Narrative Specification

The Sprawl generates stories faster than any cataloguing system can process them. Chronicles, myths, operational after-action reports, rumors that have been repeated enough times to calcify into fact — all of it passes through this archive, and all of it needs a file. This specification defines what a narrative file must contain before it is considered usable intelligence.

A note on terminology: "narrative" here does not mean fiction. It means any structured account of events that exists within the world — whether that account is accurate is a separate question, filed under a different header. The archive does not adjudicate truth. It catalogues what is being said, who is saying it, and what threads it connects to. Analysts can draw their own conclusions.

Quality Tiers

Every narrative file is assigned a quality tier reflecting how much verified data it contains. Tier assignment is not a judgment of the narrative's importance — a Bronze-tier rumor can destabilize a district. It is a judgment of how much the archive actually knows.

🥉 Bronze Exists

  • A complete record header
  • At least 1 relationship logged
  • At least 1 thread connection

The file exists. That's the whole accomplishment.

🥈 Silver Has Depth

  • Bronze requirements, plus:
  • Portrait with valid path
  • quick_facts block: type, date/era, location
  • Overview section (2+ paragraphs)

🥇 Gold Publishable

  • Silver requirements, plus:
  • 5+ logged relationships
  • Structured narrative content (acts, phases, or chronological sections)
  • Meaning / Implications section
  • Connections section

💎 Platinum The Standard

  • Gold requirements, plus:
  • 8+ logged relationships
  • Sensory details section
  • Visual Identity section
  • Hidden narrative layers / Secrets

Reference files: cyber_castle_heist.md, the_convergence_map.md, the_analog_hour.md.

What Every Record Carries

Every narrative record opens with a structured header: what kind of account it is, when it occurred or is set, where, and which other entities and threads it touches. A record's quality tier is a measure of how completely that header is filled in — and how much of the body below it has been corroborated.

Body Sections by Tier

The following sections are required at each tier. Higher tiers inherit all lower-tier requirements.

Silver+ Overview (2+ paragraphs)
Gold+ Structured Narrative (acts, phases, or chronological sections) · Meaning / Implications · Connections
Platinum Sensory Details · Visual Identity · Hidden Layers / Secrets

Relationship Types

Narratives relate to other entities through typed relationships. The type matters — it determines how the graph reads the connection.

  • features — The narrative centers on this entity. A story about Olga features Olga.
  • references — The narrative mentions or is informed by this entity without it being central.
  • contradicts — Two narratives conflict. Both are logged. Neither is resolved.
  • continues — This narrative picks up where another left off. Sequence is implied.
  • parallel — Two narratives cover the same events from different vantage points. (This is where things get interesting.)

What Nobody Can Explain

The archive classifies stories. It does not explain why certain stories survive and others don't. The mythologized status exists because some narratives outlive their subjects, their locations, and in two documented cases, their entire factions. The criteria for mythologization are not formal. Analysts know it when they see it. This is not a satisfying answer. It is the only one available.