EVENT #3: THE COST OF INNOCENCE

[aionmods]

The Cost of Innocence

INVESTIGATION

As the Aions arrive in Venera, they will find the natural beauty of the city in sharp contrast to its uncomfortable aura. Though the sun still shines and flowers still bloom in a place filled with physical vibrancy and life, the air itself is impossibly still, as if wind no longer blows. You can taste the stagnancy of it when you breathe, and the pleasant sights only make that feeling of absence more haunting. The streets are mostly empty, with most of the city's residents hiding away in their homes, fearing the touch of whatever illness has caused this. That is, all the citizens besides those most affected, who wander the streets in a lifeless and painless daze.

Normally, Venera would be occupied by both Hylician and Achamite soldiers, but it quickly becomes apparent that both have abandoned the city, only guarding its furthest outskirts. Their reasons vary: the Achamite soldiers seem to take religious objection to the feeling of the city, believing it to be some trickery of the Innocent, while the Hylicians simply see it as a plague they have no interest in catching or spreading. Because of this, it will be easy for Aions of both sects to explore with little pushback from any form of law enforcement. The Kenoma will be directed into the city with warnings about the potential physical and spiritual danger while Pleroma will be able to sneak in mostly unbothered. After all, no one is eager to follow you.

Most shops and businesses are currently closed, though some uninfected individuals still nervously keep watch over their workplaces, fearing potential looting. It's difficult, but not impossible, to find people to talk to, and while the most plentiful wanderers are the infected, the reactions from those with their minds still intact will vary. Some will be eager to speak to anyone who looks like they're trying to do something about their situation, desperate for any source of outside help. If revealed you are an Aion, this may either entice them even further or cause them to retreat, as if fearing that you are somehow to blame for their plight. For those that are enticed, it will become clear that they hold onto faith that Aions are in Horos to save them, and will tell these new arrivals whatever they can without discriminating between sects.

The base level information that can be found is thus: the infection began at the same levels it has been in the rest of Horos, only for the numbers of the afflicted to rapidly accelerate upon the coming of the Innocent's Moon. Some see it as a form of divine punishment for their cooperation with the Regent, while the less cooperative citizens see it as a malady brought about by the Aions themselves, their only hope being that they will be able to clean up the mess they made. Some citizen have managed to corral their inflicted loves ones into their rooms and will be willing to introduce you; most of these individuals are past the point of conversation, and seem fully lost to whatever fantasy world they are experiencing. They are disinterested in eating or drinking and it seems like, without help, they are destined for a slow death of starvation and atrophy. That is, if their apathetic state doesn't result in a severe accident, as it has in many cases already.

Any other clues will take more dogged investigation. It will be a day or so after the majority of Aions have arrived in the city that the first signs of their own infections become clear.

HEAVENLY BODIES

The first to feel its effects will be the Innocents, Lovers, and Celebrants; like a voice has fully awakening to them, whispering of how their touch can be the cure to the others' pain. It bids them to take their fellow Aions into their loving embrace, to share this gift, as only suffering lies ahead. It expresses without words that it will be a shield for their Aion kindred, and that those that accept will become their outstretched hands to a cosmos that craves peace. Any form of physical contact with those three Legacies will either introduce or rapidly accelerate the infections experienced by the others, this effect only becoming more intense if the wielder intentionally forces the power of this strange entity into their victims.

Even without that accelerating touch, however, other Aions are not necessarily safe; the infection will still seep in, albeit more slowly. All Aions may experience a growing feeling of connection to the infected Venerans, as if the energy within them is being drawn into their their own bodies. As the Aion's symptoms worsen, the the ones suffered by the Venerans will gradually lessen, though not go away entirely. It seems that the Aions soaking up this strange power is enough to take the edge off of what is happening to the citizens: but at what cost?

