SevenFold: A Deterministic Geometric Consensus Protocol (Whitepaper v3.0)

This whitepaper describes the SevenFold Proof of Consensus protocol as developed and understood during its formulation and implementation (2025-2026). It covers the protocol architecture, Byzantine consensus instantiation, implementation details, and operational characteristics. The language and conceptual framing reflect the evolving discovery process. For complete mathematical formalization, axiomatic foundations, and rigorous proofs, see the companion foundations paper (referenced within). SevenFold achieves deterministic Byzantine fault-tolerant consensus through geometric arbitration over finite cyclic groups, without requiring randomness, leader election, or probabilistic sampling.