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Entry tags:
- !event,
- #innocence,
- archduke j: visionary,
- barnaby brooks jr: lover,
- estinien wyrmblood: firebrand,
- eustace: firebrand,
- father paul hill: martyr,
- kaeya alberich: lover,
- kim dokja: martyr,
- kim kitsuragi: martyr,
- liem talbott: champion,
- majorita: firebrand,
- makoto ("m"): firebrand,
- meteion: innocent,
- ryunosuke naruhodo: champion,
- tartaglia (childe): firebrand,
- yuya sakaki: lover
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 Shops are open, and its people are withdrawn but superficially friendly when meeting strangers.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.
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.
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.
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[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.
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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?
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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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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?
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[ 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. ]
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[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.
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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.
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[ 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.
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[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.
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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. ]
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[ 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.
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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.
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[ abel, himeka, alphinaud, and ryunosuke. if they saw binghe's communion about it, both matt and paul should know. ]
... If we cut off the tethers, does that mean her existence will no longer be a problem?
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[ He quirks a rueful smile Kaeya's way at the question. Just what Amos asked. Well, Matt supposes when all you have is a mandate to destroy the universe, every problem looks like it can be solved with destruction. ]
I don't know, [ he admits. ] At the very least, it seems like it'd stop her from randomly manifesting for awhile. But there's a few problems, or at least potential problems. One is that I don't know if we can afford to be killing any Aions if we want the energy to do what we have to do. The other is more on the potential side, and it's just ...
I keep thinking that if one of the Legacies is capable of appearing like this, latching onto us, then the other ones might be too. Why would the Innocence be the only one?
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[And it isn't that he doubts the capability of the Regent in doing so; the willingness......ehhhhh... But the capability is likely there.]
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something to ponder at a later time, he thinks. ]
I suppose this is something we could bring up with the Regent, then, once we make it back. [ a beat. ] As far as other Legacies coming up, that is also a terrifying possibility, but I have no idea what caused the Innocent to manifest in the first place. She said she was drawn to the Veneran's suffering, but—
Could there be other factors at play?
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That would be super useful, yeah, [ he agrees. ] Maybe if we could catch Estinien, or just--otherwise get some of them in one place--they'd be able to do that.
[ He doesn't have to consider Kaeya's question long before he answers. He does have theories. ]
I think the biggest factor might be us. We have all this potential energy as Aions, we've literally got Legacy sigils carved into our skin. [ He lifts his right hand in a mordant wave, displaying the Visionary's eye and pyramid emblazoned on his palm. His lips twitch. ] And the Venerans say it themselves: we make things go wrong.
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Well, the Venerans have been wrong about that on at least one occasion, but from their point of view I don't blame them.
[God, they must look like harbingers of so much shit by now.]
I do agree though, that it looks like we're one of the larger unknown factors. No one even mentioned this being a possibility before it happened.
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I don't have such a mark, but it's true that the locals consider us bad news no matter where we go. [ after all, there was no shortage of venerans who were quick to blame them for the plague when it was at its peak. ] If the gathering of Aions is enough to upset the balance of this world, then... all the more reason for us to reset it, right? To correct its course.
[ to make sure other entities don't show up just to make a mess of things like the innocent did. ]
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He doesn't exactly brighten as Kaeya speaks, but there's a shift in his expression and in the set of his shoulders. A firming up of resolve. ]
Yeah. You're right. [ Matt shrugs gently. ] Everything I've read about the end of the world is that things get pretty unstable before they, you know, go. So we just have to stay the course.
[ Easier said than done, Matt's under no illusions on that front. But it helps to be reminded of their shared goal. The deeper purpose that undergirds all strategy and skirmish. ]
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[He doesn't blame people for finding fault in how this was carried out, but the argument for how necessary it all is isn't exactly theirs to make.]
I think we just need to hold steadfast in our faith. Remain alongside the Regent, and know that what we're doing is right in the end.
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... I suppose you're right. [ no arguments there, really. not anymore. ] Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to ask the Regent if they know about the existence of other Legacies. It wouldn't be a bad place to start, in any case.
[ that's all they have to go on for now. it'll have to do. ]
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It's probably better that Kaeya doesn't try to argue with Paul, of course. Maybe he's just (understandably) tired. ]
Yeah. [ Matt's agreement is mostly for Kaeya, but he hopes it sounds noncommittal enough to appease Paul. ] I think that's a good idea. [ A slight pause. ] You know ... after we've had some time to regroup.