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

[goldendeceiver]

[ If the enemy doesn't give up anything about his side, it probably is better not to give up anything about yours in turn. Though the name of Misa's friends is likely the last thing he'd use against her, she's still said a few things that Ernesto is planning to hold onto and use if needed. She's smart not to give away anything more to him, no matter how agreeable and friendly he seems.

It's not entirely fake, mind you, but he still uses his personality to cover up some underhanded tendencies as well.

Misa's comment gives him pause though, his head tilting to the side as he gives her a curious look. ]

I count myself lucky to be considered one of your friends, Miss Misa. But... what do you have to make up to me?

[ She hadn't been one to physically assault him in that cave, and when he put up even the slightest amount of resistance she'd shooed him off peacefully. ]

[lifespanned]

The rock, remember?

[ She says this in the most duh, obviously manner possible, her brow quirking at him. ]

It probably gave you a little bruise, right? So I feel bad. [ All things considered, she doesn't feel that badly, but mentioning it at least gives her an excuse to claim to be his acquaintance. To necessitate further interaction between them, based on her fabricated debt to him. ] In return, I can give you one treat of your choosing.

[ She's quick to hold up a finger to stop any potential cut-ins, clarifying: ]

But nothing too expensive! I don't have much money.

[ Saying this, she's perusing the empty shopfronts of the people of Venera, wondering if she'll even actually be able to buy anything. Maybe she could just take something and leave the money there?? ]

[goldendeceiver]

You know...

[ He reaches up to press the tips of his fingers lightly against where he remembers that rock smacking into him. ]

I'm not sure I do. Sometimes I have trouble remembering my first day here. Weird, right?

[ And it might even be a believable lie...

If he was trying to make it one, but the smile and the soft wag of the tail does kind of give away the fact that it's meant to be a joke. ]

You don't actually owe me anything though, Miss Misa. Those were pretty unusual circumstances we found ourselves in.

[ He's not trying to undermine Misa here with this one, it's entirely accidental on his part. Though Gen and Eustace did much worse to him, and he's not expecting either of those men to try and make it up to him either. ]

Besides...

[ He follows her gaze as he looks down the rows of closed up shops. ]

I'm not sure there's much here for you to spend your money on.

[lifespanned]

Hey, stop teasing....! I didn't throw it that hard!!

[ She whines, because she actually took him seriously for a second there before she saw the wag of his tail. Oh, so now he's making light of her pure, generous, kind heart, huh... she sees how it is. Childishly, she puffs out both her cheeks as they come into the very nearly empty shopping district, still looking comically and very dramatically hurt when she speaks again. ]

If everything is closed, then, fine, I guess we just have to leave it... [ Her arms cross— it's the easiest way to set herself free from this made-up debt, anyway, and she knows it'd be far too strange if she kept insisting. ] But if everything's so cleared out, what are we even supposed to be doing here? Going door to door...?

[goldendeceiver]

[ He sure is, and he doesn't look nearly as apologetic as he probably should for the cruelties he's inflicting upon this very innocent, very good, not at all maliciously motivated girl here!

But he does at least let that particular line of teasing go, one hand up with his palm towards her in a barely pacifying sign of surrender and "apology" for his mean-spirited teasing.

As for the situation with the city though... ]

We might have to if we wanna figure out anything else about what's happening here.

[lifespanned]

Ugh... I guess there's no other way...

[ Walking door to door and trying to hassle random strangers into telling them anything doesn't sound fun, like, at all. Though, a small part of her is just going to hope that the citizens are anything like the citizens of Achamoth, who revere the Aions and do whatever they say.

Another part of her is hoping the two of them, together, are unassuming enough to get people to spill. Who wouldn't want to talk to the two of them? They are cute, handsome blondes... ]

Say, what do you know about what's happening here? Don't try to tell me you just came here randomly.

