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

lumine | pleroma

[traversal]

i. pvp arc

[ ooc: i'll be tagging around for this because fighting logs, man, fighting logs. otherwise, i'll put up closed starters with those i've made plans with. if you and your character want to fight a tiny little girl, hmu via pm or discord and i'll be happy to hash things out and set something up. ]

ii. valley arc

[ guess who found the random and very decent rations littering this really nice, really peaceful valley while also picking out and pocketing berries and fruits?

lumine's sitting on the shore of that pond/lake/body of water thing, staring moodily at its surface. she'd tried catching fish too, the damp hem of her skirt a testament to that attempt, but failed, the fish seemingly quickly to escape her clutches. either she's gotten rusty, or they've been blessed by whatever god or deity exists in this valley. so much for attempting to recreate a recipe from teyvat.

if you've managed to stumble into her, she'll offer you a sandwich. yes, a cheese and jerky sandwich that she's managed to haphazardly put together while stewing and simmering in silence. one can even find her slicing up the cheese and bread with her sword ... hey, it's practically a luxury after the stuff that's been fed to them for the past week or so, so she's trying to make the best out of it. ]

Want one?

[ no, the sword she's used to cut the bread and cheese doesn't have people's blood on it. ]

– joonghyuk

[traversal]

[ look. look.

friendly fire sometimes happens. even she's been a victim of such, though very rarely nowadays now that her twin brother has decided to up and leave her on her own journey. and in the chaos of all the fighting, it can't be helped that lumine, currently out of it with her senses picking up everything that's happening all around her, decides to throw a punch, fist covered in arcing purple electro energy, at the closest, kenoma-seeming person she catches a glimpse of. she doesn't even notice that he's also on their side, preventing the soldiers from getting past their line.

she promises to apologise profusely after this—but not before she manages to land a hit on him ok.

is it her fault that he looks brooding and very, totally kenoma-like? no ... okay, maybe yes. but to be fair, it's getting difficult figuring out who's who in all this madness, even with her attunement. ]

Keep to your side!

[regretsor]

[You know. He can easily say that if someone threw a punch at him, he probably deserved it. He's fought, insulted, and angered well enough people that if someone wanted to throw hands with him, they very much were in the right for it.

At least, that's how he would feel if this were back home where he had fought, insulted, and angered people by the hundreds (thousands?) through his regressions. He thinks he can say that such things don't apply here. Especially by someone who was on the same side as him.

He ends up having a fist slammed into his face that causes him to stagger. Electricity courses through his body and he stands there dazedly before shaking his head as the current wears off. The wolf ears flatten against his head and he bares his teeth at her.

He has never spoken to her in his life. What the fuck.] I am on my side. Do you make it a habit of making enemies out of your teammates? [He at least did his best to take into account who was sticking around and seemingly protecting those casting the teleportation spell. She had stuck around them a little tighter without touching them, so he knew she was at least safe.

It seemed she didn't feel the same way about him.]

[traversal]

[ just look at you, yjh. anyone unsuspecting might have a similar sentiment .......................

that's a digression, the sudden exclamation about his alliances clearing her battle-drunk senses. lumine blinks at him, her gaze flickering momentarily at his face and then at her fist. look, it's still in one piece nbd, good job having a strong enough constitution to sustain that punch with no apparent injury. more importantly, she opens her mouth to apologise for the mistake; after all, friendly fire happens in these kinds of chaos.

but before she can utter the words, lumine's grabbing at his arm to pull him to the side and dodge an oncoming projectile aimed at them both. she summons her sword, sending an arc of purple electro energy towards the perpetrator with a slash. ]

... It was an accident.

[ to answer his question, before turning back to the soldiers heading their way, blade brandished. ] We have incoming.

[regretsor]

[Excuse you??? He is just an angry man. It's not his fault that he has suffered for awhile and it made him kind of an emotionally constipated asshole. Rude.

The only thing he has going for him is his face, because it's definitely not his personality.

He glares at her as he rubs his jaw a bit. His ears are pinned back and he has to school the growl in the back of his throat that threatens to escape. He turns his attention to soldiers that are approaching them. He doesn't have a weapon on hand, but he doesn't need one. Still, it would be nice to have one at the moment. There's comfort with having one.

Yoo Joonghyuk takes a more offensive status; ready to dash forward to incapacitate those that were approaching.] No shit, it was an accident. It still shouldn't have happened.

[He'll get over it. He's just grouchy.]

– luo binghe

[traversal]

[ there's something about him that just doesn't feel right.

something she can't put a finger on, whether it's his seeming nonchalance or his apparent disinterest in actual fighting, but it's something that she can't shake off, even as she stands in his way. and lumine isn't one to dismiss her senses, especially in a crucial fight like this that could make or break their escape. whatever that bad feeling is, she simply has to cut it away with her sword.

her blade appears in her hand in a flash of gold, purple electro energy running and arcing across its edge and surface. ]

I'm sorry, but I can't let you pass.

[devilmancrybaby]

[ Luo Binghe sneers at her. His own sword is just a piece of metal, taken from one of the soldiers, but he's confident that with his cultivation returned he has more than enough strength to put it to good use. ]

That isn't your decision to make.

