diff --git a/docs/integrations/dnd-npc-artifacts.md b/docs/integrations/dnd-npc-artifacts.md
index 221ce2b..87f5d14 100644
--- a/docs/integrations/dnd-npc-artifacts.md
+++ b/docs/integrations/dnd-npc-artifacts.md
@@ -55,6 +55,14 @@ with the same canonical identity, retains their earliest position, and merges
 their canonicalized evidence; it does not add aliases, roles, descriptions, or
 relationship fields.
 
+When evidence supports a semantically duplicate group, the canonical display
+name is one of that group's supplied candidates. A complete, stable proper name
+is preferred over an abbreviation. An unadorned proper name is preferred over
+the same name plus a contextual class, role, title, or relationship descriptor
+unless the transcript establishes that descriptor as part of the person's
+name. A longer candidate is not preferred solely because it includes such a
+descriptor.
+
 ## Scope and consumers
 
 Only individually identifiable NPC names with transcript evidence belong in
diff --git a/docs/roadmap/implementation.md b/docs/roadmap/implementation.md
index 1b384fe..25a2e87 100644
--- a/docs/roadmap/implementation.md
+++ b/docs/roadmap/implementation.md
@@ -2,648 +2,431 @@
 
 ## Objective
 
-Implement the target state in [D&D Location Tracking](location.md): an
-evidence-grounded `dnd/locations` registry lane and a dependent
-`dnd/location-occurrences` lane, including conservative location identity,
-shared D&D entity-reconciliation infrastructure, production validation,
-generated-reference wiring, maintained examples, and current documentation.
+Complete the target state in [D&D Location Tracking](location.md) by correcting
+the behavioral and maintainability issues found in the post-implementation
+audit. The location registry and occurrence lanes are already implemented and
+production-selectable; the remaining work restores one NPC normalization
+contract, aligns location-occurrence classification with the roadmap, narrows a
+module's declared references, and factors demonstrated registry-resolution
+mechanics into a D&D-shared helper.
 
 This is an ordered implementation plan for a `gpt-5.6-terra` coding agent.
-Implement one stage per prompt, in order. Finish each stage's tests and leave
-the repository coherent before proceeding. Do not implement later-stage
-production registrations early merely to make an incomplete feature selectable.
+Stages 1 through 14 are complete and must not be reimplemented. Implement one
+new stage per prompt, beginning with Stage 15, and complete each stage's focused
+validation before proceeding.
 
-All stages must follow:
+All remaining stages must follow:
 
-- [Architecture Policy](../policy/architecture.md)
-- [Testing Policy](../policy/testing.md)
-- [Documentation Policy](../policy/documentation.md)
-- the D&D conventions in [D&D Module Internals](../internal/dnd.md)
-- the durable policy decisions in [the feature roadmap](location.md)
+- [Architecture Policy](../policy/architecture.md);
+- [Testing Policy](../policy/testing.md);
+- [Documentation Policy](../policy/documentation.md);
+- [D&D Module Internals](../internal/dnd.md); and
+- the durable policy decisions in [the feature roadmap](location.md).
 
-Use behavior-level tests. Do not add tests that merely freeze source layout,
-exact prompt wording, message counts, shared-prefix length, or other incidental
-implementation details. Keep tests deterministic, offline, and owned by the
-component whose behavior they exercise.
+Use behavior-level tests. Do not add tests that freeze exact prompt wording,
+message counts, source layout, shared-prefix length, or other incidental
+implementation details. Prompts and canonical documentation must agree, but
+that agreement is a review responsibility rather than a reason to add a
+change-detector test.
 
-## Stage 1: Define Location Domain Types And Identity
+## Completed Work Summary
+
+Stages 1 through 14 delivered the following production state:
+
+| Completed stage | Result |
+| --- | --- |
+| Stage 1 | Added location and location-occurrence domain types plus evidence-anchored location identity. |
+| Stage 2 | Added strict `v1` durable codecs and JSON Schemas for both artifact kinds. |
+| Stage 3 | Added shared, opaque-key D&D entity-reconciliation context and proposal safety infrastructure. |
+| Stage 4 | Migrated NPC normalization to the shared reconciliation machinery. |
+| Stage 5 | Added evidence-grounded `dnd/locations` extraction. |
+| Stage 6 | Added conservative LLM-assisted location normalization. |
+| Stage 7 | Added immutable location-registry resolution and source-free `{id, name}` projection. |
+| Stage 8 | Added registry-grounded `dnd/location-occurrences` extraction. |
+| Stage 9 | Added deterministic location-occurrence normalization. |
+| Stage 10 | Added location shape, identity, evidence, and advisory validators. |
+| Stage 11 | Added location-occurrence shape, registry, invariant, evidence, and advisory validators. |
+| Stage 12 | Registered both lanes, their assets, evidence projectors, default profiles, and validator chains. |
+| Stage 13 | Added the ordered generated-reference handoff to the complete D&D example and integration coverage. |
+| Stage 14 | Published the current integration, configuration, internal, output, and top-level documentation and ran final verification. |
+
+The post-implementation audit confirmed that the feature's durable types,
+identity derivation, codecs, registration, validators, generated handoff,
+evidence publication, maintained example, and integration coverage are in
+place. At the audit baseline, `go test ./...`, focused race tests, `go vet
+./...`, `go build ./cmd/notarius`, and `git diff --check` all passed.
+
+## Stage 15: Restore NPC Canonical-Name Selection Semantics
 
 ### Goal
 
-Establish the in-process contracts and deterministic identity policy on which
-both lanes depend.
+Restore the NPC-specific canonical display-name policy that was weakened during
+the shared reconciliation migration, without changing the shared proposal
+contract or any durable artifact shape.
 
