EVENT #1: THE EMPTY THRONE

[aionmods]

The Empty Throne

DESCENT

Nearly two weeks after being dragged from shrine caverns, you hear along the grapevine that the "the throne room is complete." It doesn't take long to figure out what that means; the ritual grounds that you have been hearing mention of are finally prepared, and it's only a short while before you are once again being gathered together for travel. As a small mercy, at least this time the journey is short.

Through a passage that has been blocked by a gathering of soldiers for the entire length of your stay, a stairway is revealed to you. It leads deep into the ruins, through unfamiliar structures and into the bowels of the earth. Though your feel your are mostly going downward, the walk is still long on account of how many stairs their are, and the soldiers escorting you are restless. They are now being led by the stray, mask wearing Achamites that have been accompanying the group till now, silently observing. Whatever place this is, it seems that they now hold court.

Funneled into the chambers below, you are greeted by a massive, domed enclosure of stone. Positioned around its circular radius are twelve thrones in various states of disrepair, sized as if meant to seat giants. The backs of these thrones all differ slightly in design, though most have great cleaves of stone broken loose from their architecture, as if subjected to some great cataclysm. Each is engraved with a sigil, though some have been obscured by the destruction wrought. The throne closest to the entrance has been almost entirely demolished, making it impossible to glean much about.

The dome's ceiling appears to be hundreds of feet tall at its apex, its smooth surface disrupted by stalactites that puncture through its form like teeth. As a result, many chunks of the original structure seem to have cracked and collapsed in to the floor below. When examined closely, these fragments of the domed ceiling seem to be made of a material strangely reflective in quality, though caked in many years of dirt and grime. If large enough sections are cleaned, patterns may emerge, revealing designs that look almost like star maps. The floor beneath your feet as a similar, but subtly different quality, covered in wreckage and ruin but can be cleaned to reveal complex patterns of intersecting lines.

A careful eye will indicate that these lines all lead towards the center of the room - the one space that has been cleared and scrubbed prior to your arrival. Here, the lines converge, with carefully preserved marking in the stone that bely increasing levels of runic complexity the closer you look. This is where the ritual will be held, you are told.

THE RITUAL

There is not much time to regain your bearings before you are being shuffled forth towards the ritual space; no, all the waiting has already been done. Under the command of the smaller group of Achamites, the Hylicians will make heavy use of the whips in leading everyone to their places along the rune-inscribed circle. Before that, however, small cuts will be made to each prisoner with an athame, either on their hand or arm. With a sharp, burning sensation in the afflicted skin, these cuts will spread into wounds reflecting the image of one of the eleven sigils displayed on the thrones encircling the group, and matching the shrine they were originally pulled from.

With this accomplished, they can finally be taken into the circle. With a design comprised of four triangles overlapping, the design of an open eye carved at its center, all prisoners will be led to separates points on its design where the lines cross. Seemingly arranged by their shrine sigil to be closest to whatever throne represents them, they will be brought to their designated positions one by one. Any attempts to flee or disrupt the process will be dealt with swiftly and harshly, exacerbated by the increasing levels of paranoia and fear in the soldiers themselves. Whatever is being done here, they don't seem happy to involved with it either.

When everyone is in place, the seeming master of ceremonies will finally emerge. A dark haired woman will appear from the shadows, motes of golden light fluttering about her otherwise darkness-clad visage. Moving towards the center of the circle, she will stand over the marking of the eye and begin working her magicks. As if on cue, the soldiers will withdraw any remaining whips and scurry to the outside of the circle, only for new bonds of ethereal energy to lash out of the ritual circle itself, binding each and every prisoner and dragging them down to their knees. Among the soldiers, you can hear mutterings identifying this woman as "the Aion."

"Come," she says to the coterie of robed Achamites, who will approach the circle with an assortment of vials collected into cases. There is enough for each prisoner to be given a drink, and so they will; a vial of abyssal liquid will be forced into each one of your throats, no matter how uncomfortably it must be done. While no less ruthless, the Achamites have a different way about them as they work, forcing themselves upon you with a strange familiarity that feels more akin to a mother forcing their child to take medicine than the suspicious hostility of the soldiers. As the foul liquid touches your tongue, it takes on a consistency almost like a living thing, crawling down your throat even if you refuse to swallow, all while the Achamites stroke your hair and make saccharine assurances.

