diff --git a/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-20.md b/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-20.md
index 1d798f1a..015f961c 100644
--- a/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-20.md
+++ b/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-20.md
@@ -2,47 +2,47 @@
 
 ## Lena Duval
 Location: The Heart Tree (Siphon Hub Core)
-Physical: Transfigured into bioluminescent sap and silver-veined wood; human substrate dissolved.
-Emotional: Transcendent, serene; ego merged with the Hum.
-Active obligations: None — Paid (Ch-18).
-Open loops: Human interference (Ch-20) — RESOLVED.
-Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-02--unresolved): Mother's deliberate drowning — held in Hum consciousness.
-Arc: 100% — Permanent stabilization as the Eternal Sentinel of the Bend.
+Physical: Transfigured—bioluminescent sap flowing through silver-veined wood; human substrate dissolved into ecosystem.
+Emotional: Transcendent, serene; ego merged with the Hum’s collective consciousness.
+Active obligations: All obligations (Ch-18) -- PAID.
+Open loops: Human intrusion threat (Ch-20) -- RESOLVED.
+Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-02--unresolved): Mother's deliberate drowning ritual — Held in collective Hum memory.
+Arc: 100% -- Permanently stabilized as the Heart of Cypress Bend.
 Permanent: YES
 
 ## Jax Harlan
 Location: The Sovereign Veil (Perimeter)
-Physical: Enhanced ocular reflex (silver-green); immunity to toxins; no injuries.
-Emotional: Absolute devotion; protective focus on the Bend.
-Active obligations: Paid (Ch-18).
-Open loops: Protecting the border (Ch-20) — RESOLVED.
+Physical: Enhanced ocular reflex (silver-green iris); toxin immunity; no active injuries.
+Emotional: Absolute devotion; protective focus.
+Active obligations: Protection of the Bend (Ch-18) -- PAID.
+Open loops: Border security (Ch-20) -- RESOLVED.
 Known secrets: None.
-Arc: 100% — Transitioned from outsider to Bayou Sentinel.
+Arc: 100% -- Transitioned from outsider to Eternal Guardian of the threshold.
 Permanent: YES
 
 ## Aunt Maribelle Duval -- DECEASED (Ch-19)
-Established: Submerged within Siphon Hub root lattice acting as a filtration organ.
-Legacy: Redemption achieved as an ecosystem component; provides stability to the filters.
+Established: Absorbed into the Siphon Hub root lattice to serve as a biological filtration organ.
+Legacy: Provided the foundational stability required for the Bend's permanent isolation.
 
 ## Remy LeBlanc -- DECEASED (Ch-19)
 Established: Biologically suspended in cypress memory-strands within the Interior Grove.
-Legacy: Serves as the eternal historian and archivist of the Bend’s memory network.
+Legacy: Acts as the eternal historian and archivist for the Bend’s collective memory network.
 
 # World State: ch-20
 
 ## NPC Memory
-- The Hum (Cypress Bend): PROTECTIVE — The collective consciousness has successfully repelled the final vestiges of human intrusion and sealed the borders.
-- External Louisiana (General Population): TERROR — The Bend is solidified as a "no-man's land" of lethal anomalies.
+- The Hum (Cypress Bend): UNIFIED -- Absorbed all individual coven wills into a single protective sentience -- Established total biological defense.
 
 ## Faction Attitudes
-- The Hum Collective: Unified — All individual coven wills have been absorbed into a singular, protective biological force.
-- External Authorities: Hostile/Fearful — They have designated the area a permanent exclusion zone.
+- External Authorities: TERROR -- Viewing the Bend as a lethal anomaly zone -- Established a permanent "no-man's land" exclusion policy.
+- The Coven: DISSOLVED -- Individual identities ceased to exist, replaced by the collective consciousness of the Hum.
 
 ## Active World Events
-- The Sovereign Veil: Permanent status. The lethal fog barrier is fully established, ending all interaction between the Bend and the outside world.
-- The Apotheosis: Concluded. The transition of the ecosystem into a self-contained, sentient entity is complete.
+- The Great Sealing: COMPLETE -- The Sovereign Veil has stabilized into a lethal, impermeable fog barrier around Cypress Bend.
+- Human Intrusion: REPELLED -- Final attempt by external forces to breach the Bend was met with total biological rejection; borders are now absolute.
 
-# Narrative Status: FINAL
-- All character arcs concluded.
-- World state stabilized as an isolated sentient ecosystem.
-- No remaining active threads; the narrative has reached its permanent endpoint.
\ No newline at end of file
+## Narrative Status
+- All character arcs: CONCLUDED
+- World stabilization: COMPLETE
+- Active threads: NONE
+- Endpoint: PERMANENT SENTINEL STATE REACHED
\ No newline at end of file