9.3 KiB
9.3 KiB
Book 1 Timeline — The Unbreakable Curse
Purpose: Track elapsed time between chapters to prevent continuity errors. Update this file whenever a chapter is drafted or revised.
Season: Autumn, transitioning toward winter by Ch5–6.
Timeline Summary
| Day | Chapter | Day of Week | Key Events |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ch01 | Unknown | Phelan at Gavren's. Mere's first visit (binding salts, silverthorn). Guild application submitted ~6 weeks prior. |
| 3 | Ch02 | Unknown | "Two days since her visit." Phelan counting days. |
| 4 | Ch02 | Unknown | "Day three" — planning starts. |
| 5 | Ch02 | Unknown | "Day four" — Mere doesn't return. |
| 6 | Ch02 | Unknown | "Day five" — Mere returns, half past nine. First date (afternoon, arcane district). They agree to meet Thursday. |
| ~8 | Ch03 | Thursday | Phelan visits Thresholds. Dog curse breaking (binding salts cure). Hyperfocus crash overnight. |
| ~9 | Ch03 | Friday | Phelan recovers. Returns to Thresholds. Dog chooses Mere. Guild letter arrives — interview on "the 15th, ninth bell." |
| ~13 | Ch04 | Unknown | Guild interview. Phelan accepted. "Four days ago" since dog cure. Gavren asks for two weeks' notice. |
| 13–27 | Ch05 | — | Two-week notice period at Gavren's. Phelan visits Mere twice (briefly noted). Season shifting autumn → winter. |
| 13–27 | Ch05 | — | Leon visit (social call — guild news, dog cure discussion, Vethani Crypts). Occurs during notice period, before job brief. |
| ~25 | Ch05 | Wednesday | Guild messenger delivers Barrows job brief (NS-7714). "Three days before the two-week window closed." Fire test in shack — sluggish. |
| ~26 | Ch05 | Thursday | Last day at Gavren's. |
| ~27 | Ch06 | Thursday | Training with Leon (seventh bell). Guild equipment catalogue. Jonael Carterson introduction at Carterson's Supplies. |
| ~28 | Ch06 | Friday | Sparring with Leon. Death ward intel. Visit to Mere at Thresholds (fourth bell). Job departure at ninth bell. |
| ~28 | Ch07 | Friday night | Greymarch Barrows: entrance ward threaded and disabled (builder's switch). First floor cleared — 3 resonance crawlers killed. Verdenshade harvested (6 clusters). Neck wound (sealed). Camp outside Barrows. |
| ~29 | Ch08 | Saturday | Return to Barrows. Second floor explored. Death ward breached (signature forgery exploit). Enhancer bracelet discovered and claimed. Entrance ward reactivated via builder's switch. |
| ~29 | Ch09 | Saturday (midday–late afternoon) | Walk back to Drenwick. Carter's shop (midday): debrief, inscription fix, store credit. Guild (mid-afternoon): verdenshade delivered, Ledger debrief, 32 silvers paid. Crash at shack (late afternoon). |
| ~30 | Ch10 | Sunday | Phelan visits Mere at Thresholds (mid-morning). Bracelet revealed and shared. Mere identifies pre-Compact conditional notation. "You're my partner" declaration. Reserves ~60–65%. |
| ~31 | Ch10 | Monday | Bracelet deep-dive at shack. Reserves ~75%. Focusing matrix = filter, reservoir = buffer. |
| ~32 | Ch10 | Tuesday | Bracelet analysis continues. Reserves ~80–85%. Evening: visits Leon, brings wine. Full forge-and-redirect debrief. Brute-force forgery hybrid theorized. |
| ~33 | Ch10 | Wednesday | Shack realization ("partner" changes requirements). Guild alias considered (nothing fits). Afternoon: Floundry case brief (NS-7721) delivered. 150 silvers, unbreakable curse, Ned Floundry, 4–6 weeks remaining. |
| ~34 | Ch11 | Thursday | Seventh bell: Ledger delivers folio at shack. Morning: Phelan visits Floundry home, meets Calla, reviews reports, alias "Shade" chosen. Calla shows recent illegible scraps, asks him to return at third bell. Phelan visits Thresholds (briefs Mere, Devod Fields named). Third bell: return to Floundry home, sees Ned, full scraps progression, bracelet-enhanced Flaw Sight reveals 3-layer curse. Writes Ned a promise note. Walks home. |
| ~35 | Ch12 | Friday | Fifth bell: Phelan at table processing curse architecture from memory (bracelet-enhanced recall). Three-layer solution mapping: Layer 1 → ghostveil moss (dampening agent, Sniff/binding salts parallel); Layer 2 → forge-and-redirect (death ward technique); Layer 3 → anchor drift visible but unsolved. Brief stop at Thresholds (Mere gives Devod intel, doesn't go). Visits Devod at Millford Street (late morning). Case intel: Ned's vendor concerns, dead-drop instruction. Velken's Drift mine identified as ghostveil moss source. Devod mentions "my daughter" → Phelan's non-reaction reveals connection → testing questions → "partner" confirmed. Charlette Fields named. Mother revelation: owns Thresholds, income control, ultimatum at 12, Devod forced out. Unsent gifts (12 years). Expedition planned: Phelan, Mere, Devod + Carter supplies. Walks home — noise on two tracks (Layer 3 unsolved, Mere's situation). House plans look different. |
