EVENT #1: THE EMPTY THRONE (PT 2)

[aionmods]

The Empty Throne Pt 2

ESCAPE

As more and more of the prisoners awaken to the Pleroma's power, it soon becomes clear that conflict is inevitable. Strength that was locked away blossoms once again, and simply waiting is no longer an option; those that remain in the cavern have made their choice, and they will not be kept there so easily.

By means that may not be immediately apparent, the Pleroma have found themselves able to cast a spell that will ensure their freedom... but only if they can last the half hour it may take to complete. Whatever this power, Xishen, the Aion orchestrator of the Kenoma's ritual, seems able to sense it. As it begins, she will appear at each of the Kenoma's sides.

"The Pleroma has taken hold of them," she says. "Stop them now, or when you see them again, it will be as your mortal enemies. If you believe in the Kenoma's promise, take a stand. The Regent is watching."

For those that heed her, it will not be hard to find the congregation of Pleroma, the first seeds of their teleportation magic taking form. What's more, the fires of their hope have been stoked by this new chance at survival, granted them a surge of energy born of the Pleroma, compensating for the poor state of their bodies. The tension comes to a head, between those that would follow the Regent's path towards a better universe, and those that would seize the wild power of the Pleroma to escape.

Whatever violence ensues, eventually it will come to an end. Despite the Kenoma's efforts, the teleportation spell will come to fruition, enveloping the Pleroma in a sea of light and warmth. The Kenoma can only watch as fractals of blinding color whisk the Pleroma away.

VALLEY OF INNOCENCE

You will find yourself at the Shrine of the Innocent, surrounded by a valley of flourishing wildflowers. As you step from the shade of the monument, you will find your arrived here just in time to enjoy a warm spring spring morning, the sound of birds and gentle breezes tickling your ears. The sun slowly drifts past the horizon, its rays reaching out to you, as if in comfort. The air itself is alight with a strange aura of peace, as if committing violence here would be a sacrilege. There are no man made structures as far as your eyes can see.

Flowers of all shapes and sizes can be found here, and so can fresh water and various fruits and berries. All of them are safe to eat, and seemingly grow in abundance. There are animals here as well, all the common types one would expect from a place like Earth, with the occasional odd addition. While you can try to hunt them, you will find yourself unable to follow through on any attempts to hurt the creatures here. In turn, they regard you as familiar, and will fearlessly wander close as they inspect these new arrivals. In the distance, you may even catch sight of what appears to be a unicorn, only for its ephemeral shape to disappear from sight just as quickly.

The Pleroma will find safety and comfort here for a time, before they recover enough to travel onward. At some point during the afternoon of the first day, they may spot the occasional humanoid figure moving in the distance; when attempting to move in their direction, they will find an assortment of clothing set out across the grass as if in offering. It will come in many sizes but in mostly plain colors, fitting a general aesthetic of 'things a fantasy peasant might wear'. There will also be some blankets, wrapped cheese, jams, jerky, and bread left alongside them.

While there are trees and brush enough to find shelter, the Pleroma will find they hardly need to while resting here. The weather will be picturesque, a comfortable temperature even at night, and there will be no disruptive rain or aggressive wind. Of course, nothing lasts forever, and even though there could stay here for days, what if the Regent's forces are on their way? Once again, they must find the strength to carry on.

THE TRIWATER

As the Pleroma vanish, those claimed by the Kenoma are left in the darkness of the throne room. The Hylician soldiers are clearly agitated by the fighting, but Xishen herself seems unflustered. She will only sigh before quietly coming to the aid of any Kenoma that still need it, providing some light healing magics and explaining that their work here is over. With the Pleroma gone, all that's left to do is to return to Achamoth.

Things move quickly from there. The camp grounds are packed up, and soon enough the Kenoma will be ushered towards the river at the edge of the forest, to board a particularly large river vessel. As the Hylician soldiers prepare to go their separate ways, you will be told that you are to take the Triwater river to the capital city of Achamoth, where you will finally meet your new master, the Regent. The vessel is big enough for all of you, and it will set off the moment everyone is boarded. Suddenly, the world of entrapment and ruins you've been living in since your arrival will be left behind, leaving you to ponder the nature of your future.

The boat itself is well equipped and comfortable for what it is. A variety of colorful hammocks are hung in the lower decks and are open to be claimed for the journey back, which will take a day or two. The Kenoma will be offered a change of clothes of a similar style to what they already have if necessary, and there are plenty of blankets and cushions available to make life in the hold more comfortable. There are dice available for games of chance as well as some mystifying decks of cards that seems to have twelve suits with five cards each, themed around the Legacies. The twelfth suit is for the Regent.

Though the sailors controlling the vessel will mostly keep to themselves and leave the Kenoma alone, one of them will occasionally play harp music on the deck. Though they probably don't actually need help running the ship, they will let the Kenoma help them with chores and ship running tasks if they are so inclined; generally speaking, these sailors just seem like normal people, albeit a bit shy of their passengers. If you're polite to them, they may even gives you a river tour of Horos. On this ride alone, you'll get to see several magnificent bridges spanning the Triwater's width. At night, you are treated to a clear spring sky filled with stars.

As you make it closer to Achamoth, you'll notice the landscape shift, becoming mountainous and dotted with more and more military watch posts. The land becomes increasingly lifeless in a way that's hard to put your finger on, nature giving way to man-made creations of impressive architectural prowess. Soon, you will meet the person behind it all.

