# Character State: ch-31

## Marcus Thorne
Location: The Chapel Belfry, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Calloused hands; shoulder strain from hoisting iron; soot-stained clothes.
Emotional: Grounded; experiencing a sense of systemic completion.
Active obligations: Owes Sarah a life free from indexing (Ch-01) — IN PROGRESS; Owes Leo a future (Ch-12) — IN PROGRESS; Owes the Newcomers unstable infrastructure (Ch-29) — PAID.
Open loops: The Ocala "Ghost" Signal (Ch-22) — UNRESOLVED; The Avery-Quinn "Deep Scan" Retaliation (Ch-25) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-01—unresolved): Knows the Alpha-7 empathy protocols were a lie to facilitate mass firings — Julian does NOT know he kept the back-end logs.
Arc: 220% -- Marcus has transitioned from a digital architect of displacement to a physical architect of communal rhythm.
Permanent: YES

## Arthur Silas Vance
Location: The Chapel Interior (Memory/Legacy), Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: N/A
Emotional: Content; a lingering shadow of approval.
Active obligations: Owes the Bend a spiritual center (Ch-30) — PAID.
Open loops: None.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-01—unresolved): Knows the "dead-zone" logic was intact — Marcus does NOT know the full extent of the property's digital invisibility.
Arc: 200% -- Arthur’s legacy is fully codified in the physical ringing of the bell.
Permanent: YES

## Sarah Jenkins
Location: The Chapel Steps, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Clear-eyed; wearing clean linen; light flour dusting on forearms.
Emotional: Transcendent; feeling the shift from survival to culture.
Active obligations: None.
Open loops: None.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-01—unresolved): Knows the Alpha-7 empathy protocols were a lie — Julian does NOT know she has weaponized that detachment.
Arc: 195% -- Sarah has successfully established the social liturgy that moves the community beyond mere barter.
Permanent: YES

## David
Location: The Bell Rope, The Chapel, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Robust; moving with heavy, rhythmic grace.
Emotional: Solemn; fulfilling his role as the tribal anchor.
Active obligations: Owes Helen a legacy (Ch-01) — PAID.
Open loops: None.
Arc: 195% -- David has moved from a defender of borders to the ringer of the community’s pulse.
Permanent: YES

## Elena
Location: The Base of the Belfry, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Greased-stained chin; eyes sharp and observant of the bell's vibration.
Emotional: Satisfied; her structural failing-safes held under the bell's weight.
Active obligations: Owes Marcus a physical failsafe (Ch-10) — PAID.
Open loops: None.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-10—unresolved): Knows the manual axe-throw is the only physical failsafe for the power line — Marcus does NOT know.
Arc: 185% -- Elena has harmonized mechanical precision with the spiritual "frequency" of the Bend.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-31

## NPC Memory
- The "Forty" (The Newcomers): UNIFIED -- Observed the first ringing of the bell -- They now acknowledge a shared temporal and spiritual boundary.

## Faction Attitudes
- Avery-Quinn Corp: BLINDED -- The acoustic vibration of the bell creates a mechanical "shiver" in the Sovereign Mesh, further complicating spectral analysis.
- The Bend Tribe: TRANSFIGURED -- No longer just a refugee camp; they are a parish with a heartbeat.

## Active World Events
- The Bell Hanging: COMPLETED -- The cast-iron bell is mounted and functional.
- The Sunday Service: ACTIVE -- The first communal gathering centered on the new chapel is established.