Various symptoms will manifest in afflicted Aions with outcomes far more diverse and devastating than what the Veneran civilians have experienced. Visionaries, Firebrands, and Artisans will suffer the most catastrophic symptoms, the clash between their spiritual natures and that of the Innocence being the most extreme. This malady is characterized by its innate desire to quell its victims of their resistance, smothering them in artificial peace, even if it has to deprive them of their bodies and minds to do so.

It is not without treatment, however. It will gradually become apparent that feelings of intense suffering or upset are capable of purging the infection, that clash with painful reality seeming to wake them up from their trance and reduce or eliminate physical symptoms. The more intense the distress, the more effective it will be. Fortunately, this heightening of Aion spiritual energy has the added consequence of making empathic communion connections far more acute. Instead of just transmitting and receiving emotions and thoughts, Aions will find themselves more easily able to enter the delusions and memories of their kindred, drawing them out and manipulating them for this purpose. The catch is that they will only be able to access what is on the surface of the other Aion's mind.

When an infection is reduced or expelled this way, the energy causing it seems to be dispelled from the city, lowering the intensity of its ambient effects. While similar can be done to Veneran citizens to help treat them, the energy will not leave, and will either go into the Aion casting it out or return to the nebulous source of Innocence and eventually infect someone else. Something about going through the Aions specifically seems to act as a filter, as unpleasant of a way as it is to help.

IN THE SILENCE

For those unlucky enough to develop complete, or near complete, infections (IE. a full Innocence petrification) a presence will awaken within them regardless of their Legacy. It will urge them to join with it, to embrace the peace it offers, and to become the extensions of their will in this ravaged world. With an infection of this intensity, there will be little they can do but to hear its call. What exactly this would ultimately entail is unclear, but there is the sense that his entity is looking to join with you on a spiritual level. If your character becomes infected to this degree please let us know under the Committed Actions toplevel below along with the context of that transformation and whether or not they are being cured from it. You may receive some additional information in return!

QUESTIONS

What is the best way for Aions to travel to Venera?
The quickest travel paths are for Kenoma to take a boat from Achamoth, which will take about a day, and for Pleroma to teleport to the Celebrant's shrine and take either a carriage or river boat to the city (there are offshoot rivers not marked on the setting map). The riverboats would be the faster option option of the two, and would also take about a day. The carriages/delivery carts would be slower and take a couple days, but have relay access to horses and therefore could keep going overnight. Characters with flight are also able to use that, though flying right into the city might cause a bit of spectacle. Then again, none of the local law enforcement is eager to chase you at the moment.

Are Veneran civilians experiencing the same symptoms as the Aions?
Veneran civilians are only experiencing apathy/loss of self/daydreaming and maybe the loss of pigments/color for advanced cases. The more body horror orientated effects are Aion only and are being caused by their body's spiritual makeup.

Can 'cured' Aions be reinfected?
Yes! Even if cured or treated, symptoms can return or worsen again. This will keep happening until the build up of Innocence energy in Venera is entirely expunged, at which point the illness will fade away across the continent. Whether or not the Aions mere presence will be enough to trigger that is yet unknown, but it does seem to be helping lessen the effects suffered by the civilians, at least.

How long does the infection period last in Aions?
Chronologically, we are considering the infection period of the plot to last 2-3 days.

Comments

Lumine

[sterngaze]

[Liem has reached the point in his explorations of Venera where his lucidity tends to come and go. One moment he’ll be stopped at an intersection, writing notes in the small journal he’s taken for this trip, and then the tide of idyllic vagueness will come back in and he’ll lose long minutes standing in place, or wandering aimlessly as his feet amble on without any fixed destination. He knows by now that the encroaching confusion will only get worse, and that he should find assistance to purge him of its effects. The problem is that he only knows these things some of the time. It’s difficult to track down much in the way of help when you’re too scrambled half the time to even recall when or where you were hoping to meet any.

