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Act 0 - Mission Spine

This page owns the authored Act 0 mission spine from the arrival pocket to Core establishment. It is a content-facing Act 0 appearance view, not a generic mission-system definition.

The ladder in this page stays explicit: Act Arc -> Quest Thread -> Local Quest / Mission -> Activity Beat -> activity. The authored examples below keep those layers separate instead of flattening Act 0 into one generic task list.

Canonical ownership for the named Quest Threads now lives under ../quest-threads/. The Lost Hours gameplay branch now has its own design owner under ../design-branches/. This page keeps the inline Act 0 mission detail those owners appear through.

Authority And Scope​

Spoiler Discipline​

Mission naming follows the player's earned knowledge state.

  • Unknown state uses need and emotion names. Examples: Survive, Find Water, Prepare for Night.
  • Hinted state uses observation names. Examples: The Old Stones, The Ash Line, Strange Quiet.
  • Discovered state uses interpretation names. Examples: The Ruin Beneath, The Damaged Anchor.
  • Confirmed state uses system-truth names. Examples: Stabilize the Wardheart, Establish the Core.

Early mission names must not mention Shroud, Hero Calling, Corebound, Crown-Wardheart, Nexus, Wardheart, or Core until the player has earned those words. Internal author notes may use those terms for alignment, but early visible copy in Current Plan, Objectives, Queue, Journal, and Location Dossier stays at the player's current knowledge tier.

Surface Integration​

  • Current Plan uses urgent short wording and does not expose the full quest tree. Example: You need water before dark.
  • Objectives shows the active objective, mission, clue, and Journal-linked context, with uncertainty still visible.
  • Queue shows atomic activities only. It does not show rows such as Complete Survive Quest. Example rows: Look Around, Listen for Water, Gather Branches, Make Camp, Inspect Old Stones.
  • Location Dossier holds place-specific notes, Features, Sites, and Threats with uncertainty preserved until the player has enough evidence to upgrade a label.
  • Journal receives hooks from every major mission, but this page does not author accepted story prose.

When this page says queue activity, it is descriptive shorthand for an activity row in the queue, not a separate runtime noun.

Journal Hook Contract​

Every major mission should emit Journal hooks, but those hooks remain draft or example guidance until a story-layer artifact accepts them.

Each hook should include:

  • day grouping
  • entry title
  • entry type tag
  • prose intent
  • optional voice or readback intent
  • linked objective
  • linked mission
  • linked clue
  • linked Location, Feature, Site, or Threat
  • later annotation hooks

Draft or example hook phrases may be attached for tone guidance, but they are not accepted story artifact text. Example phrases:

  • I need water before I need answers.
  • The page stops.
  • Morning came. That should not feel like a victory, but it does.

Mission Entry Template​

## Mission: {Visible Title}
Internal id:
Visible title:
Parent:
Importance:
Quest type:
Knowledge state:
Player-facing premise:
Internal purpose:
Starts when:
Completes when:
Can fail:
Failure-forward result:
Clues / signs:
Linked surfaces:
Queue activities:
Journal hooks:
Spoiler restrictions:

When an act needs per-surface wording, split Linked surfaces: into Current Plan copy, Objectives copy, Journal hooks, and Linked Location / Feature / Site / Threat fields as used below.

Act Arc: Arrival And Core​

  • Internal label: Act Arc: Arrival and Core
  • Player-facing note: the full internal label does not need to appear to the player at game start.
  • Arc function: move from immediate survival, through observation and interpretation, into late-threshold stabilization of the damaged starting anchor chain and establishment of the personal Core.

Quest Thread 1 - Survive​

  • Canonical owner: ../quest-threads/gd-quest-thread-act-0-survive.md
  • Visible Quest Thread: Survive
  • Internal role: Critical Path / Main / Failure-Forward capable
  • Thread function: hold the opening in grounded survival language while the player learns the arrival pocket, the first camp pressures, and the first missing-time irregularity.

