# Character State: ch-17

## Elara Vance
Location: The Heart of the Weeping Grove, Elderwood
Physical: Spiritual exhaustion; bruised ribs; palm Sigil glowing with harmonized resonance.
Emotional: Transcendent and resolute; feels a heavy peace with her sacrifice.
Active obligations: 
- Owes Kaelen protection (Ch-17) — UNPAID
- Owes Oakhaven survival through Ritual completion (Ch-17) — ACTIVE
Open loops: 
- [Elara & Thorne] Final confrontation over Vessel artifacts (Ch-17) — UNRESOLVED
- [Elara & Self] Does harmonization preserve identity or erode it? (Ch-17) — UNRESOLVED
Known secrets: 
- CARRIED (Ch-05--unresolved): Great Blight fed by Elderwood's ancient roots.
Arc: 85% — Fully transitioned from reluctant survivor to self-accepting Vessel.
Permanent: YES

## Kaelen
Location: The Heart of the Weeping Grove, Elderwood
Physical: Minor lacerations; heavy fatigue; steady hands.
Emotional: Fiercely loyal; quiet awe at the ritual's power.
Active obligations: 
- Owes Elara his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID
Open loops: 
- [Kaelen & Thorne] Exploitation of deserter past (Ch-17) — UNRESOLVED
- [Kaelen & Self] Can he shed deserter instincts permanently? (Ch-17) — UNRESOLVED
Known secrets: 
- CARRIED (Ch-17--unresolved): Location of hidden cache in Southern Wilds.
Arc: 80% — Abandoned deserter instincts to become the Vessel's primary guardian.
Permanent: YES

## Thorne Blackroot
Location: The Heart of the Weeping Grove, Elderwood
Physical: Searing magical burns on arms; blackened veins pulsing with Blight.
Emotional: Fanatical; desperate to reclaim control of the narrative.
Active obligations: 
- Owes Circle of Thorns a cleansed Grove (Ch-17) — UNPAID
Open loops: 
- [Thorne & Blight] Master or instrument? (Ch-17) — UNRESOLVED
- [Thorne & Redemption] Can he sever the Blight's heart? (Ch-17) — UNRESOLVED
Known secrets: 
- CARRIED (Ch-17--unresolved): Knows ritual to invert Vessel power.
- CARRIED (Ch-17--unresolved): Harbors hidden humanity beneath vengeance.
Arc: 75% — Tethered his physical form to the Blight's corruption to prevent fail.
Permanent: YES

## Elder Thalric -- DECEASED (Ch-05)
Established: Died during the initial Blight breach while protecting the village archives.
Legacy: His absence forced Elara into a leadership role she was unprepared for.

# World State: ch-17

## NPC Memory
- Grove Spirits (The Weeping Grove): AGITATED — Witnessed Thorne’s corruption; beginning to respond to Elara’s harmonization.

## Faction Attitudes
- Circle of Thorns: AGGRESSIVE — Pushing Blightweavers toward the Heart to stop the Vessel.
- Oakhaven Survivors: DESPERATE — Trapped as the Blight reaches the outskirts; faith lies entirely in the ritual.

## Active World Events
- The Vessel Ritual: FINAL STAGE — Localization points stabilized; the Heart is the final threshold.
- The Great Blight: PEAK — Ecosystem collapse is occurring at the edges of the Grove.

## Thematic Tensions
- Sacrifice vs. Identity: The more Elara harmonizes, the less she feels like a single woman and the more she feels like the Woods.
- Debt: Kaelen's life-debt is the only thing keeping him from fleeing Thorne's shadow.