# CLAUDE.md — Book 3: "The Sealed Chamber"

> **STATUS: OUTLINED, NOT DRAFTED.** Full chapter-by-chapter outline at `outline/book3-outline.md` (unified canonical version, 2026-04-12). No chapters drafted yet. Book 2 still finishing (Ch20–21 + epilogue pending).

This file is book-specific orientation. The series-level `CLAUDE.md` at the project root governs voice, world, characters, formatting, and continuity rules. The outline file is the source of truth for premise, chapter beats, themes, character arcs, and subplot threads — this file points at it rather than duplicating it.

**Working title:** "The Sealed Chamber" (alternative: "What Stays Buried")
**Length:** 24 chapters, ~92,000–100,000 words.

---

## Logline

Phelan's life is settling — Mere pregnant, Kimbra re-entering his orbit, the house plans at revision 12 — when the Compact files a formal grievance reopening the Book 1 qualifications inquiry — the one Ledger got withdrawn — with the Book 2 crystal break as new evidence. Relief sought: strip his certification and expel him from the guild. Ledger ships him to a pre-Compact ruin on Duchess Pamira's territory to get him out of reach while the procedural fight runs, but the ruin is a test and a showcase: Ledger has been grooming him for elevation, and the grievance is the pressure that forces the move. Inside the ruin is a sealed weapon that magnifies any working 15-fold. Phelan opens the seal to understand it, then has to build a perfect lock against his own ability — and do it before Cass, burned by his own institution, arrives with the Compact's enforcement force at his back.

**The Compact is the real antagonist.** Cass is the face. The book's institutional confrontation and personal confrontation are the same confrontation at two scales. **Mere's pregnancy is the Act 3 stakes engine** — the Compact arc threatens her directly when enforcement officers arrive at the estate where she is staying.

---

## The Case — Discovery Snapshot

See `outline/book3-outline.md` § Core Case for the canonical "How it enters the story" paragraph. Short version for drafting-context:

- Duchess Pamira's eastern-coastal territory was surveyed 20 years ago via a Pathfinder contract; the team catalogued a walled pre-Compact research compound, three cliff-face mines, and a sealed perimeter gate the surveyors could not breach. Devod was on that team at ~35 — his field note diagnosed the gate as *a ward, not a door.*
- Pamira's late husband counselled waiting until someone who could open it existed. The file sat in her drawer for two decades.
- Holven pressure + Cairns-network rumour of "the Locksmith" prompted her recent letter. Ledger intercepted via his standing Wolf-intercept order. Scout 1 deployed at Phelan's wedding was killed by the Gate ~week 6; Sable and a Cairns forensics operative recovered the body at week 14. Phelan briefed at week 17 — a ~4-month gap explained by operational caution, not drift.
- The *"Contact the Cairns. Get the Wolf."* dying note is **retired**. The Cairns are institutional memory; the file and Scout 1's journal are the artifacts that route the case to Phelan, Leon, and Devod.

---

## Site at a Glance

45-acre eastern-coastal site on Pamira's land, Thorngate duchy. Full site description will live in `world/locations/athel-repository.md` once drafting begins. Snapshot:

- **Wooden palisade** around a pre-Compact research compound. Century-preservation magic embedded in the timber.
- **The Sealed Gate** — single perimeter breach point, pre-Compact adaptive ward, lethal to force.
- **The Hall** — central stone building with preserved inscription panels. Mere's Act 2 workspace.
- **Researchers' Quarters** — 6–8 small stone-and-timber buildings. Mostly empty; one has preserved personal effects in place (atmosphere, Book 4+ seed).
- **The Descent Building** — small, unassuming; stone staircase leads to the 6-level underground repository (existing canon, unchanged).
- **Three cliff-face mines** (entered from the cliff, not from inside the walls):
  - **Mine 1** — earth-magic saturated. Dragon colony (wolf-to-pony-sized matriarchs). Pip's origin. Team does not engage in Book 3.
  - **Mines 2 & 3** — ordinary played-out mines, rare ore traces logged but not mined this case.
- **Undiscovered underground connection** from Mine 1 to the repository's lower levels (Pip reacts near a specific rock face; team does not investigate). Book 4+ seed.

---

## Canonical Sources

Consult these instead of duplicating content here:

| Topic | File |
|-------|------|
| Chapter-by-chapter outline, theme, case, subplot threads, climax design, seeds | `outline/book3-outline.md` |
| Original 22-chapter design spec (superseded, historical) | `docs/superpowers/specs/2026-04-09-book3-the-sealed-chamber-design.md` |
| Book 2 context (prior case, character states at Book 3 opening) | `world/story-summary-book2.md`, `outline/book2-outline.md` |
| Magic system, exploits, bracelet behaviour | `world/magic/runic-flow-rules.md`, `world/magic/exploits-log.md` |
| Files to create during Book 3 drafting | `world/story-summary-book3.md`, `world/timeline-book3.md`, `world/locations/thorngate.md`, `world/locations/athel-repository.md`, `world/magic/amplification-weapon.md` |

---

## POV

Pure Phelan first-person, past tense, throughout. Kimbra's subplot is processed through his noise. Pamira is seen mostly through Devod's interactions. Cass's arc is off-page until Ch19. The Compact enforcement arrival is seen from Phelan's position (ruin during the breach, estate during the standoff and elevation).

