EVENT #5: SOVEREIGN CITIZENS (GODSBLOOD)

[aionmods]

Sovereign Citizens

GODSBLOOD

At the height of the Sovereign's moon, Vaeka Lovenskol's execution is announced. Outside of the City Hall, a dignitary of Achamoth is flanked by an entourage of Kenoma, reading the words of Regent from an unfurled letter: Vaeka stands accused to conspiring against the Regent and abetting the fugitive menace known as the Pleroma. Though the details are not made public, rumors spread quickly, some far more wild than the actual truth. The full truth, after all, is something only the Regent's agents and the Pleroma themselves know, and even to them the manner of her exposure is unclear.

Though losing a proud daughter of an influential family, there seems to be little that the people of Godsblood can do besides accept it. After all, they are still a city of the Regent's empire, and for all the freedom they've enjoyed, there are limits. If she was truly aiding the Pleroma, the sworn enemies of the Regent - and in an organized manner, if the rumors are to be believed - can they truly object? Or would challenging the Regent's claim simply invite more death?

As with many things, the families of Godsblood are torn. Tensions are thick for the five days leading up to Vaeka's appointed execution by hanging, with everyone having an opinion and few wanting to go on record talking about it too loudly. As such, the people's frustrations come out in other ways. Bloodites are uncharacteristically unfriendly to strangers in this time, keeping to their own and treating everyone else with overt skepticism.

Those that have arrived as part of the Regent's official envoy, or seen guarding Vaeka, will receive a particularly icy reception. No longer are the Kenoma curious wanderers on personal business. Now, they are here as the hands of the Regent; few of the Godsblood citizens are foolish enough to challenge them outright, but they are ever an honest people.

Early on, the Kenoma and the rest of the Achamite contingent sent with them will be able to take over a jail in downtown Godsblood to hold Vaeka until her execution, clearing out all other Bloodite prisoners and employees in the meantime. This means they have a relatively secure position to guard their prisoner from, which is a good thing; after all, the Regent did outright invite the Pleroma to stop them, and Pleroma are nothing if not stubborn.

EXECUTION DAY

After five agonizing days of waiting and several high visible conflicts between the Pleroma and Kenoma, finally the hour of Vaeka's execution arrives. A gallows is set outside of City Hall, ready to welcome its newest victim, and a massive crowd has gathered in an spirit of anxious anticipation. Some worry that violence may break out in the streets, even without the Pleroma's agitation, but gradually the minutes tick by and the gallows remain empty.

First one minutes passes. Then five. Then fifteen. Slowly, it becomes clear to the people of Godsblood that Vaeka will not be arriving. Are the rumors true? Has she been saved? Have the Pleroma been successful, despite all odds?

As the hours pass and the crowds disperse, Vaeka Lovenskol is not officially reported as either living or dead. Fortunately, Godsblood is a place where information has a way of getting around, whether those in charge like it or not. Some are saying that she was seen being whisked away as if by powerful magic, following a bloody fight at the jail in which she was being held. Where did she go? Maybe her supposed connections to the forest people did her good, some surmise.

The days following Vaeka's failed execution carry a strange and uncertain energy. Where before there was tension and distrust, Godsblood now finds itself in a surreal reality where the Regent's word is apparently not absolute. Then again, do they really want a repeat performance?

QUESTIONS

What is the best way for Aions to travel to Godsblood?
For Pleroma, this is very easy, as they are likely to either already live there or be able to easy take Greentruth's portal. For Kenoma, they may come directly from Achamoth by boat as part of the Regent's envoy or arrive via Eustace's portal which is set up in a shed a fairly long jaunt outside of town. Once there has been some time to get established, Misa will be setting up another portal leading straight to the prison where Vaeka is being stored.