Mission: Get Up​

  • Internal id: act0.survive.get-up
  • Visible title: Get Up
  • Parent thread: Survive
  • Importance: Critical Path
  • Quest type: Main
  • Knowledge state: Unknown
  • Player-facing premise: Wake hurt and disoriented, get upright, and decide what matters first.
  • Internal purpose: Establish first-person uncertainty, orient the player in the arrival pocket, and teach that Act 0 starts with bodily need rather than hidden truth.
  • Starts when: Act 0 begins in the arrival pocket.
  • Completes when: The player has read the immediate surroundings or the MC's condition well enough to take a first survival step.
  • Can fail: No hard fail.
  • Failure-forward result: Delay sharpens thirst, fatigue, and exposure so Find Water and Prepare for Night inherit stronger urgency instead of the act dead-ending.
  • Clues / signs: Example signs include ringing in the ears, a hard fall, disturbed ground, drifting ash, and a nearby sound or shelter cue that may be meaningful later.
  • Linked Location / Feature / Site / Threat: Arrival pocket Location; example nearby cover Feature; Threats such as exposure, thirst, and unseen movement.
  • Queue activities: Example activities: Look Around, Check Yourself, Stand Carefully, Move to Cover.
  • Current Plan copy: Example: Figure out where you woke up before you burn more strength.
  • Objectives copy: Example objective Get your bearings; example clue Something disturbed the ground nearby; example mission Get Up.
  • Journal hooks: Draft or example hook: Day 1; title I Woke Alone; tag arrival; prose intent shock, inventory, immediate threat read; optional readback intent short breath, clipped recall; linked objective Get your bearings; linked mission Get Up; linked clue Something brought you down hard; linked Location Arrival pocket; later annotation hook mark the first safe cover once the player confirms it.
  • Spoiler restrictions: Keep wording bodily and immediate. Do not name the anchor chain, the Shield, or any cosmological cause.

Mission: Find Water​

  • Internal id: act0.survive.find-water
  • Visible title: Find Water
  • Parent thread: Survive
  • Importance: Critical Path
  • Quest type: Main
  • Knowledge state: Unknown
  • Player-facing premise: Find safe water before exhaustion or darkness turns the search into panic.
  • Internal purpose: Teach survival-first triage, introduce clue-led local scouting, and set up the possibility that careful inspection matters.
  • Starts when: After Get Up, or as soon as thirst pressure becomes visible.
  • Completes when: The player secures a usable water source, a safe stored substitute, or a dependable route to water.
  • Can fail: Yes.
  • Failure-forward result: Unsafe drinking, delay, or careless inspection can lead into sickness, lost daylight, or the Recover the Lost Hours branch without ending the act.
  • Clues / signs: Example signs include damp ground, insect drift, a faint trickle, greener growth, or a low place that holds runoff.
  • Linked Location / Feature / Site / Threat: Arrival pocket and nearby scouting Locations; example water-source Feature; Threats such as dehydration, contamination, and exposure while searching.
  • Queue activities: Example activities: Listen for Water, Follow Damp Ground, Test the Water, Fill a Container.
  • Current Plan copy: Example: You need water before dark.
  • Objectives copy: Example objective Secure drinkable water; example clue Something nearby still feeds green ground; example mission Find Water.
  • Journal hooks: Draft or example hook: Day 1; title Water First; tag survival; prose intent urgency before understanding; optional readback intent dry, stubborn; linked objective Secure drinkable water; linked mission Find Water; linked clue Green ground; linked Feature possible water source; later annotation hook record which source was safe or unsafe.
  • Spoiler restrictions: Keep water-search language local and physical. Do not suggest the true reason one patch stays greener than another.

