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

[passio]

[ dextera dares to hope only because of the pleroma, but his natural pessimism swoops in the instant gen comes to a stop. even before gen pulls him, even before gen says a word, dextera knows this is not going to go the way he had planned. a pained noise escapes him as his arm is pulled an unnatural direction to swing him around. ]

Ngh…!

[ and then gen’s breath is on his face with a threat in his voice. he automatically angles his head away, though his eyes stay on gen.

what does dextera think of that? no one ever asks what he thinks, and even now that someone has, it’s not like he can answer. he doesn’t like it. that wouldn’t be enough to sway gen no matter how he phrased it. he pulls his hand free, but he doesn’t run or try to shove gen away. he closes his eyes against gen’s proximity—whether unintentionally or on purpose, making himself vulnerable. ]

[epiprocta]

[ -- haha, that's more like it. That's more the reaction he's used to. The hand tearing out of his grasp, the way Dextera angles his head away, the quickly-averted gaze before Dextera squeezes his eyes shut like he can't bear to look at him. Distaste, disgust, disdain. It's all enough to earn a sharp bark of bitter laughter; brief as it is, the humorless noise must sound terribly caustic and loud with the way Gen continues invading Dextera's personal space. ]

Guess you're not as dumb as you act sometimes, huh.

[ Then, before Dextera can open his eyes or steel himself for it, there's a sudden shove -- Gen's hand slapping square against his chest and thrusting him back a step. There's enough force put into the gesture that Dextera might lose his balance, but regardless of whether Dextera actually manages to stay on his feet or not, it's still an ironically merciful gesture.

It's only because he harbors some tiny crumb of patience and goodwill towards Dextera that Gen says what he says next. ]

Fuck off. I'm not in the mood to play charades with you.

[passio]

Ggh…

[ dextera stumbles, as expected.

but, although he can understand the mercy in it, that doesn't mean he's ready to take it just yet. he's testing gen's patience, he knows, and possibly spending the only ounce of goodwill he got—but what's the point of receiving patience if he doesn't return the favor? he doesn't think he can convince gen to come with him; that ship has sailed if this is the way gen is acting. but what he does think, what he can do is make sure that gen parts from him with the knowledge that he would be accepted if he decided to abandon this path later.

he just has to say that. he can't. he doesn't have the ability to write out messages on his skin anymore, and gen is not going to give him the time to work on an alternate.

he returns to his most rudimentary tactics, the same foolish things he tried before he was bleeding a free ink from the corruption threatening the very blood in his veins. he jerks out a few strands of hair, wincing as he does. ]

[epiprocta]

[ What exactly is this guy doing out here in the middle of this skirmish, he wonders. He doesn't see any weapons, and he can't imagine Dextera being much of a fighter. Is he here to try and persuade people? Stupid move. Lack of voice aside, it's hard to imagine this weirdo space-case having the charisma necessary to persuade people to take a gamble on whatever nebulous future that comes after escaping from this cavern.

... Gen tries not to wonder if this guy's even going to make it out of here alive.

Which is why he doesn't linger long after that vicious shove, only waiting an extra moment or two to gauge Dextera's reaction before making his own move. Since all he seems to be getting out of Dextera is that indecisive noise and some anxious waffling, Gen promptly

turns on heel to walk away.

It doesn't matter if Dextera makes a noise in protest or if he hears footsteps coming after him; he ignores whatever sounds he can make out and keeps his gaze trained ahead, looking for another fight he can pick. It'll take physical contact to get him to acknowledge Dextera again, and Dextera might not like how Gen will react. ]

[passio]

[ dextera knows for a fact that pursuing gen at this point is worse than a fool's errand. the only thing he could possibly get for his efforts to push these boundaries is punished, but it feels so necessary to show this vestige of kindness that it makes his chest hurt.

he hurries forward before gen can get too far away, and in a clumsy motion, he grabs gen's wrist, turns his palm out, and slams those grimy strands of hair into it like he's giving gen a present. he's already bracing for retaliation as he does it; worse yet, he doesn't even expect that gen will like being given some nasty pickings off his body as a token of remembrance. it's pure desperation that encourages him to see this strange ritual through.

this is the effect of the world he came from. maybe it would be better to fall in line with someone who could give him comfort and luxury. and yet, the light of rebellion has nonetheless taken root. ]

[epiprocta]

[ It can't be too surprising that Dextera barely gets the chance to complete that modest gesture of kindness before Gen reacts -- violently, of course. The instant those hairs are pressed into his palm he rips his hand out of Dextera's grip and backhands him across the face, knuckles colliding with Dextera's cheek hard enough to make a dull cracking noise and send the other stumbling back.