Are the Kenoma permitted by the Regent to kill other Godsblood citizens?
Though the Kenoma are authorized to kill any Bloodites that try to physically fight them, they are expected to keep things clean. The Regent prefers to only punish the guilty, and having the lines be clear will create less of a hassle in the future. Generally, Godsblood is not in a state where physical resistance is likely to happen unprovoked.

Comments

Akua Sahelian ➻ Sovereign ➻ Pleroma

[wolof]

[ Open Prompt and Closed prompts nested below! If we've plotted something or you would like a starter yourself, feel free to hit me up in the game discord, on Plurk at hundreds, or on her plotting comment! ]

① OPEN - 15th-19th

[wolof]

[ The atmosphere of the entire city was different.

The streets seemed devoid of the life they'd held before, the incursion of the Kenoma on the town had brought a tension that the town hadn't seen, despite the rather loose association with the Regent the town had enjoyed before, it was obvious that there was something... wrong.

Akua herself hadn't revealed her Aion status to the locals, and even now, her dresses were cut higher than they had ever been in Calernia, specifically to hide the shard that rested over her left breast. She didn't creep through the streets, but she moved at a quick rush, intending to move from one location to another with little dallying. When she wasn't involved in a rescue effort here, or there, she was... elsewhere, around the city.

Early on, she spent time at the waterfront, or above the city in her form of a black swan, but when she isn't lurking in alleys, or ducking around a corner. It's better to catch a bird's eye view of the area, and when she lands on a roof to observe a gathering down below, she does so only after transforming back into a human. Her head peered over the ledge, as she looked down, gauging the individuals below. She's easy to spot, regardless, so if one wants to call her out, they're likely to get a response.

Other than flying above, or watching from the roof of a building or two, Akua can be found walking in between buildings, her steps careful, and her head held high. For even though some from Godsblood were nervous, Akua Sahelian was Praesi, and beyond that, she was of the blood of the First Betrayal. She had little to fear, even from the Kenoma. Her pride is likely to get her in trouble one of these days. ]

[deushexmachina]

[It feels like electricity biting at his skin.

He's at the waterfront when he sees her, his eyes habitually looking skyward. He suspects how she got aloft so easily, watching from the skyline, magic second nature to her. Jayce understands why she keeps a distance; he's been quiet about his affiliation for some time now. Neither did so out of fear.

He raises an arm, elbow jutting out. Full faith she'll see him.]

[wolof]

[ She'd been looking for something else -- a hint, an idea -- something that would allow her to unlock one of the secrets to how to get into the jail. She'd just swept in, from elsewhere in the city, closer to downtown, and when her eyes caught Jayce, down below, she couldn't help but smile faintly.

She'd thought he didn't tend to hang around the city much, although there wasn't much choice, when the Regent made certain they knew where they would be striking. They both had felt a sense of duty, it would seem.

She mirrored his wave, and stepped off the roof. She doesn't teleport -- there's no way for her to make doors, but with a few wafts of air, she lands as if the roof had been three feet, instead of 40. She stepped up to him, slowly. ]

Keeping busy? [ She asked, a small smile in greeting. ]

[deushexmachina]

[Appreciative of her magical display, he smiles. A soft curve of a grin, naturally boyish. Inclining his head, he lets the question remain rhetorical.]

I've been meaning to follow-up with you, earlier. Before all— [he sweeps his arm back—] of this. I've been anchored here. What other option do we have?

[A similar sense of duty glows between them.]

[wolof]

[ She watched him sweep his arm behind, and nodded. ]

Woe to our timing, hm? [ She asked, a quirk of her lips. ] Now that we're dealing with... this mess... [ A breath in, and then out. ]

Everything else feels put on hold, the streets are empty.

Have you had any encounters, with them? [ The Kenoma. ]

[deushexmachina]

I've kept a low profile, [surprise to none. Jayce carries his shoulders with invisible rocks thatched to the blades.] But I've considered reaching out. [Even amidst his darkest hours, he couldn't surrender that last ounce of hope.]