Once all the prisoners have been fed their vial, the Achamamites too will retreat from the circle - all except for one. Joining 'the Aion' at the center, the two of them will begin enacting a planned ceremony of sorts, that culminates in the following scene:

The Achamite kneels before the Aion, lifting their masked face to meet their dark gaze. They speak, in practiced tones.

"To the Kenoma my body, to the Kenoma my soul."

In response, the Aion holds the Achamite's face between their hands in almost a loving gesture. She speaks softly:

"By the blood of the Martyr, I accept your sacrifice."

From the Aion's hands a darkness spreads across the Achamite's body, as if they are melting and dissolving on a cellular level. She kneels along with them, cradling them as their body breaks down, pooling in a void-black liquid around their knees. It drains into the lines of the ritual circle, surging out towards the prisoners.

Within moments, the ritual is complete.

KENOMA SICKNESS

As this dark power surges throughout the ritual circle, you will find yourself almost consumed by the tide. Whatever foul creation you were forced to swallow wakes within your chest, and you can feel it move within your veins, inside you lungs, behind your eyes. As quickly as it begins, the flood of darkness washes over you, but not without leaving you stained.

Something has changed in its wake. As you return to your senses, you will notice the magical bonds of the circle have fallen away, leaving you free to move; for once, the soldiers will not move to lead or restrain you. Instead, the Hylicians warily back away from the ritual space, retreating towards the only path upwards, where they form a defensive line. The Achamites that linger make a series of ritual gestures, praying in voices too soft to hear. The Aion woman stands in the center, her hands blackened with residue from the person you just watched fall to pieces in her arms.

"You will be given time to find your truth," she says. "Use it well."

As you recover from the experience enough to stand, she and her Achamite entourage are already retreating to join the Hylician guard. Gradually, your situation will become clear: they intend to keep your trapped down here. However, it will not be the same as when you waited before. Instead, the soldiers simply intend to block your only exit out, and otherwise leave you free to roam the full diameter of the throne room, seemingly free to do whatever you want as long as it isn't trying to break free of the cavern's confines. Each day, they will offer to their prisoners a limit supply of food, water, and firewood, but nothing more. Beyond that, you only have your increasingly dirty white robes and the same bedrolls as before.

❖ COMMUNION
The first change you will experience is an itching darkness in your mind, like a psychic wound that is becoming infected. The sort of thoughts you would normally try to force down become increasingly hard to resist; despair, hatred, and fear will plague you, and requiring great feats of will to silence even temporarily. Phantoms of the things you'd rather forget will become a constant companion, all while a presence seems to whisper: when you accept your fate, the pain will stop.

Worse than this, the darkness of your mind may not remain private. As if awakened by the ritual, your empathetic sense has become impossibly strong, to the point that you feel the broadcasted emotions and thoughts of others, and in turn, your darkest thoughts will be psychically projected to others with a volume proportional to the intensity with which you feel them. This effect is most potent between those sharing Legacy, with the capacity for their identities to become momentarily confused. In all cases, this connection may bleed into your dreams, or manifest as hallucinations.

❖ TRANSFORMATION
Yet, your mind is not the only thing that ails. In proportion to the strength of your emotions, your body may begin changing to match your state of mind. Physical transformations akin to those mentioned here will begin to manifest, themed to your inner suffering and the most negative aspects of your self conception. These alterations may shift from moment to moment, depending on the turbulence of your emotional state. They may or may not be painful.

❖ AFFLICTION
Along with the above effects, characters may also experience various more mundane ailments; essentially anything traditionally associated with illness could fit. Weakness, nausea, body aches, and chills are all common options. Along with this, void-black ooze may start to trickle from virtually any orifice. While it may stain clothing and skin, the material itself will dissipate after a few minutes in a manner reminiscent of ectoplasm. This effect may also appear around your Shard, as if the stone itself has begun to bleed.

