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 knew types like that. It was how Sevika was, and how...other individuals had been in his life. He nodded, although he had no drive himself for such things. Why put your life in danger like this, when it was so much cleaner, easier, to simply plot, or plan. Perhaps even a knife in the dark?

He nodded, regardless, mismatched gaze noticed the glass, but said nothing. Bruisers were those types, and they could hardly help themselves. His own grip loose, relaxed. Fights didn't bother him, and he barely flinched, when an individual stepped past him, aiming toward the rest. ]

Silco.

[ He introduced himself, his tone idle. They were a motley lot, thus far, weren't they? Different types, different experiences -- some even that thought they knew better than others. Some that were properly deferential to the Regent. He remembered this one from the dinner, asking questions, but never... disrespectful. ]

You seem to know what they're going through, our entertainment for the evening. I'm surprised I didn't see you getting into too many with our new foes.

Or was I just wrapped up in my own little...bubble.

[ He was still annoyed, and nobody could hold a grudge like Silco. ]

[baltimores]

[ He looked away from Silco for a second, tracking the new body that was stepping towards the would-they-or-wouldn't-they fray. Not to be rude or anything, just that it had been pretty obvious Silco wasn't about to go anywhere, where this could have been an interesting new development.

And yet, nothing, so Amos turned right back to Silco at his own introduction. He inclined his chin slightly in acknowledgement, placing him. The Regent had approved of him, he remembered; he also remembered the look he'd shot Matt, the way Matt had come to Amos' room sometime after the feast to talk things out. The whole bubble thing suddenly clicked into place, and Amos exhaled in mild amusement. He didn't intend to be mocking, just... well. Silco had said it first. ]

I dunno what their problem is. If it was me, I'd have thrown a fuckin' punch by now. [ He brought his beer up to his lips then, taking a small drink as he checked over his shoulder. Raised voices, but still nothing meaningful. He sighed as he set his glass back down, turned to properly face Silco again. ] But nah. I didn't fight anyone back there. That was different; it didn't feel right. And I didn't need anything then.

[ There hadn't been the need to quell anything inside him; he hadn't felt much of anything, period, since accepting the Kenoma — it was almost like a pleasant return to his status quo. And he liked some of the Pleroma. He wasn't entirely sure what to do with those feelings now, considering what the Regent had said. Amos reached up to scratch at the back of his head; a casual, if only barely restless motion. ]

Guess I fucked that one up. I won't the next time. [ And, as though it was an afterthought. ] Don't think you'll have to deal with any bubbles again, either.

[ He liked Matt; they'd talked; might as well vouch for him if it was gonna come up. ]

[zauneyete]

[ Matt had said as much, of course. That wasn't... necessarily a good enough reason for Silco. Feeling apologetic was one thing, but he couldn't necessarily plot revenge and stab him in the back. Not here. He was certain the Regent wouldn't allow it. However, that didn't mean that he couldn't... keep it in mind for the future.

Silco was, after all, a man who didn't take being crossed lightly. Last time it happened, he plotted revenge for ten years, tortured him, stabbed him in the back, overdosed him, and then stole his daughter. All in a day's work. Silco watched the simmering fight, and listened to Amos. Need anything, he said. What a curious way to describe it. ]

I have -- well, I suppose had now -- a great many dealings with topside back home. I've learned one key to surviving. When you're in Piltover, you act like the locals, until you know what is and isn't allowed. [ When in Rome, in essence. ]

I think, thankfully, you were not alone in being wrong. [ He shrugged. His glass remained untouched, unlike Amos. He patted his jacked, and pulled out a cigar. Thankfully, he'd been around enough to find those. ] And not the most wrong, among our... compatriots, hm? [ He lifted one real eyebrow. ]

We all could have... messed up a great deal more, I suspect.

[baltimores]

[ He finished off his beer as he listened to Silco speak, his voice just loud enough over the background noise of posturing of people who weren't serious. It was more interesting, at least. Either they needed to fight, in which case Amos would have strongly considered jumping in for the hell of it, or they were trying to save face, which was a fruitless endeavour. Or possibly something else entirely, but if that was the case, he had no clue about that.

He made a face at Piltover as he set the empty glass down, gently pushed it away. Nowhere he'd ever heard of before, but he figured he got it from the context clues. That, and now that he really listened to Silco, he recognized that sort of talk, and it drew a thoughtful frown.

Was he like Burton, or was he like Erich. Amos would have to assume Erich, since they were all supposed to be on the same side. He glanced at Silco first with his peripheral vision, eyeing the untouched glass for a second, then turned back to face him proper. ]

If they're anything like what I'm familiar with, there ain't gonna be a second chance to mess up. [ He kept his voice low, but matter of fact. Not like he wanted to draw attention to them, especially if that fight was gonna go bust. ] Doesn't matter if I wasn't the most wrong, either. I still got it wrong, same as anyone else. I'd say expectations are pretty clear now, so next time, there won't be any fucking around.

