Chapter Map

Continuous numbering. Interludes labeled by character, not numbered. Book One: Ch 1–22 · Book Two: Ch 23–43 · Book Three: Ch 44–65

Book One — The List

Ch	Title	POV	Date (Aldrician)	Location
Pro	In Earnest	Osmen	Thalorien 13, 2810	Forest road, Carnehue–Prefect's estate
1	Plague	Mags	Thalorien 4–8, 2820	Wilderness near Bresholm
2	Flowers	Mags	Thalorien 11–17, 2820	Bresholm
3	Carnehue	Mags	Thalorien 22–30, 2820	Carnehue
4	Fists	Mags	Gwaelen 15–18, 2820	Carnehue — childhood home / tavern
5	Ribbons	Mags	Gwaelen 6–15, 2820	Carnehue — Zirul, the box
6	Retreat	Mags	Bryndor–Aelyndra, 2820	Bresholm
Int	Osmen	Osmen	Calanwyr 15, 2821	Sosamyra — church compound
7	Forms	Mags	Brythalen 11–13, 2821	Bresholm / bear cave
Int	Maren	Maren	Brythalen 14, 2821	Bresholm
8	Agna	Mags	Brythalen 15–19, 2821	Bear cave / Bresholm / road south
9	Roads	Mags	Brythalen 24–Eldavar 5, 2821	Road south / Fenwick waystation
10	Waystations	Mags	Eldavar 1–9, 2821	Fenwick / Galt cabin west of Fenwick
Int	Osmen (II)	Osmen	Eldavar 7, 2821	Sosamyra — church compound
11	Smoke	Mags	Eldavar 17–27, 2821	Brydden (market town)
12	Ossavar	Mags	Eldavar 21–30, 2821	Road south — Ingle/Edoinne discussion, Ossavar name planted
13	Mave	Mags	Talvorn 1–10, 2821	Hallow (border town near Umberhal)
14	Alleys	Mags	Maereth 15–21, 2821	Erish
Int	Maren	Maren	~Maereth, 2821	Road / South Aldenmere
15	Rats	Mags	~Caelwyn, 2821	Road / camp — character work, Elia meets Plague
16	Power	Mags	Durnhal 6–11, 2821	Road — the hawk, the pull
17	Packs	Mags	Durnhal 16–19, 2821	Camp, South Aldenmere
18	Burial	Mags	Durnhal 20–Voryneth 5, 2821	Stonebridge
Int	Maren	Maren	Voryneth 7, 2821	Carnehue
19	Choices	Mags	Voryneth 8–18, 2821	Carnehue — the Tangle
20	Registers	Mags	Voryneth 19–24, 2821	Carnehue
21	Taggert	Mags	~Voryneth 25–30, 2821	Taggert estate
22	Still	Mags	~Thalorien, 2821	Carnehue — lonely birthday, reckoning
Epi	In Earnest	Osmen	~Thalorien, 2821	Sosamyra — bookend to Prologue

Book Two — The Testament

Ch	Title	POV	Date (Aldrician)	Location
23	Lirenne	Mags	~Thalorien, 2821	Carnehue — the decision to go
24	Ships	Mags	Thalorien 15–16, 2821	Carnehue harbor
25	Cardinal	Mags	Thalorien 17, 2821	Carnehue harbor / the ship
26	Crossing	Mags	Thalorien 17–23, 2821	At sea
27	Recognition	Mags	Thalorien 24–27, 2821	L'lane arrival
28	Dust	Mags	—	L'lane — colleges, treatise recognized
29	Roads	Mags	Gwaelen 8–12, 2821	Road south, Tennaly — catalyst residue
30	Kings	Mags	—	Corivel — Anessi (Umber history found)
31	Compounds	Mags	—	Corivel — Ingle breakthrough, rooms searched
32	Haelith	Mags	Gwaelen 20–23, 2821	Departure from Lirenne
Int	Edoinne	Edoinne	—	Tianshu monastery
33	Osmen	Mags	Late Gwaelen, 2821	Mountain road — Naia Sorrel attack
34	Knots	Mags	—	Tianshu monastery — the prophet, pendant confirmed
35	Familiar	Mags	—	Tianshu — Plague suspicion
36	Sorry	Mags	Bryndor 19, 2821	Tianshu monastery
37	Restraint	Mags	Bryndor 25, 2821	Tianshu — Maren returns, dual restraint
38	Sometimes	Mags	—	Mossant / Aldenmere — Plague keep-or-lose
39	Passage	Mags	Aelyndra 5–11, 2821	Tianshu to Mossant — mountain crossing, mule dies
40	Edges	Mags	Aelyndra 12–16, 2821	Mossant descent into H'analaise — horses acquired, checkpoint
41	Traps	Mags	—	Aldenmere — checkpoint catastrophe
42	Shaking	Mags	—	Aftermath — the silence
43	Decisions	Mags	Aelyndra 12, 2821	Aldenmere — the decision, forward, together
Epi	The Numbers	Sorvaine	Aelyndra 17, 2821	Sorvaine's perspective

