# Character State: ch-06

## Isabella Voss
Location: The Ritual Altar, The High Tower, Blackthorn Keep.
Physical: Severe hemomantic depletion; fresh lacerations on palms from blood-offering; physically shivering.
Emotional: Defiant but exhausted; feeling the weight of the blood-bond's intrusive intimacy.
Active obligations:
- Sanctioned heir owed to Damien (ch-01) — UNPAID
- Bloodline assets owed to Reginald Thorne Voss (ch-01) — UNPAID
- Bound to Damien's safety via blood-ink (ch-02) — UNPAID
Open loops:
- Malakor "Blood Tithe" ritual (ch-06) — RESOLVED (via defiance/interruption)
- False consummation ruse with Damien (ch-03) — ACTIVE
Known secrets:
- CARRIED (ch-01--unresolved): Severity of her scarring — Damien only
- CARRIED (ch-02--unresolved): Using Damien's blood as magic anchor — Damien only
- CARRIED (ch-02--unresolved): Blood-sharing bypasses the Peace Vow — House Blackthorn
- CARRIED (ch-04--unresolved): Malakor skims essence from rituals — The Coven
Arc: 58% — Shifted from performative submission to overt magical defiance by prioritizing Damien's survival over ritual protocol.
Permanent: YES

## Damien Blackthorn
Location: The Ritual Altar, High Tower, Blackthorn Keep.
Physical: Recovering from agonizing blood-drain; throat bruised; pulse erratic.
Emotional: Furiously protective; bonded more deeply to Isabella through the shared trauma of the Tithe.
Active obligations:
- Protection/containment of Isabella (ch-01) — UNPAID
- Bound to Isabella's safety via blood-ink (ch-02) — UNPAID
Open loops:
- Confrontation with Malakor (ch-05) — ESCALATED (Physical assault)
Known secrets:
- CARRIED (ch-03--unresolved): Isabella is "Unmarked Vessel" violation — Malphas/Malakor
- CARRIED (ch-03--unresolved): Isabella's intentional bloodletting fuels magic — Malphas
Arc: 55% — His willingness to endure the Tithe's torture to shield Isabella establishes him as an ally against his own House's hierarchy.
Permanent: YES

## High Priest Malakor
Location: The Ritual Altar, High Tower, Blackthorn Keep.
Physical: Bleeding from a facial cut caused by Isabella’s blood-lash.
Emotional: Murderous; humiliated by the failure of the Tithe and the subjects' defiance.
Open loops:
- Retaliation for the interrupted Tithe (ch-06) — UNRESOLVED
Arc: N/A (NPC)
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-06

## NPC Memory
- **High Priest Malakor:** ENRAGED — Isabella struck him to stop the Tithe — Likely to declare her a heretic or move for execution.
- **Lord Malphas Blackthorn:** CONTEMPTUOUS — Observed the failure of the ritual — Pressure on the marriage contract will intensify.

## Faction Attitudes
- **Blackthorn Coven:** VOLATILE — The public defiance of the High Priest during a sacred Tithe has shattered the appearance of order.
- **Nightbloom Coven:** DESPERATE — Still leaderless; the failure of the Tithe puts their remaining diplomatic protections at risk.

## Active World Events
- **The Blood Tithe:** INTERRUPTED/FAILED — The ritual ended in violence rather than completion; magical debt remains unpaid.
- **The Peace Vow:** STRAINED — Direct violence occurred in the ritual circle, testing the spiritual constraints of the treaty.