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]

[ well.

to be fair, lumine too isn't exactly sure if it's a good thing or bad that someone else shares a similar sentiment. after all, childe (or someone of the same line of thinking and calibre) isn't someone she'd like to sic on any unsuspecting person. which is why all she can do is offer her a pained smile, though whether that's stemming from her injury stinging for a bit or the feeling of dealing with childe, she doesn't say. ]

It's all right. I ... also misread his intentions.

[ her mistake, she thinks, and one that could've cost her life and the others. friend or no friend, she's not allowed to make that same mistake with him again. not until she's made sense of what's going on—and the look on his face that he made in front of her. ]

This isn't the first time, though. [ that she thought she could trust him. ] So, I suppose you could say it was my fault to begin with.

[aquaveiled]

[ It's strange how Himeka's first inclination is to say-- ]

--It's not--

[ But she stops herself as soon as the words escape her. Of course it's easy to say that from the outside, but it doesn't take long for her to think about how much destruction was wrought for her "benefit". To get her attention away from the larger problems.

How many people were killed because she didn't want to play ball?

If it's anything like that, she knows well that hearing that it isn't doesn't make the feeling go away nor bring anyone else hurt in that destructive path back. So instead she pulls back a moment, offering her own pained smile. ]

...I mean in that you probably couldn't change his mind anyway.

[traversal]

[ lumine blinks at her sudden reply before she lets out a quiet chuckle, giving himeka a light pat on the arm. look, she understands, knows that if their roles were reversed, she would've told her the same thing. in a way, she finds themselves similar in that regard as well as their temperament. ]

That's true.

[ even though a part of her sincerely, truly hoped that she could. he gave her his word, after all, and she thought she could hold onto it like an idiot—except it held water as effectively as her hands can. calling herself an idiot is very, very kind.

she lets out a sigh under her breath, feeling exasperation cut through her like a hot knife once more. ]

What do you think comes after this? We've managed to escape, but I don't think any of us is familiar with this world.

[ and they didn't exactly have a guide, unlike the other group. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ The pat is enough to reassure her, but the words help as well. Having someone around who gets it is a nice feeling especially after all they've been through. She would be curious to see what other similarities their stars share as well, given that everyone here seems to come from somewhere else.

What this means for Lumine in the long run, though...she supposes she wouldn't be surprised if Zenos found himself on the side of the Kenoma, but she also knwos that their goals would mean nothing to him. Is this the same for Lumine's "friend"? At least she's safe from him.

For a while.

Himeka shakes her head. ]

Nope...so that means that those of us that have enough energy left should start looking.

[ Looking away from the other Wanderer, she turns her gaze to the valley. ]

But things here feel...safe. At least for now. We probably shouldn't dawdle.

[traversal]

[ time can only tell, truth be told.

lumine has no idea when they'll see the other group again—if they'll see them again at all. they seem to be bound by something in this world, something related to the scar on their arms and the gem on their bodies. she has a feeling they'll meet again, no doubt on opposing sides and for opposing goals, but as to when that is, well ... she can't really say.

nodding her head: ] For now.

[ she agrees with that. the peace, while comforting and a brief respite from everything they've been through, is unsettling, especially for someone like her who's always on the move. ]

We have no idea how far or near we've managed to get to, but I don't want anyone to get caught. [ by the soldiers, by xishen, or worse.

lumine stretches her body, feeling a little sore but the ache is completely gone. that's good, himeka's spell is really effective. ]

I think that does it.

[aquaveiled]

[ She turns to look back at Lumine and nods. That they found an escape that allowed everyone to leave at once rather than having to go back and retrieve who they can is amazing, to be honest. Himeka knows an opportunity like that shouldn't be squandered. ]

At least we've regained our abilities. Knowing they have too doesn't help, but it gives us a fighting chance if they manage to give chase.

[ After they've rested they will have a better chance. Plus, being out in the open rather can confined to the cave does give them more options as well.

She smiles as she allows her magicks to dwindle until they disappear. ]

Let me know if you need any touch-ups. I know some of the soothing effects are temporary.

[traversal]

[ more options mean more chances of surviving, and lumine would choose that over being given only one path to take. which is why she doesn't really understand the offer of the regent, to accept destruction because they find it's the only feasible solution. it feels very ... suffocating, to say the least.

she stretches her arms above her head, wincing a little when she felt a bit of soreness on her side. but ultimately, the pain is mostly gone with only a bit of a sting remaining. very much negligible, that one. ]

I think I should be good. This isn't the worst injury I've had, so.

[ from falling down cliffs to getting thrown against a stone wall—she can deal with it from here on out. lumine offers himeka a grateful smile. ]

Look like I owe you a favour on a rainy day. Thanks!

[aquaveiled]

[ Suffocating is a good way to put it. She can only hope that their comrades on the other side aren't choked out by it before it's too late.

She knows her healing magicks can only do so much, but she cannot up but grin when Lumine says that it isn't the worst injury she's had. ]

No doubt that your "friend" has been the perpetrator more than once.

[ Pushing on her knees, Himeka moves to stand. ]

How about next time we just tag team properly?

[traversal]

[ lumine blinks when himeka mentions childe once more, letting out a bit of a laugh as she also gets up on her feet; at the very least, it's clear that her healing magic is very effective, now that her side doesn't hurt from chuckling. also, it looks like childe will have to be referred to as "that friend" from now on. ]

I think he'll very much enjoy that, unfortunately.

[ the guy gets a kick out of fighting, after all. and fighting the two people who managed to knock him down a peg? even more exhilarating for him, no doubt. ]

Are you sure you're up for being pestered nonstop?

[aquaveiled]

[ Ah yes. He really is one of those types, isn't it? Well, if that's the case then he likely won't be satisfied with anyone but Lumine. It may be fun to deny him that pleasure. ]

Well I do have a sleep spell if we need a few moments of reprieve.

[ She's mostly joking. Mostly. ]