The splash now requires a signed-in investigator: a rudimentary character screen (display name + handle + password, with a placeholder avatar) enrols or signs in, then reveals the case picker. GET /api/auth/me gates the front door; the signed-in investigator's name/avatar and a sign-out show on the splash. /node and ?resume paths are unaffected. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>