 ### Work
 
-- Extend `internal/modules/dnd/types.go` with:
-  - `LocationListKind` = `dnd/location-list`;
-  - `LocationOccurrenceListKind` = `dnd/location-occurrence-list`;
-  - `LocationList`, `Location`, `LocationOccurrenceList`,
-    `LocationOccurrence`, and `LocationOccurrenceKind`;
-  - exact JSON members and the four occurrence constants specified in
-    `location.md`.
-- Add `internal/modules/dnd/locations/identity`.
-- Implement display normalization and comparison normalization consistently
-  with the existing NPC identity policy. Share a lower-level comparison helper
-  only if doing so preserves NPC behavior exactly; otherwise keep the small
-  policy-specific function explicit.
-- Implement the versioned compact-JSON-array ID derivation contract from
-  `location.md`, including ID syntax checks and immutable list validation.
-- Identity validation must require correctly derived, unique IDs while allowing
-  two records to have the same comparison name when their evidence anchors
-  differ.
-- Add focused tests for Unicode normalization, whitespace, apostrophes,
-  deterministic encoding, evidence ordering, same-name/different-anchor IDs,
-  malformed IDs, missing evidence, and non-mutation.
+- Update the NPC normalization task asset under
+  `internal/modules/dnd/normalize/npcs/assets/prompts/` so canonical selection
+  again applies all of these rules:
+  - choose only a supplied candidate from an evidence-supported duplicate
+    group;
+  - prefer a complete, stable proper name over an abbreviation; and
+  - prefer an unadorned proper name over that name plus a contextual class,
+    role, title, or relationship descriptor unless the transcript establishes
+    the descriptor as part of the person's name.
+- Preserve the opaque-key shared reconciliation instructions, prompt-message
+  ordering, response schema, retry/fallback behavior, and deterministic group
+  application. Do not move NPC-specific naming policy into
+  `shared/entityreconcile`.
+- Update the canonical NPC artifact contract in
+  `docs/integrations/dnd-npc-artifacts.md` with the observable canonical-name
+  selection rule. Keep `docs/internal/dnd.md` focused on normalization
+  mechanics and link to the integration contract rather than maintaining a
+  competing definition; add or adjust a link only if needed for clarity.
+- Allow the prompt fingerprint and any derived manifest/checkpoint metadata to
+  change through the existing asset-fingerprint mechanism. Do not manually
+  pin a digest.
+- Retain existing behavior tests for opaque candidate selection, evidence
+  union, ID derivation, retry/fallback, and non-mutation. Add a test only if it
+  exercises deterministic code behavior; do not assert prompt prose.
 
 ### Acceptance Criteria
 
-- The types compile without production registration.
-- ID derivation exactly follows the documented five-element compact JSON input.
-- Same normalized name plus different earliest evidence yields different IDs.
-- Validation does not reject same-name records solely because their names
-  match, and it reports duplicate or mismatched IDs deterministically.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/locations/... ./internal/modules/dnd/...` passes
-  for the packages available at this stage.
-
-### Prompt Size
-
-Small enough for one implementation prompt.
-
-## Stage 2: Add Durable Codecs And Schemas
-
-### Goal
-
-Create strict durable JSON ownership for both artifact kinds without exposing
-either lane as a selectable pipeline yet.
-
-### Work
-
-- Add `internal/modules/dnd/codec/locations` and
-  `internal/modules/dnd/codec/locationoccurrences`, following the existing D&D
-  candidate/approved codec pattern.
-- Add embedded Draft 2020-12 schemas with the IDs, names, root members, required
-  fields, enums, source-reference shape, and `additionalProperties: false`
-  contracts in `location.md`.
-- Keep both schemas at `v1`.
-- Support strict candidate decoding before semantic approval and strict durable
-  encoding/decoding after approval.
-- Add representative valid fixtures and tests for schema metadata, defensive
-  schema bytes, empty arrays, unknown fields, missing fields, invalid types,
-  invalid enum values, malformed source references, invalid ID syntax, and
-  round trips.
-
-### Acceptance Criteria
-
-- Each codec advertises the correct artifact kind and metadata count.
-- Candidate decoding preserves semantic mistakes for validators while
-  rejecting structurally invalid JSON.
-- Approved encoding and decoding enforce the durable shape.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/codec/locations/... ./internal/modules/dnd/codec/locationoccurrences/...`
+- The rendered NPC normalization prompt contains one unambiguous NPC-owned
+  policy that distinguishes proper names from contextual descriptors.
+- `Captain Aria` is not preferred over `Aria` solely because it is longer when
+  `Captain` is only a contextual title, while an established full name may
+  still outrank an abbreviation.
+- No module key, schema, identity policy, response schema, validator chain, or
+  shared reconciliation asset changes.
+- Canonical current documentation, rather than this implementation plan, owns
+  the restored externally observable rule.
+- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/normalize/npcs/... ./internal/modules/dnd/shared/entityreconcile/... ./internal/modules/dnd/register/...`
   passes offline.
+- `git diff --check` reports no errors.
 
 ### Prompt Size
 
-Small enough for one implementation prompt.
+Small and suitable for one implementation prompt.
 
-## Stage 3: Extract Shared Entity-Reconciliation Infrastructure
+## Stage 16: Correct Hypothetical Location-Occurrence Classification
 
 ### Goal
 
-Create the D&D-shared, domain-safe proposal machinery needed by both NPC and
-location normalization, without changing NPC production behavior yet.
+Make the location-occurrence prompt and durable documentation implement the
+roadmap's distinction between an explicit speculative mention and an inferred
+or unsupported occurrence.
 
