Prologue: The Door-Mark (as built)

Sallowbank, the Sallow Road and the Drowned Steps. The player wakes on the farm, meets Aske, draws the door-mark when glints come up the river, spars with Aske's training golem, takes two letters and walks with Aske to the Drowned Steps, where they trace Coil. Aske turns back for home.

Stage table

prologue.stage drives the whole Prologue. The order is the Lead's decision in VEL-53.

Where Aske stands (VEL-53): at the ferry (Mark_aske_ferry) at stages 0–1 and 4; at the barn door (Mark_aske_barn) at stages 2–3; gone from Sallowbank from stage 5, because she is walking with the player; at Mark_aske_lesson on the Drowned Steps at stage 6 only. Tobin, Marra and Fenn are always in the square, and their nodes pick their lines by stage.

Scenes

Scene P1: Wake

• Where: sallowbank, at Spawn_farm_bed in the farmhouse.
• When: prologue.stage == 0. Plays from New Game as the location fades in (VEL-53 enter). Doesn't replay on Continue, because it sets stage 1.
• Who: the protagonist.
• What happens: Grey morning; the Sallow has been loud for three days with no rain. Narration sets up the farm (one goat, nine hens, the leaking roof) and the door-mark the protagonist's mother painted and their father taught them to trace. The ferry bell rings: Aske is up. Something silver flicks through the reeds.
• Player does: choose how to start the day: trace the door-mark (the first hint of warm thumbs), see to the hens, or stay in bed. The choice only changes the next line.
• Content to make: Built: Prologue_Wake (wake.yarn). Sets prologue.stage 1. VEL-53: the enter entry in sallowbank.json.
• Art and audio: Built: Sallowbank dressed with the village kit (VEL-47), music_sallowbank_loop. Still to come: the ferry bell sound; the protagonist model.
• Screens used: Title (New Game), Dialogue box, Choices.

Scene P2: The square

• Where: sallowbank, the village square (Mark_tobin, Mark_marra, Mark_fenn, VEL-53).
• When: any stage. Each villager's entry node picks a part by stage: before the glints (0–1), after them (2–4), after the send-off (5 and up). Talking again within a part gives a one-line bark (visited()).
• Who: Tobin (eel-catcher), Marra Hesk (bakehouse), Fenn (Marra's grandchild).
• What happens: Before the glints, the village is uneasy: no eels, the river climbing with no rain, Marra's freshly painted door-mark, Fenn pushing hard on a chalk door-mark that never does anything. After the glints, everyone saw the river go flat and is talking about the protagonist's door. After the send-off they say goodbye; Marra takes the hens, Fenn has chalked a door-mark on every fence post to the ferry.
• Player does: walk, talk, and a few small choices (deny or admit what happened at the door).
• Content to make: Built: Prologue_Villager_Tobin, _Marra, _Fenn and their _Before, _After, _SendOff parts (villagers.yarn). No flags. VEL-53: the three actors and their "Talk" interactables.
• Art and audio: VEL-53: placeholder capsule figures tinted per NPC, until the character models (VEL-36/37). Concepts: tobin-concept, marra-concept, fenn-concept, lineup-sallowbank in Art/Concepts/characters/.
• Screens used: Tap prompt ("Talk"), Dialogue box, Choices.

Scene P3: Aske at the ferry

• Where: sallowbank, the ferry landing (Mark_aske_ferry; the player can also arrive at Spawn_ferry).
• When: prologue.stage == 1. The quest log points here after Wake.
• Who: Aske.
• What happens: Aske has been out on the river before dawn. The crossing is free, as always, but not in this current: water doesn't climb on its own. She asks what the protagonist heard in the night, tugs at her inside-out wrist bands, and tells them that if anything comes out of the water they go inside and bar the door.
• Player does: talk; answer what they heard (admitting fear earns trust); answer her warning.
• Content to make: Built: Prologue_FerryAske (ferry_aske.yarn). Sets met.aske 1; may set aske.trust 1. VEL-53: the Aske actor at the ferry and the new quest stage that completes on met.aske.
• Art and audio: the ferry raft and landing (village kit); Aske's placeholder figure until her model.
• Screens used: Tap prompt ("Talk"), Dialogue box, Choices, Quest log.

