aionlogs | EVENT #5: SOVEREIGN CITIZENS (VENERA)

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 Shops are open, and its people are withdrawn but superficially friendly when meeting strangers.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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Um, everyone stop yelling at him???

Just kidding: When Kaeya speaks, a smile breaks over Matt's face like a sudden sunrise. He's relieved enough by the development that he momentarily forgets to answer the questions, both implicit and explicit, that he's been asked. ]

Hey, [ he says softly, to Kaeya but still via communion. Sort of like talking to someone in the room while you're on the phone, perhaps. ] Nice to see you're back with us.

And I'm fine, [ he adds, after a moment. Pay no attention to the missing hand! ] Just, you know, if anybody catches up with us, might not be the same story.

[ the words said to him via communion kind of rattles his brain so he tries not to flinch. what he does end up doing is wave his hand dismissively, as if to say he's fine before matt asks, and then he lets the man deal with paul.

there's not much else he can do anyway, what with all his wounds and all. he's just going to have to wait, so he behaves and stays right where he is, opting to be the lookout even though he doubts anyone is going to be coming after them. ]

[Thankfully Paul seems to be the only one coming after them; he'll find them eventually, coming to a stop nearby and just assessing for a moment, his words tight and brisk when he speaks.]

Tell me what happened.

[ Matt's not as good a lookout as Kaeya. His attention is divided between keeping an eye out for Paul and watching his injured companion like a fretful hawk. Still, he catches sight of Paul when he's still a ways off, and his heart lurches in a swirl of worry and relief.

Unfortunately-- ]

I don't know, [ he blurts out, ] I was only there are the end. But Kaeya's hurt.

[ luckily, it's not an enemy who finds them in the end.

kaeya appreciates that paul gets right to the point, because he isn't really in the mood to overshare unnecessary details for the moment. he gestures vaguely towards the direction of the storehouse. ]

I fought a dragon and lost. He managed to rip my shard out... which is where most of the damage is.

[ the worst of it is hidden by shadows and some parts of his hair, but one can easily tell just how bad it is to have dragon claws dig into your eye socket. his shard is intact, which is the only good thing. ]

[...Ohhhhh. Oh, okay, that - ]

Somebody dug into your face...?

[Because that does seem to be a lot of damage around the eye region. Not enough that he's straight up recoiling from it, but he's not exactly loving getting to look at it.

Okay. Okay. He can fix that, it's just going to take a minute.]

It's good that you got it back. I'm going to have to touch you for this to work, is that all right? I don't have to touch your...that, but I do have to be making contact.

[ there's truly no other way to put it.

kaeya nods quietly and gestures for paul to go ahead. it's not the prettiest picture to look at, but at least it'll be fixed soon enough. ]

That's alright. [ when he says this, he can't help but smile. ] It can't be much worse than what it's already been through.

[ what he says heavily implies that his shard has been through worse. being held by a dragoon who hated every fiber of your being isn't a walk in the park. ]

I'm told it's not pleasant. Sorry about that.

[He reaches out, letting his hand rest along the side of Kaeya's face; Kaeya should feel the torn flesh start knitting itself back together in real time! It's probably not very fun and more than a bit uncomfortable, to say nothing of sort of itchy, but just dealing with it seems the only course of action right now.]

...I'm Paul, by the way. I don't think we've met to talk to before now.

[ this isn't so different from the healing he's used to, but the distinct lack of an accompanying element is almost... well, it just reminds him of how much he's lost. the uncomfortable feeling doesn't really go away until he's sure the wound has been stitched back together properly. ]

... Thank you.

[ with a sigh of relief, the worst of it is over. ]

And my name is Kaeya. I do wish we could have had our first conversation under better circumstances, but I suppose it's better now than never.

[ Matt's attention sharpens as Kaeya says dragon, and a few bloody puzzle pieces snap together in his mind. But he keeps the thoughts to himself for now: not useful.

He's been healed by Paul by this point, but he's never seen him doing it to someone else. It's fascinating to watch. Matt doesn't feel like he knows Kaeya well enough to try to hold his hand or brush his shoulder or anything--he has no idea whether he'd find that comforting or cloying. So he focuses on himself, on breathing evenly and manifesting calm.

Kinda weird to ponder--is healing the opposite of the Kenoma?

Anyway, Matt snaps back to the here and now as Paul and Kaeya exchange names. ]

Sorry, [ he says ruefully, ] I always forget to do introductions.

Don't worry about it, Matt, you're fine.

[The words are easy, Paul's usual sense of steady calm present as ever; it takes a good amount to break that nowadays, and this isn't something that's going to. It's straightforward, with a solution he can provide, and so it's simple enough to deal with even if the initial injury was a fairly nasty one.]

Better circumstances would have been great, but at least I can help you guys out. I like being useful; this whole healing thing has been pretty good for that, in the end.

[Is it the opposite of Kenoma? Perhaps in theory - though in application, is it really if it helps to further their cause?]

[ with the worst of his injuries finally taken care of, kaeya thinks he can afford to be more like his usual self. he offers matt a small smile, keeping the words unspoken, you're fine. introductions are always tricky when there are more pressing matters... such as grievous wounds and all.

soon after, he looks up at paul again, marveling at the man's calm demeanour. it's almost comforting, really. his words remind him of something he'd hear every so often back in the day. ]

... We'd be lost without your capabilities. That, I'm sure of. Thank you once again.