Mission: Prepare for Night​

  • Internal id: act0.survive.prepare-for-night
  • Visible title: Prepare for Night
  • Parent thread: Survive
  • Importance: Critical Path
  • Quest type: Main
  • Knowledge state: Unknown
  • Player-facing premise: Choose shelter, fuel, and rest before the first dark cycle closes in.
  • Internal purpose: Teach that the queue is used to build an overnight plan, not just to click one survival fix, and establish the first temporary camp rhythm.
  • Starts when: Once the player has enough orientation to judge light, weather, or shelter pressure.
  • Completes when: The player has assembled a credible first-night setup, even if it is incomplete or fragile.
  • Can fail: Yes.
  • Failure-forward result: A poor setup makes the first night harsher, increases fatigue or exposure, and may kill the fire or waste supplies, but the act continues into a rougher dawn.
  • Clues / signs: Example signs include falling light, colder air, exposed ground, wet fuel, or a wind shift that makes one shelter choice feel safer.
  • Linked Location / Feature / Site / Threat: Arrival pocket Location; example shelter Feature; Threats such as cold, darkness, fatigue, and prowling creatures.
  • Queue activities: Example activities: Gather Branches, Choose Shelter, Make Camp, Stack Firewood.
  • Current Plan copy: Example: Night is coming. Pick shelter and get a fire ready.
  • Objectives copy: Example objective Make it through tonight; example clue This ground will not stay safe after dark; example mission Prepare for Night.
  • Journal hooks: Draft or example hook: Day 1; title Before Dark; tag camp; prose intent forced planning under pressure; optional readback intent measured, still uncertain; linked objective Make it through tonight; linked mission Prepare for Night; linked clue The air changes at dusk; linked Threat night exposure; later annotation hook record which shelter choice held and which failed.
  • Spoiler restrictions: Keep the threat model grounded in weather, sound, darkness, and fear. Do not explain why this place is unusually safe or unsafe.

Mission: Search for Food​

  • Internal id: act0.survive.search-for-food
  • Visible title: Search for Food
  • Parent thread: Survive
  • Importance: Critical Path
  • Quest type: Main
  • Knowledge state: Unknown
  • Player-facing premise: Find enough food to keep moving without trusting the first thing that looks edible.
  • Internal purpose: Extend clue-led survival play, put inspection pressure on the player, and seed the missing-time branch without forcing a dead end.
  • Starts when: After immediate water and shelter pressure are legible, or when hunger becomes visible enough to force a decision.
  • Completes when: The player secures food, rejects a bad lead and redirects, or trips a branch that becomes Recover the Lost Hours.
  • Can fail: Yes.
  • Failure-forward result: Unsafe eating or wasted effort can cost daylight, start sickness, or open the missing-time branch while still moving Act 0 forward.
  • Clues / signs: Example signs include berry clusters, animal tracks, disturbed soil, or food sources that look abundant but suspicious.
  • Linked Location / Feature / Site / Threat: Arrival pocket and nearby scouting Locations; example forage Feature; Threats such as hunger, contamination, and overextension away from camp.
  • Queue activities: Example activities: Inspect Plants, Look for Tracks, Set a Simple Snare, Test a Small Bite.
  • Current Plan copy: Example: You need something to eat, but not at the cost of getting sick.
  • Objectives copy: Example objective Find safe food; example clue Some of this growth looks wrong; example mission Search for Food.
  • Journal hooks: Draft or example hook: Day 1; title Food Or Trouble; tag survival; prose intent need fighting caution; optional readback intent tense, practical; linked objective Find safe food; linked mission Search for Food; linked clue Some plants thrive where ash should win; linked Feature forage patch; later annotation hook mark which signs proved safe .
  • Spoiler restrictions: Do not imply the exact cause of wrong growth, missing time, or local protection. Keep the question open.

