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

please beat binghe up

[devilmancrybaby]

Of course Luo Binghe shows up. He wants to be thought well of here, after all -- and while his dedication to doing what he's told is shallow at first, when he sees that this guy is prowling around looking for a fight, he's fully on board.

It's clear Estinien's strength has returned to him, and that makes Luo Binghe more eager to face him. He stalks towards him, demonic energy making the air around him ripple like a heatwave. He's gotten a sword off one of the guards, and while it's a very long way off from Xin Mo, its weight feels good in his hand.

"I'm not going anywhere. Go on. Show me."

[coerthantorment]

Estinien eyes the sword, knowing that it will be a complication - after all, without his own weapon, blocking such a weapon will be more difficult. He's not about to let that stop him, though... now with Binghe's smug face bringing back dark thoughts of how helpless he'd felt the last time the two of them clashed. With Binghe's foot on his chest, he'd been powerless to free himself.

Not anymore.

Estinien sets into his stance, fury in his gut, twists of draconic aether spiraling around him to match Binghe's demonic aura. Justice was at hand.

"ROAR NIDHOGG, ROAR!"

He bellows the words, and from within him, an ancient and thunderous voice answers in turn. The sound of it spreads like a shockwave, enough to kick up dust and rubble. Binghe will feel the effects of it in his head twofold - both the sound and the psychic force behind it hitting at once. In his own world, it could have easily taken down an ordinary man.

Around him, the draconic energy swells into the ghostly visage of a winding serpent.

[devilmancrybaby]

Luo Binghe is not an ordinary man, but even with his cultivation and his demon blood the shockwave makes him stagger, one hand clutching jerkily at the side of his head and teeth bared in a snarling grimace.

The other hand still grips the sword as he leans on it, the only thing stopping him from going to his knees. But he's faced far worse than this. The spectral serpent beginning to form behind Estinien surely can't compare to the Endless Abyss's menagerie of horrors. Luo Binghe grits his teeth and pushes himself up and forward, eyes blazing red as he swings the blade towards his opponent.

[coerthantorment]

The assault doesn't cause Binghe to stagger for long, and ultimately Estinien isn't surprised. He felt one of the man's blows even without a weapon, and from his presentation alone he can see that he is manipulating aether. Still, that sword is the thing that he's most worried about... and conveniently, Binghe taking a moment to steady himself gives him the chance he was looking for.

Estinien disappears into the air, reaching the peak of his ascent and then hanging there, just long enough for him to angle his attack. With a sudden shift in trajectory, he dives to strike Binghe from behind, a field of burning aether building around him as he goes. As his feet hit their target, whether that be Binghe's back or the floor below him, the flames detonate, triggering a wave of dragonfire and concussive force around him on impact.

[devilmancrybaby]

Luo Binghe tracks him in the air with narrowed eyes. The movement he makes is too abrupt for Binghe to be able to track it, and so instead he leaps backwards into the air, his borrowed toga billowing around him. A fraction of a second later the explosion comes, scorching the soles of his boots, and he whips round in the air to slam the blade of his sword down towards the spot where he was just standing. He can feel the dragonfire scorching his cheeks and his bare arms, but he doesn't want to wait for Estinien to recover from the impact.

[coerthantorment]

Estinien had vaguely hoped that the explosion would allow him enough time to leap away, but apparently, Binghe isn't interested in offering him that luxury. He's lifted his arms, ready to deflect such a theoretical blow, and as he readies himself into a backward flip the sword cuts a line along his forearm.

The next moment he's gone again, having flipped back about a dozen feet. Though blood drips from this fresh wound, he doesn't allow it to give him pause - instead, he lifts his arms with another roar, the mirage-like silhouette of a dragon erupting from his body and swooping towards Binghe in another explosion of draconic energy.

[devilmancrybaby]

He meets this one head on. With Xin Mo he's sure he could have split even this incorporeal dragon in two, but without it Luo Binghe can only weather the blast, sword dug into the stone underfoot to hold his ground as his clothing and skin are torn by the energy searing over him. He expects to be able to heal the damage near instantly, but he finds he's still bleeding when the blast subsides enough that he can surge forward towards his enemy...

No matter. He'll have this man's head all the same.

He abandons the sword where he stuck it and bears down on Estinien with clawed fists instead. The roiling aura of his demonic qi will make contact before his knuckles do, unless Estinien manages to get out of the way.

[coerthantorment]

It says something about Binghe's technique that he decides to just weather the blow instead of avoiding it. Estinien files that information away, but ultimately he doesn't have long to contemplate it. His opponent is just as dogged as he is.

He crosses his arms, the aura of energy around him thickening and colliding with Binghe's own qi as he strikes. He can feel the power of it sear across his arms as he blocks, building his own retaliatory burst of draconic energy in return.

"This will hurt," he hisses, leaping back as he releases energy in a surge of blue light, taking the form of twisting, serpentine shapes. Without leaving room to pause, he flows into the next move, the Nastrond, the weight of his draconic gaze burning as a second, more powerful burst of crackling blue and searing scales spirals forth.

[devilmancrybaby]

An array of energy-based attacks like this isn't wholly unfamiliar to Luo Binghe, but it is the kind of thing he'd expect to face from an accomplished cultivator -- far more than he was expecting from this guy. And without his own spiritual sword, he's finding his capacity to resist it limited. This time he tries to evade it, but Estinien goes from one move to the next so swiftly that the second one ends up blasting Luo Binghe back against the craggy stone wall a short way behind him.

Estinien was right: that did hurt! Binghe's teeth are gritted as he pushes himself up, eyes blazing with hate. He stops partway through to spit up blood.

[coerthantorment]

Estinien has to pause to breathe after that, and it allows him to see Binghe crash into the stone wall. As his opponent spits up blood, he finds himself in two minds. One is to simply leave it at that and carry on to another opponent, the other is to keep going until the threat has been eliminated completely. Looking at things strategically, he seems dangerous enough that it may be for the best to take him down here and now.

He hesitates, however. As much as he feels hatred in return, he remembers the moment on the transport ship where this young man had seemed genuinely wounded by the way the world had treated him. It's a feeling Estinien is all too familiar with.

He can feel the burn on his own arms from where Binghe's energy had struck, broken skin sending drips of blood down his arms. He growls softly.

"Stand down," he says.

[devilmancrybaby]

He pushes the back of his hand across his mouth, smearing blood.

"Stand down?" he rasps, glowering. "Hah... Very well, I see I am outmatched. What will you do with me?"

[coerthantorment]

Estinien finds the question sort of annoying. Like, what is he supposed to do with him? Take him to prison? Sadly, this world will afford him no such possibilities. As it stands, Estinien's the one that's the fugitive.

"Allow us to leave," he says, "and I'll have no reason to do anything with you."

[devilmancrybaby]

Luo Binghe's lip curls. In spite of the beating he's taken, he still watches Estinien attentively, crimson eyes tracking his every minute movement.

"It seems I have no choice."

[coerthantorment]

Estinien has his hesitations. After all, it seems very likely that Binghe will not keep to his word. Yet, if he gives him this chance... at least he'll know he tried, he thinks. He wouldn't be the first one to decide that death was the only option.

It's a luxury that he'll accept, for now.

"If you interfere again... I'll not hesitate."

And with that, he will leap back towards the ritual circle, keeping an eye on Binghe for as long as he can until another fight ensues.

[devilmancrybaby]

Luo Binghe watches him like a hawk, waiting for any opportunity to lunge at him while his back is turned or his guard down. He doesn't get one, to his frustration. This fucking guy!!