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Aion Mods ([personal profile] aionmods) wrote in [community profile] aionlogs2022-07-16 03:18 pm

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 Shops are open, and its people are withdrawn but superficially friendly when meeting strangers.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

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.

locumstudentesquire: (Sufferin')

I swear I'm trying to hit a faster turnaround on these too...

[personal profile] locumstudentesquire 2022-07-26 02:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ryunosuke shakes his head, before realizing Kim isn't looking up at him, and a visual only response will mean little.]

None whatsoever, I'm afraid. And it's so nerve wracking... I'm always worried my glamor is going to fail me at a moment when a guard might be looking. I don't think any of them know what I look like, but still...

[He shudders at the thought. If the guards ever come down on him, his only hope will be to run; he couldn't possibly try to fight them. Even though he's been throwing himself at his training, the idea of getting into real combat is... Harrowing, to say the least.]
coupris: (i see them walking)

[personal profile] coupris 2022-07-26 05:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[The discussion among the group of glamors had been very informative, if not a bit paranoia inducing. However, as the days in Venera wore on, Kim started to see the holes in that strategy. While they worked, they were foolproof, but they expended energy they couldn't spare, and left people out in the open when they failed.

Kim finally looks up at Ryunosuke, thoughtful. This was the boy who'd commiserated with him on coming from a world without magic. He'd been making his way without the glamors, and while his disguises are far from impenetrable, they don't fail on him when he gets tired or anxious.]


Do you have anything more... practical? [In the strictest sense of the word-- something that wouldn't quit on him like a poor quality painkiller.]
locumstudentesquire: (pic#15809228)

[personal profile] locumstudentesquire 2022-07-27 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
[He frowns, brow furrowing thoughtfully. More practical than a glamor...?]

Um... I, I'm not sure... [He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.] This sort of thing is rather far outside my usual realm of experience, if I'm being perfectly honest. I try to at least dress inconspicuously, but... Sometimes, I swear, it's as if... The harder you try to blend in, the more you actually stick out!
coupris: (I walk upon)

[personal profile] coupris 2022-07-27 06:59 pm (UTC)(link)
A disguise is more than just clothes.

[Kim nods to Ryu's stressed posture.]

People notice behavior that doesn't fit in, as well. Thinking too much about it chips away at any confidence you have towards pulling it off. [He raises a brow.] Who's noticed you?
locumstudentesquire: (pic#15809245)

[personal profile] locumstudentesquire 2022-07-27 10:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Well... No one so far, and thank goodness for that. But I don't know that I can really help my behavior... That's just how I am when I'm nervous! The only times I've ever really been able to get a handle on it have been during court...

[He huffs out a little sigh, shaking his head. He'd gladly take a hundred days in court against the Reaper over this.]
coupris: (every time i watch the sky)

[personal profile] coupris 2022-07-29 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
...You're a lawyer?

[He looks younger than most of the ones Kim has met, but he chalks it up to the typical cultural difference-- slogging through the Revacholian legal system ages law school hopefuls almost as quickly as the RCM's junior officer program.

Either way, not really suited for field work. However, now wasn't the time to get choosy.]


You could pretend you are in court.

[The look on his face makes it completely inscrutable whether he's joking or not.]
locumstudentesquire: (lost in thought)

[personal profile] locumstudentesquire 2022-07-29 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
[Ryunosuke blinks at Kim in surprise, apparently taken aback-- but then it looks like he's actually giving the suggestion some serious consideration.]

That... Might actually work...?

[Probably worth a shot, at least?]

Ah, but... Yes, I'm a defense attorney. Or... Er. Was a defense attorney, I suppose...