[traversal]

[ lumine digs her heels on the ground, sending a wave of geo energy across the floor and erecting glowing walls of stone around the both of them. still, despite this move, she doesn't try to take the offence, holding her sword in a defensive stance. she'd rather he does, so she can study him. see what openings he can make and what she can take advantage of to keep him at bay.

besides, there's no point in rushing through this fight when she can stall just as much time by doing this. ]

Come at me, then. Prove me wrong.

[devilmancrybaby]

[ He takes in the walls she forms with narrowed eyes. Interesting. He'd like to see more of what she can do before he makes his move... but he knows he doesn't have that luxury here. He needs to get past her, and all she needs to do is hold him up. She can wait forever if she wants. ]

If you insist.

[ He comes at her. With his sword, as if he's expecting her to simply block with her own, although he doubts that will be all there is to it. ]

[traversal]

[ ... she's not really insisting, but.

he's right that lumine only needs to hold him up. delay the other side until the spell is finished. that much, she can easily do without too much of an effort; she can stall it as much as she needs to, as much as the spellcasters need to. but she knows that that's not going to fly in this situation. she can see how the other side has just as capable fights, and she can't let her guard down.

the clash of their swords rings in the cavern when she parries his attack, holding her ground against him. her other hand starts summoning a ball of anemo energy, wind swirling in her palm to create a vacuum, before she shoves it towards his chest to try and push him back. ]

– himeka

[traversal]

[ tired is the understatement of the year—no, the century, even. and she's never been this tired since ... since a time she doesn't even remember anymore. though she supposes it isn't just physical exhaustion that plagues her, her muscles sore, her energy low and there's this sharp, stabbing pain on her side that's quite possibly a broken rib or two after bodily engaging a whale thrown at her. an invisible, crushing weight also presses against her chest as she sits on the grass, looking at the sky in quiet contemplation.

there wasn't anything that she could do. she wishes there was, but she's never been good with words despite popular belief back in teyvat—at least nothing that would change the mind of someone who's already made up his. there's no point blaming herself, and yet, she finds herself doing so anyway: silently, wordlessly, irritably.

(a part of her wonders if she should've beaten childe senseless and thrown his unconscious body into the teleporter ...)

in any case, lumine gives it a moment, and then another, and then another—before she gets up to her feet and heads off towards himeka, plopping back on the ground with a quiet groan. definitely a broken rib, that one. ]

Any healing spells you can still spare?

[aquaveiled]

[ As much as Himeka prefers to be on the front lines, she knows she has other duties as well. After a few altercations of her own, she shifts her attention to what she was really trained to do: before punching god in the face, of course.

It takes a moment to allow her aether reserves to begin to replenish, and just in time when Lumine deposits herself nearby. Neither of them had been at their best when taken from that shrine, but she looks more exhausted than ever. She knows well the telltale signs of battle, even if she hadn't caught glimpse of the fight between her and Childe. ]

I've got you.

[ Himeka summons up an asylum bubble around them--a slow restoration of vigor over time--before repositioning herself in front of Lumine. She calls aether to her hands until a calm glow emanates from them and places them just above Lumine's person. The magic slowly moves from one woman to the next. ]

You don't look half-bad considering what I saw.

[traversal]

[ she thanks her quietly, offering a faint smile as she takes a deep, painful breath.

her magic seems to be a different kind from the one she's used to seeing. but healing is healing, and even lumine can feel some of her injuries slowly mending as she passes on her power. skin knitting together, bruises lightening ... it's just her rib that needs tending a little longer, the pain still throbbing at her side. ]

I'm hoping it's because he held back a bit.

[ he didn't. childe never does in any of their fights, that much she can look forward to. her injuries from him are just elsewhere, nearly invisible on her person. she supposes those kinds of damages heal slower than most. ]

Good job beating him black and blue, though.

[aquaveiled]

[ It will take some time. Trained in healing magicks as she is, there are wounds that her abilities as a White Mage cannot heal, but she will do everything she can. Mayhaps several treatments over time will make better progress.

Himeka huffs, her lips quirking a small smile. ]

Apparently I should have followed chase...

[ Though she had thought it would have been enough to make a point--she didn't see these others as her enemies, not quite yet. Not deserving of death, in the least, not after all they went through. The kenoma had gotten to him in the ways that it had almost to the rest of them. She's only too glad for those that made it through. ]

He called you his "friend".

[traversal]

[ lumine lets out a puff of laughter at that. maybe she should've if only to beat more sense into childe.

it's getting easier to breathe, at the very least, himeka's magic slowly but surely mending whatever else she's managed to acquire from the chaos back in the cavern. like an ache that's gradually fading but the reminder that an injury was there still exists. she wonders how long it'll take before she's back to her full strength. ]

I guess that's pretty accurate, you could say.

[ since she can't really say they're mere acquaintances, considering the events that transpired between them. but they're also not enemies, either. at least, not entirely despite following opposite ideologies and paths, even back in teyvat. ]

If friends nowadays pick fights with you all day and get excited like a hyperactive puppy when you manage to beat them. [ masochism at its finest ... or something. ] I hope he wasn't too much of a pest when he was fighting you.

