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

[comelately]

[ he shakes his head. ]

Nah, nothing like that...

[ ... mostly, anyway. The thought crossed his mind, naturally, but if they are all being controlled, their puppet master is doing a really good job pulling the strings; they all seem like ordinary individuals. He mostly just wanted to hear how she'd reply. And the response is, as it turns out, interesting. So people do things the Regent doesn't like - that goes against what he would have imagined, too. ]

Just curiosity. I'm trying to figure out why we got split up at all. You don't seem like a crazy villain or anything. [ lol ] It feels like all of us should be on the same side. None of us belong in this place, fighting some other people's battles... It's weird.

[lifespanned]

[ She pauses, tapping her fingers to her chin. Right, a lot of the newer Aions didn't really get a lot of chance to figure out what the Kenoma and the Pleroma were before being made to make a choice. How much does this person know? The Kenoma are lucky to have the Regent who can answer their questions, but in her imagination, the Pleroma are figuring things out completely on their own. ]

Well, how much do you know about the Kenoma and the Pleroma? I get that we're all kinda outsiders, here, but I guess it was pretty obvious that we were going to get separated when my group of Aions hatched. I could help explain it to you, maybe.

[ Why not try to make herself seem helpful and open? Based on her impressions of her fellow Kenoma, she can't imagine anyone actually having talked to him at his shrine, unless it was very briefly. Most of the Kenoma are attack/control the situation first, talk later types, she's found. ]

[comelately]

[ well, she's not ENTIRELY wrong. The anti-social Johnny, at least, has been mostly flying blind, although he's been doing a decent job gleaning information from listening in on other people's conversations. Kenoma, he's more in the dark on - part of the reason he's having this conversation. At least she doesn't seem to think he's diseased anymore. ]

My impression is that they're kind of these... spirits? [ he gestures uncertainly with one hand. ] Pleroma's about trying to preserve and protect the reality we know, and Kenoma wants to destroy it. Is that right?

[ if it is, then he has to wonder why she'd pick the other side. She certainly doesn't seem catastrophically depressed (or unhinged.) Then again, Eustace hadn't, either, other than the giant gun. ]

[lifespanned]

Oh, I guess. But you're forgetting one important thing.

[ She holds up a finger to him for Emphasis, still seeming quite easygoing in the face of the heavy subject matter. What he says is true; the Kenoma do plan to destroy what's left of this universe. But that's never really held much water compared to the much more important goal (to her) of the Kenoma: ]

The Kenoma also want to create something new. The way I see it, it's changing the world versus keeping things the same.

[ It makes sense, this focus on the destruction part that all the Pleroma seem to have. This isn't the first time the issue has been raised with her, which is perhaps why her reply comes so quick and so easy, her attitude very far removed from a moustache twirling villain who wants to blow up a planet. She seems... idealistic, hopeful, almost, speaking about the difference between the two factions. ]

[comelately]

[ Johnny wasn't expecting evil - partially because he can't imagine such a cute girl being evil, despite past girlfriend experiences, but mostly because people are very rarely evil. If there weren't reasonable motivations behind joining the Kenoma, there would be nobody on that side who wasn't threatened or brainwashed into it. He can very well understand the desire to scrap everything and start over. Hell, there have been plenty of times in his life where he would have leapt at the chance.

If it wasn't for Gyro and the Saint, he's pretty sure he still would have. ]

Yeah, I heard about that, too... [ he rests his chin in his hand, leaning on one arm of the chair. He sounds a little troubled, though certainly not over what she's said - just at the situation in general. The two goals are completely incompatible with each other, even if they can have a reasonable conversation with one another. ] It's not like I don't understand. But there's just some things I'm not ready to give up on. Earth, I mean, not wherever this is.

[lifespanned]

Well, duh. There's things on Earth I'd never give up on.

[ Misa says this bluntly, as if rudely correcting him over the possibility that he thinks she's prepared to just like, blow it all up. It's not malicious— it comes off more like someone cutting in to clarify the specific details of gossip. ]

But in the Kenoma, I can protect those things, you know, if I'm given the power that I've been promised. Actually, I kinda think that's the only way, if Earth really ends up being already gone.

[comelately]

[ the blunt, casual interruption doesn't really bother him. It makes it feel more like a regular conversation and less like a philosophical discussion - which is what he was hoping for. Johnny doesn't care much for the morality of the situation; he just wants to understand both sides and make sure he's on the right one - for him. ]

... What do you think?

