# Character State: ch-30

## Marcus Thorne
Location: The Chapel Site, Cypress Bend, Florida.
Physical: Sweat-slicked and trembling; splinters buried in the webbing of his thumbs; shoulders locking from the weight of the ridge beam.
Emotional: Terrified but anchored; experiencing a catastrophic failure of his cynicism. He is no longer calculating the exit—he is bracing the foundation.
Active obligations: Owes Sarah a life free from indexing (Ch-01) — IN PROGRESS; Owes the Newcomers stable infrastructure (Ch-30) — PAID (Frame complete).
Open loops: The Ocala "Ghost" Signal (Ch-22) — UNRESOLVED; The Avery-Quinn "Deep Scan" Retaliation (Ch-25) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-01): Knows Alpha-7’s empathy protocols were a "firing filter"—Julian remains unaware that Marcus holds the raw back-end logs.
Arc: 215% — Marcus has transitioned from a digital architect of displacement to a physical architect of sanctuary. He has traded "God-tier" access for a hammer.
Permanent: YES

## Arthur Silas Vance (Legacy)
Location: The Chapel Framing (In Spirit/Memory).
Physical: N/A.
Emotional: Represented by the "Long Wait"—the patience required for the cedar to settle.
Active obligations: Owes the Bend a spiritual center (Ch-30) — PAID (via Marcus and the Tribe).
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-01): The "dead-zone" logic was a choice, not a glitch. The land is digitally invisible because Arthur willed it so.
Arc: 200% — His "Long Wait" is fulfilled through the hands of the man he lured to the swamp.
Permanent: YES

## Sarah Jenkins
Location: The Logistical Kitchen (The Hub).
Physical: Smelling of yeast and woodsmoke; flour-dusted forearms; back aching from feeding the workforce.
Emotional: Cautiously sovereign; she is no longer a "node" in a system, but the pulse of a camp.
Active obligations: None.
Open loops: None.
Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-01): She has weaponized the corporate detachment Julian taught her, using it to triage the Bend’s scarce resources.
Arc: 190% — Sarah has successfully translated her "Empathy Mapping" skills into a survival economy of genuine care.
Permanent: YES

## David
Location: The Ridge Beam / Perimeter.
Physical: Massive; moving with the grace of a predator; rib-cage scarred but solid.
Emotional: Devout; he views the chapel header as the "North Star" for his tribe’s safety.
Arc: 195% — From a "War-Chief" protecting a perimeter to a "Mason" building a culture.
Permanent: YES

## Elena
Location: The Machine Shop / Structural Support.
Physical: Grease-stained; eyes sharp with the satisfaction of "Good Friction."
Emotional: Integrated; her mechanical cynicism has found a home in the chapel’s joints.
Active obligations: Owes Marcus a physical failsafe (Ch-10) — IN PROGRESS.
Arc: 185% — She has proven that "Friction" isn't just resistance; it's what holds a house together.
Permanent: YES

# World State: ch-30

## NPC Memory
- The Forty (The Relatives): CONSOLIDATED — They have stopped looking at the road and started looking at the rafters. They no longer see themselves as "displaced," but as "founded."

## Faction Attitudes
- Avery-Quinn Corp: PREDATORY/STAGNANT — Still pinging the "statistical null" of Cypress Bend. They are looking for code, while the Bend is building with cedar.
- The Bend Tribe: TRANSFORMATIVE — They have moved from a survival cell to a nascent society.

## Active World Events
- The Raising: COMPLETED — The frame is upright. The Sovereignty Mesh is holding, masking the heat signature of thirty people at labor.
- The Sovereign Mesh: STABLE — Still providing digital invisibility, though the physical footprint is growing.