# Character State: ch-19

## Marcus Thorne
Location: The Big Oak, North Bank, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Clean-shaven (mostly); hands calloused and stained with wood-smoke; no new injuries.
Emotional: Quietly integrated; experiencing a profound sense of fragile, communal gravity.
Active obligations: Owes David his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID; Owes Leo a future outside the index (Ch-12) — IN PROGRESS.
Open loops: The Alpha-7 "Phone Home" sequence (Ch-13) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-01—unresolved): Knows the Alpha-7 empathy protocols were a lie to facilitate mass firings — Julian does NOT know he kept the back-end logs.
Arc: 98% -- Marcus has moved from a digital fugitive to a foundational member of a physical tribe.
Permanent: YES

## David
Location: The Big Oak, North Bank, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Walking with a slight limp; ribs still tender but healing; smell of pine resin.
Emotional: Resolute; finally viewing the group as a permanent assembly rather than a temporary extraction.
Active obligations: Owes Marcus his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID.
Open loops: The "Great Hunger" caloric deficit (Ch-11) — PARTIALLY RESOLVED (Harvest successful).
Arc: 95% -- David has transitioned from a desperate protector to a tribal elder.
Permanent: YES

## Sarah Jenkins
Location: The Big Oak, North Bank, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Tired eyes; hands rough from harvest and sandbagging.
Emotional: Grounded; the high-frequency corporate anxiety has been replaced by land-bound urgency.
Active obligations: Owes Leo a world outside the "Great Flight" (Ch-14) — ACTIVE.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-01—unresolved): Knows the Alpha-7 empathy protocols were a lie to facilitate mass firings — Julian does NOT know she has weaponized that detachment.
Arc: 85% -- Sarah has reclaimed her voice as an arbiter of the physical community.
Permanent: YES

## Elena
Location: The Big Oak, North Bank, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Smelling of oil and wood-ash; no injuries.
Emotional: Vindicated; treats the meal as a successful mechanical synchronization of the group.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-10—unresolved): Knows the manual axe-throw is the only physical failsafe for the power line — Marcus does NOT know.
Arc: 75% -- Elena now views human empathy as a necessary structural component for sanctuary survival.
Permanent: YES

## Helen Vance
Location: The Big Oak, North Bank, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Tremor in hands; mobility limited but assisted by David.
Emotional: Peaceful; acting as the spiritual and historical anchor of the feast.
Arc: 65% -- Helen has successfully passed the "logic of the space" to the new inhabitants.
Permanent: YES

## Leo
Location: The Big Oak, North Bank, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: No injuries; dirt under fingernails.
Emotional: Curious and integrated; viewing the swamp as a playground rather than a threat.
Arc: 60% -- Leo has become the first "unindexed" native of the Bend.
Permanent: YES

## Arthur Silas Vance — DECEASED (Ch-36)
Established: Died peacefully in his sleep after ensuring the "dead-zone" logic was intact.
Legacy: His absence provided the vacuum for the tribe to form; his oak tree served as their first cathedral.

# World State: ch-19

## NPC Memory
- County Automated Dispatch (Remote): HOSTILE -- Still treats the Bend as an empty, dark sector.

## Faction Attitudes
- Avery-Quinn Corp: PREDATORY -- Searching for the "handshake" signal; currently blinded by the storm-wash.

## Active World Events
- The Great Dark: ONGOING -- Providing the atmospheric cover for the Thanksgiving feast.
- The 14-Week Lockdown: DAY 12 -- The group has secured their first harvest, extending their survival window.