Quest Thread - Survive

Scope

This is the canonical design owner for the Survive Quest Thread. It records the committed identity, entry framing, and mission ladder for Act 0's first visible multi-part thread. The Act 0 docs remain appearance views for pacing and progression review.

Identity

• Parent Act Arc: ../acts/gd-act-0-arrival-and-core.md
• Internal role: Critical Path / Main / Failure-Forward capable
• Entry knowledge state: Unknown

Committed Thread Shape

• Grounded early mission groups are waking, water and shelter, food and fire, lost hours, and the first night.
• Early player-facing wording stays close to need, fear, and incomplete understanding.
• The thread expands through earned leads rather than beginning with hidden anchor truth.

Mission Ladder

• Get Up
• Find Water
• Prepare for Night
• Search for Food
• Recover the Lost Hours
• Survive the First Night

Follow-On Owners

• gd-quest-thread-act-0-the-old-stones.md - the observation-earned lead chain that grows out of early survival pressure.
• gd-quest-thread-act-0-the-ruin-beneath.md - the interpretation thread once the buried structure is supported by evidence.
• gd-quest-thread-act-0-make-this-place-hold.md - the late-threshold stabilization thread that ends in Core establishment.
• ../design-branches/gd-design-branch-act-0-lost-hours.md - the attached gameplay branch for missing-time consequences.

Boundaries

• This page does not own story prose, story branch ledgers, or canon truth.
• It does not surface Nexus, Wardheart, or Core language before the player has earned those terms.