 ### Work
 
-- Add `internal/modules/dnd/shared/entityreconcile`.
-- Move or generalize the reusable behavior currently owned by
-  `internal/modules/dnd/normalize/npcs/context_material.go` and `proposal.go`:
-  - assign deterministic opaque candidate keys such as `candidate-000001` in
-    input order;
-  - clone candidate names and source references;
-  - build bounded transcript windows in source-document order;
-  - omit candidates whose references cannot safely produce context;
-  - coalesce overlapping or adjacent windows without mutating the source;
-  - define the private `duplicate_groups` proposal with `members` and
-    `canonical` candidate keys;
-  - reject blank, unknown, repeated, ineligible, overlapping, too-small, or
-    canonical-not-a-member groups; and
-  - return defensive, immutable assessment data identifying only safe groups.
-- Keep LLM calls, retry decisions, artifact mutation, canonical-name policy,
-  durable ID derivation, and warning wording out of this package.
-- Add a shared prompt instruction asset that states the key-copying and
-  proposal-safety contract without NPC- or location-specific identity rules.
-- Add a shared private structured-response schema and loader/registration
-  support with a stable `v1` key, ID, name, and fingerprint. Registering the
-  schema more than once must not be required.
-- Add table-driven tests for context bounds, ordering, invalid references,
-  coalescing, every unsafe proposal category, non-overlapping safe groups,
-  deterministic keys, defensive copies, and non-mutation.
+- Update the location-occurrence task asset under
+  `internal/modules/dnd/extract/locationoccurrences/assets/prompts/` to encode
+  these exact semantic outcomes:
+  - explicit non-actionable speculation or a mere hypothetical reference to a
+    registry location is `mentioned`;
+  - an explicit proposal, intention, or agreement to travel is `planned`;
+  - a mere hypothetical or speculation is not `planned`; and
+  - an inferred, unstated, uncertain, or unsupported place or occurrence is
+    omitted.
+- Preserve the documented precedence `visited`, `planned`, `recalled`, then
+  `mentioned`, including the ability to return multiple independently
+  evidenced facts from one passage.
+- Update the `mentioned` definition in
+  `docs/integrations/dnd-location-occurrence-artifacts.md` to explicitly include
+  non-actionable speculation. Keep durable category semantics in that
+  integration contract and link from internal documentation rather than
+  duplicating the taxonomy elsewhere.
+- Do not change the occurrence enum, durable schema, normalizer, validators, or
+  generated-reference contract.
+- Allow existing prompt fingerprinting to record the asset change. Do not add
+  an exact-text or exact-digest test.
 
 ### Acceptance Criteria
 
-- The package has no dependency on `dnd.NPC`, `dnd.Location`, either
-  normalizer, or a concrete LLM client.
-- Proposal values can identify duplicate candidates even when display names
-  are equal.
-- The shared response contract cannot directly supply replacement records or
-  evidence.
-- Existing NPC packages still compile before their migration.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/shared/...` passes offline.
-
-### Prompt Size
-
-Medium, but coherent and suitable for one implementation prompt. Do not combine
-it with the NPC migration.
-
-## Stage 4: Migrate NPC Normalization To The Shared Helper
-
-### Goal
-
-Make the existing NPC normalizer the first production consumer of the shared
-entity-reconciliation contract while retaining its durable behavior.
-
-### Work
-
-- Refactor `internal/modules/dnd/normalize/npcs` to use opaque candidate keys,
-  shared context construction, shared proposal assessment, the shared response
-  schema, and the shared generic reconciliation instruction asset.
-- Retain NPC-owned responsibilities:
-  - comparison-name preparation and deterministic duplicate handling;
-  - the NPC-specific task and canonical display-name rules;
-  - LLM invocation, bounded retry, fallback, warnings, and diagnostics;
-  - application of safe groups, evidence union, NPC ID derivation, and output
-    ordering.
-- Remove superseded NPC-private context/proposal code and private schema assets
-  once no longer referenced.
-- Update NPC prompt metadata and checkpoint fingerprints for the intentional
-  prompt/private-schema contract change.
-- Preserve public module keys, durable NPC schema, identity policy, validator
-  chains, warning bounds, and fallback semantics.
-- Test equal display names as distinct keyed candidates, alias consolidation,
-  rejected unsafe groups, retry exhaustion, private input ownership, redacted
-  errors, deterministic fallback, and non-mutation.
-
-### Acceptance Criteria
-
-- No durable NPC artifact field or module key changes.
-- NPC normalization cannot confuse two candidates merely because their display
-  names match.
-- Unsafe proposals leave a valid deterministic result and follow existing
-  retry/fallback policy.
-- Obsolete NPC-only reconciliation helpers and schema are removed.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/normalize/npcs/... ./internal/modules/dnd/shared/...`
+- The prompt no longer instructs the model to omit every hypothetical
+  reference.
+- An explicit statement such as “What if we went to Moon Gate?” is eligible as
+  `mentioned` when it is supported by a narrow transcript range, but is not a
+  `planned` occurrence without an actual proposal or intention.
+- An unstated location inferred only from surrounding events remains omitted.
+- The feature roadmap, prompt, and canonical integration contract agree on all
+  four categories and their precedence.
+- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/extract/locationoccurrences/... ./internal/modules/dnd/register/...`
   passes offline.
+- `git diff --check` reports no errors.
 
 ### Prompt Size
 
-Medium-to-large but bounded to one existing module. Suitable for one
-implementation prompt; do not add location normalization in this stage.
+Small and suitable for one implementation prompt.
 
-## Stage 5: Implement Location Extraction
+## Stage 17: Narrow Location-Occurrence Normalizer References
 
 ### Goal
 
-Add the LLM-backed extractor that produces evidence-grounded location
-candidates.
+Make the deterministic normalizer advertise exactly the reference material it
+uses.
 
