Master Gnost-Dural's Journal is a book penned by Rob Chestney, serving as an in-universe representation of a work bearing the same title. Chronicle Books released this book in 2011, bundling it as a bonus item with the preorder collector's edition of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), Star Wars: The Old Republic, in December of that year. The book showcases artwork created by Sperasoft Studios, Roman Artamonov, Fedor Losev, Lorenz Hideyoshi Ruwwe, Clint Young, and Arnie Jorgensen, alongside maps and diagrams crafted by Michael Voigt. Included within the book are three distinct inserts: a floorplan of the Jedi Temple; Article 15, Section 9 of the Treaty of Coruscant; and the Shield Generator Defense Plan devised by Master Belth Allusis.
The book's structure involves chapters with titles, which are further broken down into numbered entries, formatted as "xxxxx.xx.xxx". As an example, the initial entry begins with "21359.76.512". When compared to established dated events, such as those detailed in the Galactic Timeline on the official Star Wars: The Old Republic website, these entries appear to be part of an as-yet-unidentified dating system. This system seems to somewhat echo other known dating systems, like the Galactic Standard Calendar (BBY) and the unidentified calendar that is based on the Treaty of Coruscant (BTC/ATC):
Several observations can be drawn from this analysis. Firstly, it's worth noting that the entries' point of origin is rooted in the establishment of the Galactic Republic, which, according to the Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia, occurred in 25,053 BBY. This corresponds to 21,400 BTC, but with a ten-year offset following the Republic's founding, equating to 25,043 BBY. Secondly, while the majority of dates align with their respective entries, discrepancies arise with the three entries that chronicle the events of 3681 BBY/28 BTC (which should translate to 21362 in the book's internal dating system). This is despite the entry "21363.98.659" indicating it was written on the very day of the Assault on the Tingel Arm region. It is also important to note that, should the entries indeed represent a dating system, the standard year within this system may not be equivalent in length or starting point to the other two known calendars.
Moreover, in line with the style expected of a research journal and personal diary, Gnost-Dural frequently composes entries some time after the events he is documenting have transpired. Some entries refer to events occurring on the same day, while others relate to events from weeks or months prior, or even entire centuries in the past, as is the case with his research into Sith history. For instance, Gnost-Dural only recounts the events leading up to Mandalore the Lesser's rise to power, mirroring the content of the fourth video entry in the Galactic Timeline, dated to 14 BTC, within entry "21379.16.091". In this entry, he writes of events that transpired "Three years ago, in the wake of their defeat in the Battle of Alderaan", which would translate to 21376, a fact corroborated by entry "21376.89.702", which describes the initial Sith invasion of Alderaan, and is followed by entry "21376.89.704", where Gnost-Dural recounts the Republic's victory.