RESISTANCE

Even as the Kenoma threatens to overwhelm you, you still have the power to fight. Though it may be a grueling war of attrition, you can force back its advances with sufficient will to survive and resist the darkness. Of course, your captors are not going to make this easy for you. Those that fight hard enough to expel the Kenoma from their bodies and spirits will take at least a week to do so, and for that duration they will be trapped within this chilly cavern, haunted by their worst thoughts and emotions.

The bedrolls barely strand up against the cold, your clothing doesn't at all, and to be comfortable you'll require fire. Yet, there is a limited amount provided to you, along with food and water, and the soldiers do not seem to be making any effort to distribute it evenly. Achieving basic warmth and sustenance may become a battle against your fellow inmates, all while you struggle against the enemy infecting your body. Cracks in the dome of the cavern lead into some smaller caverns and crevasses in the stone that can offer some privacy or protection, but the more splintered the group becomes the less the supplies will hold up. Fortunately for you, neither the cold nor starvation will kill you, but it will make you suffer.

Yet, you may still persevere. As you fight back the Kenoma, something else will be cultivated in its place. Bit by bit, a comforting and warm presence will grow within you, gradually disrupting the maladies afflicting your body and mind. Your faith and perseverance has been rewarded with an attunement to the Pleroma, the Kenoma's cosmological opposite; given enough time, the Kenoma will be forced from your being entirely, in the form of void-black sludge. Only then will your power begin to shine through, the abilities of your past life slowly returning.

You must keep your guard. With or without otherworldly power, escape will be a struggle.

ACCEPTANCE

Or, you may choose the easy option. Maybe the Kenoma resonates with your history and emotions in a way that makes it seem like it isn't the enemy. Maybe the depths of your despair are too deep to escape. Maybe your simply lack the strength to fight. Whatever the reason, sooner or later, the Kenoma claims you. The more you let it in, the less it feels like a poison and the more it feels like strength. The darkness settles comfortably into the cracks and holes of your spirit, and you awaken to its power. You feel the change viscerally.

This world is not good enough, a voice seems to speak through the Kenoma. This suffering you feel, the cruelty that has birthed this darkness in you... it is simply the rot that is consuming this existence. A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand, and all you need do is first bring about this broken reality's end.

Whatever effects you were suffering from the Kenoma's presence will fade away, and in its place, you will feel your endurance bolstered. The clarity is stark in comparison to the mire you were trapped in before. As the other prisoners suffer around you, the Aion woman from before and an accompaniment of a couple Hylician soldiers will approach you among the ruins, as if summoned straight to your location. She looks you over, her dark eyes impassive, and then asks:

"Did you feel it?"

She doesn't actually wait for an answer, your expression alone enough to assure her. She'll tell the soldiers that you are free to go, and that you are to be given a share of their food and a change of clothes. She'll escort you out of cavern and towards the upper ruins, where the soldiers and Achamites have set up camp. This feels natural to you, somehow, like you and her are on the same wavelength in a way that is hard to comprehend. She is like you, you sense. That dark power is within her as well.

She doesn't linger with you for long, but she will see that you are on your way before heading back to the caverns. She'll say that the voice you heard, that promise, was the Regent, the ruler of this land. They spoke of a power that could birth a new, better universe, and they weren't misleading you. It's within their reach, closer than ever, and if you help them achieve it you will be rewarded lavishly. For now, you are free to regain your strength while the others make their choices. She only asks that you stay in the area and be ready to join the Regent in Achamoth when all is prepared.

If you're prone to boredom, though, she will mention that you'd really be doing the prisoners a favor by convincing them to accept the Kenoma like you did. You could convince them with words, or by making their situations so unbearable they won't have a choice but to break. However you'd like. It won't be worse than what's coming for them if they carry on this way.

When she parts ways with you, you are left to your own devices. Somehow, you feel inclined to cooperate. After all, the Regent did have a point.

QUESTIONS

Are the involuntary transformations during the Kenoma sickness period temporary afflictions or permanent ones?
By default they are temporary, but characters can also keep a couple keepsake changes if you'd like! An Aion's physical appearance is something that is generally in flux, and so even if you keep something from this event, you can always alter it later.

