diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b6e4761..ae8712a 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ dist/
 downloads/
 eggs/
 .eggs/
-lib/
+#lib/
 lib64/
 parts/
 sdist/
diff --git a/docs/idifhub_conf.xlsx b/docs/idifhub_conf.xlsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f7c2748
Binary files /dev/null and b/docs/idifhub_conf.xlsx differ
diff --git a/environment.yml b/environment.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6352d55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/environment.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+name: bastion
+channels:
+  - defaults
+dependencies:
+  - python=3.10
+  - pyyaml
+  - openpyxl
+prefix: /home/parselmouth/.conda/envs/bastion
diff --git a/lab/strawman01.py b/lab/strawman01.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..115f7b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lab/strawman01.py
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import Bastion.Site
+import Bastion.Curator
+import Bastion.Vault
+
+
+site  = Site.loadConfig()
+vault = HPSS.Vault(site.vault['Purdue-Fortress'])
+
+for asset in site.assets:
+	if vault[asset].branches.latest.elapsed(today) > asset.policy.longevity:
+		result = vault.branch(asset)       #-- create a new branch with a full backup at its base
+	else:
+		result = vault.put(asset, latest)  #-- does a differential backup relative to latest.
+
+	#----------------------------------
+	#-- Do I need to do any cleanup?  |
+	#----------------------------------
+	if len(vault[asset].branches) > site.assets[].policy.LOCKS:
+		#-- Sort the backups from most to least recent (youngest to oldest)
+		q = sorted(vault[asset].branches, key = lambda b: b.created, reverse = True) 
+		#-- Select the oldest branches for removal.
+		for branch in q[asset.policy.LOCKS:]:
+			vault.purge(branch)
diff --git a/lib/Bastion/Common.py b/lib/Bastion/Common.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..666a5b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/Bastion/Common.py
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+"""
+Bastion.Common
+"""
+import json
+import hashlib
+import base64
+
+import yaml
+
+
+def Slug40(text):
+	"""
+	I generate a 5-character slug based on the given text.
+	The slug is generated by hashing the text using SHAKE128,
+	then taking a 40-bit digest and encoding the digest using base32.
+	"""
+	h = hashlib.shake_128()
+	h.update(text.encode('utf-8'))
+	bs = h.digest(5)
+	return base64.b32encode(bs)
+
+
+
+class Sable:
+	def toJDN(self, **kwargs):
+		raise NotImplementedError
+
+	def toJSON(self, **kwargs):
+		jdn = self.toJDN(**kwargs)
+		return json.dumps(jdn, indent = 3, sort_keys = True)
+
+	def toYAML(self, **kwargs):
+		jdn = self.toJDN(**kwargs)
+		return yaml.dump(jdn, default_flow_style = False, indent = 3)
+
+	@classmethod
+	def fromJDN(cls, jdn, **kwargs):
+		raise NotImplementedError
+
+	@classmethod
+	def fromJSON(cls, js, **kwargs):
+		jdn = json.loads(js)
+		return cls.fromJDN(jdn, **kwargs)
+
+	@classmethod
+	def fromYAML(cls, ydoc, **kwargs):
+		jdn = yaml.safe_load(ydoc)
+		return cls.fromJDN(jdn, **kwargs)
diff --git a/lib/Bastion/Curator.py b/lib/Bastion/Curator.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4732e9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/Bastion/Curator.py
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+"""
+Bastion.Curator
+
+I provide mostly data structures for working with archives and backups.
+"""
+from .Common import Sable, Slug40
+import hashlib
+import base64
+
+
+
+class Asset(Sable):
+	def __init__(name, path, about, **kwargs):
+		self.name  = RDN
+		self.path  = pathlib.Path(path)
+		self.about = about
+		self.RDN   = None
+
+		for kwarg in ['RDN']:
+			if kwarg in kwargs:
+				setattr(self, kwarg, kwargs[kwarg])
+
+		if self.RDN is None:
+			self.RDN = Slug40(self.name)
+
+	def toJDN(self, **kwargs):
+		jdn = {
+			'_type': "Curator.Asset",
+			'name': self.name,
+			'path': str(self.path),
+			'about': self.about,
+			'RDN': self.RDN
+		}
+		return jdn
+
+
+class Archive(Sable):
+	"""
+	I represent a top-level archive of some dataset.
+	I am analagous to a git repository in that I may contain
+	multiple branches of object evolution.
+	"""
+	def __init__(self, name, **kwargs):
+		self.name = name
+		self.RDN  = None
+
+		for kwarg in ['RDN']:
+			if kwarg in kwargs:
+				setattr(self, kwarg, kwargs[kwarg])
+
+		if self.RDN is None:
+			self.RDN = Slug40(self.name)
+
+	def toJDN(self, **kwargs):
+		jdn = {
+			'_type': "Curator.Archive",
+			'name':  self.name,
+			'RDN':   self.RDN
+		}
+		return jdn
+
+
+class Branch(Sable):
+	"""
+	I represent a branch (timeline of object evolution) relative to an archive.
