diff --git a/the-starfall-accord/staging/character-state-ch-02.md b/the-starfall-accord/staging/character-state-ch-02.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5de3293
--- /dev/null
+++ b/the-starfall-accord/staging/character-state-ch-02.md
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+# Character State: ch-02
+
+## Mira
+Location: Chancellor’s Sanctum, Pyre Academy (Volcanic Reach)
+Physical: Residual thermal-glide fatigue; palm healing from ritual cut; somatic "over-glow" from proximity.
+Emotional: Violated yet involuntarily curious; experiencing "wild joy" from the sensory bleed—CARRYING guilt over the water-boil.
+Active obligations: Owes Dorian administrative space/cooperation (Ch02) — UNPAID.
+Open loops: Mira/Dorian "Binary Star" stability (Ch01) — UNRESOLVED; Mira/Dorian somatic interference/desire spike (Ch02) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: Knows she felt purely physical attraction during the argument — Dorian is internally denying it.
+Arc: 30% — Shifted from sovereign isolation to realizing her emotions can physically overwrite Dorian's magic.
+Permanent: YES (Soul-tethered; can no longer cast major magic without affecting Dorian’s biological state).
+
+## Dorian Solas
+Location: Adjoining Quarters, Chancellor’s Sanctum (Pyre Academy)
+Physical: Scorched right cuff; thermal light-bruising on wrist; sensory exhaustion.
+Emotional: Terrified by the loss of "absolute zero" control; struggling with repressed, jagged attraction to Mira.
+Active obligations: Owes Mira a curriculum review (Ch02) — UNPAID.
+Open loops: Dorian/Mira physical safety radius (Ch02) — UNRESOLVED; The "Scorched Mark" significance (Ch02) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: Realized Mira’s anger manifests as heat through *his* body — Mira does not know the extent of his "melting" internal shield.
+Arc: 35% — Transitioned from a detached observer to a man whose elemental nature is now reactive to a rival’s heartbeat.
+Permanent: YES (Elemental autonomy lost; physical mark of the tether manifested on his person).
+
+## Kaelen
+Location: Great Courtyard, Pyre Academy
+Physical: No injuries.
+Emotional: Deeply suspicious; sensing the "unnatural" atmosphere between the Chancellors.
+Active obligations: Owes Mira a security report on Spire integration (Ch02) — UNPAID.
+Open loops: Kaelen/Dorian trust deficit (Ch02) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: Noticed the Chancellors' mutual physical instability upon arrival — The faculty does not know the ritual was agonizing.
+Arc: 05% — Realized his role has shifted from proctor to a guardian of a volatile, merged household.
+Permanent: NO
+
+# World State: ch-02
+
+## NPC Memory
+- Pyre Faculty (Pyre Academy): REBELLIOUS — Witnessed the "Ice Chancellor" invade their Sanctum — Expected to sabotage integration.
+- Crystalline Spire Faculty (Pyre Academy): FRAGILE/ARROGANT — Forced to portal into a "kiln" environment — Defensive and prone to magical shielding.
+
+## Faction Attitudes
+- The Eternal Throne: TRIUMPHANT — View the tether as a successful "graft" of power — Expecting immediate stabilization results.
+- The Starfall Storm: ACCELERATING — Sky over the Reach is "persistent, angry red" — Planar breach is visibly wider.
+
+## Active World Events
+- The Transition Stasis: A 10-foot "Neutrality Lattice" in the Sanctum keeps the temperature at 68 degrees, but drains ley-line energy.
+- Somatic Interference: High-intensity emotions between the Chancellors now cause environmental magical effects (boiling water, scorching fabric).
\ No newline at end of file