# Character State: ch-09

## Lena Duval
Location: Sector 4 Drainage Junction, Terrebonne Siphon (Lower Gears).
Physical: Ears caked with dried blood; palm wound sealed with salt-scab; digital fever broken, replaced by bone-deep lethargy.
Emotional: Grimly satisfied; experiencing a "hollowed-out" clarity after the harmonic resonance.
Active obligations: Owes Jax survival via salt-tithe (Ch-08) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: The "Gator's Truth" utility (Ch-08) -- UNRESOLVED; The Siphon’s true purpose of feeding the elite (Ch-09) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-09--unresolved): DISCOVERED: The Siphon's "Harmonic Bleed" captures bayou spirits to power the upper districts (Jax remains unaware).
Arc: 85% -- Mastery achieved: She facilitated a mechanical-magical synthesis, proving she is more than a traditional witch.
Permanent: YES

## Jax Harlan
Location: Manual override catwalks, Sector 4 Siphon.
Physical: Hearing returning but muffled; upper arm lacerations from metal shards; smell of ozone and brine.
Emotional: Deeply shaken by the supernatural display; protective stance toward Lena.
Active obligations: Guarding the manual override (Ch-08) -- PAID.
Open loops: Leaking safehouse intel (Ch-08) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: None.
Arc: 65% -- Abandoned tactical skepticism; accepts the bayou’s sentient malice as a combat variable.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-09

## NPC Memory
- The Drowned Man (Terrebonne Siphon): DISPERSED -- Rejoined the brine once the gear-cycle broke -- The structural threat to the lower gears has dissipated.
- Aunt Maribelle (Cypress Bend): BLOCKED -- Her influence through the silver locket was severed by the 440Hz interference -- Lena is temporarily free of her mental tether.
- Terrebonne Board (New Orleans): AGGRAVATED -- Real-time telemetry shows a total failure of the Sector 4 purge -- Response teams likely mobilized.

## Faction Attitudes
- Terrebonne Development Corp: AGGRESSIVE -- Shift from containment to retaliation as infrastructure is physically damaged.
- The Duval Coven: DIVIDED -- Younger members whisper of Lena’s "machine-magic," while elders view it as heresy.

## Active World Events
- The Great Flush: FAILED -- Bypass valves are seized; water is draining slowly through natural filtration instead of the forced purge.
- The Harmonic Bleed: TRANSFORMED -- The screaming engine has settled into a rhythmic, low-frequency thrum that mimics a heartbeat.
- The Gear Jam: PERMANENT -- The Scrambler Box has melted into the ironwork; the Siphon cannot be restarted without massive teardown.

## Metadata
- Key Item: The Silver Locket (Dormant; chain is bent).
- Key Item: Scrambler Box (DESTROYED/FUSED; serves as a magical focus).
- Environment: High-ceilinged industrial cathedral; dripping salt-water; absolute silence except for the "heartbeat" of the gears.
- Scent: Overpowering magnolia and ozone.