The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural (real-life book)

The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural is a book by Rob Chestney that represents an in-universe work of the same name. The book was published by Chronicle Books in 2011 and shipped in December of that year as a pack-in with the preorder collector's edition of the massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) Star Wars: The Old Republic. The book features artwork by Sperasoft Studios, Roman Artamonov, Fedor Losev, Lorenz Hideyoshi Ruwwe, Clint Young, and Arnie Jorgensen, as well as maps and diagrams by Michael Voigt. The book includes three inserts: the Jedi Temple floorplan; Article 15, Section 9 of the Treaty of Coruscant; and the Shield Generator Defense Plan by Master Belth Allusis.The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural
==Behind the scenes==
The book is divided between titled chapters, themselves divided between numbered entries, such as "xxxxx.xx.xxx". For example, the first entry start with "21359.76.512". If compared to known dated events, such as provided by the Galactic Timeline on Star Wars: The Old Republic official website, those entries seem to be part of a unidentified datation system somewhat mirroring other known datation systems, such as the Galactic Standard Calendar (BBY) and the unidentified calendar based on the Treaty of Coruscant (BTC/ATC):
Entries 	Before/After the Treaty of Coruscant	Galactic Standard Calendar 	Events
21359.76.512	31 BTC 	3684 BBY 	
21361.57.139	29 BTC 	3682 BBY 	
21361.62.033	29 BTC 	3682 BBY 	
21363.98.659	28 BTC 	3681 BBYStar Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia places the Treaty of Coruscant, which served as the zero point of a calendar adopted by the Galactic Senate following the conclusion of the Great Galactic War per , in the year 3653 BBY of the Galactic Standard Calendar, which was based around the date of the Battle of Yavin. Thus, the difference between the two dating systems is 3,653 years.	Assault on the Tingel Arm region
21363.98.675	28 BTC 	3681 BBY 	Battle of Korriban
21364.15.238	26 BTC 	3679 BBY 	Tingel Arm campaign, Battle of Sluis Van and start of the Minos Cluster Campaign
21364.87.751	26 BTC 	3679 BBY 	
21372.22.563	18 BTC 	3671 BBY 	Third battle of the Seswenna sector and First Battle of Bothawui
21372.22.590	18 BTC 	3671 BBY 	Second Battle of Bothawui
21373.05.888	17 BTC 	3670 BBY 	
21374.49.110	16 BTC 	3669 BBY 	
21375.12.709	15 BTC 	3668 BBY 	
21375.94.227	15 BTC 	3668 BBY 	
21375.96.368	15 BTC 	3668 BBY 	
21376.21.211	14 BTC 	3667 BBY 	
21376.89.702	14 BTC 	3667 BBY 	
21376.89.704	14 BTC 	3667 BBY 	
21378.00.213	12 BTC 	3665 BBY 	
21379.16.091	11 BTC 	3664 BBY 	
21382.55.137	8 BTC 	3661 BBY 	Start of the Blockade of the Hydian Way
21383.62.492	7 BTC 	3660 BBY 	End of the Blockade of the Hydian Way
21389.87.731	0 ATC 	3653 BBY 	
21390.02.056	0 ATC 	3653 BBY 	Sacking of Coruscant, Treaty of Coruscant
21390.76.299	0 ATC 	3653 BBY 	
21392.38.748	2 ATC 	3651 BBY 	
21395.71.917	2 ATC 	3651 BBY 	
21398.48.556	3 ATC 	3650 BBY 	
Several observations can be made from this. Firstly, it can be noted that the entries point of origin is based on the creation of the Galactic Republic, set in 25,053 BBY, per the Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia,Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia which correspond to 21,400 BTC, but with an offset of ten years after the Republic's foundation, equivalent to 25,043 BBY. Secondly, while most dates check out with their correspondant entries, it's not the case of the three entries chronicling the events set in 3681 BBY/28 BTC (which should equate to 21362 in the book internal datation system), even though the entry "21363.98.659" indicate it was written the very day of the event of the Assault on the Tingel Arm region. It can be also be noted that, if indeed the entries are part of a datation system, the standard year of this system may not equate the length, nor the starting point of the others two calendars.
Furthermore, in keeping with the style of a research journal and a personal diary, the entries are often written by Gnost-Dural while some time had already occurred after the events he is chronicling. Some refers to events happening the very day, others weeks and months prior, or even full centuries in the case of his research into Sith History. For example, Gnost-Dural only describes the events leading to Mandalore the Lesser's ascension, mirroring the content of the fourth video entry in the Galactic Timeline, dated to 14 BTC, in entry "21379.16.091". In it, he wrote of events happening "Three years ago, in the wake of their defeat in the Battle of Alderaan", which would equate to 21376, confirmed by entry "21376.89.702", describing the initial Sith's invasion of Alderaan, and followed with entry "21376.89.704", on which Gnost-Dural relates the victory of the Republic.
==Appearances==
==Sources==
*
==Notes and references==
Category:Legends reference books