staging: character-state-ch-05.md task=d0e70864-e9d6-4287-b99c-22bb6c8975f3

projects/crimson-vows/staging/character-state-ch-05.md

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+# Character State: ch-05
+
+## Queen Seraphine
+Location: The Royal Carriage, en route to Oakhaven
+Physical: Left forearm wrapped in silk to hide silver scarring; persistent light-headedness from the blood-link.
+Emotional: Defensive and hyper-vigilant; experiencing intrusive sensory bleed from Aldric.
+Active obligations: Owes Aldric Thorne a formal response to the Bilateral Seal (ch-01) — PAID.
+Open loops: [Seraphine & Aldric] The shared sensory intrusion of the blood-bond (ch-05) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): The Blight has breached the inner glass-line; the Lowen-Court is already compromised.
+Arc: 30% — Forced to acknowledge that the blood-link is not a tool she can control, but a breach she must endure.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## King Aldric
+Location: The Royal Carriage, arriving at the Oakhaven outskirts
+Physical: Hands steady but cold; black veins visible at the temple during the breach alert.
+Emotional: Stoic but strained; suppressed fury regarding the failure of the Oakhaven perimeter.
+Active obligations: Owes Seraphine the protection of the Thorne-Valerius borders (ch-03) — UNPAID.
+Open loops: [Aldric & Seraphine] The revelation of the execution of his brother (ch-03) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: None.
+Arc: 25% — Transitions from theoretical ally to active commander in the face of the first shared military crisis.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## Captain Kaelen
+Location: Leading the vanguard at the Oakhaven Perimeter
+Physical: No injuries; soot-stained armor.
+Emotional: Grimly professional; focused on the mechanical reality of the breach.
+Active obligations: Absolute silence regarding the Queen’s flagging physical stamina (ch-03) — UNPAID.
+Open loops: [Kaelen & Seraphine] The cost of his intervention against the High Priestess (ch-03) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): Knows the Queen nearly collapsed during the walk to the cellar.
+Arc: 15% — Realizes the Blight's evolution outpaces his tactical training.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## High Priestess Malcorra
+Location: The Sanctum of the Crimson Cathedral, Aethelgard
+Physical: Radiant; silver-eyes luminous.
+Emotional: Calculated; observing the "resonance" of the sovereigns from afar.
+Active obligations: Owes the Crimson Cathedral a "purified" sovereign (ch-02) — UNPAID.
+Open loops: None.
+Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): Does she hear the ancestors, or is she a high-functioning schizophrenic?
+Arc: 15% — Remains static, monitoring the distress of the blood-link as data.
+Permanent: NO
+
+# World State: ch-05
+
+## NPC Memory
+- High Provost Vane (Oakhaven): TERROR. Witnessed the glass-line shatter without impact – desperate for royal intervention.
+
+## Faction Attitudes
+- The Lowen-Court: AGGRESSIVE. Blaming Valerius hemomancy for the instability of the Oakhaven seal.
+- The Blighted: EMERGENT. Displaying organized behavior near the breach.
+
+## Active World Events
+- The Oakhaven Breach: The glass-line has failed at the eastern edge; evacuation is underway.
+- The Sanguine Marriage: Blood-bond is active; psychic feedback is increasing in frequency.