# Character State: ch-14

## Isabella Voss
Location: The far side of the Obsidian Bridge, bordering the valley edge.
Physical: Severe hemomantic scarring; bleeding from sensory organs; profound exhaustion; unconscious.
Emotional: Transcendent agony; resolute; protective.
Active obligations: Protection of Nightbloom survivors (Ch-10) -- ACTIVE | Life-debt to Damien (Ch-12) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Integration of the Nightbloom Song (Ch-12) -- UNRESOLVED | Evolution of the new species (Ch-14) -- ACTIVE.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-13--unresolved): holds collective consciousness in marrow; Malphas/Council unaware.
Arc: 100% -- Transformed into the living anchor of a displaced species, severing the Voss blood-debt forever.
Permanent: YES

## Damien Blackthorn
Location: The center of the Obsidian Bridge, rear-guard.
Physical: Broken ribs; deep abdominal sword wound; heavy blood loss; shattered armor; collapsing.
Emotional: Grim defiance; protective; accepting of his sacrifice.
Active obligations: Isabella's protection (Ch-10) -- ACTIVE.
Open loops: Blackthorn Council retaliation (Ch-11) -- RESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-13--unresolved): Patricide preparation now irrelevant; loyalty realigned.
Arc: 100% -- Completes his transition from scion to the shield that breaks House Blackthorn's power.
Permanent: YES

## Lord Malphas Blackthorn
Location: Great Hall High Dais, Blackthorn Keep.
Physical: Catatonic; magically hollowed; immobile.
Emotional: Shattered; non-existent.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-13--unresolved): Lineage now magically sterile; Council unaware.
Arc: 95% -- Reduced to a hollowed relic of a dying era.
Permanent: YES

## High Priest Malakor -- DECEASED (Ch-12)
Established: Disintegrated as physical form couldn't contain Nightbloom Song frequency.
Legacy: His absence allowed the Council to seize military control for the final purge.

# World State: ch-14

## NPC Memory
- The Blackthorn Council (The Keep): MURDEROUS -- Successfully bypassed the Great Resonance to initiate a purge but were halted at the bridge -- The bloodline's magical foundation is crumbling.
- Nightbloom Survivors (The Bridge): EVOLVING -- The collective trance was broken by violence, forcing a desperate psychic evolution to survive -- They have crossed the threshold, no longer human or vampire.

## Faction Attitudes
- Blackthorn House: AGGRESSIVE/FRACTURED -- The Council has enacted a scorched-earth policy, abandoning the catatonic Malphas while their power base decays.
- The Collective: FRAGILE/EMERGENT -- Fleeing the valley; their unified mind is vulnerable but stabilizing under Isabella’s subconscious guidance.

## Active World Events
- The Obsidian Bridge Skirmish: Concluding; Damien holds the rear while the Nightblooms cross into the unknown; the bridge is beginning to fracture.
- The Violet Bleed: The magical foundation of the Keep is collapsing as the Nightbloom Song moves further away, causing physical tremors in the valley.

## Permanent World Changes
- Severing of the Vow: The centuries-old blood-tie between Blackthorn and Voss is physically and magically shattered.
- Exodus of the Song: The source of the valley’s power has left the Keep, ensuring the inevitable decay of Blackthorn territory.
- Birth of the Collective: A new species has emerged, bound by a shared consciousness rather than blood oaths.