Of those you talked to, [he presumes,] which was the least contrarian?

② CLOSED - Untitled Swan Game (Akua and Himeka) - Day 1

[wolof]

What do you think?

[ She asked, her head peered over the ledge of the building as they looked down at the location where the Kenoma had begun holding Vaeka. There were no obvious ways in, but that didn't mean they would be without options. Akua didn't believe in limitations, after all, and the guard standing outside looked to be a soldier, not one of the Aions. Their face wasn't known to her, and she'd spent careful time looking at each and every face that had been in the dream the Regent had pulled them all into.

No, this wasn't anyone she had to fear -- as if Akua feared anyone -- but that didn't mean they would be foolhardy. ]

I'm wondering if the roof of the facility might have a way in, or... if they're foolish, there might be a key?

[ She lifted one of her eyebrows in question. ] I might have a way to get closer, without drawing too much attention.

i'm so ready

[aquaveiled]

[ Himeka squints as she peers over as well (because she is so very tall). Upon her ascension she has been able to pick out other Aions much more easily and, yes, she can also confirm that even if they were in costume, this person is most definitely not an Aion. That should make them an easier target to bamboozle and overcome. ]

Either they're not too worried about us interfering, or the other Aions are inside.

[ She can't imagine the Regent would leave it all up to hired help, right?

Sliding back down, she does pause to raise a brow. ]

Oh? What's that?

[wolof]

I think the second is more likely. Perhaps they're conferring with the others, or taking a nap.

[ Her nose scrunched up, she looked down at the man with a scoff. It would almost be too easy, if she were to just bamboozle him. She would just kill him, but she didn't like the idea of the Kenoma being on such high alert later. If they killed a guard now, they'd likely not make the same mistake twice, and she didn't want the potential opening be lost later.

She smiled at Himeka and held a finger to her lips. ]

My idea... hm. How do you think he'd react if it was just...an animal that was harassing him? She almost couldn't keep the smile off her face, at the idea. If nothing else, it would be fun, and what was proper Villainy if it wasn't fun?

[aquaveiled]

[ Taking a nap? Well...one would assume they would be taking it more seriously but honestly Himeka understands the desire to power nap between missions, so no shame there.

Akua's proposition, however, gets her to raise one brow and then the other. ]

...An animal?

[ She give that due consideration, tilting her head this way and that as a variety of different scenarios run through her head. A dodo going wild, a Namazu being a menace, a very hairy yak shedding all over them... ]

They wouldn't be expecting that, I'd say. Though I didn't bring any fish we could fling at them...

[wolof]

Hm, I wasn't thinking fish...

[ She smiled, and ducked her head, slightly, almost demure. ]

You know, I found out recently... I can turn into a swan.

Imagine the surprise when he's got a bird biting at his clothing? Can you imagine?

And perhaps I'll be able to pilfer... that nice little ring of keys on his belt.

[aquaveiled]

A swan?

[ That is...so wonderfully random? Or maybe it isn't, she doesn't know if Akua has ever had an affinity to birds or swans in particular. And the more she thinks about it...especially back on the First when that shoebill stork continued to show up on her balcony and in her room uninvited no matter how many times she was confident she closed that window--

Yes. Yes this could definitely work. ]

You know...I think you may be on to something. No one would suspect a bird just wandering around, right? And we're close to water and swans like water.

[ It makes perfect sense! ]

How long can you hold that form?

③ CLOSED - The G-Rand Escape - (Pleroma Rescuse Squad/Kenoma Jailor Squad)

[wolof]

[ The fact that Rand had gotten captured was...worrying. Of course, Akua could say a lot of it was due to his inexperience and unwillingness to learn about the power he held, but on another level, Akua understood that she should have pushed him harder to join in the training she'd pushed for, or maybe even just challenged him to be smarter, or more careful. It's now that they're here, close to where the Kenoma are keeping her prisoners that she's able to focus back on the mission, and she looked to Ernesto, before she leaned around the corner from the alley, and looked over at the building, and stared at the entrance. ]

Be ready. I don't doubt that they will want to hold one of our own, and possibly take them back to Achamoth. Let's get Rand out.

