# Character State: ch-01

## Queen Seraphine
Location: The Glass Border, Aethelgard Frontier
Physical: No injuries; experiencing minor sensory strain from high-order Hemomancy.
Emotional: Calculated desperation and ancestral weight.
Active obligations: owes Aldric Thorne a response to the Bilateral Seal (ch-01) -- UNPAID
Open loops: [Seraphine & Aldric] The terms of the Sanguine Marriage (ch-01) -- UNRESOLVED
Known secrets: knows the Blight has already breached the inner glass-line -- the Lowen-Court
Arc: 05% -- Acknowledged that the Valerius bloodline cannot survive the Blight through isolation alone.
Permanent: YES

## King Aldric
Location: The Glass Border, Neutral Parley Zone
Physical: No injuries; slight tremors in hands following the display of Sanguine Sovereignty.
Emotional: Stoic and tactically expectant.
Active obligations: owes Seraphine protection for her remaining border villages via the Seal (ch-01) -- UNPAID
Open loops: [Aldric & the Lowen-Court] Internal dissent regarding the marriage to a Valerius (ch-01) -- UNRESOLVED
Known secrets: knows the true rate of the Blight's acceleration exceeds official reports -- Queen Seraphine
Arc: 05% -- Committed to a radical political union to forestall his kingdom’s total collapse.
Permanent: YES

## Captain Kaelen 
Location: The Glass Border, Royal Guard Perimeter
Physical: No injuries; high fatigue.
Emotional: Deeply wary and professionally alert.
Active obligations: owes Seraphine his life and absolute silence (ch-00) -- UNPAID
Open loops: [Kaelen & Seraphine] Safety of the extraction route (ch-01) -- RESOLVED
Known secrets: knows Seraphine’s physical stamina is flagging -- The Court
Arc: 02% -- Witnessed the first formal diplomatic contact with the "Enemy" in a decade.
Permanent: NO

# World State: ch-01

## NPC Memory
- High Priestess Malcorra (The Crimson Cathedral): HOSTILE -- She sent a silent warning through the blood-link during the parley -- Seraphine is being watched for any sign of "heretical" weakness.

## Faction Attitudes
- The Crimson Monarchy (Lowen-Court): Pragmatic but Bitter -- They view the Valerius line as brittle, yet necessary for the Bilateral Seal's strength.
- The Crimson Throne (Aethelgard): Xenophobic and Terrified -- They see any deal with Aldric as a surrender of their pure blood-right.

## Active World Events
- The Great Blight: Advancing rapidly through the Aethelgard frontier; village of Oakhaven confirmed lost in ch-01.
- The Sanguine Parley: Formal proposal of the Bilateral Seal initiated; 48-hour deadline for a response established.