[ he has a hard time believing the world could just vanish in the blink of an eye like that. Then again, he has a hard time believing that he'd get abducted to another world, but here he is. So far, he's been coasting by on denial - because if the world is truly gone, then what future could he even have? What's the point of "breaking even?" - but, unfortunately, Johnny isn't good at not thinking about all possibilities, especially the bad ones. ]

[lifespanned]

I think...

[ She trails off, actually, deeply thinking about it for a second. Most of the time, she tries not to think about the fate of her world back at home too much— it makes her too sad, thinking about the love of her life being gone. On the other, if he's gone, then her will to help the Kenoma burns much brighter, as her last chance to save him. For the past several months, she's flipped flopped so much over which iteration of reality she'd prefer. ]

I think it doesn't really matter which it is, because the Regent is the only one who will be able to do anything about it. If it's gone, only the Regent could recreate it. If it's not, well... no offense, but I'm not seeing who's supposed to stop them?

[ If the worlds aren't gone, they're going to be when the Regent's plans go through. So, it all ends up the same, unless the Pleroma can find someone to stand up against them. That's the way she sees things, at present. ]

[comelately]

[ Who's supposed to stop them? That's his job, he thinks - supposedly. The way Misa puts it, though, does make him wonder. The outcome for either side's victory might not be so different.

But a recreation wouldn't be the same as the real thing. Would it? If he's learned anything these past few months, it's that sometimes the shit he suffers through can actually teach him something. Replacing all of it with something different would mean none of it meant anything, after all. Could he really walk again just because some dictator snapped his fingers and fixed all of reality? Would that be worth it? Moreover, if Gyro died and got reborn, would it really be him anymore?

They're complicated thoughts. Ultimately, though, he thinks it must be better not to risk it. The life he has might be fragile and shitty, but it's all he has, and he can't break it again on the blind hope that someone can make it again for him, shiny and new. ]

Well, they haven't done it yet, so us Pleroma must be doing an okay job over here, [ he says - though, frankly, he has no idea why the Regent hasn't done it yet if they really have that kind of power. Johnny shakes his head slightly. ] ... Whatever. Who are you, anyway? My name's Johnny.

[lifespanned]

[ That's cute, she guesses, though it doesn't really occur to her that the Pleroma are actually holding the Regent back somehow. She thinks it must be a strategic decision...? Right? Well, she's no strategy maker, so she's not going to think about what Johnny says all that deeply - definitely not deeply enough to take any offense to it. ]

Johnny, huh? Call me Misa. [ She gives a genuine, peppy smile, giving him a little nod of acknowledgment since she's certainly not going to reach out her hand for a handshake. Cooties!! ] Are you an American or something? Or, don't tell me you're from some fantasy land with knights.

[ Look, she's just as happy to move the conversation along to something more lighthearted and friendly; who wants to talk about the end of the world all the time, anyway?? Now she's much more interested in finding out what iteration of reality this stranger comes from. ]

[comelately]

[ he's of a similar mindset, really: he got some information about the Kenoma, which is what he wanted. Discussing philosophy sounds tedious at best. The differences between them and the potential knowledge gap there - that's what he's interested in learning about.

Again, he shakes his head. ]

No way. You were right the first time - I'm from Kentucky. Regular old Kentucky.

[ "regular" but also has Stands in it... ]

[lifespanned]

[ So Kentucky is a state in the United States.... not that she has any idea where that is or what it really means. Only the knowledge that he's an American from the same planet as her matters. Without missing a beat, she rambles on, clasping her hands together in a show of genuine interest. ]

Oh! Cool. You'd be surprised how few of us are from regular Earth. But there's someone from "Baltimore" on our side. Is that close to Kentucky? I'm from Japan, so I don't really know much about the states... I always wanted to visit, though.

[comelately]

[ at that, he raises an eyebrow, a little surprised. If there's anyone from his home turf - even a broad definition of it, like "America" - on his side, he hasn't met them. ]

It's not exactly close, but it's not that far - I've never been. [ he shakes his head lightly. ] Anyway, I don't know anything about Japan, either... Actually, when I think about it, I did meet a guy from there a while back.

[ a beat. ]

He was kind of a weirdo, but he seemed nice enough. Had two belly buttons. Is that normal in Japan...?

[ this is apparently his idea of how to make conversation about this topic. i'm sorry misa ]

[lifespanned]

[ Man, this guy does not know how to talk to girls. First the weird question about whether or not she'd drunk that potion, and now he wants to know if Japanese people (including her?) have two bellybuttons? She gets the sense he's either really creepy and not self-aware, or is just a really straightforward guy and he talks to everyone like this. ]

Um... what? No, that's not normal?