[ She wouldn't go first, given that she's likely go cause serious damage, but she's ready to step in right after Ernesto, her fingers clenched into a spell prepared, and she nodded in the direction of the jail. It's time. ]

[goldendeceiver]

Which would be nice to avoid.

[ He inhales deeply to stead himself. ]

Alright, if you're ready then.

[ For once in his life, Ernesto's thoughts are a lot more straight forward. Rand got captured trying to do what the rest of them have been doing for awhile: skulking around the city and trying to figure out what they can do to help stay the execution that's slated to happen. He's not thinking about Rand's ability to have kept himself out of this trouble in the first place, and more just what he can do in order to drag him out of it now.

Having someone who apparently knows magic at his back is a nice relief though. He'd only recently started fighting alongside Casters again back home, but there's something reassuring about having someone who can blast away someone sneaking up behind you with a flick of the wrist.

He's always been the type to clash head on with people though, so he's perfectly content to have Akua behind him as he creeps forward, trying to stay light on his feet so he doesn't make much sound as he approaches the jail, and eyes scanning the rooftops for any sign of people watching out for them.

They choose this early morning time so it would still be dark enough to spot them, but if any of their foes have abnormally good night vision, then that won't do them much good. ]

[wolof]

[ Akua followed behind, silent as the grave. If she'd been younger, she would perhaps have simply blown the wall open, and moved forward, but she'd been through a long war, she'd seen a lot by now, she had a death, and age, and experience. So she crept behind Eustace, her feet silent, but she kept a spell on the tip of her tongue, and moved forward.

From behind, her eyes scanned the way, looking for the best way in. The door was empty, and obvious. She didn't want to blow the wall in, and the windows would likely be barred. She motioned for them to move forward, toward the door. She leaned forward, as they moved, and said: ]

I doubt it would be unlocked, but what ifthat was a lucky little opportunity -- or an unlucky trap?

[ Either way, she didn't seem to be worried, and since the other avenues were... far more destructive, it seemed the best route. ]

Regardless, it looks unguarded.

[goldendeceiver]

Guess we have to risk it, right?

[ As they move towards the door, Ernesto's heart sinks heavier with each step he takes. While he should be through the roof with how easily this is going, he's lived through at least one war of his own prior to his free trip to Horos, and things rarely ever go this easy without something bad waiting just around the corner.

At the very least when he reaches out to touch the door handle, he can breathe a small sigh of relief over the fact that it was, in fact, locked.

Had it been anything else it really would have seemed too much like a trap.

He glances back at her, unsure of just what the limitations and control on her magic are, but... ]

Any chance you have something that could destroy the doorknob and the lock?

[ Because with the mods he has on his sword, he could take down this door pretty easily, but probably not that quietly. ]

[baltimores]

[ Amos hasn't exactly been sleeping that great. There's something to be said for suffering a grievous injury, knowing there's no immediate — if any — fix for it, going back out there regardless, and getting hit with a dose of hallucinogens for your trouble all within twenty-four hours or so.

So, he's up earlier than expected. Might as well do some of the rounds, take his mind off of things. Shift his focus from things he can't control to things he still can.

It's when he's entering the cellblock that has Rand — it'd been something of a pain to have to spread their resources out a bit farther, their guarding load now doubled, but still better than chancing a Pleroma being anywhere near Vaeka — that he can hear what sounds like a door swinging open. And he... can't think of any reason why that would be happening. Who else would be around here who's supposed to be here that would be coming in from...

... ]

Hey! [ Amos' voice is loud enough to echo down the halls, its aim to get the attention of anyone who might so happen to be nearby. He looks at his hands and, well, shit. He's got nothing on him. If this is going to end up being something, the only weapon he has is himself — which he can at least make do with if that's really all he's got. ] Anyone down there?

