  const placeholders = ['1', ...cols.map(() => '?')].join(', ')
+  const updates = cols.map((c) => `\`${c}\` = VALUES(\`${c}\`)`).join(', ')
+  await query(
+    `INSERT INTO email_config (${insertCols}) VALUES (${placeholders})
+     ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE ${updates}`,
+    vals,
+  )
+  return get()
+}
+
+module.exports = { get, upsert }

server/src/model/emailConfig/emailConfig.model.js

@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+// Outbound email config store (Gmail OAuth2). Mirrors the botConfig model split:
+// the DB layer only ever sees ciphertext, and only getWithSecret() (used by the
+// mailer at send time) decrypts the refresh token. The admin-facing getSafe()
+// never includes it — callers see only `hasRefreshToken`.
+
+const db = require('./emailConfig.db')
+const secretBox = require('../../utils/secretBox')
+
+function toSafe(row) {
+  if (!row) {
+    return {
+      provider: 'gmail_oauth2',
+      enabled: false,
+      senderEmail: null,
+      senderName: null,
+      hasRefreshToken: false,
+      status: 'unconfigured',
+      statusDetail: null,
+      lastVerifiedAt: null,
+    }
+  }
+  return {
+    provider: row.provider || 'gmail_oauth2',
+    enabled: Boolean(row.enabled),
+    senderEmail: row.sender_email || null,
+    senderName: row.sender_name || null,
+    hasRefreshToken: Boolean(row.refresh_token_enc),
+    status: row.status || 'unconfigured',
+    statusDetail: row.status_detail || null,
+    lastVerifiedAt: row.last_verified_at || null,
+  }
+}
+
+async function getSafe() {
+  return toSafe(await db.get())
+}
+
+// Decrypted refresh token included — server-side only (building the mailer's
+// OAuth2 transport). Returns null when no row exists yet.
+async function getWithSecret() {
+  const row = await db.get()
+  if (!row) return null
+  return {
+    ...toSafe(row),
+    refreshToken: row.refresh_token_enc ? secretBox.decrypt(row.refresh_token_enc) : null,
+  }
+}
+
+// Save admin-supplied / connect-flow config. `refreshToken` undefined or '' means
+// "leave the existing token unchanged" (same convention as botConfig.save).
+async function save({ senderEmail, senderName, refreshToken, enabled, status, statusDetail, updatedBy }) {
+  const fields = {}
+  if (senderEmail !== undefined) fields.sender_email = senderEmail
+  if (senderName !== undefined) fields.sender_name = senderName
+  if (refreshToken) fields.refresh_token_enc = secretBox.encrypt(refreshToken)
+  if (enabled !== undefined) fields.enabled = enabled ? 1 : 0
+  if (status !== undefined) fields.status = status
+  if (statusDetail !== undefined) fields.status_detail = statusDetail
+  if (updatedBy !== undefined) fields.updated_by = updatedBy
+  const row = await db.upsert(fields)
+  return toSafe(row)
+}
+
+// Clear the stored credential and disable sending (admin "Disconnect").
+async function disconnect(updatedBy) {
+  const row = await db.upsert({
+    refresh_token_enc: null,
+    sender_email: null,
+    enabled: 0,
+    status: 'unconfigured',
+    status_detail: null,
+    last_verified_at: null,
+    updated_by: updatedBy ?? null,
+  })
+  return toSafe(row)
+}
+
+// Record the outcome of the last send / verification so the admin panel has
+// something to show. `lastVerifiedAt` may arrive as a Date or ISO string.
+async function recordStatus({ status, statusDetail, lastVerifiedAt } = {}) {
+  const fields = {}
+  if (status !== undefined) fields.status = status
+  if (statusDetail !== undefined) fields.status_detail = statusDetail ? String(statusDetail).slice(0, 500) : null
+  if (lastVerifiedAt !== undefined) {
+    fields.last_verified_at = lastVerifiedAt ? new Date(lastVerifiedAt) : null
+  }
+  if (Object.keys(fields).length === 0) return getSafe()
+  const row = await db.upsert(fields)
+  return toSafe(row)
+}
+
+module.exports = { getSafe, getWithSecret, save, disconnect, recordStatus }

server/src/model/pages/pages.db.js

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+const { query } = require('../../utils/db')
+
+// `blocks` is stored as a JSON string (MEDIUMTEXT) and parsed in the model.
+const COLS = [
+  'id', 'slug', 'title', 'blocks', 'status', 'protected', 'author_id',
+  'seo_title', 'meta_description', 'og_image', 'canonical_url', 'robots',
+  'layout', 'show_in_nav', 'nav_group', 'nav_order',
+  'created_at', 'updated_at', 'published_at',
+].join(', ')
+
+// Admin list — every page, newest first. Excludes the (potentially large)
+// blocks payload; callers that need it fetch the row by id/slug.
+async function listSummaries() {
+  return query(
+    `SELECT id, slug, title, status, protected, show_in_nav, nav_group, nav_order,
+            updated_at, published_at
+     FROM pages ORDER BY updated_at DESC, id DESC`,
+  )
+}
+
+async function findById(id) {
+  const rows = await query(`SELECT ${COLS} FROM pages WHERE id = ? LIMIT 1`, [id])
+  return rows[0] || null
+}
+
+async function findBySlug(slug) {
+  const rows = await query(`SELECT ${COLS} FROM pages WHERE slug = ? LIMIT 1`, [slug])
+  return rows[0] || null
+}
+
+// Insert a fully-formed column map. `blocks` must already be a JSON string.
+async function insert(page) {
+  const res = await query(
+    `INSERT INTO pages
+      (slug, title, blocks, status, protected, author_id,
+       seo_title, meta_description, og_image, canonical_url, robots,
+       layout, show_in_nav, nav_group, nav_order, published_at)
+     VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)`,
+    [
+      page.slug,
+      page.title,
+      page.blocks,
+      page.status,
+      page.protected ? 1 : 0,
+      page.author_id ?? null,
+      page.seo_title ?? null,
+      page.meta_description ?? null,
+      page.og_image ?? null,
+      page.canonical_url ?? null,
+      page.robots ?? null,
+      page.layout ?? 'default',
+      page.show_in_nav ? 1 : 0,
+      page.nav_group ?? null,
+      page.nav_order ?? null,
+      page.published_at ?? null,
+    ],
+  )
+  return res.insertId
+}
+
+// Update only the provided columns. Keys must be real column names (the model
+// builds this map from a whitelist, never straight from the request body).
+async function update(id, fields) {
+  const cols = []
+  const params = []
+  for (const [key, val] of Object.entries(fields)) {
+    cols.push(`${key} = ?`)
+    params.push(val)
+  }
+  if (cols.length === 0) return
+  params.push(id)
+  await query(`UPDATE pages SET ${cols.join(', ')} WHERE id = ?`, params)
+}
+
+async function remove(id) {
+  return query('DELETE FROM pages WHERE id = ?', [id])
+}
+
+module.exports = { listSummaries, findById, findBySlug, insert, update, remove }

server/src/model/pages/pages.model.js

@@ -0,0 +1,306 @@
+// CMS pages model. Owns the rules the API surface must not bypass:
+//   - blocks are validated against the block registry and sanitized on every
+//     save (the authoritative gate — a direct API call can't skip it);
+//   - the DB row is mapped to/from the grouped API shape (metadata / settings);
+//   - slug is validated + reserved-checked at create and is immutable after;
+//   - `protected` can be turned ON via a normal update but only OFF via the
+//     dedicated unprotect path (see unprotect()), enforced here regardless of
+//     what the request body contains.
+//
+// Business/validation failures throw a PageError carrying an HTTP status + code
+// so the controller can translate without knowing the rules.
+
+const pagesDb = require('./pages.db')
+const { isReservedSlug } = require('./reservedSlugs')
+const { validateBlocks, sanitizeBlocks } = require('../../blocks')
+
+const LAYOUTS = ['default', 'full_width', 'landing']
+const NAV_GROUPS = ['main', 'footer', 'account', 'hidden']
+const STATUSES = ['draft', 'published']
+const SLUG_RE = /^[a-z0-9-]+$/
+const MAX_SLUG = 160
+
+class PageError extends Error {
+  constructor(status, code, message, extra) {
+    super(message)
+    this.name = 'PageError'
+    this.status = status
+    this.code = code
+    if (extra) Object.assign(this, extra)
+  }
+}
+
+// ── Serialization (row → API shape) ───────────────────────────────────
+function parseBlocks(raw) {
+  if (raw == null || raw === '') return []
+  try {
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(raw)
+    return Array.isArray(parsed) ? parsed : []
+  } catch {
+    return []
+  }
+}
+
+function serialize(row) {
+  if (!row) return null
+  return {
+    id: row.id,
+    slug: row.slug,
+    title: row.title,
+    status: row.status,
+    blocks: parseBlocks(row.blocks),
+    metadata: {
+      seoTitle: row.seo_title,
+      metaDescription: row.meta_description,
+      ogImage: row.og_image,
+      canonicalUrl: row.canonical_url,
+      robots: row.robots,
+    },
+    settings: {
+      layout: row.layout,
+      showInNav: Boolean(row.show_in_nav),
+      navGroup: row.nav_group,
+      navOrder: row.nav_order,
+      protected: Boolean(row.protected),
+    },
+    authorId: row.author_id,
+    createdAt: row.created_at,
+    updatedAt: row.updated_at,
+    publishedAt: row.published_at,
+  }
+}
+
+function serializeSummary(row) {
+  return {
+    id: row.id,
+    slug: row.slug,
+    title: row.title,
+    status: row.status,
+    protected: Boolean(row.protected),
+    showInNav: Boolean(row.show_in_nav),
+    navGroup: row.nav_group,
+    navOrder: row.nav_order,
+    updatedAt: row.updated_at,
+    publishedAt: row.published_at,
+  }
+}
+
+// ── Field validation / mapping ────────────────────────────────────────
+function assertSlug(slug) {
+  if (typeof slug !== 'string' || !SLUG_RE.test(slug) || slug.length > MAX_SLUG) {
+    throw new PageError(400, 'invalid_slug', 'Slug must be lowercase letters, numbers and dashes.')
+  }
+  if (isReservedSlug(slug)) {
+    throw new PageError(400, 'reserved_slug', `"${slug}" is a reserved slug.`)
+  }
+}
+
+function assertStatus(status) {
+  if (status !== undefined && !STATUSES.includes(status)) {
+    throw new PageError(400, 'invalid_status', `status must be one of ${STATUSES.join(', ')}.`)
+  }
+}
+
+// Validate + sanitize blocks; returns a JSON string ready to store.
+function buildBlocks(blocks) {
+  const { valid, errors } = validateBlocks(blocks)
+  if (!valid) {
+    throw new PageError(400, 'invalid_blocks', 'One or more blocks are invalid.', { errors })
+  }
+  return JSON.stringify(sanitizeBlocks(blocks))
+}
+
+// Map the grouped `metadata` object to DB columns. Only keys present in the
+// input are returned, so a PATCH touches only what it sends.
+function mapMetadata(metadata) {
+  const cols = {}
+  if (!metadata || typeof metadata !== 'object') return cols
+  const strOrNull = (v, max, field) => {
+    if (v === null || v === undefined || v === '') return null
+    if (typeof v !== 'string' || v.length > max) {
+      throw new PageError(400, 'invalid_metadata', `${field} must be a string of at most ${max} characters.`)
+    }
+    return v
+  }
+  if ('seoTitle' in metadata) cols.seo_title = strOrNull(metadata.seoTitle, 200, 'seoTitle')
+  if ('metaDescription' in metadata) cols.meta_description = strOrNull(metadata.metaDescription, 400, 'metaDescription')
+  if ('ogImage' in metadata) cols.og_image = strOrNull(metadata.ogImage, 500, 'ogImage')
+  if ('canonicalUrl' in metadata) cols.canonical_url = strOrNull(metadata.canonicalUrl, 500, 'canonicalUrl')
+  if ('robots' in metadata) cols.robots = strOrNull(metadata.robots, 100, 'robots')
+  return cols
+}
+
+// Map the grouped `settings` object to DB columns (except `protected`, which is
+// handled by the caller so the unprotect rule stays centralized).
+function mapSettings(settings) {
+  const cols = {}
+  if (!settings || typeof settings !== 'object') return cols
+  if ('layout' in settings) {
+    if (!LAYOUTS.includes(settings.layout)) {
+      throw new PageError(400, 'invalid_settings', `layout must be one of ${LAYOUTS.join(', ')}.`)
+    }
+    cols.layout = settings.layout
+  }
+  if ('showInNav' in settings) {
+    if (typeof settings.showInNav !== 'boolean') {
+      throw new PageError(400, 'invalid_settings', 'showInNav must be a boolean.')
+    }
+    cols.show_in_nav = settings.showInNav ? 1 : 0
+  }
+  if ('navGroup' in settings) {
+    if (settings.navGroup !== null && !NAV_GROUPS.includes(settings.navGroup)) {
+      throw new PageError(400, 'invalid_settings', `navGroup must be null or one of ${NAV_GROUPS.join(', ')}.`)
+    }
+    cols.nav_group = settings.navGroup
+  }
+  if ('navOrder' in settings) {
+    if (settings.navOrder !== null && !Number.isInteger(settings.navOrder)) {
+      throw new PageError(400, 'invalid_settings', 'navOrder must be an integer or null.')
+    }
+    cols.nav_order = settings.navOrder
+  }
+  return cols
+}
+
+// ── Reads ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+async function list() {
+  const rows = await pagesDb.listSummaries()
+  return rows.map(serializeSummary)
+}
+
+async function getById(id) {
+  return serialize(await pagesDb.findById(id))
+}
+
+// Public read by slug. Non-admins only see published pages (returns null for a
+// draft so the caller can 404 it indistinguishably from a missing page).
+async function getBySlug(slug, { includeUnpublished = false } = {}) {
+  const row = await pagesDb.findBySlug(slug)
+  if (!row) return null
+  if (!includeUnpublished && row.status !== 'published') return null
+  return serialize(row)
+}
+
+// Raw row (for the controller's protected/status checks without re-serializing).
+async function getRawById(id) {
+  return pagesDb.findById(id)
+}
+
+// ── Writes ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+async function create(input, authorId) {
+  const { slug, title, blocks = [], status = 'draft', metadata, settings } = input
+  assertSlug(slug)
+  assertStatus(status)
+  if (typeof title !== 'string' || title.trim() === '' || title.length > 200) {
+    throw new PageError(400, 'invalid_title', 'Title is required (max 200 characters).')
+  }
+
+  const row = {
+    slug,
+    title: title.trim(),
+    blocks: buildBlocks(blocks),
+    status,
+    author_id: authorId,
+    ...mapMetadata(metadata),
+    ...mapSettings(settings),
+    protected: settings && settings.protected === true ? 1 : 0,
+    published_at: status === 'published' ? new Date() : null,
+  }
+
+  let id
+  try {
+    id = await pagesDb.insert(row)
+  } catch (err) {
+    if (err && (err.code === 'ER_DUP_ENTRY' || err.errno === 1062)) {
+      throw new PageError(409, 'slug_taken', `A page with slug "${slug}" already exists.`)
+    }
+    throw err
+  }
+  return getById(id)
+}
+
+async function update(id, patch) {
+  const current = await pagesDb.findById(id)
+  if (!current) throw new PageError(404, 'not_found', 'Page not found.')
+
+  // slug is immutable after create — reject an attempt rather than silently
+  // ignoring it, so the caller knows their change didn't take.
+  if (patch.slug !== undefined && patch.slug !== current.slug) {
+    throw new PageError(400, 'slug_immutable', 'A page slug cannot be changed after creation.')
+  }
+
+  const fields = {}
+
+  if (patch.title !== undefined) {
+    if (typeof patch.title !== 'string' || patch.title.trim() === '' || patch.title.length > 200) {
+      throw new PageError(400, 'invalid_title', 'Title is required (max 200 characters).')
+    }
+    fields.title = patch.title.trim()
+  }
+
+  if (patch.blocks !== undefined) {
+    fields.blocks = buildBlocks(patch.blocks)
+  }
+
+  if (patch.status !== undefined) {
+    assertStatus(patch.status)
+    fields.status = patch.status
+    // Stamp published_at the first time a page becomes published.
+    if (patch.status === 'published' && !current.published_at) {
+      fields.published_at = new Date()
+    }
+  }
+
+  Object.assign(fields, mapMetadata(patch.metadata))
+  Object.assign(fields, mapSettings(patch.settings))
+
+  // Protected transitions: ON is allowed here; OFF is not (must go through the
+  // password-gated unprotect endpoint), regardless of the request body.
+  if (patch.settings && 'protected' in patch.settings) {
+    const want = patch.settings.protected
+    if (want === true) {
+      fields.protected = 1
+    } else if (want === false && current.protected) {
+      throw new PageError(403, 'unprotect_required', 'Disabling protection requires the unprotect endpoint.')
+    }
+    // want === false while already unprotected → no-op.
+  }
+
+  await pagesDb.update(id, fields)
+  return getById(id)
+}
+
+async function remove(id) {
+  const current = await pagesDb.findById(id)
+  if (!current) throw new PageError(404, 'not_found', 'Page not found.')
+  if (current.protected) {
+    throw new PageError(403, 'page_protected', 'This page is protected and cannot be deleted.')
+  }
+  await pagesDb.remove(id)
+  return { id }
+}
+
+// Flip protected → false. The controller performs the password step-up before
+// calling this; the model just applies it.
+async function unprotect(id) {
+  const current = await pagesDb.findById(id)
+  if (!current) throw new PageError(404, 'not_found', 'Page not found.')
+  await pagesDb.update(id, { protected: 0 })
+  return getById(id)
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  PageError,
+  LAYOUTS,
+  NAV_GROUPS,
+  STATUSES,
+  serialize,
+  list,
+  getById,
+  getBySlug,
+  getRawById,
+  create,
+  update,
+  remove,
+  unprotect,
+}

