# Character State: ch-16

## Lena Duval
Location: The Heart Tree (Siphon Hub Core)
Physical: Integrated entity; cyan-bioluminescent skin; rhythmic pulses; no injuries.
Emotional: Transhuman serenity; detached but anchored by the "gator's truth."
Active obligations: Maintaining the Veil (Ch16) -- UNPAID; Sustaining the ecosystem (Ch16) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Preservation of the Silver Locket (Ch16) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch16--unresolved): Holds the full kinetic history of the Duval line within her merged consciousness.
Arc: 100% -- The Guardian. She has fully transitioned from a human fleeing her past to the semi-divine consciousness of the Bayou.
Permanent: YES

## Jax Harlan
Location: Inner Perimeter / Security Annex Ruins
Physical: Iridescent "Green Fever" scarring; immune to toxins; high-functioning symbiosis.
Emotional: Fierce loyalty; resolved to protect the nexus.
Active obligations: Identifying the TDC mole (Ch16) -- UNPAID.
Open loops: Jax/Lena vs. The TDC Black Box (Ch16) -- UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch16--unresolved): Location of the shielded transmitter.
Arc: 100% -- The Sentinel. He has accepted a permanent role as the Heart Tree’s physical defender.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-16

## NPC Memory
- Duval Elders (Cypress Bend): SUBSERVIENT -- They have accepted Lena as a living deity -- They act as ritualistic caretakers of the growth.
- TDC Survivors (Regional Command): TRAUMATIZED -- They witnessed the Grand Recission -- They have designated the zone as an Absolute Loss.

## Faction Attitudes
- The Great Hum: DOMINANT -- Reclaiming industrial ruins; an active, hungry intelligence.
- Terrebonne Development Corp (TDC): DEFEATED -- Retreating and seeking containment rather than extraction.

## Active World Events
- The Grand Recission: ONGOING -- Rapid transmutation of metal and concrete into organic swamp matter.
- The Great Silence: PERMANENT -- A 5-mile dead-zone for all electronic signals centered on the Heart Tree.

## Key Objects/Locations
- The Heart Tree: The primary conduit for the Bayou's power and Lena's physical anchor.
- The Silver Locket: Partially fused with the Tree; contains Lena's residual human memories.
- The TDC Black Box: The last remaining technological threat hidden in the Annex.