[ She leaves it at that, honestly and genuinely confused how the Pleroma would even know to come to Venera if not told to do so by the Regent. ]

[goldendeceiver]

[ Somehow Ernesto doubts that their looks will do them much good in getting people to open up in this case. When there's a fear of the disease sweeping through your city, it's natural to feel nervous letting strangers anywhere close to you.

He's banking on someone being desperate enough to spill their guts to a couple of strangers, in a last ditch effort in finding some cure for their loved ones. He's seen it before...

He's lived it before... ]

Hm?

[ He frowns thoughtfully down at Misa, having assumed the two groups had found out in similar ways, though it wouldn't surprise him to learn all of the Kenoma's information comes to them directly from the Regent. ]

I don't think there are many people in Horos who don't know about what's happening right now. It's pretty common knowledge at this point. And it's pretty well known that Venera is a hotbed in particular.

[ He's already given away the fact that he's not from this city, so there's no extra harm in making it clear why he came here in particular. ]

[lifespanned]

Wow, no kidding?

[ Her surprise is honest— she really apparently had no clue that this was all so well known throughout Horos. Though, when she pauses to think about it, it makes sense that the information regarding the disease's spread would find the Pleroma first, given that they're spread out to multiple different areas. ]

I mean, I kinda heard a little bit about it, but it's hard to know for sure until you've really seen it up close. Plus, it's hard to keep track of all the cities.

[ Especially when she hasn't been to most of them. The population of Achamoth is huge, too, and a lot of her time is spent in the Citadel, where there's really only servants and other Aions — it isn't as if she's seen many cases up close leading up to this. But if Ernesto has come here without orders to do so, he's just investigating out of the goodness of his heart, trying to find a cure? Or...? She wonders about it. ]

Wait, you don't think it's infectious from like... the air, do you?

[ She says this in response to the both of them walking past some dazed infected, staring off blankly into space while they amble along. Notably, she hides herself behind Ernesto as they walk past, only peeking out from around him as they stroll. ]

[goldendeceiver]

[ The goodness of his heart, huh? Yeah, something like that, though there are good reasons to want to take care of this disease too. While the worst of it might be in Venera, it's not like it hasn't spread to other places as well. Ernesto comes from a world that has its own problem with a nasty disease that's infected large swaths of the population, and the faster this can be nipped in the bud, the better.

As for what she's saying, Ernesto looks up almost on instinct, frowning as he thinks about it. It's certainly not impossible, but... ]

There's still a good section of this population that seems to be healthy by avoiding direct interaction from the infected though. I doubt that would be the case if it was airborne.

[ He glances at the infected as the pass by, not doing anything to stop Misa from using him as a human shield. ]

We'd probably be better off not getting too close though, just in case.

[lifespanned]

Ugh... ew... I heard that the sick are so out of it that they walk into walls and stuff. It's so creepy.

[ Thanks for letting her use you as a barrier between herself and the sickly, Ernesto, she's definitely going to keep doing that since he doesn't raise a protest. ]

How are we supposed to even figure out how fix that? It's not like I'm a biologist... or a magician.

[ The illness does seem supernatural in nature, but she has to believe it still has something to do with biology, too, just based on her own normal human world parameters. She looks up at him with a quirked brow, as if asking silently whether he has any relevant background that's going to make searching for an answer less than impossible. ]

[goldendeceiver]

[ It's subtle, but the ears on the top of Ernesto's head flatten slightly at Misa's "ew". While he can't blame her for finding the zombie-like display disturbing, Ernesto's own home world experiences leads him to feeling more pity than anything for the people ambling about on the streets.

Unfortunately for all of them though, circumstances from home allowing him to sympathize with the infected doesn't actually give him the years of medical knowledge needed to do much to help them. He shakes his head with a sigh as he carefully puts an arm in front of Misa to nudge her to the side, a little further away from someone that is mindlessly stumbling in their direction.

With their poor Innocence-zombie friend passed, Ernesto starts moving again. ]

The best we can hope is try to do right now is figure out what's making them sick in the first place.