Started book 2, fleshed out locations and book 2 story arcs

world/economy.md

@@ -112,6 +112,25 @@
 - Minimum: 2 engagements per quarter
 - Net from first job: 32 silvers (40 minus 20%)
 
+**Guild Tier System:**
+
+| Tier | Retainer | Job Fees | Access | Expectations |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| Tier One | 15 silvers/month | 40+ silvers, variable | Standard guild resources, assigned handler | 2 engagements/quarter minimum. Standard reporting. |
+| Tier Two | 25 silvers/month | 80+ silvers, variable | Archives access, intelligence priority, expanded safe house network | Higher-profile cases. Detailed debriefs. Guild alias formalized. Methods subject to review. |
+| Tier Three+ | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Referenced but undefined. Senior operatives, institutional leadership. Ledger likely operates at this level. |
+
+**Commission:** 20% of job fees at all tiers (retainer untaxed).
+
+**Promotion criteria:** Not published. Assessed by guild leadership based on case outcomes, reliability, discretion, and institutional value. Ledger's assessment carries significant weight.
+
+**Tier Two practical effects for Phelan:**
+- Archives access (previously "senior investigators only")
+- Guild intelligence network responds to his requests with priority
+- Cases assigned are higher stakes with higher fees
+- "The Shade" formalized as guild alias — on record, searchable by other guild members and, potentially, by the Compact
+- Debriefs are more thorough — Ledger asks harder questions
+
 ---
 
 ## 4. Magic's Effect on Pricing

world/locations/drenwick.md

@@ -1,14 +1,51 @@
 # Drenwick — Home City
 
-Phelan's home base. A mid-sized city built around a river junction — part trade hub, part administrative center, part seedy underbelly.
+Phelan's home base. A mid-sized city built around a river junction — part trade hub, part administrative center, part seedy underbelly. The city operates on a bell-based time system, with Godsday (Sunday) as a day of rest and ceremony. Architecture blends practical stone construction with magical enhancements, particularly in the Guild Quarter where wards and protections are woven into foundations.
 
 ## Districts
 
-- **Guild quarter** — legitimate business, political maneuvering. Where the registered guilds maintain their halls and offices.
-- **Dockside district** — cargo, smuggling, cheap lodging. Where Phelan rents his shack.
-- **Arcane district** — registered magic users, shops, the Compact's local offices.
-- **Noble estates on the hill** — clients who pay well and ask few questions.
-- **The warrens** — slums, street-level crime, useful contacts.
+- **Guild Quarter** — Central administrative and professional district. Legitimate business, political maneuvering. Where the registered guilds maintain their halls and offices. Warded streets and magical protections. Professional and orderly, with a sense of purpose and community.
+- **Dockside / Harbor District** — Primary port and trade hub. Cargo, smuggling, cheap lodging, dockyards, merchant warehouses, fishing fleets. Busy, noisy, perpetually damp. Where Phelan rents his shack. The "Smuggler's Coves" are hidden inlets where illicit goods change hands.
+- **Arcane District** — Registered magic users, shops, the Compact's local offices. Cobblestones damp with overnight dew. Thin autumn light. Half-shuttered shops in the morning.
+- **Noble Estates on the Hill** — Clients who pay well and ask few questions.
+- **The Market District** — Central commercial area. Covered stalls for goods and services. Magic suppliers, weapon smiths, information brokers.
+- **The Lower Ward** — Working-class district. Smaller homes, workshops, taverns. More crowded and less warded. Lively, gritty, full of opportunity and danger.
+- **The Old City** — Historic district beyond the main walls. Ancient stone buildings from before the current age. Narrow alleys and hidden passages. Sites of historical significance (some still magical).
+- **The Warrens** — Slums, street-level crime, useful contacts.
+
+## Key Locations
+
+### Chandler's Row (Mere's Residence)
+- Edge of the Guild Quarter, residential district
+- Rented townhouse with three stories
+- Moss-covered walls and window ledges
+- A corner reserved for Sniff (the familiar creature)
+- Bookshelves filled with reference materials and case files
+- Fireplaces optimized for quick ignition (Phelan's work)
+
+### The Training Grounds (Chandler's Courtyard)
+- Guild Quarter edge
+- Open stone courtyard for physical training
+- Fire sequence practice areas
+- Observation galleries for instructors
+
+### The Archives
+- Deep within the Guild Quarter
+- Massive collection of case files, maps, and research
+- Accessible to senior investigators (Tier Two+)
+- Contains information on magic theory, creature lore, and historical events
+
+### The Watchtowers
+- Perimeter of the city walls
+- Observation posts for security
+- Magical sensors for detecting intruders
+- Communication relays between districts
+
+### The Thresholds
+- Magical liminal spaces throughout the city
+- Doorways and passages that lead to other places or times
+- Some are Charlette's personal domains
+- Warded against unauthorized access
 
 ## Guild of Necessary Services — 14 Greystone Lane
 
@@ -24,5 +61,12 @@ Known spaces:
 
