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

[dragonmount]

[ later, amos may find out that the shaking had been localized to this specific cellblock. vaeka's side of the prison, with the rest of the guards and kenoma, had been untouched. was rand trying to bring the ceiling down, here specifically, on the two of them?

maybe.

the blow connects with his face, and it's two shouts that echo through this emptied out jail. his hold on saidin slips, of course, stars bursting behind his eyes. some of that seeping blood is left behind on his face too, though what's a little more at this point? the bruise that'll blossom on his cheek will be ugly, but that's another minor concern in wake of everything.

he isn't knocked out this time, but the pain is enough that he's barely aware of amos reopening his own injuries, of the move to settle down inside the cell this time. the pain and — regent's gonna want you. you're coming back to achamoth. both crowd up so much space in his mind that it's a long moment before he really hears, or parses, that command.

he opens his eyes to shoot amos a baleful stare, says, ]

You'll have to kill me if you want me to stop. If you don't think I'll give you hell all the way to Achamoth, [ talking hurts, but he'd be hard-pressed to point to a part of himself that doesn't hurt right now, ] and there, including to your Regent —

[ he might not be one of the blood of manetheren, but he is one of its children. he played upon and worked the earth that that so much of a kingdom died to keep free from darkness. and though the land became a butcher's yard, no trolloc crossed the river. it's a legacy that's as much his as anyone else from two rivers. ]

And if you thought Moiraine was strong, she couldn't do a tenth of what I can.

[ which might sound like a stupid boast, especially considering his situation right now, especially considering his refusal to acknowledge his channeling until a couple of days ago...but it's true. moiraine herself would agree. she has power, and wisdom, and strength, and training, and she's formidable. but just on the scale of raw ability? she can't do what the dragon reborn can, or she wouldn't have had to take him to the eye of the world in the first place. ]

[baltimores]

And yet here you are.

[ His voice comes out hoarse and discordant, through gasps as he looks to get his wind back, wills the pain to die down. He's still flat, unimpressed, annoyed, but it's all subdued by the fact that Amos clearly isn't at 100 percent, either. The fact that he knows Rand has power is almost irrelevant in the here and now; not when it's that easy to stop him.

He stares down at his hand, the couple of drops of blood he swears he can feel leaving, hitting the cell floor, and shakes his head like that'll make it stop. Like everything isn't on fire all over again, like he can take himself back to earlier in the night before things had gone so completely sideways.

Well... not completely. He looks back down at Rand, willing his body to stay upright with the wall's help. Mostly succeeds. He did manage to get one of them, after all. That's still a win, even if it's at a bigger cost than he's happy with. ]

Of course you'd want to martyr yourself. [ He's too exhausted for this. ] Look, I'm pretty sure the Regent wants you alive, but if you want to be a rock for a little bit first, we can do that.

[ ... Can he? Though he doesn't skip a beat, Amos actually isn't entirely certain how easy it would be for him to kill Rand here and now. He'd probably have to go back and get a sword or dagger or some shit. It's not very often he's stabbed anyone, though. Huh. It's enough to make him pause for a second in thought before getting back to it. ]

Until then, not really sure what you're hoping for here.

[ If Rand could fill him in. It's not entirely rhetorical. ]

[dragonmount]

[ and yet here he is.

it's hard to feel sympathy for amos's pain, once it comes together in his mind that amos is in pain. the realization is slow, the adding up of little tells...for pretty much the same reason why rand can't sympathize. such a shame that it hurt amos to hit him so hard that it feels like his skull might crack open, twice now. such a shame that amos hurt his own light-forsaken hands when he

and that's a memory that abruptly comes back to rand, leaves him breathless. whatever rand's done wrong this night, and he has, his father's sword is gone. the only thing left of tam al'thor in this world, and maybe anywhere, was shattered and probably left in the street. there's no reason to believe he will ever see it again.

that realization isn't a physical pain, not like the throbbing in his head. it's worse.

later, he'll think it was so much the better that he didn't goad amos so far as to kill him and retrieve his shard. it'll give him openings to try to escape; and, more importantly, make him easier to find when ernesto and akua come looking for him. but there's no such calculation right now.

instead of answering, he finally goes quiet. ]

[baltimores]

[ In hindsight, it's not exactly surprising that he doesn't get an answer.

Amos watches him for a long moment, waiting, before deciding fuck it. This isn't doing anything for him. He lets himself slowly slide down the wall, coming to a rest at the floor. Sitting down proper, legs splayed out before him, head tipped back against it and essentially on the exact same level as Rand.

Neither of them is exactly feeling hot, but one of them's clearly worse off than the other. Not in terms of anything physical. Before everything went inexplicably red, he remembers seeing that obvious shock and thinking, Good.