server/src/model/pages/reservedSlugs.js

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+// Slugs a CMS page may not claim, because a top-level page lives at `/:slug` and
+// must never shadow an existing named route (SPA route or API namespace). The
+// catch-all page route is matched only after these, but reserving the names up
+// front gives the admin a clear "that slug is reserved" error at create time
+// instead of a silently unreachable page.
+//
+// Kept as a Set of lowercase single-segment slugs. Page slugs are validated to a
+// single segment (^[a-z0-9-]+$) so we only need to guard first path segments.
+
+const RESERVED_SLUGS = new Set([
+  // API / infrastructure
+  'api', 'internal', 'uploads', 'assets', 'static', 'public',
+  // Auth / account
+  'login', 'logout', 'register', 'account', 'auth',
+  // Admin app
+  'admin',
+  // Existing top-level SPA sections
+  'site', 'wiki', 'news', 'newsletter', 'screenshots', 'five-on-friday', 'about', 'status',
+  // Page-builder's own surface
+  'pages', 'preview',
+])
+
+/** @returns {boolean} true if `slug` collides with a reserved route name. */
+function isReservedSlug(slug) {
+  return RESERVED_SLUGS.has(String(slug).toLowerCase())
+}
+
+module.exports = { RESERVED_SLUGS, isReservedSlug }

server/src/model/posts/posts.db.js

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 const { query } = require('../../utils/db')
 
 const COLS =
-  'id, category, title, slug, excerpt, body, image_url, published, author_id, created_at, updated_at, published_at'
+  'id, category, title, slug, excerpt, body, image_url, published, author_id, created_at, updated_at, published_at, announced_at, announce_job_id'
 
 // Published posts for a category, newest first — public feed.
 async function listPublished(category) {

server/src/model/posts/posts.model.js

@@ -78,6 +78,15 @@ async function setPublished(id, published) {
   return postsDb.findById(id)
 }
 
+// Announcement pipeline back-pointers (see model/announceJobs).
+async function linkAnnounceJob(id, jobId) {
+  await postsDb.update(id, { announce_job_id: jobId })
+}
+
+async function markAnnounced(id, at = new Date()) {
+  await postsDb.update(id, { announced_at: at })
+}
+
 async function remove(id) {
   return postsDb.remove(id)
 }
@@ -103,6 +112,8 @@ module.exports = {
   create,
   update,
   setPublished,
+  linkAnnounceJob,
+  markAnnounced,
   remove,
   counts,
 }

server/src/model/shardEvents/shardEvents.db.js

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+const { query } = require('../../utils/db')
+
+// INSERT IGNORE on the UNIQUE dedupe_key — a re-ingested event (WS-reconnect
+// backfill overlap) is silently skipped rather than duplicated. Returns true if
+// a new row was actually inserted.
+async function insertIgnore({ kind, t, bootId, payload, dedupeKey }) {
+  const res = await query(
+    `INSERT IGNORE INTO shard_events (kind, t, boot_id, payload, dedupe_key)
+     VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)`,
+    [kind, t, bootId || null, JSON.stringify(payload), dedupeKey],
+  )
+  return res.affectedRows > 0
+}
+
+// Recent events, newest first. Filter by a single `kind`, or an allowlist of
+// `kinds` (IN clause) — the public feed uses the allowlist so it can never leak
+// staff/sensitive kinds. limit is clamped by the model.
+async function list({ kind, kinds, limit }) {
+  if (kinds && kinds.length) {
+    const placeholders = kinds.map(() => '?').join(', ')
+    return query(
+      `SELECT id, kind, t, boot_id, payload, created_at
+         FROM shard_events WHERE kind IN (${placeholders}) ORDER BY t DESC LIMIT ?`,
+      [...kinds, limit],
+    )
+  }
+  if (kind) {
+    return query(
+      `SELECT id, kind, t, boot_id, payload, created_at
+         FROM shard_events WHERE kind = ? ORDER BY t DESC LIMIT ?`,
+      [kind, limit],
+    )
+  }
+  return query(
+    `SELECT id, kind, t, boot_id, payload, created_at
+       FROM shard_events ORDER BY t DESC LIMIT ?`,
+    [limit],
+  )
+}
+
+module.exports = { insertIgnore, list }

server/src/model/shardEvents/shardEvents.model.js

@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+// Append-only shard event log. The WS ingest dispatcher calls append() for the
+// notable kinds; the public/admin read endpoints call list(). The DB layer only
+// sees an already-computed dedupe_key so INSERT IGNORE is idempotent across
+// WS-reconnect backfill.
+
+const crypto = require('crypto')
+const db = require('./shardEvents.db')
+
+const MAX_LIMIT = 1000
+const DEFAULT_LIMIT = 100
+
+// Stable stringify — keys sorted — so the dedupe hash is independent of the
+// property order the sidecar happened to serialize with.
+function stableStringify(value) {
+  if (value === null || typeof value !== 'object') return JSON.stringify(value)
+  if (Array.isArray(value)) return `[${value.map(stableStringify).join(',')}]`
+  const keys = Object.keys(value).sort()
+  return `{${keys.map((k) => `${JSON.stringify(k)}:${stableStringify(value[k])}`).join(',')}}`
+}
+
+// dedupe_key = sha1(kind + t + stable-json(payload)). Two identical events (same
+// kind, same timestamp, same body) collapse to one row.
+function dedupeKey(kind, t, payload) {
+  return crypto.createHash('sha1').update(`${kind}|${t}|${stableStringify(payload)}`).digest('hex')
+}
+
+// Append one event. Returns true if a new row was inserted (false = deduped).
+async function append({ kind, t, bootId, payload }) {
+  return db.insertIgnore({ kind, t, bootId, payload, dedupeKey: dedupeKey(kind, t, payload) })
+}
+
+function normalizeLimit(limit) {
+  const n = Number(limit)
+  if (!Number.isFinite(n) || n <= 0) return DEFAULT_LIMIT
+  return Math.min(Math.floor(n), MAX_LIMIT)
+}
+
+// Recent events, newest first. Each row's JSON payload is parsed back to an
+// object. `kinds` (array) restricts to an allowlist; `kind` filters a single kind.
+async function list({ kind, kinds, limit } = {}) {
+  const rows = await db.list({ kind, kinds, limit: normalizeLimit(limit) })
+  return rows.map((row) => ({
+    id: row.id,
+    kind: row.kind,
+    t: row.t,
+    bootId: row.boot_id || null,
+    // mariadb returns JSON columns as strings on some versions; parse defensively.
+    payload: typeof row.payload === 'string' ? JSON.parse(row.payload) : row.payload,
+    createdAt: row.created_at,
+  }))
+}
+
+module.exports = { append, list, dedupeKey }

server/src/model/shardLinks/shardLinks.db.js

@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+const { query } = require('../../utils/db')
+
+const COLS = 'account, user_id, char_name, linked_at'
+
+// Upsert a link. account is the PK, so a re-link moves the account to the new
+// user (the sidecar already treats /link/confirm as authoritative).
+async function upsert({ account, userId, charName }) {
+  await query(
+    `INSERT INTO shard_account_links (account, user_id, char_name)
+     VALUES (?, ?, ?)
+     ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE user_id = VALUES(user_id), char_name = VALUES(char_name)`,
+    [account, userId, charName || null],
+  )
+  return getByAccount(account)
+}
+
+async function getByAccount(account) {
+  const rows = await query(`SELECT ${COLS} FROM shard_account_links WHERE account = ? LIMIT 1`, [account])
+  return rows[0] || null
+}
+
+const listByUser = (userId) =>
+  query(`SELECT ${COLS} FROM shard_account_links WHERE user_id = ? ORDER BY linked_at DESC`, [userId])
+
+async function isOwnedBy(account, userId) {
+  const rows = await query(
+    'SELECT 1 FROM shard_account_links WHERE account = ? AND user_id = ? LIMIT 1',
+    [account, userId],
+  )
+  return rows.length > 0
+}
+
+const remove = (account, userId) =>
+  query('DELETE FROM shard_account_links WHERE account = ? AND user_id = ?', [account, userId])
+
+module.exports = { upsert, getByAccount, listByUser, isOwnedBy, remove }

server/src/model/shardLinks/shardLinks.model.js

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+// Site-side mirror of in-game-account → website-user links. The sidecar owns the
+// authoritative link (it tags the game account on /link/confirm); this model
+// records it locally so the player portal can list links and enforce ownership.
+
+const db = require('./shardLinks.db')
+
+function toSafe(row) {
+  if (!row) return null
+  return {
+    account: row.account,
+    userId: row.user_id,
+    charName: row.char_name || null,
+    linkedAt: row.linked_at,
+  }
+}
+
+async function link({ account, userId, charName }) {
+  return toSafe(await db.upsert({ account, userId, charName }))
+}
+
+async function listForUser(userId) {
+  const rows = await db.listByUser(userId)
+  return rows.map(toSafe)
+}
+
+const ownsAccount = (account, userId) => db.isOwnedBy(account, userId)
+
+async function getByAccount(account) {
+  return toSafe(await db.getByAccount(account))
+}
+
+const unlink = (account, userId) => db.remove(account, userId)
+
+module.exports = { link, listForUser, ownsAccount, getByAccount, unlink }

server/src/model/shardState/shardState.db.js

@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+const { query } = require('../../utils/db')
+
+// ── Online players ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+const ONLINE_COLS =
+  'serial, name, acct, web_id, map, x, y, z, hits, hits_max, mana, mana_max, stam, stam_max, str, dex, `int`, updated_at'
+
+// Upsert one online player. `fields` already prepared by the model (only the
+// columns it wants to write); serial is required and is the primary key.
+async function upsertOnline(serial, fields) {
+  const cols = Object.keys(fields)
+  const allCols = ['serial', ...cols]
+  const insertCols = allCols.map((c) => `\`${c}\``).join(', ')
+  const placeholders = allCols.map(() => '?').join(', ')
+  // Never overwrite an existing column with NULL on refresh (a char.vitals frame
+  // that omits acct/name shouldn't blank what mob.login set) — COALESCE keeps the
+  // prior value when the incoming one is NULL.
+  const updates = cols.map((c) => `\`${c}\` = COALESCE(VALUES(\`${c}\`), \`${c}\`)`).join(', ')
+  await query(
+    `INSERT INTO shard_online (${insertCols}) VALUES (${placeholders})
+     ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE ${updates}`,
+    [serial, ...cols.map((c) => fields[c])],
+  )
+}
+
+const removeOnline = (serial) => query('DELETE FROM shard_online WHERE serial = ?', [serial])
+const clearOnline = () => query('DELETE FROM shard_online')
+
+async function countOnline() {
+  const rows = await query('SELECT COUNT(*) AS n FROM shard_online')
+  return rows[0] ? Number(rows[0].n) : 0
+}
+
+const listOnline = () =>
+  query(`SELECT ${ONLINE_COLS} FROM shard_online ORDER BY name ASC`)
+
+// Staff roles whose online presence is shown on the public Shard page. Players
+// who link an account are NOT surfaced publicly — only staff opt into visibility
+// by virtue of being staff.
+const PUBLIC_ONLINE_ROLES = ['admin', 'editor', 'moderator']
+
+// Online players whose game account is linked to a STAFF website user. Joined
+// against shard_account_links (not the sidecar-supplied web_id) so a link takes
+// effect immediately, regardless of whether the player has re-logged since
+// linking, then through to users so only staff roles are surfaced publicly.
+const listOnlineLinked = () =>
+  query(
+    `SELECT ${ONLINE_COLS.split(', ').map((c) => `o.${c}`).join(', ')}
+       FROM shard_online o
+       JOIN shard_account_links l ON l.account = o.acct
+       JOIN users u ON u.id = l.user_id
+      WHERE u.role IN (${PUBLIC_ONLINE_ROLES.map(() => '?').join(', ')})
+      ORDER BY o.name ASC`,
+    PUBLIC_ONLINE_ROLES,
+  )
+
+// ── Economy supply series ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+const insertEconomy = ({ accounts, gold, t }) =>
+  query('INSERT INTO shard_economy (accounts, gold, t) VALUES (?, ?, ?)', [
+    accounts ?? null,
+    gold ?? null,
+    t,
+  ])
+
+const listEconomy = (limit) =>
+  query('SELECT accounts, gold, t FROM shard_economy ORDER BY t DESC LIMIT ?', [limit])
+
+async function latestEconomy() {
+  const rows = await query('SELECT accounts, gold, t FROM shard_economy ORDER BY t DESC LIMIT 1')
+  return rows[0] || null
+}
+
+// ── Houses / IDOC ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+const HOUSE_COLS =
+  'serial, stage, map, x, y, z, region, name, owner_serial, owner_acct, built_on, last_refreshed, is_idoc, updated_at'
+
+async function upsertHouse(serial, fields) {
+  const cols = Object.keys(fields)
+  const allCols = ['serial', ...cols]
+  const insertCols = allCols.map((c) => `\`${c}\``).join(', ')
+  const placeholders = allCols.map(() => '?').join(', ')
+  const updates = cols.map((c) => `\`${c}\` = VALUES(\`${c}\`)`).join(', ')
+  await query(
+    `INSERT INTO shard_houses (${insertCols}) VALUES (${placeholders})
+     ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE ${updates}`,
+    [serial, ...cols.map((c) => fields[c])],
+  )
+}
+
+const listIdocHouses = () =>
+  query(`SELECT ${HOUSE_COLS} FROM shard_houses WHERE is_idoc = 1 ORDER BY updated_at DESC`)
+
+module.exports = {
+  upsertOnline,
+  removeOnline,
+  clearOnline,
+  countOnline,
+  listOnline,
+  listOnlineLinked,
+  insertEconomy,
+  listEconomy,
+  latestEconomy,
+  upsertHouse,
+  listIdocHouses,
+}

