EOTIR Codex

reference-story-hierarchy

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Story/Scenario Hierarchy Reference

This reference page documents how story management concepts relate to each other in the EOTIR admin tools.

Core Equivalence: Story = Scenario

In the EOTIR community, one forum thread equals one scenario equals one story. These are not separate entities — they are the same data viewed through different lenses:

  • Stories view — Management-focused: create, edit, manage scenes, plot arcs, and cast lists
  • Scenarios view — Timeline-focused: stories organized by IRY period, participant lists prominent, timeline event links

The term “scenario” has been used interchangeably with “forum thread” in the EOTIR community for 20+ years.

Hierarchy Diagram

Story (= Scenario)
|-- Scenes (ordered by sequence)
|   |-- Scene 1 (POV, location, IRY date)
|   |-- Scene 2
|   +-- Scene N
|-- Plot Arcs (grouped by status)
|   |-- Arc A (Active)
|   |   |-- Beat 1 (Scene 2)
|   |   |-- Beat 2 (Scene 5)
|   |   +-- Beat 3 (planned)
|   +-- Arc B (Resolved)
|       +-- Beat 1 (Scene 3)
|-- Dramatis Personae (cast by category)
|   |-- House Stratus
|   |-- High Council
|   +-- ...
+-- Timeline Events (canonical connections)

Level Descriptions

Story / Scenario (Top Level)

The complete narrative work. Contains all scenes, plot arcs, and cast information. Has an IRY time range (iry_start, iry_end), a scenario type (Political, Military, Personal, Diplomatic), and a status (Planning, In Progress, Complete, Abandoned).

Scene (Child of Story)

A discrete narrative unit set at a specific location and IRY date. Each scene has:

  • Sequence number — determines reading order
  • POV characters — one or more writers contributing perspectives
  • Location — where the scene takes place
  • Characters present — all characters appearing in the scene
  • Status — Planning, Draft, Review, Complete
  • Connected arcs — which plot arcs this scene advances

Plot Arc (Child of Story)

A narrative throughline tracking a specific storyline, character development, or mystery. Each arc has:

  • Type — Main Plot, Subplot, Character Arc, Mystery
  • Status — Active, Resolved, On Hold, Dropped
  • Beats — key moments that advance the arc
  • Cross-story scope — an arc can span multiple stories/scenarios

Beat (Child of Plot Arc)

The atomic unit of plot progression. A key moment or turning point within a plot arc. Each beat:

  • Is typically associated with a specific scene
  • Can exist without a scene assignment (planned future beats)
  • Represents a single development that advances the arc

Dramatis Personae (Child of Story)

The cast list for the story, organized by categories (e.g., House Stratus, High Council, COMPNOR). Characters can appear in multiple categories. Entries link to canonical character profiles and show the character’s role at the story’s IRY start date.

Timeline Events (Child of Story)

Canonical timeline events connected to this story. Links the narrative to the broader EOTIR timeline, showing which historical events are depicted or referenced.

Markdown Format

The following markdown can be used for documentation or wiki pages:

## Story/Scenario Structure
 
A **Story** (also called a **Scenario**) is the top-level container for narrative content.
 
### Components
 
1. **Scenes** -- Ordered narrative units, each with POV characters, location, and IRY date
2. **Plot Arcs** -- Narrative throughlines grouped by status (Active, Resolved, On Hold, Dropped)
   - **Beats** -- Key moments within each arc, linked to specific scenes
3. **Dramatis Personae** -- Cast list organized by category
4. **Timeline Events** -- Canonical connections to the broader EOTIR timeline
 
### Key Relationships
 
- Each **Scene** can advance one or more **Plot Arcs** via **Beats**
- Each **Beat** belongs to exactly one **Plot Arc** and is optionally linked to one **Scene**
- Each **Plot Arc** can span multiple **Stories** (cross-story arcs)
- **Dramatis Personae** entries reference canonical **Character** profiles

Wikitext Format

The following MediaWiki markup can be used for wiki export:

== Story/Scenario Structure ==
 
A '''Story''' (also called a '''Scenario''') is the top-level container for narrative content in the EOTIR universe.
 
=== Hierarchy ===
 
* '''Story''' (= Scenario)
** '''Scenes''' -- Ordered narrative units
*** POV characters, location, IRY date
*** Status: Planning, Draft, Review, Complete
** '''Plot Arcs''' -- Narrative throughlines
*** Types: Main Plot, Subplot, Character Arc, Mystery
*** Status: Active, Resolved, On Hold, Dropped
**** '''Beats''' -- Key moments within each arc
***** Linked to specific scenes
***** Can exist as planned (unlinked) beats
** '''Dramatis Personae''' -- Cast list by category
*** Links to {{CharacterBox}} entries
*** Characters can appear in multiple categories
** '''Timeline Events''' -- Canonical connections
 
=== Key Relationships ===
 
* Each '''Scene''' can advance one or more '''Plot Arcs''' via '''Beats'''
* Each '''Beat''' belongs to exactly one '''Plot Arc''' and is optionally linked to one '''Scene'''
* Each '''Plot Arc''' can span multiple '''Stories''' (cross-story arcs)
* '''Dramatis Personae''' entries reference canonical character profiles
 
=== Scenario Types ===
 
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Type !! Description
|-
| Political || Stories focused on government, diplomacy, and power dynamics
|-
| Military || Stories centered on military operations and conflicts
|-
| Personal || Character-driven narratives and personal development
|-
| Diplomatic || Stories involving inter-faction negotiations and treaties
|}
 
[[Category:Story Management]]
[[Category:Reference]]

Graph View