Book Three — The Door

Ch	Title	POV	Date (Aldrician)	Location
44	Math	Mags	~Calanwyr, 2822	Eastern Aldenmere
Int	Osmen	Osmen	—	Repositioning south
45	Papers	Mags	Calanwyr 17, 2822	Checkpoint / eastern Aldenmere
46	Mud	Mags	Calanwyr 22, 2822	Border margins — Deverin found dead
47	Trails	Mags	—	Durn settlement
48	Changes	Mags	—	War news — Carnehue falls
49	War	Mags	—	War landscape — places they know
50	Drawing	Mags	—	H'analaise border — Osmen trail deadline
51	Darker	—	—	Felkirk — witch burning witnessed
Int	Edoinne	Edoinne	—	Near Ossavar — formula nearly complete
52	Absence	Mags	—	Group splits — Mott departs
53	Divided	Mags	—	Mags east alone
54	Closer	Mags	Talvorn 4, 2822	H'analaise — approaching facility
55	Found	Mags	—	Morgrym found
56	Clans	Mags	—	Dagger reveal — Bres clan work
57	Undeniable	Mags	—	Morgrym safe
58	Love	Mags	—	Group reassembles — the fire
59	Osmen	Mags	—	Trail resolves — Ossavar ahead
60	Resolved	—	Maereth 15, 2822	Coast approach — Naia Sorrel intercept
Int	Mott (The Cage)	Mott	Maereth 11, 2822	Aldenmere command, occupied S. Aldenmere
61	Lists	Mags	Maereth 17, 2822	Ossavar — Osmen confrontation, notebook closes
62	Weights	—	Maereth 18, 2822	Ossavar — formula delivery, the weight distributes
63	Ends	—	Maereth 19, 2822	Ossavar — heliodor seats, every thread closing
64	Preparation	—	Maereth 23, 2822	Ossavar — night before, farewells, last fire
65	Alone	Mags	Maereth 24, 2822	Ossavar — the spell, the door, Aevorn
Epi	None to Mark Her	—	Maereth 25, 2822	Ossavar / beyond — burial, world after
Int	Elia	Elia	Maereth 24, 2822	Ossavar — the room, whiskers move
Coda	—	Ingle	—	Brentwick — the one who goes home

Chapters marked "—" have content established in the beat docs but no confirmed title. Many Book Two and Three dates are approximate or unset.

Characters

Birth dates, ages, key details for continuity

The Group

Magdelia Estuv-Bres POV

Born Thalorien 11, 2800 (Sept 8) · Half-Alvar · Age 20 at story start

Voice: permanent rasping whisper (arrow, age 10)
Weapons: sickle; mithral dagger (father's, Bres clan, empty pommel cage)
Tattoos: Durni clan marks, right arm wrist to shoulder
Languages: Alvari, Briari (wildtongue), Durni, Dunai
Parents: Harven Estuv (human, guard captain) · Tessara Estuv (Alvar, councilwoman, mage)
Adoptive: Morgrym & Agna Bres (Durn)
Familiar: Plague (rat) — sent by Sorvaine, no bargain

Maren "Lucky" Lull POV

Born Aelyndra 18, 2778 (Dec 18) · Human · Age 42 at story start

Weapon: plain sword
Carries: rag doll (tucked in belt)
Background: former soldier → former Examiner → alcoholic drifter
Guild: Wardens' Company — Order of the Road
Key: father figure to Mags; kills Eclesses (accident, Maren Int #3)

