Step 18 = Zone B + Chapters 2–5 + the denouement. Split: 18a = Zone B + Chapter 2 (done now); 18b = Chapters 3–5 + the denouement.
- ZoneBBuilder → SCN_ZoneB_SacredGrove (Embers → Setup → Create Zone B):
- One winding path, 10 nodes (x, z, width). Rock walls along both edges, overlapping at the turns; 520 dark trees outside the path.
- Grove-floor, bark, cave-rock and limestone textures; Overcast sky; grey-green fog.
- Landmarks:
- Treeline arrival, with the gate back to Zone A ("from_grove").
- Cutters' Camp: felled trunks, stumps, tents, waypoint wp.cutters_camp; Damon (overseer), Aithra (temple attendant) and Chiron with the canon Ch. 2 lines.
- Cut grove: stumps.
- Old Altar of Demeter: platform, columns, fresh offerings, a ShrineBoon (Demeter) and a Hestia hearth.
- Deep grove: standing stones.
- Threshold Warden chokepoint: boundary stones; a seal behind it that opens on flag.warden.stilled.
- Ploutonion Approach: boulders, a hearth, waypoint wp.ploutonion_approach, and the gate down to the boss arena ("from_treeline").
- Spawners (repopulating): 3 Blight packs in the cut grove, 3 mixed packs in the deep grove (Hoplites, Shades, Blights).
- New enemies (EnemyDataBuilder.CreateZoneBEnemies):
- Dryad Blight: Unattended, semi-rooted (speed 1.6, leash 12), 120° lash; a hit roots you for 1.6 s.
- Shade: ranged kiter that keeps 6 m away and throws an 11 m Umbral bolt (visual Bolt); backs off along the navmesh.
- EnemyDefinition: new _keepDistance and _rootSeconds fields; EnemyBrain gets BackOff and ranged hits that ignore the arc.
- Rooting: PlayerMotor.Root / IsRooted (no moving or jumping), shown as the root status icon.
- Threshold Warden (BossDataBuilder.CreateThresholdWarden): reuses BossBrain.
- 1000 HP, Umbral, resists Umbral, weak to Divine.
- Overhead Strike: a 2.4 m ring slam at you. Toll: a 10 m grab with a 2.5 m drag.
- Loot: a guaranteed Blessed+ item plus 2 scatter rolls, 300 XP.
- Chapter 2 (QuestDataBuilder): Enter the Cutters' Camp → Talk to Damon → Talk to Aithra → Kill 5 Dryad Blights in the cut grove → Enter the Old Altar. Reward: 550 XP, 70 drachmae, 1 item, flag.ch2.complete.
- Chapter 1's _next is set to Chapter 2, even on the existing asset.
- QuestLog.ResumeChapterChain starts the next chapter for saves that finished Chapter 1 earlier.
- Re-routing: the Zone A Treeline now leads into Zone B; the arena's exit leads back up to the Approach.
- Strings: canon Ch. 2 lines verbatim. Damon and Aithra are draft names (Claude).
- Compiled clean.
Next (18b):
- Ch. 3: the failing rite in Eleusis, the deep grove, the Warden; killing it "breaks something".
- Ch. 4: Pheidon at the Approach.
- Ch. 5: Polydegmon as a quest.
- Denouement: Theano's handoff, then her death delivered by Hestiaia, and the Delphi hook.
- Also: the guard/stop cosmetic flag.