diff --git a/projects/cypress-bend/staging/polished/character-state-ch-17-final.md b/projects/cypress-bend/staging/polished/character-state-ch-17-final.md
index 83f6ff3b..011a6995 100644
--- a/projects/cypress-bend/staging/polished/character-state-ch-17-final.md
+++ b/projects/cypress-bend/staging/polished/character-state-ch-17-final.md
@@ -2,23 +2,23 @@
 
 ## Lena Duval
 - **Location:** The Heart Tree (Siphon Hub Core)
-- **Physical:** Apotheosis complete. Neural networks integrated into the cypress root system; skin pulses with bioluminescent sap; heartbeat synchronized with the Bend’s tide. 
-- **Emotional:** Transcendent serenity. Individual ego has dissolved into the "Great Hum." She no longer seeks escape; she *is* the landscape.
-- **Active Obligations:** Eternal anchor and sentient deity of Cypress Bend.
+- **Physical:** Apotheosis complete. Neural networks integrated into the cypress root system; skin pulses with bioluminescent sap; heartbeat synchronized with the Bend’s tide.
+- **Emotional:** Transcendent serenity. Individual ego has dissolved into the "Great Hum."
+- **Active Obligations:** Eternal anchor and sentient deity of Cypress Bend (Paid).
 - **Arc:** 100% (Transformed from runaway to Living God).
 - **Secrets:** Carries the trauma of her mother's sacrifice—Jax remains unaware of the specific cost.
 
 ## Jax Harlan
 - **Location:** The Shallows (Perimeter)
-- **Physical:** Veil-adapted physiology; predatory reflexes; systemic immunity to the swamp’s toxins. He is the physical enforcement of Lena’s will.
-- **Emotional:** Inhuman focus; soul-bound devotion to Lena. He has accepted his role as the eternal sentinel.
-- **Active Obligations:** Perpetual guardian of the Veil.
+- **Physical:** Veil-adapted physiology; predatory reflexes; systemic immunity to the swamp’s toxins.
+- **Emotional:** Inhuman focus; soul-bound devotion to Lena.
+- **Active Obligations:** Perpetual guardian of the Veil (Unpaid/Ongoing).
 - **Arc:** 100% (Outsider to supernatural apex predator).
 
 ## Aunt Maribelle Duval
 - **Location:** Subterranean Siphon Hub
 - **Physical:** Bio-hybrid; functions as the primary filtration organ for the Bend’s life-force.
-- **Emotional:** Contented utility; finds peace in absolute service to the flow. Her manipulative nature has been repurposed into systemic maintenance.
+- **Emotional:** Contented utility; finds peace in absolute service to the flow.
 - **Arc:** 100% (Manipulator to selfless biological component).
 
 ## Remy LeBlanc
@@ -30,14 +30,14 @@
 # World State: ch-17 (FINAL)
 
 ## NPC Memory
-- **The Coven:** Fully integrated. They operate as high-priests regulating the Great Hum. The Siphon Hub is stable, and the transition from ritual magic to biological law is complete.
+- **The Coven:** Devout. They operate as high-priests regulating the Great Hum. The Siphon Hub is stable and worshipful.
 
 ## Faction Attitudes
-- **The Great Hum:** Dominant/Singular. The ecosystem is a unified, conscious machine under Lena’s singular will.
-- **Humanity/TDC:** Expelled. The world recognizes the Bend as a sovereign, lethal zone. External interference has ceased due to high mortality rates.
+- **The Great Hum:** Dominant. The ecosystem is a unified, conscious machine under Lena’s singular will.
+- **Humanity/TDC:** Rejected/Expelled. The world recognizes the Bend as a sovereign, lethal zone.
 
 ## Active World Events
-- **The Great Silence:** Permanent 5-mile EM dead zone. Modern technology is rendered non-functional scrap upon entry.
+- **The Great Silence:** Permanent 5-mile EM dead zone. Modern technology is rendered functional scrap upon entry.
 - **Directed Evolution:** The "Biological Cathedral" is fully operational. All flora and fauna are direct extensions of Lena’s consciousness.
 
 ## Key Locations
@@ -46,6 +46,6 @@
 - **The Veil:** Sentient, predatory fog boundary defining the sovereign border.
 
 ## Global Constants
-- **Law of the Bend:** Bayou Binding is the natural law. Power is no longer bartered; it is inherent to the geography.
-- **Legacy:** The Duval bloodline has transcended humanity to become a planetary biological system.
-- **Connectivity:** All inhabitants of the Bend are telepathically or biologically linked to the Heart Tree.
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+- **Magic:** Bayou Binding is the natural law of the territory.
+- **Technology:** Eradicated within the zone. 
+- **Legacy:** The Duval line has evolved from a family into a planetary biological system.
\ No newline at end of file