staging: polished/character-state-ch-14-final.md task=68ae134c-9339-4c85-9f60-f08692420f7c

projects/echoes-of-the-forest/staging/polished/character-state-ch-14-final.md

@@ -1,54 +1,60 @@
-# Character State: ch-14
+# Character State: ch-15 [POLISHED - CANONICAL]
 
 ## ELARA VANCE
-Location: The High Pavilion, Oakhaven.
-Physical: Ribs aching; right palm Sigil glowing with a fierce, blinding amber brilliance; clothes stained with forest loam.
-Emotional: Resolute and unyielding; she feels the weight of leadership as an armor rather than a burden.
-Active obligations: Owes Kaelen protection (Ch-06)—UNPAID.
-Open loops: The Council’s Reckoning (Ch-14)—RESOLVED.
-Known secrets: CARRIED: Possesses the Council Ledger; knows the Oakhaven Elders orchestrated the initial Blight.
-Arc: 90% -- Transformed from a fugitive survivor into the recognized sovereign of the forest’s future.
-Permanent: YES
+**Location:** The Great Atrium, Oakhaven.
+**Physical:** Ribs mending but tender; right palm Sigil glowing steady emerald-gold; exhaustion visible but resolute.
+**Emotional:** Reverent, weary, grounded in purpose; profound reconnection to the land established.
+**Active Obligations:** Owes Kaelen protection (Ch-06)—UNPAID.
+**Open Loops:** Establishing the new Council (Ch-15)—IN PROGRESS; will shape governance structure in coming chapters.
+**Secrets Carried:** Council Ledger secured; knows Oakhaven Elders orchestrated initial Blight (UNRESOLVED—will surface in trials).
+**Arc Progress:** 95% → REALIZED architect of Oakhaven's rebirth; transitioned from reluctant claimant to intentional leader.
+**Status:** Permanent POV character.
 
 ## KAELEN
-Location: At Elara’s side, High Pavilion.
-Physical: Exhaustion tempered by high-alert readiness; hand resting on his blade; posture is fluid and protective.
-Emotional: Solid and devoted; he has fully accepted his role as the Vessel’s shield.
-Active obligations: None.
-Open loops: Revealing his Sun-Guard lineage to Elara (Ch-13)—UNRESOLVED.
-Known secrets: CARRIED: Knows the hidden Sun-Guard caches; knows the Grove map location.
-Arc: 85% -- Shifted from a man seeking redemption to a guardian standing in the light of a new era.
-Permanent: YES
+**Location:** The Great Atrium, Oakhaven.
+**Physical:** Bruising fading; posture relaxed; singed cuff marks healing.
+**Emotional:** Relieved but introspective; burden of secrets heavier in new light of harmony.
+**Active Obligations:** None.
+**Open Loops:** Sun-Guard lineage revelation (Ch-13)—UNRESOLVED; Grove map secrets—UNRESOLVED.
+**Secrets Carried:** Hidden Sun-Guard caches; Grove map location (both unshared with Elara).
+**Arc Progress:** 90% → Accepted service to Vessel as redemption path beyond survival.
+**Status:** Permanent supporting character.
 
 ## ELDER BRAM
-Location: The High Pavilion floor, Oakhaven.
-Physical: Ashen-faced and trembling; stripped of his ceremonial robes; physically restrained by encroaching vines.
-Emotional: Terrified and humiliated; his authority has crumbled into dust.
-Active obligations: None.
-Open loops: Trial/Sentencing for treason (Ch-14)—UNRESOLVED.
-Known secrets: Orchestrated the "Controlled Blight"—REVEALED (Ch-14).
-Arc: 100% -- Complete fall from grace; transitioned from secret tyrant to a disgraced prisoner.
-Permanent: YES
+**Location:** The Holding Cells beneath Pavilion, Oakhaven.
+**Physical:** Shrunken, pale; living root-cuffs binding him; persistent cough.
+**Emotional:** Despairing; views forest growth as sentence, not blessing.
+**Open Loops:** Trial/Sentencing for treason—UNRESOLVED; legal proceedings pending.
+**Secrets Revealed:** "Controlled Blight" conspiracy—EXPOSED (Ch-14).
+**Arc Progress:** 100% → Complete fall from grace; symbolic relic of old corruption.
+**Status:** Permanent antagonist/prisoner; arc concluded.
 
-## THORNE BLACKROOT -- DECEASED (Ch-13)
-Legacy: His calcified, salt-white form at the Heart-Root stands as a permanent monument to the dangers of corrupting the natural order.
+## THORNE BLACKROOT
+**Status:** DECEASED (Ch-13). Salt-white remains at Heart-Root serve as boundary marker; Blight heralds cannot cross. Legacy active.
 
-# World State: ch-14
+---
 
-## NPC Memory
-- Mira (Oakhaven): EXULTANT -- Led the villagers to witness the Council's downfall; her faith in Elara has become the village's new social foundation.
-- The Council Guard (Oakhaven): SUBMISSIVE -- Disarmed and leaderless after the forest reclaimed the pavilion; they now await the Vessel’s judgment.
+# World State: ch-15 [POLISHED - CANONICAL]
+
+## Environmental
+- **The Great Integration:** Oakhaven physically transformed into "living city"—nature and stone indistinguishable.
+- **Forest Spirits:** Harmonious; reinforce architecture with flowering vines; no longer assault walls.
+- **Blight Pockets:** Vessel Sigil acts as compass toward remaining corruption sites; threat diminished but not eliminated.
 
 ## Faction Attitudes
-- Council of Oakhaven: DISMANTLED -- Exposed as architects of the Blight; members are now detainees or fugitives.
-- The Villagers of Oakhaven: REVERENT -- The flowering of the village in response to Elara’s Sigil is viewed as a divine mandate for her leadership.
-- The Forest Spirits: VIGILANT -- They have physically integrated with Oakhaven, weaving vines through stone to enforce the new balance.
+- **Villagers of Oakhaven:** UNIFIED; division between "town" and "wild" erased; collective identity established.
+- **Remaining Elders (3):** SHAMED; retreated from public life; influence neutralized by forest presence.
+- **Mira (NPC):** DEVOTED; organized first Atrium planting; looks to Elara for legislative guidance.
 
-## Active World Events
-- The Exposure: The Council Ledger has been publicly presented, proving the Blight was a manufactured crisis used for political control.
-- The Integration: Oakhaven is no longer a fortress against the woods; the village and Elderwood have physically merged.
+## Active Mandates
+- **The New Mandate:** Elara formally declared end of "Age of Walls"; inviting surrounding forest dwellers to return.
+- **Council Reformation:** In early stages; Elara will shape governance alongside reformed leadership.
 
 ## Key Items/Evidence
-- Council Ledger: Held by Elara; the primary evidence of the Elders' treason.
-- The Vessel Sigil: Pulsing with peak intensity; physically paralyzed corrupted magic and forced the forest's rapid growth.
-- Thorne’s Trophies: Scatters of desiccated leaves found among his remains, serving as grim omens of the war's cost.
+- **Council Ledger:** Secured in High Pavilion; legal basis for upcoming trials.
+- **Vessel Sigil:** Dimmed to steady rhythmic pulse; no longer causes pain; compass function active.
+
+## Narrative Momentum
+- Immediate: Elder Bram's trial; disclosure of Council conspiracy.
+- Emerging: Integration of forest dwellers into Oakhaven; establishing new laws under Elara's guidance.
+- Unresolved: Kaelen's lineage secrets; remaining Blight pockets; long-term sustainability of merged society.