From 2425781206be367ed480baa48e27999aff2b0426 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: PAE Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2026 01:22:06 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] staging: character-state-ch-05.md task=337c21fb-2dc1-4d7e-ac46-2934e00ebb8f --- .../staging/character-state-ch-05.md | 36 +++++++++---------- 1 file changed, 18 insertions(+), 18 deletions(-) diff --git a/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-05.md b/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-05.md index 9671b8fd..019abe3e 100644 --- a/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-05.md +++ b/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-05.md @@ -1,9 +1,9 @@ # Character State: ch-05 ## Lena Duval -Location: A dingy safehouse apartment, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans. -Physical: Severe magical withdrawal; tremors in both hands; deathly pale; phantom pains where the "link" was severed. -Emotional: Isolated and unmoored; experiencing profound grief for the lost connection to the land. +Location: A rain-slicked alleyway behind a flooded jazz club, French Quarter, New Orleans. +Physical: Shivering; fever broken but replaced by icy depletion; "phantom limb" sensation where the swamp connection was; soaked garments. +Emotional: Disoriented and grieving; overwhelmed by the sensory "noise" of the city; hollowed out. Active obligations: - Owes the land a "balancing of scales" (Ch1) -- UNPAID - Owes Jax Harlan a conversation about the "unnatural" events (Ch2) -- UNPAID @@ -13,37 +13,37 @@ Open loops: - Lena and the surveyors: Removal of markers (Ch2) -- UNRESOLVED - Lena and the Rite: Consequences of interruption (Ch3) -- UNRESOLVED Known secrets: -- CARRIED (Ch1--unresolved): Knows she intends to flee to New Orleans within the week -- Aunt Maribelle does not know. +- CARRIED (Ch1--unresolved): Knows she intended to flee to New Orleans within the week -- Aunt Maribelle does not know. - CARRIED (Ch1--unresolved): Knows the "whisper" sounded like her mother's voice -- No one else knows. - CARRIED (Ch2--unresolved): Knows she found a survey marker labeled "Project Phlegethon" -- Jax and Maribelle do not know. -Arc: 45% -- Lena has realized that escaping the swamp did not end its influence; she is now a "ghost" in the city, haunted by what she left behind. +Arc: 45% -- Lena has survived the immediate psychic shock of the Severing but realizes that New Orleans offers no sanctuary from her internal void. Permanent: YES ## Jax Harlan -Location: Interior of a safehouse, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans. -Physical: Exhausted; smelling of diesel and salt; minor bruising on shoulders from carrying Lena. -Emotional: Determined but out of his depth; feeling the weight of the "debt" he's incurred by crossing the Duval family. +Location: Decaying pier beneath the Crescent City Connection bridge. +Physical: Exhausted; heavy breathing; hands steadying Lena; no new injuries. +Emotional: Vigilant and wary; feels "out of depth" in the city but remains tethered to Lena’s safety. Active obligations: - Owes Lena protection in the city (Ch4) -- UNPAID -- Owes a debt to "Cutter" for the safehouse (Ch5) -- UNPAID -Open loops: +- Owes the boat's owner a repair for the engine strain (Ch5) -- UNPAID +Open loops: - Jax and the Duval Coven: Potential retaliation for Lena's extraction (Ch4) -- UNRESOLVED Known secrets: - CARRIED (Ch4--unresolved): Knows Lena’s fever is "land-sick" (unnatural) -- Lena thinks he believes it is a standard illness. -Arc: 10% -- Jax has officially transitioned from "transport" to "guardian," committing to Lena's safety even within the city. +Arc: 15% -- Jax has fully committed to being Lena's anchor in a world (the city) that he clearly despises. Permanent: YES # World State: ch-05 ## NPC Memory -- The Coven (Widow’s Deep): HOSTILE -- They are performing "scrying" rituals to find the boat's destination. -- Aunt Maribelle (Widow’s Deep): VENGEFUL -- She has begun a ritual using Lena’s discarded hair to track her. -- Cutter (New Orleans): NEUTRAL/WARY -- Provided the safehouse but warned Jax that "swamp business" stays at the door. +- The Coven (Widow’s Deep): HOSTILE -- They have lost Lena's physical presence but are performing the "Hollowing" ritual to bridge the distance. +- Aunt Maribelle (Widow’s Deep): OBSESSED -- She began burning Lena’s childhood possessions to maintain a sympathetic link. ## Faction Attitudes -- The Duval Coven: Relentless -- Using blood-tracking to bridge the gap between the bayou and the city. -- Terrebonne Development Corp: Opportunistic -- Beginning to move machinery into the areas Lena abandoned. +- The Duval Coven: Relentless -- Using city-based "anchors" (old blood relatives) to track Lena's urban location. +- Terrebonne Development Corp: Active -- Their construction lights are visible near the city limits, encroaching on the very places Lena fled to. ## Active World Events -- The Echo: A supernatural resonance felt in New Orleans whenever Lena tries to use her locket; it suggests the city has its own, different "pulse." -- Project Phlegethon: Testing begins in the marshlands (off-screen), causing wildlife to migrate further into the city canals. \ No newline at end of file +- The Great Mute: The supernatural silence of the bayou has been replaced by the "Dissonance"—the jarring, magical static Lena feels in New Orleans. +- The Severing: COMPLETE — Lena's psychic umbilical cord to the cypress groves has snapped, causing physical and magical withdrawal symptoms. +- Project Phlegethon: Escalate — Heavy machinery identified at the Industrial Canal suggests the project is surrounding the city. \ No newline at end of file