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

[expiera]

[They continue on unimpeded, this is a time where locals are perfectly happy to not get approached by strangers.]

I see.

[So they're not that close, but because of how Deep In The Sauce Amos is, which Ciel actually is not, he feels responsible for failing to make that snag. Selfishly, for a split second, she almost envies his simplistic black-and-white view of their situation.

Almost.]

I heard he killed a guard, and he's being difficult in his confinement. He also futilely tried attacking the Regent during the address. I don't think someone like that would willingly come to us at this point, you shouldn't blame yourself either. Like we've talked about before, some ideological differences are just irreconcilable, so there's no use dwelling over them.

[Yes, this will be a two-stop trip, and she's setting the stage for what's coming up next.]

[baltimores]

Sure. But if I'd gotten to him first, maybe we could've skipped all that.

[ That's where Amos' hope lies — that anyone can be converted under the right circumstances. For Rand specifically? He's never even so much as had to drink the Kenoma. And maybe if he had, things would be different. ]

When I met him at the Martyr shrine, he was all freaked out. Thought it was his job to save his world. Got freaked out that it was the Martyr shrine specifically, too. [ He glances at her; sorry. ] Gotta think someone hurting that bad would be open to it. 'cept now it might be too late.

[ A beat. ]

Well, maybe the Regent could fix things. That's what I'm hoping for anyway.

[ If it's salvageable at all... and they're mere days away from finding out, so right now, it's not like things are so bad. Just a minor setback. ]

[expiera]

[Right, Amos believes it all with every fiber of his being. Which makes them quite the contrast, Ciel supposes; even now, she believes in choices and isn't fussed about "losing out" on potential recruits. Some people they will never see eye to eye with, others simply don't possess the mettle to carry out the work that they must execute even if they were on 'this side' too with the 'right' beliefs. As a puppet with no will of her own, it's easy for her to act as ordered, but for those others who still harbor doubts and hopes...

...

She doesn't react at the Martyr tidbit, or the glance he throws her. That Rand thought it was his job to save his world is far more interesting, and practically guarantees her that her "idea" will work. A boy like him, huh?]

Then consider our first stop an insurance. In case that doesn't go as planned, give him a reason to keep his head low and think twice before interfering with us again.

[It's blankly stated with a coldness she seldom shows around allies. There is nothing morally correct or justifiable in harming innocent civilians, after all. But since she's already on this path, the only way forward is sink further down below.]

[baltimores]

[ The Regent, way back during their first dinner, had told him it was shortsighted of him to try to let others make their own choices. Their logic had been sound. So... people don't get to make their own choices when it comes to being Pleroma or Kenoma, basically. They all need to be Kenoma.

They can all be made to be Kenoma, even if the process won't be pretty. But the ends the Regent is working towards will justify the means.

Ciel's shift to coldness is noted.

It's something Amos himself is familiar with. The kind of person it takes to be molded into doing another's bidding without question. That bit of history they do share, that common thread between them, and it's all he needs to know that this is more than just a little errand.

He drops his own drawl, opting for something strictly straightforward instead. Empty. ]

Sure. What do you have in mind?

[ Insurance never hurts to have, though this might be kinda new to him. Usually he just kills whoever and is on his way. ]

[expiera]

[Everyone was there for that. And yet later, Xishen had said the Regent preferred followers who willingly obeyed, who do not do so out of fear of sanctions. Which one is it? It's contradictory. It's inefficient. So much flair and dramatics over nothing, just like this execution.

Ciel simply knows how to keep her thoughts to herself, and make up the deficiencies in her reasoning with concrete action. Results are all that matters at the end of the day, after all. That's all.]

I happened across him and his neighbor by chance, when I came to Godsblood a few weeks earlier. [Thanks for the spice tip, kenomies.] The woman is a food stall vendor. She should be closing up shop soon. [...] It won't be anything drastic, just a warning.

[But it's pretty much implied, isn't it. That she'll be hurt, in some way.]

[baltimores]

[ He prefers to be able to reverse engineer the decisions that come down from above, and most of the time, he can. If he can't, then, well... yeah. He'll carry them out regardless. You need not guide the path, only protect those who do.

And right now, in a way, that extends to Ciel, though this doesn't seem like the kind of thing where anyone's going to get hurt.

... Where almost anyone's going to get hurt.

Amos falls silent. Wholly, completely silent as they walk towards their destination. He stops looking around, seemingly more focused on the ground in front of him, on keeping his identity concealed than anything else. That part, he got.

