staging: character-state-ch-08.md task=08fa2f73-5fda-41ad-911c-d9693c948cf3

projects/cypress-bend/staging/character-state-ch-08.md

@@ -1,40 +1,40 @@
 # Character State: ch-08
 
 ## Lena Duval
-Location: Drainage junction beneath the Ninth Ward / "The Veins."
-Physical: Fever spiking; palm wound raw and weeping; experiencing "Grid Hum" vertigo and intense nausea.
-Emotional: Defiant; physically breaking under the pressure of industrial iron suppressing her magic.
-Active obligations: Owes Jax a debt of trust (ch-07) -- UNPAID.
-Open loops: Lena and Jax locket synchronization (ch-07) -- UNRESOLVED (Lena realized the locket vibrates in harmony with the energy grid).
-Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-07--unresolved): Aware that Terrebonne’s grid isn't just masking magic—it’s actively siphoning it via the "Great Flush" cycles.
-Arc: 65% -- Stopped running and is now using her mother’s locket to "tune" into the city's corruption to predict its movements.
+Location: Industrial Siphon Hub / The Veins (Beneath the Ninth Ward).
+Physical: High fever; palm wound actively bleeding and used for "tuning"; sensory distortion from electrical interference.
+Emotional: Driven, hyper-focused, and singular in purpose.
+Active obligations: Owes Jax a debt of trust (Ch-08) — UNPAID.
+Open loops: Lena and Jax vs. The Great Flush (Ch-08) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-08--unresolved): Discovered Terrebonne is siphoning magic via salt-water conduction; knows the extraction point is a kill-box (learned from Jax's reaction).
+Arc: 65% -- Shifted from a victim of the city’s industrial weight to a navigator utilizing the grid's rhythm.
 Permanent: YES
 
 ## Jax Harlan
-Location: Drainage junction beneath the Ninth Ward.
-Physical: Forearm laceration bleeding through bandages; ears ringing from localized tremors; heavily strained.
-Emotional: Grudgingly impressed by Lena; feeling the weight of his "Tactical to Personal" shift.
-Active obligations: Secure path through tunnels (ch-07) -- IN PROGRESS; Identify safehouse leak (ch-07) -- UNRESOLVED.
-Open loops: Origin of the scrambler (ch-07) -- UNRESOLVED (Suspects tech leaked by a Terrebonne defector).
-Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-07--unresolved): Knows the Terrebonne extraction point is a trap, but hasn't told Lena to avoid breaking her focus.
-Arc: 40% -- Moving from protector to partner; acknowledges that logic cannot explain Lena's connection to the city's pulse.
+Location: Industrial Siphon Hub / The Veins (Beneath the Ninth Ward).
+Physical: Forearm laceration; physical exhaustion; ringing in ears from metallic reverb.
+Emotional: Disciplined but unsettled by the shifting reality of the tunnels.
+Active obligations: Secure escape path (Ch-08) — IN PROGRESS; Identify safehouse leak (Ch-08) — UNRESOLVED.
+Open loops: Scrambler tech origin (Ch-08) — UNRESOLVED; The Traitor's Identity (Ch-08) — UNRESOLVED.
+Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-08--unresolved): Aware the extraction point is a Terrebonne kill-box (now shared via behavior with Lena).
+Arc: 40% -- Transitioned from tactical lead to a supporting role, deferring to Lena's supernatural intuition.
 Permanent: YES
 
 # World State: ch-08
 
 ## NPC Memory
-- The Drowned Man (Spirit): DEPARTED -- Withdrawn into the sludge after receiving the salt tithe -- Resulted in temporary cessation of water flow in Sector 4.
-- Aunt Maribelle (Coven Elder): ESCALATING -- Using local law enforcement proxies to monitor drainage outlets -- Increased pressure on the protagonists' escape.
+- The Drowned Man (Spirit): QUIESCENCE — Pacified by the salt tithe; currently maintaining a temporary dry-zone in Sector 4.
+- Aunt Maribelle (Coven Elder): AGGRESSIVE — Using salt-lined architecture to isolate Lena from the coven’s psychic reach.
 
 ## Faction Attitudes
-- Terrebonne Development Corp: AGGRESSIVE -- Initiated "The Great Flush" ahead of schedule -- Forcing protagonists into hazardous secondary veins.
-- The Duval Coven: WEAKENED -- Signal to Lena severed by salt-lined walls -- Lena is isolated from traditional support.
+- Terrebonne Development Corp: LETHAL — Attempting to drown the protagonists by triggering "The Great Flush" ahead of schedule.
+- The Duval Coven: FRACTURED — Paralyzed by internal debate over whether to aid Lena or abandon her to the city.
 
 ## Active World Events
-- The Great Flush (Active): High-pressure salt water surging through secondary veins; specific paths are impassable.
-- The Grid Hum (Critical): Frequency reached a "Harmonic Peak," causing Lena’s locket to heat up and vibrate violently.
-- Harmonic Bleed: The collision of city electricity and bayou magic is causing physical illness in Lena.
+- The Great Flush: CRITICAL — Rapidly rising high-pressure salt water is flooding the secondary drainage system.
+- Harmonic Peak: High-tension electrical lines crossing ley lines are generating a "Harmonic Bleed," causing physical sickness and empowering Lena's dowsing.
+- The Siphon Cycle: The city’s infrastructure is actively draining ambient magic from the surrounding bayou.
 
 ## Metadata
-- Key Item: The Locket (Active Conductor); Scrambler Box (Low battery).
-- Mood: Claustrophobic, metallic, frantic, damp.
+- Key Item: The Locket (Synchronized to 440Hz/Grid Pulse); Scrambler Box (Failing/Low Battery).
+- Environment: Subterranean industrial junction; vibrating machinery, rushing water, and electrified air.