And it is good, albeit for an entirely different reason. Amos sighs, because at the end of the day, he has a fucked up kid in his possession. One he would kill without a second thought, but since Rand evidently doesn't want to go there after all... ]

That was your first time killing someone, wasn't it. [ It's more of a loll of his head than a tilt. ] That's a good thing if it's got you fucked up. Also means you probably shouldn't talk a big game if you can't handle it.

[dragonmount]

[ well, at least amos burton thinks it's good that he's shaken after taking a life. thank the light for that.

though shaken (or fucked up) might not be the word right now. or maybe it is. he feels so much like nothing, that upswell of fear and horror and anger congealing back into numbness, distance from the situation at hand. he'll find his way back to rage sooner than the rest, but crushing resignation is an older friend. he'd had people to put on a brave face for the last time, but his current company is little better than being alone. ]

I can handle whatever I need to.

[ is more weary than defiant. the last few months of his life have been a game of leapfrog from the last unbearable circumstance to the next. either he'll hit his limit eventually or stop feeling anything at all. regardless, he finds that he isn't interested in talking about the particulars of what happened. or talking, really, at all. ]

[baltimores]

[ He recognizes that look. Has lived with it most of his life. Made him perfectly adaptable to taking the lives of others with no real damage to his own psyche, because what was even left over to damage.

Shit, Rand would be so much better with him. ]

Sure you can. That's how I got the drop on you.

[ The sarcasm isn't so much malicious as pointing out a neutral fact. He'd seen Rand in a state of vulnerability and took advantage of it. And he'd do it again, and would expect anyone on his side to do the same.

He should go; he isn't sure if he can pull himself back up just yet, so all he's got under the exhaustion is kindness, the only way he knows how. ]

Look, I know you don't want to hear it, but you'll be better off when we get back to Achamoth. They'll [ the Regent ] probably help you [ finally give you the Kenoma ]. And then you'll be [ on my side ] prepared. It'll be for the best. You'll see.

[dragonmount]

[ that is, he thinks, how amos got the drop on him: he was weak.

not for the shock or remorse from taking a life. of course not that. however accidental, however unreal it seems, he did something that can't be undone. he will have to live with that. he does deserve to see punishment for it, if not — what's sure to be dealt to him in achamoth.

but he was weak around amos, around an enemy, and that was a mistake. a part of him almost can't blame the man for taking advantage of the situation. hasn't he made it clear, from day one, that he'd take rand back to the regent if or when he got the chance? rand gave him the chance, and he was as good as his word. amos doesn't lie. ]

They didn't seem that interested in helping me the other day, did they?

[ amos suggesting that this will somehow end well must be the most fool thing he's heard in his life. and amos doesn't lie, (and he certainly doesn't comfort,) which means he really believes it. as if the regent has anything for a person who's tried to kill them — and would, again — and did kill one of their people — besides pain and death. or, what, compulsion? even worse. maybe the next time rand sees godsblood, it'll be as another good little soldier here to impose darkness on innocent people.

the light look after him. he's almost curious how amos will rationalize this. ]

[baltimores]

You did attack them.

[ Like... come on, dude. He knows he's hit Rand in the head hard a couple of times now, but surely that much still had to be obvious to him.

Amos is able to sit up a little straighter, using the wall for support, a little less helpless now. Bit by bit, he's gonna get back there. ]

The Regent's fair. It's not like they go after people for no reason. You attack them, they defend themselves. You rebel against them, they remind you not to. You disobey them, they tell you where you went wrong, and then you get to try again. [ That last one was firsthand experience; he knows what he's talking about. ] None of it's a bad thing. You only get smacked down if you really fuck up.

[ Which is kinda what the Pleroma are doing. Really fucking this up for everyone else. Not like anything had been going wrong before then.

He shifts a little, brings his right hand to rest in his lap. Better there than on the floor if he isn't about to pull himself back up any time soon. ]

I mean, this is my fault. I wasn't able to bring you back with me the first time. So we're fixing that now. I'm hoping the Regent will help you when we get back to Achamoth, get the Kenoma in you. Then you can get a second chance to do the right thing.

[ That's all anyone should want, right? ]

[dragonmount]

[ it's tempting to point out that the regent hadn't exactly been friendly even before rand's attack. they'd been cruel, provoking, promising the deaths of civilians for the sole crime of not wanting to live under their thumb. the regent had destroyed their worlds. nothing about them seemed fair. amos's description hardly makes them seem better.

but all of that gets pushed out of his mind by the next thing amos says. he's been still — he's had little choice but to be still — for most of their conversation, but he stirs now. disbelief sits heavy on his face, in his voice. ]

That's why you've had it out for me? [ which might be an overstatement, but amos has undeniably taken a personal interest in him. ] You think whatever's happened to me in Horos is because Moiraine stopped you from taking me back then?