 ### Work
 
-- Add `internal/modules/dnd/extract/locations` following current D&D extractor
-  conventions: strict empty options, typed builder and registration function,
-  `llm_backed` execution metadata, immutable inputs, redacted errors, prompt
-  and response-schema fingerprints, and bounded diagnostics.
-- Add a private response schema containing only `name` and source ranges; the
-  model must not produce durable IDs or prose.
-- Compose the prompt from existing shared D&D system, identity, campaign
-  reference, transcript, and evidence assets plus module-owned task and
-  instructions. Preserve the documented extraction-message ordering and cache
-  controls.
-- Define physical-place inclusion and conservative omission exactly as in
-  `location.md`, including generic labels, aliases, and nested places.
-- Map source ranges to the current source ID, canonicalize exact duplicate
-  ranges, derive candidate location IDs in code, preserve semantically invalid
-  candidates for validators where safe, and return deterministic ordering.
-- Add prompt-asset tests that verify shared asset reuse and rendered inputs by
-  behavior, without asserting exact shared-prefix length or prompt wording.
-- Add extractor tests for empty output, mapping, evidence ownership, generic
-  same-name locations with different anchors, invalid candidate preservation,
-  client failures, registration metadata, fingerprints, and non-mutation.
+- Change `internal/modules/dnd/normalize/locationoccurrences` so its
+  `ReferenceSlots` and `ModuleSpec` expose only the required `locations` slot.
+- Keep that slot's existing contract unchanged: exactly one
+  `dnd/location-list` artifact, `application/json`, at most 1,048,576 bytes,
+  required at extraction and normalization.
+- Remove the normalizer's unused `party`, `roster`, `players`, and `glossary`
+  declarations and any imports or description tables made dead by that change.
+  Do not remove those optional slots from the LLM-backed occurrence extractor,
+  which actually presents campaign material to the model.
+- Add or revise focused module-contract tests to compare the normalizer's
+  complete declared slot set, including requiredness, media type, artifact kind,
+  and size. This is a stable module contract test, not a source-layout test.
+- Verify that pipeline-level campaign reference defaults continue to bind only
+  to eligible targets and that the complete example still resolves. Current
+  configuration documentation already states that `locations` is required by
+  both occurrence stages; update it only if repository inspection finds a claim
+  that optional campaign references are consumed by the normalizer.
+- Do not change normalization output, registry fingerprints, warnings, or
+  checkpoint handling for the required generated registry.
 
 ### Acceptance Criteria
 
-- The extractor cannot manufacture source identities or accept campaign
-  references as evidence.
-- The private model response does not contain a durable ID.
-- Same-name candidates with different evidence survive extraction as distinct
-  candidates.
-- The package is testable through its local registration but is not yet added
-  to the production D&D registrar.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/extract/locations/...` passes offline.
+- Catalog and `ModuleSpec` inspection report exactly one normalizer reference
+  slot: required `locations`.
+- The extractor continues to accept its existing optional campaign context and
+  required location registry.
+- Binding optional campaign references no longer implies that deterministic
+  occurrence normalization consumes them.
+- The complete configuration and generated location handoff still resolve and
+  run through existing tests.
+- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/normalize/locationoccurrences/... ./internal/modules/dnd/register/... ./internal/modules/integration/... ./internal/cli/...`
+  passes offline.
+- `git diff --check` reports no errors.
 
 ### Prompt Size
 
-Medium and suitable for one implementation prompt.
+Small and suitable for one implementation prompt.
 
-## Stage 6: Implement Semantic Location Normalization
+## Stage 18: Add Shared Registry-Resolution Infrastructure
 
 ### Goal
 
-Add conservative alias and repeated-place reconciliation without collapsing
-same-named or nested locations by default.
+Introduce a focused D&D-shared primitive for the demonstrated immutable
+registry-resolution mechanics, without changing any production consumer in the
+same prompt.
 
 ### Work
 
-- Add `internal/modules/dnd/normalize/locations` as an `llm_backed` normalizer
-  using the shared entity-reconciliation package and private response schema.
-- Deterministically clone and prepare the merged candidates first:
-  - normalize display whitespace;
-  - canonicalize and deduplicate source references;
-  - remove only exact duplicates with the same comparison name and exact
-    canonical evidence;
-  - assign opaque reconciliation keys; and
-  - retain same-name records with different evidence.
-- Use bounded transcript windows and a module-owned location task that permits
-  grouping only when evidence clearly identifies one physical place. Explicitly
-  prohibit grouping solely by equal names, proximity, nesting, or generic
-  labels.
-- Validate proposals through the shared package. Apply only safe groups in
-  deterministic code, choose the canonical name from the selected existing
-  candidate, union evidence, and derive the final evidence-anchored ID.
-- Retain the deterministic candidate set on unusable proposals and follow the
-  existing NPC retry/fallback and bounded-warning conventions.
-- Publish prompt, response-schema, identity-policy, normalization-policy, and
-  semantic-context fingerprints.
-- Test aliases, repeated appearances, same-name distinct places, parent/child
-  locations, invalid and overlapping proposals, proposal retries, fallback,
-  ordering, ID recomputation, warning bounds, idempotent deterministic
-  application, and non-mutation.
+- Add `internal/modules/dnd/shared/registryresolver` as a domain-shared package;
+  do not put this helper in the generic framework.
+- Provide an idiomatic generic resolver driven by callbacks or a small adapter
+  so it can operate on immutable domain registry views without importing NPC,
+  location, scene-description, or codec packages.
+- The resolver core must own the behavior currently duplicated by the NPC and
+  location resolvers:
+  - validate and retain one construction-time seeded view;
+  - treat a declared generated-reference placeholder with zero construction-
+    time items as absent only during construction;
+  - use the seeded view when an operation does not supply the target slot;
+  - resolve an operation-time override when the target slot is present;
+  - memoize valid immutable views by a raw key and by semantic identity;
+  - reuse the seeded view when bound state and semantic identity match;
+  - synchronize concurrent resolution; and
+  - never retain caller-owned reference maps, item content, or mutable values.
+- Raw cache identity must normalize the media-type spelling and hash the actual
+  item content. Do not trust a caller-supplied digest as proof that different
+  bytes are equal.
+- Provide a narrow helper for resolving an optional single reference item that
+  validates the configured slot name, exact item count when bound, parsed media
+  type, and maximum size. Return owned bytes or require immediate decode so the
+  helper cannot retain caller-owned content.
+- Keep artifact decoding, semantic identity validation, canonical encoding,
+  prompt projection, lookup indexes, clone policy, and domain-specific error
+  context in the owning registry packages.
+- Keep errors bounded and content-free. Do not include raw reference bytes,
+  origin paths, or campaign data in diagnostics.
+- Add focused tests for absent construction state, zero-item generated
+  placeholders, seeded fallback, operation overrides, malformed cardinality,
+  media types, size limits, raw reuse, semantic reuse, caller-supplied digest
+  mismatch, concurrent access, loader failure, and non-retention/non-mutation.
 
