Files
crimson_leaf_publishing/projects/crimson-vows/polished/character-state-ch-07.md

49 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
Raw Blame History

This file contains ambiguous Unicode characters

This file contains Unicode characters that might be confused with other characters. If you think that this is intentional, you can safely ignore this warning. Use the Escape button to reveal them.

# Character State: ch-07
## King Aldric
Location: The Alchemical Laboratory, Beneath Castle Sangue
Physical: Labored breathing; veins near the blood-bond mark are blackened; recovering from a localized seizure.
Emotional: Profoundly vulnerable but resolute; experiencing a terrifying synthesis of Seraphines memories.
Active obligations: Owes Seraphine the protection of the Thorne-Valerius borders (ch-03) — UNPAID.
Open loops: [Aldric & Seraphine] The sensory feedback loop and shared memory bleed (ch-07) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): The execution of his brother was a legal necessity he personally ordered.
Arc: 55% — He has moved from physical dependence to a deep, psychic intertwining with Seraphine, accepting her "taint" as his own.
Permanent: YES
## Queen Seraphine
Location: The Alchemical Laboratory, Beneath Castle Sangue
Physical: Tremors in her hands; eyes bloodshot from the strain of the stabilization ritual; exhaustion.
Emotional: Desperate and hyper-focused; she is reeling from the unintentional exposure of her childhood trauma to Aldric.
Active obligations: Owes Aldric a formal response to the Bilateral Seal (ch-01) — PAID.
Open loops: [Seraphine & Aldric] The breach of her mental sanctum during the ritual (ch-07) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-03—unresolved): The Blight has breached the inner glass-line; the Lowen-Court is already compromised.
Arc: 50% — She has allowed a rival king to see her most guarded weakness, breaking her rule of absolute emotional isolation to save his life.
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 forced Seraphine to perform the dangerous stabilization ritual without high-level court assistance.
## High Priestess Malcorra
Location: The Threshold of the Alchemical Laboratory
Physical: Rigid; leaning heavily on her iron thurible.
Emotional: Judgmental and cold; she views the "Forbidden Alchemy" as a step toward heresy.
Active obligations: Oversight of the Sanguine Vows purity (ch-01) — UNPAID.
Open loops: [Malcorra & Seraphine] The theological cost of saving a Thorne King with Valerius blood-rites (ch-07) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: Knows the stabilization ritual has permanently altered the nature of the Vow.
Arc: 45% — She has transitioned from a distant observer to an active witness of what she considers the Queen's spiritual degradation.
Permanent: YES
# World State: ch-07
## NPC Memory
- The Laboratory Acolytes (Castle Sangue): HORRIFIED — Witnessed the Kings seizure and the Queens unorthodox use of raw blood-catalysts — They remain silent out of fear of the Queens "Gilded Pulse."
## Faction Attitudes
- The Crimson Cathedral: SUSPICIOUS — Malcorras report of the "Forbidden Alchemy" is moving toward a formal inquiry of the Queen's fitness.
- The Lowen-Court: UNCERTAIN — News of the Kings collapse has leaked, leading to whispers of a fragile foundation.
## Active World Events
- The Oakhaven Breach: CRITICAL — The borders are sagging as the Sovereigns are distracted by the King's internal "instability."
- The Forbidden Alchemy: RESOLVED — The ritual stabilized the Kings heart but fused the Sovereigns' psychic barriers.
- The Sanguine Vow: Transitioned from a physical contract to a shared mental haunting; the "bleed" is now bi-directional.