EVENT #2: HEARTS LIKE YOURS (GREENTRUTH)

[aionmods]

Greentruth

THE FOREST'S PATH

It feels old, that is the first impression most get when entering the forests of Lohkimareen. Saplings and young trees quickly give way to regal, imposing beings that stand like monoliths over the ground. The canopy filters out much of the sunlight, leaving much of the wood bathed in dim green light even midday. Moss, ferns, and other ancient plants can be seen covering the forest floor when it isn't otherwise blanketed in a thick mist.

Travelling through Lohkimareen is dangerous, even to those who know her well.

Your journey won't be an easy one. You will get turned around, unsure of which path to take, as well as having to avoid run-ins with dangerous fauna and flora. And just when you believe this may have been a big mistake all together, an arrow flies overhead. The group is quickly surrounded by archers clad in fur, skin, and rough leathers. They exchange glances as they regard the group, communicating using hand signals. After a tense moment, they tell you that you are to come with them unless you would rather take your chances in the mists.

If you ask where they are taking you, they will be honest: Vihreaus or your death. That all depends on you. All other questions will be met with silence.

Two hours later, they say that you have arrived. But rather than in front of you, one must look up. A series of wooden platforms have been built to sit above the mists and it is up that you must go. The archers lead the way and carry the back, making sure that everyone stays in line.

You are immediately ferried to a hollow in the large tree, carved out of the wood itself and dimly lit with torches. There you are shuffled to the center where an old man meets you. His smile is weak, but a smile nonetheless.

"Show me your shards."

One by one, he will inspect them, never to touch but only to study intently for a moment. After each person has been inspected, his smile turns more genuine as he announces to you weary travelers and locals gathered.

"She speaks the truth. Aions are once again among us!"

The Aions are quickly surrounded, but this time with excitement from the scouts. They will readily share some food and tell the weary travelers that they will be camping here for the night and make their way onto Vihreaus in the morning.

WELCOME TO GREENTRUTH

From the outpost near the forest's edge, the journey to Vihreaus takes several days. Luckily for the Aions they have skilled scouts and the winding paths through the trees are much safer than walking on the forest floor, at least for those that know the way. They will encounter smaller outposts along the way where you will camp out as the scouts exchange the good news with others. This allows you some time to explore the forest further, but you will be cautioned not to stray too far from the campsite. The Regent dares not enter these woods for a reason.

The journey is worth it. The scouts proudly announce once you have arrived on the evening of the fifth day. Ladders of rope and wood are dropped from high platforms on the lowest branches of the largest trees. From there, stairs wind around and around, rising above the mists to reveal a secluded but flourishing settlement in the canopy. Torches lighting community spaces, doorways, and rope bridges twinkle like fireflies in the night. This, you are told, is Vihreaus - "Greentruth" in the common tongue. You are greeted by the locals with a mixture of trepidation and excitement, some more hesitant and disbelieving while others wish to know everything about you.

The settlement itself looks labyrinthian. There are no signs or placards to distinguish between public use and private dwellings, but with some exploration it becomes clear that houses tend to be in clusters along smaller trees and branches while the community buildings and businesses loop the main trunks of the largest trees. It seems that some preparations were made for your arrival as "The Aion of Greentruth" had predicted it. If asked about the Aion, the locals will say that she spends her time between Greentruth and the mountains. Despite heralding your arrival, she had business elsewhere but said she would be back in time to greet her peers.

One of the areas that was previously a community lot carved into the main tree has been converted into temporary housing for the new Aions. Until you establish yourself and find your own housing, you may stay here. Hammocks and straw beds with what leathers and furs that can be spared are given. If you want to wash up you can travel to a tree in the south east that gives access to a waterfall and small lake.

Once you've made yourself as comfortable as possible, you are free to explore the settlement as you wish. During the day there is a good amount of activity as residents are trading and either returning from expeditions or preparing for the next. Though you have been given what supplies can be spared, they make due with little in Greentruth. With your help they may be able to gather more resources for the community and for the resistance effort. Aions can help by performing tasks for NPCs, whether that is assisting with scouting, hunting and gathering, offering any sort of crafting or practical skills, as well as building extensions to the settlement and repairing houses. Those who have made a good impression may be invited to dinner by the locals they're helping or make use of the community style soup kitchen that feeds warriors in the mornings and evenings.

