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

[lifespanned]

[ Misa is also well-versed in the art of dealing with Prickly People. But mostly because she tends to either 1) not acknowledge their prickliness, or 2) out brat them. What's happening now is a mix of both. A part of her wants to full on ignore the other's attitude, and the other part of her wants to keep throwing a tantrum until she gets an apology.

But she settles for huffing, begrudgingly attempting a very sloppy bandage job on her arm. She doesn't know how this stuff works, she's just gonna wrap it around and hope for the best. ]

I didn't say I didn't need them! Only that you could've delivered them better... [ The second part gets grumbled under her breath as she stares at his outstretched hand. ] ...Thanks for giving them to me. I guess I'll forgive you for threatening to throw me off a cliff before.

[ Even though her words are annoyed, there's not much real malicious intent behind them - the offense seeming as light as pulling at one of her ponytails or something. ]

[lockedon]

[ Thanks Misa, that's exactly what he's always wanted: forgiveness from a teenage girl he's spoken to all of twice. His ears flick once, another subtle sign of his annoyance (their mutual annoyance with each other, really) before he finishes his quick scan of their surroundings and turns his attention back to the girl.

Only to frown deeper at the sight of her sloppily wrapping bandages around her arm. ]

You're doing it wrong.

[ Wow?? Someone here needs an attitude adjustment. Even worse is the part where he's well aware that she likely doesn't have any experience with this sort of battlefield first care. He could stand to be a little kinder in his criticism, but unfortunately that's never been his style.

But his brusque words are at odds with his actions as he steps over to her and pulls - gently - the bandages out from her hands, taking care to wrap them tidier and more firmly around her arm. There's a practiced deftness to his fingers as they move, and he does his best not to bump her arm further as he carefully ties the ends together. ]

Where else are you injured?

[lifespanned]

[ She's about .00003 seconds away from blowing up on him for so blatantly berating her over proper bandage etiquette when he suddenly starts doing it himself. For a long while, she just kind of stares at him, dumbfounded, as he dresses her wound like it was nothing for him. Despite all that grumbling before.

Hmph. So that's how he is. ]

My leg... [ Balancing her weight on the other, she lifts her left foot a little to show case the gash that runs from below her knee to her mid-calf. It looks to be from some kind of debris flying around, but otherwise, it'd stopped bleeding a while ago. ] But it's not as bad as this one.

[ With the bandages around her arm tied off, she wiggles her fingers to moves her arm up a fraction in a gesture to it. ]

Just so you know, I'm only doing it wrong because I'm not like... in the military or a martial artist or anything like that. I'm just a normal, innocent girl. Okay? I bet I could figure it out if you just showed me how.

[lockedon]

[ Just a normal, innocent girl. Okay, sure Jan. If that's supposed to be her excuse, he's not buying it. ]

Even normal people get hurt. [ Clearly. ] Basic first aid is something anyone should learn.

[ With her arm taken care of, he crouches down to take a closer look at her leg. She seems to have assessed it correctly at least, the wound lengthy but shallow. Might as well wrap it too for now, at least until they can get one of the healers on their side to take a look at it.

But speaking of learning—he does actually explain what he's doing this second time around, instructions clear and concise. (I would write it out but I would probably fuck it up.) Once that's done, he stands back up. ]

You should get one of the healers to look at it once they're free.

[ Is he doing this because he has a soft squishy heart or because he thinks their forces are lacking enough as it is? A little of column A, a little of column B. ]

[lifespanned]

[ Misa listens intently during his instructions (for once in her life), nodding along. She even wiggles her foot a little when it's over, making sure the bandages aren't loose. ]

Sure, sure. I will!

[ If anything, her mood definitely seems brighter now, a mischievous smile returning to her lips as she stands up straighter. With her injuries taken care of, she looks him over with a discerning eye, as if she's looking for something. ]

I didn't expect you to be such a nice guy on the inside. You act tough, but you really want to help, don't you? Aw.

[ Because only now did she just realize he was probably doing the same thing when he so irritatingly shut her mouth during the trek here. ]

[lockedon]

[ Wow?? What is this callout? And from some teenage girl, no less.

He looks....well, not visibly annoyed by her casual remarks, but the beginnings of a scowl form around the corners of his lips. This is exactly what he doesn't need, some kid thinking he's a nice guy just because he wrapped her arm in bandages one (1) time.

His voice is a little more biting when he replies, an automatic defense to being called 'nice'. ]

I'm not interested in cleaning up your dead body. I have better things to do with my time.

[ Like.....what? Don't ask him that.

But with her injuries mostly taken care of, it's time for him to get outta here and away from her. The remainder of the bandages he hands back to her, in case of further emergency, and then he's pivoting on his heel to head to where the rest of the soldiers are.

Please do NOT follow him, he cannot deal with this. ]