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 Shops are open, and its people are withdrawn but superficially friendly when meeting strangers.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

[semicharmed]

[ For a moment, Matt just stares at Barnaby like an invisible deer in the headlights. Fuck. He's never run into this problem with invisibility spells before, but it turns out American cops are a lot less observant than the average Aion.

Though maybe Barnaby isn't average. ]

Fine, fine, [ Matt sighs, an edge of nerves audible in his breath out. For a moment, he flickers into view, like a flash of static that shows clarity instead of snow. Then he lets the spell drop, and steps out from behind the trash can with his hands held up. (Well. One hand, one stump of a wrist.)

Matt's not wearing a mask, which he normally would if he were out and about in Achamoth. So his wide hazel eyes and troubled expression are unobscured, except by the darkness around them. He focuses on Barnaby with the kind of thoughtful look that usually attends complex math problems. ]

I'm not here to hurt you, [ he says after a moment. ]

I guess ... you're not here to hurt anybody either.

[hundredpower]

[Barnaby had been about to find something to throw at the spot he'd been standing, if only to confirm his suspicions there was someone there, so whether he's prepared to hurt anyone (if only a little!) is debatable. Still, he doesn't move to attack, his eyes fixing on Matt, going to his stump where a hand had been -- how had that happened? -- before resuming focus on his face.]

If you're not here to fight, why were you spying on me?

[To turn him in to the Regent? He's still tensed and ready for a fight, sure that Matt is somehow trying to trick him into lowering his guard so he can regain the element of surprise.]

[semicharmed]

[ Part of Matt is unreasonably irked by "here to fight," even though he's the one who brought up hurting. Like God, is this all there is to the gargantuan task they've agreed to? Running around playing soldier?

(He knows there's more than that. There are bright lights and hungry infinities; there's an enveloping dark without stars. He just can't--quite--reach those things.) ]

I wasn't spying on you. [ As the words come out, the emphasis wavers a bit. Was Matt not spying? Was he not spying on him? He barely understands what he's doing here, so how can he explain it to someone else? Start simple, he supposes. ] I wanted a walk. And I didn't want anybody asking me what I was doing out here.

[ He still hasn't lowered his hands. ]

And I ... guess I didn't want to scare anyone.

[hundredpower]

Well, you startled me, and now I've asked what you were doing, so you failed on those counts.

[Still, his reaction is becoming more exasperated than hostile by the second. Maybe Matt really is that bumbling and it's not all an act...?]

However, I also have to ask. What do you plan to do now? [He fixes Matt with a sharp look. Evidently, his answer will decide what Barnaby does next, and whether he's a friend or foe after all.]

[semicharmed]

[ Matt's lips twitch at Barnaby's response, but he doesn't push it. If he were in Barnaby's shoes, he'd want to know the answer to that question much more than he'd want to probe an interloper's exact motivations.

... Okay, maybe that's not true, but Matt can see how someone else might.

For a moment he's quiet, returning Barnaby's sharp look with one that's purely thoughtful. A slight edge of concern in his gaze. ]

Well, [ Matt says slowly, ] last time I interfered with other Kenoma, the Regent told me not to. [ Gently, he starts to lower his hands. ] So I guess by that logic, I don't do anything.

[ There's another piece of this that won't be rationalized so easily, which is that Matt could be doing what Barnaby's doing. Helping Venerans escape. It never occurred to him--he just assumed he'd be as bad at that as he is at spying, and then that he'd only be granting them a temporary reprieve. Nothing that mattered in the end. But now, looking Barnaby in the face, he can't help wondering if that's really true. ]

[hundredpower]

[Barnaby gives him another look, almost like he's expecting Matt to make it obvious he's making fun of him. But there's no real punchline here, so he's stuck looking baffled instead, before narrowing his eyes again.]

Isn't that a bit childish? I'm sure when they said that, this wasn't what they had in mind...

[It's ultimately not his business if that's how Matt wants to do things, but it just seems... ineffectual and petulant.]

I won't tell anyone provided you don't, but I hope you know what you're doing.

[semicharmed]

[ In contrast, Matt's eyes widen. Emotions flicker across his face, each one transparent as if written there: disbelief, injury, and finally, a sort of steely resolve.

Rationally, Matt could explain Barnaby's reaction as not knowing whether he's trustworthy. He's a stranger, after all. But "rationally" is not how Matt will remember it later. Later, the hurt will crystallize, and he'll look back on this as a moment when he tried to be kind, to do right by his conscience, and the person he tried to help threw it in his face. ]

I know this won't make any difference in the end. Trying to save people. [ Matt shrugs, the motion sharp. ] This whole world has to die.

[ On that cheerful note, Matt reaches into his pocket and fishes out the sachet that holds his invisibility spell. The coil of string holding it closed has been undone, but as Matt holds it, the string seems to move of its own accord, tying itself into a bow.

The knot closes, and he disappears. ]

[hundredpower]

[The change in tune from Matt is so sudden that Barnaby's caught totally off guard when he fastens that knot, and vanishes once more.]

Wait--! [He takes a step forward addressing where Matt had been a second before.] These people do deserve to be saved! And you're right to question the Regent.

[He doesn't expect a reply, since he seems to have blown whatever chance they had at cooperation. But he won't turn to leave right away, instead backing off and straining his hearing to ensure Matt isn't about to plan a surprise attack on his way out.]