EVENT PLOTTING: HEARTS LIKE YOURS

[aionmods]

Hearts Like Yours

PLEROMA

After surviving their trial against the Kenoma, the Pleroma will finally have the chance to spread their wings. Having spent some time recovering in the Valley of the Innocent, there will be few options but to strike outwards, looking for a safe haven that they can be less readily tracked to. Characters who are inclined towards information gathering are welcome to do some handwaving of their characters first venturing beyond the boundaries of the valley, where they will find an assortment of small villages - including the one that left their offering of clothing and food. If they are careful, they will be able to get an idea of where to go next, as the locals seem mostly inclined to help them, but only if they can be given some plausible deniability.

According to the villagers of the region, there are two places that may be of use to one trying to avoid the Regent's forces: the rebellious city-state of Godsblood, or the reclusive village of rebels said to live among the trees of Lohkimareen. Both trips will take at least a week to complete, depending on if the Pleroma can expedite things. While Godsblood is a sure shot by traveling West and catching a boat ride at Syraku Shipyard, it is technically a Regent-controlled city despite its tendency to spit in the face of Achamite's demands. Any Pleroma travelling there will have to disguise themselves. On the other hand, Greentruth is famed to be a haven for rebels that oppose the Regent's reign, but getting there requires traveling through a forest famed for its reptilian megafauna and threatening atmosphere. That is, if rebels still live in the first place. They haven't been seen in quite some time.

Whichever journey they choose, they will have a long trip ahead of them. Part of the event post will cover their travels to their destination of choice, while the rest will be about exploring what each location has to offer. There will be portal between Godsblood and Greentruth unlocked, but it will take a bit of plot to gain full access to.

❖ INCLUDED EVENT PROMPTS

◆ GODSBLOOD: The seaside city known for its rebellious stance against the Regent, it is technically within Achamoth's control. According to the villagers near the valley, though, it may be the Pleroma's best bet to hide out in. When characters arrive, the city will be in the middle of their "Lover's Festival", the spring celebration of Lovaseri, the Lover's Moon. The local's boisterous activities may be the perfect environment to explore the city within, as long as you can keep your nature concealed.

◆ GREENTRUTH: While vaunted as a place truly free from the Regent's influence, it's also uncertain whether it has survived the last few decades. Those that are brave enough to undertake it, however, will be rewarded by their journey into the Lohkimareen forest with an encounter with its resident scouts, and a path straight to the heart of the resistance. Life in the forest is hard, but freedom from the Regent's gaze has its advantages.

KENOMA

For the Kenoma, it's time to meet their boss. Arriving in Achamoth through the great river that flows through it, the new recruits will be brought straight to the Regent's grand citadel to tour their new living space. They will find themselves greeted with lavish personal bedrooms, servants at their beck and call, and religious fervor befitting their status as demigods. While the sailors bringing them there seemed nervous and ideologically neutral, once inside the city proper, they are unambiguously treated with reverence.

After sorting out their basic living requirements, they will all be invited to a luxurious feast put on by the Regent themselves. Make no mistake, attendance is mandatory. This will be their first opportunity to speak with Horos's resident despot and to learn more about their role among the Kenoma. They're well informed on your actions back in the cavern, and they may have some thoughts on them. (PS. Please reply with your character's actions to this toplevel if you haven't already.)

Provided they survive that encounter, they will be allowed to wander Achamoth and spend most of the month getting themselves comfortable. The Regent has the impression that another conflict with the Pleroma is on the horizon, and it would not do for Achamoth's new elite to be unprepared.

❖ INCLUDED EVENT PROMPTS

◆ THE CITADEL: The Kenoma will be introduced to their new living space, including luxurious private rooms and personal servants. Before long, it will be time to dress up for their first meeting with the Regent, in the form of a formal feast. It would probably be smart to make a good first impression.

◆ ACHAMOTH: For the rest of their month, they'll have free reign over their new stomping ground, given an allowance for new purchases and to partake in the city's illustrious entertainment district. Rest and prepare, is the Regent's first order. Soon, there will be work to do.

Comments

QUESTIONS

[aionmods]

Ask the mods any lingering questions you may have about the event.

[aquaveiled]

Question about Greentruth! The settings page mentions various megafauna which is honestly the selling point. Do we have any idea or reference as to what those would be? (Alternatively is there going to be any sort of bestiary page for reference?)

Thanks!

[aionmods]

Many of the creatures in Lohkimareen are some kind of mutant reptile. This goes from the megafauna, which as most often dinosaur or dragon-like in appearance, all the way down to qirin deer equivalents and living flowers with snake-like mouths. Why it's like this is unclear.

We'll be gradually adding a bestiary as more locations are explored.

