From 1c9e5e826c84c1e971e5cbd5ca415126f2141dc3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: PAE Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:00:58 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] staging: character-state-chapter-ref.md task=694d17f3-3c7d-45df-a7b7-38a4c7dfa3d9 --- .../staging/character-state-chapter-ref.md | 62 +++++++++++-------- 1 file changed, 35 insertions(+), 27 deletions(-) diff --git a/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-chapter-ref.md b/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-chapter-ref.md index 140f90e6..b30249df 100644 --- a/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-chapter-ref.md +++ b/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-chapter-ref.md @@ -1,43 +1,51 @@ # Character State: Ch1 ## Lena Duval -Location: The Duval ancestral cabin, Cypress Bend bayou -Physical: Feverish and exhausted; palm is raw and bleeding from a self-inflicted ritual cut. -Emotional: Resentful but resigned; feeling trapped by the land's demands. -Active obligations: owers Maribelle Duval a "tribute of blood and silence" (Ch1) -- UNPAID. -Open loops: Lena and Maribelle regarding the "coming rot" in the cypress groves (Ch1) -- UNRESOLVED. -Known secrets: knows she intentionally failed the city-bound bus ticket purchase to avoid the swamp's "pull" -- Jax Harlan does not know. -Arc: 5% -- Lena accepts that her blood is tied to the swamp's health, momentarily abandoning her immediate plan to flee. -Permanent: NO +Location: The Duval home / Cypress Bend outskirts +Physical: Fatigued; palm is pricked and bleeding from a blood-oath binding. +Emotional: Resentful and trapped. +Active obligations: +- owes Aunt Maribelle Duval her presence and obedience (Ch1) -- UNPAID +Open loops: +- Lena and Maribelle [Future of the Duval lineage] (Ch1) -- UNRESOLVED +Known secrets: +- knows she intends to leave Cypress Bend for the city -- Maribelle Duval (does not know the depth of Lena's desperation) +Arc: 05% -- Lena has officially failed to transition away from the swamp, finding herself physically and magically re-bound to her aunt’s house. +Permanent: YES ## Maribelle Duval -Location: The Duval ancestral cabin porch, Cypress Bend -Physical: Fragile appearance hiding predatory strength; no injuries. -Emotional: Dominant and manipulative; satisfied by Lena's compliance. -Active obligations: owes the swamp a "cleansing" to stop the blight (Ch1) -- UNPAID. -Open loops: Maribelle and Lena regarding the grooming of Lena as the next Matriarch (Ch1) -- UNRESOLVED. -Known secrets: knows the exact nature of Lena’s mother’s drowning ritual — Lena does not know. -Arc: 2% -- Reasserts her control over the family line through mystical leverage. -Permanent: NO +Location: The Duval home porch +Physical: Aging but steady; smells of pipe tobacco and stagnant water. +Emotional: Triumphant and controlling. +Active obligations: +- owes Lena a "place" in the coven hierarchy (Ch1) -- UNPAID +Open loops: +- Maribelle and Lena [The Grooming of the Heir] (Ch1) -- UNRESOLVED +Known secrets: +- knows the specifics of the ritual that claimed Lena's mother -- Lena (knows only the trauma, not the mechanical "why") +Arc: 05% -- Successfully forced Lena to draw blood for a warding ritual, reasserting her dominance over her niece. +Permanent: YES ## Jax Harlan -Location: The "Mud-Skipper" airboat, docking at the Duval pier -Physical: Sunburned and grease-stained hands; no injuries. -Emotional: Guarded but observant; worried about Lena’s deteriorating condition. -Active obligations: owes Lena a ride out of town "when the time is right" (Ch1) -- UNPAID. -Open loops: Jax and Lena regarding the illegal dredging equipment he spotted near the groves (Ch1) -- UNRESOLVED. -Known secrets: knows the developers are paying for his silence on bayou transit routes -- Lena does not know. -Arc: 1% -- Establishes himself as Lena's tether to the outside world while deepening his ties to her secrets. +Location: The docks / Swamp outskirts +Physical: No injuries; hands grease-stained from boat engine work. +Emotional: Guarded but curious. +Active obligations: None. +Open loops: +- Jax and Lena [Connection through the swamp run] (Ch1) -- UNRESOLVED +Known secrets: +- knows the hidden channels through the Blackwood Thicket -- The Town Council +Arc: 02% -- Established as the only person Lena treats with "raw honesty" outside of her family. Permanent: NO # World State: Ch1 ## NPC Memory -- Remy LeBlanc (Gumbo Shack): NEUTRAL -- Warning Lena about the "black-water rot" appearing in the fish harvest -- Lena is now alerted to the environmental threat. +- Remy LeBlanc (Cypress Bend): Friendly -- Provided Lena with the necessary supplies (and gossip) for her failed departure -- Remains Lena’s primary source of non-magical information. ## Faction Attitudes -- Swamp Witches (Duval Coven): Insular and demanding -- Focused on maintaining the "blood-oath" with the land at any cost. -- Outside Developers: Aggressive but unseen -- Pushing boundaries into the protected cypress groves, causing mystical and physical rot. +- Swamp Witches (Duval Coven): Insular and manipulative -- Seeking to retain their power by binding the younger generation to the land. +- Outsiders/Developers: Encroaching -- Mentioned as a distant threat that justifies Maribelle's aggressive recruitment. ## Active World Events -- The Blight: A mystical decay affecting the cypress roots and local wildlife; spreading from the southern bend toward the town center. \ No newline at end of file +- The Binding: Maribelle has initiated a series of blood-rituals to strengthen the town's perimeter against external "progress." \ No newline at end of file