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

[zauneyete]

[ Silco made a face, as he tucked the cigarette into his jacket, where it would rest until he could find a light, and a place to enjoy that. Likely his rooms, and if the servants complained... well. They didn't have to enter, either way. Silco was a tidy man, and didn't need servants to take care of himself.

But the...accolades. Ugh. It was like the worshipers, down in Zaun, so desperate for something to cling to. Some promise of a brighter future, he understood that some did, but being a part of that was...

Troubling. Uncomfortable. ]

I hope not. Perhaps without an escort, to avoid being recognized.

[ Or without these marks shown -- although Silco had already hidden his mark and shard, even before seeing the Regent. ] I don't know about where you're from, but I prefer a little bit less...fanfare, to my dealings.

[epiprocta]

[ He gives a low huff and a shake of the head. ]

Can't stand all that fuss. [ And, to be honest, the sheer scale of the city is a little much for him given his hometown's out in the sticks, but he's not about to confess that sort of thing to a stranger. ] Got a migraine from all that commotion when we got here.

[ Gen nurses his drink with a frown as he thinks back to all the screaming and the showers of flowers and gemstones. It really is going to be insufferable if they have to deal with something like that every time he steps out of the Citadel. Ugh.

So he'll worry about it later.

Instead, he gives Silco a curious glass as he lowers his glass. Raising an eyebrow in an implied request for elaboration. ]

... 'dealings?'

[ Curious word choice. Not to mention the scar and the eye. This guy's not very interested in playing subtle, is he. ]

[zauneyete]

[ Silco hadn't had the luxury of being subtle since the night Vander betrayed him and tried to kill him. He instead smiled, pleased as punch at the question. ]

Mm, I was an important person back home. I had a large amount of dealings from Bilgewater to Piltover, places that probably don't mean much to you by name.

[ Silco could talk all day about That. It was veneer, and little about the man himself who stood before Gen. Short in stature, he didn't stand straight, although the coat he'd chosen, with a large collar did plenty to hide it. Given the entire picture, with the eye and the scars -- to which makeup did wonders to...soften the look. Dealings was an interesting choice. ]

I've spent a great deal of time, brokering a path for independence for my nation, you could say.

[ With drugs. By cooking drugs, but Silco wouldn't clarify beyond that. ]

[epiprocta]

[ Gen, for better or for worse, doesn't smile back. Mostly because it's just not in his nature to act friendly towards strangers, but also because, well. We's not sure he buys any of that. ]

Yeah? Sounds impressive.

[ He answers in a neutral enough fashion, accompanied by a small nod, but there's a cautious edge to the way he looks Silco over. Far more shrewd than most his age could probably muster.

In truth, it's not even the scar or the eye that have him gauging the man so carefully, but more of a gut feeling. Nothing he can exactly pinpoint, but ... something about Silco's word choice and tone of voice remind him too much of men of his father's ilk for him to take those words completely at face value. ]

... you must be real used to this kinda thing then, huh? [ He nods towards their lavish surroundings as he speaks, though he doesn't let his gaze stray from Silco for long. ] If you were important. Can't really get used to it myself. Got any pointers?

[zauneyete]

Oh no. [ Silco gestured at the fine room with something closer to a sneer. ] This is the sort of thing that one would find topside. Me? I ran a bar.

[ That he stole. After killing the owner in a final burst of revenge. Or trying to -- it may have actually been his daughter that killed him, but details. ] It was in a place called the undercity, which likely gives a more apt description than its name. I was important because I was a... pillar of my community.

[ A gesture, both hands this time, before he finally took a small, controlled sip of his drink. If one could consider running a cadre of mutinous chembarons to be such a pillar. ] My community, I'm afraid, had nothing like this. Many were lucky to feed their families, let alone spend it on frivolities.

[epiprocta]

Uh-huh. Must've been hard. [ He says, not even bothering to try and sound sincere. Not that he's being deliberately callous, either; not like his own hometown was particularly prosperous, either. Gen keeps his voice at a cautious neutral. ] Pretty admirable of you to be someone so important to a place like that.

[ He pauses briefly to take a generous swig of his drink before continuing candidly. ]

Must've been a tough decision, then. Deciding that you're gonna be okay with burning all that down.

[ Because, after all, they're all here. Aligned with some asshole who's been telling them that razing everything to the ground and starting anew is the best option. Pretty fucked-up position for a 'very important pillar' to take, isn't it? The guy seems like a slick talker; Gen's curious to see what rationale he'll come up with for this. ]

[zauneyete]

Is it? If our worlds are supposedly destroyed, what is there left to raze?

[ He asked. He didn't know if they were, not truly. It was a question he asked himself over and over again, but Silco was here for opportunity. For power.

Did that mean destruction? Maybe. It was, however, better than siding with...whatever the Pleroma truly were. Something bright and shining, a light that Silco never even bothered to consider. It wasn't a difficult question for him, because other than one person, the rest of it could burn for all he cared.

Perhaps there was one small, infinitesimal sliver of hope, that Silco held out on, to find a way to save his daughter from that supposed destruction. ]

If they are not, do you see another option? The... Pleroma? The ones I talked to were so convinced of their own self-righteousness, I think that path lies closer to ruin than this one.

So I made a decision. [ Silco shrugged. He felt no shame in that, after all. One must seize power, if one wanted to continue to live. ] Isn't that what the rest of us did, by being here as well?

[epiprocta]

[ Well ... point. It really is true that everything they've left behind is already gone, isn't it. Probably. It really is quite difficult fully internalizing that thought. ]

They seem to think there's a way to fix things. Or at least, that it's worth looking for a way to fix things.

[ A pause before he gives a small tilt of the head, looking a little dubious. ]

They're self-righteous, yeah, but why would you think they're 'closer to ruin?' [ The gentle, padding footsteps of a server walking by behind them has him looking over warily, and his body language is a little more guarded as he continues. ] -- not that I think they're right. At all. But just seems like a waste of time, what they're doing, rather than anything so .... dramatic.

[zauneyete]

Isn't that what ruin is? Failure?

[ He asked, somewhat bluntly. He finally took a sip of his drink, his good eye closed slightly, as he looked down into the glass for a moment, as he considered the question. He didn't really care if they thought it was the right or wrong way to fix things. He knew that if his world was destroyed, and the only few things that Silco actually cared about -- Zaun and his daughter -- were gone and dead.

He smiled at Gen, tight and wan. ]

If we're right, and they're wrong -- eventually, there will have to be a side that wins, isn't there? I'd like to think that it's ours. I refuse to be on the side that loses. That's what ruin would be, don't you think?