THE LOVER'S FESTIVAL

The Lover's Festival is a celebration of love in all it's forms, whether that be familial, friendship, or romance. It is also a time of year where the peoples of Greentruth can take a moment to forget their struggles against the Regent and their forces and instead indulge in the company of one another. Preparations for the event will take place days before it and you will see extra care taken to cleaning up the amphitheater in the center of town. Garlands made of vines and brightly colored flowers are lovingly hung by at least two people at a time, as is custom. Barrels of fermented honey are rolled out of storage and petals and mosses soften the wood of the trunk.

The festivities begin in the mid-afternoon. All are asked to remove their shoes so that their feet can enjoy the softness of the flower petals and moss, symbolizing how our bonds too can soften our journeys. A large bonfire is lit in the center which is used both for light and warmth but also to cook throughout the evening.

If there is an Aion of the Lover's Legacy in their midst, that person will be a point of interest during the celebration. Learning more about that Aion as a person is important and they may find themselves being called to join people throughout the night to take part in their drinking, feasting, and dancing.

❖ FEASTING
Greentruth regularly goes through periods of a sudden influx in foodstuffs and preparing it for long-term storage in case of a food shortage. But during the Lover's Festival, attendees are encouraged to eat to their heart's content. Meats are abundant thanks to the megafauna that are scavenged and hunted, while an array of fresh and dried fruits and pickled vegetables are also available. Nearly everything seems to be spiced. Fermented honeys and fruits make for the available liquor and a watered down version is available for children or those who would prefer something a little less strong.

❖ SACRED MESI (CW: drug use)
One staple of the Lover's Festival is the drinking of the Sacred Mesi. Throughout the evening, large flowers are passed around, brimming with a glowing liquid in the center. This is what they call the Mesi, nectar of the Mesiya. To drink this is to bond with spirit of Lohkimareen herself. It is completely optional to take part but it is fairly commonplace between adults in the settlement. Aions that choose to partake will immediately feel warm and tingly. Common effects of the mesi are slowed reflexes, blurred vision and seeing colors, a feeling of floating and general "carefree" attitude for the remainder of the evening. It is seen as a state of being unattached to the concerns of the physical world, and said that those who are particularly sensitive to the mesi may hear the voice of the forest.

For Aions in particular, the effects turn out to be more radical. The disconnect from your physical body becomes literal, with your consciousness seeming to transcend confines of your body, free to commune with the spirits of the trees themselves. Everything has a soul, you realize, while looking at the world through this lens, and when looking at other Aions you may see spiritual representations of them, their form appearing in abstract concepts and symbolism rather than a literal body. With how metaphysical the experience can be, it is hard to draw any factual information, so much as a series of emotional impressions. This effect will last for a few hours. Drinking more can prologue the effect, but the mesi can be powerful and those that over indulge may feel unwell the next day.

❖ THE AION
As promised, the Aion who predicted your arrival has made it back to Greentruth in time for the Lover's Festival. She is greeted heartily by the locals and it is not just because of the atmosphere, they appear to hold her in genuine affection and regard. She makes her rounds with a placid smile, but her true interest lies in meeting you. Those who choose not to speak with her directly will hear that she is called "Tehri of the Deep Mists" and that she has been the only Aion in Greentruth for some time. Her legacy is the Visionary and other Visionary Pleroma may feel a special connection to her.

If you would like to speak with Tehri, please tag into the open NPC thread below.

EXPLORATION

On the 20th, after the Lover's Festival and have had time to earn her trust, Tehri will request that they take a walk with her. On the boughs of one of the more secluded trees of the settlement, she will reveal that while the resistance effort has been quiet of late, she is skilled in portal magic. What appears as a tree hollow glows bright and gold as the Aions approach it. This, she explains, is her personal portal to the city of Godsblood. It leads into an an underground space beneath Godsblood, with tunnels that lead out unto a few inns and other businesses that are sympathetic to the resistance cause. They are well hidden, but from there they will be able to seek out the Pleroma that went to Godsblood and show them the way if they are interested.

She will advise that the portal needs to be kept hidden - not all in the settlement know its location. Though only Aions may pass through, the physical barriers of the portals may still be destroyed, rendering it inert.

QUESTIONS

What basic necessities are provided?
In addition to the beds and a roof over their head, Aions will receive clothing which is main mostly with leathers, furs, and animal skins. All will have their own water skin and a carved wooden bowl, handmade soaps that come in a variety of pleasing scents, and a candle. Other essential hand tools and weapons would be temporarily supplied to anyone who assists around the settlement with hunting crafting, etc. They would be expected to be returned at the end of the work day for repair.

