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

[oomfies]

[ There's a horrifying moment where she realizes that she's practically useless, can't run anywhere, and Gen's so far gone he thinks she needs a splint. All she has to do is remind herself that even if he's completely delusional, he's still helping her. If he wanted to kill her (which, he doesn't, but Lottie can't help but think of hypotheticals), he would've done it by now. It's not his fault he's just, scaring the absolute shit out of her in the process!

She wets her dry lips with her tongue, staring hard down at the ground and letting her long hair hide her face so she can cry as silently as she can as she convinces herself of this. And then, when she's had her fill, she relents. ]

A-alright. Yeah, let's do that! [ His hand gently wraps around her good wrist and she tries to focus on how young he sounds. Less sharp and a little more openly raw, less guarded, than the Gen she usually knows. Lottie tries to stand and ends up forcing herself on her knees, the furthest she can go with her legs being more weight than she can stand. As a result, she ends up tugging Gen back down ever so slightly when she moves to sit ] I-I think I hurt my foot, too! I can't — I can't lift it.

[ It's not a lie, but it's not necessarily the truth either. The pain and genuinely hurt in her voice is real, though, along with the desperate plea for him to make it better laced in her tone. ]

Please, can you help me?

[epiprocta]

[ Ugh, annoying. Then again, Chako's kind of always been like this -- overly emotional and quick to start crying and shrinking back when cornered. He can't fathom why the hell she can't just buckle down and put up a better strong front; it'd make her life so much easier in so many ways.

Gen ends up needing to brace his weight when Lottie suddenly sinks back down, stifling a low grunt at the back of his throat as he tries to maintain his grip on her arm without squeezing so hard it'll hurt her. And though he sighs as he eases her back down into sitting position, he still sounds more weary than he does genuinely upset. ]

You're such a pain in the ass ...

[ And even as he grouses under his breath, there's the grind of dirt underfoot as Gen turns, then crouches before where Lottie's sitting. ]

Get on.

[ Facing away from her and beckoning with his hands down low makes it obvious what his intention is: he's going to give her a piggy-back ride to safety. Which is hardly the most dignified method of transport regardless of location or circumstance, but hey -- is this really the time to be picky? Especially when Gen gives an impatient huff and glances over his shoulder at her. ]

C'mon, hurry up.

[oomfies]

[ There's a moment where she has to process what it is he's doing, and then it hits her. ]

O-okay!

[ She certainly isn't aiming to be picky, not when Gen is being so mysteriously cooperative with her. So Lottie does her best to work with him and make this less a stress on him (despite him purposely being delusional and ignoring her stump hand — she will remember this!!), forcing herself to move as quickly as possible despite the ailments she's gained. In the end, she wraps her arms around his neck and has both legs on either side of his body, ready for his hands to hoist her up. Luckily for her, it's easy to work around the wings protruding from his body — and even better, she doesn't even sneeze when a feather tickles her nose. ]

..Is this alright?

[epiprocta]

[ ... huh. He'd always assumed Chako would be a little heavier than this. Or maybe lifting another person just isn't as hard as he'd thought it might be.

The fact that Lottie is lighter than the person Gen is thinking of in his delusions means she gets a light jostle as Gen straightens up on his feel a little more quickly than she might have expected. But there's barely any wobble afterward; despite the very obvious signs of the infection throughout his system, it thankfully seems like his strength hasn't been compromised. (Yet.) ]

... yeah, it's fine.

[ Sorry Lottie, ignore the slight shift of his hands against your thighs for a moment as he adjusts his grip. If it's any consolation, it's a purely pragmatic gesture. Gen seems entirely disinterested in any potential intimacy to this arrangement, grunting as he double-checks his balance, then simply starts trudging out onto the streets. ]

It was this way, right?

[ The memories of his hometown are laid over the streets of Venera in disorienting fashion, and he's not even sure where he's headed. But -- heading left looks like it would lead to a residential area, and that feels right, somehow. ]

[oomfies]

[ She holds her breath when he springs up, and her grip around him gets tighter. But with his reassurance, and the realization that he can actually hold her and she won't fall so fast, she manages to relax in his hold. Not much, but enough to where she won't wear herself out from clenching her muscles so hard — they do tense again though when he readjusts his hold, Lottie accidentally biting her tongue in the process and wincing.

Luckily, her heart isn't racing so fast anymore and she's considerably less tense. Enough to be less panicked when he asks her where her house is. God, she didn't even think of that, did she? Is she going to have him break into some poor person's house to get to her 'parents'? ]

..Oh, yeah! Just make that turn and we'll be almost there.