 ### Acceptance Criteria
 
-- The model proposes groups but cannot directly replace durable locations.
-- A failed or ambiguous proposal cannot lose a valid candidate.
-- Same-name locations remain distinct unless an approved evidence-backed group
-  joins them.
-- Final IDs are derived only after group evidence is unioned.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/normalize/locations/...` passes offline.
-
-### Prompt Size
-
-Medium-to-large but scoped to one normalizer and suitable for one implementation
-prompt.
-
-## Stage 7: Add The Immutable Location Registry
-
-### Goal
-
-Provide safe generated-reference resolution and an unambiguous prompt
-projection for downstream occurrence extraction.
-
-### Work
-
-- Add `internal/modules/dnd/locations/registry`, modeled on the immutable NPC
-  registry and its operation-time resolver.
-- Define `ReferenceSlot = "locations"`, a 1,048,576-byte limit, and exactly one
-  accepted `application/json` location-list item when bound.
-- Validate durable decoding and location identity before constructing a
-  registry.
-- Store canonical durable bytes and semantic digests without retaining mutable
-  caller-owned content. Return defensive copies from all accessors.
-- Produce a compact, source-free prompt projection containing ordered
-  `{id, name}` pairs. Do not include source references or generated-reference
-  provenance.
-- Support exact lookup by ID and verify the matching canonical name; do not
-  provide an ambiguous name-only lookup as the occurrence linkage mechanism.
-- Preserve the established seeded/operation resolver behavior and concurrency-
-  safe semantic caching.
-- Test absent, empty, malformed, oversized, wrong-media-type, invalid-identity,
-  and valid registries; projections; ID lookup; defensive copies; raw and
-  semantic cache reuse; and concurrent resolution.
-
-### Acceptance Criteria
-
-- Distinct same-name records are both representable and addressable by ID.
-- Registry evidence cannot appear in the prompt projection.
-- Malformed static references fail during construction and malformed generated
-  references fail at operation resolution through existing boundaries.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/locations/registry/...` passes offline.
-
-### Prompt Size
-
-Medium and suitable for one implementation prompt.
-
-## Stage 8: Implement Location-Occurrence Extraction
-
-### Goal
-
-Add the dependent LLM-backed lane that classifies source-grounded location
-occurrences.
-
-### Work
-
-- Add `internal/modules/dnd/extract/locationoccurrences` with module key
-  `dnd/location-occurrences`, `llm_backed` execution metadata, strict empty
-  options, typed construction, and a required `locations` reference slot.
-- Resolve the immutable registry at construction and for each operation using
-  the established generated-reference pattern.
-- Add a private response schema requiring `location_id`, `name`, `kind`, and
-  source ranges. Restrict kinds to `visited`, `planned`, `recalled`, and
-  `mentioned`.
-- Reuse the shared D&D extraction prompt assets and ordering. Place the compact
-  location registry after the shared transcript/evidence material and before
-  module task/instructions, consistent with current generated grounding.
-- Encode the exact classification rules, precedence, multi-fact behavior, and
-  conservative omission policy from `location.md`.
-- Map evidence only to the current source. Copy candidate IDs and names without
-  silently repairing unknown or mismatched values so deterministic validators
-  retain ownership of those diagnostics.
-- Canonically order output and exact duplicates without dropping distinct
-  kinds or independent evidence.
-- Test every kind, precedence, multiple supported facts, no-location and no-
-  occurrence outputs, required registry failures, same-name ID selection,
-  source-free prompt projection, current-transcript evidence, prompt/profile
-  metadata, client failures, non-mutation, and local registration.
-
-### Acceptance Criteria
-
-- Construction and operation specs declare `locations` as required and accept
-  only `dnd/location-list` JSON.
-- The model sees IDs and names but no registry evidence.
-- Registry context never becomes occurrence evidence.
-- The extractor remains locally testable but is not production-selectable yet.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/extract/locationoccurrences/...` passes
+- The shared package depends only on generic source/framework contracts and Go
+  standard-library packages, not concrete D&D artifact or codec packages.
+- The helper owns only demonstrated resolution, validation, caching, and
+  ownership mechanics; it does not become a universal artifact registry.
+- Invalid values and loader errors are never cached.
+- Concurrent callers resolving identical bytes receive the same prepared
+  immutable view without races.
+- Existing production registry packages remain unchanged in this stage.
+- `go test -race ./internal/modules/dnd/shared/registryresolver/...` passes
   offline.
+- `git diff --check` reports no errors.
 
 ### Prompt Size
 
-Medium and suitable for one implementation prompt.
+Medium and suitable for one implementation prompt. Keep production migrations
+out of this stage so the generic ownership and concurrency contract can be
+reviewed independently.
 
-## Stage 9: Implement Deterministic Occurrence Normalization
+## Stage 19: Migrate The NPC Registry To The Shared Resolver
 
 ### Goal
 
-Canonicalize occurrence records against the exact location registry without a
-second LLM call.
+Make the established NPC registry the first production consumer of the shared
+resolver while preserving all public and operational behavior.
 