| ~36 | Ch13 | Saturday | Saturday morning: guild HQ, Compact regulatory letter (Section 14c), Ledger's note backing client. Cassius Rykhard encounter outside guild — 25 gold bribe offered and refused. Tenth bell: planning library, Mere and Devod first proximity, mine expedition planned. Saturday afternoon: Carter's shop, supplies assembled, focusing ring revealed and purchased (12 silvers). Walk home. Mine expedition set: tomorrow (Sunday), fifth bell. |
Elapsed Time Between Key Events
| From → To | Elapsed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ch01 → Ch02 (Mere returns) | 5 days | Ch02: "Day five" |
| Ch02 → Ch03 (dog cure) | ~2 days | Ch02 agrees "Thursday"; Ch03 title "Thursday" |
| Ch03 (dog cure) → Ch04 (interview) | ~4 days | Ch04: "four days ago" |
| Ch04 (acceptance) → Ch05 end (last day) | 14 days | Ch05: "Two Weeks" title; two-week notice |
| Ch05 (job brief) → Ch06 (Friday job) | 2 days | Ch06: Thursday training, Friday job |
| Ch06 (Friday) → Ch08 (Saturday) | 1 day | Ch07 Friday night, Ch08 Saturday morning |
| Ch09 (Saturday) → Ch10 (Sunday–Wednesday) | 4 days | Ch10: Days 30–33 |
| Ch06 (cheek kiss, Friday) → Ch10 (partner declaration, Sunday) | 2 days | Ch10: "two days ago" |
| Ch01 → Ch11 (total) | ~33–34 days | ~5 weeks |
| Ch03 (binding salts) → Ch06 | ~19–20 days | ~3 weeks |
| Ch03 (dog cure) → Ch10 (Sniff at Thresholds) | ~21 days | ~3 weeks (Ch10: "three weeks ago") |
| Ch10 (Wednesday) → Ch11 (Thursday) | 1 day | Ch11: "seventh bell Thursday morning," brief on table "fourteen hours" |
| Ch11 (Thursday) → Ch12 (Friday) | 1 day | Ch12: full night's rest, bracelet amber-red (charged), working from fifth bell |
| Ch01 → Ch12 (total) | ~34–35 days | ~5 weeks |
| Ch12 (Friday) → Ch13 (Saturday) | 1 day | Ch13: Saturday morning, guild correspondence |
| Ch01 → Ch13 (total) | ~35–36 days | ~5 weeks |
Continuity Flags
FLAG 1: "Six weeks since the binding salts" (Ch06 line 201) RESOLVED
Changed to "Three weeks since the binding salts." Matches elapsed time of ~19–20 days.
FLAG 2: Absolute calendar dates not anchored
The guild letter says "the 15th" but we don't know what date Ch01 falls on. Day-of-week references (Thursday, Friday, Wednesday, Godsday) exist but no month/date is established. This hasn't caused problems yet but may if future chapters reference specific dates. Low priority — formalize only when needed.
FLAG 3: Ch05 Leon visit timing RESOLVED
The Ch05 Leon visit is a social call during the two-week notice period, unrelated to the Barrows job. Phelan tells Leon about the guild, they discuss the dog cure and the Vethani Crypts. The job brief arrives later (Wednesday). Ch06 is a separate visit where Phelan asks for training help after reading the brief.
Bell System (Time of Day)
Convention: Bells count from midnight. Bell number ≈ hour of day (e.g., sixth bell ≈ 6:00, ninth bell ≈ 21:00). Context determines AM/PM — "ninth bell" in an evening scene is 9pm, "ninth bell" for a morning appointment is 9am. "Half past" works as expected.
| Bell | Time | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second bell | ~2:00 AM | Late night (migraine) | Ch03 |
| Fourth bell | ~4:00 PM | Afternoon visit | Ch06 |
| Sixth bell | ~6:00 AM / PM | Shop open (AM) or close (PM) | Ch01, Ch02, Ch05 |
| Seventh bell | ~7:00 AM | Shop opening, morning training | Ch01, Ch06 |
| Ninth bell | ~9:00 AM / PM | Morning appointment or evening job | Ch04, Ch06 |
| Half past nine | ~9:30 AM | Mid-morning arrival | Ch02 |
| Third bell | ~3:00 PM | Afternoon appointment (Calla's return time) | Ch11 |
| Fifth bell | ~5:00 AM | Morning shift start (Devod at Henwick's yard) | Ch11 (referenced) |
| Tenth bell | ~10:00 AM | Morning planning meeting | Ch13 |
| Fifth bell | ~5:00 AM | Mine expedition departure (planned for tomorrow) | Ch13 |
Days of the Week
- Godsday — established (Ch01: Mrs. Dallery visits every Godsday morning)
- Other day names not yet established — standard "Thursday," "Friday," "Wednesday" used in narration. Decide whether Corvel uses these same names or has its own calendar.
How to Update This File
When drafting or revising a chapter:
- Note any new time references (bells, days, durations)
- Add the chapter's events to the Timeline Summary table
- Update Elapsed Time calculations
- Flag any conflicts with existing timeline entries
- Resolve or note any Continuity Flags
Last updated: Ch13 final (2026-03-07)