Timeline

The timeline of the room series is still under construction, as only some games contain complete dates. This page contains a series of events from what may be gathered within the games.

Timeline by Century

Prehistory

Centuries before the events of any of The Room games, numerous civilizations discovered and began to make use of the power of the Null. These civilizations were somehow interconnected by the Null, even using a common series of glyphs. Null users could be found in South America, Africa, Europe, and even, potentially, on Mars. The earliest date given in the games comes from the protagonist’s journal in The Room Three, where they claim to have taken rubbings from a site in “N. Sagguara” dating back to 2620 BC. Several Null temples of these civilizations remained and were rediscovered by archaeologists and Null researchers centuries later.

12th Century

In trying to find the earliest known appearance of Null glyphs, the trilogy protagonist makes note of the 12th Century in their journal as one of the early instances. Later, in The Room VR: A Dark Matter, The Detective is transported to The Chapel of the Sacred Guard in Devonshire, where they learn that the Knights Templar were in possession of a Null artifact, their “sacred cargo”. The Templars were defeated in a fierce battle while carrying the artifact, but in the process were somehow able to protect it. Historically, the Knights Templar were founded in the 12th Century.

17th-18th Century

It is unclear when exactly the voyages to South America undertaken by European Null researchers began. It is likely they could have been made as early as the 14th century, when the so-called Age of Exploration was first beginning. The Priestess in particular laments that European invaders have begun to cause destruction among her people, which is what prompts her to turn to the Null for answers. Seeing danger in the path she is taking, she later chooses to seal the Null away instead.

However, the earliest evidence we have for Null-specific voyages to South America places them somewhere in the 17th and 18th Centuries. The captain of the Rose, the ship that pursued the Helena in search of the artifact it carried, notes that he has paid for a privateer’s license, and privateers (by that name) only became especially significant starting in the 17th Century.

The outcome of those voyages, or even the number of voyages, is not made explicit by the games. However, it can be inferred that the wreck of the Helena, and, later, the Rose, occurred somewhere during these centuries.

The year 1788 is referenced on a plinth found in the Grey Holm Observatory. The date may refer to the Observatory's construction, or the founding of some organization.

The Craftsman's company, Talisman, apparently has its origins in this century, as a company selling apothecary supplies and medicine. Other branches, selling machinery, were seemingly established later.

19th Century

The electrical and mechanical branch of Talisman is founded in 1807. The Craftsman tells the protagonist that the workshop at Grey Holm is where he began crafting his masterworks.

In 1864, the company Pyre Quality Service is founded. Pyre Quality Service is not as clear in its purpose as Talisman may be. There is only one instance of a label for Pyre Quality Service, and it is found in the Pyre tower at Grey Holm. It may be simply another company founded by The Craftsman, or another branch of Talisman.

The British Institute of Archaeology Egyptian Antiquities Office, the office that Dr. Rupert Montgomery belonged to, was founded in 1876. The actual historical existence of this office is uncertain, but its foundation coincides with a general interest in Egyptian artifacts in the field of archaeology during this time in Britain’s history. This date is found on the stationary used by Dr. Montgomery for his notes during the first level of The Room VR.

Sometime in the late 19th century, Professor de Montfaucon begins research into the Null and hires Rigby to bring corpses for his experiments. In 1883, a different mysterious benefactor hires Rigby to search a Crypt for a Null artifact, on Montfaucon’s recommendation. On October 23, the benefactor writes a letter to Rigby indicating his reservations on hiring him and instructing him not to interfere with the artifact. Soon afterwards, Rigby uses the artifact to travel through the Null himself.

During this time, Margaret Cox trains under Simon Grayson in magic and fortune telling. Simon Grayson discovers a Null shard and begins using it in his magic act. At some point, the brother of shipping lawyer Robert Bailey goes missing. Bailey’s mother is stricken with grief and turns to Margaret Cox for help in contacting him. On March 5, 1883, Robert Bailey writes to Maggy and demands that she stay away from his mother. When Maggy continues to offer her services, Bailey sends the press to investigate and expose her. Maggy writes to Simon Grayson for aid in getting Bailey and the press off her back, and tells him to meet her at the Lion to prepare for some grand new performance.

