# Character State: ch-01

## Isabella Voss
- **Location:** The Bridal Chamber, High Tower, Blackthorn Keep.
- **Physical:** Hemomantic exhaustion; raw, weeping wrist scars concealed by silk gloves; internal bruising from Peace Vow lashes.
- **Emotional:** Violated yet icily defiant; masking terror with a "regal correction" persona.
- **Obligations:** Owes Damien Blackthorn a sanctioned heir (UNPAID); Owes Reginald Thorne Voss bloodline assets (UNPAID).
- **Open Loops:** Wedding night survival (UNRESOLVED); Secrecy of hemomantic scarring from the Blackthorn Elders (UNRESOLVED).
- **Known Secrets:** Bleeding beneath gloves; using her mother’s execution as a survival template; true severity of her scarring.
- **Arc:** 15% — Transitioned from prisoner to legally bound hostage-bride.

## Damien Blackthorn
- **Location:** The Bridal Chamber, High Tower, Blackthorn Keep.
- **Physical:** Predatory vitality; uninjured.
- **Emotional:** Cruelly intrigued; dominant, mocking, and observant.
- **Obligations:** Owes Isabella protection and containment per the Treaty (UNPAID).
- **Open Loops:** Testing the limits of Isabella’s magic (UNRESOLVED); Consummation of the alliance (UNRESOLVED).
- **Known Secrets:** Suspects Isabella is hiding scars that violate the "Unmarked" clause.
- **Arc:** 08% — Established as the primary tormentor and shadow-husband.

## Lord Reginald Thorne
- **Location:** High Dais, Blackthorn Keep.
- **Physical:** Aged; commanding.
- **Emotional:** Mercenary and triumphant; views the marriage as a harvest.
- **Obligations:** Overseeing the integration of Voss assets (UNPAID).
- **Open Loops:** Monitoring Isabella's "purity" and viability (UNRESOLVED).
- **Known Secrets:** Intends to discard Isabella once an heir is secured.
- **Arc:** 05% — Architect of the Annexation.

# World State: ch-01

## NPC Memory
- **Blackthorn Court:** DERISIVE — Isabella is viewed as a conquered trophy, deepening her social isolation.

## Faction Attitudes
- **Nightbloom Coven:** SILENT — Isabella was traded for coven survival; abandonment is complete.
- **Blackthorn Coven:** IMPERIAL — Marriage is viewed as a formal asset annexation; internal scrutiny is high.

## Active World Events
- **The Peace Vow:** ACTIVE — Magical pulse punishing Isabella’s dissent with internal pain.
- **The Binding Ritual:** COMPLETE — Lines of Voss and Blackthorn are magically linked.
- **The Treaty of Thorns:** ACTIVE — Diplomatic framework mandating the union.
- **The Annexation:** COMPLETE — Voss assets are legally absorbed.
- **The Unmarked Vessel Clause:** ACTIVE — Requirement that Isabella remain "unmarked" by magic—a clause her hidden scars already violate.

## Voice & Mechanics
- **Isabella's Logic:** Hemomancy flows from oaths; betrayal risks the self. She uses "regal corrections" and fragments when panicked.
- **Environmental:** High Tower represents both sanctuary and cage; oppressive luxury.