diff --git a/projects/crimson-vows/polished/character-state-ch-06.md b/projects/crimson-vows/polished/character-state-ch-06.md index f06275b..0c01bbd 100644 --- a/projects/crimson-vows/polished/character-state-ch-06.md +++ b/projects/crimson-vows/polished/character-state-ch-06.md @@ -1,54 +1,54 @@ # Character State: ch-06 ## Queen Seraphine -Location: Oakhaven, Western Gatehouse -Physical: Severe hemomantic exhaustion; tremors in hands; vision blurring at the edges. -Emotional: Violated and defiant; simmering resentment toward Aldric’s "shared" burden. -Active obligations: Owes Aldric Thorne a formal response to the Bilateral Seal (ch-01) — PAID. +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: 35% — She accepts that personal privacy is a luxury the bond has permanently stripped away. +Arc: 40% — She has realized that her private thoughts are no longer her own while in Aldric's proximity. Permanent: YES ## King Aldric -Location: Oakhaven, Western Gatehouse -Physical: Pallid and shivering; massive caloric drain from stabilizing the perimeter. -Emotional: Coldly protective; masking his physical collapse with architectural focus. -Active obligations: Owes Seraphine the protection of the Thorne-Valerius borders (ch-03) — PAID. +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. -Known secrets: Knows he cannot sustain another seal stabilization without cardiac failure — Seraphine. -Arc: 30% — Moves from using the bond as a tether to using it as a shared reservoir of survival. +Known secrets: None. +Arc: 35% — Admitted physical dependency on Seraphine’s proximity to maintain his heartbeat. Permanent: YES ## Captain Kaelen -Location: Oakhaven, The Ash-Fields -Physical: Minor soot burns; no major injuries. -Emotional: Stoic but unnerved by the sight of the Sovereigns' physical synchronization. +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: 20% — Recognizes the military chain of command is secondary to the Sovereigns' biological link. +Arc: 25% — Confirmed that Malcorra views the Sovereigns as mere biological tools, not leaders. Permanent: YES -## High Provost Vane -Location: Oakhaven, Lower District -Physical: Uninjured but covered in glass-dust. -Emotional: Devoutly grateful; bordering on fanatical. -Active obligations: Owes the Crown the restoration of Oakhaven’s records (ch-06) — UNPAID. +## 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: None. -Arc: 10% — Re-establishes faith in the Sovereigns after witnessing the ritual. -Permanent: NO +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. +Permanent: YES # World State: ch-06 ## NPC Memory -- High Provost Vane (Oakhaven): ZEALOUS — Witnessed the Sovereigns merge their blood to save the gate — Will spread word of their "unified divinity." +- High Provost Vane (Oakhaven): DECEASED (ch-05) -- Left behind in the breach. ## Faction Attitudes -- The Lowen-Court: SUSPICIOUS — Fearing the Queen is becoming a puppet of Thorne's vitality. -- The Oakhaven Refugees: REVERENT — Direct witnesses to the intervention. +- 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. ## Active World Events -- The Oakhaven Breach: TEMPORARILY SEALED — The glass-line is stabilized but brittle; requires constant hemomantic maintenance. -- The Sanguine Marriage: BIOLOGICAL SYNC — The couple now shares physical exhaustion and caloric drain in real-time. \ No newline at end of file +- 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