# Character State: ch-01

## Isabella Voss
Location: The Bridal Chamber, High Tower, Blackthorn Keep.
Physical: Hemomantic exhaustion; raw wrist scars concealed by white silk gloves; internal lashing from the Peace Vow.
Emotional: Defiant yet terrified; maintaining a mask of "regal correction."
Active 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 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 a prisoner of war to a legally bound hostage-bride within the Blackthorn stronghold.
Permanent: YES

## Damien Blackthorn
Location: The Bridal Chamber, High Tower, Blackthorn Keep.
Physical: Uninjured; predatory vitality.
Emotional: Cruelly intrigued; dominant, mocking, and meticulously observant.
Active obligations: Owes Isabella protection and containment per the Treaty -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Testing the limits of Isabella’s hemomancy -- UNRESOLVED; Consummation of the political alliance -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: Suspects Isabella is hiding scars that violate the "Unmarked Vessel" clause.
Arc: 08% -- Established as the primary tormentor and shadow-husband who recognizes Isabella's hidden defiance.
Permanent: YES

## Lord Reginald Thorne
Location: High Dais, Great Hall, Blackthorn Keep.
Physical: Aged but commanding.
Emotional: Mercenary and triumphant; views the marriage as a successful harvest of assets.
Active obligations: Overseeing the immediate integration of Voss territories -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Monitoring Isabella's "purity" and viability -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: Intends to discard Isabella once a Voss-blooded heir is secured.
Arc: 05% -- Architect of the Annexation who has successfully tethered the Nightbloom bloodline.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-01

## NPC Memory
- Blackthorn Court: DERISIVE -- Isabella was paraded as a conquered trophy; she is socially isolated and marked as "other."

## Faction Attitudes
- Nightbloom Coven: SILENT -- Abandoned Isabella to save the collective.
- Blackthorn Coven: IMPERIAL -- View the union as a formal asset acquisition; high scrutiny on Isabella’s behavior.

## 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 now magically and legally linked.
- The Treaty of Thorns: ACTIVE -- Diplomatic framework mandating the union to end the war.
- The Unmarked Vessel Clause: ACTIVE -- Requirement that the bride be free of magical scarring—a condition Isabella has already secretly breached.

## Global Variables
- Location: Blackthorn Keep (The High Tower).
- Tension Level: High (Immediate threat of discovery/consummation).
- Political Climate: Forced Annexation/Fragile Peace.