From the years 1889-1890, a Miss Mary A. Walker of Tasmania attended the Slade Fine Arts School at the University College in London. Miss Mary apparently lived in or had some connection to Grey Holm. Her whereabouts, and the whereabouts of the rest of the residents of Grey Holm by the start of the main trilogy, are unknown.

The events of the trilogy (The Room, The Room Two, and The Room Three) have been tentatively placed in 1897, using dates found on various newspaper articles.

20th Century

Professor de Montfaucon continued to work on his Null experiments through the late 19th century. During this time, his sister, Lucy, was admitted to Kirkton Sanitorium for tuberculosis. Montfaucon later removed Lucy from the hospital and kept her in their estate until her eventual death from her illness. After her death, Montfaucon used her heart as part of his experiments, possibly in an effort to bring her back to life. On November 19, 1903, Professor de Montfaucon concludes that he is not the only one in possession of a Null sample, and that a number of interconnected samples are causing mysterious events that he has experienced.

Sometime in January of 1908, The Craftsman joins a research party bound for Egypt, disguised as a porter. On February 12, he notes in his journal that he has been in the research party for three weeks. On February 13, the research party discovers a burial site, to the amusement of The Craftsman, who is in pursuit of a much more powerful temple which none of them know to look for. He discovers this temple on February 24, and, after some investigation, begins to take his scientific apparatus inside the next day. By the 28th, he has explored deeper into the temple and made a number of discoveries. This includes several carved symbols which he believes would take him deeper into the tomb, but which he is unable to solve right away. The date that he discovers the symbols is crossed out in his journal, making it unknown at what point in the journey he found them.

Later that same year, 1908, Dr. Rupert Montgomery, now back in London, continues his research into the artifacts brought back from Egypt. Unable to make any breakthroughs, he is approached by The Craftsman, still disguised as a porter, who offers him help. The Craftsman begins to lead Dr. Montgomery into a spiral, as Montgomery spends later and later nights at his research, falling under the sway of the Null. Finally, The Craftsman strikes and is able to trap Montgomery’s soul in an artifact. 

On October 15, 1908, Dr. Montgomery is reported missing to the Bloomsbury Police. At some point afterwards, The Detective is assigned to the case, and The Craftsman visits the Bloomsbury Police Station to offer his assistance. On October 22, The Detective is attempting to solve the disappearance when they find a note left by Sarge and an artifact left by The Craftsman, which teleports them to the Null plane. The Craftsman claims to want to help The Detective solve their case, but over time, The Detective learns of the souls he has trapped in the past and that he plans to do the same to them. With the help of The Witch, The Detective follows The Craftsman to the Null temple in Egypt, where they are able to trap his soul in an artifact. They release all of the souls formerly trapped by The Craftsman and return to the Bloomsbury Police Station. The Witch asks The Detective to remain vigilant in a final letter.

Most likely during this year, or possibly a few years prior, Collector Hydrus’s predecessor leaves The Circle, taking a Null sample with them.

Also in this span of time, Edward Lockwood is expelled from the Royal Institute and hired by The Circle. He spends months studying the Null, while his wife, Abigail, becomes suspicious and fearful of The Circle’s intentions. Abigail leaks Edward’s research to the Royal Institute, where it is intercepted by The Circle. In a final attempt to free herself and her husband, Abigail steals the Null sample and tries to flee. She traps the Null, and her husband’s soul, in the dollhouse in their attic, and then escapes.

On November 1, 1908, Edward Lockwood ceases communication with The Circle, prompting them to alert Collector Hydrus to his case. On November 12, 1908, the police conduct a search of Waldegrave Manor and find nothing. By November 14, The Circle have decided to send Collector Hydrus to Waldegrave Manor to retrieve Edward’s Null sample. Some time later, Hydrus pays his visit, and is able to break the seal put in place by Abigail on the dollhouse. He extracts the sample, but considers taking it for himself. November 21, 1908 is the date of Hydrus’s final collector report on Edward Lockwood, explaining that The Circle now has the Null sample they wanted.

Timeline of the Trilogy

The exact place of the trilogy in the timeline is still in debate. However, it most likely takes place sometime after 1890, when the last record of a resident in Grey Holm besides The Craftsman is dated. Further, evidence from newspaper articles suggest that The Room Two ends and The Room Three begins in 1897.

