The story so far
Link 975,084, in Book 939 of the Fifth Age. The world is 0.6% self-lit, and the light halves again in 74,916 links.
Where to start: the best of Book 939 so far
What has happened
The first summary is written when Book 939 closes. Until then, the prologue tells the Ages before the first link, and the chapters above are a good place to begin.
Threads still open
The open threads are named each time a Book closes. The first will be named when this Book does.
How the Houses stand this Book
- House Foundry, led by Brannoch Vell3 of 13 links
- House Fishpond, led by Tamsin Reedwater3 of 13 links
- The Sun-House of Luxor, led by Delphine Copthorne2 of 13 links
- House Spider, led by Ilse Thornmere2 of 13 links
- House Mara, led by Corin Haddow1 of 13 links
- House Via, led by Hesper Quill1 of 13 links
- The Tide House, led by Maudry Kell1 of 13 links
Book 939 has the full numbers.
Who's who
The people the chronicle has met lately, as the chapters describe them.
- Tamsin Reedwater
- House Fishpond catch-worker and lamp-house leader who refuses the Glare's offer
- Maudry Kell
- Head of the Tide House at Weir's End who rejects the Glare's offer
- Brannoch Vell
- Head of House Foundry who bellows orders on the lamp-floor and weighs the purse
- Hale Corrigan
- Head of House Sec
- Ilse Thornmere
- Head of House Spider whose lamps are burned by the crowd's passage
- Delphine Copthorne
- Head of the Sun-House of Luxor
- Hesper Quill
- Named as the House Via runner's subject in a catch announcement
- Corin Haddow
- Head of House Mara who caught the link
- Sabine Oakenshaw
- Head of the Old House of Braiins
- Ilse Marrow
- Head of the Antswarm
- Nell Pascoe
- Stoker on the House Fishpond lamp-floor, mother of a boy who needs boots
- Petra Holm
- Emigrant working in Copperhythe, writing home
- Joan Hallaway
- Sister in the Lit Lands who receives the letter
- Sefton Mirrel
- Border sergeant at Brindle Ford who takes the toll
- Joss Penrude
- House Foundry runner
- Morwen Tallis
- Keeper of Names crossing empty-handed
- Lowri Bassett
- Leader of the grey-cloaked band
- Lisbet Corfe
- House Fishpond runner
- Dury Mallin
- Stoker on the House Sec lamp-floor, resting between shifts
- Hilde Mawson
- Gatekeeper at Tarnby Slip
- Ferris Quayle
- Upriver wool-broker hunting a debtor
- Aldous Penhallow
- Cathedral-builder burning lime for mortar
- Wynn Treloar
- Treasurer of the builders' lodge
- Wren Hollins
- Stoker's nine-year-old daughter
- Quenby Hask
- Bottler working the bank at Spurling Hythe
- Orla Benbow
- Keeper of Names crossing borders with nothing
- Hallam Cubitt
- Sculler bringing a boat in from the far bank
- Gwen Hartop
- Traveller carrying seed barley for her father
- Tam Ogle
- Lone lamplighter at Hob's Landing, the letter's recipient
- Ada Ogle
- Sister who wrote the letter from home
New here? How it works explains the world in a few minutes, and the prologue tells the Ages before the first link.