server/src/model/shardState/shardState.model.js

@@ -0,0 +1,171 @@
+// Live shard state derived from the WS feed: who is online, the gold-supply
+// series, and per-house decay stage. The ingest dispatcher calls the write
+// methods; the public read endpoints call the list/count methods. Writes take
+// camelCase semantic objects and map to the snake_case columns; only the keys
+// present are written (so a char.vitals refresh doesn't clobber login fields).
+
+const db = require('./shardState.db')
+
+const MAX_ECONOMY = 1000
+
+// Map a camelCase online descriptor to DB columns, dropping undefined keys so a
+// partial refresh only touches the fields it carries.
+function onlineFields(data) {
+  const map = {
+    name: data.name,
+    acct: data.acct,
+    web_id: data.webId,
+    map: data.map,
+    x: data.x,
+    y: data.y,
+    z: data.z,
+    hits: data.hits,
+    hits_max: data.hitsMax,
+    mana: data.mana,
+    mana_max: data.manaMax,
+    stam: data.stam,
+    stam_max: data.stamMax,
+    str: data.str,
+    dex: data.dex,
+    int: data.int,
+  }
+  const fields = {}
+  for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(map)) if (v !== undefined) fields[k] = v
+  return fields
+}
+
+// Upsert an online player (mob.login) or refresh their vitals (char.vitals).
+async function upsertOnline(data) {
+  if (!data || !data.serial) return
+  await db.upsertOnline(data.serial, onlineFields(data))
+}
+
+const setOffline = (serial) => db.removeOnline(serial)
+const clearOnline = () => db.clearOnline()
+const onlineCount = () => db.countOnline()
+
+function shapeOnline(r) {
+  return {
+    serial: r.serial,
+    name: r.name,
+    acct: r.acct,
+    webId: r.web_id,
+    map: r.map,
+    x: r.x,
+    y: r.y,
+    z: r.z,
+    hits: r.hits,
+    hitsMax: r.hits_max,
+    mana: r.mana,
+    manaMax: r.mana_max,
+    stam: r.stam,
+    stamMax: r.stam_max,
+    str: r.str,
+    dex: r.dex,
+    int: r.int,
+    updatedAt: r.updated_at,
+  }
+}
+
+// Only players whose account is linked to a website user (opt-in visibility).
+async function listOnlineLinked() {
+  const rows = await db.listOnlineLinked()
+  return rows.map(shapeOnline)
+}
+
+async function listOnline() {
+  const rows = await db.listOnline()
+  return rows.map((r) => ({
+    serial: r.serial,
+    name: r.name,
+    acct: r.acct,
+    webId: r.web_id,
+    map: r.map,
+    x: r.x,
+    y: r.y,
+    z: r.z,
+    hits: r.hits,
+    hitsMax: r.hits_max,
+    mana: r.mana,
+    manaMax: r.mana_max,
+    stam: r.stam,
+    stamMax: r.stam_max,
+    str: r.str,
+    dex: r.dex,
+    int: r.int,
+    updatedAt: r.updated_at,
+  }))
+}
+
+// Append a gold-supply sample (economy.supply).
+async function addEconomySample({ accounts, gold, t }) {
+  await db.insertEconomy({ accounts, gold, t })
+}
+
+async function listEconomy(limit = 100) {
+  const n = Math.min(Math.max(Number(limit) || 100, 1), MAX_ECONOMY)
+  const rows = await db.listEconomy(n)
+  // Return oldest → newest for charting.
+  return rows
+    .map((r) => ({ accounts: r.accounts, gold: r.gold == null ? null : Number(r.gold), t: r.t }))
+    .reverse()
+}
+
+async function latestEconomy() {
+  const r = await db.latestEconomy()
+  return r ? { accounts: r.accounts, gold: r.gold == null ? null : Number(r.gold), t: r.t } : null
+}
+
+// Upsert a house's decay stage (house.decay). is_idoc is derived from the stage.
+async function upsertHouse(data) {
+  if (!data || !data.serial) return
+  const fields = {
+    stage: data.stage ?? null,
+    map: data.map ?? null,
+    x: data.x ?? null,
+    y: data.y ?? null,
+    z: data.z ?? null,
+    region: data.region ?? null,
+    name: data.name ?? null,
+    owner_serial: data.ownerSerial ?? null,
+    owner_acct: data.ownerAcct ?? null,
+    built_on: data.builtOn ? new Date(data.builtOn) : null,
+    last_refreshed: data.lastRefreshed ? new Date(data.lastRefreshed) : null,
+    is_idoc: String(data.stage).toUpperCase() === 'IDOC' ? 1 : 0,
+  }
+  await db.upsertHouse(data.serial, fields)
+}
+
+async function listIdoc() {
+  const rows = await db.listIdocHouses()
+  return rows.map((r) => ({
+    serial: r.serial,
+    stage: r.stage,
+    map: r.map,
+    x: r.x,
+    y: r.y,
+    z: r.z,
+    region: r.region,
+    name: r.name,
+    ownerSerial: r.owner_serial,
+    ownerAcct: r.owner_acct,
+    builtOn: r.built_on,
+    lastRefreshed: r.last_refreshed,
+    isIdoc: Boolean(r.is_idoc),
+    updatedAt: r.updated_at,
+  }))
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  upsertOnline,
+  setOffline,
+  clearOnline,
+  onlineCount,
+  listOnline,
+  listOnlineLinked,
+  addEconomySample,
+  listEconomy,
+  latestEconomy,
+  upsertHouse,
+  listIdoc,
+}

server/src/model/uoLinkConfig/uoLinkConfig.db.js

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+const { query } = require('../../utils/db')
+
+const COLS =
+  'id, base_url, ws_url, auth_token_enc, protocol, enabled, status, status_detail, plugin_connected, last_event_at, boot_id, updated_by, created_at, updated_at'
+
+// Singleton row (id = 1). Returns null until the admin saves it for the first time.
+async function get() {
+  const rows = await query(`SELECT ${COLS} FROM uo_link_config WHERE id = 1 LIMIT 1`)
+  return rows[0] || null
+}
+
+// Upsert the singleton row. `fields` are column values already prepared by the
+// model (token pre-encrypted). Only the provided columns are written/updated.
+async function upsert(fields) {
+  const cols = Object.keys(fields)
+  const vals = cols.map((c) => fields[c])
+  const insertCols = ['id', ...cols].map((c) => `\`${c}\``).join(', ')
+  const placeholders = ['1', ...cols.map(() => '?')].join(', ')
+  const updates = cols.map((c) => `\`${c}\` = VALUES(\`${c}\`)`).join(', ')
+  await query(
+    `INSERT INTO uo_link_config (${insertCols}) VALUES (${placeholders})
+     ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE ${updates}`,
+    vals,
+  )
+  return get()
+}
+
+module.exports = { get, upsert }

server/src/model/uoLinkConfig/uoLinkConfig.model.js

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+// uo-link sidecar connection config store. Mirrors botConfig/emailConfig: the DB
+// layer only ever sees ciphertext, and only getWithToken() (used server-side to
+// call the sidecar over REST/WS) decrypts it. The admin-facing getSafe() never
+// includes the token — it exposes only `hasToken`. A blank `token` on save means
+// "leave the existing token unchanged" (same convention as the other configs).
+
+const db = require('./uoLinkConfig.db')
+const secretBox = require('../../utils/secretBox')
+
+const DEFAULT_PROTOCOL = Number(process.env.UOLINK_PROTOCOL) || 1
+
+function toSafe(row) {
+  if (!row) {
+    return {
+      baseUrl: process.env.UOLINK_BASE_URL || null,
+      wsUrl: process.env.UOLINK_WS_URL || null,
+      protocol: DEFAULT_PROTOCOL,
+      enabled: false,
+      hasToken: false,
+      status: 'disconnected',
+      statusDetail: null,
+      pluginConnected: false,
+      lastEventAt: null,
+      bootId: null,
+    }
+  }
+  return {
+    baseUrl: row.base_url || null,
+    wsUrl: row.ws_url || null,
+    protocol: row.protocol || DEFAULT_PROTOCOL,
+    enabled: Boolean(row.enabled),
+    hasToken: Boolean(row.auth_token_enc),
+    status: row.status || 'disconnected',
+    statusDetail: row.status_detail || null,
+    pluginConnected: Boolean(row.plugin_connected),
+    lastEventAt: row.last_event_at || null,
+    bootId: row.boot_id || null,
+  }
+}
+
+async function getSafe() {
+  return toSafe(await db.get())
+}
+
+// Decrypted token included — server-side only (calling the sidecar's REST/WS
+// API). Returns null when nothing has been saved yet.
+async function getWithToken() {
+  const row = await db.get()
+  if (!row) return null
+  return { ...toSafe(row), token: row.auth_token_enc ? secretBox.decrypt(row.auth_token_enc) : null }
+}
+
+// Save admin-supplied config. `token` undefined or '' means "leave the existing
+// token unchanged" (same convention as botConfig.save).
+async function save({ baseUrl, wsUrl, token, protocol, enabled, updatedBy }) {
+  const fields = {}
+  if (baseUrl !== undefined) fields.base_url = baseUrl
+  if (wsUrl !== undefined) fields.ws_url = wsUrl
+  if (token) fields.auth_token_enc = secretBox.encrypt(token)
+  if (protocol !== undefined) fields.protocol = protocol
+  if (enabled !== undefined) fields.enabled = enabled ? 1 : 0
+  if (updatedBy !== undefined) fields.updated_by = updatedBy
+  const row = await db.upsert(fields)
+  return toSafe(row)
+}
+
+// Mirror the sidecar's last-reported connection state into the DB so the admin
+// panel has something to show between polls and the public status endpoint can
+// read it without a live round-trip.
+async function recordStatus({ status, statusDetail, pluginConnected, lastEventAt, bootId }) {
+  const fields = {}
+  if (status !== undefined) fields.status = status
+  if (statusDetail !== undefined) fields.status_detail = statusDetail
+  if (pluginConnected !== undefined) fields.plugin_connected = pluginConnected ? 1 : 0
+  // lastEventAt may arrive as an ISO string (e.g. "2026-07-10T22:08:27Z"); the
+  // mariadb DATETIME parser rejects the "T"/"Z", so hand it a real Date (same
+  // fix as botConfig.recordStatus's last_connected_at).
+  if (lastEventAt !== undefined) fields.last_event_at = lastEventAt ? new Date(lastEventAt) : null
+  if (bootId !== undefined) fields.boot_id = bootId
+  if (Object.keys(fields).length === 0) return getSafe()
+  const row = await db.upsert(fields)
+  return toSafe(row)
+}
+
+module.exports = { getSafe, getWithToken, save, recordStatus }

server/src/router/v1/admin/admin.controller.js

@@ -3,36 +3,25 @@ const wiki = require('../../../model/wiki/wiki.model')
 const settings = require('../../../model/settings/settings.model')
 const users = require('../../../model/users/users.model')
 const activity = require('../../../model/activity/activity.model')
-const botInternalClient = require('../../../utils/botInternalClient')
+const announceJobs = require('../../../model/announceJobs/announceJobs.model')
+const { cleanBody } = require('../../../utils/sanitizeHtml')
 
 const log = require('../../../utils/logger')('admin')
 
-// Public base URL for links back to the site — same fallback pattern as
-// sso.controller.js's redirect_uri builder.
-function appBaseUrl(req) {
-  const configured = process.env.APP_BASE_URL
-  if (configured) return configured.replace(/\/+$/, '')
-  return `${req.protocol}://${req.get('host')}`
-}
-
-// Fire-and-forget: announce a news post to Discord the moment it actually
-// transitions from unpublished to published — not on every save or on a
-// no-op re-publish of an already-live post. Never throws (botInternalClient
-// itself never rejects); a bot outage must never break publishing a post.
-function announceIfNewlyPublished(req, post, wasPublished) {
-  if (!post || post.category !== 'news' || !post.published || wasPublished) return
-  const base = appBaseUrl(req)
-  // image_url is stored relative (e.g. "/uploads/xyz.png") — Discord embeds
-  // require an absolute URL.
-  const imageUrl = post.image_url ? new URL(post.image_url, base).toString() : null
-  botInternalClient
-    .announce({
-      title: post.title,
-      excerpt: post.excerpt,
-      url: `${base}/site/news`,
-      imageUrl,
-    })
-    .catch(() => {})
+// Fire the announcement pipeline the moment a post transitions INTO
+// "published news" — a false→true publish while in news, or a category change
+// into news while already published. Enqueues one announce_jobs row whose two
+// legs (in-game town crier + Discord #news) are then delivered with independent
+// retry by the dispatcher worker (utils/announceWorker). Fire-and-forget and
+// self-guarding (enqueueIfNeeded never throws and de-dupes via the post's
+// existing announce_job_id) so a pipeline hiccup never breaks saving a post.
+// Awaited (not fire-and-forget) because enqueue is purely local DB work — one
+// INSERT + a back-pointer UPDATE, no network — so it never blocks on the sidecar
+// or Discord (that happens later in the worker). Awaiting keeps the de-dup guard
+// (post.announce_job_id) reliable against rapid double-publishes. Still guarded:
+// enqueueIfNeeded swallows its own errors, so a pipeline hiccup can't break save.
+async function announceIfNewlyPublished(post, transition) {
+  await announceJobs.enqueueIfNeeded(post, transition)
 }
 
