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

[dragon_rider]

Convenient. [ Hiccup's response is immediate. Maybe he hasn't asked the right questions — But he's also faced and seen too many people to trust someone who held them captive for weeks at face value. This was coming from him, naive peacemaker that he was once upon a time: ] And did they tell you that before or after they assured you were going to follow along?

[ If it was after than that was a moot point to him. It's obvious something changed in the people who left. They accepted it... What? The voice that told him day in and day out the world didn't deserve to stay as it was? He doesn't want to believe anyone would believe that. ]

What about them makes you want to follow them? What do you expect to get out of it?

[expiera]

Practical. [It's as much a 'correction' as it may be a refutation.] The details are inconsequential. What good would it do for you, to know how quickly some of us agreed to the terms given? [She was among the first herself, after all, so she hardly had to deal with any consequences that resistance entailed.

...

This isn't about her, and she can't let him turn the conversation until it is. As she's said herself, the details are inconsequential. She's not expecting anything, personally, but it wouldn't serve any ends to tell him that. The whip cracks again, this time with a target: she intends to have it snap and wrap around the very wrist he was using to gesture so animatedly a moment ago, and reign him in before he's had any chance to react. These whips were somehow capable of subduing their willpower upon being first discovered and tied up by the soldiers, but she doesn't intend to employ them any differently than how normal whips are traditionally used. What they look and represent to those who were once placed under their mercy before was the important part, and she plans to take full advantage of that.]

[dragon_rider]

Yeah, real practical until they decide they don't have a need for you anymore.

[ And that was something he had seen more times than he wanted to count. The circumstances of their supposed "practicality" were after being captive and fed something that... What? What was it? It's a line of reasoning his mind spun to find even now, though it shortly became left behind.

The woman cracked the whip and there's lots of things he fears — He doesn't like this whip anymore than most thing's he's faced. Talking was over, quickly so, and he's still somewhat weak and (on a good day) has to be careful with balance. The fact of the matter was, even as he moved to jump back it's neither fast enough or far enough — She gets what she wants.

His body betrayed him, freezing up, but his mind doesn't. It changes everything yet doesn't change anything. Eyes darting downwards and then back up: ]

Maybe I don't know everything, but I won't forget this either. I hope it's all worth it.

[expiera]

[She doesn't answer him, but maybe the hollow look on her face says enough: this isn't someone who cared about being dispensable, who isn't looking for "worth" in the sense it would mean for most people. It's part of why there was no reason to continue talking, no sense entertaining any conversation where he seeks to make her the onus. Everyone agreed to the 'offer' for their own reasons, just as it was true that they also refused it for their own reasons. The gap between them was obviously irreconcilable, and she's postured enough. She's got his arm, and with that--]

Do as you like. You'll need to fight harder to escape anyway.

[Not like he needs her permission to judge what's forgivable and what isn't. There wasn't more she could say to him, but this COULD be of use to a bigger scene. With one fluid movement backed by strength beyond what a woman of her stature should be capable of, he's yanked forth towards her. She intends to pin his free hand behind his back and immobilize both his arms with the whip that way, before drawing the attention of whoever that could spare any in this enclosed space. They're clearly stalling for time for the spell to complete, right? So...]