diff --git a/projects/crimson-vows/staging/character-state-ch-06.md b/projects/crimson-vows/staging/character-state-ch-06.md index 0c01bbd..5c6074e 100644 --- a/projects/crimson-vows/staging/character-state-ch-06.md +++ b/projects/crimson-vows/staging/character-state-ch-06.md @@ -1,54 +1,48 @@ # Character State: ch-06 -## Queen Seraphine -Location: The Royal Carriage, En Route to Aethelgard -Physical: Tremors in her left hand; silver-silk bandages soaked through with fresh hemomantic seepage. -Emotional: Violated and hyper-vigilant; experiencing "echo-sensations" from Aldric’s internal state. -Active obligations: Owes Malcorra a "purified" vessel (ch-06) — UNPAID. -Open loops: [Seraphine & Aldric] The shared sensory intrusion of the blood-bond (ch-05) — UNRESOLVED. -Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): The Blight has breached the inner glass-line; the Lowen-Court is already compromised. -Arc: 40% — She has realized that her private thoughts are no longer her own while in Aldric's proximity. -Permanent: YES - ## King Aldric -Location: The Royal Carriage, En Route to Aethelgard -Physical: Death-like pallor; black veins at the neck have extended toward the jawline; severe lethargy. -Emotional: Stoic but physically fraying; deeply suspicious of Malcorra’s "cleansing" invitation. -Active obligations: Owes Seraphine the protection of the Thorne-Valerius borders (ch-03) — UNPAID. -Open loops: [Aldric & Seraphine] The revelation of the execution of his brother (ch-03) — UNRESOLVED. +Location: The Oakhaven Border, East Marches +Physical: Severe physical drain; left hand and forearm are partially encased in jagged, translucent glass-growth. +Emotional: Resolute but burdened by a growing sense of inevitable sacrifice. +Active obligations: Owes Seraphine Valerius a life-debt for anchoring the sealing ritual (ch-06) — UNPAID. +Open loops: [Aldric & Seraphine] The sensory feedback of the glass-curse transmission (ch-06) — UNRESOLVED. Known secrets: None. -Arc: 35% — Admitted physical dependency on Seraphine’s proximity to maintain his heartbeat. +Arc: 45% — Accepted the physical toll of his curse as a shared burden to protect the realm. Permanent: YES -## Captain Kaelen -Location: Exterior of the Royal Carriage, Riding Shotgun -Physical: No injuries; hand constantly on the hilt of his blade. -Emotional: Deeply unsettled by the High Priestess’s presence; protective. -Active obligations: Absolute silence regarding the Queen’s flagging physical stamina (ch-03) — UNPAID. -Open loops: [Kaelen & Seraphine] The cost of his intervention against the High Priestess (ch-03) — UNRESOLVED. -Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): Knows the Queen nearly collapsed during the walk to the cellar. -Arc: 25% — Confirmed that Malcorra views the Sovereigns as mere biological tools, not leaders. +## Queen Seraphine +Location: The Oakhaven Border, East Marches +Physical: Left hand and wrist showing the first signs of silver-glass crystallization; eyes cloudy with magical exhaustion. +Emotional: Shielded but experiencing a profound, unsettling connection to Aldric’s pain. +Active obligations: Owes Aldric Thorne the protection of the Thorne-Valerius borders (ch-03) — UNPAID. +Open loops: [Seraphine & Aldric] The visual and physical "blending" of their magic during the seal (ch-06) — UNRESOLVED. +Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): The Blight has breached the inner glass-line; the Lowen-Court is already compromised. +Arc: 40% — Transitioned from viewing Aldric as a political tool to a vital, living anchor for her power. Permanent: YES ## High Priestess Malcorra -Location: The Royal Carriage / Aethelgard Approach -Physical: Smelling of metallic incense; rubbing her fingertips together rhythmically. -Emotional: Triumphant and clinical; observing the "resonance" between the Sovereigns with predatory interest. -Active obligations: Owes the Crimson Cathedral a "purified" sovereign (ch-02) — UNPAID. -Open loops: None. -Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): Does she hear the ancestors, or is she a high-functioning schizophrenic? -Arc: 20% — Successfully forced the Sovereigns into a spiritual "audit" at the Cathedral. +Location: The Oakhaven Border (Encampment) +Physical: Uninjured; fingers agitatedly rubbing together. +Emotional: Calculating and religiously vindicated by the "sacred" pain of the King. +Active obligations: None. +Open loops: [Malcorra & Seraphine] The theological interpretation of the glass-curse spreading (ch-06) — UNRESOLVED. +Known secrets: None. +Arc: 20% — Observed the physical price of the Sanguine Vow, reaffirming her belief in the necessity of suffering. 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 removal allowed the monarchs to travel to the front lines without bureaucratic interference. + # World State: ch-06 ## NPC Memory -- High Provost Vane (Oakhaven): DECEASED (ch-05) -- Left behind in the breach. +- Border Guard (Oakhaven): GRATEFUL — Witnessed the sealing of the breach — Morale has temporarily stabilized despite the horror of the Blight. ## Faction Attitudes -- The Crimson Cathedral: PROBING -- Attempting to find "impurities" in the Sanguine Marriage to seize control. -- The Lowen-Court: DESPERATE -- Relying on the King’s return to restore the glass-line. +- The Thorne Loyalists: HORRIFIED — Witnessed the glass-curse spreading to the Queen — They fear the Vow is a death sentence for both crowns. +- The Crimson Cathedral: ZEALOUS — The manifestation of the curse during the ritual is seen as a sign of divine "locking." ## Active World Events -- The Aethelgard Audit: STARTING -- The Sovereigns have arrived at the Cathedral for a mandatory "purification" ritual. -- The Sanguine Marriage: STRENGTHENING -- The psychic bridge between Aldric and Seraphine is now transmitting subconscious imagery and pain. \ No newline at end of file +- The Oakhaven Sealing: COMPLETED — The immediate breach is closed, but at the cost of the King and Queen's physical health. +- The Glass Contagion: ACTIVE — The curse has moved from Aldric to Seraphine, meaning their fates are now biologically intertwined. \ No newline at end of file