Edoinne Tull POV

Born Talvorn 16, 2796 (Apr 16) · Human · Age 24 at story start

Build: small, physically unimpressive (premature birth)
Background: Carenhal Order → columbary → discharged
Languages: Hanyi (self-taught)
Key: the notebook; sees the equation; love interest for Mags
Formula: suicide spell math delivered Ch 42 (B3); Aevorn mechanism from Osmen Ch 61

Elia Martine POV

Born Caelwyn 1, 2796 (Jun 1) · Human · Age 24 at story start

Build: 5'6", 125 lbs · hands shake
Weapons: dual blades; bow & quiver
Languages: Aevornian / Old Tongue (from Natalia Delaire)
Guild: Wardens' Company — Iron Charter
Key: Mott's secret lover/bodyguard; draws blades before thinking; severs the bond; carries Plague out

Ingle Farwin POV

Born Maereth 5, 2794 (May 5) · Half-Alvar · Age 26 at story start

Build: tall and gangly
Background: alchemist, apothecary, The Hael / Brentwick
Key: logical foil; disdains magic & clergy; crush on Elia; the one who goes home
B3: false hope carries structural weight; presence, not transformation

Mott Kir POV

Born Maereth 21, 2791 (May 21) · Human · Age 29 at story start

Build: 6'1", ~200 lbs, dark hair silvering early
Weapon: scythe
Languages: Durni (from Braggar Ironhame)
Key: 3rd prince of Aldenmere; fled Cardinal destiny; moral compass
Father: King Aldric (going mad, renamed himself after Temet Aldric)

Antagonists

Osmen POV

Born Brythalen 28, 2778 (Feb 28) · Human · Age 32 at prologue, 42 at B1

Role: head of church's deniable operations
Languages: Alvari (fluent), Dunai (working)
Key: led the ambush; Maren's mirror (same birth year); not a true believer
Arc: Naia attacks the group B2 Ch 33 (Osmen's machinery, not Osmen); full confrontation B3 Ch 61; survives; does one thing that matters

Sorvaine GOD

Ancient · Goddess · Patron of Mags (unwilling)

Key: destroyed Umber in Aevorn (Year 813); sent Plague; engineer of 2,000 years of bloodline hunting
Church: deploys mages disguised as caster priests (machinery outlasts the god)
POV: B2 Epilogue "The Numbers" — only god POV in the trilogy

The Aldrician Calendar

12 months × 30 days = 360 + 5 Unmoored Days (Ancalen) = 365. 7-day week. Two moons: Aelyr (30-day cycle) & Bryneth (45-day cycle).

The Twelve Months

Calanwyr

Early Winter

The Stag — Carveth

Brythalen

Late Winter

The Harp — Elyrion

Eldavar

Early Spring

The Seed-Bearer — Talun

Talvorn

Mid Spring

The Crowned Lion — Arvanel

Maereth

Late Spring

The River Serpent — Vaelor

Caelwyn

Early Summer

The Burning Spear — Draeth

Durnhal

Mid Summer

The Hammer — Durnak

Voryneth

Late Summer

The Withered Tree — Morvael

Thalorien

Early Autumn

The Veiled Woman — Saelith

Gwaelen

Mid Autumn

The Broken Wheel — Caeroth

Bryndor

Late Autumn

The Ember Wolf — Brynvar

Aelyndra

Late Winter

The Silent Gate — Aelythar

Days of the Week

Day	Name	Meaning	Feel
1	Calen	Beginning, seed	Good for starts
2	Voryn	Growth, motion	Travel, trade
3	Dathra	Balance, choice	Oaths, diplomacy
4	Maelor	Strength, action	War, labor
5	Elyth	Reflection, learning	Study, magic
6	Bryn	Change, fire	Risk, passion
7	Nôl	Ending, rest	Ritual, remembrance

Key Holidays

Date	Name	Notes
Calanwyr 1	Aldric's Day	New year. Civic. Church increasingly claims it.
Brythalen ~15	Elyravel	"Night of the Harp." Music & remembrance. Alvar origin.
Eldavar 30	Tael-Cyr	1st convergence. Contracts sealed.
Talvorn 15	The Lion's Seat	Under the Crowned Lion. Governance. Church claiming it.
Caelwyn 30	Draeth-Cyr	2nd convergence. Military reviews.
Durnhal 30	Durncyr / Thorngrund	Craft guilds. Durn: "anvil's rest."
Thalorien 15	Saelith-Varn	"Veiled Crossing." Day of the dead.
Thalorien 30	Saelith-Cyr	3rd convergence. Month of crossing.
Bryndor 15	Hearthnight / Aldurren	Doors closed, fires lit. Church: "The Light Endures."
Aelyndra 30	Aelyndra-Cyr	4th convergence. Year's last structured day.