 ### Work
 
-- Add `internal/modules/dnd/normalize/locationoccurrences` as a deterministic
-  normalizer with the same required `locations` slot.
-- Clone all inputs. Normalize source ranges, names, ordering, and exact
-  duplicates.
-- For a known `location_id`, replace display-name variation with the registry's
-  exact canonical name. Do not perform a name-only guess.
-- Preserve an unknown ID or otherwise invalid record for validator diagnostics
-  and emit bounded warnings where current D&D normalizer conventions require
-  them.
-- Sort using the complete order defined in `location.md`.
-- Publish normalization and registry-projection fingerprints consistent with
-  the other registry-backed normalizers.
-- Test all kind values, canonical name replacement, same-name distinct IDs,
-  exact-duplicate removal, distinct evidence retention, stable ordering,
-  unknown IDs, malformed registry resolution, warnings, idempotence, and
-  non-mutation.
+- Refactor `internal/modules/dnd/npcs/registry` to compose the Stage 18 helper
+  for construction/operation selection, single-item validation, raw caching,
+  semantic caching, and synchronization.
+- Preserve the existing package API used by extractors, normalizers,
+  validators, manifests, and tests, including `NewResolver`, `Resolve`,
+  `Seeded`, `Bound`, `NPCs`, `List`, `CanonicalBytes`, `Digest`,
+  `ProjectionDigest`, `Count`, `PromptInput`, `CanonicalName`, and `Matches`.
+- Keep NPC-owned behavior in the NPC package:
+  - strict approved NPC codec use;
+  - NPC identity validation;
+  - canonical durable JSON and names-only prompt projection;
+  - comparison-key lookup;
+  - defensive NPC/source-reference cloning; and
+  - NPC-specific redacted error context.
+- Preserve the exact empty projection, semantic and projection digest behavior,
+  seeded/generated resolution semantics, manifest metadata, checkpoint
+  fingerprints, and source-free prompt input.
+- Remove superseded NPC-private resolver/cache/media/digest code only after the
+  shared helper supplies the same behavior. Do not migrate locations or scene
+  descriptions in this stage.
+- Update focused tests as needed to verify behavior through the NPC package,
+  including malformed static and operation-time references, raw/semantic cache
+  reuse, concurrent resolution, defensive copies, prompt projection, and
+  downstream grounding.
 