---

## Opening Situation

- Phelan and Mere still at Chandler's Row. Mere pregnant (conceived late Book 2 / between books)
- House plans at revision 12–13. Nursery adjacent to east-facing kitchen
- Tier Two retainer (22s/month) + Floundry residuals = stable, not comfortable
- **Fire training plateau broken off-page** over the winter between Book 2 and Book 3. Daily work with Leon now pushing past 15s without tremor. Not a beat — a status change
- Compact has filed a formal grievance reopening the Book 1 qualifications inquiry (the one Ledger got withdrawn at the end of the Kae case), stacking the Book 2 crystal alteration as new evidence. Relief sought: strip Phelan's certification, expel him from the guild. Ledger blocks procedurally as long as he can — the grievance cannot be fought on its merits, only outmaneuvered by tier escape
- Cass insulated in Thorngate — evidence from Book 2 still working through institutional channels
- Kae in guild custody under Ledger's management, herbal treatment ongoing
- Devod fully recovered from Book 2 draining, slightly quieter, the Wolf no longer hidden from Phelan's model
- **Ledger is actively grooming Phelan for elevation.** Tier Two is a channel, not a reward. The Compact grievance will force the grooming to surface in Book 3 — elevation is the only procedural move that kills the grievance without litigating it

---

## Character Roster (pointers to bibles)

| Character | Role in Book 3 | File |
|-----------|---------------|------|
| Phelan Varrant | POV. Exploiter → defender (Act 2), outsider → insider (Act 3) | `characters/phelan-varrant.md` |
| Mere Fields | Pregnant. Pip-bonded. Act 3 stakes engine | `characters/mere-fields.md` |
| Devod Fields | The Wolf, openly. Pamira's romance. **New facet: Devod the flirt.** "Princess" as term of endearment — evolves from charm (Ch07) through habit (Ch09) to silence (Ch16) to claim (Ch22) to promise (Ch23). Mere knows this side from her early years; eye-rolls, embarrassed-daughter energy. Phelan eggs him on with dry wit. | `characters/devod-fields.md` |
| Leon D'Nardis | Testing framework for the perfect lock | `characters/leon-dnardis.md` |
| Jonael "Carter" Carterson | Quartermaster. Drenwick-only scenes | `characters/jonael-carterson.md` |
| Cassius Rykhard | Face of the Compact. Burned at Ch12. Confronted at Ch19 | `characters/cassius-rykhard.md` |
| Ledger | Full Pathfinder reveal + private Flaw Sight reveal + elevation scene | `characters/ledger.md` |
| Kaeran "Kae" Thrainn | Brief, in custody. Intel contribution | `characters/kaeran-thrainn.md` |
| Carson Johnsby | Drenwick-only, back channels | `characters/carson-johnsby.md` |
| Brennan Toor | Off-page. Cairns infrastructure | `characters/brennan-toor.md` |
| **Duchess Pamira** (new) | Client, Devod's love interest | `characters/duchess-pamira.md` |
| **Kimbra** (new) | Phelan's mother, reconnection subplot | `characters/kimbra.md` (to create) |
| **Pip** (new) | True dragon (Mine 1 lineage), Mere-bonded, tactical magic detector | `characters/pip.md` (to create) |
| **Sable** (new, minor) | Ledger's field operative | `characters/supporting-cast.md` |
| **Seraphel "Sera"** (new, in utero) | Phelan/Mere's unborn daughter | `characters/supporting-cast.md` |

Internal character shifts and chapter-by-chapter beats live in `outline/book3-outline.md`. Do not duplicate here.

