EVENT #5: SOVEREIGN CITIZENS (VENERA)

[aionmods]

Sovereign Citizens

VENERA

In contrast the Aion's last visit, they now arrive in Venera on a completely average day... or so it seems. Unlike Godsblood, Venera has been given no warning as to what's about to befall it; the Kenoma are simply authorized to arrive and begin their bloody work without fanfare. Even their entourage of Achamite soldier don't stick out that much; in the time since the plague left, the city has refilled with occupying forces. Notably, the Hylician ones seem to be keeping out of the way, almost as if they've heard some things and would rather not be involved too closely in what's to come.

As opposed to the ghost town it was during the plague, Venera is now reasonably active, with most attending to their usual business. Shops are open, and its people are withdrawn but superficially friendly when meeting strangers. Initially, the targets of the Kenoma hit list will have no way of knowing what's coming for them, but after the first couple attacks word will begin to spread. Those that have recently been engaging in seditious behavior will become harder to find, leaving their usual homes and workplaces to stay elsewhere, and making other attempts to escape the Regent's attention.

Once those alerts have been raised, the Kenoma will have to engage in more detective work to find their targets, questioning other Venerans and seeking out fugitives in the homes of their family and friends. In the meantime, some of those who believe they are in danger may become desperately enough to seek out the Pleroma directly, imploring them for aid. Unfortunately, seeking out one sect may just as easily draw the attention of the other. Most uninvolved Venerans will be too terrified to intervene one way or another, reluctant to aid in the persecution of their neighbors but fearful of consequences. If your Aion travels openly, it will take some effort to pin them down long enough to hold a conversation.

SEEDS OF DESPAIR

Several days into the culling of Venera, the Aions will have witnessed the city gradually withdraw into itself. The streets become vacant as more and more people decide it isn't worth the risk to be seen outside, abandoning work and play alike to hide out in their homes, refusing to answer their doors to all except the most desperate pleading. Those that can't avoid their daily obligations are quiet and morose, trying their best to remain unseen and unremarked upon.

If your character has been observed as a Kenoma, either now or in their previous visits to the city, the citizens will look upon them as if they are the messengers of death. If you are seen as a Pleroma, they will resist your gaze, as if fearing your presence alone might leave them marked. In rarer cases, you will see those with stronger spirits, with glares of hatred or determination. They are powerless now, but seeds have been sewn, and whether they are the seeds of despair or of action are yet unclear.

By the time the Kenoma's hit list has been fully addressed, several have been killed and several more have been rushed from their homes to flee the city entirely. There have been holes left in the tapestry of the community they were once part of. One way or another, their absence will be felt keenly by those they left behind.

QUESTIONS

What is the best way for Aions to travel to Venera?
Estinien has plans to get an early start for the Pleroma by teleporting to the Lover's shrine and flying somewhere closer to set up a portal from the ocean caves near the Godsblood Lodestone to a spot of farmland closer to Venera. Paul will be setting up a portal directly from Achamoth to one of the Achamite outposts in Venera.

How much force can the Kenoma use while interrogating Venerans?
While they are generally not permitted to kill Venerans who haven't tried to physically fight them, they will be permitted to apply both physical and mental pressure upon those that refuse to provide them with information regarding the whereabouts of their targets. This duress should be proportional to the resistance the Veneran is offering. The Regent is not inviting them to terrorize Venera on a level to a level they cannot reasonably blaim themselves for.

Comments

[hundredpower]

Then perhaps you should concern yourself less with me and more with them.

[He jerks his head over his shoulder to indicate the group of Achamite soldiers, still marching in formation as they advance.]

I've been following them for a while, but I don't think they're just patrolling. If you waste time with me, you're letting them get away. [A vague offer to work together, if he wants to take it. Given Estinien's reputation, though, he might not be that easily swayed, but Barnaby would rather avoid a pointless fight if he can.]

[coerthantorment]

The last time a Kenoma claimed we held a common purpose, they used that trust to murder me in cold blood.

[He takes a step closer, his voice still low, but a deep anger is in his eyes. His tail shifts back and forth slowly, ready to strike.]

I have good reason to be concerned.

[There's a soft growl in his throat.]

Those soldiers are not beneath my notice. I've been hunting them since I arrived. Why should I not hunt you?

[hundredpower]

[Barnaby is quiet, appraising Estinien. For a moment, it doesn't seem like he's going to reply... but then he sighs and pulls off his mask, then pushes back his hood. He looks tired and drawn, but not especially intimidated by the Elezen.]

Then I won't ask for your trust. But I am sorry for what happened to you.

[He does mean it, too; he was horrified by what he had heard from Binghe about his death and the circumstances surrounding it.]

I don't count the Kenoma as my allies any longer. All I want is to ensure the people of Venera are safe, so fighting you now is a waste of both our times.

[coerthantorment]

[The more aggressive aspects of Estinien's body language go on pause. Is he defecting, then? For a time, Estinien had wondered if such a thing was even possible, and if Barnaby did break away it would be a first.]

The Kenoma allows you to think these thoughts?

[It's not as if he was completely convinced they were purely brainwashed - quite the opposite, in fact - but it's interesting that someone who succumbed to the influence is taking such a strong stance.]

[hundredpower]

That's...

[A complicated issue. He's not sure how much agency has been his own and just how much he's been influenced by the Kenoma up until now.]