 ### Acceptance Criteria
 
-- No LLM client or prompt assets are required.
-- Canonicalization is exclusively ID-based.
-- Invalid records are not silently redirected to a different location.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/normalize/locationoccurrences/...` passes
-  offline.
-
-### Prompt Size
-
-Small enough for one implementation prompt.
-
-## Stage 10: Add Location Registry Validators
-
-### Goal
-
-Give `dnd/location-list` the complete validator ownership expected of a
-production D&D artifact.
-
-### Work
-
-- Add location validator packages under
-  `internal/modules/dnd/validate/locations` for:
-  - extraction shape;
-  - source-reference bounds/current-chunk ownership;
-  - advisory source relatedness; and
-  - normalized identity derivation and ID uniqueness.
-- Use shared D&D citation, unit-reference, diagnostic, and matching helpers
-  where their contracts apply.
-- The identity validator must allow repeated comparison names and validate the
-  evidence-anchored derivation policy instead of importing NPC uniqueness
-  assumptions.
-- Keep diagnostics indexed, aggregated, bounded, stable, and free of raw prompt
-  or reference content.
-- Add tests for accepted values, every owned failure, same-name distinct
-  locations, malformed/unreadable citations, advisory relatedness, bounds,
-  registration metadata, fingerprints, nil safety where applicable, and
-  non-mutation.
-
-### Acceptance Criteria
-
-- Validator responsibilities do not overlap merely to increase test coverage.
-- Relatedness remains advisory and uses only cited current-transcript text.
-- Validators do not repair or mutate artifacts.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/validate/locations/...` passes offline.
-
-### Prompt Size
-
-Medium and suitable for one implementation prompt.
-
-## Stage 11: Add Location-Occurrence Validators
-
-### Goal
-
-Give `dnd/location-occurrence-list` complete structural, registry, ordering,
-evidence, and advisory validation.
-
-### Work
-
-- Add validator packages under
-  `internal/modules/dnd/validate/locationoccurrences` for:
-  - extraction shape and supported kinds;
-  - required registry membership and exact `location_id`/`name` pairing;
-  - normalized ordering and exact-duplicate invariants;
-  - source-reference bounds/current-chunk ownership; and
-  - advisory source relatedness.
-- Reuse the immutable location resolver rather than decoding caller-owned
-  references independently in each validator.
-- Ensure same-name registry records remain distinguishable by ID.
-- Keep registry context out of evidence checks.
-- Add focused tests for each kind, unknown IDs, mismatched names, same-name
-  locations, ordering, duplicates, malformed required references, invalid
-  evidence, advisory diagnostics, registration metadata, fingerprints,
-  diagnostic bounds, and non-mutation.
-
-### Acceptance Criteria
-
-- An ID/name mismatch is rejected even when another registry record has the
-  supplied name.
-- Missing or malformed required registry references fail at the established
-  boundary.
-- Validators remain deterministic and do not alter occurrence records or the
-  registry.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/validate/locationoccurrences/...` passes
-  offline.
-
-### Prompt Size
-
-Medium and suitable for one implementation prompt.
-
-## Stage 12: Compose The Production D&D Family
-
-### Goal
-
-Make both lanes selectable as one coherent production addition after all
-component contracts are present.
-
-### Work
-
-- Extend `internal/modules/dnd/register` to register, in dependency-safe order:
-  - both codecs;
-  - both extractors;
-  - typed append-order mergers;
-  - the LLM-backed location normalizer;
-  - the deterministic occurrence normalizer;
-  - all validators;
-  - shared reconciliation schema assets and both new prompt manifests;
-  - evidence projectors; and
-  - extract and normalize default validator chains.
-- Ensure both LLM-backed modules select the maintained `dnd-extraction`
-  fallback profile and inherit the existing profile policy.
-- Define chain order consistently with existing D&D artifacts: generic JSON,
-  shape, registry/identity or normalized invariants at the appropriate stage,
-  source references, durable JSON Schema, then advisory relatedness.
-- Update registrar tests for artifact kinds, keys, execution classes, reference
-  slot requirements, builder construction, assets, profile use, evidence
-  projection, chain contents/order, duplicate registration, and failure
-  propagation.
-- Update any integration-level artifact-kind allowlists or typed registries
-  required by the framework; do not add module-specific orchestration logic.
-
-### Acceptance Criteria
-
-- One D&D registration call exposes both complete lanes and no partial
-  registration succeeds silently.
-- Catalog inspection reports correct artifact kinds, stages, execution classes,
-  reference slots, profiles, and fingerprints.
-- Both artifact kinds support evidence projection without registry evidence
-  leakage.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/register/... ./internal/modules/dnd/...` passes
-  offline.
-
-### Prompt Size
-
-Medium-to-large but limited to composition and suitable for one implementation
-prompt.
-
-## Stage 13: Add Maintained Pipeline And Handoff Coverage
-
-### Goal
-
-Exercise the feature through real configuration, ordered generated references,
-chunk operations, acceptance gates, and durable output.
-
-### Work
-
-- Update `examples/dnd-complete.config.yml`:
-  - add `locations` to the first descriptive step with extract, append-order
-    merge, and LLM-backed normalize bindings;
-  - add a generated `locations` reference to the next step;
-  - add `location-occurrences` to that step with extract, append-order merge,
-    and deterministic normalize bindings; and
-  - add both lanes to evidence-context output where appropriate.
-- Keep the minimal example minimal unless its stated purpose requires a
-  location lane; do not turn it into a second complete example.
-- Extend maintained example-loading/config-validation tests.
-- Add integration tests that prove:
-  - the normalized accepted registry is handed off in memory;
-  - the occurrence lane cannot run before its producer;
-  - missing, cyclic, wrong-kind, wrong-media-type, rejected, or unaccepted
-    producers are rejected at the existing boundaries;
-  - same-name locations remain distinguishable by ID through the handoff;
-  - registry evidence never becomes occurrence evidence;
-  - retries and checkpoints honor prompt, schema, identity, and generated-
-    reference fingerprints; and
-  - output contains both durable artifact envelopes and evidence context.
-- Use recording/fake structured clients only; no network-dependent tests.
-
-### Acceptance Criteria
-
-- The complete example loads through the real config path and exercises all
-  registered D&D lanes.
-- Ordered handoff failure semantics match the framework's existing fail-whole-
-  run policy.
-- Integration tests cover behavior rather than duplicating package internals.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/integration/... ./internal/config/...` and any
-  example-specific test targets pass offline.
-
-### Prompt Size
-
-Medium-to-large but coherent as one end-to-end integration prompt.
-
-## Stage 14: Publish Current Documentation And Perform Final Verification
-
-### Goal
-
-Make the implemented feature discoverable and retire fulfilled future-work
-language without leaving development-history documentation behind.
-
-### Work
-
-- Create canonical integration contracts:
-  - `docs/integrations/dnd-location-artifacts.md`;
-  - `docs/integrations/dnd-location-occurrence-artifacts.md`.
-- Update `docs/config.md` with both selectable keys, the `locations` reference
-  slot and compatibility, execution classes, validators, default chains, and
-  the complete-example link.
-- Update `docs/internal/dnd.md` with nine-lane composition, shared entity
-  reconciliation, evidence-anchored identity, occurrence grounding, prompt
-  asset reuse, and intentional lane differences. Link to integration contracts
-  instead of duplicating their JSON shapes.
-- Update `docs/integrations/json-output.md`, `README.md`, and other current
-  canonical inventories only where repository inspection shows that the new
-  artifact kinds or maintained example must be listed.
-- Remove the fulfilled `Location Extraction` section from
-  `docs/roadmap/future.md`. Keep the generic LLM-assisted deduplication item and
-  clarify only if needed that the new D&D helper does not fulfill that broader
-  feature.
-- Verify all relative links and search current documentation for stale
-  seven-lane counts, missing keys, obsolete location-planning claims, and
-  accidental claims that references are evidence.
-- Run formatting, focused tests, the full Go test suite, static analysis, and
-  repository-provided config/example checks. Inspect `git diff --check` and
-  confirm no unrelated files changed.
-- After implementation and verification are complete, leave `location.md` and
-  this plan in place for the user's separate roadmap-retirement step; do not
-  delete them unless explicitly asked.
-
-### Acceptance Criteria
-
-- Current documentation describes the implemented contracts and only
-  implemented behavior outside `docs/roadmap/`.
-- The roadmap no longer presents completed location tracking as future work.
-- Links, examples, module inventories, and default-chain tables agree with
-  production registration.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/...` passes.
-- `go test ./internal/modules/integration/...` passes.
-- `go test ./...` passes.
-- `go vet ./...` passes.
-- Repository-provided configuration/example validation passes.
+- Existing NPC consumers compile without API changes.
+- NPC registry output bytes, prompt projection, lookup behavior, digests,
+  reference limits, errors, manifests, and checkpoints retain their established
+  semantics.
+- The NPC package no longer contains a second implementation of resolver
+  selection, caching, or synchronization.
+- `go test -race ./internal/modules/dnd/npcs/registry/... ./internal/modules/dnd/extract/npcinteractions/... ./internal/modules/dnd/normalize/npcinteractions/... ./internal/modules/dnd/validate/npcinteractions/...`
+  passes offline.
+- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/register/...` passes offline.
 - `git diff --check` reports no errors.
 
 ### Prompt Size
 
 Medium and suitable for one implementation prompt.
 
