Quest System

Tension Mapping & Emergent Resolution

System Purpose

To detect emergent narrative tensions in the simulation and encode them into persistent, interpretable structures the player may engage with. Quests are not given; they form from the fabric of play.

Core Loop Overview

Detect Narrative Tensions
Arising from contradictions, desires, traumas, symbols, or social relationships
Evaluate Significance
Score based on emotional/memetic density, symbolic weight, cultural instability
Encode as Latent Threads
Quests are hidden until interpreted by the player through subjective experience
Resolve Dynamically
Resolution occurs through narrative consequence, not quest logic; a quest can dissolve, persist, evolve, or recur
Reflect and Transmute
Resolved quests yield Eidos; unresolved quests may become myth or trauma in future Tapestries

Inputs

Source	Data
NPCs	Internal conflict (e.g., incompatible Faiths), unmet needs, trauma
Player	Significant past actions, accumulated Eidos, broken Fictions
World	Symbolic motifs, rituals disrupted, mythic structures disturbed
Memory	Unresolved past Threads, prior Incarnation echoes

Internal Data Structures

struct NarrativeTension {
    id: Uuid,
    source_entity: EntityId,
    tension_type: TensionKind,
    causes: Vec<Cause>,
    symbolic_tags: Vec<SymbolTag>,
    historical_context: Option<ThreadId>,
    urgency: f32,
    discoverability: f32,
    is_manifest: bool,
}

enum TensionKind {
    FaithConflict,
    CulturalInstability,
    SymbolicRecurrence,
    PersonalTrauma,
    PropheticCycle,
}

struct LatentQuest {
    tension: NarrativeTension,
    interpretation_vectors: Vec<Interpretation>,
    active_effects: Vec<Effect>,
    revealed: bool,
}

Systems Interaction

Subsystem	Role
Belief Model	Determines how tensions are interpreted into quests
Memory System	Stores unresolved quests and echoes them forward
Subjective Interface	Controls whether and how quests are perceived
Director AI	May reinforce or accelerate symbolic resonance
Faction/Culture Sim	Propagates or suppresses cultural tensions

Player Interaction Model

The player does not receive quest markers
Discovery is through:
- Symbolic cues (e.g., shared dreams, strange omens)
- Behavioral patterns (e.g., same NPC seen praying at ruins)
- Emergent conversation or internal monologue
Interpretation creates a new Thread in the player’s log

Resolution Model

Resolution Type	Mechanism
Narrative	Belief change, reconciliation, death, exodus
Symbolic	Ritual enacting a new interpretation
Mythic	Event transcends character resolution, becomes Eidos motif
Aborted	Missed or forgotten; may recur distorted in future Tapestry

Example: NPC Torn Between Faiths

Tension Detection
An NPC believes both:

“All life is sacred” (Faith A)
“My god demands sacrifice” (Faith B)

LatentQuest Creation
Type: FaithConflict
Causes: Conflicting beliefs plus external pressure to act
Symbol Tags: sacrifice, guilt, purity

Player Interacts
The player may:

Counsel one belief
Propose a symbolic synthesis
Exploit the contradiction for power
Ignore it

Resolution
If resolved, generates Eidos.
If not, the NPC may fracture, die, or start a new religion.

Design Philosophy

Quests are narrative weather; atmospheric conditions the player reads, not puzzles they solve
No binary resolution states; outcomes may be contradictory, open-ended, or only understood in hindsight
Quests as living memory; they persist in myth, change form, and shape future world generation

noxabellus'

Anamnesis:

The Eidolon Tapestries

Explorer