3.4 KiB
Character State: ch-23
Marcus Thorne
Location: The North Bank (Cattle Pen / Utility Shed), Cypress Bend, Florida. Physical: Blistered hands; lower back strain; clothes caked in wet charcoal and marl. Emotional: Methodical; experiencing a quiet satisfaction in the primitive physics of filtration. Active obligations: Owes David his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID; Owes Leo a future outside the index (Ch-12) — IN PROGRESS. Open loops: The Ocala "Ghost" Signal (Ch-22) — UNRESOLVED; The Water Reliability Protocol (Ch-23) — RESOLVED. Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-01—unresolved): Knows the Alpha-7 empathy protocols were a lie to facilitate mass firings — Julian does NOT know he kept the back-end logs. Arc: 110% -- Marcus has transitioned from viewing water as a utility "provided by a grid" to a resource "reclaimed from the earth." Permanent: YES
David
Location: The North Bank (Cattle Pen), Cypress Bend, Florida. Physical: Breathing is steady; no recurrence of rib pain; calloused hands. Emotional: Protective and focused; satisfied by the collaboration on the filter. Active obligations: Owes Marcus his life (Ch-17) — UNPAID. Open loops: The Perimeter Fence Integrity (Ch-21) — UNRESOLVED. Arc: 105% -- David has fully stepped into the role of the "Old Hand," teaching Marcus the weight of the land's seasonal shifts. Permanent: YES
Sarah Jenkins
Location: The Kitchen Hub, Cypress Bend, Florida. Physical: Hair damp from humidity; hands smelling of woodsmoke and lye. Emotional: Vigilant; managing the internal "calorie-burn" logic of the sanctuary. Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-01—unresolved): Knows the Alpha-7 empathy protocols were a lie to facilitate mass firings — Julian does NOT know she has weaponized that detachment. Arc: 102% -- Sarah has finalized the kitchen as the secondary "Command Node" for the Bend's survival. Permanent: YES
Arthur Silas Vance — DECEASED (Ch-36)
Established: Died peacefully in his sleep after ensuring the "dead-zone" logic was intact. Legacy: His stockpiled IBC totes and charcoal-burn instructions provided the literal hardware for the water filter in this chapter.
Helen Vance
Location: The Porch, Cypress Bend, Florida. Physical: Resting; hands showing a slight tremor. Emotional: Quietly observant; seeing Arthur's foresight manifest in the men's work. Arc: 90% -- Helen remains the living link to the "Long Wait" philosophy. Permanent: YES
Elena
Location: The Perimeter Road, North Bank, Cypress Bend (Off-screen). Physical: Lean; no injuries. Emotional: Stoic. Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-10—unresolved): Knows the manual axe-throw is the only physical failsafe for the power line — Marcus does NOT know. Arc: 96% -- Elena continues to manage the structural "Dark" status of the sanctuary. Permanent: YES
World State: ch-23
NPC Memory
- Miller Family (Regional/Pork-trade): FRIENDLY -- Awaiting the next Seed Exchange -- Viewing the Bend's water security as a stabilizer for the local barter economy.
Faction Attitudes
- Avery-Quinn Corp: BLIND -- The "Sovereign Mesh" is successfully masking the thermal and acoustic signatures of the water-filter construction.
Active World Events
- The Spring Scour: ACTIVE -- Heavy rains making the Ocklawaha unpotable without manual filtration.
- The Sovereign Mesh: ACTIVE -- Local autonomous data-grid functional.
- The Seed of Barter: ACTIVE -- Resource exchange remains the primary regional currency.