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

[affal]

( if placed upon a scale of the Kenoma-aligned that remained behind at the throne, between those that had gotten truly fucked up in the fighting and those that had either not participated or emerged unscathed, makoto is probably somewhere in... the middle. he had put himself in harm's way mostly just to save face, and he had always retreated when he felt the danger to himself was too great. it's just about as good of a compromise as he felt he could make. he's no fighter, and nothing about accepting the Kenoma into the recesses of his heart is going to change that about him.

he passes this sudden act of magnanimity off as yet another overture towards telegraphing to others around that he's a team player (even when he very much is not, regardless of what the Kenoma itself is attempting to ingratiate him towards). he knows enough about eustace (and had seen enough of his efforts in the conflict) to know that, despite having gotten himself royally fucked up, he could at least handle himself in a fight. and to makoto, who absolutely couldn't, that's a valuable person to have even slightly indebted to him.

his good will is extended so rarely that when eustace doesn't immediately accept it, instead posing the question... instead of answering his hand slowly retracts to place fingertips against his sternum, the gesture and his expression the very picture of offense. )

I don't know — and I don't care. ( as if he was some nursemaid, scurrying about on his rounds?? the indignity... ) It's an offer I made to you, and it lasts only as long as my patience.

( the hand re-extends, though this time it's with a pointed sort of brusqueness. )

[lockedon]

[ Wow bro, he literally just asked a question?

Makoto pulls his hand back in indignition and Eustace narrows his eyes in suspicion, because ping-ponging immediately between apparent charity and childlike ire simply isn't a good look. If he wants to help and be useful, the least he can do is direct his offer to any that might need it, instead of picking and choosing like some spoiled kid.

Unfortunately (for Eustace, because I refuse to end this thread after two tags), the low pounding of a persistent headache and the lingering gingerness of bones newly healed mean that he's really in no position to refuse even if his pride is prickling every which way. This once, he really can't afford to be difficult for the sake of being difficult.

So he sighs, a sharp curt sound, handing over his bandages as he sticks out his other arm. ]

Fine.

[ Please do NOT expect him to be a model patient though. :/ ]

im not sure what his injuries are like so im just gonna make stuff up if thats ok...

[affal]

( and he offered you his help? without immediately expecting something in return?? do you have any idea how rare of a gift that is, eustace? obviously not, or else you wouldn't have said such foolishness...

the only worthwhile thing that can be said about makoto in this moment is that he says nothing eustace hands over the bundle of make-shift bandages — sure, chiding words line up eagerly along the curve of his tongue, but he decides to keep them to himself. the phrase "insult to injury" comes to mind. so instead he immediately shifts into efficient action; he takes a moment to draw a length of the torn cloth, winding it carefully into a coil around his left wrist. as he does so he studies his injuries with a discerning eye, planning the best method of approach.

it's fine that eustace isn't a model patient. it's just as well, because he can't really expect an ounce of sympathy or bedside manner from a demon.

regardless of personal predilections, makoto doesn't act with any intention of causing harm. that having been said, he is utterly unmoved by any that he might unwittingly cause. his movements are quick and efficient, wrapping the cloth bandages tightly over and around his shoulder to bind a long, thin laceration there. it had already largely stopped bleeding, so it was more precautionary than anything. once secure, he ties off the length of bandaging before tearing it away from the rest with his teeth. (sorry, he'd lost his dagger to dextera earlier in the fighting.)

there's a wound to his upper arm that's far more concerning; deeper, and therefore still trickling blood. he takes a moment to sever a small length of cloth from the rest in the same manner, folding it over itself several times to form a pad. as he does so, he speaks, seemingly to himself, ) A shame I couldn't find a needle and thread, ( because he could've made short work of something like this. instead, he wipes what he can of blood and debris away from the wound before pressing the pad to it and beginning to fasten it there with the length of bandaging. )

u are a-okay, i am incredibly easy

[lockedon]

[ He really had pushed himself too far during the battle, and taken one too many direct hits past his limit. His head's pounding, clothing singed and torn from too magical blasts - tch, of course so many here would be proficient in magic - and there's really not any visible patch of skin that isn't littered with cuts and bruises of all sizes. But ignoring the tenderness of a broken wrist just recently healed, he ought to count himself lucky he's still able to talk and walk.

It's for the best that this man proceeds with valuing efficiency over comfort. They have neither the time nor the materials to waste on dawdling, and Eustace has never taken kindly to pity or preferential treatment. Even with clinical hands, the jostling and movement sends jolts of pain radiating through his body and there's clear tension in the stiff lines of his body as he sits, teeth grit together as he silently lets himself be tended to. It's not Makoto's fault that things ended up the way they did. No point taking it out on an unaffiliated third party.

He's only partly listening to Makoto, more interested in reviewing his earlier perfomance (honestly kind of paltry) but his attention shifts back at the murmured words. ]

Do you do this often?

[ Patching up randos on the side of a cavern, that is. ]

[affal]

( eustace is the canvas upon which a tableau of violence is written, and it's all makoto can do to ignore the smaller and more inconsequential wounds so he can better attend to the ones that might prove problematic if left to their own devices. it also paints them in stark contrast — he had garnered relatively few wounds in the fighting, though he would also argue that he would have likely only gotten himself killed if he hadn't resorted to tactics leaning far more into "flight" than "fight." he is not a warrior, and if his rather terrible bedside manner is anything to be believed (it is), he's not much of a healer either.

but he is a survivor. perhaps he and eustace can understand one another on that platform, at the very least.

his breath leaves him a single, soft laugh. not in such a locale as this, and usually not someone he doesn't know at least moderately well, but... )

I've found myself piecing both others and myself back together more often of late than I would have expected, yes.

( he means this extremely literally. the last few instances had been sewing perhaps a dozen or so disparate pieces of one demon back together to functionality (he had, of course, cut him apart in the first place, but details) and also sewing his own head back on, so.

he continues to speak as he works, his tone of voice light, airy, and somewhat preoccupied as he rotates around eustace's back and continues to target whichever lacerations look most concerning. ) There's no real point in me asking you the same. From what little I saw during the fighting, you are no stranger to it.

( then again, he could read that from him relatively easy even without having seen it first-hand. )