To: Facilitator
From: Cora, Continuity & Accuracy Editor
Date: [Redacted]
Project: Cypress Bend
Subject: Continuity Review – Chapter 30: The Chapel

This review is conducted through the lens of strict narrative consistency. My focus is on the internal logic, physical world-building, and environmental data established in this chapter and its relationship to the broader "Cypress Bend" canon.

### 1. STRENGTHS
*   **Material Consistency:** The distinction between **white oak** (used for the frame/foundations) and **pine** (brought by Marcus for non-structural or secondary use) is accurate to high-stakes carpentry. Arthur’s focus on oak’s resistance to splitting versus Marcus’s fatigue-driven warning creates a strong technical tension.
*   **Environmental Logic:** The "bruised plum" sky and the "season’s melt" provide a consistent backdrop for the river's behavior. The transition from the "constant, low-frequency growl" of the water to the "sudden, sharp clarity" of the rising frame establishes a clear spatial relationship between the settlement’s elevation and the danger of the riverbank.
*   **Tactile Continuity:** The use of "wooden pegs" (dowels) to lock the frame without iron is a crucial detail for a settlement "a hundred miles from a reliable supply line." It maintains the established scarcity of the setting.

### 2. CONCERNS

**A. The Characterization of Marcus (Prior Reference Needed)**
*   **The Issue:** Marcus is described as carrying a "heavy length of pine over one shoulder" and later helping Arthur heave a "heavy beam." However, he is also described as carrying fatigue like a "physical garment he couldn't quite unzip." 
*   **Continuity Risk:** If Marcus has been established in previous chapters as having a specific injury or a role that is strictly non-labor (i.e., a clerk or elder), this sudden displays of physical strength—hauling beams through "ankle-deep gumbo soil"—need validation against his established physical baseline. 
*   **Ambiguity:** We need to confirm if Marcus’s boots were previously described. Here they are "sunk ankle-deep." Consistency in the "gumbo soil" depth across the settlement is vital for movement timelines.

**B. The Identity of "Little Thomas, the son of the smithy"**
*   **The Contradiction:** Marcus explicitly states: *"We need a blacksmith shop before we need a pulpit."* This implies the town lacks a functioning forge/blacksmithing facility.
*   **The Conflict:** If there is no blacksmith shop, the presence of a "smithy" (the person) is fine, but the "son of the smithy" implies an established trade role. If a blacksmith exists, why is iron so scarce that Arthur must use dowels?
*   **Flag:** Chapter 30 says they need a blacksmith shop, yet Chapter 30 identifies a resident as "the smithy." If the town has a blacksmith, they should at least have a rudimentary forge, which contradicts the "scavengers in the brush" imagery.

**C. Structural Integrity vs. The Ending Hook**
*   **The Issue:** Arthur is described as checking the "angle of the post" with a square and carving notches with "surgical precision." He is a master craftsman. 
*   **The Contradiction:** At the end of the chapter, he discovers a "deep, jagged crack running through the center of the main support beam."
*   **Technical Check:** Arthur spent the beginning of the chapter lecturing Marcus on how "Oak doesn’t split for a man who knows where to hit it." For a master to miss a deep, jagged crack in a beam he *just* "painstakingly leveled" and "slotted into notches" is a significant lapse in professional competence. If the crack appeared *after* the stress of the lift, it’s a material failure; if it was there before, it’s a character perception failure.

**D. The Proximity of the River**
*   **The Logic:** The chapel is on a "ridge" or "hill" overlooking the settlement. The child falls in near the "embankment." Arthur runs from the chapel to the river. 
*   **Ambiguity:** How far is this distance? Arthur "didn't think about his knees" and "his long legs eating up the distance." If the chapel is the high point, the "geometry of the river" seen from the ridge should be established in Chapter 1-29 to ensure Arthur’s view isn't suddenly gaining "supernatural" clarity for the sake of the plot.

### 3. VERDICT

**MINOR FLAGS**

The chapter is structurally sound but requires a cross-reference check on **the Smithy’s status** and **Marcus’s physical health**. The "cracked beam" at the end is a compelling hook, but it skirts the line of undermining Arthur’s established expertise as a master carpenter. If he is as good as the prose says he is, he would have seen that crack before the dowels were driven.

*   **Actionable:** Verify the Smithy's name and family in the Series Bible. Ensure Marcus hasn't been established as "feeble" in earlier chapters. Confirm the geographical distance between "The Ridge/Chapel Site" and "The Riverbank" matches the previous maps/descriptions of Cypress Bend.