 - **Dockside at dusk:** Tar, salt, fish oil smell. Barge lanterns lit against early dark. River traffic settling.
 - **Arcane district morning:** Cobblestones damp with overnight dew. Thin autumn light. Half-shuttered shops.
-- **General:** Fish and forge smoke. Barge horns (low, flat notes). Urban perfume of too many people.
+- **General:** Fish and forge smoke. Barge horns (low, flat notes). Urban perfume of too many people. The air carries the scent of salt, smoke, and old stone.
 - **Mill road at night:** Usually deserted after dark. Adjacent to Phelan's shack.
+
+## Notes for Future Development
+
+- **Chandler's Row** — revisit as Mere settles in or when Phelan returns from training
+- **The Thresholds** — remain unresolved (Charlette's departure)
+- **The Harbor District** — opportunities for smuggling-related plotlines
+- **The Archives** — resource for research-heavy scenes

world/world-overview.md

@@ -1,3 +1,90 @@
-# World Overview — Corvel
+# Corvel — World Overview
 
-Summary of the world of Corvel, its technology level, society, and power structures.
+## Summary of the World of Corvel
+
+**Technology Level:** Late Medieval to early proto-industrial, with magical enhancements filling gaps where technology hasn't reached. No gunpowder, no electricity, no combustion engines.
+
+**Society Structure:** Feudal layer (nobility hold land) overlaid with a dominant guild system and a growing merchant class. Magic users make up ~20% of the population — licensed, regulated, and taxed by the Arcane Compact.
+
+**Power Structures:**
+- Nobility holds land and political power but increasingly depends on guild wealth
+- The Arcane Compact governs magical practice — licensing, taxation, enforcement
+- Guilds control trade, craftsmanship, and professional services
+- A growing merchant class challenges traditional noble economic dominance
+- Multiple faiths coexist with varying relationships to magic — no single dominant church
+
+**Trade Routes:** Established merchant roads connect major cities. Merchant Guilds regulate prices and quality.
+
+## Seasons
+Autumn → Winter → Spring → Summer — same as Earth.
+
+**Timekeeping:** Bell-based system. Godsday (Sunday) = day of rest and ceremony.
+
+**Key Locations:**
+- Drenwick — Phelan's home base, mid-sized city at a river junction
+- See `world/locations/` for detailed location entries
+
+## World Building Notes
+
+Corvel is a richly detailed fantasy world with its own history, culture, and conflicts. The setting supports both political intrigue and magical adventure. Magic is not miraculous — it is a system, and like all systems, it has rules, inefficiencies, and exploitable flaws.
+
+**Locations Directory:** See `world/locations/` for detailed location entries.
+
+**Characters Directory:** See `characters/` for character profiles.
+
+**Magic System Details:** See `world/magic/` for magic rules and history.
+
+**Economy Reference:** See `world/economy.md` for currency, pricing, and trade information.
+
+**Story Continuity:** See `world/story-summary-book1.md` for plot details.
+
+**Timeline Tracking:** See `world/timeline-book1.md` for chronological events.
+
+---
+
+## Technology Level
+
+**Era:** Late Middle Ages to early proto-industrial. Water-powered mills, early printing presses, rudimentary steam concepts (unstable, supplemented by magic). Guild-based workshop economy.
+
+**What exists:**
+- **Transportation:** Horse, cart, canal barge, early rail (magically assisted)
+- **Communication:** Courier networks, magical sending-stones (expensive, limited range), printed broadsheets
+- **Medicine:** Herbalism, trained surgeons, and healing magic — but cost means infection still kills most people. Healing magic runs 5–15 silvers for minor work, 50+ for serious injuries.
+- **Construction:** Stone, timber, brick. Magical warding and construction assistance is a luxury — 200+ silvers for house warding alone.
+- **Industry:** Guild workshops, water mills, early steam (unstable, supplemented by magic)
+
+**What does not exist:** Electricity, combustion engines, gunpowder, mass communication.
+
+**Magic fills the gaps:** Selective mass production, long-distance communication, preservation, and large-scale construction that would otherwise be impossible at this technology level.
+
+---
+
+## Society
+
+**Base structure:** Feudal layer (nobility hold land and titles) overlaid with a dominant guild system that controls most economic activity.
+
+**Guild membership:** Required for legitimate skilled work. Guilds control trade, craftsmanship, pricing, quality standards, and professional access. The Guild of Necessary Services operates as the informal problem-solving parallel structure.
+
+**Magic users:** ~20% of the population can use magic. Licensed, regulated, and taxed by the Arcane Compact. Common enough to be a profession, expensive enough to be a privilege. Licensed magical services carry a ~15–20% Arcane Compact tax premium.
+
+**Growing middle class:** Merchants, skilled craftspeople, and specialists are creating social tension with traditional nobility. Economic power is shifting from land ownership to guild wealth and trade.
+
+**Religion:** Multiple faiths coexist with varying relationships to magic. No single dominant church.
+
+**Economic inequality:** Significant. Nobles earn 10+ golds/month; unskilled laborers 5–8 silvers/month — roughly a 200:1 ratio at the extremes. See `economy.md` for full income brackets and pricing.
+
+**Social geography (Drenwick model):** Noble estates on the hill, guild quarter in the center, arcane district, merchant/market areas, dockside working-class district, the warrens (slums). Most cities in Corvel follow a similar stratified layout.
+
+---
+
+## Power Structures
+
+**Nobility:** Hold land and political power through hereditary title and land rents. Declining influence relative to economic forces — increasingly dependent on guild wealth and merchant capital to maintain their position.
+
+**The Arcane Compact:** Governing body for magical practice. Licenses and taxes practitioners (~15–20% premium on services). Controls access to rare materials. Maintains offices in major cities. Enforcement through regulatory pressure, supply chain control, and licensing denial. Does not have military power but wields significant institutional authority.
+
+**Guild System:** The dominant economic and social force. Most skilled workers belong to a guild. Guilds control trade, pricing, quality standards, and professional access. Range from legitimate trade guilds to organizations like the Guild of Necessary Services — a structured network solving problems other guilds won't touch.
+
+**Merchant Class:** Growing influence through guild structures and trade networks. Increasingly challenging noble economic dominance. The tension between old land-based wealth and new commerce-based wealth drives much of the political landscape.
+
+**Mechanisms of power:** Land ownership (nobility), regulatory monopoly (Compact), economic control (guilds), and growing merchant wealth. The interplay and tension between these forces shapes Corvel's political reality.