staging: polished/character-state-ch-01-final.md task=f2a682be-34f1-4dee-ace9-6484e6ad352d

projects/whispers-in-the-dark/staging/polished/character-state-ch-01-final.md

@@ -2,49 +2,44 @@
 
 ## Elias Thorne
 - **Location:** The Archive, Sub-Level 4, Oakhaven.
-- **Physical:** Slight tremors in hands (adrenaline/cold); uninjured.
-- **Emotional:** Paranoid, hyper-focused, intellectually consumed by the signal.
+- **Physical:** Slight hand tremors; ears ringing; uninjured but physically drained.
+- **Emotional:** Hyper-focused; plagued by a sense of impending dread; intellectually obsessed.
 - **Active obligations:** None.
-- **Open loops:** Elias and Sarah [The nature of the 'Whisper' signal] — UNRESOLVED.
-- **Known secrets:** CARRIED: The signal frequency matches 1920s occult patterns (The Curator).
-- **Arc:** 10% — Transitioned from skeptic to a believer in the signal’s supernatural danger.
-- **Permanent:** YES.
+- **Open loops:** Nature of the "Whisper" signal—UNRESOLVED.
+- **Known secrets:** CARRIED: The signal frequency matches 1920s ritualistic occult patterns found in "The Curator" logs.
+- **Arc:** 10% — Transitioned from academic skeptic to a visceral believer in the signal’s danger.
 
 ## Sarah Miller
 - **Location:** The Archive, Sub-Level 4, Oakhaven.
-- **Physical:** Exhausted; persistent headache/temple-massaging from audio-feedback.
-- **Emotional:** Skeptical but deeply unsettled; fighting to maintain a rational lens.
-- **Active obligations:** Owes Elias [support in the investigation] — UNPAID.
-- **Open loops:** Sarah and Elias [Safety of the Archive facility] — UNRESOLVED.
-- **Known secrets:** CARRIED: Suspects Elias is hiding the full extent of his ritual notes (The Board).
-- **Arc:** 5% — Accepted the physical reality of the signal’s proximity.
-- **Permanent:** NO.
-
-## The Curator
-- **Location:** Administrative Wing, Oakhaven.
-- **Physical:** No injuries.
-- **Emotional:** Imperious and dismissive.
-- **Active obligations:** None.
-- **Open loops:** Elias and The Curator [Continued funding/Employment] — UNRESOLVED.
-- **Known secrets:** None.
-- **Arc:** 0% — Unchanged.
-- **Permanent:** NO.
+- **Physical:** Persistent audio-feedback headache; wincing at sharp sounds; exhaustion visible.
+- **Emotional:** Struggling to maintain a rational lens; deeply unsettled by data anomalies.
+- **Active obligations:** Owes Elias support in the investigation—UNPAID.
+- **Open loops:** Safety of the Sub-Level 4 environment—UNRESOLVED.
+- **Known secrets:** CARRIED: Suspects Elias is withholding the full nature of his ritual research from the Board.
+- **Arc:** 5% — Acknowledged the physical reality of the signal's proximity.
 
 # World State: ch-01
 
 ## NPC Memory
-- **The Curator:** Negative. Recalls Elias as a nuisance who interrupted his dinner; views reports as equipment failure or mental instability.
+- **The Curator:** Irritated. Views Elias as a liability and his reports as signs of a nervous breakdown rather than technical or supernatural phenomena.
 
 ## Faction Attitudes
-- **Archive Administration:** Dismissive. They view the "Whisper" as technical glitches; threatening budget cuts if Elias persists.
-- **Local Authorities:** Oblivious. No reports of the frequency distortions have reached the police or city officials.
+- **Archive Administration:** Hostile/Dismissive. They view reports as "equipment malfunctions" and are actively threatening budget cuts.
+- **Local Authorities:** Unaware. No reports of frequency interference have reached the city at large.
 
 ## Active World Events
-- **The Awakening Signal:** Active. The frequency is steady, localized within Oakhaven city limits, and matches specific 1920s occult signatures found in the Archive's restricted logs.
+- **The Awakening Signal:** Active and steady. The frequency is localized within Oakhaven city limits, mimicking internal dialogue patterns and historical occult signatures.
 
 ## Environmental Constants
-- **The Archive (Sub-Level 4):** Unseasonably cold; smell of ozone and old paper; ambient audio "hum" that induces headaches in sensitive individuals.
+- **The Archive (Sub-Level 4):** Intense cold; sharp ozone scent; layered "hum" that triggers physiological distress (headaches, nausea) in humans.
 
 ## Established Lore
-- **Signal Morphology:** The "Whisper" is not a standard radio wave; it mimics internal dialogue patterns and historical occult frequencies.
-- **Data Integrity:** Sarah's digital recorders are picking up rhythmic static where there should be silence.
+- **Signal Morphology:** The "Whisper" is non-standard; it replicates human thought patterns and matches 1920s signatures.
+- **Empirical Evidence:** Digital recorders capture rhythmic static/pulsing patterns in rooms where ambient noise should be flat.
+
+## [voice-sig-sarah]
+- **Stress:** "Hmm, that's peculiar" (minor) | "This defies all logic!" (upset) | "Get a grip—what the actual fuck?!" (furious).
+- **Verbal tic:** "Empirically speaking" / "From a rational standpoint."
+- **Behavior:** Massages temples/winces at noise; taps her belt-clipped digital recorder when tense.
+- **Constraint:** Never uses flowery supernatural language; freezes/analyzes before panicking.
+- **Example:** "Elias, empirically speaking, radio ghosts aren't a thing—unless this damn hum in my skull says otherwise."