staging: character-state-chapter-ref.md task=6a731d30-4dbd-42a0-bcef-cb2880dd577b

projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-chapter-ref.md

@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 # Character State: Ch4
 
 ## Lena Duval
-Location: Jax Harlan’s airboat; moving through the Saltflats towards the Blackwater Basin.
+Location: On Jax Harlan’s airboat, drifting into the mouth of the Blackwater Basin.
-Physical: Severe fever; left hand bandaged and throbbing; physical exhaustion from magical exertion.
+Physical: High fever; left hand bandaged and radiating heat; extreme fatigue from magical exertion.
-Emotional: Desperate and hyper-focused.
+Emotional: Determined, slightly delirious, and deeply apprehensive of the mechanical "Humming."
 Active obligations: 
 - Owes the land a "balancing of scales" for the fog (Ch1) -- UNPAID
 - Owes Jax Harlan a conversation about the "unnatural" events (Ch2) -- UNPAID
+- Owes Jax Harlan safe passage through the Basin's shifting channels (Ch4) -- UNPAID
 Open loops: 
 - Lena and the "Whisper": The consciousness within the roots (Ch1) -- UNRESOLVED
 - Lena and the surveyors: Physical removal of markers (Ch2) -- UNRESOLVED
@@ -21,29 +22,29 @@ Arc: 35% -- Lena has actively sought an outsider's help (Jax) for the first time
 Permanent: YES
 
 ## Jax Harlan
-Location: Pilot seat of the *Loup Garou* (airboat) in the Saltflats.
+Location: Pilot seat of the *Loup Garou* (airboat) at the edge of the Blackwater Basin.
-Physical: Healthy; smelling of diesel and salt.
+Physical: Healthy; hands stained with oil and grease.
-Emotional: Protective and skeptical but committed to Lena's safety.
+Emotional: Vigilant and skeptical of the superstitions, but protective of Lena.
 Active obligations: 
-- Owes Lena safe passage to the Blackwater Basin (Ch4) -- UNPAID
+- Owes Lena safe passage to the Blackwater Basin (Ch4) -- PAID
 Open loops: 
 - Jax and the Development Corp: Reasons for his presence in Cypress Bend (Ch2) -- UNRESOLVED
 Known secrets: 
-- Knows the sheriff is taking payoffs from Terrebonne Development (Ch2/Ch4) -- Lena does not know.
+- CARRIED (Ch2--unresolved): Knows the sheriff is taking payoffs from Terrebonne Development -- Lena does not know.
-Arc: 15% -- Jax has officially transitioned from a bystander to an active participant in Lena’s struggle against the coven and the developers.
+Arc: 20% -- Jax has committed to the trek into the "cursed" Basin, prioritizing Lena's mission over his own common sense.
 Permanent: YES
 
 # World State: Ch4
 
 ## NPC Memory
-- The Coven (Widow’s Deep): ABSENT -- Last seen agitated by Lena's disruption of the Rite.
+- The Coven (Widow’s Deep): ABSENT -- Their presence is felt through the "Blackening" and Lena’s worsening fever.
-- Remy LeBlanc (Cypress Bend): ABSENT -- Last known providing gossip and support.
+- Remy LeBlanc (Cypress Bend): ABSENT -- Last known providing support in town.
 
 ## Faction Attitudes
-- Terrebonne Development Corp: AGGRESSIVE -- Their dredging equipment is heard vibrating through the water; presence of more survey buoys.
+- Terrebonne Development Corp: AGGRESSIVE -- Their presence is manifested by mechanical vibration and rhythmic thumping in the deep swamp.
-- The Duval Coven: PUNISHING -- Use of "The Blackening" to pressure Lena into submission.
+- The Duval Coven: PUNISHING -- Monitoring Lena’s movements; the "Blackening" is their tool of correction.
 
 ## Active World Events
-- The Blackening: Spreading quickly; oily residue appearing on the water’s surface beyond the Deep.
+- The Blackening: Rapidly expanding; creating dead zones in the water that kill small fish and frogs on contact.
-- The Humming: Constant mechanical thrumming coming from the direction of Project Phlegethon’s site.
+- The Humming: A deepening mechanical thrum that vibrates through the hull of the boat, originating from the Basin's core.
-- The Fever: A magical ailment affecting Lena, tied directly to the land's distress.
+- The Fever: Increasing in intensity as Lena approaches the site of the industrial interference.