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

[traversal]

[ she'd be glad to know that her assessment of him isn't entirely incorrect: inconsiderate, brutish, a total bully, self-centered—the list goes on, really. but that'll have to be a conversation on another day, perhaps when she finally sees him again and is allowed to land a punch on his face for being an irreverent asshole right now.

as it stands, any conversation with childe will have to wait while he's busy relishing his own defeats at the hands of, what was that, another tiny girl? it seems like he likes it so much that he's so impatient to clash blades with her.

lumine deflects his attack with her sword, her heels digging into the dirt as she grits her teeth. she can feel the heat of the purple energy against her skin, arcing across his spear and her blade as he pushes in close. a tight ball of anemo swirls in her other palm and she drives it towards his face just as she jumps a few feet back from its inevitable area of attack, the vacuum exploding upon release.

she lands back on her feet lightly, her sword still at her side. it remains silver, her elemental power still held back. ]

What, and just willingly accept your attack?

[ and disappoint him? c'mon, he knows her better than that, better than most people she's encountered in teyvat. reluctant as she may be to fight him, she's not simply going to give in. why else would he be persistent in trying to fight her, after all. ]

You haven't conquered the world yet, so I can't die here. Isn't that what you told me?

[ besides, isn't this her form of asserting herself, too? ]

[vapour]

[ don't kink shame him lumine jfc

The anemo attack is a little similar to what he's seen from her before, and the explosion of wind, he pulls back before it can send him flying back enough to hit a wall or lose his footing. ]

Accept my attack? Haha, I guess that depends if you trust me, doesn't it, comrade! [ which she clearly does not if she thinks he would strike her down for no reason (the Regent ordering him to do isn't enough unless the Regent turns out to be the Tsaritsa, then he'll have no choice. For now, though? His choices are endless.)

Besides, there was no order to kill, just stop.

Even so, he can't exactly blame her for being unable to trust him. That's part of his nature, and the mercurial component of his behavior. Even when he's sincere it's impossible to really tell, except when it has to do with his siblings.

Still, it stings a little more than he cares to admit even to himself. His affections for the Traveler have always been sincere, enjoying their company and seeing them as a fascinating individual unlike any other in Teyvat. That was behind their fights and the fact she's the only one he feels can be a rival for him.

Here and now, he would like to have believed that she did have some real trust in him, and that the only reason he was not to be trusted to begin with was his Fatui Harbinger status and his loyalty to his archon. Neither exist here, though, and yet . . .

—Well, whatever. He doesn't care that much, it is what it is, and he has at least the knowledge that she'll never fall for something stupid if she doesn't even trust him as an individual to begin. ]

I did say that. [ he says cooly, his momentary agitation accompanying his previous snappy outburst gone. Swinging his lance forward, he rush forward and goes for her again, once again a straight force plow to push her back further towards the ones she's trying to to protect in these critical final minutes. The difference is the that the force is more violent, it'll feel more vicious than usual when the vibrations from their weapons hitting ride up her arms and through her body. He's angry, maybe. Not uncontrollably angry like at the Golden House, but he seems less precise with his use of strength. Sloppy, even. It may be just because he's been worn down by his other fights. It also may be he's feeling slighted and retaliating through his actions.

Who knows (—no one.)

What he wants to say, despite his outwards blank slate, is that shouldn't she realize he won't let her get herself killed before that time? That would ruin everything. Here, he can fully avoid being the one trying to kill her, too, as there is no chance that the Tsaritsa may have any desire to do such.

He doesn't say it, though. If she can't see it, then he's not showing her. That's weak of him, if not actually downright pathetic in his view. He chose this path, anyway, and thus this conflict, so there's no use whining about the less-than-ideal outcome. ] Are you afraid I might want to kill you, aibou?

[traversal]

[ look.

look, it's not that lumine doesn't want to trust him. on the contrary, she trusts him enough to indirectly ask him to leave with her days ago when circumstances hadn't developed into pure chaos then. but it's hard to that very moment when he's swinging a polearm made of pure electro energy towards her. she's been hit by a bolt of similar lightning before, and it wasn't the most pleasant part of visiting inazuma and meeting the raiden shogun.

she deflects his spear once more, both hands holding onto the hilt tightly to steady her grip, as she glares into the purple sheen of his eyes. if he wasn't serious, if he wanted her to trust him, then why would he use his delusion at this time, with this fight if the intent is only to stop? ]

No, I'm not, [ she grounds, breathless, pushing him back with all her strength before sweeping a leg and sending a shockwave of geo energy to unbalance and tip him over. away from her, from this fight.

even lumine can tell that there's something wrong with him. exhaustion, maybe, but they've fought before, pushed themselves to their very limit, and she knows very well that he's simply not one to give in to fatigue. there's something else, something clearly bothering him, and she hates that she can't read him because of that.

it's frustrating, it's annoying, and she's tempted to punch him in the face as she undeservedly did with joonghyuk (bless his soul, that man) earlier if only to return him to his senses. it's very unhelpful that the only way to get to childe is through violence. ]

Because if you really wanted to ... [ then he would've done so already when he had regained his powers, when he accepted the regent; instead, he fed her soup and with it, his bullshit that he'd leave with her here. and really, that's what irks her, what forces her to raise his blade against him once more. because why tell her that when he'll simply turn heel on her in the end?

lumine shakes her head dismissively. ]

But are you really staying here, Childe? [ her eyes flicker to xishen lingering on the sides, remaining unmoved despite the chaos around her. ] With them?