The hairs scatter, lost to be trampled underfoot on the cavern flooring. ]

The fuck is your problem?!

[ In any other context, it might be a legitimate question. After all, there's something objectively discomforting about having another person gift your their own hairs. But this context isn't a normal one, is it? And Gen's furious response isn't so much about that 'gift' as it about everything else; he doesn't snarl at Dextera because he's grossed out by that strange peace offering. ]

You think I'm gonna keep playing along with your bullshit just because you act dumb? Are you asking for a beating?!

[ His voice cracks a little with that word, though. Strange, that. ]

[passio]

[ it is the first time dextera has been hit by a human, at least as far as he can remember. he thinks he would recall this sensation, though. it’s different from being hurt by a creature that doesn’t know any better. the pain blooms in a different place between this ribs, leaving his cheek only numb where gen’s knuckles knocked his molars, cushioned merely by raw, delicate meat.

dextera is not wide-eyed because he didn’t expect it. he’s simply shocked by the newness of it. holding his fingers to the reddening spot on his face, he stares at gen with his mouth agape. ]

…

[ the strike may not have been familiar, but the words are. that brief flicker of something beyond anger is a glimpse once again into things he shouldn’t see in others. secrets in words or otherwise always spill out at the least convenient moments.

he gave gen a gift and has received something almost immediately in return. he shakes his head, more a twitch of the neck than anything at first, and then his breath comes faster and he shakes his head properly. dodging gen’s gaze now, he steps away. maybe someone more committed would run up and find the crack in this moment that would lead to gen changing sides after all, but dextera can only push himself so far. ]

[epiprocta]

[ Gen, of course, completely misinterprets the look on Dextera's face. He sees those wide eyes, those parted lips, that look of muted shock on Dextera's face, and he has to assume that the guy had truly expected that stupid offering of hairs to be accepted with gratitude and a change of heart. ]

What, did you think I wouldn't hit you just 'cause I let you hold my hand once?

[ Of course not. Of course he wouldn't let such an insignificant little gesture affect him in any way. Of course that's something he doesn't think about at all. Gen gives a bark of laughter, sharp and derisive, though Dextera may notice it sounds forced. ]

Don't get uppity just 'cause you saw something I remembered. You don't know shit about me, and I don't owe you anything. [ Is it telling that he offers these denials without being prompted? Maybe. He's usually more careful about these things, but it's been so hard to holding his tongue; nobody here acts like the should, he can't understand any of it, and it's maddening. That's partly why his voice drips with ire as he hisses, ] I already beat another guy to a pulp. I'll do it to you, too. So if you don't want that -- unless you're gonna turn yourself into that creepy bitch for me, fuck off.

[passio]

[ gen could not beat him. there’s a defensive, almost bitter flare in dextera that he can’t pinpoint the origin of, that maliciously wants to just put gen in his place. he doesn’t want to believe the person with those selfish impulses is him, though, so he swallows it down and defaults to the easier option—hanging his head and taking it. fighting back only ensures that both of them will be hurt in the long run. ]

…

[ dextera’s expression resolves itself with an unhappy grimace, his mouth drawn into a tight line as if he’s holding something back.

what else can he do? if he stays, it will get worse. he can’t speak, and even with words he doubts he could come up with anything that would soothe gen’s ire and vulnerability. it’s so hard to communicate with others. it’s impossible when they have something they’re trying to protect.

he steps back, with one last fumbling glance gen’s way—like a parting gift in his nervous gaze, more permanent than strands of hair—and then takes off, back to the circle being worked on. ]