Mission: Recover the Lost Hours​

  • Internal id: act0.survive.recover-the-lost-hours
  • Visible title: Recover the Lost Hours
  • Parent thread: Survive
  • Importance: Failure-Forward
  • Quest type: Main
  • Knowledge state: Unknown -> Hinted
  • Player-facing premise: Something took time away from you. Work out what changed before the next pressure wave lands.
  • Internal purpose: Turn blackout or missing-time shock into a failure- forward investigation that deepens survival pressure and points the player toward observation-first mystery rather than dead-end punishment.
  • Starts when: Unsafe eating or drinking, exhaustion, or anchor-adjacent pressure creates a missing-time event. The preferred shape is semi-avoidable if the player inspects or tests carefully; if forced, it must be foreshadowed.
  • Completes when: The player reconstructs enough of the gap to continue Act 0, even if the exact cause stays unknown.
  • Can fail: Yes.
  • Failure-forward result: The branch advances through consequences such as lost daylight, a dead fire, sickness or shaking, tracks near camp, ash closer than expected, old stones more visible, a dream fragment, one displaced item, or a Journal gap. None of these outcomes is a dead end.
  • Clues / signs: Example signs include a moved pack, missing fuel, a changed sky, footprints that were not there before, ash drift closer to camp, or a written record that breaks off.
  • Linked Location / Feature / Site / Threat: Camp-adjacent Location state; example displaced-camp Feature; hinted old-stone sightline; Threats such as sickness, lost time, ash pressure, and unseen pursuit.
  • Queue activities: Example activities: Check the Fire, Search for Tracks, Compare Your Pack, Mark the Missing Time.
  • Current Plan copy: Example: Something happened while you were gone. Work out what changed before night closes again.
  • Objectives copy: Example objective Reconstruct the missing hours; example clue The camp is not how you left it; example mission Recover the Lost Hours.
  • Journal hooks: Draft or example hook: Day 1; title The Missing Hours; tag blackout; prose intent gap, recoil, suspicion; optional readback intent broken, searching; linked objective Reconstruct the missing hours; linked mission Recover the Lost Hours; linked clue The page stops; linked Location camp; linked Threat lost time; later annotation hook compare the first gap against later evidence if the cause is ever named.
  • Spoiler restrictions: Do not commit an exact cause here. Do not name Shroud, Hero Calling, Corebound, Nexus, Wardheart, or Core as the explanation for the missing time.

Lost Hours Branch Notes​

  • Canonical gameplay-branch owner: ../design-branches/gd-design-branch-act-0-lost-hours.md
  • Preferred entry pattern: the player is searching for water or food when an unsafe choice, exhaustion, or pressure near the damaged anchor chain causes a missing-time event.
  • The branch should be semi-avoidable if the player inspects or tests carefully.
  • If the branch is forced for pacing, foreshadow it first through taste, dizziness, wrong silence, a pressure shift, or another grounded warning.
  • The result is failure-forward rather than punitive failure.
  • Possible consequences include lost daylight, a dead fire, sickness or shaking, tracks near camp, ash closer than expected, old stones more visible, a dream fragment, one displaced item, and a Journal gap.
  • The exact cause is intentionally unset in this document. Treat it as open until a later authority locks it.

Mission: Survive the First Night​

  • Internal id: act0.survive.survive-the-first-night
  • Visible title: Survive the First Night
  • Parent thread: Survive
  • Importance: Critical Path
  • Quest type: Main
  • Knowledge state: Unknown
  • Player-facing premise: Hold together long enough to see morning.
  • Internal purpose: Pay off the day's survival preparation, teach overnight pressure, and make dawn feel earned without turning Act 0 into a combat-only gate.
  • Starts when: Night falls or the player commits to the first full dark cycle.
  • Completes when: Morning arrives and the MC is alive with enough capacity to continue the act.
  • Can fail: Yes.
  • Failure-forward result: A rough night can leave the MC tired, hurt, undersupplied, or more exposed, but the morning still opens the next thread.
  • Clues / signs: Example signs include a weakening fire, cold ground, distant movement, strange quiet, or ash that reads differently at night.
  • Linked Location / Feature / Site / Threat: Camp or shelter Location state; example fire or windbreak Feature; Threats such as exposure, creatures, exhaustion, and pressure at the edge of camp.
  • Queue activities: Example activities: Keep the Fire Fed, Rest Lightly, Listen in the Dark, Check the Perimeter.
  • Current Plan copy: Example: Make it to morning.
  • Objectives copy: Example objective Survive the night; example clue The dark changes this place; example mission Survive the First Night.
  • Journal hooks: Draft or example hook: Day 2; title Morning Came; tag survived-night; prose intent relief edged with cost; optional readback intent quiet disbelief; linked objective Survive the night; linked mission Survive the First Night; linked clue You were not alone in the dark; linked Threat night pressure; later annotation hook compare the first dawn against later safe mornings; example phrase Morning came. That should not feel like a victory, but it does.
  • Spoiler restrictions: Keep the night's explanation in signs, sound, and consequence. Do not explain the deeper mechanism yet.