[aquaveiled]

[ That...hits much closer to home than Lumine may have guessed. Such thing should definitely not be commonplace. And while Himeka herself tends to have a rather broad definition of friendship, she has never really been sure if that's what Zenos saw in her.

"My enemy, my friend..."

No, she was an avenue in which he could feel and experience something. That's not the same thing as friendship, at least not for everyone else. Childe didn't seem to have that same sort of disdain for all else in existence, but...well, she'd only really gotten a glimpse of him in battle.

There's a moment of hesitation as Himeka's healing magicks dim--she's distracted. But she quickly shakes her head and resumes her work. ]

I'm not sure if it's a good thing that I know what you're talking about.

[ Probably no, on both of their accounts. ]

He was definitely eager. I'd hoped that having a friend standing opposed to him would let him reconsider, but I'd completely misread his intentions in the beginning.

[traversal]

[ well.

to be fair, lumine too isn't exactly sure if it's a good thing or bad that someone else shares a similar sentiment. after all, childe (or someone of the same line of thinking and calibre) isn't someone she'd like to sic on any unsuspecting person. which is why all she can do is offer her a pained smile, though whether that's stemming from her injury stinging for a bit or the feeling of dealing with childe, she doesn't say. ]

It's all right. I ... also misread his intentions.

[ her mistake, she thinks, and one that could've cost her life and the others. friend or no friend, she's not allowed to make that same mistake with him again. not until she's made sense of what's going on—and the look on his face that he made in front of her. ]

This isn't the first time, though. [ that she thought she could trust him. ] So, I suppose you could say it was my fault to begin with.

[aquaveiled]

[ It's strange how Himeka's first inclination is to say-- ]

--It's not--

[ But she stops herself as soon as the words escape her. Of course it's easy to say that from the outside, but it doesn't take long for her to think about how much destruction was wrought for her "benefit". To get her attention away from the larger problems.

How many people were killed because she didn't want to play ball?

If it's anything like that, she knows well that hearing that it isn't doesn't make the feeling go away nor bring anyone else hurt in that destructive path back. So instead she pulls back a moment, offering her own pained smile. ]

...I mean in that you probably couldn't change his mind anyway.

II

[hippocarnival]

[The change of scenery doesn't complete put Yuya at least, but it does alleviate it. Who knew you could miss the sun so much?

Like the others, he's taken advantage of the strange offerings to get into something more comfortable, and eat more filling rations. Maybe he should be more suspicious of this, but... he's pretty okay with being taken care of right now.

So he accepts the offered sandwich immediately with a grateful smile.] Yeah, thanks. I've never been so hungry!

[With equally little hesitation, he takes a big bite out of the sandwich.]

[traversal]

[ truth be told, she should be suspicious of it, too. rations and clothes don't just pop up on the ground like mushrooms, after all. her life of traveling across vast terrains and worlds has prepared her for circumstances like this, keeping her wary of anything and everything around her. but at the same, it's also allowed her to be open towards little blessings such as these.

also, she's very hungry, having only eaten so small portions in the past several days or so. ]

You have to admit, this is the best food we've had so far in this world.

[ she chuckles softly as she watches him take a bite of the sandwich before she does the same with hers. not as good as the one sara makes back in mondstadt, but it can't be helped when there's nothing else to work with but cheese and jerky. ]

Hopefully, it'll be better from here on out.

[hippocarnival]

After how things have been... the only way is up, right? [No, things can definitely get worse. But he has to hold onto some hope.]

I'm just glad we got away from them. I wish... we could have brought everyone.

[traversal]

[ aah ... lumine says nothing at that, falling silent for a few moments as she chews on her food. that is something she did wish hours ago, to have been able to convince everyone to come with them whatever attunement they've decided to lean towards. ]

The only way is up, I agree.

[ she offers him another smile, a little faded at the corners. there's not much they can do right now but continue walking forward. ]

Did you have friends from ... those who stayed behind?

[hippocarnival]

[Ah... Yuya's gaze lowers, along with the hand holding his sandwich.]

Not... very well. [Some people he feels sympathy, for. And disappointment. But that's not the painful part.] Everyone I know is back home.

[traversal]

[ oh.

she supposes being alone in a place like this can be quite depressing? dispiriting? lumine can't exactly argue when she feels a pang of loneliness despite having made acquaintances with some of the members of their group. it's still different, after all, being in the company of someone familiar. but if that one familiar someone ...

lumine shakes her head, giving him a gentle pat on the arm. ]

On the bright side, them not being here means they don't need to deal with all of ... this.

[ the bad food, the terrible treatment, the fighting—despite knowing the capabilities of her friends, she doesn't think she'd want them to be here. ]

My name is Lumine, by the way.

[hippocarnival]

Yeah. [He knows he shouldn't want Yuzu here, after everything she already went through since Academia attacked their home. He shouldn't want Gongenzaka here no matter how strong he is.

But... selfishly, he does want them there. He doesn't want to be alone.

He shoves the sandwich into his mouth, taking a huge bite.] I'h 'utha.

[Uh, okay.]