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+# Character State: ch-12
+
+## Lena Duval
+Location: Threshold of the Siphon Hub, the "Belly of the Bend"
+Physical: Stabilizing but drained; palm scar is silver and cool; internal temperature has dropped from fever to a "steady hum."
+Emotional: Resigned to her role; weary but anchored; feeling the weight of the land as a physical limb.
+Active obligations: Owes Jax Harlan a life-debt for his defense during her transcendence (ch-11) -- UNPAID.
+Open loops: Lena must confront Aunt Maribelle regarding the Duval Coven’s claim on her status (ch-11) -- UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-11--unresolved): knows the Siphon was designed for "Harmonic Bleed" to steal swamp vitality for upper districts -- Jax Harlan does NOT know.
+Arc: 100% -- Transition to Warden is complete; she has accepted the geography as her permanent cage and crown.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## Jax Harlan
+Location: Beside Lena at the Siphon’s edge
+Physical: Exhausted; knuckles raw; shoulder stiffness persisting; breathing heavy from the adrenaline crash.
+Emotional: Fierce loyalty mixed with grief for the life Lena is losing; protective.
+Active obligations: Guarding Lena during her post-ritual recovery (ch-11) -- PAID (the siege has ended).
+Open loops: Jax needs to identify the mole within Terrebonne Security (ch-11) -- UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: None.
+Arc: 90% -- Has fully committed his life to a woman he can never take out of the swamp; transition from outsider to guardian-consort.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## Aunt Maribelle
+Location: The Duval Estate (off-screen)
+Physical: No injuries reported.
+Emotional: Calculating; Sensing the shift in the ley lines.
+Active obligations: None.
+Open loops: Maribelle vs Lena for control of the "Machine-Witch" resonance (ch-11) -- UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: Knows the exact frequency of Lena’s ascension -- Lena does NOT know she is being tracked.
+Arc: 0% -- Remains the stagnant antagonist.
+Permanent: NO
+
+# World State: ch-12
+
+## NPC Memory
+- Terrebonne Security (Sector 4): DEFEATED/RETREATING -- They failed to breach the Siphon and are now reporting a "Level 5 Anomalous Event" to HQ.
+- The Coven (Duval): OBSERVANT -- They have felt the Great Hum stabilize and are preparing to reclaim the "asset."
+
+## Faction Attitudes
+- Terrebonne Development Corp (TDC): HOSTILE/PANICKED -- Considering the "Scorched Earth" protocol to bury the Siphon and hide the evidence of ecological theft.
+- The Bayou: ALLIED -- The land is breathing again, actively concealing Lena and Jax from electronic surveillance.
+
+## Active World Events
+- The Great Hum: PERMANENT -- A constant subsonic vibration that regulates the swamp's health but marks Lena’s location to any practitioner.
+- The Veil Thinning: ACTIVE -- Reality around the Siphon is soft; spirits and physical matter are overlapping, manifesting as "ghost-lights" in the moss.
+- Harmonic Bleed: PAUSED -- The Siphon’s theft of energy has been redirected/halted by Lena’s presence, causing power fluctuations in the Upper Districts.
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