Quest Thread 2 - The Old Stones​

  • Canonical owner: ../quest-threads/gd-quest-thread-act-0-the-old-stones.md
  • Visible Quest Thread: The Old Stones
  • Reveal gate: Appears only after enough survival and location clues make repeated stone structures feel notable instead of decorative.
  • Internal purpose: Progress the anchor mystery, keep player-facing language observational, and avoid naming Nexus or Wardheart yet.

Mission: Inspect The Old Stones​

  • Knowledge state: Hinted
  • Starts when: The player has noticed repeated stones near shelter, green ground, or the missing-time aftermath.
  • Internal purpose: Turn a background object into a named observation.
  • Example objective wording: Inspect the old stones.
  • Example queue activities: Approach Carefully, Count the Stones, Look for Tool Marks.
  • Spoiler restrictions: Treat the stones as an anomaly in the land, not as a named system component.

Mission: Find Why The Air Feels Different​

  • Knowledge state: Hinted
  • Starts when: The player has compared multiple nearby spots and noticed a repeatable shift in sound, pressure, or safety.
  • Internal purpose: Make the player test the area through sensation and observation instead of exposition.
  • Example objective wording: Find why the air feels different here.
  • Example queue activities: Stand Still, Listen, Compare Nearby Ground, Mark the Safe Edge.
  • Spoiler restrictions: Do not turn the air change into a named cosmology or a declared ward mechanic yet.

Mission: Compare Green Ground And Ash​

  • Knowledge state: Hinted
  • Starts when: The player has seen both a healthier patch and nearby ash or dead ground.
  • Internal purpose: Push the player toward comparative observation and the first clue chain that suggests the area is unevenly protected.
  • Example objective wording: Compare the green ground to the ash.
  • Example queue activities: Inspect the Soil, Compare Plants, Follow the Edge, Mark the Difference.
  • Spoiler restrictions: Keep the question on what the player can see. Do not explain why one patch holds and another fails.

Mission: Follow The Strange Quiet​

  • Knowledge state: Hinted
  • Starts when: The player has enough evidence that one route or stone line feels unnaturally still.
  • Internal purpose: Pull the thread from observation into route choice and further investigation.
  • Example objective wording: Follow the strange quiet.
  • Example queue activities: Advance Slowly, Watch the Tree Line, Keep to the Stones, Stop and Listen.
  • Spoiler restrictions: The route may feel safer or stranger, but it does not get a true system name yet.

Quest Thread 3 - The Ruin Beneath​

  • Canonical owner: ../quest-threads/gd-quest-thread-act-0-the-ruin-beneath.md
  • Visible Quest Thread: The Ruin Beneath
  • Reveal gate: Appears after the player has enough earned evidence to move from pure observation into interpretation.
  • Internal purpose: Move from observation to interpretation, begin Feature or Site conversion language, and allow terms such as anchor only after enough evidence supports them.

Mission: Trace The Buried Line​

  • Knowledge state: Discovered
  • Starts when: Old-stone investigation reveals a repeated pattern under ash, broken ground, or buried masonry.
  • Internal purpose: Show that the anomaly forms a structure rather than a loose landmark.
  • Example objective wording: Trace the buried line.
  • Example queue activities: Clear Surface Ash, Follow the Stone Edge, Mark the Line.
  • Spoiler restrictions: The player can suspect structure before the true system name arrives.

Mission: Clear The Lower Stones​

  • Knowledge state: Discovered
  • Starts when: The buried line points toward a blocked lower section.
  • Internal purpose: Turn interpretation into labor, effort, and a more legible ruin shape.
  • Example objective wording: Clear the lower stones.
  • Example queue activities: Move Rubble, Brush Away Ash, Set Aside Broken Stone.
  • Spoiler restrictions: Keep language on ruin work and blockage. Do not jump to full anchor truth.

