adjudication_pass: promote character-state-ch-05.md original=7b9edf11-a644-46c3-9f9a-5abed5e14298

projects/crimson-vows/polished/character-state-ch-05.md

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 # Character State: ch-05
 
 ## Queen Seraphine
-Location: The Royal Carriage, en route to Oakhaven
-Physical: Left forearm wrapped in silk to hide silver scarring; persistent light-headedness from the blood-link.
-Emotional: Defensive and hyper-vigilant; experiencing intrusive sensory bleed from Aldric.
+Location: Oakhaven Outskirts, The Shattered Glass-Line
+Physical: Left forearm bleeding through silk wraps; severe sensory vertigo and hemomantic exhaustion.
+Emotional: Violated and desperate; reeling from the forced psychic intimacy with Aldric.
 Active obligations: Owes Aldric Thorne a formal response to the Bilateral Seal (ch-01) — PAID.
 Open loops: [Seraphine & Aldric] The shared sensory intrusion of the blood-bond (ch-05) — UNRESOLVED.
 Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): The Blight has breached the inner glass-line; the Lowen-Court is already compromised.
-Arc: 30% — Forced to acknowledge that the blood-link is not a tool she can control, but a breach she must endure.
+Arc: 35% — She has accepted that the blood-link is a two-way breach she can no longer wall off.
 Permanent: YES
 
 ## King Aldric
-Location: The Royal Carriage, arriving at the Oakhaven outskirts
-Physical: Hands steady but cold; black veins visible at the temple during the breach alert.
-Emotional: Stoic but strained; suppressed fury regarding the failure of the Oakhaven perimeter.
+Location: Oakhaven Outskirts, The Shattered Glass-Line
+Physical: Right hand trembling; black veins established at the neck; physical drainage from stabilizing the perimeter.
+Emotional: Protective but cold; focused on the immediate tactical failure of the wards.
 Active obligations: Owes Seraphine the protection of the Thorne-Valerius borders (ch-03) — UNPAID.
 Open loops: [Aldric & Seraphine] The revelation of the execution of his brother (ch-03) — UNRESOLVED.
 Known secrets: None.
-Arc: 25% — Transitions from theoretical ally to active commander in the face of the first shared military crisis.
+Arc: 30% — Forced to anchor his power in Seraphine's physical presence to prevent a total collapse.
 Permanent: YES
 
 ## Captain Kaelen
-Location: Leading the vanguard at the Oakhaven Perimeter
-Physical: No injuries; soot-stained armor.
-Emotional: Grimly professional; focused on the mechanical reality of the breach.
+Location: The Breach Point, Oakhaven
+Physical: Minor lacerations; soot and crystalline dust covering armor.
+Emotional: Pragmatically horrified; witnessing the mutation of the Blighted first-hand.
 Active obligations: Absolute silence regarding the Queen’s flagging physical stamina (ch-03) — UNPAID.
 Open loops: [Kaelen & Seraphine] The cost of his intervention against the High Priestess (ch-03) — UNRESOLVED.
 Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): Knows the Queen nearly collapsed during the walk to the cellar.
-Arc: 15% — Realizes the Blight's evolution outpaces his tactical training.
+Arc: 20% — Recognizes that conventional steel is becoming obsolete against the evolving threat.
 Permanent: YES
 
 ## High Priestess Malcorra
-Location: The Sanctum of the Crimson Cathedral, Aethelgard
-Physical: Radiant; silver-eyes luminous.
-Emotional: Calculated; observing the "resonance" of the sovereigns from afar.
+Location: The Sanctum of the Crimson Cathedral, Aethelgard (Off-screen)
+Physical: Not described.
+Emotional: Calculated; monitoring the resonance frequency of the sovereigns.
 Active obligations: Owes the Crimson Cathedral a "purified" sovereign (ch-02) — UNPAID.
 Open loops: None.
 Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): Does she hear the ancestors, or is she a high-functioning schizophrenic?
-Arc: 15% — Remains static, monitoring the distress of the blood-link as data.
+Arc: 15% — Static.
 Permanent: NO
 
 # World State: ch-05
 
 ## NPC Memory
-- High Provost Vane (Oakhaven): TERROR. Witnessed the glass-line shatter without impact – desperate for royal intervention.
+- High Provost Vane (Oakhaven): BROKEN -- Witnessed the "Red Winter" apparitions within the Blight -- Begging for a mercy-kill that was denied.
 
 ## Faction Attitudes
-- The Lowen-Court: AGGRESSIVE. Blaming Valerius hemomancy for the instability of the Oakhaven seal.
-- The Blighted: EMERGENT. Displaying organized behavior near the breach.
+- The Lowen-Court: PANICKED -- The failure of the Oakhaven seal suggests the King’s blood is thinning.
+- The Blighted: ADAPTIVE -- Displaying "Red Winter" mimicry to lure soldiers into the mist.
 
 ## Active World Events
-- The Oakhaven Breach: The glass-line has failed at the eastern edge; evacuation is underway.
-- The Sanguine Marriage: Blood-bond is active; psychic feedback is increasing in frequency.
+- The Oakhaven Breach: CRITICAL -- The glass-line is physically dissolved; the town Hinterland is lost.
+- The Sanguine Marriage: STABILIZING -- The bond has moved from a "leak" to a "tether" following the perimeter crisis.