# Character State: ch-10

## Queen Seraphine
Location: The Great Hall, Castle Sangue
Physical: Vision is blurred by double-sensory input; hands are steady but she is physically leaning into Aldric for stability.
Emotional: Transports of raw, shared power; a burgeoning, invasive intimacy with Aldric’s psyche.
Active obligations: Owes Aldric Thorne the protection of the Thorne-Valerius borders (ch-03) — UNPAID.
Open loops: [Seraphine & Aldric] Navigating the telepathic bleed of the Sanguine Vow (ch-10) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): The Blight has breached the inner glass-line; the Lowen-Court is already compromised.
Arc: 75% — Relinquished her singular autonomy to become a terminal for the collective vitality of two kingdoms.
Permanent: YES

## King Aldric
Location: The Great Hall, Castle Sangue
Physical: Silver scars on his arm are cauterized by crimson light; posture is rigid, anchoring Seraphine’s weight.
Emotional: Vulnerable and exposed; experiencing the "predatory" stillness of Seraphine’s internal shadow.
Active obligations: None.
Open loops: [Aldric & Seraphine] Managing the tactile synchronization of their heartbeats (ch-10) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: None.
Arc: 70% — Accepted the role of a living battery, tethering his life force to the Valerius throne to stabilize the realm.
Permanent: YES

## High Priestess Malcorra
Location: The Great Hall, Castle Sangue
Physical: Skin is pale; eyes are bloodshot from the psychic backlash of witnessing the Vow's completion.
Emotional: Triumphant yet wary; she senses the "unscripted" nature of the sovereigns' personal connection.
Active obligations: None.
Open loops: [Malcorra & The Sovereigns] The theological containment of the new bond (ch-10) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: None.
Arc: 45% — Witnessed the manifestation of a power that bypassed her liturgical control, forcing a shift in her oversight strategy.
Permanent: YES

## High Provost Vane — DECEASED (ch-04)
Established: Executed by Queen Seraphine via hemomantic heart-stop after attempting to poison King Aldric.
Legacy: His absence removed the final political barrier to the Sanguine Vow, allowing for the total unification of the bloodlines.

# World State: ch-10

## NPC Memory
- The Lowen-Court Nobility (Castle Sangue): AWE-STRUCK — Witnessed the literal merging of two royal auras — Increased compliance with the new dual-regime.

## Faction Attitudes
- The Crimson Cathedral: VIGILANT — They view the successful Vow as their greatest achievement but fear the sovereigns might now be more powerful than the Church.
- The Thorne Loyalists: SUBMISSIVE — The visible restoration of Aldric’s strength has silenced immediate dissent regarding the Valerius alliance.

## Active World Events
- The New Seal: PERMANENT — The Thorne and Valerius bloodlines are now a single magical circuit, stabilizing the immediate ley lines around the capital.
- The Oakhaven Breach: CRITICAL — Reports arrive that the Blight has consumed the eastern garrison; the unified sovereigns must march or lose the border.