What she said, he can't reverse engineer.

After several long moments, ] What'd she do?

[ Is she like. Part of a budding resistance here or... ]

[expiera]

[There is absolutely nothing morally justifiable about this, and Ciel knows it. She's already "looked into it" after all, spoken to one of the Achamite guards under the power of Suggestion to float the idea, and erased it from the man's memories once it became clear that it's something she will have to do on her own. Which is fine; she's more than capable. The unforeseen factor... Is Amos tagging along.

So of course, there is no good answer to his question.]

What did the guard that died do?

[That's why he gets a question back instead. Her voice is low, inflectionless. Does he see it, now?]

[baltimores]

[ Nothing. The guard did nothing.

This woman has done nothing, then.

Amos is silent for another long moment. It's understanding her non-answer; it's him trying to figure this out.

When he speaks again, his voice remains straightforward. Emotionless. They're on a job here, even if he doesn't understand it, and he isn't going to fuck this up for her. ]

How does this work? As a warning.

[ It's not a no. In full good faith, he's trying to comprehend this. ]

[expiera]

He lashed out during the Regent's address, we know what he did to the soldier. He's only been more difficult since you first met him at the shrine, hasn't he?

[She didn't check in to take a look at Rand herself, not yet, but word travels fast in the small building they've taken for themselves.]

His rashness and defiance will cost him. Martyrs care about others more than they do about themselves.

[Coolly, clinically. She's one too, but it's just stating the obvious.]

There won't be much meaning to this if we successfully take him back to Achamoth without incident. But in case that doesn't happen, it'll give him something to mull over later. Actions have consequences, so do choices. He will simply have to live with the fact that a woman who has sheltered and fed him has been hurt because of what he's decided.

[She slants her head his way, watching Amos impassively yet attentively. Was that "justifiable" enough for him to understand...?]

[baltimores]

[ ... This is so fucked up.

Ciel is talking about hurting an innocent woman — someone with truly no stake in any of this, someone who deserves to go about her life as normal until they bring everything crashing down, but on everyone, not targeted individuals — all to get back at someone else. If they need to be getting at Rand, then they should be getting at Rand; Amos has done that a couple of times already. He thought that was doing the trick.

But Ciel would know better, wouldn't she.

And he really can't argue with a single thing she's said. It's fucked up, but the logic is intact. And it isn't something she's getting off on. She's doing it simply because it has to be done.

Amos hesitates for a long moment, well aware that Ciel is gauging his response. He just needs a little bit of time to think it through. Piece things together. Make sure every single thing she said makes sense.

And once he does that, ] Okay.

[ A cool, clinical acceptance in turn for her. Because he's familiar with the type as well. Martyrs care about others more than they do about themselves. That's true. So if this way means a better chance at properly converting Rand already, then it's okay.

He can tamp down the unease pretty easily, at least. He cants his gaze back in her direction. ]

You said nothing drastic?

[ ... Because maybe that part is still kinda important too. ]

[expiera]

[It's something she wouldn't have considered either, before Horos. Human weapon that she is, a Burial Agent was nevertheless someone who fought for God's order. They may be authorized to use any amount of force necessary and any kind of damage would be excusable in the name of annihilating things that have no place in the Lord's garden, but the only times Ciel really killed was when someone who was once human had already been irrevocably turned.

This is nothing like that. It's to send a message, that's all.

She sees Amos easing into it, and for a moment, it almost makes her doubt herself. He really looks up to her and trusts her judgment, doesn't he? Making him accept this and go along with it, when even a man like him who claims to not have a soul of his own can acknowledge the inherent wrongness and hesitate...

She really is paving her own way to somewhere worse than hell, and she has a better idea than most about what it may look like. ...So be it. A monster like her is perfectly suited for carrying out the Kenoma's more questionable dirty work.]

It'll be a light to medium burn, I can't make an equipment malfunction look worse. We can leave some money too, balance the misfortune with fortune.

[She keeps her gaze fixed forward. They'll be there soon, now.]

[baltimores]

[ Any doubts, any hesitations on her part go unnoticed. She's committed. This is something she's planned to do. It's been thought out well in advance, from specific method to having to actually make the trek out here. At any point she could have decided no, called it off. Hell, she still could.

And she isn't. She's not going to. So who is he to question things — especially against someone capable of taking the lead like this? Someone he knows is intelligent, he knows is committed, he knows will stop at nothing to get their ultimate goal done. There are others in his ranks where he assumes, but with Ciel, he knows. They have too much in common for him not to.