[ There wasn't any fear in his voice, nor any pretense. Just simple statements of fact, delivered flatly. If Silco was anything like the people he reminded him of, then he probably got it.

Behind him, someone finally threw a punch, signalled by a cry of pain and anger and maybe something else Amos understood on a deeper level. He looked over his shoulder, eyebrows raised, but found little interest in it after all — whatever had caused it, it wasn't entirely up to his speed, and its potential no longer matched up to what he had going now. He turned back, cast a sideways glance at Silco's untouched glass, and then took it for himself, downing a healthy amount before exhaling. ]

Never really gave a fuck about blending in, either. Boss tells you to do something, you do it. That's all that really matters. [ He shrugged. ] Rest of it's just bullshit.

[zauneyete]

[ Silco could appreciate someone like Amos. Mess up? Sure, but he knew it, and moved on. There was no toiling about the situation. No woe is me. It was fact. It was the kind of no-nonsense attitude that his second, Sevika had. It wasn't personal (most of the time) but it was what it was. You learned from it, and moved to the next orders. Amos hadn't been heavily admonished by the Regent, so he suspected the Regent appreciated an approach like that as well.

Honestly, if someone was going to accept that this was reality, and they were ready to take it on, all the better.

After all, Silco was still powerless. Having types that he knew were reliable was good to know -- in case he got into trouble, and needed to beseech someone for a bail out. He hoped, of course, to avoid it, but one could never be 100% certain what would happen. Last time, he'd taken a spell to his good eye, which had put him in trouble for a bit, with the limited vision. ]

I agree with you, but I wouldn't sell yourself short. There is a difference, isn't there? Between being... incorrect due to a lack of sufficient information, versus being obstinately and actively incorrect.

Both are wrong, of course. [ Silco eyed the fight, his good eye moving faster than the other, the fight was picking up now. Drunks, drugs, and a fist fight. Ah, it was just like being back at home.

He didn't flinch, when one was flung against the bar next to him, or when he was drug back. In fact, he smiled. ]

I know what I would want, were I running an operation of some sort. Who I would want to keep around and help grow for the future.

[baltimores]

[ He hummed at the idea of not selling himself short. There were degrees to this, he knew that — mostly Emet-Selch vs. everybody else — but Amos couldn't argue with Silco's assessment, either. Matt had come to his room all forlorn after, and maybe with some reason to worry after how long his exchange with the Regent had dragged out; Amos' had been pretty much one and done. The degrees of their defiance had been different.

But both still wrong. Amos nodded, taking another sip. ] 'course.

[ So, full agreement there.

He shifted when a body encroached near Silco's space, ended up back in the brawl. Shifted again to watch some of the other patrons cheering the mess on, others joining in. If this had happened maybe fifteen minutes earlier, Amos probably would have jumped right in with them. Now, this felt more important.

He turned to look back at Silco, and matched his grin with one of his own, recognizing the compliment for what it was — but also... ]

Yeah? You speaking for yourself or for them?

[ The Regent. If Silco really was anything like Burton or Erich, then Amos figured he wasn't so keen on no longer being the most powerful person in the room — and Amos was dead set on following the Regent and nobody else. At the same time, these were pretty exceptional circumstances, the Regent was a pretty exceptional being, so who knew, really. ]

[zauneyete]

I can only speak for myself, of course. [ Silco held a hand to his chest, innocently. ] The Regent will do as they do, and I defer to their wisdom.

[ Silco didn't like being weak, compared to others, compared to the Regent. He was used to having power. So much authority and power, that he could do what he wanted, and have little roadblocks to achieve his goals. However, even back home, he'd been under the thumb of Piltover, ostensibly. The ruling council had been a sect of individuals he had to keep in mind.

Certainly, their gaze rarely looked down upon them in Zaun, but they did occasionally look. Silco was good at looking innocent, and always offered the right words. As long as he and the Regent's goals were aligned, and as long as they offered the right amount of power his way, Silco was hardly going to throw up a fight.

Some of that might be self-preservation, however. He was not about to either allow himself to be killed, or suffer the same consequences as others who may have displeased the Regent. ]

However, I think the Regent is intelligent enough to recognize who's the most useful to them. If they followed a similar logic, it may apply. [ This time, he actually took a real sip of his drink. ] I've been known to be wrong before, though. Who can say?

[baltimores]

[ Amos kept his grin on his face, raised his eyebrows so slightly at Silco's proclaimed innocence. ]

Of course.