Mission: Find What Is Under The Hill​

  • Knowledge state: Discovered
  • Starts when: The lower stones suggest a chamber, foundation, or buried built space.
  • Internal purpose: Convert a clue chain into a named place worth entering or cataloging.
  • Example objective wording: Find what is under the hill.
  • Example queue activities: Probe the Gap, Search for an Opening, Hold a Light to the Crack.
  • Spoiler restrictions: The place is still a ruin first. Full truth stays late-threshold.

Mission: Understand What Holds The Ash Back​

  • Knowledge state: Discovered -> Confirmed threshold
  • Starts when: The player has enough evidence that the ruin affects nearby safety, growth, or pressure.
  • Internal purpose: Bridge interpretation into the late-threshold thread without naming more than the player has earned.
  • Example objective wording: Understand what holds the ash back.
  • Example queue activities: Compare Safe and Ash-Touched Ground, Inspect the Lower Chamber, Test the Boundary.
  • Spoiler restrictions: Terms like anchor may begin to surface only if the preceding evidence has earned them. Nexus, Wardheart, and Core remain late-threshold language here.

Quest Thread 4 - Make This Place Hold​

  • Canonical owner: ../quest-threads/gd-quest-thread-act-0-make-this-place-hold.md
  • Visible Quest Thread: Make This Place Hold
  • Reveal gate: Appears only after the player has earned language beyond pure observation and has a practical reason to commit to the ruin.
  • Internal purpose: Convert discovered structure into stabilization work and carry Act 0 to its end state.

Mission: Gather What The Ruin Needs​

  • Knowledge state: Discovered
  • Starts when: The player understands that the ruin can be worked on but is not yet stable.
  • Internal purpose: Turn knowledge into concrete preparation and resource gathering.
  • Example objective wording: Gather what this place needs to hold.
  • Example queue activities: Carry Salvage, Collect Fuel, Bring Water, Clear Working Space.
  • Spoiler restrictions: Keep the ask practical and local. Do not jump to the final name of the structure too early.

Mission: Stabilize The Damaged Anchor​

  • Knowledge state: Confirmed
  • Starts when: The player has enough evidence to call the buried structure a damaged anchor and can act on that knowledge.
  • Internal purpose: Lock the transition from interpreted ruin to named stabilization target.
  • Example objective wording: Stabilize the damaged anchor.
  • Example queue activities: Set the Supports, Clear the Channel, Hold Position, Complete the Stabilization Work.
  • Spoiler restrictions: This is late-threshold language. It should not be visible before the player has earned the term anchor.

Mission: Establish The Core​

  • Knowledge state: Confirmed
  • Starts when: Stabilization has succeeded far enough that the player can commit the site as a personal fixed anchor.
  • Internal purpose: End Act 0 by turning the stabilized site into the MC's personal Core.
  • Example objective wording: Establish the Core.
  • Example queue activities: Prepare the Site, Commit to the Anchor, Secure the Immediate Area, Finish the Establishment.
  • Completion rule: Core establishment completes Act 0.
  • Progression rule: Establishing the Core does not create the first Settlement. Settlement remains locked for later acts.
  • Spoiler restrictions: Establish the Core is earned-language and belongs to the late threshold of Act 0, not the early visible mission stack.

Open Questions​

These are local Act 0 mission-spine questions unless a later wave proves they need a repo-level design decision.

  • Is the blackout avoidable, semi-avoidable, or guaranteed?
  • What is the exact blackout cause?
  • How long does the blackout last?
  • What changes while the MC is unconscious?
  • When do words like Nexus, Wardheart, anchor, and Core become player-facing?
  • How much draft prose belongs in mission docs versus story docs?
  • Should player-authored annotations ship later, or should system annotations ship first?
  • Are mission ids and Journal hook ids runtime-bound yet, or are they still design-only labels?