# Character State: ch-06

## Elara Vance
Location: The Stone Sanctum, interior threshold.
Physical: Severe spiritual exhaustion; ribs are a "mapped agony"; the Sigil is burning with intense Earth-resonance; covered in grey blight-ash and mud.
Emotional: Resolute but fragmented; feeling the "erosion" of her selfhood beneath the land's memory.
Active obligations: owes Kaelen protection (ch-06) -- UNPAID; owes Thalric a debt of legacy (ch-05) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Elara/Council regarding blight origins (ch-06) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-06--unresolved): knows the Council’s silence covers the blight’s true origin -- Kaelen does not know.
Arc: 65% -- Accepted the burden of the Earth Aspect, transitioning from a reactive survivor to an active channel for the land’s defense.
Permanent: YES

## Kaelen
Location: The Stone Sanctum, interior threshold.
Physical: Bruised and singed by blight-fire; breathing heavily; hands steady on the Hilt and Sunstone.
Emotional: Protective and grimly loyal; he has accepted his role as Elara's anchor.
Active obligations: owes Elara a life-debt (ch-04) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Kaelen/Sunstone full potential (ch-06) -- UNRESOLVED; Kaelen/Missing Grove map (ch-02) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03--unresolved): knows his desertion from the Vanguard was not just fear but triggered by a vision -- Elara does not know.
Arc: 60% -- Fully discarded his mercenary cynicism to act as a selfless guardian during the breach of the Sanctum.
Permanent: YES

## Thorne Blackroot
Location: The blighted ridgeline outside the Stone Sanctum.
Physical: Left arm blackened and smoking from Sunstone flare; bleeding from palm scars.
Emotional: Seething with sadistic fury; frustrated by the failure of the "Night-Veil."
Active obligations: owes the Circle of Thorns a "Harvest" (ch-06) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Thorne/Blight sentience (ch-06) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: knows the Vessel's ritual can be inverted to feed the Blight -- Elara does not know.
Arc: 45% -- Failed to prevent the Sanctum breach, heightening his desperation and reliance on volatile Blight-magic.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-06

## NPC Memory
- The Forest Spirits (Blighted Foothills): AGITATED -- Witnessed Elara harmonizing with the stones -- Hopeful but terrified of the encroaching shadow.
- Circle Scouts (The Ridges): DISMAYED -- Were repelled by the Sunstone’s light -- Now regrouping for a siege of the Sanctum.

## Faction Attitudes
- The Circle of Thorns: EMBATTLED -- Frustrated by the Vessel's resilience; moving from "Harvest" to "Siege" tactics.
- The Council of Oakhaven: COMPLICIT -- Their inaction has allowed the foothills to fall to the "Grey Zone."

## Active World Events
- The Great Blight: ESCALATING -- The transition to a "Grey Zone" is complete; the environment is now a lethal weapon controlled by Thorne.
- The Vessel Ritual: STAGE THREE (EARTH) -- Initiated upon Elara’s entry into the Stone Sanctum; the terrain is shifting to protect the Vessel.

## Canon Artifacts/Key Items
- The Sigil: Gained a heavy, "earthen" resonance; pulses with gold, blue, and এবার brown light.
- The Sunstone Shard: Burned bright to shatter the Night-Veil; its surface is now slightly clouded from the effort.
- Blight-Thorns: Withdrawing temporarily from the Sanctum’s immediate aura due to the Earth Aspect’s awakening.