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

[epiprocta]

"Minegishi." In for a penny, in for a pound. Gen doesn't wear humility well, but having already taken that first step, he finds it easier to keep going. "My name. Minegishi Gen. I was just a student before I ended up here. -- I dunno what else you'd wanna know."

No harm in giving out his name, he figures. And it's not like he has anything to say that's relevant to this place, or to magic, so -- fine. He'll say it. Because he really wants to learn that magic if there's even a slim chance he can.

Still, there's a brief pause before he adds uneasily, "-- and what's so dangerous about what you just did?"

[lachtara]

Such eagerness.

An explanation could gauge their dedication, perhaps could entice with the promise of such power for someone who perceives themselves incapable. Such small things had always proved instrumental in destroying worlds. So Emet-Selch holds his hand out, palm side up as he conjures a wisp of the same magic he had to heal. For dramatic effect.

"Centuries ago, the practice of white magic was devised to counter that of black magic. Intoxicated by their power, the mages of Ampador created spells so powerful that they upset the balance of nature. The entire realm was drowned with their blunder." He squeezes his hand into a fist to smother the wisps of magic in his hand.

With that said, he takes a few steps to a seat nearby and sits with a grunt of effort.

[epiprocta]

That's a good sign, right? That the guy sits down? Gen's hardly the type to have paid attention to school, a career delinquent who'd always barely scraped by in terms of attendance knowing that academics would never matter in his life, but he actually properly listens to Emet-Selch's words for now.

Even if it's really kind of a struggle for him to take what's being said seriously. Mages and realms and spells. Maybe he should've wasted more time on the anime and other bullshit some of his classmates were obsessed with back home. Gen needs a moment to try and digest Emet-Selch's history lesson, eyes narrowed, before he responds slowly.

"... so don't teach me that stuff, then. It's different, isn't it? What you used to fix me, and whatever it was that caused all that damage back then." Not that he isn't interested in something he could use as a weapon, but for now, he'll take anything.

[lachtara]

Emet-Selch gives him a flat look in return. At least he's not short of tenacity.

Although rather than answer, he completely ignores the question in its entirety. Answering it would be providing information pertinent to learning the craft - something a teacher would provide and elaborate on for clarity.

"You claim that you were a student prior to arriving here. What was your area of study?" He asks instead.

[epiprocta]

He's not sure if it's a good or a bad sign that the guy doesn't address his point. And he's not sure how to answer that question, either. Gen hesitates for a moment, warily staring at Emet-Selch's face to try and glean some hint from his expression.

"Just ... a student. I'm -- I was a second-year in highschool." So he says, but he's getting the sense that that's probably not what Emet-Selch was asking for. While he doesn't exactly relish talking about his 'career path' back home, there's a pause before he adds stiffly, "I would've taken over the family business in construction eventually, so I was preparing for that."

It feels ridiculous talking about all that in the context of magic, though. Probably unsubtle that Gen's trying to change tack a little when he abruptly asks, "What's your name? I gave you mine."

[lachtara]

"My name is Emet-Selch. I am a sorcerer - as you have probably devised - and I fear any explanation beyond that may be lost in the interim." There's no point in going into great detail if it would be lost on others. If he doesn't know what 'aether' is there is no chance he knows much terminology from his world.

"What may be commonly understood is that I hope to be an ally to those on this ship, as we may share a similar goal." That much he can say with certainty.

[epiprocta]

He fights back the urge to answer that Emet-Selch can save his breath if he was considering spouting a bunch of fantasy jargon at him. Though it certainly helps that there's a more pressing matter to focus on.

"Similar goal. -- that thing about destroying the world? You really think that's possible?"

From the tone of voice, it would sound like Gen has no reservations about the actual task, only questioning its plausibility. Though he does cast Emet-Selch a wary look, gauging the man's reaction. It's a topic that feels ridiculous to even say out loud, to be honest, but ... probably one he can't avoid forever.

[lachtara]

"Yes, I do. Provided we have the right stratagem." Experience showed that it was possible, but that same experience showed that it could easily be mishandled. They needed the proper strategy to ensure success. "Which is why we all must work together, as allies. Such a lofty task can not be accomplished alone, and we needs not be our own worst enemy." Having pawns are boundlessly useful in that regard.

[epiprocta]

Figures a 'sorcerer' would talk about that ridiculous-sounding goal so matter-of-factly, like it's the most reasonable goal in the world. And while he's naturally put on-guard by the easy way Emet-Selch had declared himself an ally ... well, at least for now, it's not like he has any objection about the ridiculous-sounding goal that's been foisted upon them.

"... okay." It's said quietly, accompanied by a noncommittal little shrug, but his delivery sounds convinced enough. "Dunno what kind of 'strategem' you're thinking of, but I can cooperate."

For now.