My character knows how to make their own weapons or items. Is that allowed?
It is allowed and encouraged! If your character can help craft arrows, make more hand tools, bowls etc. the locals would be very pleased. If you make something of your own will you would be able to keep it as well.

Can my character join the resistance?
Congratulations! By choosing to come to Greentruth they are automatically part of the resistance effort. More information on what that will entail regarding in-game action and missions will be made clear in future events. For now you are safe to assume that helping the other members and locals is just as important.

What megafuana are in the area?
Most creatures in Lohkimareen are reptilian in nature, though more standardized birds and mammals can be found as well. The megafauna are exclusively draconic and dinosaurian in nature, though you will find that they too come in a variety of sizes. They may range from small insect-hunting dragons to forest giants. Predatory dinosaurs and dragons tend to be more aggressive and should be avoided. Dragons tend to be more elusive but can be seen both on the land and in the trees and air. There are rumors that you can plead for your life with a dragon, but not so much with others.

So I can travel back and froth between Greentruth and Godsblood?
You may! But remember that it is important to keep a low profile in Godsblood. Do not draw attention to the location of the portals on either side or else the integrity of the resistance may be at stake.

Comments

[coerthantorment]

"I'd question the effectiveness of doing 'repairs' when you can barely carry logs," he says. Come to think of it, this isn't the first time he's seen Hiccup acting strangely in public. Maybe there's more to it than him being a bit weird.

"You've missed night entirely," he adds after a moment. "When is the last time you actually ate something?"

[dragon_rider]

"I can carry logs, I just had my mind somewhere else." Literally. He's only a touch irritable, maybe it's the sleepiness or his brain running like a hamster on wheels. It's probably both.

He sits down to regather the logs, shifting them in his hands to doublecheck usability. The question earns a glance upward and a shrug downwards. "Sometime yesterday," he says and then adds, "probably." He hasn't really paid attention.

"I haven't really had time to stop and think about it."

Read: He hasn't let himself stop and think about it or much of anything.

[coerthantorment]

"Well then," Estinien says. He pauses in his work to unbutton one of the pouches on his belt. A moment later he tosses Hiccup some jerky that's been wrapped in a fold of leather. He unhitches his water skin and tosses that too.

"Drink, at the very least," he says, going back to cutting up small cubes of meat. "Your body craves it, whether you realize it or not."

[dragon_rider]

His brows frown with his lips, expression more skeptical than it might be had he slept through the night. But he does manage to catch both items with minor to little fumbling. He's got the graces to duck his head slightly when his stomach gives a low enough grumble, and tears into the jerky before looking back up.

"Isn't a bit early for you, too?" He inquires before taking another bite, it doesn't melt in his mouth or anything like that but he is suddenly realizing he's hungrier than he thought.

[coerthantorment]

He shrugs a shoulder.

"Only somewhat. I'm accustomed to waking with the sun. Today, I merely bested it by an hour or so. I had a task in mind." He gestures to the little cubes of meat he has ready. The carcass of whatever he hunted is laid off to the side. "Did you speak with the little ones, yet?"

He means the tiny dragons that Hiccup might have seen him interacting with before. They do seem to talk, even if they have a one-track mind.

[dragon_rider]

Hiccup chooses to chew slowly on the food as he listens. He doesn't keep his eyes on the other man, instead turning his attention outward toward the forest. It's still quiet enough that only the earliest risers are about their day. "What's the task?"

A quick inquiry, but he doesn't linger — He won't press if Estinien doesn't say. He's mind quickly turns to the other question as he gives a quick nod. "I've been wanting to see all the dragons, they're not any species I've seen before," he responded, somehow more rapt attention on dragons despite a sleep-addled brain, "but most of them aren't interested in sticking around."

[coerthantorment]

"Aye. The ones the canopy seemed uninterested in treating with me. These ones, though..."

Estinien has formed an impression from watching the boy. He's heard him chatter about dragons more than a few times, yet he hasn't seen him make contact. Well, it's as good a time as any.

He stands on the log and clenches his fists before him. An aura of red swirls around him, scaled and twisting listing like a great serpent. He calls, and as he does, the faintest echo of a roar seems to call with him:

"Come, little ones!"

