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

[coerthantorment]

Though the methods are similar, drawing from elemental power to create a healing effect, the startling cold of Moiraine's healing gets the better of him. He wakes with a pained gasp, the pressure around his chest being one of the most annoying injuries, but soon enough he can feel it easing. He exhales shakily, rolling over a bit so that he can better make out who is helping him.

Moiraine. He remembers her, which allows his tensions to ease. She seemed competent before, and it looks like he wasn't wrong. She's a conjurer, it looks like, and one on a similar level to Himeka... even if her healing feels like a slap in the face compared to the familiar warmth of the Warrior of Light.

At the same time, he starts to realize the state he's in. It's not very becoming, even to his sensibilities... with a clumsy hand, he shifts what remains of his robe downward, as if hoping to cover himself. He wipes his hand across his mouth, as if to get rid of some of the blood congealing there, but it does little to help matters.

He stares at the sky for a moment before his eyes - now a cloudy gray, though still slit like a dragon's - settle on her again.

"We... need to find supplies," he says, apparently not ready to relax after all. "It... won't be long."

[velvetoversteel]

She's unbothered by his near-nudity, though perhaps when she was young it might have flustered her. Moiraine frowns at his words -- though perhaps she should have expected this reaction. Most men were wont to be this stubborn, especially in the face of seeming weakness.

"You need to rest," she insists, in a firm tone that suggests that she's right, Estinien's wrong, and that should be the end of it. "You'll reopen your wounds if you move too quickly -- and I suspect we have some time."

Moiraine is not a fool; she has no illusions that the Regent's forces won't be pursuing them sooner rather than later, and they certainly can't stay in this valley for the long term. But they need time to recuperate, to get their bearings before they move on.

[coerthantorment]

It's a tone that Estinien has heard many times, both from friends and from the healers that tended to the Knights Dragoon. Though part of him is inclined to resist out of sheer contrariness, the rest realizes that he isn't going to get very far on his own anyway. They'll all need to cooperate, he thinks.

He falls silent again, some of the tension leaving his body as he stops trying to get up. His gaze wanders, taking in their surroundings more clearly for the first time since arriving.

"...Where is this place?" he asks, mystified. "To think... that such a sight could exist in this realm, after all we've seen."

More importantly, he really didn't know if he'd survive to see anything but darkness again.

[velvetoversteel]

"I don't know." It galls her a little, to admit that so baldly, but it's true (as is anything and everything she says, in one way or another). She has no idea where the ritual took them, but -- Moiraine's gaze follows his, taking in the valley. For all the wonders in her own world, she's never before seen anything this lovely, and she wouldn't object at all if they were permitted to stay for a while. She allows a smile, very slight. "A place of peace, if nothing else."

She needs sleep, and a bath, and clean clothing -- they all do -- but for the moment it's enough to have time to catch her breath. Moiraine looks back at Estinien, and her smile fades into something quieter.

"What came over you, in the cavern?" Because she didn't miss the fight with Ciel, or what happened at the end of it, and if there's a cause for concern with him losing control of himself in some way then she feels she should know.

[coerthantorment]

At first, he doesn't answer, though his expression closes off as if this is something he anticipated might be coming. He's not exactly happy with the effect himself, but to have been pushed to that point, but some part of him is also deeply unapologetic for defending himself against what he considered to be abject cruelty.

"She bound me with one of those damnable whips," he says, low and bitter. "I lashed out, that I might save myself from capture, and whatever depravity would follow."

As viscerally unpleasant as it feels to have blood in his throat like that, he can't help but question the difference between violence with his fangs and violence with a dagger or sword. Is it truly so different? Or was it simply some shallow sense of propriety - the idea that some violence is better than others, even when the results are the same.

While the mechanisms behind his reaction are built upon a complex history of trauma, he certainly doesn't think of it that way.

[velvetoversteel]

It matters to her, though like Estinien's reaction to her question, her preconception of appropriate violence is based on her own understanding of the world. Ripping out an enemy's throat is something Trollocs would do -- foot soldiers of the Dark who are half-man and half-animal. It's true humans are capable of great brutality, but this feels different somehow in a way she couldn't explain if she tried.

Still, she can understand the fear of captivity, the visceral need to defend oneself, especially after everything they went through. "I see," she says, after a pause. It's not judgmental -- it's not much of anything really, just an acknowledgement of his explanation. Moiraine regards him soberly, as if she's weighing him with her gaze.

Finally, she says, "Light grant we may never experience that again." Being held captive like that, she means -- though she suspects if the Regent's forces get hold of any of them again, that's exactly what will happen.

[coerthantorment]

Estinien can sense that she's taking stock of him, even if it isn't in an overtly judgmental way. There are certainly complications to the situation that she might be interested in knowing, but Estinien has never been one to offer excuses. He does what he does and lives with the consequences.

"Did you feel it as well?" he asks, laying in the grass as was her command. Though he suspects her mention of the 'light' was in more general religious terms, but it bring it to mind. "The... light that awoke within us. That forced the poison away."

He can't put words to any of it, but he knows it happened. He balls a hand against his chest.

"Mayhap... we are not alone, in this fight."

[velvetoversteel]

She would not describe it as religious; for her, the Light and Darkness are real forces, facts of existence, not objects of worship. It cannot be very much different here, she imagines.

"I did." A powerful but ephemeral feeling, like a well of hope from some buried part of her she had thought almost lost to the despair of the Kenoma sickness.

"It's not so strange to imagine, is it? That opposed to the Darkness might also be a Light of equal power?"

[coerthantorment]

He shakes his head slightly. No, it's not stranger at all.

"Nay... I've experienced the like before." The difference between darkness and light on Hydaelyn isn't exactly the same. Darkness, despite the destruction it wrought, was far less overly wretched than the Kenoma as he's felt it.

"Darkness and light... and yet... this is different. The darkness I knew before hungered. This one... all it craves is oblivion."

[velvetoversteel]

Moiraine's brows lift at the word 'hungered.' Something all-consuming, that desires to take everything into itself -- she has to suppress a physical reaction, a shudder. Instead, she folds her hands together in her lap.

"I have wondered if this 'Regent' is not perhaps another aspect of the Dark One," she muses aloud. It seems impossible; despite the fear that the Dark One might reach through into the Pattern to touch reality, let alone break through the seals on his prison, he is -- for now -- thoroughly trapped outside of the world. But Moiraine has to remind herself she must be prepared for any eventuality.

"In my world we call them Darkfriends -- those who swear themselves to the Dark One and willingly do his work in exchange for power and immortality. The Dark One's goal is to destroy the Pattern, and to remake reality in his own image."

When she words it like that, it doesn't sound so different from what she understands of the Regent.