What kind of supplies are going to be distributed to those who accept Kenoma and leave the caverns?
They'll be given food, water, and clothing. They'll be given more/better rations than they were as prisoners, but it's still the sort of food that is limited by the fact that they are out here on a mission. The soldiers will have some fresh meat from prey they've been hunting in the forest, and will generally be having a lot of stew-based food going. There are actual spices in it, though, so that's cool. This is all set up where the Hylicians are camping.

As for clothes, they will get a fresh set (including boots or shoes) and some soap to clean themselves up in the nearby creeks and ponds. Hylici has an aesthetic that leans towards ancient Greek/Roman, so while they won't have anything fancy with them, you are free to assume they are able to acquire anything in that general ballpark. They do also have pants, though. While it is now spring and Horos has a generally temperate climate, it can be chilly at night.

Will Pleroma attuned be able to escape once they've regained their powers?
Yes, they will be allowed to escape at that point, and a second log will be going up to cover that part of the event. This log should generally cover up until shortly after Pleroma start ejecting the Kenoma's influence. Characters are permitted to escape by their own power if they somehow devise a plan to do so, but as we know the Pleromas are at a significant disadvantage in this situation, some characters who have fought against the Kenoma particularly valiantly will be given some magical assistance to help the survivors escape.

Will the Kenomas be able to try to stop them?
Yes! The second log will be set up to contain some PVP, though given the Pleromas do need to escape, we ask that you play nice. There will be a battle, but it will be structured in the context of the Pleromas having to hold off the Kenomas long enough to escape, so it will be relatively brief.

Can we speak to "the Aion"?
Yes, she will be around for the full length of the event. All characters will have the chance to find her watching over the group whether they are Kenomas or soon to be Pleromas. She will not be that talkative, though, so anyone tagging her will have to lead the conversation. She will not make small talk. Martyrs will recognize her as one of them.

Comments

[coerthantorment]

[He recognizes that sort of smile, even if he's never been the sort of man to offer the same. No, he wears his frown comfortably, because there is nothing good about this. Mostly because Estinien is just as powerless as this young man.]

Have you had water? Food?

[He's looking for practical solutions because they are what he has the power to give. He can't make the Kenoma stop hurting him emotionally, but he can try to make the state of his body less intolerable.]

If you still have a bedroll, I can bring it to you.

[goldendeceiver]

[ With how poorly (or carefully) the guards have been rationing the food, Ernesto vaguely wonders if there is really enough food and water floating around to be able to afford giving him some. Even if there was though. ]

You don't need to worry about that. I'm not sure I could even hold it down right now.

[ His smile pulls a little more taut, though it looks pained as he does it, almost a grimace. With the ooze settled inside of him, it seems like he doesn't have room for much else right now. At the very least the nausea he's been dealing with near constantly makes the idea of food kind of unappetizing despite his need for it. ]

Still, you're a pretty nice guy, Mr...?

[ His head might be drooping low right now, but he still manages to cant it to the side as he looks at the tall man, hoping for a name. ]

[coerthantorment]

[Estinien doesn't feel he's being all that kind of he can't manage to do anything. He sighs, averting his gaze. He frankly doesn't know what he's doing, or what to recommend. Maybe it helps for them to know that someone is making the effort, no matter how ineffectually.]

...Ser Estinien, if you must.

[Not that it makes much difference here. He lifts his shoulders, feeling frustrated. After a few moments of not knowing what to do with himself, he fumblingly finds a rock to sit on. His feet are pretty beaten up at this point.]

If you don't eat it will only get worse.

[goldendeceiver]

[ Just like nearly every other thing in Ernesto's life, his feelings about a stranger making the effort for him is complicated. Other's being able to see his weak points or pick at vulnerabilities has always made him feel deeply uncomfortable, but at the same time it's hard to deny it's nice that someone is trying to look out for him in all of this mess. ]

Ser Estinien it is then.

[ There's at least a little something more genuine about his expression as his smile softens a little.

He wishes he could make it easier on the other man too, he really does, but the scare amenities offered by the soldiers aren't really what Ernesto wants right now. ]

It's a little hard to imagine it'll get much worse than this though.

[ He tries at a laugh, before giving up at the first painful wheeze of sound, and letting his head fall back against the wall behind him. ]

[coerthantorment]

Hmph.