Scene P4: The farm door

• Where: sallowbank, the walk-in trigger at Event_farm_door, radius 2.
• When: all[prologue.stage == 1, met.aske != 0], with no once (VEL-53), so quitting mid-scene lets it play again.
• Who: the protagonist, a pack of glints, then Aske.
• What happens: The hens go quiet. Glints climb out of the Sallow and come up the lane as one flock (<<glints_approach>>). The protagonist's thumbs go to the doorposts and draw the door-mark: the Cast prompt shows the mirrored Ls (<<prompt_cast repel>>). A shockwave flings the glints back into the river and the whole river goes mirror-flat for a heartbeat (<<glints_repelled>>). Aske arrives at a run, works out it was the protagonist, and tells them to come to the barn after dark and tell no one.
• Player does: cast Repel (the first cast; the prompt waits as long as it takes, slowing and brightening after three misses); choose how to answer Aske.
• Content to make: Built: Prologue_FarmDoor_Before and _After (farm_door.yarn), the glints_approach and glints_repelled commands (VEL-32). Sets prologue.stage 2. Repel is learned by the cast (it starts learned anyway).
• Art and audio: Built: the glint flock, the Repel shockwave and the still-river effect (VEL-32); Repel VFX in Assets/Art/VFX/Repel. Concepts: glint-swarm-farm-door-a, sallowbank-glint-night-a.
• Screens used: Dialogue box, Cast prompt, Choices.

Scene P5: Aske's barn

• Where: sallowbank, Event_barn, verb "Go in"; Aske stands at Mark_aske_barn.
• When: prologue.stage 2 or 3. Stage 3 means the player quit mid-spar, and the scene replays.
• Who: Aske, the training golem.
• What happens: Lantern light and tar. Aske asks whether the protagonist meant to do it, then pulls an old sail off a stone-and-iron training golem ("Bought it. Cheap. Doesn't eat."). Its chest glyph makes it pull its punches, mostly. After the spar, win or lose, Aske names what she saw: an even pair, hands that draw like one hand in a mirror. Ferry at first light, and boots that don't leak.
• Player does: talk, choose (honesty raises aske.trust), fight the golem with Repel. Losing is allowed: Aske stops the golem.
• Content to make: Built: Prologue_Barn (barn.yarn), encounter golem_spar (enemy training_golem, canLose: true, no flee, 20 XP). Sets prologue.stage 3 before the battle and 4 after; may set aske.trust 1 or 2.
• Art and audio: Built: the Training Golem model (Assets/Art/Models/TrainingGolem, toon material), the battle arena, music_barn_night_loop, music_battle_loop, music_victory_sting. Still to come: the barn interior (VEL-39 kit concepts) and the golem's emissive chest glyph.
• Screens used: Tap prompt ("Go in"), Dialogue box, Choices, Battle HUD, Battle result.

Scene P6: The send-off

• Where: sallowbank, the ferry landing (Mark_aske_ferry).
• When: prologue.stage == 4.
• Who: Aske.
• What happens: Morning; the river has dropped a hand's width. Aske has packed for the protagonist. Someone will come asking after them, two someones likely, and each will blame the other for the river. She sets down two letters, one with a pale blue seal for a Warden in Twinhold and one with an amber seal for Lanternfall: "Deliver both. Believe neither until you've met both." She will walk with the protagonist as far as the Drowned Steps.
• Player does: talk, choose.
• Content to make: Built: Prologue_SendOff (send_off.yarn). Sets letter.twinhold 1, letter.lanternfall 1, prologue.stage 5. After this, Aske is no longer in Sallowbank.
• Art and audio: the two letters (concept items/letters-ref-a) once items have icons.
• Screens used: Tap prompt ("Talk"), Dialogue box, Choices, Quest log.

Scene P7: The walk

• Where: overworld (titled "The Sallow Road"), walk-in triggers at Walk_1, Walk_2, Walk_3, radius 6, once each.
• When: prologue.stage == 5 (VEL-53 adds the when).
• Who: Aske (in dialogue only: she doesn't follow on the map yet; that is a companion follow-up).
• What happens: Over the hills the sky has a shine like a window with no sun behind it: the warp the glints came from. Aske won't talk about her inside-out bands. At the third marker the river widens and the Drowned Steps come into view, stairs that walk down into clear water. The script never says whether the Steps are up or down the river.
• Player does: walk; small choices.
• Content to make: Built: Prologue_Walk_1, _2, _3 (walk.yarn). _3 sets prologue.stage 6.
• Art and audio: Built: the overworld greybox diorama (VEL-27), music_overworld_loop. Concepts: sallow-valley-overworld-a, river-road-kit.
• Screens used: Dialogue box, Choices, Exit sign (to the Drowned Steps).

