A. A Short Chronology

The medieval present was made in the last three of Caeldon’s nine ages: the Corridor Ages, when the Humans came into their own, fast and hungry, and the roads, river towns, and leagues of the cradle-web took shape; the Settlement, when the lordships, holds, leagues, and temples the era takes for granted dug in, most of them won by the sword, and the Wrought awoke; and the Medieval Present itself, whose moment around 1,350 CR this book describes. Each age is given with its span and followed by its main dated events in rough order of their beginnings. Dates are given before (BR) and after (CR) the Common Reckoning, and all of them are deliberately rough. The six ages before these, and the full chronology, are in Foundations.

Date	Age or event
7. The Corridor Ages, c. 40,000-c. 2,000 BR
c. 40,000-c. 20,000 BR	The Founding of the Confluence Marches.
c. 30,000-c. 8,000 BR	The Lower River Absorptions: Human river powers swallow the Reedfolk water orders, and their command of the water becomes service.
c. 28,000-c. 14,000 BR	The Headwater Alignments.
c. 26,000-c. 10,000 BR	The Elderweald Border Pressures.
c. 24,000-c. 2,000 BR	The Confluence Rise.
c. 22,000-c. 16,000 BR	The Founding of the Serathic League.
c. 20,000-c. 9,000 BR	The Iron Compacts take their present shape.
c. 19,000-c. 18,000 BR	The Serathic Oath of Layers: the great river houses force three thresholds of belonging on a feuding river town.
c. 18,000-c. 7,000 BR	The Human Corridor Orders.
c. 18,000-c. 8,000 BR	The Chain-Camps hold Ogre camps on the corridor roads by debt; from c. 15,000 BR the Hearth-Weight Compacts form as their refusal.
c. 17,000-c. 7,000 BR	The River-Lords' Peace: pacts and fortified crossings turn the Serathic towns into a lasting river league.
c. 16,000-c. 8,000 BR	The Headwater Exchange Roads.
c. 16,000-c. 8,000 BR	The Crownbough Embassies.
c. 16,000-c. 2,000 BR	The Spread of the Predecessor-Frames.
c. 15,000 BR	The first river towns swear a shared roster of gods: the Sworn Accord takes its shape.
c. 10,000-c. 2,000 BR	The Confluence-Crownbough Rivalries.
c. 4,000-c. 3,500 BR	The Qzoth Incursion, the last, is burned back and leaves the Wrongwood.
8. The Settlement, c. 2,000 BR-c. 500 CR
c. 2,000 BR-c. 500 CR	The Hardening of the Lordships: the lordships, holds, leagues, and temples of the medieval world dig in, most of them won by the sword.
c. 1,500 BR-c. 200 CR	The Awakening of the Wrought: old workframes wake as persons, and their fight to be counted as people begins.
c. 50 CR	Sanctuary workshops hide newly awakened Wrought and swear to who they are: the first houses of the Mending Orders.
c. 200 CR	The Mending Orders have houses in most mixed towns of the Headwater, Ironspine, and Broken Marches worlds.
9. The Medieval Present, c. 500-c. 1500 CR
c. 500-c. 1500 CR	The Bridge-Holders' Quarrels: at the Greyford Reach and places like it, old roads, neglected bridges, tolls, mending, and salvage are fought over.
c. 1,200 CR	The Wake-Seal: a landslide wakes a Sepulchre-Kin Record-engine, and the survivors' rite closes the Hushvale under fog.
c. 1,350 CR	The medieval present: "now".

Date

Age or event

7. The Corridor Ages, c. 40,000-c. 2,000 BR

c. 40,000-c. 20,000 BR

The Founding of the Confluence Marches.

c. 30,000-c. 8,000 BR

The Lower River Absorptions: Human river powers swallow the Reedfolk water orders, and their command of the water becomes service.

c. 28,000-c. 14,000 BR

The Headwater Alignments.

c. 26,000-c. 10,000 BR

The Elderweald Border Pressures.

c. 24,000-c. 2,000 BR

The Confluence Rise.

c. 22,000-c. 16,000 BR

The Founding of the Serathic League.

c. 20,000-c. 9,000 BR

The Iron Compacts take their present shape.

c. 19,000-c. 18,000 BR

The Serathic Oath of Layers: the great river houses force three thresholds of belonging on a feuding river town.

c. 18,000-c. 7,000 BR

The Human Corridor Orders.

c. 18,000-c. 8,000 BR

The Chain-Camps hold Ogre camps on the corridor roads by debt; from c. 15,000 BR the Hearth-Weight Compacts form as their refusal.

c. 17,000-c. 7,000 BR

The River-Lords' Peace: pacts and fortified crossings turn the Serathic towns into a lasting river league.

c. 16,000-c. 8,000 BR

The Headwater Exchange Roads.

c. 16,000-c. 8,000 BR

The Crownbough Embassies.

c. 16,000-c. 2,000 BR

The Spread of the Predecessor-Frames.

c. 15,000 BR

The first river towns swear a shared roster of gods: the Sworn Accord takes its shape.

c. 10,000-c. 2,000 BR

The Confluence-Crownbough Rivalries.

c. 4,000-c. 3,500 BR

The Qzoth Incursion, the last, is burned back and leaves the Wrongwood.

8. The Settlement, c. 2,000 BR-c. 500 CR

c. 2,000 BR-c. 500 CR

The Hardening of the Lordships: the lordships, holds, leagues, and temples of the medieval world dig in, most of them won by the sword.

c. 1,500 BR-c. 200 CR

The Awakening of the Wrought: old workframes wake as persons, and their fight to be counted as people begins.

c. 50 CR

Sanctuary workshops hide newly awakened Wrought and swear to who they are: the first houses of the Mending Orders.

c. 200 CR

The Mending Orders have houses in most mixed towns of the Headwater, Ironspine, and Broken Marches worlds.

9. The Medieval Present, c. 500-c. 1500 CR

c. 500-c. 1500 CR

The Bridge-Holders' Quarrels: at the Greyford Reach and places like it, old roads, neglected bridges, tolls, mending, and salvage are fought over.

c. 1,200 CR

The Wake-Seal: a landslide wakes a Sepulchre-Kin Record-engine, and the survivors' rite closes the Hushvale under fog.

c. 1,350 CR

The medieval present: "now".