![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
- !event,
- #the regent,
- #xishen,
- amos burton: lover,
- ciel: martyr,
- emet-selch: champion,
- eustace: firebrand,
- father paul hill: martyr,
- howl: celebrant,
- lottie person: visionary,
- luo binghe: firebrand,
- majorita: firebrand,
- makoto ("m"): firebrand,
- matt jamison: visionary,
- meteion: innocent,
- minegishi gen: lover,
- misa amane: lover,
- silco: visionary,
- tartaglia (childe): firebrand
EVENT #2: HEARTS LIKE YOURS (ACHAMOTH)
Achamoth
A DEITY'S WELCOME
After only a day or two on the river, the newly christened Kenoma will arrive in the city of Achamoth. The architecture is the more striking things about it, as if its skyline has been built up and constantly improved over many centuries. It's clear from even the riverside view that there is an artistic tendency towards building humanoid shapes into the supports and detailing of structures here, creating the strange effect of placing hundreds of silhouettes in your peripheral vision. If you ask the sailors why its like that, they will simply say it's the way its always been. Any metaphorical seed was planted long before anyone here was born. The Citadel can be seen even from the entrance of the city, a towering spiral that looms over the rest of the land around it, lit from within by various magical energies. That's your destination, you are told. Soon, you will be passed into the care of the Citadel's staff, and will be sure to meet with city's elites not long after.
They aren't wrong. When you show up at the port closest to the Citadel, the street are always lined with people waiting to greet you. It's easy to recognize now how diverse the population of Horos can be, with many of those waiting showing off unusual heights, colors, and appendages, though appearances that are typically 'human' are still the most common. Most of them wear dark outfits with a gothic flare, with mask-like facial adornments apparently being fashionable. They cheer and chant as you come down from the boat, tossing flower petals and small gemstones onto the path you walk upon. This continues all the way to the Citadel.
Once you are inside, up winding paths of stairs, you will be shown to your new quarters to rest. You're each assigned a lavish bedroom with servants stopping by ever so often, offering to bring you food, clothing, or other items of comfort. There are a variety of soaps in your room's private bath. You are told that if you take a liking to any individual servant that you may claim them as your permanent retainer, though you are not required to. Their dispositions range from euphoric to be serving you to quiet and shy, but there is a notable lack of resentment.
After about a day of rest, you will be brought an official invitation by one of the servants. Apparently, the Regent has requested your presence for supper that evening. It is not optional.
THE FEAST
A few hours before suppertime, one of the servants will arrive to take you 'clothes shopping' for something appropriately formal to wears for your meeting with the Regent. In practice, this means taking you to one of several changing rooms filled with costly formal wear. The styles and sizes are diverse, which makes sense when you are informed that they are a collection of offerings from local weavers and seamstresses, some of which have been waiting for an owner for quite some time. From an Earthly point of view, there is a wide spectrum of cultural aesthetics, though most of them lean towards the same dark colors and gothic sensibilities that you saw the citizens of Achamoth wearing. Headpieces and artistic masks are plentiful, but not mandatory though the servant will tell you they are in vogue. A servant will be able to make alterations to your clothing with magic to achieve a proper fit.After that, you have a couple more hours to prepare before you are invited to a lounge-like area for pre-meal drinks. You can get almost any kind of cocktail you can imagine, including some you can't, and will be allowed to chat each other up for about an hour before the feast begins. Some small appetizers are available, and soft, rhythmic music plays in the background. If you look for her, Xishen is present as well, dressed in a black evening gown with golden accents that flicker like stars in the night sky, her long hair pinned up into a messy bun and decorated with hair-sticks. As usual, she seems to be avoiding company for the moment, though she is keeping an eye on everyone. Perhaps she's counting heads to make sure there are no stragglers.
When the time arrives, two huge doors are opened, leading you into a room that looks like a mixture of a dining room and a cathedral. Ahead of you, three long takes are connected together in the shape of a triangle, with a large throne positioned at the point furthest into the room; it is presently empty. You'll be instructed to take a seat, basking in the multicolored flames of the candles and torches lighting the room. As you find your places, all seats will be filled except for the throne up front, with Xishen at its side. All you can do now is await your host.
[Mealtime interactions with the Regent can be threaded here. They will arrive right after the first course has been served.]