[Estinien looks at his own feet, not having much of a rebuttal for that. It feels true - thirst and hunger seem like minor issues in comparison to everything else that's wrong with them right now. Still, he'd rather something not accidentally starve themselves to death while trying so hard to survive.]

We can only hope.

[He falls quiet for a bit longer, and then looks at Ernesto more directly.]

How have you found yourself able to persevere, despite it all?

[goldendeceiver]

[ Ernesto hums a wordless agreement at Estinien's comment. It's not the most reassuring thing to say right now, but Ernesto can appreciate the honesty if nothing else. There's nothing about this situation that would drive a man towards optimism anyway.

He's certainly not feeling that genuinely hopeful, nor does he want to count on this actually being as bad as it can get.

The question gives him pause though, and he laughs through his nose as he decides on his answer. ]

I'm more thick-headed than I ever gave myself credit for. I'm just still trying to figure out if it's because I'm more stubborn than I realized, or much dumber than I thought I was.

[coerthantorment]

[Estinien actually laughs at that, though it's half-growl, half-gurgling sound in practice. Such a simple reason to fight so hard for. He has to admit, much of his own resistance in the past has been for similar reasons.]

I respect that... that you value yourself enough to fight just for the sake of it. A manner of principle.

[He smiles faintly.]

For myself, there are those that I will not surrender so easily. Friends and comrades... ones that may not be able to fight for themselves.

[goldendeceiver]

[ Like most things with Ernesto, there's a lot that he isn't bothering to say when it comes to the reasons he's giving. At least in this particular moment he has the excuse of looking and feeling half dead, as opposed to all of the other times when he lies or omits details more willfully.

He sort of has an excuse anyway. The comment about a manner of principle has the smile twitching at the corner of his mouth, but he doesn't bother to try and correct Ser Estinien on that one. In some ways it is correct too, even if it's not like Ernesto has particular strong principles to begin with.

He was making an attempt at working on them though, before his world supposedly blew away in the wind. ]

That's mighty noble of you. I'm sure those friends and comrades would appreciate it though.

[ Would, if...

Well, no need to let his thoughts wander down that particular road again. He's tired of the back and forth inside his own mind about whether a world can disappear in the blink of an eye or not. ]

[coerthantorment]

[Estinien instinctively shakes his head - he doesn't like the vibe of accepting compliments on his intent alone. There's nothing noble for simply wanting to do something. Unless he makes it happen...]

I would not call it noble until I've put my sentiments into action.

[He's irritated at his own helplessness, and as allergic to compliments as ever.]

It's all I can do to resist... with the vague hope that this perseverance will be rewarded with an opportunity to do more.

[goldendeceiver]

[ He's about to have a rough ride with this one, because Ernesto loves paying compliments based on his perception of a person's character. He's not prone to arguing with rebuffs though, so instead he'll cant his head a little to the side (though it's more like it lolls in that direction than anything), and gives Estinien a searching look. ]

What opportunity are you hoping we get?

[ Ernesto has been falling deeper and deeper into a depression, where he's become more certain that he'll either die in this miserable cavern, or his mind will be so eroded by the stress that he'll eventually give up and let the Kenoma consume him.

That anyone is holding out hope at all is kind of impressive to him. ]

[coerthantorment]

[It's a difficult question to answer, but Estinien doesn't want to come up empty-handed, either. He tries to keep his expectations realistic, but at the same time...]

It can seem... impossible, until the moment arrives. That something changes. Whether it be a twist of fate, divine providence, or the goodwill of someone that could have just as easily turned the other way. Mayhap we are not as alone as we feel we are now.

[He shakes his head to himself.]

...Empty promises, I know. Yet, I must commit myself to being ready for that moment, if it ever arrives.

[goldendeceiver]

[ It sounds nice at least, the idea that their fates will take a turn for the better. It's a shame that nothing in Ernesto's life has ever let him put much stock in things like that.

He looks down at his own feet, the smile on his face hard to read as he takes in what Estinien is saying. While it might be hard for Ernesto to hold on hope right now, he certainly doesn't want to ruin it for anyone else. The longer any of them can hold out for, maybe the better. It's a little hard to say right now if this suffering really will all be worth it. ]

They might be empty, but the idea behind them is still nice enough.