# Character State: ch-05

## Queen Seraphine
Location: The Royal Carriage, en route to Oakhaven
Physical: Left forearm wrapped in silk to hide silver scarring; persistent light-headedness from the blood-link.
Emotional: Defensive and hyper-vigilant; experiencing intrusive sensory bleed from Aldric.
Active obligations: Owes Aldric Thorne a formal response to the Bilateral Seal (ch-01) — PAID.
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: 30% — Forced to acknowledge that the blood-link is not a tool she can control, but a breach she must endure.
Permanent: YES

## King Aldric
Location: The Royal Carriage, arriving at the Oakhaven outskirts
Physical: Hands steady but cold; black veins visible at the temple during the breach alert.
Emotional: Stoic but strained; suppressed fury regarding the failure of the Oakhaven perimeter.
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: None.
Arc: 25% — Transitions from theoretical ally to active commander in the face of the first shared military crisis.
Permanent: YES

## Captain Kaelen
Location: Leading the vanguard at the Oakhaven Perimeter
Physical: No injuries; soot-stained armor.
Emotional: Grimly professional; focused on the mechanical reality of the breach.
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: 15% — Realizes the Blight's evolution outpaces his tactical training.
Permanent: YES

## High Priestess Malcorra
Location: The Sanctum of the Crimson Cathedral, Aethelgard
Physical: Radiant; silver-eyes luminous.
Emotional: Calculated; observing the "resonance" of the sovereigns from afar.
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: 15% — Remains static, monitoring the distress of the blood-link as data.
Permanent: NO

# World State: ch-05

## NPC Memory
- High Provost Vane (Oakhaven): TERROR. Witnessed the glass-line shatter without impact – desperate for royal intervention.

## Faction Attitudes
- The Lowen-Court: AGGRESSIVE. Blaming Valerius hemomancy for the instability of the Oakhaven seal.
- The Blighted: EMERGENT. Displaying organized behavior near the breach.

## Active World Events
- The Oakhaven Breach: The glass-line has failed at the eastern edge; evacuation is underway.
- The Sanguine Marriage: Blood-bond is active; psychic feedback is increasing in frequency.