Check out Interrupted Correspondence, the newest lore drop for Progress Report! Only a little under 600 words total, so it's very bite-sized.
I'm trying out a new format which will hopefully be quicker and less time-intensive than my normal lore drops. I enjoy writing in this text-chain style (I've done this for a few different projects) and translating it to FR using some fancy coding was very fun! I'll probably do more correspondence-style lore drops, especially when a scene is very dialogue heavy and doesn't really benefit from significant description.
I haven't showcased the Shade Constructs very much as independent agents, but there's very much some internal politics going on within the Shadebound. The Constructs aren't all exactly happy to be commanded by beings who they see as their inferiors, and some, like Syl, desire to leave behind the Shadebound entirely and join dragonkind. Others, like Sincerus, have taken it as an opportunity to hate dragonkind entirely and seek vengeance against them.
Just to note, pretty much nobody is a good person in this situation. Except for maybe Syl. But still, everyone's views on the situation are messed up, nobody is coping well, and even though Sincerus is also a victim of the Shadebound he also has some really messed up views, too
Check out Settling Down or Giving Up, the newest entry to Progress Report. Andres finally collapses from exhaustion after staying awake for like 3 days straight in this one (amongst other things)
how long is each era? do any of the factions overlap in space/time? :3
The length of each era really varies! But I can give a quick estimate and then a longer explanation under the cut! With major spoilers for Progress Report of course lmao.
All of the factions (excluding Deliverance College, which is solidly not in the Southern Icefield but sent Operation Gaia) exist in Sector 42, and brush shoulders somewhat frequently. The Accursed Vista manages to keep to themselves for the most part, but that's also because they're intentionally trying to stay away from the perpetual pissing match of Sleetstorm and Wickerfrost, and later between Frosthome and the Shadebound.
Trove INC and Operation Gaia both primarily live in the communities built by the other factions (Wickerfrost and Frosthome, primarily) but they're certainly not part of those factions, though Trove has done a good job to... Entrench itself, I suppose?
First Age = 7-10yrs (Factions: Sleetstorm; Wickerfrost)
Second Age = 3-5yrs (Factions: Sleetstorm; Wickerfrost; Accursed Vista; Trove INC)
Third Age = 3 months (Factions: Sleetstorm; Wickerfrost; Accursed Vista; Trove INC; Operation Gaia)
Seventh Age = Ongoing, 4ish days (Factions: Sleetstorm; Frosthome; Shadebound; Accursed Vista; Trove INC; Operation Gaia)
Total = 14.5-20.5 years
Which... When put into perspective like that, calling them Ages / Eras is a bit overzealous. It's more like the periods of time when they're trying to kill eachother in a specific way as opposed to true Eras.
Era Zero -- All of history before the First Age, unknown length of time but very, very long (This is when the rebuilders of Sleetstorm had their childhoods, and even further back is when my progens and their offspring were running around!). This is also back when Mayor Abran founded Wickerfrost, and towards the end of Era Zero is when she began her serial killer activities by picking off her political rivals.
The First Age -- Roughly 7-10 years. This is when Inddrin, Celozon, and Sirel began the rebuilding process of Sleetstorm, and recruited the first Keepers, Sentries, and Seekers.
The Second Age -- Roughly 3-5 years. Things are normal; tensions between Wickerfrost and Sleetstorm are getting worse, but things are mostly civil between the two communities. The calm before the storm. Kelemvor has arrived and begun forming the Accursed Vista in secrecy within Sector 42. Trove INC arrives in Wickerfrost and sets up shop in the valley to mine Apatite and extract rare minerals from it, because the Mayor actually doesn't give a shit about the quality of life of the citizens of Wickerfrost so there's next to no regulations.
The Third Age -- Roughly 3 months. Woah! Things happen super quickly, as Wickerfrost's Seasonal Council chooses their new apprentices and begins training them, and the ambient magical energy around Wickerfrost reaches a tipping point. Mayor Abran plays her hand, allying with Rhoslyn to use the Seasonal Council to supercharge a remnant of the Shade implanted inside an egg. Operation Gaia from the Deliverance College also arrives in Wickerfrost during the Third Age to investigate a missing-persons, Vyketh Ironwrought, who is being held prisoner by Sleetstorm.
The Fourth Age -- Roughly 4 months. When Mayor Abran and Rhoslyn unleash an avatar of the Shade upon Wickerfrost, they destroy the town and kill quite a few townsfolk; many manage to escape, and end up seeking refuge in one of Trove INC.'s quarries. Prospector Vanilla, the owner of Trove INC. ends up being an unexpected hero for the survivors of Wickerfrost. Meanwhile, the Last Resort Squadron (LRS), made up of a Sleetstorm spy, a Wickerfrost guard, the captain of the guard for Wickerfrost, and the Seasonal Council's apprentices (Wit, Xyrlove, Ursa, and Ysolde), led nebulously by the Councilwoman of Winter, put up a barrier around Wickerfrost to contain the avatar and the ones who created it.
Thus, Wickerfrost turns into a place called the Stockade. A hellscape where only a few dragons still reside, all under the shadow of the Shade's avatar and its creators. The people on the outside are trying to break down the barrier to get inside, which really pisses off the LRS because they're doing all sorts of things to keep the barrier in place. This is also when Mayor Abran and Rhoslyn create the first Shade Constructs, Eurydice and Liriel. Salenor and Niranye are also there, after being coerced and forced to join with Abran and Rhoslyn to found the Shadebound.
Salenor and Niranye defect, the LRS manages to strike a near-fatal blow on the Shade avatar, and the barrier comes down. Everyone is rescued! Sort of. The Shadebound escape into the woods, already planning their next strike.
