# Character State: ch-02

## Elias Thorne
Location: The Archive, Sub-Level 4.
Physical: Severe sensory overload; nose bleeding from sonic pressure; hands trembling; pulse synchronized with the signal's 14Hz oscillation.
Emotional: Transfixed, obsessive, and ritualistic; believes the signal is a sentient "divine" entity mimicking his physiology.
Open loops: [Elias] The significance of the 1927 "Great Silence" signatures — UNRESOLVED; [Elias] The source of the metallic "wet iron" scent — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CONVINCED (ch-02): The signal is not just reflecting him; it is rewriting his biological rhythms to match its own.
Arc: 20% -- Pivot from investigator to communicant; logic has been replaced by ritualistic obsession.

## Sarah Miller
Location: Sub-Level 4 (near the mainframe).
Physical: Debilitating migraine; ears ringing; visibly pale with dark circles of exhaustion.
Emotional: Terrified but analytically frozen; her skepticism has collapsed into a desperate survival instinct.
Active obligations: Owes Elias investigative support — PAID (stayed through the amplitude spike).
Open loops: [Sarah] The cause of "ghost-looping" on her digital recorder — UNRESOLVED; [Sarah] Validation of the 1927 occult chants overdubbing her recordings — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-01): Secretly recording her own monologue to check for mimicry patterns.
Arc: 15% -- Skepticism forcibly replaced by high-stress analytical processing of the supernatural.

# World State: ch-02

## NPC Memory
- The Curator: UNKNOWN (Off-screen) -- Remains dismissive of Sub-Level 4 anomalies.

## Faction Attitudes
- Archive Administration: Hostile/Negligent -- Locking down systems from above, assuming technical incompetence or sabotage by Elias.

## Active World Events
- The Respiration: The signal has evolved from a "breath" to a physical "shout," generating EM distortions and pressure waves capable of causing physical injury.
- Equipment Degradation: Every device in Sub-Level 4 is slave to the signal; visual displays strobe in time with the frequency.
- The Resonance: Physical objects (desks, racking) are vibrating at a frequency matching 1927 ritual patterns.

## Environmental Constants
- Sub-Level 4: Temperature dropped to 42°F; heavy scent of "wet iron" (unoxidized metallic blood smell); lighting is slaved to the signal's rhythmic strobing.
- Data Persistence: "Ghost-looping" has intensified; the signal is now overdubbing real-time digital audio with historic 1927 occult chants.

## Established Lore
- Biometric Mirroring: The signal reflects the biological telemetry of observers, creating a feedback loop between the machine and the human nervous system.
- 1927 Great Silence: A historical period of radio dead-zones that correlates with the current signal’s occult frequency patterns.

## [voice-sig-mark] # Character Sheet: Mark
- Identity: Unknown (Identity not established in Chapter 02).
- Voice Signature: Unknown.
- Notes: Do not introduce or assign traits until canonical appearance.

## [voice-sig-sarah] # Character Sheet: Sarah
- Speech: "Empirically speaking," "Data doesn't lie."
- Stress: Th-thistled consonants when migraine spikes.
- Habit: Taps her digital recorder; massages her temples.
- Constraint: Never shows blind faith; freezes analytically to process fear through data.