When I was first forced to consume it, there was a voice that demanded I accept it. Like the others, I was effectively imprisoned until I succumbed... and by then, I wasn't sure if there was any alternative. I really thought we were in a dying world, and there was nothing left to do but to put it out of its misery.

[He had questioned it, but emerging into Achamoth and finding little more than a doomsday cult waiting for him, it would lead him along the path the Kenoma had laid out for him, at least at first. He meets Estinien's gaze, continuing.]

But I saw more of Achamoth. There are people there -- children, even in the Regent's care -- who just want to thrive and be happy. I saw Venera, and how poorly they were served by the people who were supposed to protect them. Even amongst the Kenoma, there are vulnerable people who are just being taken advantage of. So when I stood in that courtroom and heard the Regent... What they did to our worlds...!

[His hands ball into fists, his voice shaking with so much raw anger he could choke on it.]

They cast blame everywhere they look, but so much suffering is their fault. I can't ever forgive them.

[coerthantorment]

[Estinien lets it sink in. So, Barnaby started out being swayed by the Kenoma's power, succumbing to the need to end the cosmos, only for lived experience to change his mind. It seems somehow revolutionary, even though he technically already knew it was possible. Despite the fact that he just said he would not trust a Kenoma again, he finds himself drawn in, albeit cautiously.

What this man is saying feels sincere. If it was a ruse, he is an excellent liar.]

Then you will return with us, when your work here is done. [It's the only sensible thing, in his mind. They would have to be careful, but if anyone could be pulled free...] I have seen what befalls Kenoma that question the Regent's cause. Your life, your sanity, will be forfeit if you remain.

[hundredpower]

Then it's happened before?

[If it has, he was unaware, beyond punishments for minor infractions like Emet-Selch being locked away in his room for a few days-- hardly a clean break in loyalty. But he's also aware the Kenoma were much messier and divided in their loyalties when the first wave arrived compared to what Barnaby arrived into, and there could be many things he still doesn't know.]

If you trust me to go with you all, then I will. [That's not difficult to agree to. The Pleroma he's met so far have been kind, so he's sure he'll be treated fairly. Even Estinien is kinder than he expected, given his reputation amongst the Kenoma.] I'll contact one of your number when everything is finished here.

[coerthantorment]

[He nods, his expression rueful diverts his gaze down to the streets before.]

A man named Howl. He was on the verge of fleeing the Kenoma's number, but was caught and imprisoned for his efforts. Through torture and manipulation, he was rebuilt to see what had been done to him as a blessing.

[He looks back to Barnaby.]

All because I allowed him to return to Achamoth after his defeat. 'Tis because of this that I have sworn to take a Kenoma's shard, given the opportunity. 'Tis a mercy, in the end.

[hundredpower]

Howl...

[He mulls that over with dawning horror as he realises. Hadn't Howl disappeared for a while, back when he was the only Kenoma who didn't attend the welcoming party? And Xishen's worried behaviour then, though he hadn't understood it at the time...

He runs a hand through his hair, agitated, looking away with a wide-eyed expression as if staring at something only he can see. It hits too close to home, is far too close to what he'd endured back in his own world. He can't--

He has to close his eyes and take a deep breath, stave off a panic attack before it happens. He's fine; he's still here.]

I had no idea. [He says quietly, after that too-long delay. No one had mentioned it, and Howl had seemed fine whenever they spoke in passing, which is just a testament to how effective it had been.]

[coerthantorment]

Aye.

[Estinien's expression grows dark, hate for the ones who had done this coming through. He doesn't want to risk such a thing happening again.]

He told me this himself... showed me the torments that had been inflicted upon him... all while believing it had been a kindness. The experience has warped his mind.

[Even now, he wishes he had done something different.]

I know not how to help him. Every day, I fear he may move further beyond our reach...

[hundredpower]

I see. [Were there others like that who had been similarly twisted to fit shapes that suited the Regent? But then, the Kenoma's creeping influence, its whispers of despair and the end, were corrosive of the mind all on their own, even if the results are less drastic in the short term. Only now when Barnaby is trying to prise himself free of it is he truly becoming aware of that fact.]

He was assigned to Godsblood to participate in securing the execution. [So he's quite literally out of reach for the time being, too, at least for any Pleroma here in Venera.] I'm afraid I don't know him well enough to even begin to understand how to help him. But if there's a way to remind him why he wanted to resist the Kenoma in the first place, then maybe...

[Based on Barnaby's own experiences, he thinks something like that could hold the key.]

[coerthantorment]

[Estinien shakes his head, not really having any better guesses. He only knew Howl for a show time, after all. But...]

He was awash in despair, mourning the loss of his world and his loved ones. The Kenoma... would not have been natural to him, in better circumstances.

[...But he can't see himself convincing Howl that his world is intact. Not now, if he couldn't before.]

...Don't make the same mistakes he did.

[hundredpower]

I won't. [His expression pinches. He can't deny he's felt some of the same feelings, feelings the Kenoma inside him only amplified until they became nigh unbearable and he succumbed. Under that friendly smile of his and easy charm, Howl surely went through the same terrible grief. Now, though...]

I lost people who were dear to me too, but I realised I can't let that consume me. It's not what they would want. Instead, I want to honour them in the best way I know how.

[That, at least, is one thing he's sure of. Is that the same for many of the Pleroma, he wonders? They all have their own reasons for opposing the Regent, but that's his.]