+## Stage 20: Migrate The Location Registry To The Shared Resolver
+
+### Goal
+
+Remove the newly introduced NPC/location resolver duplication while preserving
+the location identity and generated-handoff contracts.
+
+### Work
+
+- Refactor `internal/modules/dnd/locations/registry` to compose the Stage 18
+  helper for the same resolver, reference-item validation, cache, and
+  synchronization responsibilities migrated in Stage 19.
+- Preserve the existing package API, including `NewResolver`, `Resolve`,
+  `Seeded`, `Bound`, `Locations`, `List`, `CanonicalBytes`, `Digest`,
+  `ProjectionDigest`, `Count`, `PromptInput`, `Lookup`, and `Matches`.
+- Keep location-owned behavior in the location package:
+  - strict approved location codec use;
+  - evidence-anchored identity validation;
+  - canonical durable JSON and ordered source-free `{id, name}` projection;
+  - exact ID lookup and exact ID/name matching;
+  - defensive location/source-reference cloning; and
+  - location-specific redacted error context.
+- Preserve absent/empty/bound distinctions, same-name locations with distinct
+  IDs, seeded/generated resolution, semantic and projection digests, manifest
+  metadata, checkpoint fingerprints, and the 1 MiB limit.
+- Remove superseded location-private resolver/cache/media/digest code only
+  after parity is established.
+- Do not migrate the scene-description eligibility registry in this stage. It
+  has a different projection and matching contract; including it is not needed
+  to eliminate the exact NPC/location duplication identified by the audit.
+- Update focused and integration tests as needed for static and generated
+  references, malformed inputs, raw/semantic reuse, concurrency, defensive
+  copies, source-free projections, same-name ID lookup, normalizer grounding,
+  validator grounding, and handoff checkpoint invalidation.
+
+### Acceptance Criteria
+
+- Existing location consumers compile without API changes.
+- Location registry output bytes, projection, identity validation, lookup,
+  digests, reference errors, manifests, and checkpoints retain their
+  established semantics.
+- NPC and location registries share one implementation of construction/
+  operation resolution, raw and semantic caching, and synchronization.
+- No registry evidence or provenance appears in the occurrence prompt
+  projection.
+- `go test -race ./internal/modules/dnd/locations/registry/... ./internal/modules/dnd/extract/locationoccurrences/... ./internal/modules/dnd/normalize/locationoccurrences/... ./internal/modules/dnd/validate/locationoccurrences/... ./internal/modules/integration/...`
+  passes offline.
+- `git diff --check` reports no errors.
+
+### Prompt Size
+
+Medium and suitable for one implementation prompt.
+
+## Stage 21: Final Regression And Documentation Verification
+
+### Goal
+
+Verify the remediations as one coherent production state without expanding the
+feature or prematurely retiring its roadmap documents.
+
+### Work
+
+- Run `gofmt` on all changed Go files and inspect the final diff for unrelated
+  changes, stale private resolver implementations, unused imports, and
+  accidental artifact-contract changes.
+- Re-read the affected prompt assets and canonical integration documents to
+  verify that:
+  - NPC canonical-name selection retains the proper-name/title distinction;
+  - explicit non-actionable speculation maps to `mentioned`;
+  - inferred, uncertain, and unsupported occurrences remain omitted; and
+  - prompt changes did not reorder or duplicate shared cacheable prompt assets.
+- Inspect module catalog output or registration tests to confirm the
+  location-occurrence normalizer declares only `locations`, while its extractor
+  retains the intended optional campaign slots.
+- Confirm the shared resolver has exactly the NPC and location consumers
+  planned here and that domain-specific codecs, identity, projections, lookups,
+  and error context remain in their owning packages.
+- Run the maintained complete example/configuration loading path and all
+  repository-wide validation.
+- Leave `docs/roadmap/location.md` and this implementation plan in place for the
+  user's separate roadmap-retirement step. Do not delete them in this stage.
+
+### Acceptance Criteria
+
+- `go test ./internal/modules/dnd/...` passes.
+- `go test ./internal/modules/integration/... ./internal/cli/...` passes.
+- `go test -race ./internal/modules/dnd/shared/registryresolver/... ./internal/modules/dnd/npcs/registry/... ./internal/modules/dnd/locations/registry/...` passes.
+- `go test ./...` passes.
+- `go vet ./...` passes.
+- `go build ./cmd/notarius` passes.
+- Maintained configuration/example validation passes through its repository
+  test target.
+- `git diff --check` reports no errors.
+- Current documentation contains no stale contradiction about hypothetical
+  location mentions or NPC canonical-name selection.
+- The worktree contains only the intended remediation changes and the roadmap
+  documents remain available for later retirement.
+
+### Prompt Size
+
+Small-to-medium and suitable for one implementation prompt.
+
 ## Open Questions
 
-None. The feature roadmap fixes the artifact shapes, identity scope and
-derivation, occurrence categories, classification precedence, reference
-dependency, reconciliation safety boundary, pipeline placement, and non-goals
-needed to implement every stage without an additional product decision.
+None. The feature roadmap and audit findings determine the required behavioral
+semantics, module reference contract, abstraction boundary, migration order,
+and validation expectations. The scene-description eligibility registry is
+explicitly outside this remediation because its projection and matching
+semantics differ from the duplicated NPC/location grounding registries.
diff --git a/internal/modules/dnd/normalize/npcs/assets/prompts/task.md b/internal/modules/dnd/normalize/npcs/assets/prompts/task.md
index 6063b29..a7482f4 100644
--- a/internal/modules/dnd/normalize/npcs/assets/prompts/task.md
+++ b/internal/modules/dnd/normalize/npcs/assets/prompts/task.md
@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@ that refer to the same individual. Propose only groups supported by the
 transcript, and preserve distinct individuals even when their names are
 similar.
 
-For every accepted group, choose as canonical the supplied candidate whose
-display name is the most complete and clear NPC name. Do not invent, edit, or
-combine display names.
+For every accepted group, choose as canonical only a supplied candidate from
+that evidence-supported duplicate group. Prefer a complete, stable proper name
+over an abbreviation. Prefer an unadorned proper name over that name plus a
+contextual class, role, title, or relationship descriptor unless the transcript
+establishes the descriptor as part of the person's name. A longer display name
+is not inherently more canonical; for example, do not prefer `Captain Aria`
+over `Aria` solely because it includes the contextual title `Captain`. Do not
+invent, edit, or combine display names.