# Character State: ch-05

## Lena Duval
Location: Safehouse, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans.
Physical: Enduring "The Severing"—severe tremors, nausea, and sensory static; experiencing a "hollow deafness" where her magic used to pulse.
Emotional: Violated and claustrophobic. Feels hunted by the coven while physically trapped by the city’s "Urban Wall."
Active obligations: Owes Jax Harlan the reality of "Phlegethon"—UNPAID; needs to muffle Maribelle’s psychic intrusion—UNPAID.
Open loops: Navigating the world "blind" to the supernatural—UNRESOLVED; determining if Maribelle’s voice is a real intrusion or a mental fracture—UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: (CARRIED) Developers are targeting the "Heart of the Bend" for Project Phlegethon; (CARRIED) Mother’s silver locket is vibrating in sync with industrial machinery, not nature.
Arc: 45% — Transitioned from defiant runaway to crippled survivor; her stubbornness is her only remaining weapon.
Permanent: YES

## Jax Harlan
Location: Safehouse, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans.
Physical: Tense and sleep-deprived; nursing a bruised shoulder from the retreat.
Emotional: Protective but overwhelmed; shifted from skepticism to grim acceptance of the Duval curse.
Active obligations: Delivering Lena to a "neutral" contact in New Orleans—ACTIVE.
Open loops: Identifying the source of the safehouse location leak—ACTIVE.
Known secrets: (CARRIED) Noticed Lena’s tremors subside only when she has physical contact with him or organic matter.
Arc: 20% — Evaluates his role not as an escort, but as a linked survivor in a shared fate.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-05

## NPC Memory
- Aunt Maribelle (The Coven): HOSTILE — Executed "The Severing" to force Lena’s return; displayed that distance offers no protection from the coven.
- The "Neutral" (New Orleans): UNKNOWN — A rumored contact for displaced magical practitioners in the city.

## Faction Attitudes
- The Duval Coven: Relentless — Using Lena’s withdrawal as a leash to drag her back to the swamp.
- Terrebonne Development Corp: Opportunistic — Moving forward with Project Phlegethon while the coven is distracted by Lena.

## Active World Events
- The Severing: A magical feedback loop causing Lena’s physical collapse as she is forcibly unplugged from her power source.
- The Urban Wall: The phenomenon where city iron and electricity create a static barrier that shields Lena from tracking but induces physical illness.
- The Stagnation: A growing ecological rot in Cypress Bend caused by the absence of a Duval blood-anchor.

## Metadata
- Current Chapter: 05 (Finalized)
- Key Item: Lena’s silver locket (calibrated to industrial frequencies).
- Key Term: "The Urban Wall."
- Mood: Claustrophobic, clinical, and desperate.