adjudication_pass: promote character-state-ch-07.md original=6d59168c-d683-4fe3-a838-3514f6112e0a

projects/crimson-vows/polished/character-state-ch-07.md

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 # Character State: ch-07
 
-## Queen Seraphine
-Location: The Inner Sanctum, Crimson Cathedral, Aethelgard
-Physical: Severe hemomantic depletion; crystalline scarring appearing on the left palm; vision blurred by red vignettes.
-Emotional: Violated and defiant; experiencing a "hollow" resonance where her ancestral connection used to be.
-Active obligations: Owes Aldric Thorne a reciprocal blood-anchoring to stabilize the glass-line (ch-07) — UNPAID.
-Open loops: [Seraphine & Malcorra] The heresy of the "unfiltered" rite (ch-07) — UNRESOLVED.
-Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-05—unresolved): The Lowen-Court is already compromised by the Blite.
-Arc: 45% — She has consciously bypassed Cathedral dogma to save Aldric, shattering her identity as a "perfect" vessel.
+## King Aldric
+Location: The Alchemical Laboratory, Beneath Castle Sangue
+Physical: Labored breathing; veins near the blood-bond mark are blackened; recovering from a localized seizure.
+Emotional: Profoundly vulnerable but resolute; experiencing a terrifying synthesis of Seraphine’s memories.
+Active obligations: Owes Seraphine the protection of the Thorne-Valerius borders (ch-03) — UNPAID.
+Open loops: [Aldric & Seraphine] The sensory feedback loop and shared memory bleed (ch-07) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): The execution of his brother was a legal necessity he personally ordered.
+Arc: 55% — He has moved from physical dependence to a deep, psychic intertwining with Seraphine, accepting her "taint" as his own.
 Permanent: YES
 
-## King Aldric
-Location: Throne Room Ante-chamber, Crimson Cathedral, Aethelgard
-Physical: Recovering from near-stasis; black veins recessed but still visible at the jawline; extreme lethargy.
-Emotional: Indebted and wary; unsettled by the depth of Seraphine’s sacrifice during the forbidden rite.
-Active obligations: Owes Seraphine the truth regarding the "Red Winter" apparitions he saw in the mist (ch-05) — UNPAID.
-Open loops: [Aldric & Malcorra] The threat of excommunication for his "polluted" state (ch-07) — UNRESOLVED.
-Known secrets: None.
-Arc: 40% — Admitted physical dependency on Seraphine’s blood to maintain his cognitive function.
+## Queen Seraphine
+Location: The Alchemical Laboratory, Beneath Castle Sangue
+Physical: Tremors in her hands; eyes bloodshot from the strain of the stabilization ritual; exhaustion.
+Emotional: Desperate and hyper-focused; she is reeling from the unintentional exposure of her childhood trauma to Aldric.
+Active obligations: Owes Aldric a formal response to the Bilateral Seal (ch-01) — PAID.
+Open loops: [Seraphine & Aldric] The breach of her mental sanctum during the ritual (ch-07) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): The Blight has breached the inner glass-line; the Lowen-Court is already compromised.
+Arc: 50% — She has allowed a rival king to see her most guarded weakness, breaking her rule of absolute emotional isolation to save his life.
 Permanent: YES
 
+## High Provost Vane — DECEASED (ch-04)
+Established: Executed by Queen Seraphine via hemomantic heart-stop after attempting to poison King Aldric.
+Legacy: His absence forced Seraphine to perform the dangerous stabilization ritual without high-level court assistance.
+
 ## High Priestess Malcorra
-Location: The High Altar, Crimson Cathedral, Aethelgard
-Physical: No injuries; rubbing fingers together incessantly.
-Emotional: Predatory and observant; she has confirmed the "stain" on the sovereigns.
-Active obligations: Owes the Lowen-Court a purification ritual (ch-02) — UNPAID.
-Open loops: [Malcorra & Seraphine] The price of the forbidden rite (ch-07) — UNRESOLVED.
-Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): Whether she hears true ancestors or weaponized hallucinations.
-Arc: 25% — Shifted from oversight to active manipulation of the sovereigns’ bond.
+Location: The Threshold of the Alchemical Laboratory
+Physical: Rigid; leaning heavily on her iron thurible.
+Emotional: Judgmental and cold; she views the "Forbidden Alchemy" as a step toward heresy.
+Active obligations: Oversight of the Sanguine Vow’s purity (ch-01) — UNPAID.
+Open loops: [Malcorra & Seraphine] The theological cost of saving a Thorne King with Valerius blood-rites (ch-07) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: Knows the stabilization ritual has permanently altered the nature of the Vow.
+Arc: 45% — She has transitioned from a distant observer to an active witness of what she considers the Queen's spiritual degradation.
 Permanent: YES
 
-## Captain Kaelen
-Location: Cathedral Perimeter, Aethelgard
-Physical: Exhausted; armor dented from holding back the panicked crowd.
-Emotional: Deeply protective; heightened suspicion of the High Priestess's motives.
-Active obligations: Absolute silence regarding the Queen’s flagging physical stamina (ch-03) — UNPAID.
-Open loops: None.
-Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): Knows the Queen nearly collapsed at Oakhaven.
-Arc: 25% — Has begun prioritizing the Queen’s survival over Cathedral law.
-Permanent: NO
-
 # World State: ch-07
 
 ## NPC Memory
-- High Provost Vane (Oakhaven): DECEASED (ch-05)
-- Deacon Valen (Aethelgard): TERRIFIED -- Witnessed the forbidden rite -- Fled to report to the Lowen-Court.
+- The Laboratory Acolytes (Castle Sangue): HORRIFIED — Witnessed the King’s seizure and the Queen’s unorthodox use of raw blood-catalysts — They remain silent out of fear of the Queen’s "Gilded Pulse."
 
 ## Faction Attitudes
-- The Crimson Cathedral: HOSTILE -- Views the sovereigns' modified ritual as a direct assault on the Sanguine Vow.
-- The Lowen-Court: FRACTURED -- Rumors of the King's "black-vein" sickness have reached the capital.
+- The Crimson Cathedral: SUSPICIOUS — Malcorra’s report of the "Forbidden Alchemy" is moving toward a formal inquiry of the Queen's fitness.
+- The Lowen-Court: UNCERTAIN — News of the King’s collapse has leaked, leading to whispers of a fragile foundation.
 
 ## Active World Events
-- The Forbidden Rite: COMPLETED -- The bond between Aldric and Seraphine is now permanent and "unfiltered" by the Church.
-- The Red Winter: ACCELERATING -- Blighted mimicry has been reported within the walls of Aethelgard.
+- The Oakhaven Breach: CRITICAL — The borders are sagging as the Sovereigns are distracted by the King's internal "instability."
+- The Forbidden Alchemy: RESOLVED — The ritual stabilized the King’s heart but fused the Sovereigns' psychic barriers.
+- The Sanguine Vow: Transitioned from a physical contract to a shared mental haunting; the "bleed" is now bi-directional.