# Character State: ch-09

## Isabella Voss
Location: The Great Hall, Blackthorn Keep
Physical: Hemomantic exhaustion; fresh palm lacerations; trembling limbs; magically drained from oath-splitting.
Emotional: Triumphant but terrified; defiant; physically weakened.
Active obligations:
- Owes Nightbloom survivors protection (Ch09) -- UNPAID
- Owes Damien Blackthorn a life-debt (Ch09) -- UNPAID
Open loops:
- Isabella and Nightbloom remnants vs. Blackthorn Annexation (Ch09) -- UNRESOLVED
- Isabella's status as "unmarked vessel" trial (Ch08) -- UNRESOLVED
Known secrets:
- CARRIED (Ch08--unresolved): Severity of scarring (Damien only)
- CARRIED (Ch08--unresolved): Blood-sharing circumvents treaty protections
- Knows she can now channel the Nightbloom collective without a Matriarch -- Lord Malphas
Arc: 85% -- Isabella transitioned from a pawn of the Bloodless Treaty to a sovereign usurper by reclaiming her house’s magic through a self-forged oath.
Permanent: YES

## Damien Blackthorn
Location: The Great Hall, Blackthorn Keep
Physical: Visible bruising on throat; minor lacerations from blood-bond feedback; heavy breathing.
Emotional: Recklessly protective; murderous toward his father; awe-struck.
Active obligations:
- Owes Isabella Voss protection (Ch09) -- UNPAID
- Owes House Blackthorn a successor (Ch08) -- UNPAID
Open loops:
- Damien vs. Lord Malphas for Coven leadership (Ch09) -- UNRESOLVED
- Soft war against House Blackthorn leadership (Ch08) -- ESCALATED
Known secrets:
- CARRIED (Ch08--unresolved): Isabella's intentional bloodletting fuels her magic (Malphas aware)
- Knows he will kill his father to protect the new union -- Lord Malphas
Arc: 80% -- Damien has fully crossed the Rubicon, drawing his blade against his own kin and legitimizing Isabella’s rebellion over his father’s law.
Permanent: YES

## Lord Malphas Blackthorn
Location: The High Dais, Blackthorn Keep
Physical: No injuries; posture rigid with fury.
Emotional: Humiliated; calculating; murderous.
Active obligations:
- Owes the Coven a finalized annexation (Ch08) -- STALLED
Open loops:
- Malphas vs. Isabella's illegal magic claim (Ch09) -- UNRESOLVED
Known secrets:
- CARRIED (Ch08--unresolved): Plans to use the heresy trial to seize all assets regardless of marriage.
Arc: 75% -- Malphas’s clinical control has fractured; he has transitioned from a puppet master to a cornered predator.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-09

## NPC Memory
- High Priest Malakor (The High Dais): COWED -- Witnessed Isabella’s blood-oath override the ancient ritual and remained silent, signaling a shift in religious alignment.

## Faction Attitudes
- Nightbloom Coven: EMPOWERED -- Though small in number, they have found a new magical anchor in Isabella’s defiance.
- Blackthorn Coven: DIVIDED -- The martial wing is split between loyalty to Malphas and the rising charisma of Damien’s rebellion.

## Active World Events
- The Great Binding: DISRUPTED/FAILED -- The forced consummation was replaced by a self-authored blood-covenant between Isabella and Damien.
- Nightbloom Restoration: INITIATED -- Isabella has declared the annexation null through the "Right of Blood-Sovereignty."