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

CLOSED TO JOONGHYUK

[goldendeceiver]

[ Enough time has passed, and enough of the Aions have been jolted out of their illness for the realization to hit that with each cured Aion, the infection seemed to slowly be expunged from the city. Maybe not completely expunged, but at the very least the symptoms seemed to become less severe for the citizens of Venera.

It's with this realization in mind that Ernesto hatches this particular harebrained scheme. It's not that he really wants to sink back into the depths of the illness, even if there's a sick, twisted little realization on his part that there was something genuinely peaceful about having a mind that was calm and tranquil for once in his life. No, it's more that if they expedite the process a little, they can save these people before they stop dropping like flies from their lack of self-care.

That, and Ernesto doesn't feel comfortable asking anyone else to take this particular burden on.

So he's managed to rope Joonghyuk into it, because the man strikes him as practical enough to reluctantly agree to things he doesn't want to do, and hardened enough by life to not prod too deeply at any of the wounds he sees inside of Ernesto's dreamscape. There's the briefest mention on Ernesto's part on triggering his memories of the war once the infection seems to really take hold of him, but no other details given.

It hasn't occurred to the poor chump that having others accidentally tear into these memories already means that he's inadvertently braced himself for the trauma. It means that despite the fact that his brain seems to go blissfully numb as that soothing lack of pain kicks in, he's still going to be resistant to the same methods being used on him again.

It also hasn't occurred to him that he might fall harder and faster this time. Despite having a helping hand from Amos to speed up his infection before, this time the disease seems to spread much quicker. Instead of Ernesto looking faded, he loses all of his pigmentation, skin, hair and fur all becoming a snowy white color. While his body doesn't sprout the painful bloody wings some others have been burdened with, and his skin doesn't harden into porcelain, the faint glow of a halo starts to shine light from behind him, back lighting his peaceful looking face.

Whatever point he was wanting Joonghyuk to wait for, before jolting him out of it, Ernesto accidentally did a speedrun on this particular infection, and he's well past that point now. ]

[regretsor]

[He isn’t doing this because he wants to at all. He’s quite pissed if the way it looks like the scabbard of his sword seems to be slightly bending inwards isn’t a good indication as to how tightly he’s holding onto it at the moment. Why is it that he seems to run into such fools who would rather put themselves in harms way and consider it a good idea to solve whatever problem they’re facing. He agreed, but it was agreed because he was sure the other wouldn’t stop even if he said no. At least he can stop the fool if things went completely awry.

It’s like ash in his mouth. It isn’t like Ernesto probably knows how many scars was on that tired soul and Yoo Joonghyuk has no inclination to talk about it. Doesn’t know how many times he’s had to take down those that were closest in his heart.

He doesn’t hate Ernesto. Other than some annoyances, he could say he was fond. Maybe not right now because he’s pissed, but still. He’d consider the other an ally of some sort.

There’s that gut feeling that this is a bad idea. He doesn’t remember the last time he has felt it. No, that’s not true because the last time someone hatched some stupid self sacrificial idea was three years ago and he hadn’t seen that fool until getting dragged here.]

Ernesto!

[Everything feels wrong. Isn’t it going too fast? Damn it.]

Ernesto, you damn fool. What is this? [small>He immediately tries to close the distance between them.]

[goldendeceiver]

[ The truth of the matter is that all Joonghyuk would have to say is "I know Kim Dokja", and Ernesto might be able to start connecting some dots about why Joonghyuk seemed particularly unenthused by Ernesto's idea pitch. He doesn't know Dokja well, mind, but he has now dealt with the man and the hollow promises he makes that provide absolutely no reassurance enough times to have an inkling.

The good news is that the Perro is at least not an active death seeker. The bad news is that Ernesto's plans can trend towards reckless, especially when it comes to his own personal safety.

This would be a fine example of that. As Joonghyuk closes the gap between them, Ernesto stays statue still. It's like someone hit the pause button on him, freezing him in this peaceful looking state as the glow around his head grows brighter by the second. The closer Joonghyuk get, the more blinding that light will become. ]

[regretsor]

[He really needs to just remind himself to never agree to these ridiculous ideas. He should just tie them up so they won't be a threat to others, and more importantly, themselves.

The regressor staggers back though as he tries to shield his eyes.]

Damn it. Ernesto! [He grits his teeth as he continues forward. He had to knock the other out before it got any worse.] You bastard, snap out of it. [He tries to reach out to the other.]

[goldendeceiver]

[ There's too many people in this group of would be heroes to tie up all of them, unfortunately. Though Ernesto at least had some very recent past experiences to back up his decision to go through with this plan, it was still a hastily crafted one he rushed forward with despite not having enough testing to know it was safe.

The way even the fur on his ears and tail seem to rapidly be altering into something a little more feathery looking is proof enough that he never should have counted on this disease to affect him the same time after repeated exposures.

The good news is that as statue-still as Ernesto is right now, he's easy enough to grab. The bad news is that this proximity is going to pull Joonghyuk into Ernesto's warped reality. The blinding light flashes with enough force to temporarily blind a person before it starts to fade, and a beautiful coastal city with pristine waters and blue skies stretching out above seems to appear around the two men. ]