[ He held his hand up to get the bartender's attention — what, not like they were doing anything about the fight either — to get another drink for himself. After eye contact was made and they were on their way, he turned back to Silco to take in the rest of his words. ]

Nah, you've probably got it right, if that's what that test was. Not the first time I've failed one. [ And, new drink being poured and in his possession, Amos nodded his thanks at the bartender. Risked a glance back over his shoulder at the mini-brawl that seemed to have turned into just two combatants being egged on by others, those too injured to continue already slunk off to the sides to lick their wounds. Yeah, Silco was more important. ] Trim the fat. Cut the dead weight. Or find some way to make it work.

[ He took a drink then before fixing Silco with a curious gaze. ]

Where're you most useful?

[ Amos knew what he was good at, and he was pretty sure Silco didn't fit the model of a bruiser — just look at him. He also knew he had something of a limited imagination for these sorts of things, so he really would like to know the answer. ]

[zauneyete]

[ Amos's assessment was correct. Silco's good eye slid to the fight, and then back. That was nothing, after all, there weren't even any knives pulled out, like there would have been in an undercity fight. It wasn't even worth watching, honestly. He sipped at his drink, slow as she went, but -- ah, his fingers fished into the inner pocket of his jacket, and pulled out a cigar.

Bless that this was a world of every vice, and Silco had one in particular that he would indulge. ]

Me? [ He lit it, with a small lighter he'd purchased, not the fancy sorts that he'd had before. ] Well, I'm not... a fighter. Between my age, and everything else... well, you won't find me leading the charge, most certainly.

[ He'd had...others for that. Someone similar to Amos in the past, and after that went south... he'd had Sevika. Far more loyal, honest, and itching to betray him in a far less personal way. ]

I had... a vision. For an entire city, brought it out of the muck and grime, the boots of enforcers, and made it a threat that had to be addressed. Hopefully toward our freedom. [ He shrugged a shoulder. ] Likely not as useful against our enemies in the Pleroma, but I'll find a way to be useful, regardless. I am a man of many talents.

[baltimores]

[ He couldn't help his immediate reaction, nose crinkling slightly at the smell of the cigar. When you spend the better part of your life in space, where air quality is a much more pressing issue than on a planet where it just so happens to be, these things just kinda happened.

After a couple of seconds — a couple of words into Silco's explanation — Amos got used to the smell. Reminded himself of where he was. There was more than enough air to go around; not like this was a hazard. He turned it into a sharp inhale, a grunt, at the idea of Silco being a fighter. No, definitely not. But he listened with rapt attention to the rest of it, sipping at his drink as he did so.

When he finished, Amos set his glass back down. Regarded Silco that much more intently. ]

So you're the kinda guy who strategizes behind the front lines, huh. [ No judgment — they were necessary. Amos was more than adequate at it when shit was going down; maybe less capable before situations got dire. ] Or maybe you got some ideas on how to make things work in a better universe.

[ Those things were well beyond Amos, but hell, they were gonna need them at some point. ]

[zauneyete]

Both, I would like to think.

[ He says it with confidence, and the sort of tone of someone who did believe it. Someone who thought they knew what would work, and when it would work. Silco, of course, could not be considered one of the most self-aware types in Zaun either -- of which there were few. Zaun would attest that he wouldn't be building a better world for anyone other than Silco. Planning to get there, though -- that he could do, and would do nearly anything to get there. ]

I think any successful operation has a little bit of all types. The strategy, the creativity, the muscle... Otherwise we're likely to suffer without a bit of everything.

[ And then... ] Without all of it, particularly with the Pleroma out there, we'll fail. Like Xishen said, we will encounter them again, and I hope we'll have figure out a little bit more out about each other, and we'll be able to work better together.

[baltimores]

[ Amos nods. Yeah, diversity among their ranks is crucial. Imagining a group of solely muscle is... well, it wouldn't get very far, he knows that much.

People like Silco are gonna be necessary. It's not as though he's about to trust him implicitly or anything, but as long as they're on the same side, then Amos figures that's a good thing. And he'll listen — because for as much as he suspects there might be something else to Silco's motives, based solely on the fact that he kinda reminds him of certain crime lords from his past, he's right. ]

Yeah. Probably got me pegged as muscle. You'd be right. If you come up with any plans, and I can see where you're coming from with them? I'm a pretty good bet to see that shit gets done.

[ He takes another drink, satisfied with his approach here, with where they're going. They're just talking shop now, and it's comfortable. And besides, they are gonna have to be upfront with each other in order to get things accomplished. No point in beating around the bush with what he's capable of if it means he can help. ]