[vapour]

[ there really was no reason to lie to her about staying or going. He wouldn't benefit, and neither would she.

Considering she's his first actual friend (well, second, but what use was it to consider whether there had been a friendship or not between him and Zhongli when he was clearly strung along by the archon for his own intentions), he has a long way to go to recognize subtle signs. Despite that, the way she asks in this context is clear that for whatever reason, she is trying to get him to go with her. His expression doesn't waver, and although his brain connects what she's trying to get at, everything in his head seems to be forced into the other direction. it's like fighting a current to swim upstream with the force that he feels pressuring him to drop such a concept immediately and forces him into terrible thoughts, thoughts that suffocate and grind salt into wounds while laughing, crying, pleading. It's a voice of one, and yet it's a voice of too many in the same manner, and it tells him not to go, not to be tricked into thinking she might want him around for more than the simple fact he'll then only be a nuisance at best rather than an actual threat.

He can shrug that off normally, knowing that he really has no chance to make any real friends in his being a Harbinger, especially after Zhongli, and accept the superficial friendships for what they are. There's something else nagging incessantly at him, though, an insistence that he should feel what he has not bothered to feel in a long time: not only is he truly unwanted (especially now—was everyone he clashed with supposed to just pretend it never happened and be okay with him in their group? Haha,) but that he's needed on this side. That he will play a pivotal role in the outcomes of the future and he must be with the Kenoma to fulfill it for... for what? For the sake of ending this world to start over rather than fix the overwhelming disaster it's supposedly become?

This...

Shit, there's something wrong. Where did all this awful sludge of emotional trash suddenly come from? This is not him. Is this how the Kenoma deals with those that accept it but so much as even acknowledge that defecting is something that they could do? He doesn't want this, he doesn't want to be eaten away emotionally while he's struggling physically to control himself, especially with him in less than optimal condition for this. Lumine's not at the top of her game either, it's stupid to fight with her. It's maybe plain wrong even in his eyes. He should back off, should wait for another time.

Xishen is watching, though. Even if he can overcome this mental disaster, he will definitely make things complicated for them both going with the enemy suddenly. That's not in his best interests— and it's not in Lumine's, either. He doesn't say a word beyond grimacing from the painful buzz in his head, before he'll jerk his body to suddenly throw his lance like a javelin aiming for Lumine's shoulder with an intense amount of force. He's probably out to skewer her and pin her down. She'll have to block it or take the hit, though, because if she dodges, there's a really good chance someone behind her will be struck instead. ]

[traversal]

[ for one long moment, it feels as if time has slowed down as she watches childe seem to pause, and lumine too finds herself lowering her sword just a bit, observing his actions and expression. it's very unlike him to stop halfway through a fight, knowing him perfectly well during battles. so to suddenly pause like this ...

she takes a step closer to him, pressing her lips together and closing a hand on her chest. his expression is impassive, but she can see the way his gaze shifts, unfocused. she doesn't think he's ignoring her, but she can tell that there's something going on with him.

a change in sentiment, perhaps, with that question she had asked? or is it something else? ]

Childe ...

[ "i'm not someone who cares for allegiance and affiliation."

of course not, wishful thinking would only get her killed. she should've known—despite liyue with his little brother, despite inazuma with xinyan and shiki taishou, despite all of the fights they've had.

the sudden shift in the air catches her attention once more, the smell of ozone permeating her senses as she practically feels electricity crackling in the air, and lumine grits her teeth and digs her heels into the dirt as she parries the oncoming electro lance thrown at her with her sword. she can feel the element running like a current across her skin as the silver of her blade conducts electricity, forcing nerve endings to go haywire and knock her sword out of her hands. but she persists, letting out a frustrated scream as she directs it elsewhere, the spear crashing with a resounding boom across the room. she staggers, momentarily planting the point of her sword on the ground as she pants and looks at childe.

her expression looks hurt for a moment before she blinks the sting of betrayal out of her gaze. electricity is still coursing through her system, similar to how it felt like when the electro archon struck her with her lightning, but she immediately shakes it off. ]

I see, [ she whispers under her breath, biting the inside of her cheek. ] That's your answer, then.

[ she lifts a leg and stomps her foot as hard as she can on the ground, another shockwave of geo rippling from where it's landed. glowing stones pierce through the earth, placing a wall between him and the last remnants of their group. if he wants to stay, then so be it. ]