# Character State: ch-04

## Lena Duval
Location: On the *Ghost Drift*, passing the "Maurepas shortcut" toward the New Orleans city line.
Physical: High fever; right hand tremors; skin damp and clammy; physical exhaustion.
Emotional: Terrified but resolute; experiencing a psychic "tearing" sensation from the land.
Active obligations: 
- Owes the land a "balancing of scales" for the fog (Ch1) -- UNPAID
- Owes Jax Harlan a conversation about the "unnatural" events (Ch2) -- UNPAID
- Owes Jax Harlan safe passage/cooperation during flight (Ch4) -- UNPAID
Open loops: 
- Lena and the "Whisper": Mother’s voice in the roots (Ch1) -- UNRESOLVED
- Lena and the surveyors: Physical removal of markers (Ch2) -- UNRESOLVED
- Lena and the Rite: Consequences of interruption (Ch3) -- UNRESOLVED
- Lena and Jax: The flight toward New Orleans (Ch4) -- UNRESOLVED
Known secrets: 
- CARRIED (Ch1--unresolved): Knows she intends to flee to New Orleans within the week -- Aunt Maribelle does not know.
- CARRIED (Ch1--unresolved): Knows the "whisper" sounded like her mother's voice -- No one else knows.
- CARRIED (Ch2--unresolved): Knows she found a survey marker labeled "Project Phlegethon" -- Jax and Maribelle do not know.
Arc: 35% -- Lena has physically crossed the threshold of the swamp's interior, choosing an outsider’s protection over family tradition.
Permanent: YES

## Jax Harlan
Location: Pilot chair of the *Ghost Drift*, Maurepas shortcut.
Physical: Scuffed knuckles; bloodshot eyes; alert and tense; no major injuries.
Emotional: Protective and increasingly unsettled by the supernatural phenomena.
Active obligations: 
- Owes Lena safe passage to the city line (Ch4) -- UNPAID
Open loops:
- Jax and the Duval Coven: Potential retaliation for Lena's extraction (Ch4) -- UNRESOLVED
Known secrets: 
- Knows Lena’s fever is "land-sick" (unnatural) -- Lena thinks he believes it is a standard illness.
Arc: 5% -- Jax has transitioned from a neutral guide to a fugitive accomplice against the Duval family.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-04

## NPC Memory
- The Coven (Widow’s Deep): HOSTILE -- They witnessed Jax taking Lena and view the boat as a vessel of theft.
- Aunt Maribelle (Widow’s Deep): VENGEFUL -- She has designated Lena an "Apostate" and is hunting the boat.

## Faction Attitudes
- The Duval Coven: Aggressive -- Actively mobilizing rituals to retrieve Lena and punish Jax.
- Terrebonne Development Corp: Lurking -- Their dredgers are nearby, acting as the catalyst for the coven's defensive rituals.

## Active World Events
- The Blackening: Oily sap is bleeding from cypress trees along the Maurepas shortcut, marking the boat’s path for the coven.
- The Silence: Wildlife has fled the area due to the "Project Phlegethon" markers and the gathering dark magic.
- The Leak: Black sludge is manifesting in the water behind the *Ghost Drift*, following Lena’s trail.