# Character State: ch-05

## Mira
Location: Chamber of the Core observation platform, Ignis-Glacies Academy (formerly Pyre Academy).
Physical: Scorched palms; residual kinetic heat from Core-grounding hand-join with Dorian; sleep-deprived; trembling hands (grief + threat).
Emotional: GRIEF-RAW — Kaelen's death is a fresh, unprocessed wound. Vane weaponized it ("Your Accord cost the Pyre its finest proctor"). Simultaneously, Dorian's quiet restraint at her grief is breaking down her hostility toward him faster than any argument could.
Active obligations: Stabilize the Core for the Mid-Winter Gala (3 weeks) — CRITICAL/ACTIVE. Owes Dorian cooperation after Core hand-join — tacit/UNPAID. Ministry ultimatum — ACTIVE THREAT.
Open loops: Kaelen's death / Ministry investigation (Ch04) — ACTIVE UNRESOLVED. Core fracture stabilization (Ch05) — ACTIVE. Whether Dorian is an ally or just a survival partner — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: She felt a "wild, terrifying joy" in the destructive potential of the Starfall (Ch01) — Dorian does not know. She knows that when she stops fighting Dorian, the Core stabilizes — she has not admitted this aloud.
Arc: 55% — From grief-driven stubborn protector to someone who understands that survival requires surrender to the partnership. The first hairline crack in her war against Dorian.
Permanent: YES (Core hand-join under Inquisition witness; Vane's 3-week ultimatum now governs the plot clock; the Core fracture is a visible consequence of their division).

## Dorian Solas
Location: Chamber of the Core observation platform, Ignis-Glacies Academy.
Physical: Nerve-scorch on right hand (Ch04) — partially healed; mercury-glass cuff cracked; Core-grounding hand-join left frost-burn on left palm.
Emotional: EMOTIONALLY CRACKED — watching Mira grieve Kaelen without using it against her is the first purely unstrategic thing he has done. His "absolute zero" armor is developing a fault line. He recognized aloud that their division is killing the school and that the Core reflects them.
Active obligations: Stabilize the Core for the Gala — CRITICAL/ACTIVE. Initiate Academy-wide safety review (Ch04) — PENDING.
Open loops: Frost-ward failure / suspected Vane sabotage (Ch04) — UNRESOLVED. Whether the Paradox fusion was a one-time emergency or a repeatable solution — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: Believes the original Starfall pocket was statistically improbable — suspects deliberate Ministry provocation (Ch04). Realizes the Core reflects their relationship — has said this aloud to Mira.
Arc: 55% — First instance of choosing Mira's emotional safety over strategic advantage. The clinical detachment is no longer total.
Permanent: YES (Core hand-join; admitted the division is killing the school; Vane ultimatum governs both their fates).

## KAELEN — DECEASED (Ch04)
Location: N/A.
Physical: DEAD — killed in Ch04 arena disaster.
Notes: Vane invoked Kaelen's death as political weapon in Ch05 — "Your Accord cost the Pyre its finest proctor." Aric has assumed acting senior proctor role.
Permanent: YES — does not appear in any subsequent chapter.

## Aric (Acting Senior Proctor)
Location: Ignis-Glacies Academy — administrative quarters (formerly Kaelen's office).
Physical: Recovered from Ch04 burns; emotionally brittle.
Emotional: VOLATILE — carrying survivor's guilt and now blame-transferring to Elara. His mana surge triggered the chain reaction that killed Kaelen. Acting senior proctor role was thrust on him before he was ready.
Active obligations: Report to Mira — UNPAID. Manage student body grief — ACTIVE.
Open loops: His guilt over Kaelen's death — UNRESOLVED. Tension with Elara — ACTIVE.
Permanent: NO.

## Elara (Spire Student Lead)
Location: Spire dorms, Ignis-Glacies Academy.
Physical: Recovered physically.
Emotional: Carrying moral debt — survived when Kaelen didn't; Aric is blaming her. Withdrawing.
Arc: 15%. Permanent: NO.

## Vane (High Inquisitor)
Location: Departed Academy after issuing ultimatum; traveling to Ministry capital.
Physical: Uninjured; bureaucratically precise.
Emotional: Cold satisfaction — has the political weapon he needs. Gave the ultimatum: stabilize the Core by the Mid-Winter Gala or the Inquisition takes the mountain.
Active obligations: Return to Gala to assess — ACTIVE THREAT.
Permanent: YES (the Gala ultimatum is the plot clock for the entire second act).

# World State: ch-05

## NPC Memory
- Vane (Ministry): ACTIVELY HOSTILE — issued 3-week Gala ultimatum. Has political leverage via Kaelen's death.
- Null-Mages: WITNESSED the Core hand-join — will report to Ministry.
- Students: FRIGHTENED — saw Core shudder; heard the mountain groan; lost Kaelen and now facing Inquisition pressure.

## Faction Attitudes
- The Ministry/Inquisition: AGGRESSIVE HOSTILE — wants the mountain's power under direct control. The Gala is their deadline.
- Pyre students: GRIEVING + VOLATILE — Kaelen was their proctor; Aric is unstable; they want answers.
- Spire students: DEFENSIVE GUILT — Elara is withdrawing; they know their ice lattice amplified the disaster.

## Active World Events
- The Core Fracture: Hairline crack visible at chapter end. Timeline: 3 weeks to Gala.
- The Gala Ultimatum: Vane returns at the Mid-Winter Gala. If the Core is not harmonized, Inquisition takes control.
- The Accord: Existential threat from Ministry. Kaelen's death is Vane's political weapon.
- Kaelen's Death Inquiry: Still open at Ministry level. Vane has the evidence he needs.