At the moment, his awareness has definitely reached a low ebb. Liem is meandering down a side street with his journal held loosely in one hand, squinting dozily in the watery light of early dawn, and he doesn’t seem to be particularly aware of his surroundings. This is evident enough in the way he wanders unthinkingly out of the shadow of the gabled buildings, flinching faintly when the sun hits him, but making no effort to return to the deep shade on the other side of the street. He looks wraith-like in the dawn, his dark robes dusty and unkempt as though he’s been wearing them all night, his feet leaving not so much as a shadow behind him on the cobbles.

But more evident is the way an opportunistic Veneran local, taking advantage of the glut of spaced-out victims wandering around the streets, walks up behind Liem and shoves him bodily into the side of a nearby townhome, keeping him squashed against the stone without fielding so much as a complaint. The journal flutters to land messily on the cobbles as Liem blinks in confusion, struggling back to awareness as though from a deep sleep. He only catches half of what his assailant is saying as the man pricks him encouragingly with a pocket knife.]

—your jools. Now, you dozy moron!

[traversal]

[ one would think that with the spreading contagion, people would be too apprehensive or wary of approaching those who are infected. but clearly, greed can drive common sense out of a person, hence the looting that seems to still happen in the alleyways of venera. and while lumine's not exactly on a warpath against people who are taking advantage of others, she also can't let someone get away with it, even if they're also just as much of in need of food or jools.

there's working hard for a living, and then there's working to take someone's hard work from them.

her leg shoots out first, kicking the assailant on the side and sending him across the street. she's usually never one for violence, but you know, prevention is better than cure. and what better way to prevent further violence that may be caused with a knife than, well, violence with a well-placed kick.

(yeah, lumi, this isn't teyvat anymore ...)

in any case, she turns back to the fallen man, picking up his notebook from the ground and offering it back to him. a faint smile tugs at her lips in an attempt to be friendly. ]

Are you okay?

[sterngaze]

[Liem is part way through fumbling for his coin purse when the rough pressure holding him against the house's facade suddenly disappears. He turns his head enough to spot the mugger tumbling haphazardly across the road, then pushes away from the wall to see a young woman picking his book up from the ground. Pure surprise lights his expression as he realizes his very first mugging experience in Horos has been abruptly aborted.]

Ah… yes, I am. Thank you.

[This last part he says as he accepts the offered journal, flipping through the pages to check briefly for any damage before carefully closing it and tucking it into a pocket. Liem glances back in the direction of the would-be mugger, who is currently struggling to his feet from his sprawl in the street. Clearly he wasn't prepared to encounter people with enough lucidity to fight back, though, because all he does when he regains his feet is attempt to stumble away. Liem frowns after him.]

That man… he's just going to rob someone else.

[traversal]

[ lumine's not too fussed for a moment as the thief struggles back on his feet, more concerned first about him. after all, he was the one who was held at knife-point; who knows if he's been manhandled by some other way? still, once he's confirmed that he's all right, his belongings back in his possession, does she start moving.

not that she goes off too far, holding out a hand to summon a geo construct over the thief's head. nothing too significant, since she's pretty sure he might not survive, but a big enough meteorite should do the trick and knock him out. a moment later, the other man crumples on the ground with a groan. ]

It's impressive that he could still stand, to be honest ... [ she says to herself, walking over to the unconscious guy and picking his knife up, before she turns back to his would-be victim. ] Do you know where we can find the closest law enforcement here?

[ honestly, she's yet to completely explore venera, so she doesn't know where to bring him, aaa. ]

[sterngaze]

[Liem is busy peeling himself off of the wall he’d been leaning against when Lumine turns back in the direction of the mugger, stretches out a hand, and clobbers him with a summoned rock. He watches the man crumple like a sack of bricks, wondering with some reluctance if he’s just witnessed a murder. Fortunately, if the groan is anything to go by, the local is at least still breathing.

At the young woman’s question, Liem glances around the street, considering it, then slides his gaze back to her with a thinning of his mouth.]