[baltimores]

[ Any disbelief in Rand's expression is mirrored by a flicker of bewilderment in Amos'. ]

I dunno if I'd say I have it out for you. [ That's... weirdly personal. But he can concede the colloquialism; not like he's never talked like that. ] But sure. Yeah. If she hadn't shown up, things would've gone the way they're supposed to. You wouldn't be in here, busted up and half-stone; you'd have been out there with me, making sure this goes through [ the execution; a minor detail ] and hunting down those trying to stop the Regent instead of being one of them.

[ It's just... disappointing, but he knows all the blame lies with him. He's not gonna shy away from that. Wouldn't do either of them any good.

Especially when they're on the verge of fixing it. ]

[dragonmount]

[ if there's a stretch of silence before he answers,

it's probably because one part of him wonders just how hard amos hit him. in a night of surreality, this admission feels straight out of a fever dream.

it's probably also because another part of him wonders if there's any point to telling amos, again, that he would never support the regent. things are less abstract now; it's not just good and evil, it's the idea that rand would willingly be part of this execution or the destruction of the pleroma, of these worlds.

finally, ]

And that's what you want?

[ rand with the kenoma. rand working alongside amos in jobs like these. ]

[baltimores]

Yeah.

[ He just said—

Any exhaustion or exasperation he feels at having to explain himself yet again quickly fades, replaced with conviction. Amos can feel his body starting to get used to the idea of actually resting, but this is more important right now. ]

You thought you were supposed to stop your world from ending, right? That was one of the first things you ever said to me. You're, what... twenty? When I was that age I was apprenticing and figuring out far I could stretch a dollar into getting some decent booze, and you're out here thinking you gotta save the world. Christ, I didn't have a normal childhood, so how the fuck did I end up healthier than you at that age?

[ It's almost offensive, but he's offended on Rand's behalf. Like what went so completely sideways in Rand's life that Amos could be better emotionally adjusted. Amos. ]

I know you think you were born to defeat evil and whatever, but shit, how's that supposed to fall on you? That's what we're doing. It's a team effort. You don't want to be part of that team?

[ I want you to be part of that team. I want everyone I've met, I've liked, who fucked up and went to the other side like you did to be on it. That's what's best for everyone, you included. I owe you that much. ]

[dragonmount]

[ amos please give him a minute, this is a weird turn of events and he's dealing with some head wounds.

and the truth is, he'd forgotten everything he'd said at the martyr shrine. that immediate horror as he woke from dreaming the end of the world, the admissions he'd made while only half-aware he wasn't alone. before it even occurred to him that amos might be anything but some kind stranger. he's tried so hard to keep his life before horos under wraps, and what an exercise in futility that's been. it becomes clearer to him by the minute.

see, and because amos was there at the martyr shrine, the reaction rand has now might not be surprising. it's not the first time amos is seeing this. rand had been baffled, but the longer amos goes on, the more offended he is, the more rand shuts down. this isn't the earlier blank shock; this is a wall slamming up. his expression cools, shutters, and he clenches his jaw hard enough that it may be clear — or become clear the longer he goes without answering — that he isn't interested in discussing this. ]

[baltimores]

[ He knows what it's like when a wall goes up, too; he also knows he isn't going to bring Rand's down. That usually takes time and, more importantly, a sense of camaraderie. At the moment, they don't have either.

Amos sighs, letting his head drop. It feels heavy from exhaustion and a lingering burning pain that's not gonna go away anytime soon. Pain that's Rand's fault; pain that he'll forgive him for once everything's set straight. ]

Yeah, alright.

[ With a soft grunt he pulls himself up. He feels slightly unsteady on his feet, but that's probably a good thing; means he finally is ready to get some actual rest. It's not gonna be an easy one, but at least it'll be something — and it won't be on the floor of a cell while partially encased in stone.

Still, Amos takes a moment to look back down at Rand. When he speaks, it could be construed as encouraging. Kind. ]

Look, shit's gonna suck for a few more days. But when we get this over with, and you come back to Achamoth and get settled in, things'll be better. I know you don't get it now, but just give it a few days.

[ He really does believe that. In the chance that the Regent sees fit to do something else with Rand... well, either the end result will be something good, or. There are things worse than death.

His limbs feel heavy as he exits the cell, closes the door, locks it again. If Rand's got nothing left to say, then he's got a bed to get to. ]