QUESTIONS

Can my Kenoma character fight against other Kenoma and/or help the Pleroma?
Yes, though if you do this you must describe what your character has done in a reply to the "Committed Actions" top-level below. This way, the mods can be aware of what happened and have your character treated accordingly. They are unlikely to receive immediate consequences if they don't hurt their fellow Kenoma, but their choices will follow them into Achamoth. If a Kenoma vs Kenoma conflict escalates into serious violence (attempted or successful) committed by the Kenoma rebel, Xishen will intervene and consequences will happen immediately which may restrict their actions until the next event post.

Can our characters leave the valley?
They can, yes, but really this event is just meant to cover the day or two they spend recovering before finding a more permanent place to go. You are free to have your character investigate the valley and probe the spaces beyond it, but please save any plans for large scale travel to the next event, which will be happening on April 2nd. The game will move into a 1:1 time ratio as of then.

Can our characters leave the boat?
Technically yes, but any Kenoma who wander too far will get in trouble. You are expected to report to the Regent, and behaving as if you are considering doing otherwise will not make an good impression.

Does the hope-based Pleroma boost last into the valley?
The boost to Pleroma characters will fade shortly after arriving in the valley, like coming down from a high. They'll have to recover the normal way from there.

Comments

[regretsor]

[Gotta push that lone wolf trope agenda.]

Don't think too deep into it. If we want to survive, then we have to work together. [He says that, but maybe it's less as a warning and more for himself to remember not to get too attached. He would prefer if this entire situation was temporary at most.

He gives a pat on the other's shoulder.] It's done. Don't do anything stupid that might aggravate it.

[goldendeceiver]

[ What's with these wolf men and their need to act cool?

Fortunately for Joonghyuk, Ernesto is too grateful at the moment to give him a hard time for this grumpy, distancing behavior. He'll move his shoulder slightly with just the slightest wince to make sure the bandage is in place, and starts to pull his shirt back into place. ]

As long as things stay as peaceful as they've been so far, I think I can manage that.

[regretsor]

[It's in their DNA.

He folds his arms over his chest as he seems to be giving the other a once over. It's probably just to make sure there's nothing else that might need to be checked on. While he wasn't magically inclined to healing, it would be a disservice to say that his medical skills weren't good.]

Hopefully we can idle here to recover a little. I don't feel comfortable lingering too long, but I think what happened back there has taken a toll on everyone.

[He doesn't think the other side also fared any better, so it would seems silly for the other side to try and pursue them. They were all exhausted.] Get some rest though.

[goldendeceiver]

[ Their woofy DNA.

The comment gets a hum of barely committal agreement from Ernesto. He doesn't know how they got here, and how easy it would be for the others to find them, but he wasn't the only one to take his fair share of lumps in this fight. The group as a whole is tired from their time in the cavern too.

And they don't exactly have much in the way of supplies going for them.

Still, they're alive, and they have the support of each other. That's got to count for something, right? ]

I appreciate the concern, Mr. Joonghyuk. I'll make sure not to ruin your work by moving my shoulder too much either.

[regretsor]

[Woolfy...DNA...

Everything had been quite chaotic, so the moment to breathe was actually quite welcomed. It's too bad his paranoia will always keep him on edge. It's hard to rest when one knew they were the disadvantaged side. A side that he didn't really want to play out in the first place.]

Fool. It's not about ruining my work. Just get better. Don't think that I'll always patch you up.

[It's not like I like you, b-baka. No, really. He barely knows this guy right now.]

[goldendeceiver]

[ They say, be afraid
You're not like the others
Futuristic fake lover
Woolfy DNA
They don't understand you

It's a fair comment to make. This group here doesn't even know how long they'll be sticking together. While Ernesto doesn't relish the idea of striking off on his own in a world he knows nothing about, traveling in such a large and conspicuous group might end up being pretty ill advised.

So he doesn't argue with what Joonghyuk is saying right now, though the smile on his face doesn't make it clear whether or not he fully took in what Joonghyuk just said. ]

I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for doing it for me this time still, Mr. Joonghyuk.

[regretsor]

[He had always thought that it’s better for him to travel solo. Even when he had companions, he often separated to go pursue Hidden Scenarios or to do some reconnaissance. He imagines, unfortunately, that those things might not be as beneficial here.

Still, he thinks it’ll be better to keep people at arm’s length until he has a better scope of everything. It’s safer. His paranoia is reminding him that it’s better this way.]

Right. Don’t forget to eat food and water while we’re here then. We probably can’t overstay our welcome here.

[goldendeceiver]

[ Unfortunately Horos isn't quite as gamified as where Joonghyuk comes from, so getting stronger is going to be a little tougher. Not that a guy like Joonghyuk really needs to get that much stronger.

The reminder to eat and drink makes Ernesto laugh, and if he was cheekier that "understood, mom" that he's thinking might actually be voiced out loud. ]

I'll do my best.

[ Though he's been mistrusting of the gifts they've received. ]

It goes without saying, but I hope you do the same.

[regretsor]

[He sighs as he straightens up and grabs the sword he had stolen.] I have someone to find.

[He gives the other one more cursory glance. Nothing seems off and he doesn't think there's any internal injuries to worry about.]

You don't have to worry about me. I have no intention on dying anytime soon.

[He turns away to leave; eyes searching for someone else.]

[goldendeceiver]

[ Ernesto raises his good arm up in a parting wave, not planning to keep Joonghyuk any longer than he already has. That the man came over to help patch up his wounds is far more than he would have expected already, though he's an interesting one...

Definitely one to keep an eye out for in the future if Ernesto needs help again. He seems just rational and duty bound enough to be able to tap as a resource. ]