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Entry tags:
- !event,
- #innocence,
- archduke j: visionary,
- barnaby brooks jr: lover,
- estinien wyrmblood: firebrand,
- eustace: firebrand,
- father paul hill: martyr,
- kaeya alberich: lover,
- kim dokja: martyr,
- kim kitsuragi: martyr,
- liem talbott: champion,
- majorita: firebrand,
- makoto ("m"): firebrand,
- meteion: innocent,
- ryunosuke naruhodo: champion,
- tartaglia (childe): firebrand,
- yuya sakaki: lover
EVENT #5: SOVEREIGN CITIZENS (VENERA)
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 Shops are open, and its people are withdrawn but superficially friendly when meeting strangers.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.
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.
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.
no subject
How would I know?
[He can't very well tell Thoma who he is looking for if he is mostly just patrolling and hoping to see Kenoma snooping about.]
I have been hoping to acquire information from someone more... inclined towards finding such things.
[Just tell him who to kill and/or protect and he'll do it!]
no subject
[ Then again, given Estinien's present mannerisms, it doesn't surprise Thoma that he may not have made a lot of friends during said visits. ]
Well, there's a bartender I was hoping to look in on, if you'd like to accompany me. He gave me lots of good information when I last stopped by.
[ Kaeya had also been there at the end of one of Thoma's visits to the bar, so he's a little cautious that Kaeya might show up there first, assuming he goes along with the Regent's orders at all. Considering how many Kenomas and soldiers from Achamoth he'd spotted from afar, Thoma's not feeling very confident about their own prospects. ]
no subject
...Fine.
[He'll follow after Thoma, but he's clearly grouchy about it.]
no subject
[ ...Not that he really drank much last time he visited either, but at least he has something to pay the poor bartender with this time. Assuming he's okay.
But Thoma doesn't want to think the worst just yet.
He motions Estinien to follow, taking him to where he recalls the tavern is situated. There are only a few people crowded around it at this hour, chatting with wooden mugs in hand, and the only commotion from within is the sound of a bard hard at work to earn his keep. ]
Do you do much dancing back wherever you're from? ...Or maybe I should have asked about your home in general first. I didn't even introduce myself properly.
[ He holds out a hand towards Estinien, his own eyes growing crooked as he smiles. ]
I'm Thoma.
no subject
[He doesn't know if Thoma will have heard his name somewhere already, but it doesn't really matter. He supposes he should introduce himself properly.
...That is, until he sees Thoma holding out his hand to shake, which he stares at for a few moments too long before stiffly accepting. He lets go quickly.]
And nay, I have not. I've had little cause to do so.
[He learned some basic ballroom steps, but he avoided dance events whenever he could.]
no subject
Ah! I met your friend, the great dinosaur chef, Himeka! So you're another spear-wielder?
[ He's sure they can get some sparring in some time in the future and trade pointers... maybe when they're less preoccupied with other pressing matters. Thoma still hasn't lost sight of the goal, so he motions Estinien into the tavern, already scanning around for any Kenomas that might be in the vicinity. His bartender friend still looks relatively untouched as of yet.
But for how long, Thoma does know. ]
And don't worry about the dancing then. I thought that was one way to blend in if you were up to it, but maybe we can get away with just ordering drinks for the time being.
no subject
...Aye. I am a dragoon, by trade. 'Tis a form of aerial combat that utilizes the lance most efficiently.
[He shrugs his shoulders.]
And I can order a drink well enough. I've enough practice, among military men.
no subject
[ He thinks it's pretty cool. Even though he's prone to acrobatics with his own polearm mastery, he still can't really fly that far in the air without the use of his glider-wings. He'd also have to take off from a certain height and hope he doesn't die while plunging downwards on his enemies.
With Estinien's confirmation, he drags him further inside by the arm so they can keep watch. The bartender he'd hoped to reach is there, so Thoma sits up close to keep an eye on him. ]
no subject
'Twas originally a style forged of a friendship between man and dragons... it must have been learning from the dragon's example, I think. When I was taught, however, 'twas a time of war. The art had been transformed as a means to slay dragons, not fight alongside them.
