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 Shops are open, and its people are withdrawn but superficially friendly when meeting strangers.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

[vivificantem]

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?]

[subsist]

[ 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. ]

[semicharmed]

[ 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.

[subsist]

[ 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. ]

[semicharmed]

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.

[subsist]

[ 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.

[vivificantem]

[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?

[semicharmed]

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.

[subsist]

[ 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. ]

[vivificantem]

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.]

[semicharmed]

[ 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. ]

[subsist]

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? ]

[vivificantem]

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.

[semicharmed]

[ 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?

[subsist]

[ 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. ]

[vivificantem]

I do. It made something of an impression, to put it lightly. Why do you ask?

[semicharmed]

[ Matt's eyes widen. ]

The Innocence.

[ And, okay, even Matt realizes that what he's just said leaves something to be desired explanation-wise. For Paul's benefit, he says, ] He's one of the people tethering her here.

[ Holy shit, that was Estinien? Matt had imagined, insofar as he'd ever imagined meeting the guy, that he'd know him immediately. ]

She didn't manifest again, did she?

[subsist]

... She did manifest, yes.

[ finding out that the entity is a she is so disarming because it didn't even come across his mind, but he powers through. it's not all that important. ]

I don't entirely know the full picture just yet, but I felt her presence. It was almost suffocating.

[ even as a shard, it was so overwhelming. ]

[vivificantem]

Yeah, Estinien's been causing more problems than he's worth lately.

[Is that harsh, probably, but it isn't untrue as far as Paul is concerned.]

According to Majorita, we've got other problems too. Someone from our side of things attacked her. Did a pretty good number on her, too, you could tell she didn't really want to see me looking like that.

[semicharmed]

[ Matt grimaces as Kaeya answers in the affirmative. Wings flap in his mind's eye, the wind of them whipping begone begone begone-- ]

I don't think any of us have the full picture, [ he says, ] but ... I'm with Paul. This feels like an incredibly unstable situation.

[ The instability of it is obvious in some senses--the degree of Kaeya's injuries, for one. But Matt's worries transcend the obvious and physical, extending to something he might call "fabric of reality problems" if he had to put a name to them.

He frowns Paul's way at the mention of Kenoma-on-Kenoma violence, a pang of guilt hitting him. He can't say for sure that the person who did that was Barnaby, but the alternative is that more than one Kenoma is hurting their fellows, and Matt doesn't love either option. ]

In more ways than one, it sounds like, [ he concludes. ] I'm sorry that happened.

[subsist]

He has been a huge thorn on our side, yes.

[ kaeya doesn't have much more to offer in regards to the innocence entity considering he lost consciousness sometime before she even made an appearance. all he can say is that it wasn't any good, and even now, he feels the same as when he first hatched out of the chrysalis. weak. ]

As for that... it's not surprising. That's likely the same turncoat I tried to confront. Barnaby. I attempted to keep an eye on him after the Regent's address, but it seems I failed to prevent any damage from happening.

[vivificantem]

I wouldn't know, I didn't get his name.

[And that much is entirely true; he did get a vague idea of the guy's appearance, but he's not too willing to throw out a blurry as hell moving snapshot from memories that weren't his own.]

I just know that Majorita was...rather upset with the whole business. She seems to want to handle it on her own, and with the degree of anger she was putting into it I find myself willing to let her. She's pretty convinced that nothing the Regent does as punishment is going to be satisfying enough for her.

[semicharmed]

[ There it is. "Barnaby." Not attached unequivocally to this attack on Majorita, maybe, but hearing the name is enough to sharpen Matt's pang of guilt into a spike. At least somebody else has been keeping an eye on him. ]

Understandable, [ Matt murmurs. Maybe not the part that sounds kinda thirsty for unending vengeance? But people get worked up when other people try to attack them--as he's learned firsthand, even though he was trying not to hurt his fellow Kenoma in the cavern, just stop them. Some emotional volatility makes sense. ] Well. I hope there's not more than one turncoat running around.

[ The word "turncoat" sounds slightly ironic coming from Matt, but that's only because he's never said it out loud in his life before. ]

[subsist]

If Majorita is smart, she shouldn't assume she knows any better than the Regent, but who knows? Perhaps the Regent will appreciate her initiative.

[ spoken like someone who isn't entirely convinced, even if he can't say with 100% confidence that he knows what the regent would have preferred. then again, anyone who boldly claims their plans within the presence of the opposition is always confident that they'll get what they want one way or another.

he will cast a glance towards matt, eyebrow raised. ]

... By the way, how do you know the entity is a 'she'?

[ is there more matt isn't saying here? that's the question that goes unspoken.

[semicharmed]

[ This is a really good observation on Kaeya's part, that maybe--just maybe--will be useful to Matt later. ]

Oh, [ he says, in the meantime, ] well--I sort of saw it? I did a scry with Xishen looking for her, and it turns out ...

Her physical location isn't really so cut and dry. But "she" is the sense I got, along with that information about Aions tethering her here. Estinien's not the only one, but I think his connection is one of the stronger ones, if not the strongest.