# Character State: ch-01

## Queen Seraphine
Location: The High Cellar, Valerius Spire, Aethelgard
Physical: Severe hemomantic depletion; tremors in the focal hand; visibility of the "Gilded Pulse" is strained.
Emotional: Violated, cold, and strategically defiant.
Active obligations: Must provide a formal response to Aldric Thorne regarding the Bilateral Seal; owes the Crimson Cathedral a "cleansing" ritual after interrupting Malcorra.
Open loops: [Seraphine & Malcorra] The fallout of physically stopping the thurible ritual; [Seraphine & Aldric] The latent psychic weight of his proposal.
Known secrets: The Blight has breached the inner glass-line; she is physically weaker than she appears to the High Priestess.
Arc: 12% — Has chosen to prioritize her political autonomy over the Cathedral’s "spiritual purification."

## High Priestess Malcorra
Location: The High Cellar, Valerius Spire
Physical: Radiating a cold, rhythmic magical presence; holding the iron thurible.
Emotional: Predatory, insulted, and religiously certain.
Active obligations: To report the Queen's "spiritual compromise" to the Cathedral Elders.
Open loops: [Malcorra & Seraphine] The power struggle over who controls the Sanguine Marriage requirements.
Known secrets: Suspects Seraphine’s blood-rhythm is "polluted" but lacks physical proof of the Blight's proximity.
Arc: 08% — Transitioned from observer to active antagonist by attempting a forced psychic "correction" of the Queen.

## Captain Kaelen
Location: The Antechamber, High Cellar entrance
Physical: High fatigue; standing at rigid attention.
Emotional: Fiercely protective; hyper-aware of the Queen's physical frailty.
Active obligations: Maintaining the "glass-line" of silence regarding the Queen’s near-collapse.
Open loops: [Kaelen & Seraphine] The unspoken toll of being her physical and emotional anchor.
Known secrets: Aware that the Blight vibrations are increasing in the Spire's foundations.
Arc: 05% — Chose personal loyalty to the Sovereign over his sworn oaths to the Cathedral’s oversight.

# World State: ch-1

## NPC Memory
- High Priestess Malcorra: HOSTILE — Views Seraphine’s interruption of the ritual as sacrilege and a sign of blood-stagnation.

## Faction Attitudes
- The Crimson Cathedral: Aggressive/Interventionist — They view the Sanguine Marriage as a religious sacrament to be dictated by dogma, not a diplomatic treaty.
- The Crimson Throne: Isolated — Seraphine stands alone against both the external Thorne threat and the internal Cathedral pressure.

## Active World Events
- The Sanguine Parley (Internal Phase): The terms of the Bilateral Seal are being contested within the Valerius Spire.
- The 48-Hour Deadline: 36 hours remaining for Seraphine to sign or reject the Thorne proposal.
- The Blight Advance: Subsonic vibrations felt in the High Cellar confirm the rot is moving faster than the Lowen-Court has admitted.

## Global Constants
- The Sanguine Vow: Ancient law requiring a centennial sacrifice to maintain borders; currently being challenged by Aldric Thorne’s "modern" proposal.
- Hemomancy: Tied to the sanctity of the bloodline; Malcorra's "Silent Admonition" has been publicly defied by the Queen.