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

[vapour]

[ Oh. Well, what a surprise.

Childe smiles at her warning. He remembers her briefly from Venera in that shop and their brief search for clues. He hadn't been sure she was a Pleroma then like he is now but it's just as well. That means she at least won't be lost in the waves of faceless civilians throughout Horos since he found her at the very least an interesting individual to conversate with. She has a logic and an old world air about her that reminds him of Zhongli— and he hopes he won't be disappointed on making such a grandiose comparison at least on some level.

Despite his initial advantage, Childe has no intent to withhold what he is from her now that he sees it's someone he met before. Even if she doesn't remember him, it's enough to prompt him to not want to be accused of being unfair by giving no warning. Childe is the type to only stab from the front. It has to be a cold day in hell for him to do it from behind... or he has no other choice in disposing of that person. ]

Heh! I really am just out for a stroll, but I'm also pretty sure I'm one of the reasons the locals are all in. No need to worry about me.

—But I remember you: from Venera.

Now, are you the type of Pleroma that attacks Kenoma on sight? I have been given the impression you're smarter than that, but I might as well be sure of it, right? I'm off duty now, but if you start it I'm obligated to finish it via the Regent's orders.

[wolof]

[ It clicks, then. She doesn't know how so many of them are able to identify others, while she cannot. Akua should be able to find a way to do so, but she hasn't quite nailed down how, or what it would require to be able to tell. Her fingers rise to her stone, kept covered from the world by her dress, on instinct, but she smiled, in response. ]

Oh no, not unless you give me reason.

[ She had, after all, learned from the school of Catherine Foundling, who had begged a crusade against her, to not fight, and been forced to. No, Akua wasn't about to fight them, unless necessary. Even then, she knew it wasn't personal. She didn't even know if there were those here who could make it personal. ]

I disagree with the Regent, but... I do understand what leads a person to their...conclusion. [ Not, however, with their decision to cull the city of Venera, or their decision to capture Vaeka. That was just how one had to operate, if one was to hold a certain class of Villainy. It wasn't even all that...Bad. ]

Besides, I didn't even know you were with them, until this moment.

[vapour]

[ Childe was immediately ready to roll his eyes at the woman's comment about disagreeing with the Regent, expecting a flurry of Pleroma idealism to shoot out of her mouth. When it doesn't come, and in fact what does is a suggested understanding, instead... well, color him surprised. ]

You do? Whyso? [ The Kenoma agent honestly didn't think Pleromas were capable of attempting to understand good and bad as anything but black and white, nevermind trying to see it from the Regent's side. Not even a Kenoma aion, but the Regent themself.

That's... impressive. ]

[wolof]

[ It's a common question, for a Villainess with the Pleroma. Why should one not want to sign on with the very obvious proxy for a Dread Emperor or Empress in this land? Isn't that what any good Praesi would do? ]

Why what? Why do I disagree?

[ She lifted her shoulders, in a shrug. ]

If the great game is over, what is left? Victory? Serenity? No strife, a perfect world as determined by the Regent? Victory with nothing to challenge us?

[ She lifted her head. ] No, total victory means there would be little left for us to enjoy, when it's said and done.

What good is a conquered world, if there's nothing left?

[vapour]

[ That's a fair point. The Regent is looking for that kind of perfect world, too, and they do not hide it. Still, for Childe this world means nothing to him, and therefore whether there's life to be lived or the eternal misery that complete serenity would inevitablly bring, especially to someone like him doesn't matter. All he knows is if his world is gone, then this world doesn't deserve to be spared.

His world being gone is complicated, of course. He normally is skeptical, especially when he had been to the Abyss and never once encountered even an uttered word of a force that would be capable of destroying his world in a blink of an eye. That was definitely a dream of some metaphysical proportions and he's sure it meant something, even if he's not sure what. Still, there are times when the loneliness eats at him, that the despair seeps into his pores telling him that everything he has done has been for his family and yet they're all gone. Why are they all gone but he isn't? Why would he be spared the fate of his world? Whatever brought him here isn't his savior, it's his tormentor. Is that the Regent? Childe isn't sure, because aions are children of the Pleroma. The only way he could imagine the Regent summoning them would be through the Pleroma's visceral reaction to send itself against the Kenoma enroaching upon it.

Either way, if this world's Kenoma and Pleroma are capable of affecting other worlds, then this world absolutely must end in order to protect his own if it hasn't yet been destroyed. Just in case. No matter how he looks at it, whether he has hope or despair towards being able to get back home to his world, this place must end so no one else is dragged here, as well. Maybe a perfect world of the Regent's would mean no more aions. Then again, maybe a perfect world without the Regent in it would also mean no more need for aions.

Afterall, none of them asked for this.

In his opinion, the Pleroma is no better than the Kenoma and vice versa. He is sure there is a perfect world version with the Pleroma just like there is a version with the Kenoma, but he has to wonder if the Kenoma's 'perfect world' is simply more achievable. If both strive for a perfect version and the version is technically the same, then does it matter how they get there?

Childe blinks suddenly, surprised upon realizing how easily her words got him thinking in more detail. If this world was Teyvat, he would not want that perfect world of the Regent's, he would absolutely want something more like the Pleroma's hope and eternal strive for true peace that is arguably simply impossible because humanity exists. Those flaws wouldn't bother him then; in fact, he'd relish in them.

This isn't Teyvat, though. ]

You ... make a good point, admittedly. —But, I meant... why do you understand the conclusion of the Regent's despite disagreeing with it overall?