 // ── Dashboard & site mode ─────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -119,7 +108,7 @@ async function createPost(req, res) {
       author_id: req.user.id,
     })
     await activity.log({ req, action: 'post.create', detail: { id: created.id, category: dbCategory } })
-    announceIfNewlyPublished(req, created, false)
+    await announceIfNewlyPublished(created, { wasPublished: false, wasNews: false })
     return res.status(201).json(created)
   } catch (err) {
     log.error('createPost', err)
@@ -149,7 +138,10 @@ async function updatePost(req, res) {
 
     const updated = await posts.update(id, fields)
     await activity.log({ req, action: 'post.update', detail: { id } })
-    announceIfNewlyPublished(req, updated, Boolean(current.published))
+    await announceIfNewlyPublished(updated, {
+      wasPublished: Boolean(current.published),
+      wasNews: current.category === 'news',
+    })
     return res.json(updated)
   } catch (err) {
     log.error('updatePost', err)
@@ -168,7 +160,10 @@ async function publishPost(req, res) {
       action: 'post.publish',
       detail: { id, published: Boolean(req.body.published) },
     })
-    announceIfNewlyPublished(req, updated, Boolean(current.published))
+    await announceIfNewlyPublished(updated, {
+      wasPublished: Boolean(current.published),
+      wasNews: current.category === 'news',
+    })
     return res.json(updated)
   } catch (err) {
     return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
@@ -186,6 +181,35 @@ async function deletePost(req, res) {
   }
 }
 
+// GET /admin/posts/:id/announce — the announcement job for a post (or null if it
+// was never announced), for the status panel on the post editor.
+async function getAnnounceStatus(req, res) {
+  const id = Number(req.params.id)
+  try {
+    const job = await announceJobs.getByPostId(id)
+    return res.json(job || null)
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('getAnnounceStatus', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// POST /admin/posts/:id/announce/retry — reset one delivery leg to pending so
+// the dispatcher re-attempts it (e.g. after fixing the news channel / sidecar).
+async function retryAnnounceLeg(req, res) {
+  const id = Number(req.params.id)
+  const leg = req.body.leg
+  try {
+    const job = await announceJobs.resetLeg(id, leg)
+    if (!job) return res.status(404).json({ message: 'No announcement job for this post' })
+    await activity.log({ req, action: 'post.announce.retry', detail: { id, leg } })
+    return res.json(job)
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('retryAnnounceLeg', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
 async function uploadImage(req, res) {
   if (!req.file) return res.status(400).json({ message: 'No image uploaded' })
   const imageUrl = `/uploads/${req.file.filename}`
@@ -461,6 +485,12 @@ async function updateSettings(req, res) {
   ) {
     return res.status(400).json({ message: 'Invalid player_registration value' })
   }
+  // The homepage teaser is rich text (HTML) from the shared editor — sanitize it
+  // against the same allowlist as post/wiki bodies so a stored value is safe (the
+  // client re-sanitizes on render as defense in depth).
+  if (typeof updates.homepage_teaser === 'string') {
+    updates.homepage_teaser = cleanBody(updates.homepage_teaser)
+  }
   try {
     await settings.setMany(updates, req.user.id)
     await activity.log({ req, action: 'settings.update', detail: { keys: Object.keys(updates) } })
@@ -594,6 +624,8 @@ module.exports = {
   updatePost,
   publishPost,
   deletePost,
+  getAnnounceStatus,
+  retryAnnounceLeg,
   uploadImage,
   uploadFile,
   listWiki,

server/src/router/v1/admin/admin.routes.js

@@ -10,7 +10,11 @@ const account = require('./account.controller')
 const botActivity = require('./botActivity.controller')
 const authProviders = require('./authProviders.controller')
 const discordBot = require('./discordBot.controller')
+const emailConfig = require('./emailConfig.controller')
+const uoLink = require('./uoLink.controller')
+const selfShard = require('../player/shard.controller')
 const moderation = require('./moderation.controller')
+const pagesCtrl = require('./pages.controller')
 const { isLoggedIn, requireRole } = require('../../../utils/auth')
 const noindex = require('../../../middleware/noindex')
 const validate = require('../../../middleware/validate')
@@ -107,6 +111,75 @@ adminRouter.delete(
   account.unlinkIdentity,
 )
 
+// ── Game account linking (self-service, any staff role) ───────────────
+// Staff link their OWN in-game account here, exactly like players do under
+// /player/shard. The controller keys off req.user.id, so the same handlers work.
+const SHARD_ACCOUNT_RE = /^[A-Za-z0-9_.-]{1,120}$/
+adminRouter.post(
+  '/shard/link',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Account']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Link an in-game account with a one-time code (self)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.requestBody = { required: true, content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/ShardLinkRequest" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Linked', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/ShardLinkResult" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[400] = { description: 'Unknown or expired code', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  body('code').isString().trim().isLength({ min: 4, max: 32 }),
+  validate,
+  selfShard.link,
+)
+adminRouter.get(
+  '/shard/accounts',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Account']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'List the caller’s linked game accounts (self)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Linked accounts', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "array", items: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/ShardLink" } } } } } */
+  selfShard.listAccounts,
+)
+adminRouter.get(
+  '/shard/roster/:account',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Account']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Character roster for an account (self; admins: any account)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['account'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'string' }, description: 'A game account linked to the caller.' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Account roster', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Account not linked to the caller', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  param('account').matches(SHARD_ACCOUNT_RE),
+  validate,
+  selfShard.roster,
+)
+adminRouter.get(
+  '/shard/vendors/:account',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Account']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Player vendors for an account (self; admins: any account)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['account'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'string' }, description: 'A game account linked to the caller.' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Vendor snapshot', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Account not linked to the caller', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  param('account').matches(SHARD_ACCOUNT_RE),
+  validate,
+  selfShard.vendors,
+)
+adminRouter.get(
+  '/shard/char/:serial',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Account']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Character sheet (self-linked characters; admins: any character)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['serial'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'string' }, description: 'Mobile serial, e.g. 0x24C.' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Character profile', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Character not on an account linked to the caller', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  param('serial').matches(/^0x[0-9a-fA-F]+$/),
+  validate,
+  selfShard.getChar,
+)
+adminRouter.get(
+  '/shard/sales',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Account']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Recent player-vendor sales for the caller’s linked accounts (self)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Vendor sales', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "array", items: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/ShardVendorSale" } } } } } */
+  selfShard.getSales,
+)
+
 // ── Image uploads (screenshots/gallery) ───────────────────────────────
 const UPLOAD_DIR =
   process.env.UPLOAD_DIR || path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', '..', '..', 'uploads')
@@ -275,6 +348,32 @@ adminRouter.delete(
   validate,
   ctrl.deletePost,
 )
+adminRouter.get(
+  '/posts/:id/announce',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Posts']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Get the announcement pipeline status for a post'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['id'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'integer' }, description: 'Post id.' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'The announce job for the post, or null if never announced', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", nullable: true, additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[401] = { description: 'Not authenticated', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  param('id').isInt(),
+  validate,
+  ctrl.getAnnounceStatus,
+)
+adminRouter.post(
+  '/posts/:id/announce/retry',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Posts']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Retry one announcement delivery leg (town crier or Discord)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['id'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'integer' }, description: 'Post id.' }
+  /* #swagger.requestBody = { required: true, content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", properties: { leg: { type: "string", enum: ["towncrier", "discord"] } }, required: ["leg"] } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Updated announce job', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[404] = { description: 'No announcement job for this post', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  param('id').isInt(),
+  body('leg').isIn(['towncrier', 'discord']),
+  validate,
+  ctrl.retryAnnounceLeg,
+)
 
 // ── Wiki categories (static paths registered before /wiki/:slug) ───────
 adminRouter.get(
@@ -474,6 +573,99 @@ adminRouter.delete(
   ctrl.deleteWiki,
 )
 
+// ── CMS Pages (block-based page builder) ──────────────────────────────
+adminRouter.get(
+  '/pages',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Pages']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'List all CMS pages (summaries)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Page summaries', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "array", items: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } } */
+  pagesCtrl.listPages,
+)
+adminRouter.post(
+  '/pages',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Pages']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Create a CMS page'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.requestBody = { required: true, content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", properties: { slug: { type: "string" }, title: { type: "string" }, status: { type: "string", enum: ["draft","published"] }, blocks: { type: "array", items: { type: "object" } }, metadata: { type: "object" }, settings: { type: "object" } } } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[201] = { description: 'Created page', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[400] = { description: 'Invalid slug / title / blocks / metadata / settings', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[409] = { description: 'Slug already exists', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  body('slug').isString().trim().notEmpty(),
+  body('title').isString().trim().notEmpty().isLength({ max: 200 }),
+  validate,
+  pagesCtrl.createPage,
+)
+adminRouter.get(
+  '/pages/:id',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Pages']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Get a CMS page by id (full, incl. blocks)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['id'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'integer' }, description: 'Page id.' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'The page', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[404] = { description: 'Not found', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  param('id').isInt(),
+  validate,
+  pagesCtrl.getPage,
+)
+adminRouter.patch(
+  '/pages/:id',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Pages']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Update a CMS page (title, status, blocks, metadata, settings)'
+  // #swagger.description = 'slug is immutable; disabling protection is rejected here (use /unprotect).'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['id'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'integer' }, description: 'Page id.' }
+  /* #swagger.requestBody = { content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Updated page', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[400] = { description: 'Validation error (slug immutable, invalid blocks, etc.)', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Disabling protection requires /unprotect', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[404] = { description: 'Not found', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  param('id').isInt(),
+  validate,
+  pagesCtrl.updatePage,
+)
+adminRouter.delete(
+  '/pages/:id',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Pages']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Delete a CMS page (blocked if protected)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['id'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'integer' }, description: 'Page id.' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Deleted (echoes the id)', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/DeletedId" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Page is protected', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[404] = { description: 'Not found', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  param('id').isInt(),
+  validate,
+  pagesCtrl.deletePage,
+)
+adminRouter.post(
+  '/pages/:id/unprotect',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Pages']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Disable page protection (password step-up re-auth)'
+  // #swagger.description = 'Verifies the current admin password server-side, then flips protected → false.'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['id'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'integer' }, description: 'Page id.' }
+  /* #swagger.requestBody = { required: true, content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", properties: { password: { type: "string" } }, required: ["password"] } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Updated page (protected=false)', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[401] = { description: 'Password incorrect', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[404] = { description: 'Not found', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  param('id').isInt(),
+  body('password').isString().notEmpty(),
+  validate,
+  pagesCtrl.unprotectPage,
+)
+adminRouter.post(
+  '/pages/:id/preview',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Pages']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Mint a 1h draft-preview link for a page'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['id'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'integer' }, description: 'Page id.' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Preview token + path', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", properties: { token: { type: "string" }, expiresInSeconds: { type: "integer" }, path: { type: "string" } } } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[404] = { description: 'Not found', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  param('id').isInt(),
+  validate,
+  pagesCtrl.createPreview,
+)
+
 // ── Settings ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 adminRouter.get(
   '/settings',
@@ -575,6 +767,84 @@ adminRouter.put(
   discordBot.saveConfig,
 )
 
+// ── Email delivery (Gmail OAuth2, admin only) ─────────────────────────
+// Modern replacement for env SMTP: the refresh token is captured by the connect
+// flow and is write-only over this API (stored encrypted, never returned).
+adminRouter.get(
+  '/email/config',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Email']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Get email delivery config + status (admin only)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Config (refresh token stripped) + status', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[401] = { description: 'Not authenticated', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Admin role required', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  adminOnly,
+  emailConfig.getConfig,
+)
+adminRouter.put(
+  '/email/config',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Email']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Update email delivery config (admin only)'
+  // #swagger.description = 'Set the From display name and enabled toggle. Enabling requires a connected Gmail account.'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.requestBody = { content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", properties: { senderName: { type: "string" }, enabled: { type: "boolean" } } } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Updated config', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[400] = { description: 'Cannot enable before connecting a mailbox', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[401] = { description: 'Not authenticated', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Admin role required', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  adminOnly,
+  body('senderName').optional({ values: 'null' }).isString().trim().isLength({ max: 120 }),
+  body('enabled').optional().isBoolean(),
+  validate,
+  emailConfig.saveConfig,
+)
+adminRouter.get(
+  '/email/connect/start',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Email']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Begin the Gmail OAuth2 connect flow (admin only)'
+  // #swagger.description = 'Returns { url } to redirect the browser to Google. Reuses the google SSO OAuth client.'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Authorization URL', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", properties: { url: { type: "string" } } } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[400] = { description: 'Google OAuth client not configured', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[401] = { description: 'Not authenticated', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Admin role required', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  adminOnly,
+  emailConfig.connectStart,
+)
+adminRouter.get(
+  '/email/connect/callback',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Email']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'OAuth2 callback — stores the refresh token, redirects to Settings'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.responses[302] = { description: 'Redirect back to /admin/settings' } */
+  adminOnly,
+  emailConfig.connectCallback,
+)
+adminRouter.post(
+  '/email/test',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Email']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Send a test email (admin only)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.requestBody = { content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", properties: { to: { type: "string", format: "email" } } } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Sent', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", properties: { sent: { type: "boolean" }, to: { type: "string" } } } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[502] = { description: 'Send failed / not configured', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  adminOnly,
+  body('to').optional({ values: 'falsy' }).isEmail().isLength({ max: 255 }),
+  validate,
+  emailConfig.testSend,
+)
+adminRouter.post(
+  '/email/disconnect',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Email']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Disconnect Gmail and disable email (admin only)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Disconnected config', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[401] = { description: 'Not authenticated', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Admin role required', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  adminOnly,
+  emailConfig.disconnect,
+)
+
 // ── Authentication providers / SSO (admin only) ───────────────────────
 adminRouter.get(
   '/auth/providers',
@@ -812,4 +1082,75 @@ adminRouter.delete(
   ctrl.deleteUser,
 )
 
