aionlogs | EVENT #2: HEARTS LIKE YOURS (GREENTRUTH)

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Aye, and they've been leaving insects all over me in my sleep," he huffs. "I thought them children, at first, but then one of them claimed to already be a father."

He's gotten the idea that the dragons here are not exactly like what he's used to, but the similarities are hard to ignore. It makes him wonder if they do have a brood father or mother.

He didn't actually pick up on her initial discomfort, not particularly good at recognizing such subtleties, but he is curious what her thoughts on it are. Is it unusual for the small ones to be friendly?

"Curious..." It is something to note. She lifts a hand to her chin to consider the implications while also giving Estinien a quick glance over.

"They have never been aggressive but are, as you said, wary of us as most prey animals are. Especially towards our scouts or any who carry visible weaponry."

They can tell the difference between immediate threats and a need to be cautious. Tehri drops her hand once again.

"But you can see them following the larger dragons in the forest..." She spares another quick glance towards his dragon-like eyes and claws. "They may have seen you as kindred spirits."

"Hmn," he murmurs, scratching the back of his head. What she just said clearly makes an impression somehow. There's more truth to it than she knows.

"Could be," he says after a moment. "I... come off that way to the dragons of my star as well." It's something that's very much a part of him at this point, but it still gives him pause at times. He hopes it won't inspire a reaction like it did in Thavnair, at least. "'Infused with dragon blood'... was one way of putting it."

He huffs softly, seeming to notice his own claws all over again. He pulls them away from his head, glancing at them for a moment before letting them drop to his side.

"Something about that... abyssal energy... it's made it more apparent." His slitted eyes flicker away from her. "'Twas worse in the caverns, but even now, my body's left twisted."

She watches him closely, intently. 'Infused with dragon blood'? That would certainly explain it and it is something she notes privately.

"Then it's something you see as a part of yourself as well," she says with no judgment in her voice. Then smiles as if to reinforce that point.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. I've found that it's better to embrace our true selves here - both who we were before and who we can become."

Her reaction completely catches him off guard. When the Kenoma first forced these changes on him, it was hard to see them as anything but the effects of an outside invader - something done to him rather than coming from within. Though the worst of it faded after he found the Pleroma, he's spent this whole time thinking that the remnants are scars of the experience.

His confusion is pain on his face. Though he's come to accept his intrinsic ties to dragons, having it pointed out to him never fails to send him for a bit of a loop. He frowns.

"You're suggesting that this is my true self?" he asks, lifting a clawed hand. It's not nearly as bad as it was back in the caverns, but it's still enough to make him feel a little bit alien in his own body. He feels like he should be offended. Despite everything, these draconic shapes on a human form still frighten him.

He pauses for a moment, folding his arms and self consciously putting his claws out of sight. He supposes he did just come away from chewing someone's throat out, not all that long enough.

"...Hmph..."

His confusion is understandable and does warrant a bit of a clarification on her part. Things that have been known amongst Aions for ages are now being brought to light once again.

"It may be what you see as your true self, or at least a part of it. Likewise it is something you can change with practice as you further ascend on your path through the Pleroma."

She offers a light smile then.

"I would be curious to see how long you court the good will of the little ones."

Estinien furrows his brow, but he doesn't want to belabour the point. He feels like this is something he needs to think about himself for a while before discussing it too deeply elsewhere... so he'll take that shift in topic, please and thank you.

"...If things go as I hope, it won't end with the little ones," he says. He glances off into the trees. "Do the dragons here have a brood sire? The ones with which I'm accustomed were organized into large families, with a great wyrm at its head, that all looked to as their progenitor. If the ones here have the same..."

He trails off. Well, he's not sure what he'll do. He could try to treat with them, and perhaps learn what only such an ancient creature would remember.

Curious still, he is undeterred. Tehri considers for a long moment, though whether it is because she isn't sure what to say or is choosing carefully is difficult to tell.

"You would find it difficult to pin down a single dragon that all would listen to. Most prefer to mind their own, even if they do humor the little ones from time to time."

They aren't much of a threat, after all, and can provide simple services such as parasite eradication for larger dragons.

"For the ones that live closest to the settlement, you could try to gain the attention of the Tamfa. They don't often go above the canopy and can even be found hunting along the ground. But be warned, you may have passed several on your way into Greentruth. If they do not want to be seen, they will not be seen."

Interesting. At this point, Estinien isn't totally surprised to hear that the dragons here behave differently. The presence of the little ones was enough to guess that. Yet, on some level, they still recognize him as familiar. What could that mean?

"Hmph. I've had some experience 'humouring the little ones' myself." The Tamfa, though. He wonders what that means. Is it a family? A species?

"You have my thanks, Tehri," he says, after a moment. "The dragons of this world are familiar yet strange to me. The ones that shared my star were all born of a similar shape, and would grow into different forms as they aged, based on the needs of their environment. If these dragons are all of separate families entirely..."

It won't be ask easy as just finding their brood sire and asking for help, that's for sure. That doesn't mean he's going to quit, however. He's used to things being difficult.

"What form do the Tamfa take?"

"Is that so?" She does sound interested even though she does not ask further probing questions. There are clear discrepancies between what he has grown to know and expect and this world, but she is curious to see how he does on his own.

"They are Wood Wyverns, ambush predators. If you do intend to find them, be on your guard. And be patient. Though they may look as trees, they do not feed as them."

EVENT #2: HEARTS LIKE YOURS (GREENTRUTH)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject