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

[gravings]

......

[ She was really expecting some kind of response, whether it was a scurrying away or an intent to scuffle or a feigning of innocence... Instead, the intruder in front of her (she thinks she remembers him from the Regent's address) just stands there in silence. As Gray also stands there, also in silence, the pregnant awkwardness between them becomes painfully tangible.

Eager for a clue, she glances in the direction of his guilty eye movement, but it reveals no co-conspirator sneaking up on her so she quickly looks back to him. Should she... herd him off now? She's hesitant to point a weapon at him when he hasn't really done anything yet. ]

Sir? Can you hear me...?

Her bold approach has rapidly devolved into a polite plea for him to acknowledge her existence... ]

[passio]

…

[ maybe he can use his silence to his advantage. he’s never really thought of this inability as anything but a burden, but the way she falters makes him think he can at least make sense of who is guarding the perimeter. already, she seems like another person who doesn’t really belong here.

when she asks if he can hear her, his gaze comes up from the ground to her face, but he doesn’t show any other active acknowledgment. ]

[gravings]

[ Well, he looked up at her at least, so it probably means his ears are working? Her hands emerge from her cloak so that she can gently urge him away with a shooing motion, almost as if he were a cat. ]

Please, you can't be here. If you don't want to leave, I'll have to make you.

[ That should probably be a threat, but there's little to no hostility to her tone. It's really hard for her to be aggressive toward someone just... standing there. ]

[passio]

[ dextera has faced guards much more firm in their resolve than gray. he hadn’t actually come here with the goal of getting in so much as just looking, but her mild demeanor makes him wonder if even merely standing here is some kind of trap. or, perhaps…? ]

…

[ he doesn’t move from his spot and meaningfully continues to stare at her. there’s no challenge in his gaze, however—he doesn’t look like he’s testing her. the blank expression he wears could mean anything, and as such, it’s one of the things people have always been upset to experience. ]

[gravings]

......

[ If he's staring meaningfully at her, she's having a hell of a time trying to get his meaning. She wonders helplessly if he's broken or in fact a puppet or familiar sent as a distraction. She frowns slightly and ponders the best way to remove him from the premises. They didn't really receive security guard training... though, well, the unspoken understanding is probably that they're supposed to attack on sight.

Instead, she steps toward Dextera's side so that she can maybe just... reach out and try to direct him to turn around with a delicate touch to his arm using only her fingertips. ]

[passio]

…

[ the interaction is remarkably familiar. she could just as easily be one of the members of the order of malkuth as she is one of the kenoma, either way completely at a loss on what to do against someone who seems so technically harmless as dextera. an enemy he may be, but he hasn’t done anything wrong yet.

in continued silence, he turns his gaze down to where she touches his arm, and then looks at her again. ]

…?

[ there’s a small tilt of his head, as if to ask what she expects to happen. ]

[gravings]

[ Well, he hasn't exploded on her and her flesh hasn't started sloughing off, so that's promising. Maybe he's just a normal person after all (aside from the things he mentioned at the Regent's address). She isn't sure why he looks os confused, though. She should be the bewildered one here (and she is). ]

I'm going to turn you around now...

[ She begins to push at him, trying to gently bulldoze him away from the premises with her scant mass to drive them. If he won't walk away on his own, she'll just have to put in some muscle. ]

[passio]

[ dextera allows himself to be turned, but only by the body. he’s still looking back at her even when he’s been turned to the point of straining, and if she tries to push him, he’s not going to go anywhere. ]

Hm…

[ it’s the first sound he’s made since he got here, proving… something about him, but who knows what. ]

[gravings]

[ Sir?? "Hm"?? What is that supposed to mean, and why is he the one acting like she's being strange? She frowns tinily. Maybe it's more of a pout. ]

Sir...

[ If he refuses to move, then she'll just have to pick him up entirely and carry him out. She grips him by his sides so that she can attempt to do just that. ]

[passio]

[ dextera thinks he’s just about pushed her to her limits. he doesn’t know what this has accomplished, if anything, but he now knows something about the kenoma he didn’t before: there’s a mild-mannered young girl among their ranks, who despite her ominous entrance, doesn’t seem to be entirely willing to jump to violence. ]

…

[ he nods, and the moment she puts any force into trying to pick him up, he gently removes her hands and starts to walk away on his own. ]

[gravings]

[ Oh... Gray lets him go without any further fuss and watches him go. What a strange person. She's still not entirely convinced that it isn't just someone's puppet or homunculus. If it's the case, then she should probably destroy it just to be safe...

Except she definitely saw someone who looked like this person at the Regent's address, so it's probably just an Aion who is weird. She'll let him go for now — she really doesn't feel right about attacking someone who doesn't seem ready to fight — but if she sees him again, she really will have to get serious. ]