# Character State: ch-11

## Elara Vance
Location: The Inner Sanctum of the Heart-Root.
Physical: Right palm etched with the permanent silver-white Sigil; spiritual exhaustion lightened by the forest's restoration; breathing has steadied.
Emotional: Profoundly peaceful and resolute; feels a deep, humming connection to the living world.
Active obligations: Owes Kaelen protection (ch-06)—UNPAID.
Open loops: Elara/Council regarding blight origins (ch-06)—UNRESOLVED (Carries proof of their failed experiments).
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-10--unresolved): The Blight's origin is tied to the Council’s early failed experiments.
Arc: 100%—She has fully transitioned from a vessel-in-training to the living embodiment of the Voice of the Forest.
Permanent: YES

## Kaelen
Location: The Threshold of the Heart-Root.
Physical: Left arm mangled and scarred; heavy bandaging; conscious but extremely weak; sitting upright against the anchoring stone.
Emotional: Quietly relieved; the burden of his past desertion has been replaced by the weight of a new purpose.
Active obligations: None.
Open loops: Kaelen/Missing Grove map (ch-02)—UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: Last of the Sun-Guard bloodline—Elara remains unaware.
Arc: 100%—Fully redeemed through self-sacrifice, transitioning from a fugitive to a guardian of the new era.
Permanent: YES

## Thorne Blackroot -- DECEASED (ch-11)
Established: Severed from the Blight's power, his body calcified completely and shattered into fine, inert dust as the Heart-Root's pulse reclaimed the sanctum.
Legacy: His death marks the final collapse of the Circle of Thorns' influence and the purification of the site he sought to corrupt.

# World State: ch-11

## NPC Memory
- **The Forest Spirits** (Elderwood): REAWAKENED—The spirits are now vocal and active, communicating through the rustle of leaves and the flow of water to guide the forest’s growth.
- **Survivors of Oakhaven** (Oakhaven): GRATEFUL—Witnessed the receding darkness; there is a burgeoning hope for renewal despite the loss of their old leadership.

## Faction Attitudes
- **Circle of Thorns**: EXTINCT—With Thorne’s death and the Blight’s purification, their magical source is gone; they have no hierarchy or power remaining.
- **Council of Oakhaven**: DISGRACED—Their complicity in the Blight is becoming known; they have lost all moral authority over the villagers.

## Active World Events
- **The Great Weaving**: ACTIVE—A period of rapid, magical reforestation has begun; the corruption is being eaten by new, vibrant growth.
- **The Reconstruction**: STARTING—The physical rebuilding of the forest and its communities under the guidance of the Vessel.

## Canon Artifacts/Key Items
- **The Sigil**: Permanently merged with Elara’s palm; serves as the interface for the Elderwood’s harmony.
- **The Sunstone Shard**: EXHAUSTED—Remains a non-magical pebble.
- **The Heart-Root**: FULLY AWAKENED—The center of the forest’s renewed life force.