# Character State: ch-09

## Queen Seraphine
Location: The Inner Sanctum, Crimson Cathedral
Physical: Sanguine Exhaustion; palms are silver-veined stone grafts; pulse is synchronized with the Citadel's thrum.
Emotional: Vessel Nihilism; absolute acceptance of her role as a biological bridge for Aldric.
Active obligations: owes Aldric a passage to the Heart (ch-09) -- PAID
Open loops: Seraphine/Vespera internal psychic struggle (ch-09) -- UNRESOLVED
Known secrets: knows the Wall's residual kinetic energy is the only thing keeping her moving -- Aldric does not know
Arc: 85% -- She has fully transitioned from an autonomous ruler to a literal physical foundation for the revolution.
Permanent: YES

## King Aldric
Location: The Inner Sanctum, Crimson Cathedral
Physical: Left leg crystallized in "Silvering" up to the hip; labored harmonic breathing; using a Steel Sine tether.
Emotional: Sovereign Gratitude; abandonment of leadership in favor of pure endurance.
Active obligations: owes the Archivists a new era (ch-09) -- UNPAID
Open loops: Aldric/Malcorra theological confrontation (ch-08) -- UNRESOLVED
Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-04—unresolved): knows the location of the true Valerius Seal -- Seraphine does not know
Arc: 80% -- He has accepted his physical vulnerability as a conduit for Seraphine’s power rather than a failure of kingship.
Permanent: YES

## High Priestess Malcorra
Location: The High Altar, Crimson Cathedral
Physical: Liturgical Fugue; vessel fracture at peak levels; whispering in dry, raspy wheezes.
Emotional: Sacrilegious Fury; cold determination to collapse the architecture.
Active obligations: owes the Cathedral total purification (ch-09) -- UNPAID
Open loops: Malcorra/The Hounds "Kingsblood Protocol" override (ch-09) -- UNRESOLVED
Known secrets: knows the Rites of Dissolution will kill her along with the intruders -- The Lowen-Court does not know
Arc: 90% -- She has moved from an enforcer of dogma to an active agent of total architectural destruction.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-09

## NPC Memory
- High Priestess Malcorra (Crimson Cathedral): FANATICAL -- Initiated the Rites of Dissolution -- The Sanctum is now a death trap.
- The Inquisitorial Hounds (Crimson Cathedral): PREDATORY -- Phasing through Ghost-Veins to bypass Thorne Wall defenses -- They are closing in on the royal pair.

## Faction Attitudes
- The Crimson Cathedral: HOSTILE -- Declared the Inner Sanctum desecrated; objective shifted to total collapse.
- The Lowen-Court: CHAOTIC -- Nobility is hoarding blood-tithes as the fires of the Succession War reach the gates.

## Active World Events
- The Necrotic Drift: Intensifying into Obsidian Hail; air is filled with razor-sharp spores.
- The Purge: Active ritual protocol intended to liquefy the Cathedral’s biological foundations.

## Continuity Anchor
- Seraphine and Aldric have entered the Chamber of Reflection. Her blood has lit the path, but the first Hound has breached the threshold behind them. The Heart of the Citadel is visible but guarded by the psychological weight of the blood-link.