So. It's okay. ]

That's not so bad. Gonna suck for her for a few days, but if she's none the wiser then it's not like she's gonna have anything to worry about after. Hell, if she decides she needs to upgrade maybe she'll come out of this better than before.

[ Because they're going to leave money, too. She's at least getting something out of this.

It's more than Amos would have thought to do. If he'd been instructed to do something like this, he would've probably just killed her. Brought her body back. Showed Rand what real consequences look like.

... It'd probably do a better job of breaking him. It's. It's maybe not a bad idea, if things ever go far south enough to necessitate it. Just as Ciel is capable of this, he knows that wouldn't be a problem for him.

Just never would've occurred to him on his own is all.

Amos keeps an eye out as the makings of a space for food stalls comes into sight. They can still technically turn back; the both of them know they aren't going to. ]

[expiera]

Yes, a minor and temporary inconvenience. We can come back and check to see how she's doing later if you're worried, the Achamite soldiers won't help us with this. I haven't tried tracking her to her home, it was pure luck that I learned of the fact that she's Rand's neighbor.

[And that's the main objective: send him a message, then he's going to be pressed about it forever. Anyway.

The food stalls come into sight, and Ciel's steps slow. In the distance, shop owners are in the middle of cleaning & locking up and clients are rushing away with takeout bags from last minute sales; the day is ending, and with the atmosphere in Godsblood being what it is after the public execution announcement, no one is particularly keen in pulling overtime. After continuing on the main road for a bit more, Ciel takes an abrupt turn into a side alley, making sure that Amos has followed her in before gesturing with a nudge of her head towards a middle-aged woman by a cart a few dozen feet away in the process of closing up. She doesn't notice them, having just waved someone she seems to know goodbye for the day.]

That's her, Eleanor.

[Her volume has dropped low too, and she's leaning further into her hood.]

This confirms her cart. [...] Following her would also lead us to where Rand currently resides. Is that something you have interest in, Amos?

[It may change later, but for now, it's worth a note.]

[baltimores]

I'm not worried.

[ He says it simply, the shrug in his voice. He's not worried because Ciel knows what she's doing; he's not worried because the woman, ultimately, means nothing to him. There isn't anything for him to be worried about. If something goes wrong, then yeah, that'll be pretty fucked up of them to have done it, but no more than it already is. Sometimes shit just happens, and there really isn't anything for you to do about it after.

So it's fine. He's adapted to the idea quick enough.

Amos makes no outward acknowledgement at her name, humanizing someone else not really an option on his end of things. You grow up somewhere where people could die at any moment, you yourself grow up cutting off your own humanity, and trivial details like the lives of people he doesn't know don't matter. It's not like they're even gonna kill her. So he follows Ciel, mimicking her movements — and finally reacts at the idea of following her home.

Stalking a woman is also something that's fucked up. He knows this, probably on a more intimate level than would be expected from someone like him.

But it's not like she's the actual target in this scenario, so.

He hums in thought, soft and short. ]

Couldn't hurt. Even if we don't end up doing anything with, no harm in knowing it's somewhere where he's spent a lot of time.

[ And who knows what they could glean from it, especially if Rand's happened to be sloppy around the area. Seems like he already has something of a sloppy streak to him, if his capture is anything to go by. ]

We splitting up? You take care of things here, I scout out where she's off to, meet back at the prison?

[ There's a keen note to his voice; it makes sense to him, but in the end, this is Ciel's mission. Whatever she says goes, and he'll follow along with her orders here. ]

[expiera]

[He's not worried, he says. That's that.

He follows her along seamlessly from her steps to the thought process charting the flow to their discussion, and that's that, too.]

Yes, that would be ideal. The people and shops in the area could also be interrogated and visited later at our leisure, once things calm down in Godsblood and if we're in need of more information.

[They don't know that Rand will be leaving his old 'home' behind once he finds out about Eleanor's accident, but it certainly has no bearing over the Kenoma Aions' consideration of being thorough in the present.

A beat. In the distance, the woman finishes locking up her cart and is taking a breather before she begins making her way home.]

We'll have to put on hold getting a snack after together. Some other time, then?

[Added as an afterthought. They're going to hurt an innocent woman in order to send a message, and she has the gall to talk about snacks as if this really was just some minor errand.

Eh. They're human weapons. They still have things to do after this, and food IS important in keeping your strength up. Just being practical, that's all.]