[ There's an underlying aggression to his tone as he moves at a brisk walk to get to where Rand's cell is. Who knows what he'll find along the way, though. ]

④ CLOSED - who keeps company with the wolf will learn to HOWL

[wolof]

[ The plan was set in stone now, and there was nothing to do but enact it. Akua isn't used to slowing down, despite the wounds she'd had to cauterize after her fight rescuing Rand. It's but flesh, and Akua isn't slowed down by it, despite the need to. There will be time to sleep after all is said and done, and once Vaeka is freed.

It's difficult to describe what the anticipation before a raid begins feels like at this point. The bubbling anticipation is an old friend to Akua, and next to Caitlyn, with her odd shaped magical "device" in her hand, is looking at it -- through it? -- toward the jail. She stood, ready to go on the offensive, and she knew the group getting ready to go in is primed and ready. Cait's shot is the signal, and her fingers clench, and unclench, waiting. It's eerily silent, the people of Godsblood already nervous, and Akua does nothing to alleviate it, a presence of tension, waiting for the moment --

There's a crack, and the odd device shot at someone across the way. She's quite certain it's the girl she spoke to before, but her eyes narrow at the figure, who pointed in their general direction. Someone -- something is on their way, and now it's Akua's turn. She's not shy with the magic, her fingers danced in a lightning quick array of high arcana, before a series of Legion-standard fireballs begin pelting out toward the figure. It's not worth the effort to create something much larger yet, but they launch outward, toward the figure, and Akua crept into the window -- made sure she was obvious in her red dress -- with a sharp smile, an eye to Caitlyn, to make sure she was fine, before she jumped out of the window, her form already morphing and changing, her arms to wings, legs gone, and her neck long, before it's with a silent dive, before she flapped her wings to take to the sky.

The black swan is obviously the person who used the fire, she'd made sure of it, before she took off to the east, away from their sniper's perch. ]

[galdorleod]

[ With that loud, sick cracking noise, the fight begins. They all knew it was coming, even though nobody could say exactly how the Pleroma would start their assault, but a surprise attack against Misa from way afar is not the sort of... hard, almost cruel action that Howl would have expected from the Pleroma. He spares a minute checking over her, and after determining that she's relatively alright — their multiple healers should be able to take care of the wound — he turns his attention to wherever the shot came from. Misa is in no condition to come with him, and so, it lands on his shoulders.

The unnatural silhouette of Howl's transformed body is perceptible, even from far away. Deep black and ragged around the edges by countless rough feathers, it starts as a winged inkblot rising from the roof of the jail and climbs in altitude with shocking speed. He's looking for the source of the shot by baiting it to try attacking him — and it seems to work, although the fireballs he coaxes from the sniper's hiding place are not the same as the projectile that struck Misa. Howl serves in a tight circle, easily dodging the fireballs as he watches a winged creature flee from the same window that the blasts emerged from.

It occurs to him immediately that this is a ploy to distract. Flapping his wings hard, he watches the small dot flee eastward and struggles with his next course of action. Leaving the interloper alone is an option, but surely, they will simply double back and fire more attacks at them. This would put not only Misa's safety at risk again, but the security of the entire building.

But, with unknown Aion having taken to the air, Howl has the clear advantage. Even with the double dose of caution and humility that his defeat by Estinien months ago had given him, he feels confident that he can prevail in an aerial fight. After a moment of decision, Howl's enormous black wings tuck backward into a dive. He's swooping fast and hard toward the small winged figure, set to precisely intercept it like a bird of prey snatching a sparrow mid-air. Halfway into the dive, he finally recognizes his target for what it is — a swan — but he knows that cannot be all there is to it, even as he reaches out with both enormous talons to strike. ]

[wolof]

[ Akua's form was smaller, and far slower than How's was. A matching, smaller ink blot of night in the sky next to his much deadlier frame, she'd suspected that she would be in trouble, but she hadn't expected him to be able to fly, or at least fly that fast.