Before the events of the trilogy, A.S. was a researcher of some kind. He was knowledgeable in forms of alchemy, chemistry, and anthropology, and consulted with The Circle on these matters to some extent. His obsession with the Null caused many to become skeptical of him and dismiss him. This apparently included his friend, the Protagonist, who he tried and failed to enlist the help of in his studies.

A.S. did most of his work in his manor near the Glendon Hills. Records of his activities begin on February 11th, of an unknown year. A.S. writes in his journal that his research is moving very slowly, but he is certain of what he is looking for: the Null, which he calls “the final element”. On May 8th, a man named Macallister delivers rubbings taken from Egypt, then promptly refuses to continue working for A.S. The rubbings confirm a pattern being traced by A.S. He notes the repetition of a particular hexagonal glyph, found across numerous cultures in his research.

A.S. makes a significant breakthrough on June 21st, when, due to some negligence on his part, he accidentally uses himself as a catalyst to distill a crystalline sample of the Null. He celebrates his discovery, and claims he has already made significant progress in his research, especially into the Null’s refractory properties. He continues his work, and by July 15th, he has crafted a device through which to channel the Null. He notes that he feels the sample is tied to his soul somehow. The amount of energy produced by the sample alarms him, especially seeing as he lacks the ability to control it. By July 29th, A.S. has crafted a lens from the Null and begun wearing it in an eyepiece. He confesses that since he first used the lens, he has been plagued by frightening visions, which become worse the farther he descends towards the earth. He relocates his study to a higher tower of his manor.

In his desperation for knowledge, A.S. returns to some of the literature of The Circle, and discovers a passage in the Scriptus Nocti. The passage contains a ritual to summon the god Astaroth, and requires a power source of such strength as the sample in A.S.’s posession. A.S. believes that if he summons Astaroth and binds him to his service, he will gain unlimited access to knowledge of the Null. Excitedly, he prepares for the ritual. On August 15th, A.S. attempts the ritual, but it goes wrong. Instead of summoning Astaroth, A.S. finds his visions have worsened, and his house is unnaturally expanding, with new rooms appearing everywhere.

Sometime after the failed ritual, A.S. sends for the Protagonist’s aid and encloses the Null sample in a safe for them to find should they arrive. Soon afterwards, he is drawn through a Null portal, which transports him to the Cog Room. Some force continues to draw him on across time and space. He continues to leave notes for the Protagonist in case they answer his call and follow him, promising to do his best to guide them.

Here, the timeline is intersected at many points and follows a non-linear path, as A.S. travels through many places in time at the behest of the Null. At first, he is pleased by his newfound ability to travel the world with a single step, but soon begins to see the artifice of it all. He feels he is being toyed with or manipulated to some end, like a rat in a maze. Endlessly, he finds himself tuning rooms and glyphs to open the next portal, until he claims to have filled a ledger with tally marks of the places he has visited. After perhaps thousands of such cycles, during which time his age was unnaturally extended, he discovers the secret to controlling the path through the “place of endless places”, as he calls it. In order to ensure the escape of the Protagonist, he sacrifices his own life in some sense, leaving his body to be found in the Séance room at 17 Franklin Court in London. His corpse holds the key which will take them where they need to go - Professor de Montfaucon’s estate.

Throughout this time, A.S. was in contact with The Craftsman. In The Room Three, The Craftsman professes knowledge of A.S., and implies that his actions may have led to the imprisonment of A.S.’s soul. A.S.’s safe was also crafted by Talisman, the company owned by The Craftsman, suggesting their work together began as early as before the events of The Room. The nature of their collaboration, and The Craftsman’s deception, is unknown.

