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 Shops are open, and its people are withdrawn but superficially friendly when meeting strangers.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

[zauneyete]

[ Silco didn't lift his foot, but nodded at him. He appreciated it, that Eustace didn't intervene otherwise, that he didn't flaunt whatever power or abilities he had just to take the kill. It was respectable, in a way, and when the man tried to fight him, and struggle, Silco shoved his foot down on his head a little harder, and pushed him into the dirt just a touch more.

He looked at the guard, and blinked, let the man take in his face, the scar, the eye that didn't close.

Just let him drink it in, and perceive it. ]

Well, When one supports a traitor to the Regent...

[ Please, please, the guard said, and swallowed. I didn't know, he didn't say anything, just --

Silco cut him off with a sneer. ]

I don't think they would be forgiving, since ignorance really is no excuse.

[lockedon]

[ There's nothing inherently wrong about the words Silco says, or the way he moves and speaks, but something about the whole package still sets Eustace ill at ease and makes his ears flatten against his head. He's always preferred honesty and a blunt tone to honeyed words and a sly smile, the type of behavior so frequently used to obtain higher status and influence—and with it, power.

It makes him restless as he watches, enough that he cuts in before too long. ]

That's not for us to decide.

[ It's said half to Silco, half to the man still pleading to his life. Even if he guesses that Silco will most likely be correct in his presumptions, because the Regent doesn't show much kindness to those who have wronged them, there's no point in adding mental torment on top of the physical torment he'll no doubt be receiving.

He could have tolerated it before, but his own conflicted emotions about their current mission have whittled away at his tolerance. ]

Can you keep an eye on yours, or do I need to tie them both up?

[zauneyete]

Oh, don't worry about mine...

[ It's said, but he watched Eustace, and watched the way his ears went flat -- quite like a dog, or some similar creature. Was he upset? Silco hadn't done anything more than capture the target, and frankly: he'd even lacked the cruelty that he would normally have, during the transaction. This was purely... a mission, nothing more.

He slipped a hand beneath his coat, where it covered his back, and pulled out something from one of the pouches he'd started keeping in the back, where he kept things like cigars, a flask, and... handcuffs. Simple things, but they would do. ]

I have something to lock this one up.

Are you going to knock him out?

[ He asked, a tip of his head, before he crouched, and started to get this one into irons. ]

[lockedon]

[ He misses the intensity of Silco's gaze on him, his own too focused on the lumbering bodyguard still kneeling on the ground. No handcuffs on his person, and the bulk of his rope used up on previous targets, but he'll manage somehow. He always has. ]

Only if he [ with a curt nod towards the downed man ] thinks he needs it.

[ Translation: if he starts acting out in any way. They might be unevenly matched in terms of height and bulk, but Eustace has a gun where this man doesn't, and a willingness to disable in a moment's notice.

(But not to kill the more the days go on, even with the Regent's caution.)

As if to make a point, he cocks his gun again, a spark of electricity briefly illuminating the darkness surrounding them. ]

If he ends up escaping, I'll take responsibility for it.

[ He's always been a man of his word, even when it comes to failures and punishments. ]

[zauneyete]

Very well.

[ He added, and it's a touch appreciative. It was hard to have good help these days, but Eustace was falling into the category of "useful" quickly enough -- little does Silco know...

He finished cuffing the man, and kicked him in the side, to let him know that he needed to get up. It wasn't hard, but it wasn't held back, either. Just a nudge hard enough to remind the man of who was in charge. Silco smirked, when he stumbled up, sputtering and angry. He promised that they'd see legal action, that their families would be in debt -- the usual.

Silco had certainly used those tactics, as evidenced by the look on his face, bored. ]

Please, we don't have families here. Now come along. The Regent wants to see you.

[ Predictably, that received an audible gulp from the target, as his mouth clicked shut, when his teeth snapped together. ]