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

moiraine ✨ pleroma

[velvetoversteel]

( ooc: closed starters are going here. if you want one and we haven't discussed already, please PM me either here or on discord (nightsong#1687)! )

lumine;

[velvetoversteel]

[ The cavern is utter chaos, now that the people who have suffered here for the past week -- Moiraine included -- have regained their strength and abilities. Moiraine cannot say she's especially surprised those who have gone over to the Regent's side have been ordered to stop them from leaving. She suspects it was always bound to come to this in the end, from the moment some of them chose to surrender to the Kenoma and some of them did not.

It would be incorrect to say Moiraine cannot defend herself. She most certainly can, though the times when she has had to have been rare. The One Power responds to her call again now, and if she were able to be more proactive she could call Fire and Air and Earth to her fingertips and stand on the front line -- but no. The Oaths she swore, as does every Aes Sedai, prevent her from using the One Power as a weapon except in the last defense of her own life.

But saidar does have strictly defensive applications, Air especially, and if she can't precisely fight unless attacked first, she can certainly protect others. Amidst everything, Moiraine spots a young blonde woman from the corner of her eye -- and with all of the projectiles flying about the cavern, magical or otherwise, something flies towards her rapidly from her blind spot.

Moiraine can weave faster than she can shout a warning, and the shield of Air springs into place over the young woman just before the fireball hits her. It splashes against the shield and dissipates instead, though that doesn't prevent the heat from perhaps singing her a little bit. In the aftermath, Moiraine closes the distance between them. ]

Are you all right?

[traversal]

[ if there's at least one thing she can count on her twin brother, it's him protecting her blind side as she protects his. it's the only way her reckless way of fighting even works, knowing that there will always be someone parrying any attacks to come her way. but as it stands, aether's not here nor was he in the previous world she was in, so lumine has to adjust. guard her own back while fighting, be more wary in combat situations.

still, other situations happen, such as being caught off-guard by a slew of fireballs heading her way. lumine catches it from the corner of her eyes, but distracted as she is with her current fight, all she can do is kick her opponent away and hold up her sword, bracing herself.

—only the attack doesn't come, and she's startled to see them bouncing off of a near-invisible shield, a few singed hairs on her arm the only harm done. ]

Mm, thank you—

[ lumine also stops in mid-sentence, deflecting a blow from one of the soldiers with her sword, clearly aimed towards moiraine. her other hand summons a tight ball of swirling electro energy, striking it to his chest and sending him careening backward into a heap on the ground.

in the soldier's place arrive several more, however, as they both find their footing once more. ]

But I think we can exchange pleasantries later, yes? [ she glances at the other woman, offering a small smile. ] When we're done with this, I mean.

[velvetoversteel]

Of course.

[ It's a simple acknowledgement of the situation they're in -- defend themselves first, talk later. There are more important issues at hand.

Lumine seems an accomplished fighter, and despite her apparent youth she doesn't seem delicate or fragile -- and Moiraine is the last person to underestimate another woman -- so she feels confident letting her take a position at her side. She is not herself good with a blade, that's the strength of the Green Ajah, but the fireballs she weaves in response are as deadly as any sword. One singes one of the soldiers as it just misses him; the other strikes one in the chest, and he screams as it burns through his clothes and into his flesh.

Moiraine tries to ignore it. She's more used to fighting Trollocs than men -- but she will defend herself when her life is at stake, as it is now. ]