aionlogs | EVENT #1: THE EMPTY THRONE (PT 2)

EVENT #1: THE EMPTY THRONE (PT 2)

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Being awake on a ship in the middle of the night isn't anything new for Amos, albeit in much different circumstances.

The kind of ship is different, for one — on the water and with open air all around them rather than in the midst of vacuum. Night used to be much more relative, too, when you weren't planet-side. But he is now, and after a day's worth of helping out run things onboard, he's found he isn't tired. Not when he's spent the day doing something so close to familiar for him, and not when he knows he doesn't have to get up at any specific time for the next shift.

So, going to the uppermost deck to just take in a ~~new~~ ~~strange~~ unattainable night sky seemed to be something to do.

Amos has missed most of Howl's successes, coming up in time to see increasingly frustrated movements. He pauses, not sure what that's about but pretty sure he doesn't want to get in the way of someone who'd been a giant sort of bird-man not too long ago, but then Howl goes still as he stares up at the night sky.

Which is what Amos came here to do. So, alright. He can join him.

But for the sound of his footsteps as he comes to stand beside Howl, Amos doesn't do anything to announce his presence or try to get Howl's attention. He just stands still beside him, also looking upwards — except he's perfectly at peace. The more distance they're putting between themselves and those caverns, the more at ease he feels. Better. The Kenoma hasn't really messed with his mental state since he accepted it at all.

After a moment, and conversationally enough, ] I keep trying to find the constellations I knew from back home. I know I'm not gonna, but doesn't stop my brain from looking for them.

[ A creak and a footstep announce the presence of someone else. Howl's shoulder's tense and his head drops to look forward, out into the darkness hanging over the river, instead of up at the sky. Had they been watching him for any length of time? Surely, he thinks to himself, he would have sensed his presence there if he had been — but maybe that's just another facet of his power that's gone now. The possibility worsens his mood ever so slightly. ]

Did you know your constellations well?

[ Howl answers the stranger's conversational one with sufficient cordiality, but the question of whether he'd been watching him lingers in his mind. He doesn't turn his head to glance at the man, continuing to stare out into the dark. ]

[ Amos isn't sure what to make of the shoulder tension, but since nothing has really happened beyond that, he's plenty fine with taking the question, the situation, at face value. ]

Kinda. I mean, I knew the big ones pretty well. Not enough to actually do anything with them beyond knowing which one was the North Star, but they mean even less when you're actually up there, so learning them wasn't exactly a priority. Just something pretty to look at, I guess.

[ More aspirational than pretty — but he's got a pretty good feeling he's never going to achieve those aspirations again. It's fine, though. There's something new right around the corner instead, so it's fine if the night sky is just pretty now, nothing more.

He turns to look at Howl, expression amiably blank. Like, sure. He'll hang out, just shoot the shit, ignore any tension until it becomes an issue. ]

That what you're doing out here?

[ Howl bows his head as he listens to the answer. With his posture still tense, he reaches out to rest one hand on the deck railing and perches his other hand on his hip. He looks like he's deliberating something much more serious than foreign constellations, but his body language is the only clue. Upon the stranger's question, Howl turns to finally face him, and there's a calm, mild smile on his face. ]

Something like that. [ Now that he's facing the man, he can get a good look at him... or at least as good a look can get in the dark. A fairly big man, not much taller than Howl, but far stockier and well-built. ] As beautiful as they are, if they're so foreign to us all... well. There's no greater confirmation that we really are far, far from home, is there.

[ Amos watches Howl's movements, impassive; meets his eyes when he turns to him.

Alright. He's plenty familiar with that, too: expression curated to what the other party probably wants to see, but the body doesn't usually lie. Usually he's the one doing it, but Amos really doesn't have a need for it now. He's completely relaxed, an open and honest engagement with the world around him. ]

Yeah. Who knows what corner of what universe we're in. [ Howl's got a really good point; Amos hadn't thought of it that way before. There hadn't been a need. His universe is dead; it doesn't matter.

He cocks his head. ] That what you were thinking about? Not being home anymore?

[ He gets how that would line up with being tense. It isn't his truth, but he's well aware he's pretty broken to begin with, so it makes sense if others were still digesting that fact. ]

Something along those lines, yes.

[ Howl answers the question readily enough, but internally he's still debating with himself about whether to make small talk with this stranger. He might have accepted the Kenoma very quickly, but there are doubts deep in his heart. The words of so many who'd held out long enough to successfully escape did not fall on deaf ears. He'd helped them — or, at least, stopped the more violent on his own side from killing them, which he assumes would qualify as helping. Howl wouldn't have trusted many people with his true feelings on their situation in the first place, but especially not now, not after what happened, and not with someone with unknown motivations for speaking to him.

Thankfully for Howl's sake, he's good at that practiced smile of his. As the conversation has continued, the tension in his posture has disappeared. Time to act normal again, so act normal he shall. ]

...What do you think? Do you believe it — that it's all gone?

[ Normal is so much easier.

For the most part, Amos is an open book. There isn't exactly a lot of content in the book to begin with, but the little parts of him that make him human, he'll share. Motivations, true feelings, whatever. It's not a big deal. Sometimes it's easy to forget it can be a big deal for other people when it's of so little consequence to him. So: normal is so much easier.

Amos takes Howl at face value, also a bit more at ease that the whole bird thing isn't likely to crop up here. ]

Yup.

