From 86ddd42cff6124e11c5f6b8352d2333ff61a401c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: PAE Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:01:23 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] staging: character-state-ch-05.md task=a3d0348d-ea27-4f0d-b83a-793bdcd07127 --- .../staging/character-state-ch-05.md | 43 ++++++++++--------- 1 file changed, 22 insertions(+), 21 deletions(-) diff --git a/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-05.md b/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-05.md index 33e0282a..f14f374e 100644 --- a/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-05.md +++ b/projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-05.md @@ -2,40 +2,41 @@ ## Lena Duval Location: Safehouse, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans. -Physical: Suffering from "The Severing"—severe cold tremors, nausea from urban vibrations, and sensory "blindness." -Emotional: Isolated and defensive; feels a profound sense of betrayal by the land. -Active obligations: Owes Jax Harlan protection/truth (ch-05) — UNPAID; Owes the land a balancing of scales (ch-05) — UNPAID. -Open loops: Navigating the "Urban Wall" without magic (ch-05) — UNRESOLVED; Distinguishing Maribelle’s call from true memory (ch-05) — UNRESOLVED. -Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-05—unresolved): Knows the project name "Phlegethon"; CARRIED (ch-05—unresolved): Suspects Maribelle is mimicking her mother’s voice. -Arc: 45% — Transitioned from a fleeing witch to a "hollow" survivor stripped of her power by the city's iron. +Physical: Suffering "The Severing"—intense tremors, nausea, and sensory overload from city industrial noise; feels a "hollow deafness" where her magic resided. +Emotional: Violated, desperate, and claustrophobic; feels hunted by the coven while trapped by the city’s "Urban Wall." +Active obligations: Owes Jax Harlan the truth behind "Phlegethon" (ch-05) — UNPAID; Owes herself a way to muffle Maribelle’s psychic intrusion (ch-05) — UNPAID. +Open loops: Navigating a world where she is "blind" to the supernatural (ch-05) — UNRESOLVED; Confirming if the voice in her head is truly Maribelle or her own fracturing mind (ch-05) — UNRESOLVED. +Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-05--unresolved): Knows the developers are targeting the "Heart of the Bend" for Project Phlegethon; CARRIED (ch-05--unresolved): Realizes her mother's locket is vibrating in sync with the city’s industrial noise, not the swamp. +Arc: 45% -- Transitioned from a defiant runaway to a crippled survivor; her stubborn independence is now her only weapon since her magic is gone. Permanent: YES ## Jax Harlan Location: Safehouse, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans. -Physical: Exhausted, hyper-vigilant, hand remains near his holster. -Emotional: Burdened and protective; internally acknowledging that the Bayou is a sentient force beyond his control. -Active obligations: Protective detail for Lena (ch-05) — ACTIVE. -Open loops: Evading the Coven's reach within city limits (ch-05) — ACTIVE; Finding a "bridge" or neutral asset to assist Lena’s condition (ch-05) — UNRESOLVED. -Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-05—unresolved): Accepts the supernatural reality of the Bayou despite his secular background. -Arc: 20% — Evolution from a hired guide to a committed protector, prioritizing Lena’s life over his own safety. +Physical: Tense, sleep-deprived, nursing a bruised shoulder from the retreat. +Emotional: Protective but overwhelmed; moving from skepticism to a grim acceptance of the Duval curse. +Active obligations: Delivering Lena to a "neutral" contact in the city (ch-05) — ACTIVE. +Open loops: Identifying who leaked their safehouse location (ch-05) — ACTIVE. +Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-05--unresolved): Has observed that Lena’s tremors stop only when she touches something organic or him. +Arc: 20% -- His role as a mere "escort" has dissolved into a shared fate; he no longer asks "if" the magic is real, only "how" to survive it. Permanent: YES # World State: ch-05 ## NPC Memory -- Aunt Maribelle / The Coven (Cypress Bend): HOSTILE — Successfully initiated "The Severing" to tether Lena. -- Remy LeBlanc (Cypress Bend): FRIENDLY — (Absent this chapter) Remains a childhood ally. +- Aunt Maribelle (The Coven): HOSTILE — Initiated "The Severing" to force Lena's return — Proved the coven’s reach extends into the city. +- The "Neutral" (New Orleans): UNKNOWN — Rumored contact for displaced magical talent. ## Faction Attitudes -- The Duval Coven: Aggressive — Treating Lena as a stray asset to be repossessed through metaphysical pain. -- Terrebonne Development Corp: Predatory — Utilizing Lena’s absence to accelerate "Project Phlegethon" in the swamp. +- The Duval Coven: Relentless — Using Lena’s withdrawal symptoms as a leash to pull her back to Cypress Bend. +- Terrebonne Development Corp: Opportunistic — Exploiting the coven’s distraction to advance Project Phlegethon. ## Active World Events -- The Severing: Active magical withdrawal caused by Lena's distance from Cypress Bend, manifesting as physical illness. -- The Urban Wall: The industrial interference of New Orleans (iron/electricity) masking Lena from the Coven but severing her power. -- The Stagnation: Metaphysical decay in Cypress Bend due to the absence of the Duval line's balance. +- The Severing: A magical feedback loop causing Lena’s physical collapse as she distances herself from her power source. +- The Urban Wall: The phenomenon where city iron and electricity act as a static barrier, shielding Lena from tracking but inducing physical illness. +- The Stagnation: A growing rot in the geography of Cypress Bend caused by the absence of a Duval anchor. ## Metadata - Current Chapter: 05 -- Key Item: Lena’s silver locket (Strained). -- Key Term: "The Urban Wall." \ No newline at end of file +- Key Item: Lena’s silver locket (vibrating with industrial frequency). +- Key Term: "The Urban Wall." +- Mood: Claustrophobic, clinical, and desperate. \ No newline at end of file