EXPLORATION
Having survived supper with the Regent, the next few weeks are essentially yours to plan. Though the Regent indicates that there is work for you to do on the Horizon, for now your orders are to simply rest and prepare. You'll have access to the Citadel's armory to acquire any basic armor or weaponry you could need; though none of what's on offer seems to be enchanted, it is undoubtedly the work of a master. Clothing is much the same as it was for the formal wear you picked out, though you will find there are more practical offerings available as well. If you don't find anything to your tastes, you are also welcome to go out on the town with a generous allowance from the Regent's own coffers.Clothing isn't the only thing you can get out in the city, though. While there are material goods of many kinds available, the most tempting thing for many residents is the raw hedonism of the city's entertainment district. It has just about anything you could imagine, from day spas to gambling to brothels, and none of it is contained by the burden of law. Any Achamite entertainment seen as too intense to face daylight would certainly not be for the faint of heart.
The locals haven't had enough time to recognize the city's new Aions on sight, but if they see your shard or or any other sign of your status, you are bound to attract a lot of attention. You're a celebrity in these streets, and while it can get you plenty of favors or even unsolicited offerings, it can also be quite overwhelming. In many cases, Achamite's religious fervor exceeds their survival instinct, at least in terms of the ones most likely to bother you. They will back off if threatened by you, but they will take politeness as an invitation to continue.
When leaving the Citadel, a servant will usually try to accompany you, though they will stay behind if you order them to do so. They insist that it will be easier for you to get around with a dedicated guide, but in the end you're the one in charge.
QUESTIONS
How does my character picking a retainer work?
All Kenoma are offered the opportunity to take on an NPC retainer after arriving at the Citadel. This retainer will be an NPC created and played by you. They will be available day and night to attend to your character's needs. These servants understand the Regent largely from a religious perspective and will not have any outspoken anti-Regent sentiments, though they may or may not be nervous about their new master. Generally speaking, though, this is in a new job jitters sort of way, as working in the Citadel is considered to be a job of great cultural and religious significance. They want to do a good job! You are free to develop your retainer's personality and relationship with your character. If your character (or you) are not interested in having a personal retainer, they will instead be served by a rotation of unattached servants.
How much money are Kenomas given for shopping?
They will be given an emerald's worth in jools, which is 1000 units. This is about how much a minimum wage worker makes in two months. They will continue receiving spending money on a monthly basis, though the Citadel itself will take care of all of their needs. On an OOC level its safe to say that average city expenditures will be covered by the money they are given, though they are welcome to invest that money in making more money if they have to skills to do so.
What sorts of things are there in the entertainment district? Is anything illegal?
Almost everything is legal in Achamoth when it comes to entertainment, and there is not much government oversight in the way anything is run. This means that most 'entertainment' you can imagine is both present and largely unregulated, and it doesn't need to be underground on account of how permissive Achamite law is. Brothels, drugs, and even bloodsport are all fair game... technically, participants in brothels and bloodsports must be willing but that 'consent' can be pretty nebulous. 'Extreme' bloodsport is generally hush hush (those that are particularly graphic and unpleasant, or basically torture) and behind closed doors mostly just to avoid causing a fuss.
The one thing there is official rulings on, straight from the Regent, is the enforcement of 'age of consent' and laws against child abuse. Children are generally not allowed to participate in those skeevier activities and there is a cultural expectation for people to raise their children properly, though this still goes wrong fairly frequently. It's just one of the things that is actually punished. Adults, however, have fewer innate protections.
All Kenoma are offered the opportunity to take on an NPC retainer after arriving at the Citadel. This retainer will be an NPC created and played by you. They will be available day and night to attend to your character's needs. These servants understand the Regent largely from a religious perspective and will not have any outspoken anti-Regent sentiments, though they may or may not be nervous about their new master. Generally speaking, though, this is in a new job jitters sort of way, as working in the Citadel is considered to be a job of great cultural and religious significance. They want to do a good job! You are free to develop your retainer's personality and relationship with your character. If your character (or you) are not interested in having a personal retainer, they will instead be served by a rotation of unattached servants.
How much money are Kenomas given for shopping?
They will be given an emerald's worth in jools, which is 1000 units. This is about how much a minimum wage worker makes in two months. They will continue receiving spending money on a monthly basis, though the Citadel itself will take care of all of their needs. On an OOC level its safe to say that average city expenditures will be covered by the money they are given, though they are welcome to invest that money in making more money if they have to skills to do so.
What sorts of things are there in the entertainment district? Is anything illegal?
Almost everything is legal in Achamoth when it comes to entertainment, and there is not much government oversight in the way anything is run. This means that most 'entertainment' you can imagine is both present and largely unregulated, and it doesn't need to be underground on account of how permissive Achamite law is. Brothels, drugs, and even bloodsport are all fair game... technically, participants in brothels and bloodsports must be willing but that 'consent' can be pretty nebulous. 'Extreme' bloodsport is generally hush hush (those that are particularly graphic and unpleasant, or basically torture) and behind closed doors mostly just to avoid causing a fuss.
