massive flesh out of the world, finished chapter 20, most of book 3 outlined

world/world-overview.md

@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@
 - A growing merchant class challenges traditional noble economic dominance
 - Multiple faiths coexist with varying relationships to magic — no single dominant church
 
+**Kingdom Structure:** Corvel is a single kingdom with six duchies, ruled by **King Halvar Rethen III** from the capital **Varenhold** in the Crownhold. The duchies are **Thorngate** (Duchess Pamira Varnesse, north), **Aldermere** (Duke Garrett Holven, north — peer to Thorngate), **The Crownhold** (held directly by the crown, central-north), **Wenlow** (Duchess Isolde Merrenwood, west — agricultural), **Vethmarch** (Duke Cason Arvale, east — mountain frontier), and **Sudermere** (Duke Roderic Velthane, south — contains Drenwick). Noble ranks: king, duke/duchess, baron/baroness, landed gentry (where D'Nardis sits). No counts. Full details in `world/locations/kingdom-of-corvel.md`.
+
 **Trade Routes:** Established merchant roads connect major cities. Merchant Guilds regulate prices and quality.
 
 ## Seasons
@@ -21,8 +23,11 @@ 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
+- Drenwick — Phelan's home base, mid-sized city at a river junction, seat of the Duchy of Sudermere
+- Thorngate — northern duchy seat, Duchess Pamira's city (~4 days N of Drenwick)
+- Varenhold — capital of Corvel, seat of the crown (~6–7 days N of Drenwick)
+- See `world/locations/kingdom-of-corvel.md` for the full kingdom scaffold
+- See `world/locations/` for individual location entries
 
 ## World Building Notes
 
@@ -79,7 +84,7 @@ Corvel is a richly detailed fantasy world with its own history, culture, and con
 
 ## 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.
+**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. Structured as: king (one), dukes/duchesses (six, one per duchy, crown-confirmed), barons/baronesses (multiple per duchy), and landed gentry (minor nobility, not titled). Noble estates retain **advisory jurisdiction over Compact regulatory matters on their own territory** — a mechanism most dukes never exercise, but one that becomes central in Book 3.
 
 **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.