From 398a7b0f6994de8a4d619b8ddf053e885a2f1898 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: PAE Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2026 01:28:35 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] staging: character-state-ch-05.md task=ab7e4dcf-b414-40e9-9bb0-a70dcf9c0a95 --- .../staging/character-state-ch-05.md | 34 +++++++++---------- 1 file changed, 17 insertions(+), 17 deletions(-) diff --git a/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-05.md b/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-05.md index 019abe3e..d3bf82f7 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 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. +Location: A dingy safehouse apartment, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans. +Physical: Severe magical withdrawal; "The Severing" has left her with a bone-deep ache and shivering; no new physical injuries. +Emotional: Disoriented and grieving the loss of her psychic connection to the land. Active obligations: - Owes the land a "balancing of scales" (Ch1) -- UNPAID - Owes Jax Harlan a conversation about the "unnatural" events (Ch2) -- UNPAID @@ -12,38 +12,38 @@ Open loops: - Lena and the "Whisper": Mother’s voice in the roots (Ch1) -- UNRESOLVED - Lena and the surveyors: Removal of markers (Ch2) -- UNRESOLVED - Lena and the Rite: Consequences of interruption (Ch3) -- UNRESOLVED +- Lena and the City: Navigating a world without the "hum" of the swamp (Ch5) -- UNRESOLVED Known secrets: -- CARRIED (Ch1--unresolved): Knows she intended to flee to New Orleans within the week -- Aunt Maribelle does not know. +- CARRIED (Ch1--unresolved): Knows she intends 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 survived the immediate psychic shock of the Severing but realizes that New Orleans offers no sanctuary from her internal void. +Arc: 45% -- Lena has survived the immediate trauma of the psychic "break" from her home, shifting from flight to a desperate state of adaptation. Permanent: YES ## Jax Harlan -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. +Location: Lower Ninth Ward safehouse, New Orleans. +Physical: Fatigued from the overnight run; remains alert; no injuries. +Emotional: Heavy with the weight of responsibility; wary of the city’s concrete shadows. Active obligations: - Owes Lena protection in the city (Ch4) -- UNPAID -- 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 +- Jax and the safehouse: Maintaining their cover in a hostile neighborhood (Ch5) -- UNRESOLVED Known secrets: - CARRIED (Ch4--unresolved): Knows Lena’s fever is "land-sick" (unnatural) -- Lena thinks he believes it is a standard illness. -Arc: 15% -- Jax has fully committed to being Lena's anchor in a world (the city) that he clearly despises. +Arc: 10% -- Jax has fully committed to Lena’s survival over his own professional neutrality by entering the city's underworld on her behalf. Permanent: YES # World State: ch-05 ## NPC Memory -- 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. +- Aunt Maribelle (Widow’s Deep): RELENTLESS -- Though not present, her "shadow" is felt as Lena experiences the pain of the severed bond. +- The Coven (Widow’s Deep): HOSTILE -- Actively performing the rituals that cause Lena's current withdrawal symptoms. ## Faction Attitudes -- 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. +- The Duval Coven: Vengeful -- Treating Lena’s departure as a theft of communal power, focusing on "The Severing" to force her return. +- Terrebonne Development Corp: Opportunistic -- Increasing pressure on the weakened bayou now that a primary defender (Lena) has fled. ## Active World Events -- 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 +- The Severing: Narrative event where Lena’s magical senses have gone dark, replaced by physical pain and a "hollow" feeling. +- The Urban Wall: The magical "static" of New Orleans' iron, concrete, and noise acts as a barrier preventing easy tracking by the Coven. \ No newline at end of file