Scene P8: The Drowned Steps

• Where: drowned_steps, Event_fragment (verb "Trace"); Aske at Mark_aske_lesson.
• When: prologue.stage == 6 (VEL-53 when), unless: spell.learned.coil.
• Who: Aske.
• What happens: A glyph is cut into the lowest dry step: two long curves, like a vine on both sides of a trellis. Aske teaches the method: glyphs are found, not made; trace slowly; don't hold your breath, because the stone holds the Glass open. The protagonist traces Coil until their hands remember it. It feels warm, like the door-mark ("Warm. Huh. Mine never were."). Aske turns back for the ferry, reminds them about the letters, and walks off without waving.
• Player does: learn Coil by tracing (learn_spell, three counted traces at 55% or better, no breath limit); choose.
• Content to make: Built: Prologue_Steps_Lesson and _Done (drowned_steps.yarn), the lesson camera (VEL-34). Sets spell.learned.coil 1, prologue.stage 7. The Prologue quest completes.
• Art and audio: Built: the Drowned Steps greybox, Coil VFX (Assets/Art/VFX/Coil). Concepts: drowned-steps-a/b, landmark-drowned-steps-a.
• Screens used: Tap prompt ("Trace"), Dialogue box, Trace lesson, Choices.

Quest

Data/Quests/prologue.json with VEL-53's changes: a new stage between wake and farm_door, and farm_door reworded so it no longer gives the attack away. VEL-53 doesn't name the new stage; see_aske is a placeholder for whatever its branch uses.

{
  "id": "prologue",
  "title": "The Door-Mark",
  "description": "Glints have come up the Sallow to the farm. Something answered when you drew the door-mark, and Aske the ferry keeper wants to know what.",
  "stages": [
    { "id": "wake", "text": "Wake up and see to the farm.",
      "completeWhen": { "flag": "prologue.stage", "op": ">=", "value": 1 } },
    { "id": "see_aske", "text": "The ferry bell rang. Go down to the ferry and see Aske.",
      "completeWhen": { "any": [
        { "flag": "met.aske", "op": "!=", "value": 0 },
        { "flag": "prologue.stage", "op": ">=", "value": 2 } ] } },
    { "id": "farm_door", "text": "Go home to the farm.",
      "completeWhen": { "flag": "prologue.stage", "op": ">=", "value": 2 } },
    { "id": "aske_barn", "text": "Go to Aske's barn by the ferry.",
      "completeWhen": { "flag": "prologue.stage", "op": ">=", "value": 3 } },
    { "id": "training_golem", "text": "Spar with Aske's training golem.",
      "completeWhen": { "flag": "prologue.stage", "op": ">=", "value": 4 } },
    { "id": "two_letters", "text": "Take Aske's two letters.",
      "completeWhen": { "flag": "prologue.stage", "op": ">=", "value": 5 } },
    { "id": "walk_to_steps", "text": "Walk with Aske along the Sallow to the Drowned Steps.",
      "completeWhen": { "flag": "prologue.stage", "op": ">=", "value": 6 } },
    { "id": "trace_fragment", "text": "Trace the glyph fragment on the Drowned Steps.",
      "completeWhen": { "all": [
        { "flag": "prologue.stage", "op": ">=", "value": 7 },
        { "flag": "spell.learned.coil", "op": "!=", "value": 0 } ] } }
  ]
}

Locations

Rough layout. Sallowbank: the farmhouse and its yard on the west bank by the farm lane, the square in the upper middle, the ferry landing and Aske's barn on the river, the road out toward the overworld. The overworld: a river road along the Sallow, Sallowbank at one end and the Drowned Steps' turning further on. The Drowned Steps: a riverbank landing with stairs into clear water and the fragment on the lowest dry step.

Characters

Encounters

Spells gained

• Repel: starts learned (the door-mark); the farm-door cast is the first time it fires.
• Coil: a whole glyph, traced at the Drowned Steps. The player ends the Prologue with Repel and Coil, which the prototype already lets them chain into a composite (see question 2 in section 13).

Flags the Prologue sets

From Walkthrough: Prologue and Act 1 › Prologue: The Door-Mark (as built)