If there's one thing that can be said for the smallest dragons of the forest, they are certainly food motivated. Estinien's flashing aura dies down as quickly as it's summoned, but only because it takes no time at all for the little beasts to catch wind of him and his offering.

Soon, a small swarm of vibrantly coloured, bird-sized dragons descends upon the cubes of meat Estinien has laid out, some landing on his shoulders and arms, reaching for the bits he still holds in his hands. The beating of their small wings rustled his wild hair, and even he can't help but smile slightly as he watches them squeak over the presented meal.

"Who is this?" one of them finally says, but only after scarfing a bit of meat. They're looking at Hiccup, apparently startled to realize Estinien isn't alone. "There's another one! A hunter!"

Several of them look up, but they don't yet flee. They seem confused, more than anything.

[dragon_rider]

Hiccup nods at first, more to himself than the other. The bigger dragons steer clear, but they don't seem to be too territorial — It's the thought on the tip of his tongue, but he does not speak it. Instead, he can't help but take a half step back at the sudden swirling of light, foot hitting the back of a wayward log so he has to steady himself.

It gives him time to put the flask on the ground and a clear angle of the swarm that surrounds the older man. Some part of him is jealous, perhaps a little, but it doesn't outweigh the instantaneous awe at the sight. He'll never tire of learning about new dragons.

He's certain not to make any fast movements as he stood back up, but was noticed anyway. If there's a mite of surprise at them actually talking — which there was — it's shake off by the exclamation one gives. "Oh. No, no," he's quick to exclaim, "I'm no hunter." From the way he says it, it's like there's another meaning to the word. Dragon Hunter is the first thing he thinks of, after all.

Glancing down at the piece of jerky and back up, he holds it up in offerring. "Are you still hungry?" He asks instead, glancing past to Estinien to ask the question to all, "you eat regular meat right?"

[coerthantorment]

"He's one of the friends that entered the forest with me," Estinien explains in way of introduction. "He will not harm you."

To say they are friends would be an exaggeration in Estinien's mind, but it's the best way to assure the dragon's of Hiccup's intent. Their little, jewel-like eyes flitter between him and Hiccup, and it seems like that's good enough to give it a shot.

"We hunt, we hunt," they say. The meat Estinien left out for them really did seem to disappear quickly, with how many of them turned up. "For fruit, for crunchies."

With another glance at Estinien, one of them will launch itself from the log, clinging to Hiccup's arm and chewing on the jerky with its tiny teeth, like a dog with a bone. Another one flitters close as well, hovering a foot or so away and checking out the jerky from afar. In the meantime, Estinien pulls out some berries he found, holding out to feed the others from the palm of his hand.

"They've a bit of a one-track mind," he says, "but 'tis a want that's easy to satisfy."

[dragon_rider]

"Never," he breathed in agreement, "I'd never hurt a creature as wonderful as you guys."

Hiccup spoke earnestly, even if there was a touch there. Not remorse or guilt, although it tinged to something close. Perhaps, more anguish that he couldn't keep dragons as safe as he'd like. That a dream became more distant by the minute, lsot now between the traveling of worlds.

He freely gives up the jerky then, letting the first take it and nodding his head at the other in encouragement — otherwise unmoving as he did, too knowing quick movements can scare and startle especially for smaller animals. To the older man he shakes his head. "Survival comes first, it's not one track-minded at all," Hiccup answered, allowing a finger to graze against the underbelly of the one perching to eat jerk, "even if I'm pretty sure these guys could manage just fine on their own, huh?"

They like the attention, he thinks to himself, now far more awake than he'd been previously — But then learning about dragons was the quickest way to get his attention. "I've never seen dragons so small," he admitted, "what about you, have you...?"

[coerthantorment]

Estinien considers it for a moment but then shakes his head. The dragons he was most familiar with were really quite large. Not that it was the only thing that was different.

"Nay, not even the dragonets were this tiny, even when freshly hatched. The one I personally traveled with was nearly as long as a man." He can't help but feel nostalgic, a stab of pain going through his heart as the idea that it might all be lost drifts into his mind again. "And about three hundred years my senior, which he declined to let me forget."

He can't help but notice that these ones are different, as much as they physically remind him of dragonets.

"Apparently the little ones here like the follow their larger brethren, mining their scales for 'crunchies' and basking in their protection." He laughs softly. "Not a bad arrangement, all told. Which, I suppose, is what I have to thank for their persistent attentions."