I’m not entirely sure where we are.

[He seems reluctant to admit this; it isn’t like him to wander dopily around a city and get completely lost. To cover some of his agitation, he crosses the distance to the mugger’s senseless body and peers down at it.]

I was walking south from the eastern market square last I recall. How far are we from there?

[traversal]

[ lumine blinks at his response. someone who's not a resident of the city, then, if he's unfamiliar with their current location? and since she hasn't seen him before, either ...

she says nothing further, her gaze flickering back at the unconscious man. as much as she'd love to leave the guy here, even with his knife confiscated, she has no idea what he might do or if he might try to take advantage of other passers-by or people who might be infected. she also can't risk getting him infected, just because she left him on the streets. ]

The eastern market square? [ a glance is thrown over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing just a bit to make a guesstimate. ] I'd say a ten-minute walk from here? Fifteen, if you're the type to sightsee, I suppose.

[ what a strange question to ask, though she also has a tendency to wander around and forget how she's even got to a certain place.

in any case, she crouches down to pick up the other man, putting one arm over her shoulder while she slips her own around his waist. heavy, but nothing she's unused to. ]

I can walk you back there if you want.

[sterngaze]

[Liem nods faintly as he looks around the neighbourhood they're presently in, trying to fix the look of it in his mind. His thoughts have been wandering more and more lately, so gods know how successful he'll be at remembering, but there's nothing he can do but keep making the attempt.]

There's a guard station not too far from there.

[He interrupts himself in the midst of following up with something else, startled by the sight of the young lady hefting his assailant off the street.]

Oh, let me help you—

[He hastens to the man's other side, slinging his other arm over his own shoulders so Lumine doesn't have to carry all of his weight. Even if she's capable of kicking grown men across the street, it still doesn't seem gentlemanly to expect her to carry this fellow all on her own.]

As I was saying, we can check to see if it's manned. We might be able to leave him there, though I think at this point a trip to a clinic might be more appropriate.

waah so sorry for the delay!!

[traversal]

You didn't have to, but thank you.

[ her smile widens just a bit when he decides to take the man's other arm, hiking him a little higher. not that lumine's incapable of hauling him across town—she is, she really is—but the height difference can be a bit of a problem, the man's feet already dragging along the packed ground.

still, this person looks a little ... lost? or something of that sort, his attention seemingly unfocused since earlier. strange. ]

The clinics are packed with people, unfortunately. [ full of people affected by the contagion. lumine wanted to check them out earlier, ask more about the virus or whatever ailment this is, but the residents warned her against it. ] It might not be a good idea to leave him there, especially with the contagion still spreading across the city.

[sterngaze]

[Liem's attention span may be failing him at the moment, but his body is still working just fine; it's no trouble at all to help this young woman with her limp, senseless burden. Besides, he's happy to be able to help in some way. Hauling this unconscious man alongside her makes him feel companionable.]

That's a good point.

[This sickness doesn't seem like an ordinary disease, and Liem is still at a loss as to how it spreads, but it probably wouldn't be doing this man any favours to bring him to such a high concentration of affected bodies. For that matter, Liem isn't eager to spend any time somewhere like that either.]

His vitals seem normal enough. It's probably best not to risk it.

[traversal]

[ lumine agrees with that assessment with a slight nod. truth be told, she'd rather not anyone else get infected by this spreading contagion, but it's challenging when there's very little information to go around. even the things the citizens of venera were saying don't seem very reliable; not because they seem to know nothing about the kind of powers they possess, but it's a mixed bag of contradicting things.

she'll have to find a place where she can get better, stored information. a library, possibly, or a bookstore. for a moment, she looks thoughtful. ]

What were you doing in that alley, if you don't mind me asking?

[ a glance is thrown his way, more curious than judging. it's not a very safe place to be in, after all, especially when people are taking advantage of the situation. ]

Did you get lost?