[ Just like that. He isn't bothered by it. Howl could have asked him if he thought the sun was going to come up again and he would've answered the exact same way. ]

Think a lot of people might be trying to kid themselves into thinking everything they ever knew could still be around. I mean, I get it, but dwelling on shit you can't change isn't exactly my strong suit, so I don't.

[ That's just him, though. It might sound dismissive — hell, it probably is — but there's nothing judgmental in his tone. He deals with things one way; other people deal with it another. That's fine by him.

Amos glances out at the water for a moment. They're journeying to the next thing. That's all there really is, isn't there? ]

There's something we can change coming up. [ Remaking... everything. Better. ] Makes more sense to focus on that.

[ Dismissive works better for Howl. It's preferable to the man getting emotional, or even worse, saying something to make Howl emotional. The Wizard crosses his arms and looks up at the stars again. Countless pinpoints of light, free to flicker dimly in the sky with no city lamps to compete with. ]

I agree. [ On most counts, although for some it's Howl himself agreeing and for the rest it's the Kenoma inside him. ] It's a fine idea, the possibility that it might not be true, but — well. You felt it as much as I did, as much as everyone here did.

[ Howl trusts his feelings, for better or for worse, and they told him his world really is gone. He already did so much crying over it. Now the thought simply makes him feel numb and empty. ]

...I did a poor job trying to convince the others to come to their senses. That, I regret.

[ He nods. Yeah. Amos felt it, something deep and powerful and just knowing. Instinctual. And he knows a lot of the time his instincts are the wrong ones, but that applies to when you're living with other people, among civilization. And where they'd come from, when they'd experienced that sensation, civilization was effectively dead.

He never cried over it. He'd sat with it for a moment when he'd been in a state of mind to, and then he'd moved on.

There's a sort of relief that, as far as he knows, he and Howl are on the same page.

Amos looks back over at him, and there's almost what could be construed as empathy in his tone as he responds. ]

Can't convince everyone. I talked to some of them, too, before all that shit happened in the cavern. Some of them really, really didn't want to accept it. I don't know why, but forcing 'em probably would've been worse. Better to let them figure it out when they're ready.

[ He's got no regrets. Either everyone who got away will figure it out, or. What that woman had told them. That they're mortal enemies now. He's not particularly bothered by the thought. ]

If they don't figure it out, then I guess we deal with that, too.

[ In reality, Amos and Howl are far from being on the same page — had it not been for the wizard's intense grief, he wouldn't even be on this boat right now — but Howl is not interested in baring himself to others any more than he already has. If they agree on the truth of the vision they'd all seen, that's enough for him, and he's eager to believe they're of the same mind on the situation based on that alone.

Howl glances back at the man when he feels his eyes on him again and nods slightly in agreement. What he's described matches his experience trying to convince the hold-outs, but Howl will continue to feel like he didn't do enough.

But that last comment... hm. Its intentional vagueness does not sit right with him, to say the least. He won't go so far as to demand clarification, but it does pique his interest in whoever this person is. ]

What's your name, sir?

[ There's just something about finding people who think like you, isn't there? Who hold the same values. Or at least, that's what Amos thinks this is, as far as he can tell, completely oblivious to the cavern separating him and Howl. As far as he knows, they both reached the same conclusions — their worlds are dead; they're not coming back; they accepted the Kenoma. How would they have gotten there through different means? Especially when he thinks he understands him.

Though if Howl had asked, Amos would have clarified: yeah, they might have to kill those who escaped the cavern one day. It happens.

But since he didn't, the thought's gone from his mind. It's not relevant, not now, so doesn't really mean anything to bring it up unless prompted.

Instead, he just gives a simple answer. ]

Amos. [ A beat, and, ] Yours?

[ Since they're on the same team now. Might as well get to know each other on at least some level. ]

[ They might see eye to eye on the legitimacy of the Regent's cause, even if their reasons for doing so are vastly different... but Howl won't forget that questionable comment about "dealing with" the Pleroma any time soon.

Propping his hands on his hips again, Howl turns fully to face this "Amos." Twenty years of putting on the proper mask when addressing people older than him — whom Howl had become predisposed not to trust — come together to maintain the right mask in this instance. ]

It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir. [ Smiling, he lifts one shoulder in a half-shrug. ] How did you put it? Dwelling on the things you can't change isn't your strong suit? It's a good mindset to have. One of the best, perhaps.

[ ...he says, despite being totally incapable of sticking to that philosophy himself. ]

[ Amos wouldn't blame him. He knows the role he tends to carry usually isn't pretty, has its fair share of detractors. But so far he feels like he'll actually have a legitimate place here, and as rare as that is for him, he's got no reason to believe Howl would have a problem with it — especially not with his current demeanour.

He meets him head on, taking his disposition at face value. Why wouldn't he? Though Amos does find himself rubbing the back of his neck slightly at the full-on acceptance. Hell, it's more than that; he's really not used to having his philosophies so earnestly praised. It's kinda weird. ]

I dunno if it's one of the best, but it sure as hell doesn't hurt. Dunno how people get by otherwise. [ Because he'd needed to develop that way in order to survive. Otherwise, he'd get. Well. The way he'd reacted in the cavern, before accepting the Kenoma — a personal hell he has no hope of surviving. So, while this is better, it might not be the best.

... And it's behind him, so he shrugs the thought off. ] You need it here, though. Can't work towards anything better if you're so stuck on everything that's gone.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT #1: THE EMPTY THRONE (PT 2)

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