+// ── uo-link sidecar control (admin only) ──────────────────────────────────
+// Connection config (base/ws URL + token + protocol + enabled) and the town
+// crier. The token is write-only (SECURITY note in uoLink.controller.js).
+adminRouter.get(
+  '/uo-link/config',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Get uo-link config + live status + ingestion stats (admin only)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Masked config, health and ingestion stats', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Admin role required', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  adminOnly,
+  uoLink.getConfig,
+)
+adminRouter.put(
+  '/uo-link/config',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Save uo-link connection config (admin only)'
+  // #swagger.description = 'token is write-only — omit/blank it to keep the existing one. Saving (re)starts the WS ingest client.'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.requestBody = { required: true, content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", properties: { baseUrl: { type: "string" }, wsUrl: { type: "string" }, token: { type: "string" }, protocol: { type: "integer" }, enabled: { type: "boolean" } } } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Updated config + live status', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[400] = { description: 'Validation error, or missing token while enabling', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Admin role required', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  adminOnly,
+  body('baseUrl').optional({ values: 'falsy' }).isString().trim().isURL({ require_tld: false, protocols: ['http', 'https'] }),
+  body('wsUrl').optional({ values: 'falsy' }).isString().trim().isURL({ require_tld: false, protocols: ['ws', 'wss'] }),
+  body('token').optional({ values: 'falsy' }).isString().trim(),
+  body('protocol').optional().isInt({ min: 1, max: 99 }),
+  body('enabled').optional().isBoolean(),
+  validate,
+  uoLink.saveConfig,
+)
+adminRouter.post(
+  '/uo-link/towncrier',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Publish / replace a town-crier message (admin only)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.requestBody = { required: true, content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/TownCrierRequest" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Posted', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[400] = { description: 'Rejected (over caps)', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[503] = { description: 'Shard unavailable', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  adminOnly,
+  body('id').isString().trim().isLength({ min: 1, max: 64 }),
+  body('lines').isArray({ min: 1, max: 8 }),
+  body('lines.*').isString().isLength({ max: 200 }),
+  body('durationSec').optional().isInt({ min: 1, max: 86400 }),
+  validate,
+  uoLink.postTownCrier,
+)
+adminRouter.delete(
+  '/uo-link/towncrier/:id',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Remove a town-crier message (admin only)'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['id'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'string' }, description: 'Town-crier message id.' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Removed', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[404] = { description: 'Unknown id', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  adminOnly,
+  param('id').isString().trim().isLength({ min: 1, max: 64 }),
+  validate,
+  uoLink.deleteTownCrier,
+)
+adminRouter.get(
+  '/uo-link/stream',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Admin · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Full live shard event stream incl. audit/cheat (SSE, admin only)'
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'An SSE stream (Content-Type: text/event-stream).' } */
+  adminOnly,
+  uoLink.stream,
+)
+
 module.exports = adminRouter

server/src/router/v1/admin/emailConfig.controller.js

@@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
+// ── Admin: outbound email configuration (Gmail OAuth2) ─────────────────────
+//
+// Modern replacement for env-var SMTP. Sending goes through Gmail over OAuth2;
+// the admin connects the mailbox with an in-app consent flow that captures a
+// refresh token. We reuse the existing `google` SSO OAuth client (its id/secret)
+// rather than a second app — so the only per-mailbox secret is the refresh token,
+// stored AES-GCM-encrypted and write-only over this API (never returned).
+//
+// The connect flow mirrors sso.controller.js: a signed httpOnly tx cookie carries
+// the CSRF nonce + PKCE verifier across the redirect to Google and back. It differs
+// only in scope (https://mail.google.com/ for SMTP XOAUTH2) and access_type=offline
+// + prompt=consent, which guarantee a refresh token even on reconnect.
+
+const emailConfig = require('../../../model/emailConfig/emailConfig.model')
+const authProviders = require('../../../model/authProviders/authProviders.model')
+const activity = require('../../../model/activity/activity.model')
+const mailer = require('../../../utils/mailer')
+const GoogleProvider = require('../../../auth/providers/google.provider')
+const ssoState = require('../../../auth/ssoState')
+const token = require('../../../auth/token')
+
+const log = require('../../../utils/logger')('admin')
+
+// Gmail scope grants SMTP (XOAUTH2) access; openid+email let us read back which
+// address was connected. The narrower gmail.send scope only works via the Gmail
+// API, not SMTP, so we need the full-access scope here.
+const EMAIL_SCOPE = 'https://mail.google.com/ openid email'
+const TX_COOKIE = 'email_oauth_tx'
+
+// Public base URL for the OAuth redirect_uri — same fallback pattern as
+// sso.controller.js. Must be identical between start and callback.
+function appBaseUrl(req) {
+  const configured = process.env.APP_BASE_URL
+  if (configured) return configured.replace(/\/+$/, '')
+  const derived = `${req.protocol}://${req.get('host')}`
+  log.warn('APP_BASE_URL not set — deriving email redirect_uri from the request', { derived })
+  return derived
+}
+function redirectUri(req) {
+  return `${appBaseUrl(req)}/api/v1/admin/email/connect/callback`
+}
+function txCookieOptions(req) {
+  return { ...token.cookieOptions(req), maxAge: 10 * 60 * 1000 }
+}
+
+// Front-end redirect targets after the callback resolves.
+const CONNECTED_URL = '/admin/settings?email_connected=1'
+const errorUrl = (code) => `/admin/settings?email_error=${code}`
+
+// Load the Google OAuth client (id + decrypted secret) reused for email. Returns
+// null when the google provider hasn't been configured with credentials yet.
+async function googleClient() {
+  const row = await authProviders.getWithSecret('google')
+  if (!row || !row.client_id || !row.client_secret) return null
+  return { clientId: row.client_id, clientSecret: row.client_secret }
+}
+
+// GET /admin/email/config
+async function getConfig(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const config = await emailConfig.getSafe()
+    // Surface whether the Google client email can borrow is configured, so the
+    // UI can explain why Connect is unavailable.
+    config.googleConfigured = Boolean(await googleClient())
+    return res.json(config)
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('emailConfig.getConfig', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// PUT /admin/email/config — sender name + enabled toggle. Enabling requires a
+// connected mailbox (a stored refresh token).
+async function saveConfig(req, res) {
+  const { senderName, enabled } = req.body
+  try {
+    const current = await emailConfig.getSafe()
+    if (enabled && !current.hasRefreshToken) {
+      return res.status(400).json({ message: 'Connect a Gmail account before enabling email.' })
+    }
+    const saved = await emailConfig.save({
+      senderName: senderName !== undefined ? senderName || null : undefined,
+      enabled,
+      updatedBy: req.user.id,
+    })
+    saved.googleConfigured = Boolean(await googleClient())
+    await activity.log({ req, action: 'email.config.update', detail: { enabled: saved.enabled } })
+    log.info('email config updated', { by: req.user.username, enabled: saved.enabled })
+    return res.json(saved)
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('emailConfig.saveConfig', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// GET /admin/email/connect/start — returns { url } for the browser to navigate to.
+async function connectStart(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const client = await googleClient()
+    if (!client) {
+      return res.status(400).json({
+        message: 'Configure the Google authentication provider (client id + secret) before connecting email.',
+      })
+    }
+    const provider = new GoogleProvider({ clientId: client.clientId, clientSecret: client.clientSecret })
+    const tx = ssoState.createTx({ flow: 'email' })
+    res.cookie(TX_COOKIE, tx.txToken, txCookieOptions(req))
+
+    const params = new URLSearchParams({
+      client_id: client.clientId,
+      redirect_uri: redirectUri(req),
+      response_type: 'code',
+      scope: EMAIL_SCOPE,
+      access_type: 'offline',
+      prompt: 'consent',
+      include_granted_scopes: 'true',
+      state: tx.nonce,
+      code_challenge: tx.codeChallenge,
+      code_challenge_method: 'S256',
+    })
+    const url = `${provider.authEndpoint()}?${params.toString()}`
+    return res.json({ url })
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('emailConfig.connectStart', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// GET /admin/email/connect/callback — exchange the code, capture the refresh
+// token + connected address, store encrypted, and redirect back to Settings.
+async function connectCallback(req, res) {
+  const txToken = req.cookies && req.cookies[TX_COOKIE]
+  const { code, state, error: oauthError } = req.query
+  res.clearCookie(TX_COOKIE, token.cookieOptions(req)) // single-use
+
+  if (oauthError) {
+    log.warn('email connect: provider returned error', { error: String(oauthError).slice(0, 60) })
+    return res.redirect(errorUrl('denied'))
+  }
+  const tx = ssoState.verifyTx(txToken, state)
+  if (!tx || tx.flow !== 'email' || !code) {
+    log.warn('email connect: bad state')
+    return res.redirect(errorUrl('bad_state'))
+  }
+  try {
+    const client = await googleClient()
+    if (!client) return res.redirect(errorUrl('no_client'))
+    const provider = new GoogleProvider({ clientId: client.clientId, clientSecret: client.clientSecret })
+
+    const tokenSet = await provider.exchangeCode({
+      code,
+      redirectUri: redirectUri(req),
+      codeVerifier: tx.verifier,
+    })
+    if (!tokenSet.refresh_token) {
+      // Google only returns a refresh token when it hasn't already granted one
+      // for this client+scope. prompt=consent should force it; if it's still
+      // missing the admin can revoke the app's access and retry.
+      log.warn('email connect: no refresh_token returned')
+      return res.redirect(errorUrl('no_refresh_token'))
+    }
+    const profile = await provider.getUserProfile(tokenSet.access_token)
+    const senderEmail = profile.email || null
+    if (!senderEmail) return res.redirect(errorUrl('no_email'))
+
+    await emailConfig.save({
+      senderEmail,
+      refreshToken: tokenSet.refresh_token,
+      enabled: true,
+      status: 'connected',
+      statusDetail: 'Connected',
+      updatedBy: req.user.id,
+    })
+    await emailConfig.recordStatus({ status: 'connected', statusDetail: 'Connected', lastVerifiedAt: new Date() })
+    await activity.log({ req, action: 'email.connect', detail: { senderEmail } })
+    log.info('email connected', { senderEmail, by: req.user.username })
+    return res.redirect(CONNECTED_URL)
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('emailConfig.connectCallback', err)
+    return res.redirect(errorUrl('error'))
+  }
+}
+
+// POST /admin/email/test — send a test message (to the given address, or the
+// contact recipient by default).
+async function testSend(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const result = await mailer.sendTest(req.body.to)
+    await activity.log({ req, action: 'email.test', detail: { to: result.to } })
+    return res.json(result)
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.warn('email test send failed', { message: err.message })
+    return res.status(502).json({ message: err.message || 'Could not send the test email.' })
+  }
+}
+
+// POST /admin/email/disconnect — clear the stored credential and disable sending.
+async function disconnect(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const config = await emailConfig.disconnect(req.user.id)
+    config.googleConfigured = Boolean(await googleClient())
+    await activity.log({ req, action: 'email.disconnect' })
+    log.info('email disconnected', { by: req.user.username })
+    return res.json(config)
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('emailConfig.disconnect', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = { getConfig, saveConfig, connectStart, connectCallback, testSend, disconnect }

server/src/router/v1/admin/pages.controller.js

@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+// Admin CMS pages controller. Thin HTTP layer over pages.model — it translates
+// the model's PageError (status + code) into responses and records audit-log
+// entries for the lifecycle events the spec calls out (create / publish /
+// unpublish / delete, protect on, and the password-gated unprotect).
+
+const pages = require('../../../model/pages/pages.model')
+const users = require('../../../model/users/users.model')
+const activity = require('../../../model/activity/activity.model')
+const token = require('../../../auth/token')
+const logger = require('../../../utils/logger')('pages')
+
+// Map a thrown error to a response. Known PageErrors carry a status + code (and
+// sometimes a block-error list); anything else is an unexpected 500.
+function fail(res, err) {
+  if (err && err.name === 'PageError') {
+    const body = { message: err.message, code: err.code }
+    if (err.errors) body.details = err.errors
+    return res.status(err.status).json(body)
+  }
+  logger.error('unexpected pages error', { error: err.message })
+  return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal error' })
+}
+
+async function listPages(req, res) {
+  return res.json(await pages.list())
+}
+
+async function getPage(req, res) {
+  const page = await pages.getById(Number(req.params.id))
+  if (!page) return res.status(404).json({ message: 'Page not found', code: 'not_found' })
+  return res.json(page)
+}
+
+async function createPage(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const page = await pages.create(req.body, req.user.id)
+    await activity.log({ req, action: 'page.create', detail: { id: page.id, slug: page.slug } })
+    if (page.status === 'published') {
+      await activity.log({ req, action: 'page.publish', detail: { id: page.id, slug: page.slug } })
+    }
+    return res.status(201).json(page)
+  } catch (err) {
+    return fail(res, err)
+  }
+}
+
+async function updatePage(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const id = Number(req.params.id)
+    const before = await pages.getRawById(id)
+    if (!before) return res.status(404).json({ message: 'Page not found', code: 'not_found' })
+
+    const page = await pages.update(id, req.body)
+    await activity.log({ req, action: 'page.update', detail: { id, slug: page.slug } })
+
+    // Emit dedicated audit events for the transitions the spec singles out.
+    if (before.status !== page.status) {
+      const action = page.status === 'published' ? 'page.publish' : 'page.unpublish'
+      await activity.log({ req, action, detail: { id, slug: page.slug } })
+    }
+    if (!before.protected && page.settings.protected) {
+      await activity.log({ req, action: 'page.protect', detail: { id, slug: page.slug } })
+    }
+    return res.json(page)
+  } catch (err) {
+    return fail(res, err)
+  }
+}
+
+async function deletePage(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const id = Number(req.params.id)
+    const result = await pages.remove(id)
+    await activity.log({ req, action: 'page.delete', detail: { id } })
+    return res.json(result)
+  } catch (err) {
+    return fail(res, err)
+  }
+}
+
+// Step-up auth: verify the CURRENT admin's password against their own hash
+// (independent of JWT validity) before flipping protected → false. On failure:
+// no mutation, standard 401, and the entered password is never logged anywhere.
+async function unprotectPage(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const id = Number(req.params.id)
+    const password = req.body?.password
+    if (typeof password !== 'string' || password === '') {
+      return res.status(400).json({ message: 'Password is required', code: 'password_required' })
+    }
+    const user = await users.getRawById(req.user.id)
+    const ok = await users.validatePassword(user, password)
+    if (!ok) {
+      logger.warn('failed page unprotect (bad password)', { pageId: id, userId: req.user.id })
+      return res.status(401).json({ message: 'Password is incorrect', code: 'bad_password' })
+    }
+    const page = await pages.unprotect(id)
+    await activity.log({ req, action: 'page.unprotect', detail: { id, slug: page.slug } })
+    return res.json(page)
+  } catch (err) {
+    return fail(res, err)
+  }
+}
+
+// Mint a 1h preview token for the page's current (possibly unpublished) state.
+// Returns the token plus the ready-to-use public preview path.
+async function createPreview(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const id = Number(req.params.id)
+    const page = await pages.getById(id)
+    if (!page) return res.status(404).json({ message: 'Page not found', code: 'not_found' })
+    const t = token.signPagePreview(id)
+    return res.json({
+      token: t,
+      expiresInSeconds: 3600,
+      path: `/api/v1/public/pages/${id}/preview/${t}`,
+    })
+  } catch (err) {
+    return fail(res, err)
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  listPages,
+  getPage,
+  createPage,
+  updatePage,
+  deletePage,
+  unprotectPage,
+  createPreview,
+}

