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+# Character State: ch-13
+
+## ELARA VANCE
+Location: The Great Canopy / Edge of the Elderwood
+Physical: Severe spiritual exhaustion; trembling hands; Sigil on right palm glowing faintly; mud-caked boots
+Emotional: Resolute but burdened by the weight of the forest's memory
+Active obligations: Owes Kaelen protection (Ch-06) — UNPAID
+Open loops: Elara & Council [Corruption Reckoning] (Ch-12) — UNRESOLVED
+Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-12--unresolved): Council's role in Blight origin (evidence possessed) — Kaelen unaware
+Arc: 105% -- Accepted her role not just as a savior of Oakhaven, but as the enduring bridge between the forest and the human world.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## KAELEN
+Location: The Great Canopy / Edge of the Elderwood
+Physical: Left arm scarred and stiff; gradual return of strength; rhythmic, steady breathing
+Emotional: Stoic; vigilant; experiencing a newfound sense of belonging
+Active obligations: None
+Open loops: None
+Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-12--unresolved): Sun-Guard bloodline — Elara unaware; CARRIED (Ch-12--unresolved): Grove map location — Elara unaware
+Arc: 100% -- Solidified his transition from a wandering deserter to the sworn, permanent guardian of the Heart-Root’s Vessel.
+Permanent: YES
+
+## THORNE BLACKROOT -- DECEASED (Ch-12)
+Established: Calcified and shattered into obsidian shards during the Heart-Root’s activation.
+Legacy: His absence has left the Circle of Thorns leaderless and broken, allowing the forest to begin its reclamation of the blighted lands.
+
+---
+
+# World State: ch-13
+
+## NPC Memory
+- Mira (Oakhaven): GRATEFUL — Witnessed the dawn of the Great Weaving — Will serve as Elara’s political tether to the village survivors.
+
+## Faction Attitudes
+- Circle of Thorns: SCATTERED — Following Thorne's death, the remnants have fled into the deep shadows, their influence over the roots severed.
+- Forest Spirits (Elderwood): TRIUMPHANT — The spirits are aggressively purging the remaining pockets of rot and singing growth into the charred soil.
+- Council of Oakhaven: CRUMBLING — Fearful and desperate as the truth of their past bargains with the Blight begins to surface among the refugees.
+
+## Active World Events
+- The Great Weaving: ACTIVE (Permanent) — A massive, ongoing magical reforestation event now visible across the horizon.
+- The Council's Reckoning: ESCALATING — Political unrest in Oakhaven as survivors demand answers regarding the Blight’s true origins.
+- The Vessel’s Burden: NEW — The spiritual link between Elara and the Heart-Root is drawing the attention of ancient entities dormant since the first Blight.
+
+## Thematic Resonance
+The transition from crisis to stewardship; the realization that peace requires constant vigilance; the heavy crown of being a living bridge between two worlds.
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