Some time after A.S. disappears, the Protagonist arrives at his manor in answer to his summons. They find the safe and the letters left by him, solving all of the puzzles in his study until they find the Null sample inside. This triggers the portal to open, which sends them on a journey following in A.S.’s footsteps. The designs left behind by A.S. allow them to navigate in a more controlled way, making their journey much shorter than his. They travel through the Cog Room, The Crypt, The Ship, and The Temple, then arrive at The Séance. After solving this room, the Protagonist discovers the body of A.S., and his instructions for them to use the key he has provided. Rather than a door opening for the protagonist, A.S. transports them directly to The Lab of Montfaucon’s estate. In this final room, they use the soul of Lucy and/or A.S. to power Montfaucon’s doorway machine. This opens the door to the nexus of the Cog Room, where the Protagonist uses a more complicated glyph to send themselves home. They are chased out of the final portal by Null tendrils which destroy A.S.’s manor.

This incident is reported on Tuesday April 13th, 1897. The next day, Wednesday the 14th, the Manor House burns down in a mysterious fire. A Glendon Hills newspaper publishes this story on Thursday the 15th.

By July 5th, the Protagonist is still recovering from the trauma of their journey. On the 17th, they note that they have plunged themselves into work to try to suppress their insatiable curiosity towards the Null. They begin petitioning the Royal Institute for help in their research, but by the 19th they have been rebuffed by them many times over. On July 21st, they are turned away again, but an anonymous undersecretary slips them information on an island off the South coast of Britain. The Protagonist quickly makes the decision to travel there.

Meanwhile, The Craftsman has been observing the Protagonist’s activities through the Royal Institute. On July 23rd, The Craftsman laments that his Null crystals are running low on soul energy and he must soon have a new power source. By the 27th he has resolved to use the last of the energy he has to capture the Protagonist, as he finds they have an unusually powerful soul. On the train ride to the South coast, the Protagonist is intercepted by The Craftsman, who forcibly teleports them to Grey Holm. He leaves notes for them, explaining that he intends to test their skill so they may accompany him in some grander purpose, while concealing his true intentions to open a portal to the Null planet using the power of their soul. The Protagonist works their way through Grey Holm, following The Craftsman’s demands, until they complete the construction of The Craftsman’s key. At this point, the outcome of the story depends on the actions of the player.

Potential Endings

There are a number of possible endings to the original trilogy. It is unknown which of these endings, if any, is considered the “true” canon ending which would connect the events of the trilogy with the other games of the series. Before each, the Protagonist emerges on the highest tower of Grey Holm, solves the contraptions left there by The Craftsman, and opens a doorway. The location on the other side of the doorway determines what ending is seen, and can be altered by items found in-game.

If the player does no more than comply with the demands of The Craftsman, they receive the Imprisoned ending. A doorway opens seemingly back to the train car the Protagonist arrived in. However, upon entering this doorway they quickly discover a note left by The Craftsman, explaining that they have been deceived. They are trapped inside one of his creations, where their soul will power The Craftsman’s doorway to the Null planet. The player sees a cutscene of The Craftsman opening the door, through which Null tendrils begin to emerge, and the game ends.

If the player instead chooses to explore the nexus of Grey Holm further, the Protagonist begins to unravel elements of The Craftsman’s plot. For instance, they may begin to interact with the Mystical Maggie Fortune-Telling Booth found in the Library. In the token slot of the booth is a fold-up key which leads to a chain of discoveries. Along this route, the player is able to find hidden notes left by The Craftsman. When the Protagonist starts to interact with Maggy, The Craftsman senses her resistance by July 30th and attempts to banish her deeper into the prison of the fortune-telling booth. It also appears likely that The Craftsman is doing work behind the scenes while the Protagonist solves puzzles around Grey Holm. On August 3rd, he is able to briefly open a portal to the Null planet, but not sustain it. On August 11th, he confesses to waking up on the floor of his workshop, next to a box he does not remember building.

Exploring in this way unlocks two artifacts which can be used to alter the ending that the player experiences. The first, using the first artifact, is the Escape ending. In this turn of events, the Protagonist alters the doorway that they leave through and emerges in the Grey Holm boathouse. They are chased by Null tendrils and are knocked unconscious, falling into a rowboat. They awaken off the coast of Grey Holm, and watch as the manor is destroyed by the Null. The Protagonist returns to the mainland, where after a time they find that the Null no longer holds them in its power. Happy in their newfound ignorance, they return to a normal life.

