# 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): knows the Council’s silence covers the blight’s true origin -- Kaelen does not know.
Arc: 65% -- Transitioned from reactive survivor to active channel for the Earth Aspect.
Permanent: YES

## Kaelen
Location: The Stone Sanctum, interior threshold.
Physical: Bruised and singed; hands steady on the Hilt and Sunstone; breathing heavily.
Emotional: Protective and grimly loyal; 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): his desertion was triggered by a vision -- Elara does not know.
Arc: 60% -- Discarded mercenary cynicism to act as a selfless guardian during the Sanctum breach.
Permanent: YES

## Thorne Blackroot
Location: Blighted ridgeline outside the Sanctum.
Physical: Left arm blackened/smoking from Sunstone flare; bleeding from palm scars.
Emotional: Seething with sadistic fury; frustrated by the "Night-Veil" failure.
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 ritual can be inverted to feed the Blight -- Elara does not know.
Arc: 45% -- Failed to prevent the breach, driving him toward more volatile magic.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-06

## NPC Memory
- Forest Spirits: AGITATED -- Witnessed Elara’s harmony; hopeful but terrified.
- Circle Scouts: DISMAYED -- Repelled by the Sunstone; regrouping for a siege.

## Faction Attitudes
- Circle of Thorns: EMBATTLED -- Transitioning from "Harvest" to "Siege" tactics.
- Council of Oakhaven: COMPLICIT -- Their inaction birthed the "Grey Zone."

## Active World Events
- The Great Blight: ESCALATING -- Transition to "Grey Zone" complete; environment is now a weapon under Thorne’s influence.
- The Vessel Ritual: STAGE THREE (EARTH) -- Initiated; terrain shifting to protect the Sanctum.

## Canon Artifacts/Key Items
- The Sigil: Heavy "earthen" resonance; pulses with gold, blue, and brown light.
- Sunstone Shard: Surface clouded after shattering the Night-Veil.
- Blight-Thorns: Withdrawing from the Sanctum’s immediate aura due to the Earth Aspect.