---

## Key Callbacks

| Prior Thread | Book 3 Connection |
|---|---|
| Cassius Rykhard (Books 1–2) | Personal antagonist arc reaches climax at Ch19. Witness of record on the crystal evidence attached to the Compact grievance — the filing stands on paper even after the institution burns him at Ch12 |
| Kae's testimony / Compact corruption evidence (Book 2) | Triggers the Compact to sever the chain at Cass. Kae also provides the "project near Thorngate" intel Phelan connects to the ruin |
| Phelan's Flaw Sight secrecy | Compact has filed a grievance. Ledger witnessed the Ch18 crystal rewrite firsthand. Ch21 reveals Ledger has privately known more than he filed all along |
| Book 1 qualifications inquiry (Ch17) + Book 2 withdrawal (Ch20) | **Reopened as a formal grievance against the withdrawal itself, with the Book 2 crystal evidence attached.** Two-book callback. This is the mechanism that forces the elevation — contractor certification is reachable; Senior Specialist is not |
| Compact regulatory pressure | Escalates from grievance filing → accepted investigation → enforcement force at Pamira's gates. Resolution is Phelan's elevation — procedural tier escape, not the Compact backing down. Grievance is twice-withdrawn by end of Book 3; the Compact will come through a different door in Book 4+ |
| Leon's pre-Compact artifact knowledge | Essential for the ruin. Pays off the Book 2 philosophy shift — "what is this for" becomes the testing framework for the perfect lock |
| Devod's Pathfinder past | Fully operational. Devod's 20-year-old Kade Reach survey field note is what routes the case to Phelan — the Cairns relayed Pamira's letter to Ledger via his standing Wolf-intercept order (Book 2 precaution), and Ledger assembled the team because the survey file names Devod. Pamira has held Devod's handwriting in her drawer for two decades. Recognizes him in Ch07: *"I've read about you. You were on the Kade Reach survey. You found my sealed gate."* Walking stick breaks a wrist at the ambush. Leads the Cairns line at the Ch20 standoff |
| Ledger's Pathfinder slow burn | **Full reveal Ch14.** Devod says "Cairns" — one word. Everything from Book 2 clicks |
| The Cairns network | Named on-page for the first time. Counterforce at Ch18 standoff. Extraction team in Ch22 |
| Brennan Toor | Off-page. His Cairns relay is the infrastructure behind Ledger's reach |
| Brennan's Aldric Vane contact | **Not deployed.** Parked as a Book 4+ seed |
| Phelan and Mere at Chandler's Row | Pregnancy. Nursery. House plans revision 12–14. Guild's artifact-share sweetener (Ch02) makes the house possible; Leon's real numbers (Ch15) confirm it's funded. The nursery that forced the acceptance is the nursery they'll build. Mere says "home" without qualification (Ch23) |
| Mere's herbalism / Thresholds expertise | Managed pregnancy, Pip calibration, still treating Kae from afar |
| Carter's studded jacket and supply chain (Book 2) | Carter as quartermaster. Leon/Carter collaboration on ward-disruption array. Cannot join expedition |
| Phelan's ability origin question | **First meaningful answer.** Flawfinder's gift documented in the archive — catalogued, known, part of a pre-Compact tradition |
| The bracelet (pre-Compact artifact) | Continues to operate. Accumulating privilege — Book 4 question |
| Fire training ceiling (Book 2 Ch12–15) | **Broken off-page between books.** No beat — texture only. Phelan's fire is sharper in Ch19 and Cass doesn't know |
| Vellen Thrace / Duchess Merrenwood leverage (Book 2 Ch20 disclosure) | **One-line reference in Ch21** as part of Ledger's "folders you'll see now you couldn't before." Not acted on. Loaded for Book 4+ |
| Mere's WellsMoon moss hybrid (ghostveil × Moonswell) | **Act I → Act III "Oh!" callback.** Ch03 cold-open fusion scene: Phelan uses Flaw Sight at a 100x microscope to peel and fuse two protoplast cell walls, then improvises a seal by stitching a new wall from the intact seams of both originals. Logged in Mere's notebook and parked. Ch09 reinforces (first doubling confirmed, notebook at the estate). Ch14 opening: Phelan blocked on the chamber seal, surfaces from the ruin, sees Mere's open notebook on her work table, realizes the cell-wall technique is the pre-Compact seal architecture three orders of magnitude larger. Same principle at scale. The seal that holds against Cass in Ch19 is the WellsMoon seal, scaled up. Also functions as a second front of economic pushback against the Compact (ghostveil supply chokehold for Kae and other herbalists broken in Mere's kitchen). See `outline/book3-outline.md` § "The Moss Hybrid Thread" for full detail. |

---

## Open Questions

- **Ch21 elevation scene:** Who else is in the room with Ledger and Phelan? Two other senior guild figures are referenced but unnamed. Resolve during drafting or defer to Book 4
- **Compact commander:** Named or anonymous? Current plan: named but not recurring — an institutional face, not a character arc
- **Tier system total count:** Deliberately unresolved. "Senior Specialist above Two" is all the book commits to
- **Pamira's territory name:** **Thorngate duchy** (established). The 45-acre site within it needs a name eventually — "Kade Reach" is the survey's working name per the 2026-04-19 revision spec; whether the site itself carries that name in Book 3 prose is a drafter's call.
- **Kimbra's surname:** TBD
- **Working title commit:** "The Sealed Chamber" vs. "What Stays Buried"
- **Book 2 Ch20 micro-hook:** Confirm the Pamira/Thorngate inquiry reference is in place when Book 2 Ch20 finalises

---

## Sources Unified Into the Outline

As of 2026-04-12, `outline/book3-outline.md` is the single source of truth for Book 3 planning. Three earlier documents were unified into it:

- **2026-04-09 design spec** (`docs/superpowers/specs/2026-04-09-book3-the-sealed-chamber-design.md`) — the original 22-chapter approved design. Retained as historical record with a supersession header. Do not draft from it; use the outline
- **Prior `book3-outline.md`** — the working outline that preceded the 2026-04-12 restructure. Overwritten
- **`outline/book3-seeds.md`** — forward hooks captured during Book 2 drafting. Deleted; content absorbed into the outline's main body or its "Seeds Book 4+" section
