diff --git a/simulation/character_memory.py b/simulation/character_memory.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..af1c44d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/simulation/character_memory.py
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+"""
+Character memory system for a simulation.
+
+Each of the 5 characters maintains a personal memory bank. The `memory_call`
+function retrieves contextually relevant memories for a given character based
+on keyword matching and recency, simulating how a character "remembers" things
+during a scene.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import time
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from typing import Optional
+
+
+@dataclass
+class Memory:
+    content: str
+    tags: list[str]
+    importance: int          # 1 (trivial) – 10 (critical)
+    timestamp: float = field(default_factory=time.time)
+    recalled_count: int = 0
+
+    def relevance_score(self, context_tags: list[str]) -> float:
+        tag_overlap = len(set(self.tags) & set(context_tags))
+        recency_bonus = 1.0 / (1.0 + (time.time() - self.timestamp) / 3600)
+        return tag_overlap * self.importance + recency_bonus
+
+
+@dataclass
+class Character:
+    name: str
+    role: str
+    backstory: str
+    memories: list[Memory] = field(default_factory=list)
+
+    def remember(self, content: str, tags: list[str], importance: int = 5) -> None:
+        """Store a new memory."""
+        self.memories.append(Memory(content=content, tags=tags, importance=importance))
+
+    def __repr__(self) -> str:
+        return f"<Character name={self.name!r} role={self.role!r} memories={len(self.memories)}>"
+
+
+def memory_call(
+    character: Character,
+    context: str,
+    top_k: int = 3,
+    min_importance: int = 1,
+) -> list[Memory]:
+    """
+    Retrieve the most relevant memories for *character* given a natural-language
+    *context* string.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    character     : The character whose memory bank is searched.
+    context       : A phrase or sentence describing the current scene/situation.
+    top_k         : Maximum number of memories to return.
+    min_importance: Only consider memories at or above this importance level.
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    A list of Memory objects sorted by relevance (highest first).
+    """
+    context_tags = [word.lower().strip(".,!?") for word in context.split()]
+
+    candidates = [m for m in character.memories if m.importance >= min_importance]
+    ranked = sorted(candidates, key=lambda m: m.relevance_score(context_tags), reverse=True)
+
+    results = ranked[:top_k]
+    for m in results:
+        m.recalled_count += 1
+    return results
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 5 pre-built characters with seed memories
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def _build_characters() -> dict[str, Character]:
+    characters: dict[str, Character] = {}
+
+    # 1 — Aria (Scout / Ranger)
+    aria = Character(
+        name="Aria",
+        role="Scout",
+        backstory="A sharp-eyed ranger who grew up on the forest edge and has survived three wars.",
+    )
+    aria.remember("Spotted enemy scouts near the northern ridge at dusk.", ["enemy", "scout", "north", "ridge", "dusk"], importance=8)
+    aria.remember("Found a hidden passage behind the waterfall leading to the old keep.", ["passage", "waterfall", "keep", "hidden"], importance=9)
+    aria.remember("Lost her partner Kaen to a trap near the iron gate.", ["loss", "trap", "gate", "kaen"], importance=10)
+    aria.remember("The forest at night becomes impassable without a fire-stone.", ["forest", "night", "fire", "stone"], importance=6)
+    aria.remember("There is a safe camp two hours east of the broken bridge.", ["camp", "east", "bridge", "safe"], importance=7)
+    characters["aria"] = aria
+
+    # 2 — Dex (Engineer / Inventor)
+    dex = Character(
+        name="Dex",
+        role="Engineer",
+        backstory="A tinkerer from the capital who specialises in mechanical traps and explosive devices.",
+    )
+    dex.remember("The city's power grid runs through sublevel 3 — a single overload would black it out.", ["power", "grid", "sublevel", "city", "overload"], importance=9)
+    dex.remember("Prototype K-7 destabilises when exposed to high humidity.", ["prototype", "humidity", "unstable", "k7"], importance=8)
+    dex.remember("Traded the schematics for the vault door in exchange for safe passage.", ["schematics", "vault", "door", "trade"], importance=7)
