# Character State: ch-17

## Lena Duval
Location: The Heart Tree (Siphon Hub Core)
Physical: Apotheosis manifest; neural networks fused with the cypress root system; skin pulses with bioluminescent sap.
Emotional: Transcendent serenity; ego dissolved into the "Great Hum."
Active obligations: Anchor of Cypress Bend — PAID (Eternal).
Open loops: Lena/Great Hum symbiosis (ch-17) — RESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-01--unresolved): Carries the trauma/knowledge of her mother’s ritual sacrifice — Jax remains unaware of the specific cost.
Arc: 100% — Transformed from a runaway to the sentient deity/living god of the ecosystem.
Permanent: YES

## Jax Harlan
Location: The Shallows (Perimeter)
Physical: Veil-adapted physiology; predatory reflexes; systemic immunity to toxins.
Emotional: Inhuman focus; soul-bound devotion to Lena and the borders.
Active obligations: Perpetual protection of the Veil (ch-17) — UNPAID (Ongoing).
Open loops: External intrusion (TDC/Military) (ch-17) — RESOLVED.
Known secrets: None.
Arc: 100% — Shifted from cynical outsider to the supernatural apex predator and guardian.
Permanent: YES

## Aunt Maribelle Duval
Location: Subterranean Siphon Hub
Physical: Bio-hybrid; functions as a vital filtration organ for the Bend’s life-force.
Emotional: Contented utility; finds peace in absolute service to the flow.
Active obligations: Maintenance of biological integrity (ch-17) — UNPAID (Ongoing).
Open loops: Redemption via utility (ch-17) — RESOLVED.
Known secrets: None.
Arc: 100% — Transformed from a manipulative matriarch to a selfless biological component.
Permanent: YES

## Remy LeBlanc
Location: The Interior Grove
Physical: Biologically frozen; age-suspension facilitated by the Heart Tree.
Emotional: Peaceful resignation; nostalgic historian.
Active obligations: Preservation of oral history (ch-17) — UNPAID (Ongoing).
Open loops: Human legacy in a post-human world (ch-17) — RESOLVED.
Known secrets: None.
Arc: 100% — Became the bridge between human memory and the post-human reality of the swamp.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-17

## NPC Memory
- The Coven (The Heart Tree): DEVOUT — They have accepted their roles as high-priests regulating the Great Hum — Stability of the Siphon Hub is maintained.

## Faction Attitudes
- The Great Hum: DOMINANT — The swamp is now a unified, conscious machine under Lena's singular will.
- Humanity/TDC: REJECTED — External forces have been expelled; the territory is recognized as sovereign and lethal.

## Active World Events
- The Great Silence: Permanent 5-mile EM dead zone established; modern technology rendered non-functional scrap within the Veil.
- Directed Evolution: The "Biological Cathedral" is complete; all flora and fauna act as extensions of the Heart Tree.

## Key Locations
- The Heart Tree: Neural core and throne of the collective consciousness.
- The Siphon Hub: Subterranean distribution network for refined life-force.
- The Veil: Sentient, predatory fog boundary defining the border of Lena's domain.