PAYKAN: DEAD DROP — Issue #1

Phase One: The Sealed Earth
Status: Completed 32-page comic sequence assembled from the accepted page versions in the working conversation.

Core story canon

Amir Vaziri's murder leads Paykan from a laundromat dead drop to an impossible manufactured black fragment, the Black Bazaar, Zahm, Nairyosangha, Orison Recovery, Mara Vey, and finally the ancient Black Stratum. Paykan remains non-powered throughout. The Orison climax resolves around his defining choice to rescue people rather than pursue Mara. The issue closes underground on an artificial seam embedded in rock more than 300 million years old, followed by a single KNOCK.

Continuity locks carried forward

• Paykan: same established comic model; injuries carry forward; no powers.
• Farzan: woman; first name not locked; scientist/technical specialist.
• Nairyosangha / Navid Sangar: male; exact winged-flame messenger emblem is locked.
• Zahm: long-haired, bearded, ornate Black Bazaar operator; guarded and self-interested.
• Shirin Mehran: Covenant Office director; human authority/accountability.
• Mara Vey: non-powered Orison antagonist; escapes because Paykan chooses captives.
• Zamira Rostam: geoscientist lead into the Black Stratum mystery.
• Black fragment: same manufactured ancient material / groove logic across the issue.

See approved_pages_manifest.json for the assembled page files.