[ healers are important, even if it's not exactly the most kenoma-aligned role. ]

[ Paul truly is an oasis of calm in a desert of insanity. Watching him and Kaeya have such an amicable first meeting, Matt can't help a little smile. Call it the geek social fallacy in him, but he likes it when people he likes get along. ]

They're great, right? [ Matt enthuses. It's a pallid version of enthusiasm, but the warmth in his words is impossible to miss. ] I'd never seen anything like them before. The best healing I'd ever managed back home was about what you'd get from an Advil.

[ Now he does touch Kaeya, though only barely: the lightest brush of fingertips to his upper arm. ]

Are you good to stand, or do you wanna rest awhile? I don't know if you can feel it, but I might have cast a ... very small levitation spell on you while you were out. Should have some life in it still.

[ there is a brief flicker of confusion when matt brings up advil. what is that supposed to be? he'll have to assume it just means the man isn't capable of providing healing, which is alright, because at least they have someone like paul to rely on.

as for the light touch, it does help him relax for a tiny fraction. ]

I think I'm alright enough to stand. [ ... ] That spell, however... can I still take advantage of it?

[ if he can be lazy for just a few more minutes, he'll take it, okay. don't judge him too hard. ]

Oh, you definitely can, [ Matt assures him. A sheepish look crosses his face. ] Only ...

Don't laugh at me, okay? [ He leans in confidingly. Lowering his voice, he admits: ] I can only levitate about what I can lift. So uh--

[ Matt lifts his right arm and flexes a bicep that is, if you're feeling generous, "willowy." If you're not, you might call it a pipe cleaner.

For the record, he fully expects Kaeya to laugh at him. He might even take it as a win. After the week they've had, if you can't squeeze some levity out of near-death situations, where are you gonna get it? ]

It should definitely make walking easier, though.

[ luckily for matt, kaeya doesn't laugh. he does, however, fix him with a questioning stare. ]

Matt. Are you implying that I'm heavy?

[ at least the smile on his face betrays any ill-will. he doesn't take any offense to what matt just said, mostly thankful for the assist in something so small and simple. while he doesn't think he'll lose his balance, he did just... get beaten up by half-dragon, so he isn't exactly at peak condition. ]

... In any case, lead the way.

[So, because literally no one ever sees fit to tell Paul much of anything - something that is usually fine because Paul is often off doing his own thing, somewhat less fine if he's expected to actually work with people - he's going to choose now to actually say something.]

Where, exactly, are you planning on going for the time being?

Obviously not, [ Matt blusters, though he can't help a fleeting grin. It's such a stupidly normal exchange to be having. ] You're just taller than me, and more muscular--

[ Oh, oops. Paul raises a relevant question. Matt's eyes flick to him, expression turning a bit sheepish. ]

I was thinking back to home base in Venera. Maybe all the way to Achamoth, I don't know, it seems like it'd depend on ... how he's feeling, and how secure things are in town.

[ at least kaeya has an excuse. after having his shard stolen, his mind does feel out of sorts... and likely will be for a while. luckily, matt takes the lead and explains where they ought to go. ]

I'll be alright enough for either trip, so it depends if there's something we need back at the base here.

[ it will probably be a good thing to check on how the soldiers stationed there are doing. if their makeshift jail has been found out, then it would be pretty bad if the pleroma manage to take over their base here too. ]

I should make sure the portal is still functioning as best it can; it's mine, so I should check on it. It leads directly back to Achamoth, so returning shouldn't be an issue.

[So as it works out, this is convenient for everyone; he's willing to put up with whatever Matt and Kaeya think they're doing if it means the potential for answers aboyt what happened.]

[ Matt nods. ]

Great. Then, let me know how walking feels. I can recast that spell if you need it.

[ It's not super trivial to recast it, at this point. Matt's out of spell ingredients, and after the week he's had, he's grindingly tired--trying to get by on his own for the first time since losing his hand, stalking and arresting people, getting into fights, facing moral cliffs. But he imagines Paul feels the same, and Kaeya's got to feel ten times worse. He can suck it up to make things easier for his teammate.

In the meantime, he lingers near Kaeya in case he needs someone to lean on. Or, you know, if he just wants to. ]

I'll be fine.

[ poor paul... kaeya thinks he needs to give father paul a bottle of wine once this is all over to make up for this. for now, though, he'll busy himself trying to make sure he remains steady while he walks alongside them.

matt's presence is welcomed, of course, but he won't do much to call attention to it. ]

... By the way, how did your part of the mission go?

[ they all can't be having a bad day like he is, right? ]

I've mostly been healing people since an incident early on. Matt was there for that as well, incidentally.

[Which is sort of implying that Matt is just like. colossal amounts of bad luck by now, I'm sure.]

Otherwise I've found it simpler to keep my head down.

[ When it comes to a mission report, the first bleak thought to enter Matt's head is, So it turns out I'm not actually bad at secret policing.

But he's not ready to say that to a group--possibly not to anyone. Door Number Two, then. ]

Thank you again for saving my life, by the way, [ Matt says to Paul, shooting him a rueful smile. ] This'll come as a shock to everyone, but I'm not exactly a combat expert. [ His gaze slides back to Kaeya. ] Actually, I'm wondering if we didn't run into the same guy you did. Claws, tail, huge wings?

[ truly, it's beginning to sound like venera is just cursed. it wouldn't surprise kaeya at this point if that's the case. when matt looks at him, his expression can only grow serious.

there's really only one person who fits that description. ]

Estinien? It sounds like he was a busy guy. [ a thorn on their side, more like. ] More than that, though... Do you remember what Luo Binghe shared before, after what happened at Venera last time?

[ it wasn't much of a communion post, but he figures everyone paid attention to it. ]

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cw: eye trauma mentions

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