+    dex.remember("The foreman owes him a favour after the Morrow bridge incident.", ["foreman", "favour", "bridge", "morrow"], importance=5)
+    dex.remember("Found an uncharted tunnel beneath the old foundry.", ["tunnel", "foundry", "underground", "hidden"], importance=8)
+    characters["dex"] = dex
+
+    # 3 — Lyra (Healer / Alchemist)
+    lyra = Character(
+        name="Lyra",
+        role="Healer",
+        backstory="A travelling alchemist who has studied ancient texts on medicinal herbs and poisons.",
+    )
+    lyra.remember("Moon-petal extract neutralises iron-rot poison within one hour.", ["poison", "iron", "rot", "cure", "moon", "petal"], importance=9)
+    lyra.remember("The plague that hit Silverfen in 412 was engineered, not natural.", ["plague", "silverfen", "engineered", "disease"], importance=10)
+    lyra.remember("Stored emergency antidotes beneath the healer's tent — third crate from the left.", ["antidote", "tent", "crate", "emergency"], importance=8)
+    lyra.remember("Treated the general's wound two seasons ago; he trusts her implicitly.", ["general", "trust", "wound", "ally"], importance=6)
+    lyra.remember("Nightshade tea induces vivid visions when brewed under starlight.", ["nightshade", "tea", "vision", "starlight"], importance=5)
+    characters["lyra"] = lyra
+
+    # 4 — Marcus (Commander / Veteran)
+    marcus = Character(
+        name="Marcus",
+        role="Commander",
+        backstory="A seasoned military commander who has led armies for twenty years and never retreated.",
+    )
+    marcus.remember("The enemy commander, General Voss, always overextends his left flank.", ["enemy", "general", "voss", "flank", "tactics"], importance=9)
+    marcus.remember("Lost the siege at Ironhold because of a supply route ambush.", ["siege", "ironhold", "supply", "ambush", "defeat"], importance=10)
+    marcus.remember("Soldiers morale breaks when they go three days without hot food.", ["morale", "soldiers", "food", "supply"], importance=7)
+    marcus.remember("Signed a quiet alliance with the river lords — they will send archers if asked.", ["alliance", "river", "archers", "reinforcement"], importance=8)
+    marcus.remember("The old barracks east of the city has a hidden armory stocked for 300 men.", ["barracks", "east", "armory", "weapons", "hidden"], importance=9)
+    characters["marcus"] = marcus
+
+    # 5 — Sable (Spy / Infiltrator)
+    sable = Character(
+        name="Sable",
+        role="Spy",
+        backstory="A ghost operative who has infiltrated courts, guilds, and criminal syndicates for a decade.",
+    )
+    sable.remember("The guild master uses a rotating cipher key — changes every new moon.", ["guild", "cipher", "key", "code", "moon"], importance=9)
+    sable.remember("Lord Cayne is secretly funding the rebel faction in the east.", ["cayne", "rebel", "east", "funding", "secret"], importance=10)
+    sable.remember("The palace kitchen staff change shifts at midnight — that's the blind spot.", ["palace", "kitchen", "midnight", "shift", "blind"], importance=8)
+    sable.remember("Used the alias 'Mira Vane' in the northern ports; cover is still intact.", ["alias", "mira", "vane", "north", "cover"], importance=7)
+    sable.remember("The informant in the docks will only meet at the second bell after low tide.", ["informant", "docks", "tide", "meeting"], importance=8)
+    characters["sable"] = sable
+
+    return characters
+
+
+CHARACTERS = _build_characters()
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Demo
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    scenarios = [
+        ("aria",   "We need to find a hidden passage to reach the keep quickly."),
+        ("dex",    "The city power might be our way in — what do you know about the grid?"),
+        ("lyra",   "Someone has been poisoned — do we have any cure or antidote?"),
+        ("marcus", "We are running low on supplies and morale is dropping fast."),
+        ("sable",  "We need to infiltrate the palace tonight — what's the best window?"),
+    ]
+
+    for char_key, context in scenarios:
+        character = CHARACTERS[char_key]
+        print(f"\n{'='*60}")
+        print(f"[{character.name} | {character.role}]  context: \"{context}\"")
+        print(f"{'='*60}")
+        recalled = memory_call(character, context, top_k=2)
+        if recalled:
+            for i, mem in enumerate(recalled, 1):
+                print(f"  [{i}] (importance={mem.importance}) {mem.content}")
+        else:
+            print("  (no relevant memories found)")