The Fifth Age -- Roughly 1 year. The remaining members of Wickerfrost's government come together with Sleetstorm's leaders to create Frosthome, a city built just outside of Sleetstorm where the refugees from Wickerfrost can stay and be secure under the protection of the Gaolers. They send out a hunting party to track down the Shadebound and capture the avatar (and regain their honor). Arpine, a relatively unknown Sentry, ends up 1v1ing Mayor Abran in the woods during the final climactic battle and that's honestly my favorite part of this. Scoutmaster Andres also begins putting political pressure on the Frosthome government for the Seasonal Council to choose new apprentices (with him as one of them) since their previous apprentices are now all semi-permanently locked in Sleetstorm and the Gaolers refuse to let them out. The avatar ends up captured! Hoorah! The Shadebound escape, though, and continue to lick their wounds and plan for another day...
The Sixth Age -- Roughly 3-4 years. Things are normal-ish, with Sector 42 gaining a new Exalted Overseer in the form of Exalted Fei, who runs into what the Shadebound have been planning all these years; Abran made an Emperor intentionally, and trapped it in the mountains underneath an avalanche. Fei is captured before she can spread the word, though. Kelemvor of the Accursed Vista is approached by Abran to join forces with the Shadebound, but he rejects the proposal and they duke it out. Abran manages to wound Kelemvor severely, leaving the Accursed Vista vulnerable until Gallant, another Exalted of the Icewarden, arrives on the scene to check on them and provide protection.
During this time, the Greater Frosthome Council are investigating Abran's crimes back from Era Zero and the First Age and holding all sorts of meetings to get firsthand testimony from Salenor. The depths of Abran's depravity are revealed to the Greater Council, tears are shed, promises of vengeance are made.
Scoutmaster Andres is also still putting pressure on the Seasonal Council to pick some apprentices, and ends up making it a grassroots movement where the people of Frosthome demand he be taken as an apprentice. Reluctantly, he's taken on as the Herald of Autumn.
Onille arrives on the scene to find his three missing younger brothers. He ends up getting kidnapped by the Shadebound with the intention of adding him to the Emperor... Which yes, is made out of his missing brothers.
The Seventh Age -- Ongoing! Roughly 2-4 days so far. New Heralds are chosen, and almost immediately, Shit Goes Down with the Shadebound. Andres ends up getting a first-row ticket to rescuing Exalted Fei, Onille, and accidentally releasing the Emperor from the ice. Everyone is terrified! Thumbs up.
Or, less succinctly, the long and harrowing tale of how the dragons of Sector 42 manage to survive a mysterious serial-killer, demigod-like elementals, an avatar of the Shade in the body of a newborn, four graduate students doing their senior thesis on true-crime, unexpected fatherhood, the moral quandaries of incarceration, and a single xenophobe who wants to burn everyone alive. Also there's an Emperor running around now, which you can solidly blame on the local cult run by aforementioned xenophobe.
Tags: #cftd rambles & #fr lore (I should, perhaps, get a single consistent tag for everything how about: #cftd progress report)
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Lore Thread
"What? Oh... Shit... You clicked Read More, so you want to know more... Uhhh... It's a bit hard to summarize 100k worth of lore but I'll do what I can... I guess you can describe it as an apocalyptic story about the dragons in a certain region."
Progress Report takes place in Sector 42, a territory in the Southern Icefield that encompasses a northwestern mountain range along the Cloudscrape Crags and a bit of the Snowsquall Tundra along the edges of the mountain range. Sector 42 contains many different communities; initially, it was the small town of Wickerfrost and Sleetstorm, which then expanded to the Accursed Vista, the Shadebound, Trove INC, and upon Wickerfrost's unfortunate destruction, the survivors merged with Sleetstorm and built the city of Frosthome.
Magic is a double-edged sword, with the most powerful mages being manipulated, killed, or otherwise used by the dragons around them in a mad scramble for power which seems neverending. At the same time, mages are capable of doing incredible things, and are at this point so ingrained in Sector 42's culture and way of life that removing them entirely would probably result in Bad Things Happening.
Frosthome is ruled over by the Greater Council, made up of two representatives of Gaoler Affairs from Sleetstorm and four powerful mages from Wickerfrost who control the change of seasons within Sector 42. Alongside the Greater Council, they have their Court, made up of High Advisors and other important socialites and bureaucrats. Allegedly, these guys are the ones making all the decisions, but realistically... Plenty of dragons go off on their own and nearly get killed, it's practically a rite of passage.
Ultimately, Progress Report deals with heavy themes of survivor's guilt, xenophobia, trauma, body horror (thanks Emperors), betrayal, manipulation, abuse, self-sacrifice, survival, what it means to be a person, and overcoming all odds to find connection with others. The love exists, has always existed, and will always exist, even in the darkest times.
Q&A:
Q: Is this your main lore?
A: Yes! This is the lore from which all other lore flows... Aka yes, it's my main lore, I adore the beast no matter how expansive and difficult to explain it becomes.
Q: How much of your lore is based on site lore?
A: I'd say we're at a 60/40 in terms of site/custom lore! I try to strike a good balance with site lore while consistently putting my own spin on things, and elaborating on areas the site lore has left up in the air.
Q: You're kidding about the 100k words of lore thing, right?
A: Nope. Not kidding. Progress Report has been ongoing since April of 2020.
Q: Can I ask questions about your lore?
A: Please do!! Ask questions, share headcanons, tell me that you think Iokir plays Yugioh in his spare time, talk about how your dragons would interact with mine, talk about how your clan would react to the events happening in my lore!
