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

[lifespanned]

[ Predictably, Misa lets out a short, choked out scream at the impact, nearly toppling over a second time - but she bears it, digging the fingers of the hand on her good arm into the wall, fraying splinters into the pads of her fingers from how she claws at it. Without pause, she half turns, trailing her eyes through the neat hole the bullet had made through the window's glass, out to the puzzle of buildings outside.

She says nothing more, too deep in the throes of pain, and now cold resent to come up with anything to say. And she leaves no mercy, either - as soon as she follows the trail to Caitlyn's location, she pins her gaze on that arm she can still see, petrifying it to cold, numbing stone, beginning with the tips of the fingers and moving down into the hand. She goes as far as she's able while Caitlyn is still in vision - as far as she hopes will prevent her from handling her weapon with as much precision and accuracy as clearly comes easily to her. If allowed, she'll go much farther than is even really necessary up her arm, purely out of spite - otherwise, she greedily takes whatever she's able.

Her words had fallen on an unwilling listener, after all— Misa doesn't believe, or perhaps can't accept what Caitlyn has to say, so at odds with her own ideology. Because the conflict is personal to her, all her motivations run on a matter so very personal to her, that any affront (allegedly neutral or otherwise) to that motivation can feel like a personal attack. The last thing Caitlyn will be able to feel from Misa's side of communion is a frustration, bone deep and years old, before she shoves her shard back in place to free her hand— solely so she can clutch at her new wound. ]

[superbshot]

Bloody hell!

[The feeling of her hand freezing up had the desired effect, and the bonus side-effect of breaking Caitlyn's calm. She had heard about this, and she knew it was apparently temporary, but that didn't make it any less jarring. The sensation of her fingertips, hands, and even the beginnings of her wrist turning to stone was uncomfortable and startling.

It also had another effect. The gun in her hand discharged, the rifle bullet fired somewhat wildly in Misa's general direction as a reflexive accident. It may hit, it may ricochet, it was a wildly aimed and hastily taken shot at best.

Caitlyn's reasonably sure that Misa is rather thoroughly occupied though. She's injured, she's barely capable of walking, and it's only going to get worse as she loses blood. With that done, there's little more Caitlyn feels she can do at this exact moment with her position exposed, so she retreats. Slithering back, careful to stay hidden, she makes her way back into the building she'd been using. Once there, she slips out the back and disappears into the streets. Mission parameters met, she'll be laying low, waiting for news of Vaeka.]