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Lore: Founders Concept, Narrative, Task Development, & More

July 27, 2025​

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Founders and the Hub World​

Mythic Origins of the Hub​

  • A proposed legend tells of the Dark Ages when the multiverse was ruled by strength and violence.
  • A group known as the Founders rose up, defeated tyrants, and established a neutral safe zone now known as the Hub.
  • Historical or mythological level figures that are generally regarded as heroes
  • There to support any existing lore in regards to campaigns or background of the hub
  • The hub as a city exists because of them

Founders' Legacy​

  • Suggested presence of an Order devoted to the Founders’ ideals:
    • Protect the weak.
    • Prevent abuse of power.
    • Maintain balance and neutrality within the Hub.

Leadership in the Hub​

  • Discussion over whether a leader or elder figure should exist:
    • Could take the form of Elizabeth or elder advisor.
    • Caution expressed around conflicting with the theme of shared power or undermining player agency.
  • The Hub is understood to be built through guild collaboration, not ruled by a single authority.

Narrative Delivery​

Storytelling Approach​

  • Agreement to avoid overly detailed canon early on.
  • Suggest working with modular, connected concepts that form a coherent story over time.
  • Suggested model: 'Until Dawn' style storytelling where players piece together lore over time.
  • Favor expressed for a “retirement home of adventurers” tone over a detailed epic.

Lore Implementation​

  • Use collectibles (e.g. scrolls or pages found in Rifts) to drip-feed reliable lore pieces.
  • Centralized lore display area planned within the Hub World.
  • Avoid disjointed standalone ideas. Favor worldbuilding that emerges from connected systems.

Puzzle Piece Method​

  • Suggested story-building process:
    • Start with individual ideas.
    • Connect them as shared structures and lore needs develop.
  • Acknowledge that standalone campaign storylines (e.g. Essence Guild, Sages) may not align at first but can later be unified.

Limits on Lore Exposure to Players​

  • Players will likely only see snippets, not full histories.
  • Dialogue, short descriptions, and discovered objects will serve as primary storytelling tools.
  • Extensive backstory will exist behind the scenes but isn’t expected to be fully visible in gameplay.
  • Lore should be developed even if subject to change: “everything might change, but we still work on it today.”

Task Development​

  • Proposed creating a running list of lore questions:
    • What are Rifts?
    • Why are there chests and POIs?
    • Who built the Hub?
  • Maintain a “currently accepted answer” list for evolving story beats that aren’t yet canon.

Other Notes​

Merging Ideas​

  • Discussion on tying the Essence Guild, tutorial NPCs, and the Sages into one cohesive concept.
  • Sages may be reframed as ancient figures tied to Essence Weaving and Rift stabilization.
  • A Proposed tutorial concept aligns with this direction, incorporating the Sages or retired heroes.

Ability Creation Guild Voting​

  • Academy of Threads won the community vote with 63%.
  • Will be moved forward to Lore Review and Canon consideration.
  • Next steps: support for art and build asset planning, as well as narrative documentation.

Greebles Reevaluation​

  • Continued discussion on scaling back Greebles as the core identity of too many systems.
  • Exploring alternatives to fill roles previously tied to Greebles.

Playtesting​

  • Proposed a fun "race to the Rift" playtest:
    • Goal: determine if current systems (recipes, equipment) make early progression clear and enjoyable.
    • One player completed a first Rift in 30 minutes using current test data.

Tutorials and Development Timing​

  • Tutorials likely be built late in development to avoid rework from evolving systems.
  • Final tutorials may depend on questing or guild systems, which are still being developed.

Closing & Next Steps​

  • Open Ideas Post needed for Guild Rift Rooms mentioned in roadmap

  • Move Academy of Threads to Lore Review

  • Group agreed to wait one week before launching a new survey or changing cadence.

  • General encouragement to keep developing lore even if systems shift

  • Vibe check indicated productive