[Having been part of that isn't something he's proud of, be he see no justice in denying it.]
Since finding the truth, I have hoped to seek inspiration from the dragoons of old, the ones that fought to protect man and dragon both.
no subject
What made you change your mind about them? I know the region of Liyue in my world– their archon takes the form of a powerful dragon, and he's well-beloved by his people for his protection.
[ Although, he knows things had become dicey in that region after the last Rite of Descension... ]
no subject
[He looks down at the wood of whatever bar table they are not sitting at, considering.]
I once thirsted only for their blood. 'Twas their kind that took my family and my home from me, when I was but a boy.
[He has to think on that for a few moments later, then shakes his head.]
But I came to understand how both sides had suffered. How the war had begun with my homeland's betrayal of the dragons' trust. The hearts of me and mine enemy were as one. To hold onto our hatreds would only ensure a future without peace.
no subject
I'm glad you were able to settle things with them and had a change of heart of yourself. War destroys all sides gradually.
[ He's sure the conflict between them and the Regent is bound to do the same, but he's trying to keep his focus on just protecting the people who need it the most. ]
Those lives that were lost could never be regained, but you can at least ensure the people born in the future only know peace. I just wish you didn't have to jump back into conflict once more by ending up in this world.
[ Estinien could be retiring on a farm or something instead of looking over his shoulder every second to make sure a Kenoma Aion isn't about to shank him. ]
no subject
Thoma has a point, though. It would have been nice to enjoy the rest he had thought they all earned.]
We had just finished fighting yet another great war, before coming here. Himeka and I. It never seems to truly end. The fate of our entire star had been in question. Devastation and ruin rained upon us, but despite everything... we found our way. When we had finally prevailed... it seemed that all we had fought for was finally coming to fruition.
...I wish that she had been allowed to enjoy it.
[He wishes he'd been allowed to enjoy it, too.]
no subject
[ He feels the same now that the Sakoku Decree had been lifted back home. He'd barely gotten much time to bask in a less conflict and stress-filled Inazuma when he'd wound up here. ]
I'll do my best to get you and everyone else home faster so you can enjoy your victory properly.
[ He almost reaches across the table to lay a comforting hand over Estinien's but is a little wary of the other's reaction, so he just digs his fingers into his own knees and nods emphatically instead. ]
If anything, this has made me more determined to try harder. I wish I had a better answer, but I won't give up.
[ Not that he ever intended to, but he'll remember this conversation and the others he's had with Pleromas and Kenomas in similar situations whenever his own resolve starts to waver. ]
And I know it's not much, but I'll pay for your drink to help you get your mind off things... what do you want?
no subject
[The Pleroma, he means. Thoma reads as one of them so very easily.
It's probably a wise call not to go straight for hand holding, as genuine as Thoma's sentiment is. He's not used to an abundance of physical contact and it takes a fair while for him to warm up to people that way. He does appreciate Thoma's offer, though, and nods.]
The local ale will suit me just fine.
[He's often wondered if returning home will ever be a possibility. More importantly, he thinks, is that his star continues on, with or without him. Of course, with Thoma being in high spirits, he decides to keep that thought to himself. He may have accepted the possibility of never seeing him home again, but he doesn't assume that others will feel the same way.]
no subject
[ He orders them two pints, though his own is more for show. Once the drinks are served, he brings them both back to their table and tries to relax. His eyes won't stop flicking over to the bartender worriedly, thinking the moment he lets his guard down, the poor man will be dragged away by the Kenoma.
After a moment, he leans forward, his voice dropping low as he addresses Estinien. ]
Do you think we should just warn him ahead of time? Or maybe help him out of this place as covertly as possible? I'm wary of what might happen if we stall.
[ He also doesn't want to cause a commotion and alert anyone to their presence. They still have the luxury of blending in easily at the moment. ]