# Character State: ch-05

## Isabella Voss
Location: The High Tower solar, Blackthorn Keep.
Physical: Recovering from magical exhaustion; wrists bandaged; blood-ink pact glowing faintly.
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:
- Isabella and Malakor "Blood Tithe" negotiation (ch-04) — ACTIVE.
- Isabella/Damien "false consummation" ruse (ch-03) — ACTIVE.
Known secrets: 
- CARRIED (ch-02--unresolved): Severity of her scarring — Damien.
- CARRIED (ch-02--unresolved): Using Damien’s blood as a magic anchor — Damien.
- CARRIED (ch-03--unresolved): Blood-sharing bypasses the Peace Vow — House Blackthorn.
- CARRIED (ch-04--unresolved): Knowledge that High Priest Malakor skims essence from rituals — The Coven.
Arc: 45% — Reinforced her alliance with Damien against Malakor's probe, deepening their blood-link trust.
Permanent: NO

## 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: 
- Damien shielding Isabella from Lord Malphas (ch-03) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: 
- CARRIED (ch-02--unresolved): Isabella is an "Unmarked Vessel" violation — Malphas/Malakor.
- CARRIED (ch-02--unresolved): Isabella fuels magic with intentional bloodletting — Malphas.
Arc: 40% — Escalated his defiance of Malakor, solidifying his role as Isabella's protector.
Permanent: NO

# World State: ch-05

## NPC Memory
- High Priest Malakor (Blackthorn Coven): LIVID — Blocked by Damien during the solar confrontation — Plotting Isabella's isolation.
- Lord Malphas Blackthorn (Blackthorn Keep): AGGRESSIVE — Demanding Voss blood-keys — Frustrated by Isabella's lack of "submission."

## Faction Attitudes
- Blackthorn Coven: SUSPICIOUS — Rumors of Damien's complicity grow amid Isabella's unbroken psyche.
- Nightbloom Coven: FRACTURED — Awaiting Isabella's signals while leaderless.

## Active World Events
- The Blood Tithe: ESCALATING — Formal demand for Voss essence heightens hemomancy exposure risk.
- The Peace Vow: ACTIVE — Blocks physical violence while enabling coercion.
- The Treaty of Thorns: ACTIVE — Drives the ongoing absorption of Nightbloom assets.