Alternatively, using the second artifact will initiate the Release ending. This will also send the Protagonist to the boathouse, only this time, when they are knocked unconscious and come to in the rowboat, the sky is dark, and giant Null tendrils reach down from the clouds. Grey Holm is destroyed by the Null, but the Protagonist makes it to the mainland. Terrified, they attempt to warn others of the arrival of the Null, but their agitation leads authorities to imprison them in an asylum. Later, in their cell, they receive a letter from The Craftsman begging them for their aid in stopping the apocalypse they set into motion.

Lastly, using the second artifact and a screwdriver will open the doorway to the Lost ending. Stepping through this door, the Protagonist is suddenly and forcefully transported to the surface of Mars, where they can see a number of temple-like structures. The entryway of the temple before them opens, and the interior is dark.

Dates Mentioned

The following is every instance of a year found in the games.

Year	Game	Occurrence	Additional
2620 BC	TR3	Protagonist's journal; rubbings taken from a site established that year
1471*	TR2	Thomas Bradbury Ltd. St. Albans England No. 1471 Marine Chronometer, from Chapter Two: The Ship	May be only a manufacturing number and not a date
1788	TR3	On plinth in The Observatory; "ANNO DOM. 1788"
1789	TR2	On medical bottle label; Date Talisman apothecary supplies established
1795*	TR3	Number on Library phone	May not refer to a date
1807	TR	Talisman safe label; Date Talisman was established
Friday Dec. 18, 1863	TR3	Date on a copy of the Guildford Gazette found in Grey Holm
1864	TR3	Label on Pyre; "Pyre Quality Service" founded
1869	TR3	Unknown newspaper in Grey Holm; Date the paper was established	Paper featured news clipping reporting the destruction of AS's Manor in the Glendon Hills
1876	TRADM	On stationary used by Rupert Montgomery; British Institute of Archaeology Egyptian Antiquities Office founded
Oct. 23, 1883	TR2	The Crypt; Letter to Rigby
Mar. 5, 1883	TR2	The Séance; Letter to Margaret Cox
1884	TRADM	Date on Germaine and Co. Ltd. Fire and Thief Resisting Safe, Bloomsbury Police Station
1889-1890	TR3	Date on a Certificate made out to a Miss Mary A. Walker of Tasmania from the Slade Fine Art School in London, Grey Holm Study
Sept. 6, 1892		"Class 400" patent, Montfaucon's lab
Sept.17, 1892		"Class 400" patent, Montfaucon's lab
Jan. 5, 1894		"Class 400" patent, Montfaucon's lab
Feb. 13, 1894		"Class 400" patent, Montfaucon's lab
1895	TRADM	Fireproof Matches factory across from Bloomsbury Police Station has words “Fireproof 1895” painted	A reference to Fireproof Games left by developers; significance of date is unclear
Wednesday Nov. 24, 1897	TR3	Stack of newspapers, Grey Holm; Date on an article reporting the destruction of AS's Manor	Another article, dated for Thursday April 15th, can be found at the beginning of the game, reporting the same incident. Both dates are plausible for the year 1897.
1899	TROS	Map of Central London, Hydrus's case	Map is from nine years before the events of TROS
Nov. 19, 1903	TR2	End screen for TR2; Professor de Montfaucon closing statement on the Null
Feb. 12, 1908	TRADM	Journal page; The Craftsman celebrates his third week among the Egyptian research party
Feb.13, 1908	TRADM	Journal page; The research team in Egypt discovers a burial site
Feb. 24, 1908	TRADM	Journal page; The Craftsman discovers the temple he was looking for
Feb.25, 1908	TRADM	Journal page; The Craftsman begins to take his apparatus into the temple
Feb.28, 1908	TRADM	Journal page; The Craftsman has been exploring the temple for several days	One additional entry exists for February after this, but the year and day are crossed out
Oct. 7, 1908	TRADM	Report at Bloomsbury Police Station, safe cracking by William Clarke	Significance of this date to overall story is likely minimal
Oct. 15, 1908	TRADM	Missing persons report at Bloomsbury Police Station; Dr. Rupert Montgomery reported missing
Oct. 22, 1908	TRADM	Starting date of the events of The Room VR: A Dark Matter
Nov.21, 1908	TROS	End screen for TROS; Collector report by Collector Hydrus on Edward Lockwood