Ancalen — The Unmoored Days

Day	Name	Character
1	Nôl-Calan	Year's last breath. Debts settled.
2	Dathra-Veil	Spirits walk openly.
3	Morvellen	The day without shadow.
4	Caer-Lost	No work, no law. Obligations suspend.
5	Calan-Nûr	First dawn of the new year. Weekly cycle resumes.

Story Dates

Mags' birthday: Thalorien 11 (early autumn, Veiled Woman).
Prologue: Thalorien 13, 2810 (the ambush — 10 years before B1).
Book One begins: Thalorien 4, 2820.
Book Two epilogue: Aelyndra 17, 2821.
Book Three runs through ~Maereth, 2822.

World Timeline

Key dates in the Aldrician reckoning

Year	Event
429 b.a.	Valdenne founded, capital at Sosamyra
1 b.a.	Valdenne subdues eastern lands
Year 1	Aldrician Calendar established. Temet Aldric becomes God-King. Eastern lands → H'analaise.
Year 95	Oss'e Umber seizes throne. First contact with Lirenne. Umber Kings begin.
Year 748	Balda Umber takes the throne. Mother Miya claims father is god Brocco.
Year 761	Balda killed by the witch Thaga at Ossavar. Thin place created. "Thaga" becomes a curse. Son Orr'e ascends.
Year 762	Orr'e assassinated. Church of Umber begins in secrecy.
Year 813	Sorvaine destroys Umber in Aevorn. Church of Umber loses caster-priests. Sorvaine weakened for centuries.
Year 820	Tomas Ferre's two prophecies. The Umber prophecy: the last of the lion's blood.
Year 1047	Great Witch Trials begin. 1,900+ burned over two decades.
Year 2778	Maren Lull and Osmen born (same year).
Year 2800	Mags born, Thalorien 11, Carnehue.
Year 2810	Prologue — ambush, Tessara & Harven murdered. Mags age 10.
Year 2820	Book One begins. Mags age 20.
Year 2821	Bulk of Books One & Two.
Year 2822	Book Three. Ossavar. The end.

Investigation Chain

The List vs. The Institutional Chain — two parallel tracks

The Original List (from memory, age 10)

Name	Status	Chapter
Ruko (half-Dunai)	Found & killed, Ch 10	B1 Ch 10
Drevon (half-Dunai, Ruko's brother)	Found & killed, Ch 19 (The Tangle)	B1 Ch 19
The silent bowman (= Osmen)	Name unknown until B3. Confrontation B3 Ch 61.	B3 Ch 61
Eclesses (uncle, magistrate)	Killed by Maren (accident, Maren Int #3). Mags never got to choose.	Maren Int, B1

The list fails her. Crossing names off produces nothing — no relief, no closure. The institutional chain produces results.

Investigation Tier Structure

1 Hired killers — Ruko, Drevon. Contracted through the Guild. ↓

2 The silent bowman — Osmen. Church operative. Above the Guild. ↓

3 Guild operative — Wenden Poole. Local man. Orders from Erish. ↓

4 Government official — Aldous Ferrick. Commissioner of Charitable Works. Church bridge. ↓

5 Institutional ally — Prefect Dell Taggert. Not corrupt. The door to power. ↓

6 The church — Osmen's apparatus, Brennan, the Thagari. ↓

7 Sorvaine — the architect. Two thousand years of engineering.

Key Investigation Beats

Ch	Source	What Mags Learns
B1 Ch 10	Ruko (interrogation)	Murder contracted through Guild middleman
B1 Ch 13	Mave Solloway (paid)	Guild corruption; Wenden Poole; orders from Erish; Mirin Cole
B1 Ch 14	Records hall + Mott	Aldous Ferrick — church bridge into government
B1 Ch 20	Mott/Elia records	Guild commercial footprint; Ferrick's paper trail
B1 Ch 21	Taggert alliance	Harbor expansion wrong; pattern extends across kingdoms
B2 Ch 27–30	College archives	Guild = Sorvaine's financial arm; Umber bloodline; prophecy
B3 Ch 61	Osmen confrontation	Murder confirmed; Aevorn mechanism; church's deepest secret

Foreshadowing Seeds

What to plant, where, and why. The seed should not know it is a seed.

