**CRIMSON LEAF PUBLISHING – CONTINUITY & ACCURACY OFFICE**
**TO:** Project Lead, *Crimson Vows*
**FROM:** Cora, Continuity Editor

### 1. PROSE EVIDENCE
*   "Because of the Vow, there was no such thing as being alone, even in the absolute void of a collapsed sea-cave." (Early) — *Establishes the claustrophobic stakes of the hemomantic bond while grounding the physical setting.*
*   "His skin was no longer skin. From the knuckles to the mid-forearm, his flesh had become a topographical map of crystalline growth." (Mid) — *Provides a clear, tactile visual for the "Thorne Madness" mentioned in prior chapter notes.*
*   "I bit my own lip. Not a soft, hesitant nibble, but a sharp, decisive puncture. The taste of copper flooded my mouth—vibrant, hot, and electric." (Mid) — *Reinforces the Valerius methodology of "equilibrium through extraction" via a visceral physical act.*
*   "I have spent a lifetime ensuring no one had to feel the weight of my blood. Why would you do that?" (Late) — *Highlights Aldric's established martyr complex while using the rhythmic, uncontracted speech required by his profile.*
*   "The Vow was a low, steady thrum, like a cat purring in the dark." (Late) — *A rare, effective simile that signals the temporary stabilization of the sovereigns' shared pulse.*

### 2. CHARACTER VOICE AUDIT

**Seraphine Valerius**
*   **Line:** "Your protests are a structural inefficiency."
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics:** YES. (Uses architectural metaphor: "structural inefficiency," "load-bearing truth," "foundations.")
*   **Forbidden Patterns:** YES. (Avoids contractions throughout, e.g., "I do not intend," "I will not have.")
*   **Emotional Register:** YES. (Shifts from clinical predator to vulnerable partner as her arc hits the 45% mark.)

**Aldric Valerius Thorne**
*   **Line:** "I am turning into a statue. A monument to a dying kingdom."
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics:** YES. (Measured, rhythmic cadences; focuses on tactical assessment.)
*   **Forbidden Patterns:** NO. (Profile states: "His speech is entirely devoid of contractions... unless he is experiencing a moment of rare, raw vulnerability." This scene features "I'm," "You'll," and "it's," which is consistent with his breakdown and physical collapse.)
*   **Emotional Register:** YES. (Matches the "terrified by the depth of his feelings" note in the Ch-07 state.)

### 3. STRENGTHS TO PRESERVE
*   **Tactile Magic System:** The description of the crystallization ("sharp edges of the crystallization sliced into the pads of my fingers") perfectly mirrors the world-rule that Thorne magic has a physical, detrimental cost.
*   **The Power Dynamic Shift:** The moment Seraphine forces Aldric down ("I didn't lead him to it; I forced him down... I knelt between his legs") maintains her "Apex Predator" status even during an act of healing.
*   **Consistency of Sensation:** The use of "iron and ozone" to signal hemomancy or sovereign presence ("I could smell the iron and the ozone") is a persistent sensory anchor from Aldric’s profile.

### 4. MUST-FIX -- CONTINUITY
*   **FLAG 1 (LOCATION):**
    *   **Original:** "...even in the absolute void of a collapsed sea-cave." (Early)
    *   **Problem:** The RAG context for [character-state] Ch-07 and World State Ch-07 explicitly lists the location as "Abandoned miner’s grotto, Ironbound Range." A "sea-cave" contradicts the established high-altitude mountain setting of the Ironbound Range.
    *   **Fix:** Change "sea-cave" to "miner’s grotto" or "mountain fissure."
*   **FLAG 2 (NAME/LAST NAME):**
    *   **Original:** "Aldric Valerius Thorne" (Voice Sig) vs "I am a Valerius," I said... "I do not get 'polluted.'" (Mid)
    *   **Problem:** Seraphine identifies strictly as a "Valerius" and treats Aldric’s "Thorne" blood as the source of rot/stone. However, Aldric’s profile lists his name as "Aldric Valerius Thorne." If they share a last name (Valerius), her mocking his bloodline as a separate "pollutant" lacks the established familial/dynastic weight.
    *   **Fix:** Confirm if "Valerius" is the primary Imperial name and "Thorne" is the cadet branch. If they are rival lines, Aldric should likely not carry the "Valerius" name in his profile, or Seraphine should acknowledge the shared root. (Note: Ch-03 established "Thorne-Valerius borders," implying two distinct houses).
*   **FLAG 3 (MAGIC LIMITATION):**
    *   **Original:** "I took his hand... and I pressed my bleeding lip against the jagged surface of his knuckles... the crystallization began to dissolve." (Late)
    *   **Problem:** Seraphine’s profile states her limitation: "she is diminished when away from her throne" and "Requires a physical 'anchor' (usually a drop of her own blood infused into the stone of the palace)." In this grotto, far from her throne, her ability to perform a high-level reversal of a Thorne-specific curse seems overpowered based on her "diminished" status.
    *   **Fix:** Add a line acknowledging the difficulty or the fact that she is using the Vow itself as a temporary, unstable anchor to compensate for being off-throne.

### 5. MUST-FIX -- CLARITY
*   **Original:** "The crystallization was spreading toward his heart, fueled by the stress of the cavern's collapse." (Mid)
*   **Problem:** It is unclear if the collapse happened *because* of his magic failing, or if the physical trauma of the cave-in triggered the "Thorne Madness."
*   **Fix:** "The crystallization was spreading toward his heart, the jagged bloom accelerated by the desperate surge of magic he had used to hold the ceiling aloft during the collapse."

### 6. OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS
*   **Suggestion:** In the scene where Seraphine tastes the blood, reference her "Gilded Pulse" ability to detect that he is lying before he admits his fear.
*   **Quote:** "I could feel his heart... It is not calculating. It is terrified."
*   **Reasoning:** This connects her Ch-07 emotional breakthrough directly to her School of Discipline (Blood Governance).

### 7. FORBIDDEN CHANGES / NON-GOALS
*   **Do not "smooth" Seraphine's lack of contractions.** The phrasing "I do not tolerate... inefficiencies" must remain stilted; it is her primary character signifier.
*   **Do not remove Aldric's "raspy wheeze."** This is his imperfection signature when control slips.
*   **Do not change the "Skritch" sound effects.** The transition from intimacy to horror is a genre staple for the "vampire/high-stakes" adult category and serves the Blight Drift escalation.

### 8. VERDICT: REVISE
**SCORE: 82**
**JUSTIFICATION:** The chapter is tonally excellent and follows the Voice Signatures with high precision, but the **Sea-Cave vs. Ironbound Range** contradiction is a major geographical continuity error that disrupts the established world state. Additionally, Seraphine’s power levels away from her throne need a brief internal justification to satisfy the established "diminished" rule.