[wolof]

[ He clarified, and she couldn't help but smile. ] Because I'm a Villain, dear. That's what some of us like to do.

[ Not Akua, even at the height of her own villainy, had been so willing to torch the entirety of her world -- although she'd certainly made the superweapon to do it. Dread Empress Triumphant had likely been one of those types, and while Akua had styled herself similar to her -- may she never return -- she had never gone so far.

No, Akua understood, because she'd looked into the eyes of a different person, someone on the side of Good. Someone who'd had the ear of the Gods Above, and had wanted, so desperately, to put an end to it all. Why? Because she was lonely, because she saw them die, and nothing ever changed. She had one companion, and that companion had been Neshamah, the Dead King. Of course she'd been warped, after millennia of only one person for company. One constant, among countless that she could appear before. It wasn't even your average person, no, one had to be Named, or close to it. She considered, how to explain this to him. ]

Even those on the side of Good want to...scour the unrighteous from the earth, and all are wanting for purity in their eyes. When pushed for an eternity of seeing the same stories, and the same beats repeat over and over, only to never see anything change... it's not surprising. I knew someone like that. Immortal, lonely. Her only constant only wanted to live to see the Last Dawn, and she... wanted to bring it about.

Eventually, I would think it gets old, being alone, watching, and losing those you are close to. Old, and lonely, don't you think? To be so singular, to see it all cycle over, and over again?

[vapour]

... Yeah. I definitely think... that would be the worst possible existence.

[ he approaches now to come sit down near her, bringing the bottom of his feet together like a child might and holds them with his hands thoughtfully as he rocks himself a bit. ]

Is there a definite right way to go about this saving the world thing? Both the Pleroma and Kenoma are basically trying to save it, just differently. If you've been on both sides of the coin, even if you don't like the idea of ending the world to create a perfect one ... can the Pleroma even ever achieve that, either? Or will it be the Regent's way and that unfilling and lacking joy type of existence versus simply what exists now continues to exist? Even if the Regent is defeated like the Resistance wants, their lives won't automatically be better beyond the fact they aren't fighting the Regent themself. The humans are only united because of this commonality known to them as the Regent. It's easy for them to say things will be better without them, of course, but I know better.

Are either side fighting for something plausible or just simply forces of nature naturally ricocheting off against one another?

[wolof]

We're all just... [ What had been that fun, delightful phrase Catherine had always used? ] Crabs in a bucket, aren't we. Trying to get to the top, stepping on all those below, for the Chance to avoid the person stabbing us from above.

I wish I had the answer to that. [ It's a touch sad, now. ] To me, there's nothing wrong with the forces of... [ Evil and Good ] Light and Dark being in opposition. The coin spinning, forever for eternity, finding balance.

When one has victory, the other sacrifices, and it moves the other way, as well. The Regent to me is a...tipped scale. Someone who's upset the balance between the two so much that they hardly have the choice, but to acquiesce. I don't think anyone's lives will be better, but...

Perhaps the balance would correct itself, with time. [ A pause. ] At least from my perspective. Mind, my... scope of reference is complicated.

[ And oddly, she understands this. It's why she understood the Regent, and why she didn't lash out at the Kenoma. Certainly, she didn't agree with them, but... rather because of the lack of balance, than it was the fact that the Kenoma were outright wrong. Destruction and creation should work in tandem, not opposed. ]

[vapour]

[ Childe listens and although he doesn't understand everything, and even less where she is coming from, at face value it seems to make a lot of sense. Unfortunately, Childe imagines the time for "sense" is about to be lost with the Regent's announcement. It's obvious they were displeased with the Kenoma aions and their lack of will to be particularly independent in spreading the Kenoma. Now that orders are involved, it becomes less malleable of a situation, regardless of sense to Childe. Still, she's not attacking the jail, and he's not guarding the jail. That means he can let this conversation pass as just a conversation. ]

I... really don't want to be stuck here forever. The Pleroma seems like I'd be committing to a lifetime of servitude because light and life will simply go on struggling through things to gain a better existence, but probably barely move at all. Like you said... balance. Why I should be fighting to preserve Horos when I wasn't able to fight for Teyvat's existence?

[ he seems sincerely curious is she has an answer or at least some thoughts on the matter. This world is arguably much worse than Teyvat from what he's seen. The Innocence entity from the Pleroma doesn't seem to care about life so much as peace at any cost. Is it really all that different to the Regent that the Pleroma aions accept it but reject the Regent? ]

[wolof]

[ Her mouth tightened, at that. ]

I understand. I worry the same thing. [ Akua doesn't want to be here, obviously. Yes, this world is perfectly fine, but Horos has different rules, the magic isn't the same, and there are no Names, to power the thread of the world, as the changes thread in and about reality. She feels adrift, in a place where the last years of her life -- all of the sacrifices, acceptance, and yes, even attempts at redemption were made undone. ]

I don't want to be here either. If Calernia is truly gone... [ A flicker, then, of that same despair, before she breathed in, and out. ] Then it is gone, and everything I did wasn't worth it. We were preventing the same, you know? Where I'm from. I'd even thought we'd made it, and then -- [ She lifted her hand, a light fist, before she spread it, and a small burst of light -- a tiny explosion, for effect -- escaped her fingertips. ] Just like that, gone.

Some here don't believe their worlds are gone, but I'm not willing to live with a false sense of hope. I suppose that makes me similar to you, hm?

I guess you could say, that someone taught me that if it would create change, and would be better for the universe at large, we should do it. Even we villains want something to do.