+	"""
+	def __init__(self, RDN):
+		self.RDN    = RDN
+		self.name   = RDN
+		self._snaps = [ ]
+
+	def head(self):
+		return self._snaps[-1]
+
+	def base(self):
+		return self._snap[0]
+
+	def created(self):
+		return self.base.deposited
+
+	def updated(self):
+		return self.head.deposited
+
+	def commit(self, snap):
+		self._snaps.append(snap)
+		self._snaps = sorted(self._snaps, key = lambda s: s.deposited)
+
+	def __iter__(self):
+		return iter(self._snaps)
+
+	@property
+	def age(self, whence = None):
+		whence = whence if (whence is not None) else datetime.datetime.now()
+		return (whence - self.created)
+
+
+
+class BlobRef:
+	def __init__(self, RDN, archive, branch, deposited):
+		self.RDN       = RDN
+		self.name      = RDN
+		self.archive   = archive.RDN if isinstance(archive, Archive) else str(archive)
+		self.branch    = branch.RDN if isinstance(branch, Branch) else str(branch)
+		self.deposited = deposited
+
+
+
+class Snap(Sable):
+	"""
+	I represent a "snapshot" in time and contain the necessary
+	information to restore a dataset to the state observed when this
+	snap was deposited.
+	"""
+	def __init__(self, RDN, archive, branch, deposited, layers, **kwargs):
+		self.RDN       = RDN
+		self.name      = RDN
+		self.archive   = archive.RDN if isinstance(archive, Archive) else str(archive)
+		self.branch    = branch.RDN if isinstance(branch, Branch) else str(branch)
+		self.deposited = deposited
+		self.layers    = layers
+		self.about     = kwargs.get('about', "")
+
+	@property
+	def age(self, whence = None):
+		whence = whence if (whence is not None) else datetime.datetime.now()
+		return (whence - self.deposited)
+
+	def toJDN(self):
+		jdn = {
+			'RDN': self.RDN,
+			'archive': self.archive,
+			'branch': self.branch,
+			'deposited': self.deposited.isoformat(),
+			'layers': self.layers[:]
+		}
+		return jdn
+
+
diff --git a/lib/Bastion/Site.py b/lib/Bastion/Site.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f82bab8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/Bastion/Site.py
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+"""
+Bastion.Site
+"""
+import logging
+
+import openpyxl
+
+from .Common import Sable, Slug40
+from .Curator import Asset
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+def loadSiteConfig(path = None):
+	if path is not None:
+		src = pathlib.Path(src)
+	else:
+		for p in ['~/.bastion/site.xlsx', '/etc/bastion/site.xlsx']:
+			p = pathlib.Path(p).expanduser()
+			if p.exists():
+				src = p
+				break
+
+	if src is None:
+		raise Exception("Cannot find site.xlsx configuration")
+	else:
+		logger.info("loading site configuration from {}".format(str(src)))
+
+	conf = SiteConfig()
+	conf.loadXLSX(src)
+
+	return conf
+
+
+
+class SiteConfig:
+	def __init__(self):
+		self.site       = { }  #-- confvar -> confval
+		self._assets    = { }  #-- @asset -> Asset
+
+	@property
+	def assets(self):
+		return iter(self._assets.values())
+
+	def asset(self, k):
+		return self._assets[k]
+
+	def loadXLSX(self, confpath):
+		wb = openpyxl.load_workbook(wb = str(confpath))
+		#-- Read site conf...
+		self.gatherSiteEnv(wb)
+		#-- Read assets...
+		self.gatherAssets(wb)
+
+	def gatherSiteVars(self):
+		ws = wb['site']
+		raise NotImplementedError
+
+	def gatherAssets(self):
+		pass
+
+
+class CurationPolicy(Sable):
+	def __init__(self, name, path, **kwargs):
+		self.name      = name
+		self.path      = pathlib.Path(path)
+
+		self.RDN       = kwargs.get('RDN', Slug40(name))
+		self.asset     = self.RDN
+		self.LOCKS     = kwargs.get('LOCKS', 2)                                 #-- Lots Of Copies Keep us Safe, minimum # of branches to retain
+		self.longevity = kwargs.get('longevity', datetime.timedelta(days = 30)) #-- maximum time before a new branch is forced
+		self.about     = kwargs.get('about', "")
+
+	def toJDN(self, **kwargs):
+		jdn = {
+			'_type': "Bastion.Site.CurationPolicy",
+			'RDN':   self.RDN,
+			'name':  self.name,
+			'LOCKS': self.LOCKS,
+			'longevity': self.longevity.total_seconds()
+			'path':  str(self.path),
+			'about': self.about
+		}
+
+	@classmethod
+	def fromJDN(cls, jdn, **kwargs):
+		policy = cls(jdn['name'], jdn['path'], **jdn)
+
diff --git a/lib/Bastion/Vault.py b/lib/Bastion/Vault.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a99469
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/Bastion/Vault.py
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+"""
+Bastion.Vault
+"""
+class isClerk:
+	"""
+	I am an abstract type for "clerk" objects that do data management
+	in the context of a vault.
+	"""
+	@property
+	def snaps(self):
+		raise NotImplementedError
+
+	@property
+	def branches(self):
+		raise NotImplementedError
+
+
+
+class isVault:
+	"""
+	I am an abstract base type for specialized Vault classes.
+	"""
+	def __getitem__(self, asset):
+		raise NotImplementedError
+
+	@property
+	def assets(self):
+		raise NotImplementedError
+
+	def put(self, asset, latest = None):
+		pass
+
+	def 
diff --git a/lib/Bastion/__init__.py b/lib/Bastion/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29