[ Should she even be describing what it looks like? Will it break the immersion? That would be bad.. Or would it be a good thing? Who knows who else Gen has done this to!! So Lottie experiments, feels like an insane genius (both, probably), when she ventures in asking: ]

I mean, you know what it looks like, right?

lottie's icon looks like she's about to stab him in the ear with a ballpoint pen

[epiprocta]

[ Lucky for Lottie, that was a pretty safe gamble -- as a stupid teenager trapped in the mindset of an even stupider youth, Gen takes the bait without a second's hesitation, giving a low huff as he declares, ]

No shit I remember it. You think I wouldn't after all those times I had to walk you home? [ Dirt crunches underfoot as he takes off at a steady gait, long strides carrying down the street even as he grumbles, ] 'Sides, with how small this town is, s'not like it's hard to remember where everything is. You're the one who has to stop getting lost all the time.

[ Shitty juvenile complaints or not, at least Gen makes for a decent enough ride, his grip on her remaining steady and firm as he ambles down a residential street. It's a quiet area they've entered -- quiet even for the standards of this disease-stricken city, with nary a sound audible from the houses on either side of them, and Gen squints as he peers down a side street. ]

It's this one, isn't it?

[ He nods his head towards the house right ahead of them -- a modest-looking affair, though with a gated fence, Lottie might note. ]

Or d'you want me to go 'round back?

[ Gen leans back to look to the house standing behind the one he'd first indicated, his delusion-washed mind making him view them as two entrances to the same place. This one's smaller and a little shabbier even at a glance, but its gate hangs open, having apparently fallen prey to looters at some point. ]

she's not gonna STAB him... hahaha...... i mean, UNLESS? 😳

[oomfies]

[ He's walked somebody home? This guy?

Sometimes it's easy to forget other people have lives that are just as nuanced and involved as her own, and right now she's getting hit with a wave of that realization first hand. Was this mysterious person she's playing his neighbor, or something? A schoolmate? A friend? After all, he is carrying her, and she's certain he'd never do that if he realized it was Lottie rather than whoever he's envisioning her to be.

Her eyes rise up from looking at the dirt on the ground, to the houses he gestures towards. She cringes inwardly, because she doesn't think she can hop that tall of a fence. And she doesn't think he's aware enough to break into it, so she points to the 'back entrance'. It may be shady, but it's the safer option by far. ]

Let's go around back.

[ She readjusts her grip on him, only because she can feel herself sliding down the tiniest bit. When she's done, and when he's began making his way to the back, stepping over foliage and tall waves of grass, she asks him a question that.. Well, he definitely doesn't have the answer to, but she's hoping he has one she wants to hear. ]

..H-how long do you think it'll take this to heal?

god he doesn't deserve the privilege of getting stabbed by lottie

[epiprocta]

[ On his end, Gen gives zero thought to any confusion or inner turmoil that Lottie might be dealing with. Once she gives her preferences he only gives a noncommittal grunt in acknowledgement before moving accordingly -- trudging forward towards that run-down house where its gate sways slightly in a breeze. ]

How would I know?

[ Honestly, Lottie probably shouldn't have expected anything helpful from him in that vein -- even if Gen might have answered the question properly, she won't get much use out of knowing how long a sprained wrist will heal, huh.

Still, at least she can find some meager comfort in knowing Gen isn't just ignoring her injury. He's definitely taking care not to whack her against the sides of the open gateway as he trudges in, keeping his gait measured and steady as he takes them across a small garden. The house beyond it seems equally scuffed, its door open a crack; it definitely looks like looters have gotten their fill of the place before skedaddling, given how deathly silent the place is.

The door swings quietly on its hinges as Gen jerks it open with his foot. ]

'Scuse me.

[ Even that loud declaration of his entry merits no response; the house remains quiet and still as Gen sighs, then turns to begin lowering Lottie back down to the ground just inside the entryway. ]

Here, your parents can do whatever now, so you'll be fine. Now get off me.

it's okay we can make the development happen ;)

[oomfies]

[ It is even more eerie with Gen by her side, in this desolate and ugly ass house in this even creepier town. At least the action of him calling out for her parents manages to distract her from settling into her nerves, instead leaving her to wonder when it was the last time she even lived with her family.

Well, other than now, apparently - what is she going to do?? Once she gets off his back she's stuck until someone comes to save her. But.. It's at a house. And maybe no one will hear her scream about her hand.

...Her hand. ]

Y-yeah.. Sure.

[ Lottie's back in a stupor when she says that, suddenly hyperaware of the fact she can't use her right hand to help steady herself as she gets off because she has no hand. She manages by sheer concentration, perhaps taking a little longer than Gen would like. She's propped up against the door, having used her only hand to twist and stand up to sell the fantasy that she is fine. Both for herself, and him. Weirdly enough, Lottie isn't out of breath, but she is rather lightheaded right now, trying to casually swing her injured arm behind her back. ]

They got it from here.. My mom and dad. It's [ A pause. ] not their first rodeo!