The one thing there is official rulings on, straight from the Regent, is the enforcement of 'age of consent' and laws against child abuse. Children are generally not allowed to participate in those skeevier activities and there is a cultural expectation for people to raise their children properly, though this still goes wrong fairly frequently. It's just one of the things that is actually punished. Adults, however, have fewer innate protections.
no subject
For now, he's groaning a little on the inside, because while he agrees with what's being said, the thought of having to try and corral their errant fellow Kenoma is giving him a headache. Bad enough that he has to be someone else's dog yet again, and now he can't even spend most of his days on his own? Truly, this place is hell.
But luckily for everyone involved, Eustace has always been a man to place his own needs second and the needs of the job first, so even though his eyelids droop at the idea of having to organize and assist, he doesn't dissent aloud.
Still, the thought of it is irksome enough that he addresses the unspoken question in the room first. ]
I don't have any. [ To clarify: ] Abilities. And I don't have the type of personality that lends itself well to spontaneously learning new talents.
[ Kinda gotta, like, want things other than revenge for that. ]
no subject
Eustace doesn't need to say anything, the Vibes are enough. She almost feels bad, but at the same time...]
You really may not, if you keep that mindset. [Said quietly as she glances his way, he's quite shut onto himself isn't he...] What makes you think that, though? Are you already familiar with the concept of spontaneously developing powers?
[And as for the greater topic at hand:]
It's okay if you'd prefer not to. [Become directly involved, if it makes him truly uncomfortable.] I can organize a communion transmission about the topic.
no subject
But what tricks he does know - and what obedience has been drilled into him thus far - is remarkably well-rooted, and he's quick to reply, assuring her of his commitment. ]
It's fine. Life doesn't often afford people the luxury of picking and choosing what they want to do.
[ And he's not enough of a spoiled brat to turn his nose up at the slightest suggestion of doing something he dislikes. If nothing else, he's got resolve going for him. Which is good, because he really has so little else going for him. ]
We can discuss a plan of action after lunch.
[ Assuming she doesn't have other plans of course....he will not keep her if she does. As for the other matter of business... ]
I'm not familiar with the topic of spontaneous development of anything, but it's also something I'm not concerning myself with at the moment. If it happens, I'll do what I can, but I would prefer using the time available to me to hone what skills I know for a certainty I have.
[ Well actually he doesn't know when they'll be sent out next, but surely they won't have months of lounging around time at their disposal, right? ]
1/2
And he's absolutely right about that bit, so her turn to borrow a page from his book and close her eyes in assent. Sometimes you Exist and life just goes Sideways, we all get those moments in varying... degrees. Alas...]
Okay. If you can use help for anything, please let me know.
[She's basically with him 1:1 on that and Gets his approach, so not much to add when he's already got his bases reasonably well covered. For better or worse, this means silence is settling, albeit nothing forced or awkward about it. Just two pros agreeing, nothing much to anything about, really...!
...]
no subject
...
There's nothing really going on, but maybe he does have certain senses that can also tell him a server will be stepping out a few more seconds from now?]
no subject
Look, he still has ears? He can hear footsteps? And technically smell food, although there are plenty of food smells cluttering up the restaurant, given the time of day. Regardless, he doesn't seem at all bothered by the way their server appears seemingly out of nowhere, mostly because he picked up the sound of approaching footsteps.
The surface of the table quickly disappears as plates upon plates of food are set down in front of them. There's a decided imbalance to the way the food's spread across the table, but surely neither of the two seated guests mind. Eustace certainly doesn't, already moving to pick up his fork, waiting only to murmur a small word of thanks to their server before starting to eat.
Ciel doesn't mind him just digging in, right.... ]
no subject
Thank you for the food~!
[Itadakimasu in Japanese, bon appétit in French, those are all natural equivalents so the sentiment probably conveys closely enough?? Hopefully the energetic exclamation doesn't weird him out TOO much, because she's definitely making it as it's good manners and tradition before following suit without further ado.
Cue silence. Just....... silence at the table, because food, she's not a gross degenerate so of course she doesn't try to eat and talk at the same time. She's not a messy eater either, which may be a bit surprising given how she's also no slow eater, but.........It's a sin to waste food, right? RIGHT,
At least she didn't make any squealing sound or anything as she stuffs her facehole? Don't perceive the 😊 look on her face, good food is a simple pleasure of life, okay...]