server/src/router/v1/admin/uoLink.controller.js

@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+// ── Admin: uo-link sidecar control ─────────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// Configure the connection to the uo-link sidecar (base/ws URL, shared-secret
+// token, protocol pin, enabled) and drive the town crier. SECURITY: the token
+// is write-only over this API — stored encrypted, NEVER returned; responses
+// expose only `hasToken` (same convention as the Discord bot token). Saving
+// (re)starts the WS ingest client so a change takes effect with no redeploy.
+
+const uoLinkConfig = require('../../../model/uoLinkConfig/uoLinkConfig.model')
+const uoLinkClient = require('../../../utils/uoLinkClient')
+const uoLinkSocket = require('../../../utils/uoLinkSocket')
+const shardBroadcast = require('../../../utils/shardBroadcast')
+const activity = require('../../../model/activity/activity.model')
+
+const log = require('../../../utils/logger')('admin-uolink')
+
+// Assemble the masked config + live health + ingestion stats for the panel.
+async function buildStatus() {
+  const config = await uoLinkConfig.getSafe()
+  const health = await uoLinkClient.health()
+  return {
+    ...config,
+    health: health.ok ? health.data : { ok: false, error: health.error || `status ${health.status}` },
+    ingest: uoLinkSocket.getState(),
+    sse: shardBroadcast.stats(),
+  }
+}
+
+// GET /admin/uo-link/config — masked config + live status + ingestion stats.
+async function getConfig(req, res) {
+  try {
+    return res.json(await buildStatus())
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('uoLink.getConfig', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// PUT /admin/uo-link/config — save connection settings + (re)start the socket.
+async function saveConfig(req, res) {
+  const { baseUrl, wsUrl, token, protocol, enabled } = req.body
+  try {
+    const current = await uoLinkConfig.getSafe()
+    const willHaveToken = Boolean(token) || current.hasToken
+    if (enabled && !willHaveToken) {
+      return res.status(400).json({ message: 'An auth token is required before enabling.' })
+    }
+
+    await uoLinkConfig.save({
+      baseUrl,
+      wsUrl,
+      token,
+      protocol: protocol !== undefined ? Number(protocol) : undefined,
+      enabled,
+      updatedBy: req.user.id,
+    })
+    // Drop the client's cached config so the health check below uses the new values.
+    uoLinkClient.invalidateConfig()
+
+    // (Re)start or stop the ingest socket to match the new enabled/URL/token.
+    const saved = await uoLinkConfig.getSafe()
+    if (saved.enabled && saved.hasToken) {
+      await uoLinkSocket.start()
+    } else {
+      uoLinkSocket.stop()
+      await uoLinkConfig.recordStatus({ status: 'disconnected', pluginConnected: false })
+    }
+
+    await activity.log({ req, action: 'uoLink.config.update', detail: { baseUrl: saved.baseUrl, enabled: saved.enabled } })
+    log.info('uo-link config updated', { by: req.user.username, enabled: saved.enabled })
+    return res.json(await buildStatus())
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('uoLink.saveConfig', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// POST /admin/uo-link/towncrier — publish/replace a town-crier message.
+async function postTownCrier(req, res) {
+  const { id, lines, durationSec } = req.body
+  try {
+    const result = await uoLinkClient.postTownCrier({ id, lines, durationSec })
+    if (result.ok) {
+      await activity.log({ req, action: 'uoLink.towncrier.post', detail: { id } })
+      return res.json(result.data || { ok: true, id })
+    }
+    if (result.status === 400) return res.status(400).json({ message: 'The shard rejected that message (over the line/duration caps?).' })
+    if (result.status === 503 || result.status === 0) {
+      return res.status(503).json({ message: 'The shard is unavailable right now.' })
+    }
+    return res.status(502).json({ message: 'Could not reach the shard.' })
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('uoLink.postTownCrier', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// DELETE /admin/uo-link/towncrier/:id — remove a town-crier message.
+async function deleteTownCrier(req, res) {
+  const { id } = req.params
+  try {
+    const result = await uoLinkClient.deleteTownCrier(id)
+    if (result.ok) {
+      await activity.log({ req, action: 'uoLink.towncrier.delete', detail: { id } })
+      return res.json(result.data || { ok: true, id })
+    }
+    if (result.status === 404) return res.status(404).json({ message: 'No town-crier message with that id.' })
+    if (result.status === 503 || result.status === 0) {
+      return res.status(503).json({ message: 'The shard is unavailable right now.' })
+    }
+    return res.status(502).json({ message: 'Could not reach the shard.' })
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('uoLink.deleteTownCrier', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// GET /admin/uo-link/stream — the full live feed (incl. audit/cheat), staff only.
+function stream(req, res) {
+  shardBroadcast.subscribe(req, res, 'admin')
+}
+
+module.exports = { getConfig, saveConfig, postTownCrier, deleteTownCrier, stream }

server/src/router/v1/player/player.routes.js

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ const express = require('express')
 const { body, param } = require('express-validator')
 
 const account = require('../admin/account.controller')
+const shard = require('./shard.controller')
 const { requireAuth, requireRole } = require('../../../auth/session.middleware')
 const noindex = require('../../../middleware/noindex')
 const validate = require('../../../middleware/validate')
@@ -129,4 +130,78 @@ playerRouter.delete(
   account.unlinkIdentity,
 )
 
+// ── Game account linking (uo-link) ─────────────────────────────────────────
+// Link an in-game account with a one-time code from [link, then read the
+// account's roster / vendors (ownership-checked against the local link mirror).
+const ACCOUNT_RE = /^[A-Za-z0-9_.-]{1,120}$/
+playerRouter.post(
+  '/shard/link',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Player · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Link an in-game account with a one-time code'
+  // #swagger.description = 'The player runs [link in game to get a code, then submits it here. The server confirms it with the sidecar and mirrors the link.'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.requestBody = { required: true, content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/ShardLinkRequest" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Linked', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/ShardLinkResult" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[400] = { description: 'Unknown or expired code', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[503] = { description: 'Shard unavailable — retry', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  body('code').isString().trim().isLength({ min: 4, max: 32 }),
+  validate,
+  shard.link,
+)
+playerRouter.get(
+  '/shard/accounts',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Player · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'List the caller’s linked game accounts'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Linked accounts', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "array", items: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/ShardLink" } } } } } */
+  shard.listAccounts,
+)
+playerRouter.get(
+  '/shard/roster/:account',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Player · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Character roster for a linked account'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['account'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'string' }, description: 'A game account linked to the caller.' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Account roster', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Account not linked to the caller', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[503] = { description: 'Shard unavailable — retry', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  param('account').matches(ACCOUNT_RE),
+  validate,
+  shard.roster,
+)
+playerRouter.get(
+  '/shard/vendors/:account',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Player · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Player vendors for a linked account'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['account'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'string' }, description: 'A game account linked to the caller.' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Vendor snapshot', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Account not linked to the caller', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[503] = { description: 'Shard unavailable — retry', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  param('account').matches(ACCOUNT_RE),
+  validate,
+  shard.vendors,
+)
+playerRouter.get(
+  '/shard/char/:serial',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Player · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Character sheet — only for a character on the caller’s linked account'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  // #swagger.parameters['serial'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'string' }, description: 'Mobile serial, e.g. 0x24C.' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Character profile', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[403] = { description: 'Character not on an account linked to the caller', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[503] = { description: 'Shard unavailable — retry', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  param('serial').matches(/^0x[0-9a-fA-F]+$/),
+  validate,
+  shard.getChar,
+)
+playerRouter.get(
+  '/shard/sales',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Player · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Recent player-vendor sales for the caller’s linked accounts'
+  // #swagger.security = [{ "cookieAuth": [] }, { "bearerAuth": [] }]
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Vendor sales', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "array", items: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/ShardVendorSale" } } } } } */
+  shard.getSales,
+)
+
 module.exports = playerRouter

server/src/router/v1/player/shard.controller.js

@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+// ── Player: game-account linking + reads ───────────────────────────────────
+//
+// The player-facing surface for the uo-link integration. A logged-in player
+// runs [link in game, gets a one-time code, and enters it here — the server
+// confirms it with the sidecar (which permanently tags the game account with the
+// website user id) and mirrors the link locally. Roster/vendor reads are
+// ownership-checked against that mirror so a player can only see accounts they
+// have linked. The sidecar token stays server-side throughout.
+
+const uoLinkClient = require('../../../utils/uoLinkClient')
+const shardLinks = require('../../../model/shardLinks/shardLinks.model')
+const shardEvents = require('../../../model/shardEvents/shardEvents.model')
+const activity = require('../../../model/activity/activity.model')
+
+const log = require('../../../utils/logger')('player-shard')
+
+const SERIAL_RE = /^0x[0-9a-fA-F]+$/
+
+// POST /player/shard/link — confirm an in-game link code.
+async function link(req, res) {
+  const { code } = req.body
+  try {
+    const result = await uoLinkClient.confirmLink(code, req.user.id)
+
+    if (result.ok && result.data && result.data.kind === 'link.ok') {
+      const account = result.data.account
+      await shardLinks.link({ account, userId: req.user.id, charName: result.data.char || null })
+      await activity.log({ req, action: 'uoLink.account.link', detail: { account } })
+      log.info('player linked game account', { user: req.user.username, account })
+      return res.json({ linked: true, account })
+    }
+
+    // Sidecar reports bad/expired codes as 400 link.error or 404.
+    if (result.status === 400 || result.status === 404) {
+      return res.status(400).json({ message: 'That code is unknown or has expired. Run [link in game for a new one.' })
+    }
+    if (result.status === 503 || result.status === 0) {
+      return res.status(503).json({ message: 'The shard is unavailable right now — try again shortly.' })
+    }
+    return res.status(502).json({ message: 'Could not confirm the link with the shard.' })
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('player.shard.link', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// GET /player/shard/accounts — the caller's linked game accounts.
+async function listAccounts(req, res) {
+  try {
+    return res.json(await shardLinks.listForUser(req.user.id))
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('player.shard.listAccounts', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// Admins may view any character's data; everyone else is limited to accounts
+// they have personally linked. The same handlers back /player/shard (role
+// `player`, never admin) and /admin/shard (staff), so this bypass only ever
+// widens access for genuine admins.
+const isAdmin = (req) => req.user && req.user.role === 'admin'
+
+// Shared ownership gate + live round-trip for roster/vendors. `fetcher` is the
+// uoLinkClient method to call with the account.
+async function ownedRoundTrip(req, res, fetcher, label) {
+  const { account } = req.params
+  try {
+    const owns = isAdmin(req) || (await shardLinks.ownsAccount(account, req.user.id))
+    if (!owns) return res.status(403).json({ message: 'That account is not linked to your profile.' })
+
+    const result = await fetcher(account)
+    if (result.ok) return res.json(result.data)
+    if (result.status === 404) return res.status(404).json({ message: 'Not found.' })
+    if (result.status === 503 || result.status === 0) {
+      return res.status(503).json({ message: 'The shard is unavailable right now — try again shortly.' })
+    }
+    return res.status(502).json({ message: 'Could not reach the shard.' })
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error(`player.shard.${label}`, err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// GET /player/shard/roster/:account — characters on a linked account.
+const roster = (req, res) => ownedRoundTrip(req, res, uoLinkClient.getRoster, 'roster')
+
+// GET /player/shard/vendors/:account — player vendors on a linked account.
+const vendors = (req, res) => ownedRoundTrip(req, res, uoLinkClient.getVendors, 'vendors')
+
+// GET /player/shard/char/:serial — a character sheet, but ONLY if the character's
+// account is linked to the caller. The sidecar returns the owning account in the
+// profile, which we check against the caller's links before returning anything.
+async function getChar(req, res) {
+  const { serial } = req.params
+  if (!SERIAL_RE.test(serial)) return res.status(400).json({ message: 'Invalid serial.' })
+  try {
+    const result = await uoLinkClient.getCharBySerial(serial)
+    if (result.ok) {
+      // Admins see any character; others only characters on an account they linked.
+      if (!isAdmin(req)) {
+        const acct = result.data && result.data.acct
+        const owns = acct ? await shardLinks.ownsAccount(acct, req.user.id) : false
+        if (!owns) return res.status(403).json({ message: 'That character is not on an account linked to you.' })
+      }
+      return res.json(result.data)
+    }
+    if (result.status === 404) return res.status(404).json({ message: 'Character not found.' })
+    if (result.status === 503 || result.status === 0) {
+      return res.status(503).json({ message: 'The game server is restarting — try again shortly.' })
+    }
+    return res.status(502).json({ message: 'Could not reach the shard.' })
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('player.shard.getChar', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// GET /player/shard/sales — recent player-vendor sales for the caller's linked
+// accounts only (as seller/owner). Read from the site's own event log.
+async function getSales(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const links = await shardLinks.listForUser(req.user.id)
+    const accounts = new Set(links.map((l) => l.account))
+    if (accounts.size === 0) return res.json([])
+    const events = await shardEvents.list({ kind: 'vendor.sale', limit: 500 })
+    const mine = events
+      .filter((e) => e.payload && accounts.has(e.payload.ownerAcct))
+      .slice(0, 50)
+      .map((e) => ({
+        t: e.t,
+        itemType: e.payload.itemType,
+        amount: e.payload.amount,
+        price: e.payload.price,
+        commission: e.payload.commission,
+        ownerAcct: e.payload.ownerAcct,
+      }))
+    return res.json(mine)
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('player.shard.getSales', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = { link, listAccounts, roster, vendors, getChar, getSales }

server/src/router/v1/public/public.controller.js

@@ -1,10 +1,21 @@
 const posts = require('../../../model/posts/posts.model')
 const wiki = require('../../../model/wiki/wiki.model')
 const settings = require('../../../model/settings/settings.model')
+const pages = require('../../../model/pages/pages.model')
 const mailer = require('../../../utils/mailer')
+const { getUserFromRequest } = require('../../../utils/auth')
+const token = require('../../../auth/token')
 
 const log = require('../../../utils/logger')('public')
 
+// Staff (non-player) roles may see draft pages on the public route; everyone else
+// gets a 404 for a draft, indistinguishable from a missing page.
+const STAFF_ROLES = ['admin', 'editor', 'moderator']
+function isStaff(req) {
+  const user = getUserFromRequest(req)
+  return Boolean(user && STAFF_ROLES.includes(user.role))
+}
+
 async function getSettings(req, res) {
   try {
     return res.json(await settings.getPublic())
@@ -100,6 +111,34 @@ async function getWikiPage(req, res) {
   }
 }
 
+async function getPage(req, res) {
+  try {
+    // Staff see drafts (live preview); the public sees published pages only.
+    const page = await pages.getBySlug(req.params.slug, { includeUnpublished: isStaff(req) })
+    if (!page) return res.status(404).json({ message: 'Not found' })
+    return res.json(page)
+  } catch (err) {
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// Token-gated draft preview: renders the page's current block state regardless of
+// status, for anyone holding the (short-lived, unguessable) link.
+async function getPagePreview(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const id = Number(req.params.id)
+    const decoded = token.verifyPagePreview(req.params.token)
+    if (!decoded || decoded.pageId !== id) {
+      return res.status(404).json({ message: 'Preview not found or expired' })
+    }
+    const page = await pages.getById(id)
+    if (!page) return res.status(404).json({ message: 'Not found' })
+    return res.json(page)
+  } catch (err) {
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
 async function contact(req, res) {
   const { name, email, message } = req.body
   try {
@@ -120,5 +159,7 @@ module.exports = {
   getWikiTags,
   getWikiList,
   getWikiPage,
+  getPage,
+  getPagePreview,
   contact,
 }

server/src/router/v1/public/public.routes.js

@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 const express = require('express')
-const { body } = require('express-validator')
+const { body, param, query } = require('express-validator')
 
 const ctrl = require('./public.controller')
+const shard = require('./shard.controller')
 const siteMode = require('../../../middleware/siteMode')
 const validate = require('../../../middleware/validate')
 const { contactLimiter } = require('../../../middleware/rateLimit')
@@ -102,4 +103,86 @@ publicRouter.get(
   ctrl.getWikiPage,
 )
 
+// ── CMS pages (block-based) ────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Preview is registered before /pages/:slug and is NOT site-mode gated, so a
+// draft-preview link keeps working during maintenance. The token itself is the
+// access control.
+publicRouter.get(
+  '/pages/:id/preview/:token',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Public']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Render a page from a draft-preview token'
+  // #swagger.parameters['id'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'integer' }, description: 'Page id.' }
+  // #swagger.parameters['token'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'string' }, description: 'Preview token from POST /admin/pages/:id/preview.' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'The page (any status)', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[404] = { description: 'Token invalid/expired or page missing', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  ctrl.getPagePreview,
+)
+publicRouter.get(
+  '/pages/:slug',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Public']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Get a published CMS page by slug'
+  // #swagger.description = 'Drafts 404 for the public; staff sessions see drafts. Gated by site mode.'
+  // #swagger.parameters['slug'] = { in: 'path', required: true, schema: { type: 'string' }, description: 'Page slug.' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'The page', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "object", additionalProperties: true } } } } */
+  /* #swagger.responses[404] = { description: 'Not found', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/Error" } } } } */
+  siteMode,
+  ctrl.getPage,
+)
+
+// ── Shard live data (uo-link) ──────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Token-free, same-origin reads. The status/feed/economy/idoc endpoints read
+// the site's own ingested data; /char round-trips the live shard (cached). Not
+// site-mode gated — shard status is useful even during site maintenance.
+publicRouter.get(
+  '/shard/status',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Public · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Shard connection state, online count and latest economy'
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Shard status', content: { "application/json": { schema: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/ShardStatus" } } } } */
+  shard.getStatus,
+)
+publicRouter.get(
+  '/shard/feed',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Public · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Recent notable shard events (from the ingested log)'
+  // #swagger.parameters['kind'] = { in: 'query', required: false, schema: { type: 'string' }, description: 'Filter to a single event kind, e.g. vendor.sale.' }
+  // #swagger.parameters['limit'] = { in: 'query', required: false, schema: { type: 'integer' }, description: 'Max rows (default 100, max 1000).' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Events, newest first', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "array", items: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/ShardEvent" } } } } } */
+  query('kind').optional({ values: 'falsy' }).isString().isLength({ max: 48 }),
+  query('limit').optional().isInt({ min: 1, max: 1000 }),
+  validate,
+  shard.getFeed,
+)
+publicRouter.get(
+  '/shard/economy',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Public · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Gold-supply time series (oldest → newest)'
+  // #swagger.parameters['limit'] = { in: 'query', required: false, schema: { type: 'integer' }, description: 'Max samples (default 100, max 1000).' }
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Economy samples', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "array", items: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/ShardEconomyPoint" } } } } } */
+  query('limit').optional().isInt({ min: 1, max: 1000 }),
+  validate,
+  shard.getEconomy,
+)
+publicRouter.get(
+  '/shard/online',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Public · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Staff online now (linked staff accounts; name + serial + map only)'
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'Online players', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "array", items: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/ShardOnlinePlayer" } } } } } */
+  shard.getOnline,
+)
+publicRouter.get(
+  '/shard/idoc',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Public · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Houses currently in danger (IDOC)'
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'IDOC houses', content: { "application/json": { schema: { type: "array", items: { $ref: "#/components/schemas/ShardHouse" } } } } } */
+  shard.getIdoc,
+)
+publicRouter.get(
+  '/shard/stream',
+  // #swagger.tags = ['Public · Shard']
+  // #swagger.summary = 'Live shard event stream (Server-Sent Events, public/safe kinds)'
+  // #swagger.description = 'text/event-stream of curated live events. Sensitive kinds (staff audit, cheat detection, login attempts, IPs) are NOT sent on this channel.'
+  /* #swagger.responses[200] = { description: 'An SSE stream (Content-Type: text/event-stream).' } */
+  shard.stream,
+)
+
 module.exports = publicRouter

server/src/router/v1/public/shard.controller.js

@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+// ── Public: shard live data ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// Same-origin, token-free read endpoints backed by the data the WS ingest
+// pipeline persists (shard_online / shard_events / shard_economy / shard_houses)
+// plus a live character round-trip to the sidecar. The browser never sees the
+// sidecar URL or token — every sidecar call is server-side (uoLinkClient).
+//
+// The stored-data endpoints are cheap DB reads. The live /char endpoint hits the
+// running shard, so it is briefly cached and degrades gracefully: a 503 (shard
+// restarting) surfaces as a retry-able banner rather than an error.
+
+const shardEvents = require('../../../model/shardEvents/shardEvents.model')
+const shardState = require('../../../model/shardState/shardState.model')
+const uoLinkConfig = require('../../../model/uoLinkConfig/uoLinkConfig.model')
+const broadcast = require('../../../utils/shardBroadcast')
+
+const log = require('../../../utils/logger')('public-shard')
+
+// GET /public/shard/status — connection state + online count + latest economy.
+async function getStatus(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const config = await uoLinkConfig.getSafe()
+    const [online, economy] = await Promise.all([
+      shardState.onlineCount(),
+      shardState.latestEconomy(),
+    ])
+    return res.json({
+      enabled: config.enabled,
+      status: config.status,
+      pluginConnected: config.pluginConnected,
+      lastEventAt: config.lastEventAt,
+      onlineCount: online,
+      economy,
+    })
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('shard.getStatus', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// GET /public/shard/feed?kind=&limit= — recent notable events from the log,
+// restricted to the public-safe allowlist so staff audit / cheat / link events
+// (which are stored for the admin channel) can never leak to the public.
+async function getFeed(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const { kind, limit } = req.query
+    let events
+    if (kind) {
+      // A specific kind is only served if it is itself public-safe.
+      if (!broadcast.PUBLIC_KINDS.has(kind)) return res.json([])
+      events = await shardEvents.list({ kind, limit })
+    } else {
+      events = await shardEvents.list({ kinds: [...broadcast.PUBLIC_KINDS], limit })
+    }
+    return res.json(events)
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('shard.getFeed', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// GET /public/shard/economy — gold-supply series, oldest → newest.
+async function getEconomy(req, res) {
+  try {
+    return res.json(await shardState.listEconomy(req.query.limit))
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('shard.getEconomy', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// GET /public/shard/online — players online now whose account is linked to a
+// STAFF website user (admin/editor/moderator). Shows name + location (map +
+// coordinates); no vitals or account. Non-staff players are never listed.
+async function getOnline(req, res) {
+  try {
+    const rows = await shardState.listOnlineLinked()
+    return res.json(rows.map((r) => ({ serial: r.serial, name: r.name, map: r.map, x: r.x, y: r.y, z: r.z })))
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('shard.getOnline', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// GET /public/shard/idoc — houses currently in danger (stage IDOC).
+async function getIdoc(req, res) {
+  try {
+    return res.json(await shardState.listIdoc())
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('shard.getIdoc', err)
+    return res.status(500).json({ message: 'Internal Server Error' })
+  }
+}
+
+// GET /public/shard/stream — public live-event SSE channel (safe kinds only).
+function stream(req, res) {
+  broadcast.subscribe(req, res, 'public')
+}
+
+module.exports = { getStatus, getFeed, getEconomy, getOnline, getIdoc, stream }

server/src/server.js

@@ -4,11 +4,15 @@ const http = require('http')
 const app = require('./app')
 const internalApp = require('./internalApp')
 const botScore = require('./middleware/botScore')
+const uoLinkSocket = require('./utils/uoLinkSocket')
+const uoLinkClient = require('./utils/uoLinkClient')
+const uoLinkConfig = require('./model/uoLinkConfig/uoLinkConfig.model')
+const shardBroadcast = require('./utils/shardBroadcast')
+const announceWorker = require('./utils/announceWorker')
 const { ensureSchema, close } = require('./utils/db')
 const { seedDefaults, createInitialAdminFromEnv } = require('../db/seed')
 const settings = require('./model/settings/settings.model')
 const revokedSessions = require('./model/revokedSessions/revokedSessions.model')
-const mailer = require('./utils/mailer')
 const createLogger = require('./utils/logger')
 const { evaluateBotInternalKey } = require('./utils/botInternalKey')
 const pkg = require('../package.json')
@@ -30,7 +34,7 @@ async function start() {
     logFile: createLogger.logFilePath || 'disabled (console only)',
     db: `${process.env.DB_HOST || '127.0.0.1'}:${process.env.DB_PORT || 3306}/${process.env.DB_NAME || 'uomysticmoon'}`,
     cookieSecure: process.env.COOKIE_SECURE || 'auto',
-    smtp: mailer.isConfigured() ? 'configured' : 'not configured (mailto fallback)',
+    email: 'gmail-oauth2 (configured in admin → settings)',
   })
 
   // Fail fast if the server<->bot shared secret is weak/placeholder. Fatal in
@@ -78,9 +82,52 @@ async function start() {
     log.info(`internal API listening on http://${HOST}:${INTERNAL_PORT}  (server<->bot only — do NOT proxy)`)
   })
 
+  // Start the uo-link WebSocket ingest client. Self-guards: it only actually
+  // connects when the admin has enabled the integration and saved a token, so
+  // this is a no-op on shards that haven't configured the sidecar. Never let a
+  // sidecar problem block server startup.
+  try {
+    await uoLinkSocket.start()
+    await checkUoLink()
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.warn('uo-link socket failed to start (continuing)', { error: err.message })
+  }
+
+  // Start the news-announcement dispatcher: a light in-process poller that pushes
+  // published news posts to the in-game town crier + Discord with independent
+  // retry per leg. No-op until a news post is actually published.
+  announceWorker.start()
+
   setupShutdown(server, internalServer)
 }
 
+// Best-effort startup probe of the uo-link sidecar: if the integration is
+// enabled, log whether it is reachable and warn loudly on a protocol mismatch
+// (fail-fast visibility rather than silently mis-parsing a newer wire format).
+async function checkUoLink() {
+  const config = await uoLinkConfig.getSafe()
+  if (!config.enabled) return
+  const health = await uoLinkClient.health()
+  if (!health.ok) {
+    log.warn('uo-link is enabled but the sidecar is unreachable at startup', {
+      baseUrl: config.baseUrl,
+      error: health.error || `status ${health.status}`,
+    })
+    return
+  }
+  if (health.data && health.data.protocol && health.data.protocol !== config.protocol) {
+    log.error('uo-link PROTOCOL MISMATCH — pinned vs sidecar', {
+      pinned: config.protocol,
+      sidecar: health.data.protocol,
+    })
+  } else {
+    log.info('uo-link sidecar reachable', {
+      pluginConnected: health.data && health.data.plugin_connected,
+      protocol: health.data && health.data.protocol,
+    })
+  }
+}
+
 function setupShutdown(server, internalServer) {
   let closing = false
   const shutdown = async (signal) => {
@@ -88,6 +135,9 @@ function setupShutdown(server, internalServer) {
     closing = true
     log.warn(`${signal} received — shutting down gracefully`)
     botScore.stopSweeper() // stop the bot-store cleanup interval
+    announceWorker.stop() // stop the news-announcement dispatcher poller
+    uoLinkSocket.stop() // close the uo-link WS ingest client
+    shardBroadcast.closeAll() // end any open shard live-feed SSE streams
     server.close(() => log.info('http server closed'))
     if (internalServer) internalServer.close(() => log.info('internal http server closed'))
     try {

