EVENT #2: HEARTS LIKE YOURS (ACHAMOTH)

[aionmods]

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.

Comments

[semicharmed]

[ Matt's breath catches slightly at the pressure of Howl's fingers. A moment later, he exhales--slower than his breath in, more controlled. He pictures the energy of the breath, the ease of it, flowing through his limbs and into Howl's.

Then Howl sighs. His eyes open. Matt sighs along with him, even before he processes what he's said. ]

Oh ... [ Matt's eyes skim over him, looking for signs of feathers, but he's right: they're all gone now. He smiles. ] Good. Great.

[ He glances up to the teapot. When he focuses on just the fire and the water, without the distraction of Howl's condition, he can just discern the sound of bubbling. Matt gives Howl's hand one last quick squeeze, and lets go. ]

Your timing is impeccable. [ Matt slants a small grin Howl's way. He extinguishes the flame with a soft whoof, letting the teapot descend back to its place on the cart. ] I think that's ready.

[galdorleod]

[ Howl watches their hands as Matt pulls away, musing silently to himself. Did something... happen, just now? Or perhaps it was just his imagination making sense of this rare and somewhat humbling situation, with another person watching his transformation dissipate. Another wizard, yes, but another person nonetheless. He'd normally only let Calcifer see him like this. Now that it's over, Howl finds that he is not so humiliated as he would normally feel, as he'd expect to feel.

Glancing back up to Matt, he sits forward in his chair and rolls his shoulders, testing the return of his normal body. ]

Ah, grand. If you're pouring, then I'll take a cup, please. Three sugars, no milk.

[semicharmed]

[ With another small smile, Matt says, ] I can pour.

[ He does Howl's first, dropping three sugars into his teacup with the kind of easy precision that comes from years of handling ritualistic fiddly pieces. Then Matt pours his own--neither sugar nor milk for him--and, with no immediately better option in sight, he settles lightly on the edge of Howl's bed.

For a moment, he inhales, breathing in the tea's steam. ]

I've heard of magic users turning themselves into animals, [ he says after a moment, ] but as far as I know, it's either ... impossible, or a pretty closely guarded secret. I don't know how I'd even begin.

[galdorleod]

Hm. Not much of that sort of magic where you're from, then?

[ Truthfully, there isn't much of it in Ingary either — as far as the average person goes. But Howl's bubble is all wizards and demon contracts and powerful spells being used left and right. It ends up feeling a bit less rare to him than it really is.

Howl takes a long sip of his tea, seeming to enjoy the fact that it's nearly too hot to drink. ]

What sort of magic is common in your world? Elemental, healing? [ sidestepping for the moment the topic of Howl's transformation. ]

[semicharmed]

[ Matt hums thoughtfully. ]

Well, magic in general isn't all that common. It's kind of a minority talent. There aren't great estimates about how many magic users there actually are ...? But for what it's worth, it's supposed to be more than redheads, less than lefthanded people.

[ Or, you know. It was! ]

Anyway, there's the stereotypes about magic, ruining people's crops and giving them bad luck and making them sick. [ All of which Matt technically knows how to do, though he never has. ] It's what you hear about, but I don't think most people do it. The things I think more people actually practice are like kitchen magic, basically herbalism--some healing for sure, often overlapping with folk remedies. And abjuration: creating protected spaces, warding against bad energy, that kind of thing. I know people manipulate luck, but it's usually to make themselves luckier.

As far as I know, that is. I haven't gotten to talk in-depth with too many magic users, and even then, you know, it's anecdotal.

[galdorleod]

[ What Matt describes is not so different from Howl's world. Actually, it's shockingly similar — although when he says that he hasn't spoken to many other magicians, that in particular feels very different. For as many people who practice 'kitchen magic,' as he put it, the magic-using community has become very formalized and bureaucratized in Ingary, the country Howl hails from. ]

Curious. It sounds like I'm quite privileged to be able to speak to you about your own practice, then. [ Howl smiles. ] The community, if you can call it that, in my world sounds quite different. I studied at a sorcerer's academy during my youth — one which was formally funded and endorsed by the King. In order to graduate, I had to take an oath to serve him when called upon. Quite a different situation than what I'm sensing about you.

[semicharmed]

Oh--did you want me to talk about my practice specifically?

[ Matt smiles, a hint of mischief in it. He feels like they may not know each other well enough yet for the full picture, though Matt did share some of his proclivities with Howl this evening and Howl was chill.

He'll cross that bridge if they get to it. Right now, the phrase "sorcerer's academy" is burning a hole in his brain. Matt's eyes light with immediate fascination, almost a yearning. ]

I would have loved to study magic formally, [ he sighs. His nose wrinkles briefly. ] I mean, I'm not sure about swearing fealty to a king. That feels like putting your name on a government registry. [ Who's gonna tell Matt who he works for ...? ] But I feel like I could have developed so much further if I'd had ... something like that, a degree program.

[galdorleod]

I would be curious to hear about it, of course. The study of magic is a lifelong endeavor — more a way of life, if you ask me. I don't think you need a formal education, per se... an apprenticeship is probably the best way to learn, but much of practicing magic comes from tapping into one's own power and experiences. The most powerful mages find their power on their own.

[ Or by contracting with a fire demon, but Howl will leave that part out. He has his own secrets that aren't for anyone but his closest confidants. Without missing a beat, Howl gestures at the teapot; it floats over to refill his cup and then turns in Matt's direction as Howl wordlessly offers him more. ]

...which is why I did not feel comfortable with swearing fealty to anyone. I've seen so many wizards destroy themselves in service to a vain and uncaring throne. [ he scoffs slightly and glances down at the feathers still littering the ground around his chair. ] If you thought that was a bit much, it's nothing compared to what would have been demanded of me if I'd honored my oath.

[semicharmed]

[ Matt nods along emphatically for way of life, and more thoughtfully for apprenticeship. The idea that the most powerful mages develop on their own, that they pull what they need from within ... it fills him with both exhilaration and a faint sting of guilt. If he hasn't discovered the key to advancing his powers yet, is that his fault? On the other hand, the Regent was saying at dinner that they all have the potential to grow and develop. That must include him.

Matt grins as the teapot turns his way, extending his mug for a refill. The rest of what Howl has to say knocks the smile off his face pretty quickly, though. ]

So you mean literally destroy themselves. [ Rueful, as his eyes drop to the fallen feathers. ] Which makes sense, if your royalty is viewing magic users as a weapon, or a resource, instead of a person.

[ Matt glances back up to Howl with a rallying smile, faint but genuine. ]

Does that mean he called on you and you were like "no thanks"?

[galdorleod]

Essentially, yes. On both points. [ He leaves it at that, sparing Matt the details of the royal wizards' fate and himself the toll of recollecting them. The teapot tips to pour Matt another cup before floating back to the cart.

With a smile, he raises his teacup to Matt in a gesture of friendship. It's so rare for him to get along with other magic users, but... it seems they get along quite well, somehow. ]

...How about a toast to both of us, then? To freedom in magic.

[semicharmed]

[ Matt chuckles at the suggestion, but lifts his own cup in return. A gentle salute. ]

Hm--I like that one.

To freedom in magic.

[ He might not be ready to offer many more of his own secrets, at least for tonight. And he's definitely not ready to press Howl any further after the clear change in subject. But maybe that's all right. It's late, after all. For the moment, it feels like more than enough to have tea and good company. ]