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+# Character State: ch-07
+
+## Elara Vance
+Location: The Stone Sanctum, Deep Hearth.
+Physical: Bone-deep exhaustion; fingers stained with glowing soil; ribs aching; Sigil is dimming from output.
+Emotional: Grounded but heavy-hearted; feels the weight of the land's ancient silence.
+Active obligations: owes Kaelen protection (ch-06) -- UNPAID; owes Thalric a debt of legacy (ch-05) -- UNPAID.
+Open loops: Elara/Council regarding blight origins (ch-06) -- UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-06--unresolved): knows the Council’s silence covers the blight’s true origin -- Kaelen does not know.
+Arc: 70% -- Fully stabilized the Earth Aspect, accepting the physical toll as a necessary trade for the Sanctum's safety.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## Kaelen
+Location: The Stone Sanctum, Deep Hearth.
+Physical: Singed hair; minor cuts from flying stone; hands tremors slightly from the Sunstone’s surge.
+Emotional: Vigilant and protective; growing awe for Elara’s power.
+Active obligations: owes Elara a life-debt (ch-04) -- UNPAID.
+Open loops: Kaelen/Sunstone full potential (ch-06) -- UNRESOLVED; Kaelen/Missing Grove map (ch-02) -- UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03--unresolved): his desertion was triggered by a vision -- Elara does not know.
+Arc: 65% -- Acted as a channel for the Sunstone to bolster the Ritual, solidifying his role as the Vessel's shield.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## Thorne Blackroot
+Location: The Ash-Fields outside the Sanctum.
+Physical: Right side of face blistered by the Ritual’s pulse; left arm near-useless; breathing is a wet rattle.
+Emotional: Humiliated and fanatical; driven by a need for total escalation.
+Active obligations: owes the Circle of Thorns a "Harvest" (ch-06) -- UNPAID.
+Open loops: Thorne/Blight sentience (ch-06) -- UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-06--unresolved): Knows the Vessel ritual can be inverted to feed the Blight -- Elara does not know.
+Arc: 50% -- Retreating from the Sanctum's threshold, he has shed the last of his caution in favor of absolute corruption.
+Permanent: YES
+
+# World State: ch-07
+
+## NPC Memory
+- Forest Spirits (The Sanctum): SOOTHED -- The ritual's completion calmed the local tremors and reinforced the boundary.
+- Circle Despoilers (Outer Ridgeline): SCATTERED -- The concussive wave of the Earth Stage forced a chaotic retreat.
+
+## Faction Attitudes
+- Circle of Thorns: DESPERATE -- Having failed to breach the Sanctum, they are turning to scorched-earth tactics.
+- Council of Oakhaven: FEARFUL -- They sense the ritual's resonance and fear the truth Elara might uncover.
+
+## Active World Events
+- The Great Blight: STALLED -- Local growth halted by the Sanctum’s aura, but intensifying in the "Grey Zone" perimeter.
+- The Vessel Ritual: STAGE THREE (EARTH) -- COMPLETED; The Sanctum is sealed; the path to the Heart-Root is revealed.
+
+## Canon Artifacts/Key Items
+- The Sigil: Pulsing with a steady, low amber light; integrated with the Sanctum’s floor.
+- Sunstone Shard: Recharged by the ritual; glowing with a harsh, white-gold purity.
+- Root-Key: Emerged from the altar; a living wooden key required for the final stage.
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