Last time she'd taken this form in battle, she'd been a shade -- dead to all but the soul forced into her foe's mantle -- but she had to be careful this time, and the aion -- man -- creature was following her fast, and she couldn't cast like this, not without a significant dip in her capability.

So she did what any self-respecting Praesi would do. She did the unexpected.

His Talon's reached for her, and Akua let the form slip from her body, that black swan seemed to grow, dark feathers turned to browned skin, her body grew, neck shortened, and she turned mid-air with a swipe of her hand to raise a small, very weak shield -- but enough to turn the blow of his Talons away. ]

Hello there, dear.

[ As if she were at a party, and not about to plummet to the ground. She appraised the man-bird with golden eyes, before she made her decision. Her fingers move, like she's about to pull something from the ground, and it's a gust of wind, hard enough to catch her aloft, and possibly make him waver in the air, before she tipped her body, and let it fall to the ground. She transformed back into a bird, if only to catch the wind, and land safely. ]

[galdorleod]

[ Howl's talons his something stiff and invisible. A familiar tingle tells him that he's butting up against protective magic, and with a single massively powerful beat of his wings, he halts his dive and swoons towards the right, preemptively dodging whatever additional magic the shield might have been accompanied with. It saves him from the disorientation that the gust of wind would have caused him, but puts enough distance between them for the Aion to land without further interference. With a hum of annoyance to himself, he winds a tight half-circle towards the ground and lands with a heavy thump on the grass. ]

Who are you?

[ The voice that comes out of the monster is very human, clashing with the inhuman proportions and features. Howl shakes out his feathers as he lifts his head to look at his opponent, a round human face emerging from the end of a head and neck that's a little too long, a little too large, and yet still too small in comparison to his body. ]

[wolof]

[ Akua barely even balked, at the sight of a human face emerged from the long neck and bristling black feathers. It's eerie, and weird, yes... but it's not enough to shock her. She lifted an eyebrow, instead, and looked him up and down, as if he she could take stock of the form, and determine who this was, just by appraising him. If she had been home, in Calernia, she very well could have, but as it is, she can only give the impression of doing so.

Not that she gets much, and so she answered him. ]

I could ask the same of you, darling. [ Still, the pet names always served to disarm, particularly in battle. ] I am Akua Sahelian -- [ A pause, and she considered. What could she say? She was no longer the Diabolist, and had not been in some time, but she was not without a name, either. Her pause only lasted a brief moment, before she lit on the proper title. ] -- I am Calamity itself.

[ She didn't attack, but from her clawed hand, Howl could see that she was not without her weaves and defenses. ] Before we begin this song and dance in earnest, where I'm from, it's polite to know who one is fighting.

[galdorleod]

[ Howl huffs a laugh. It catches in the back of his mouth on the way out and devolves into a sigh at the end. ]

Calamity, you say. What an honour.

[ Just another war mage, from what Howl can tell. Slimy, scummy abusers of magic, no better than military dogs. Whether Akua is anything like that, of course, does not really matter to Howl — not in this moment and probably not after this moment, either — but it's a convenient assumption to make, to make palatable what he's about to attempt to do to her. ]

I am the Wizard Howl. [ Howl ruffles his feathers from head to tail, like a dog shaking his fur free of water, before spreading his wings wide in preparation to take flight again. ]

Prepare yourself, Miss Calamity.

[ And with loud, heavy flaps, Howl leaps back into the air, rapidly climbing high into the afternoon sky. His long legs dangle beneath him, talons opening and flexing, as Howl discards the lingering feeling of her magic against the claws. He isn't going to hold back on the next strike, but he peers down at her out of the corner of his eye as he climbs, watching. ]