server/src/utils/announceWorker.js

@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+// ── Announcement dispatcher worker ──────────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// A lightweight, in-process table poller (no Redis/BullMQ in the stack). Every
+// ANNOUNCE_POLL_MS it sweeps announce_jobs for legs that are due — freshly
+// enqueued or past their backoff — and dispatches each one:
+//   • town crier  → uoLinkClient.postTownCrier (sidecar → in-game)
+//   • discord     → botInternalClient.announce (bot → #news channel)
+// Both clients never throw (they return { ok, status, error }); the model turns
+// each result into done / retry / terminal and owns the backoff + rollup. One
+// leg failing never touches the other. Same setInterval + unref + stop() shape
+// as middleware/botScore's sweeper, wired into server.js start/shutdown.
+
+const announceJobs = require('../model/announceJobs/announceJobs.model')
+const announceJobsDb = require('../model/announceJobs/announceJobs.db')
+const logic = require('../model/announceJobs/announceJobs.logic')
+const posts = require('../model/posts/posts.model')
+const uoLinkClient = require('./uoLinkClient')
+const botInternalClient = require('./botInternalClient')
+const log = require('./logger')('announce-worker')
+
+const POLL_MS = Number(process.env.ANNOUNCE_POLL_MS) || 15_000
+const TOWNCRIER_DURATION_SEC = Number(process.env.TOWNCRIER_DURATION_SEC) || 3600
+
+function baseUrl() {
+  return (process.env.APP_BASE_URL || 'http://localhost:5173').replace(/\/+$/, '')
+}
+
+// ── Leg dispatchers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Return the raw client result ({ ok, status, data, error }); classification is
+// the model/logic's job.
+
+async function dispatchTownCrier(post) {
+  const lines = logic.buildTownCrierText(post, { baseUrl: baseUrl() })
+  // Stable id: re-posting `post-<id>` REPLACES the prior town-crier entry rather
+  // than stacking a duplicate, so a retry after a partial failure is safe.
+  return uoLinkClient.postTownCrier({
+    id: `post-${post.id}`,
+    lines,
+    durationSec: TOWNCRIER_DURATION_SEC,
+  })
+}
+
+async function dispatchDiscord(post) {
+  const base = baseUrl()
+  // Stored image paths are relative ("/uploads/x.png"); Discord embeds need an
+  // absolute URL.
+  const imageUrl = post.image_url ? new URL(post.image_url, base).toString() : null
+  return botInternalClient.announce({
+    title: post.title,
+    excerpt: post.excerpt,
+    url: `${base}/site/news`,
+    imageUrl,
+  })
+}
+
+// Process a single due leg of a job: fetch the post, dispatch, classify, record.
+async function processLeg(job, leg) {
+  const post = await posts.getById(job.post_id)
+  if (!post) {
+    // Post was deleted between enqueue and dispatch (the CASCADE usually reaps
+    // the job first, but guard anyway). Nothing to announce — fail the leg.
+    await announceJobs.recordOutcome(job, leg, { outcome: 'terminal', error: 'post no longer exists' })
+    return
+  }
+
+  let result
+  let classification
+  try {
+    if (leg === 'towncrier') {
+      result = await dispatchTownCrier(post)
+      classification = logic.classifyTownCrier(result)
+    } else {
+      result = await dispatchDiscord(post)
+      classification = logic.classifyDiscord(result)
+    }
+  } catch (err) {
+    // Clients shouldn't throw, but if one does, treat it as a transient failure
+    // rather than crashing the tick.
+    log.error('dispatch threw', { jobId: job.id, leg, message: err.message })
+    classification = { outcome: 'retry', error: err.message }
+  }
+
+  await announceJobs.recordOutcome(job, leg, classification)
+}
+
+// One sweep: find due jobs and process each due leg. A job may have both legs due
+// (a fresh enqueue) — process the ones that are actually pending. `job` is a
+// snapshot from the SELECT; recordOutcome re-reads for the rollup, so processing
+// the two legs sequentially off the same snapshot is fine (each leg only writes
+// its own columns).
+async function tick(now = new Date()) {
+  let jobs
+  try {
+    jobs = await announceJobsDb.findDue(now)
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('failed to load due jobs', { message: err.message })
+    return
+  }
+  if (!jobs || jobs.length === 0) return
+
+  for (const job of jobs) {
+    if (isLegDue(job, 'towncrier', now)) await processLeg(job, 'towncrier')
+    if (isLegDue(job, 'discord', now)) await processLeg(job, 'discord')
+  }
+}
+
+function isLegDue(job, leg, now) {
+  if (job[`${leg}_status`] !== 'pending') return false
+  const next = job[`${leg}_next_attempt_at`]
+  return next == null || new Date(next) <= now
+}
+
+let timer = null
+
+function start() {
+  if (timer) return timer
+  timer = setInterval(() => {
+    tick().catch((err) => log.error('announce tick failed', { message: err.message }))
+  }, POLL_MS)
+  if (timer.unref) timer.unref() // don't keep the event loop alive (tests, shutdown)
+  log.info('announcement dispatcher started', { pollMs: POLL_MS })
+  return timer
+}
+
+function stop() {
+  if (timer) {
+    clearInterval(timer)
+    timer = null
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = { start, stop, tick, processLeg, dispatchTownCrier, dispatchDiscord }

server/src/utils/botInternalClient.js

@@ -24,12 +24,21 @@ async function call(path, { method = 'GET', body } = {}) {
       signal: controller.signal,
     })
     if (!res.ok) {
-      return { ok: false, error: `bot responded ${res.status}` }
+      // Include the numeric status + parsed body (if any) so callers — e.g. the
+      // announcement worker — can distinguish 503 (bot down, retry) from a config
+      // error. Non-JSON bodies just leave `data` null.
+      let data = null
+      try {
+        data = await res.json()
+      } catch {
+        // ignore — body already reported via status
       }
-    return { ok: true, data: await res.json() }
+      return { ok: false, status: res.status, data, error: `bot responded ${res.status}` }
+    }
+    return { ok: true, status: res.status, data: await res.json() }
   } catch (err) {
     log.warn('bot internal call failed', { path, message: err.message })
-    return { ok: false, error: err.message }
+    return { ok: false, status: 0, error: err.message }
   } finally {
     clearTimeout(timeout)
   }

server/src/utils/mailer.js

@@ -1,41 +1,125 @@
+// ── Outbound mail (Gmail over OAuth2 / SMTP XOAUTH2) ───────────────────────
+//
+// Email is configured in Admin → Settings → Email, not via env vars. The
+// connection (enabled flag, connected Gmail address, encrypted refresh token)
+// lives in the email_config singleton; the OAuth client id/secret are reused
+// from the `google` auth_providers row. nodemailer takes the refresh token and
+// auto-mints short-lived access tokens for each send.
+//
+// When email is not configured, sendContactMessage does NOT throw — it signals
+// the caller to fall back to a mailto: link (the contact form relies on this).
+
 const nodemailer = require('nodemailer')
-require('dotenv').config()
 
-const { SMTP_HOST, SMTP_PORT, SMTP_USER, SMTP_PASS, CONTACT_TO } = process.env
+const emailConfig = require('../model/emailConfig/emailConfig.model')
+const authProviders = require('../model/authProviders/authProviders.model')
+const settings = require('../model/settings/settings.model')
+const log = require('./logger')('mailer')
 
-function isConfigured() {
-  return Boolean(SMTP_HOST && CONTACT_TO)
+// Ready to send only when enabled, connected (has a refresh token), and we know
+// which address to send as.
+async function isConfigured() {
+  const c = await emailConfig.getSafe()
+  return Boolean(c.enabled && c.hasRefreshToken && c.senderEmail)
 }
 
-let transporter = null
-function getTransporter() {
-  if (!transporter) {
-    transporter = nodemailer.createTransport({
-      host: SMTP_HOST,
-      port: Number(SMTP_PORT) || 587,
-      secure: Number(SMTP_PORT) === 465,
-      auth: SMTP_USER ? { user: SMTP_USER, pass: SMTP_PASS } : undefined,
+// Recipient for the contact form: the admin-editable contact_email setting, or
+// the connected sending address as a last resort.
+async function contactRecipient(senderEmail) {
+  const to = await settings.get('contact_email')
+  return to || senderEmail || null
+}
+
+// Build a nodemailer OAuth2 transport from the stored config + reused Google
+// client credentials. Returns { transport, config } or null when unconfigured.
+async function buildTransport() {
+  const config = await emailConfig.getWithSecret()
+  if (!config || !config.refreshToken || !config.senderEmail) return null
+  const google = await authProviders.getWithSecret('google')
+  if (!google || !google.client_id || !google.client_secret) {
+    log.warn('email send skipped: Google OAuth client is not configured')
+    return null
+  }
+  const transport = nodemailer.createTransport({
+    host: 'smtp.gmail.com',
+    port: 465,
+    secure: true,
+    auth: {
+      type: 'OAuth2',
+      user: config.senderEmail,
+      clientId: google.client_id,
+      clientSecret: google.client_secret,
+      refreshToken: config.refreshToken,
+    },
   })
+  return { transport, config }
 }
-  return transporter
+
+function fromHeader(config) {
+  return config.senderName ? `"${config.senderName}" <${config.senderEmail}>` : config.senderEmail
 }
 
 /**
- * Send a contact message. If SMTP is not configured, signals the caller to fall
- * back to a mailto: link instead of throwing. Credentials come from env only.
+ * Send a contact message. If email is not configured/enabled, signals the caller
+ * to fall back to a mailto: link instead of throwing.
  */
 async function sendContactMessage({ name, email, message }) {
-  if (!isConfigured()) {
-    return { sent: false, fallback: 'mailto', email: CONTACT_TO || null }
+  const built = await buildTransport()
+  if (!built) {
+    const c = await emailConfig.getSafe()
+    return { sent: false, fallback: 'mailto', email: await contactRecipient(c.senderEmail) }
   }
-  await getTransporter().sendMail({
-    from: SMTP_USER || CONTACT_TO,
-    to: CONTACT_TO,
+  const { transport, config } = built
+  const to = await contactRecipient(config.senderEmail)
+  try {
+    await transport.sendMail({
+      from: fromHeader(config),
+      to,
       replyTo: email,
       subject: `UOMysticmoon contact from ${name || 'a visitor'}`,
       text: `From: ${name || 'unknown'} <${email || 'no email'}>\n\n${message}`,
     })
+    await emailConfig.recordStatus({ status: 'connected', statusDetail: 'Last send OK', lastVerifiedAt: new Date() })
     return { sent: true }
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('contact send failed', err)
+    await emailConfig.recordStatus({ status: 'error', statusDetail: err.message })
+    throw err
+  }
 }
 
-module.exports = { isConfigured, sendContactMessage }
+/**
+ * Send a test email to `to`, used by the admin "Send test" button. Throws on
+ * failure; records the outcome either way. Returns { sent: true } on success.
+ */
+async function sendTest(to) {
+  const built = await buildTransport()
+  if (!built) {
+    const err = new Error('Email is not configured. Connect Gmail first.')
+    err.code = 'NOT_CONFIGURED'
+    throw err
+  }
+  const { transport, config } = built
+  const recipient = to || (await contactRecipient(config.senderEmail))
+  if (!recipient) {
+    const err = new Error('No recipient available for the test email.')
+    err.code = 'NO_RECIPIENT'
+    throw err
+  }
+  try {
+    await transport.sendMail({
+      from: fromHeader(config),
+      to: recipient,
+      subject: 'UOMysticmoon email test',
+      text: 'This is a test message confirming Gmail OAuth2 email delivery is working.',
+    })
+    await emailConfig.recordStatus({ status: 'connected', statusDetail: 'Test send OK', lastVerifiedAt: new Date() })
+    return { sent: true, to: recipient }
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.error('test send failed', err)
+    await emailConfig.recordStatus({ status: 'error', statusDetail: err.message })
+    throw err
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = { isConfigured, sendContactMessage, sendTest }

server/src/utils/sanitizeHtml.js

@@ -18,6 +18,19 @@ const OPTIONS = {
     span: ['data-wiki-slug'], // marks internal wiki links (used from Phase 3)
     th: ['colspan', 'rowspan'],
     td: ['colspan', 'rowspan'],
+    // Block alignment from the rich-text editor. `style` is only honored for the
+    // properties/values whitelisted in allowedStyles below — everything else in
+    // the style attribute is stripped.
+    p: ['style'],
+    h1: ['style'], h2: ['style'], h3: ['style'],
+    h4: ['style'], h5: ['style'], h6: ['style'],
+  },
+  // Restrict inline styles to text-align (left/right/center/justify) only. Any
+  // other CSS property, or an unlisted value, is discarded.
+  allowedStyles: {
+    '*': {
+      'text-align': [/^(left|right|center|justify)$/],
+    },
   },
   // http/https for links and images, mailto for links, plus relative URLs so
   // uploaded images (/uploads/...) and internal links (/wiki/...) pass through.

server/src/utils/shardBroadcast.js

@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+// ── Shard live-feed SSE broadcaster ────────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// The browser can't talk to the sidecar's WebSocket directly (the token must
+// never reach it, and the WS may be on another host). Instead the server ingests
+// the WS feed and re-broadcasts curated events to browsers over Server-Sent
+// Events (plain HTTP — works through any reverse proxy).
+//
+// Two channels:
+//   • public — safe kinds only (sales, deaths, IDOC, logins, economy). No IPs,
+//     no account-login attempts, no staff audit / cheat events.
+//   • admin  — everything, including the sensitive kinds above.
+//
+// shardIngest calls broadcast(event) for each ingested event; the public/admin
+// SSE route handlers call subscribe(req, res, channel).
+
+const log = require('./logger')('shard-broadcast')
+
+// Kinds safe to expose to unauthenticated browsers. Note: vendor.sale is
+// deliberately NOT here — sales are owner-private (a linked player sees only
+// their own, via /player/shard/sales).
+const PUBLIC_KINDS = new Set([
+  'player.death',
+  'player.murdered',
+  'mob.killed',
+  'house.decay',
+  'quest.complete',
+  'skill.gain',
+  'fame.change',
+  'karma.change',
+  'mob.login',
+  'mob.logout',
+  'economy.supply',
+  'server.hello',
+  'server.shutdown',
+  'server.crashed',
+])
+
+// Open response streams per channel.
+const clients = { public: new Set(), admin: new Set() }
+
+const KEEPALIVE_MS = 25000
+
+// Register an SSE stream on a channel. Sets the SSE headers, sends an initial
+// comment, keeps the connection warm with periodic pings, and cleans up on close.
+function subscribe(req, res, channel) {
+  const bucket = clients[channel]
+  if (!bucket) {
+    res.status(400).end()
+    return
+  }
+
+  res.writeHead(200, {
+    'Content-Type': 'text/event-stream',
+    'Cache-Control': 'no-cache, no-transform',
+    Connection: 'keep-alive',
+    'X-Accel-Buffering': 'no', // disable proxy buffering so events flush immediately
+  })
+  res.write('retry: 5000\n\n') // tell EventSource to reconnect after 5s if dropped
+  res.write(': connected\n\n')
+
+  bucket.add(res)
+
+  const ping = setInterval(() => {
+    try {
+      res.write(': ping\n\n')
+    } catch {
+      /* write after close — cleanup below handles it */
+    }
+  }, KEEPALIVE_MS)
+
+  const cleanup = () => {
+    clearInterval(ping)
+    bucket.delete(res)
+  }
+  req.on('close', cleanup)
+  res.on('error', cleanup)
+}
+
+function writeTo(bucket, payload) {
+  for (const res of bucket) {
+    try {
+      res.write(payload)
+    } catch (err) {
+      log.warn('sse write failed; dropping client', { message: err.message })
+      bucket.delete(res)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+// Fan an ingested event out to the admin channel (always) and the public
+// channel (safe kinds only). A no-op when nobody is subscribed.
+function broadcast(event) {
+  if (!event || !event.kind) return
+  const frame = `data: ${JSON.stringify(event)}\n\n`
+  if (clients.admin.size) writeTo(clients.admin, frame)
+  if (clients.public.size && PUBLIC_KINDS.has(event.kind)) writeTo(clients.public, frame)
+}
+
+// Close every open stream (graceful shutdown).
+function closeAll() {
+  for (const channel of Object.values(clients)) {
+    for (const res of channel) {
+      try {
+        res.end()
+      } catch {
+        /* ignore */
+      }
+    }
+    channel.clear()
+  }
+}
+
+function stats() {
+  return { publicClients: clients.public.size, adminClients: clients.admin.size }
+}
+
+module.exports = { subscribe, broadcast, closeAll, stats, PUBLIC_KINDS }