[ The exasperation is clear in her voice. Anyways, just for that, she starts testing out a bit of her power on him, the tips of his shoes beginning to turn to stone. Meanwhile, she continues rambling on: ]

Jeez, you really haven't met anyone Japanese before. I've met foreigner guys, but none quite like you. They're usually... bigger?

[ yeah she can see you're SHORT johnny even if you are sitting down ]

[comelately]

[ there's a reason he has no friends.........

anyway, unsurprisingly, Johnny doesn't notice she's doing a thing, since she's targeting his feet; he's focused on the conversation, anyway, and he replies to her exasperation with a "huh" and a nod. ]

I knew that old guy was just weird...

[ ... as for being small, he's long past the point of getting bothered by that - especially because it ended up being an asset in his career. While it lasted, anyway. ]

Yeah, well, I'm a jockey. We gotta be small or else we weigh the horses down.

[lifespanned]

A jockey?

[ Woah, like competitive horse riding? Misa has 0 interest in such things, but she knows enough to know that that kind of thing is on TV. Her eyes go a bit owlish, blinking rapidly while she continues the growth of stone up his legs, passing his shin at this point. ]

So you ride them around super fast? Isn't it scary? Or, maybe that sounds dumb coming from someone who's never ridden a horse...

[ At least her question seems genuine— she's thinking about how close all the horses ride together in all the pictures she's seen. Aren't y'all gonna crash... ]

[comelately]

[ it's a surprisingly innocent question, and he does laugh a little at it - just once, barely, while shaking his head. ]

Nah. If you trust your horse and he trusts you, there's nothing to be afraid of. The rest is just practice. [ a beat. ] You've really never ridden one?

[ his assumption is that she is a very high-class lady... and, as before, he's oblivious to anything happening to his legs - they may as well be made of stone normally. ]

[lifespanned]

[ Since he continues not to protest, she, in turn, continues her attack, honestly surprised she's even getting this far - she's never tested it on someone further than this. The growth continues up both of his thighs, with Misa only seeming momentarily distracted. ]

Uh, no? I grew up in the city, so there weren't really horses around....

[ Though by the way he talks, maybe it's totally safe to ride them? She's kinda been assuming riding a horse would be super dangerous for someone as clueless as she is about it. It's like driving a car without a license, at least in her mind.

More importantly, she's thinking it's going to look extremely suspicious if she doesn't point out what's happening to him— she's the one that can see it immediately, after all, given the way she's facing him. Misa has her reputation as an innocent, powerless girl to maintain, after all, and it just so happens that the current contagion's symptoms fall within her favor. ]

— but hey, didn't you say you weren't infected? What the heck is that supposed to be then?

[ Feigning worry, she points a shaky finger at the petrification of his legs, bringing up a curled hand to her cheek. ]

[comelately]

[ the idea of there being no horses in the city also doesn't make sense to him, and he makes a bit of a face at that - the city should have more horses, if anything, considering how many people are always going in and out. The confusion is quickly banished, however, by her alarm. Wide-eyed, he stares down at his legs, too, fearing the worst (which could be any number of things, really); the relief he feels at seeing that he's just kind of stony only lasts a second before being replaced by oh shit, I'm kind of stony. ]

-- Shit! [ this wasn't supposed to happen to him!! how did this happen so fast?! maybe that's how it works sometimes-- ] What do I do?!

[ he grabs one of his legs and jostles it like that will help?? it doesn't. ]

[lifespanned]

Don't ask me! I don't know!

[ She does in fact know what to do if there's an infection, though she's made an oath to herself to not help out the Pleroma in the matter of the disease, even in cases where it's a fake disease. Sorry, Johnny. She takes a little step back, as if he's going to spread it to her just by being near her, though she at least does give a small wave in apology. ]

Look, call someone from your side using your shard! Before it grows too much. I bet some of them know. [ And with that helpful tidbit of advice, it looks like she totally intends to leave him there to fend for himself, given the way she is extracting herself from this interaction. ] Sorry Johnny! Talk later?

[comelately]

W-wait! Don't just ditch me! Misa!

[ he looks aggrieved at this betrayal, even if he would absolutely be doing the same thing in her shoes; unfortunately, there's not really anything he can do about it, and, frankly, there's probably nothing she could do to help him, either. Even so, he's now left there, alone, gripping one stony leg.

Cold... ]