# Character State: ch-04

## Isabella Voss
Location: The High Tower solar, Blackthorn Keep.
Physical: Recovering from magical exhaustion; wrists bandaged; blood-ink pact glowing faintly beneath the skin of her forearm.
Emotional: Calculating, performatively submissive, and secretly triumphant.
Active obligations: 
- Owes Damien a sanctioned heir (ch-01) — UNPAID.
- Owes Reginald Thorne Voss bloodline assets (ch-01) — UNPAID.
- Bound to Damien’s safety via blood-ink (ch-02) — UNPAID.
Open loops:
- Managing the "Blood Tithe" demanded by Malakor without revealing its magical properties (ch-04) — ACTIVE.
- Scaling the "false consummation" ruse (ch-03) — ACTIVE.
Known secrets: 
- CARRIED (ch-02): Severity of her scarring — Damien.
- CARRIED (ch-02): Using Damien’s blood as a magic anchor — Damien.
- CARRIED (ch-03): Blood-sharing bypasses the Peace Vow — House Blackthorn.
- NEW (ch-04): Knowledge that High Priest Malakor skims essence from rituals — The Coven.
Arc: 40% — Weaponized her perceived "ruin" to endure Malakor’s interrogation, successfully securing a temporary reprieve from clerical surveillance.

## Damien Blackthorn
Location: The High Tower solar, Blackthorn Keep.
Physical: Uninjured; experiencing a sympathetic pulse through the blood-link.
Emotional: Protective, cynical, and increasingly alienated from his father’s court.
Active obligations: 
- Owes Isabella protection/containment (ch-01) — UNPAID.
- Bound to Isabella’s safety by the blood-ink pact (ch-02) — UNPAID.
Open loops: 
- Shielding Isabella from his father’s mounting impatience (ch-03) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: 
- CARRIED (ch-02): Isabella is an "Unmarked Vessel" violation — Malphas/Malakor.
- CARRIED (ch-02): Isabella fuels magic with intentional bloodletting — Malphas.
Arc: 35% — Finalized his commitment to the "false union" by physically and spiritually obstructing Malakor’s probe.

# World State: ch-04

## NPC Memory
- High Priest Malakor: Livid and suspicious. Blocked by Damien's authority, he is now seeking a "medical" or ritualistic pretext to isolate Isabella for blood extraction.
- Lord Malphas Blackthorn: Aggressive. Expects the union to yield the Voss blood-keys immediately to begin the annexation of Nightbloom lands.

## Faction Attitudes
- Blackthorn Coven: Deeply suspicious. The lack of a "broken" psychic signature from Isabella is fueling rumors of heretical resilience or Damien’s complicity.
- Nightbloom Coven: Remains fractured and leaderless, awaiting Isabella's next move.

## Active World Events
- The Blood Tithe: ESCALATING — A formal demand for Isabella's consecrated blood has been issued, threatening her secret hemomancy.
- The Peace Vow: ACTIVE — Prevents kinetic violence but allows for spiritual/political coercion.
- The Treaty of Thorns: ACTIVE — The legal framework driving the absorption of Isabella’s house.

## Global Variables
- Location: Blackthorn Keep (The High Tower).
- Tension Level: High (Theocratic intervention).
- Political Climate: Decadent deception.
- Canonical Status: Chapter 04 Finalized.