Book One

Seed	Plant	Payoff
Plague at the body	Prologue — rat at Mags' body, Osmen finds it unremarkable	Ch 1 — Plague is her familiar, not a scavenger
Church seal on Osmen	Prologue — environmental detail	B2 — church connection surfaces
The magic (pool thaw)	Ch 1 — unremarkable cantrip	Ongoing — what she is
Notebook first entry	Ch 9 — Edoinne sees anomalous cantrip	B3 Ch 61 — closes for the last time
Durni phrase (Mott)	Ch 14 — Mags' head turns involuntarily	Mags/Mott connection; shared Durn background
Examiner = Sorvaine's church	Ch 7 — church seal/detail at Examiner arrival	Maren reveal (Ch 15)
Ossavar name	Spoken in B1 — vivid image attached	B3 climax location
Harbor expansion	Ch 3 & Ch 19 — new construction, larger than needed	B3 — harbor receives Aldenmere fleet
Deverin (Stonebridge priest)	Ch 18 (Burial) — strawberry birthmark, kind	B3 Ch 44 (Mud) — dead in the mud, unburied
Elia's bow	Ch 14 — bow & quiver established visually	B3 — pigeon shot

Cross-Book Objects

Object	Appearances
The notebook	B1 Ch 9 (new) → Ch 12 (Ossavar, active) → B2 Ch 1 (on table) → B2 Int (worn, filled) → B3 Ch 1 (fresh page) → B3 Ch 17 ("not yet") → B3 Ch 61 (closes). Never explained.
The pendant (lion's knot)	Present from B1. Mags touches it involuntarily throughout. Empty cage in pommel of dagger echoes it. Physical thread across all three books.
The prophecy phrasing	B2 first delivery (clean, stark). B3 echoes, never verbatim. "None to Mark Her" epilogue title.

Magic System

Quick reference — full details in the wiki

Three Types of Casters

Type	Source	Cost	Key Trait
Mage	Catalyst powder + environment	Shortens lifespan; powerful spells can kill	Cannot choose sources; always draws from self too
Caster Priest	Their god	None to caster; god is reluctant	Entirely dependent on god's willingness
Witch (Thaga)	Patron god + environment (hybrid)	Can exclude themselves	Can choose sources; can draw from god against its will

Mags as Unique Case

First witch to serve a major god (Sorvaine). No bargain struck. No contractual limits on drawing. Can potentially drain Sorvaine directly. The weapon is her own creation.

Key Rules

Impending spells: When not enough essence is available, the spell delays (seconds to decades). Once begun, a spell CANNOT be cancelled by anyone, including gods.

Suicide spells: Highest-level spells. The mage percentage alone is lethal. A witch could theoretically cast one without dying — by drawing from her patron instead. This is the mechanism.

The church's mage trick: Sorvaine deploys trained mages disguised as caster priests. Congregation can't tell the difference. If Sorvaine is destroyed, the mages keep casting. The machinery outlasts the god. (Planted B2 Ch 7 — Edoinne spots catalyst residue.)

Five Schools

School	Discipline	Element	Color
Calessi	Pyrethics	Fire	Red
Ondurri	Hydromancy	Water	Blue
Teressi	Lithurgy	Earth	Brown
Vaurri	Aerics	Air	Green
Anessi	Vitalism	Life	Black
College of White — all five in concert. Only the most talented. Located in Lirenne.

Names & Places

Searchable reference for proper nouns

Kingdoms

Aldenmere	Western Cenne Rese. Sorvaine's stronghold. King Aldric. Capital: Sosamyra.
South Aldenmere	Below Aldenmere. Mags' homeland. Capital: Erish. Key cities: Carnehue, Bresholm, Fenwick.
Valdenne	Northernmost. Southern border = Embry Mo'sant curve.
H'analaise	Eastern, mountainous. Against the range. Call it "H'ossant."
Daening	East of S. Aldenmere, behind mountains. Isolated 2,600 years. Call range "Tianbi."
Umberhal	Southernmost. Only kingdom straddling both sides of the Mossant.
Lirenne	Island continent east. Alvar homeland. Magic colleges. Capital: L'lane.

Key Locations

Bresholm	Durn settlement. Morgrym/Agna. Mags raised here. Birthday Ch 2. Near Ketton.
Carnehue	Major port, pop 25–30K. Investigation hub. Falls in B3 (navy lands at harbor). The Tangle, the Puddles.
Erish	Capital of S. Aldenmere, pop ~9K. Records hall. Ferrick's office. Holds in B3.
Fenwick	Waystation town. Bran Setter. Edoinne's notebook first entry (Ch 9).
Hallow	Border town near Umberhal. Mave Solloway lives here. Warm, flat, quiet.
Sosamyra	Capital of Aldenmere & Valdenne. Church compound. Osmen's office. Palace on the hill.
Stonebridge	Town where Deverin does burial rites (Ch 18). Elia's faith moment.
Ossavar	Dead city on coast. Where Thaga killed Balda (761). Thin place. Suicide spell location. B3 climax.
Tianshu	Monastery in Daening (near Daoshi). Edoinne's interlude — formula resolves.
Corivel	River town, Lirenne. College of Anessi. Umber history discovered. Rooms searched.
Crossgate Keep	Processing facility. Morgrym transferred through here.
Embry Mo'sant	Great mountain range. Formal name. Common: "the Mossant." H'analaise: "H'ossant." Daening: "Tianbi."
Aevorn	The divine realm. Where Sorvaine destroyed Umber. Where the suicide spell leads.
Felkirk	Border town. Witch burning in B3 Ch 49 (Darker).
Greypool	Elia's hometown. Provincial, western Aldenmere.
Brentwick	Ingle's hometown. The Hael region.

Supporting Characters

Morgrym Bres	Mags' adoptive father (Durn). Imprisoned. Found B3.
Agna Bres	Mags' adoptive mother (Durn). Burned as witch (Maren Int, B1).
Eclesses	Mags' uncle. Magistrate of Carnehue. Stole inheritance. Killed by Maren.
Tessara Estuv	Mags' mother. Alvar. Councilwoman, mage. Murdered in prologue. Was investigating the Guild.
Harven Estuv	Mags' father. Human. Guard captain. Murdered in prologue.
Dell Taggert	Prefect of S. Aldenmere. Institutional ally. Tessara was heading to him.
Bran Setter	Maren's contact. Former watch official. Fenwick. Ch 9.
Mave Solloway	Retired Guild official. Hallow. Buyable. Knew Tessara. Ch 13.
Wenden Poole	Guild operative. Local man in Carnehue.
Aldous Ferrick	Commissioner of Charitable Works. Erish. Church bridge.
Cardinal Brennan	Warm, approachable. Mott's intended destiny.
Braggar Ironhame	Taught Mott Durni. Connection to Durn culture.
Natalia Delaire	Elia's ex. Aevornian scholar. Opera. L'lane. Harbor Master scene.
Deverin	Stonebridge priest. Strawberry birthmark. Kind. Dead in B3 Ch 44.
Naia Sorrel	Intercepts group near Ossavar (B3 Ch 58).
Pol Harkin	Maren's eyes in Lirenne. Shadow in B2 Ch 6.
Mirin Cole	On the list. Already dead (natural causes). Parish register, Ch 20.

Races

Human	Majority population.
Alvar	Elves. Homeland: Lirenne. Long-lived.
Durn	Dwarves. Language: Durni. Morgrym, Agna, Bresholm.
Dunai	Orcs. Language: Dunai. Ruko & Drevon are half-Dunai.
Chiri (Dowlen)	Squirrel-sized, humanoid, down-covered. Language: Briari. Kept Mags warm in the forest.

Guilds & Factions

Wardens' Company	Mercenaries/adventurers guild. Maren = Order of the Road. Elia = Iron Charter.
Shippers Guild	Sorvaine's financial arm. Continental commercial network.
Carenhal Order	Crown military institution. Edoinne spent 11 years here.
The Thagari	Witch hunters. Church-backed.

Government Hierarchy (South Aldenmere)

King → Prefect(s) → city magistrates. Eclesses = city magistrate. Taggert = Prefect. Keep consistent.