[aquaveiled]

Omg, this is the best answer. THANK YOU!

[coerthantorment]

If Estinien asks the villagers for a basic knife of some sort would they give it to him?

[aionmods]

Yes! They do not have much in the way of proper weapons and need to keep the ones they have, but they do have some basic tools that they could afford to part with, such as knives, hatchets, shovels and the like. They are not very wealthy people so they don't have a lot to spare, but they do want to help the Pleroma, so they will donate whatever is reasonable.

[coerthantorment]

Excellent, my thanks.

[baltimores]

Re: Achamoth's entertainment district, is there a broad overview of things that might be there? I'm assuming bars/taverns and generally innocent stuff like libraries/theatres, but also curious about more illicit things (other kinds of psychoactive substances, gambling, brothels, and the like). Or if they're even considered illicit at all here and it's just everything's above board(/regulated?) and cool to partake in.

[aionmods]

Almost everything is legal in Achamoth when it comes to entertainment, and there is not much government oversight in the way anything is run. This means that everything you've described is both present and largely unregulated, and it doesn't need to be underground on account of how permissive Achamite law is. Brothels, drugs, and even bloodsport are all fair game... technically, participants in brothels and bloodsports must be willing but that 'consent' can be pretty nebulous. 'Extreme' bloodsport is generally hush hush (those that are particularly graphic and unpleasant, or basically torture) and behind closed doors mostly just to avoid causing a fuss.

The one thing there is official rulings on, straight from the Regent, is the enforcement of 'age of consent' and laws against child abuse. Children are generally not allowed to participate in those skeevier activities and there is a cultural expectation for people to raise their children properly, though this still goes wrong fairly frequently. It's just one of the things that is actually punished. Adults, however, have fewer innate protections.

Achamoth's hedonistic atmosphere means there is plenty of dubious sexual activity going on, but on an OOC level we would ask that characters who are younger than 18 refrain from participating in it. This is largely for the comfort of other players (and the mods themselves.)

[galdorleod]

It sounds like the dinner with the Regent will be happening very soon after the Kenoma arrive, but exactly how soon? The same day, the day after?

[aionmods]

The next day! They essentially have one day to rest beforehand.

[vivificantem]

So Paul is…accustomed to religious fervor, let's put it that way, and he'd be interested in looking into that aspect of things while he's here; what sort of things should he expect from that angle (treatment and the like) and are there any rituals or the like that he can work out information about? He's genuinely interested in what these people participate in and what their beliefs are.

[aionmods]

Hey there! In short, this sort of thing will be available, but will be better handled on the log itself. They are very enthusiastic about their new Aions and will happily involve him in these things.

[affal]

Good afternoon, mods. What sort of exciting new fashion choices should the Kenoma folks expect with their new accommodations in the city? Assuming that they want to look their best for the first meeting with the boss, after all. (:

[aionmods]

Achamoth has some pretty diverse options because it takes offerings from the entire continent, but in a general sense it leans towards an (unsurprisingly) gothic aesthetic, with dark colors being seen as fashionable. Its most prevalent fashion sensibilities are, apparently, taken from the Regent themselves, in the form of flowing black clothing with head dresses or facial accessories, often in the form of decorative masks. Concealing your face, whether with a fancy mask or with a hood or wrappings, is considered a show of fealty towards the Regent and is favored among the most religious.

They are far from uniform, however, and the Kenoma will have access to a wide variety of fantasy-esque aesthetics, including stuff that has been taken from the legendary tailors of Venera (known for their brighter colors and original designs) and from Hylici (dressing like a Hylician garners some odd reactions.)

Will the Regent have opinions about their choices and whether it fits their tastes? Who knows!

[zauneyete]

sighs I'm sorry mods but i play a drug running crimelord so i have to ask

1) What's the drug scene like? What types of drugs are there, are there any common vs uncommon ones? Anything particularly novel or interesting? Particularly to an outlander who maybe has a buff up drug that he injects on the down low

2) I know in an earlier answer y'all stated that almost everything is legal in the entertainment district, so this might be redundant, but Silco can't fucking help himself. Is there anything that resembles criminal activity? Gangs, smuggling, oooor say even information networks out into the Pleroma-affiliated territories? Silco is probably going to do some snooping and sniffing around no matter what, looking for hints of something criminal, but would looking around find anything? Or is it pretty much "Anything goes" (other than the aforementioned restrictions)? Would there be any interesting leads that he might be able to pick up hints on over time?

[aionmods]

1) There are types with effects similar to all the real-world varieties, though they are mostly taken by smoking herbals mixtures or drinking/injecting alchemy options. There is a big focus on psychedelics, specifically the types that cause "ego death" in the user. There aren't any that give people superpowers, as least from a superficial viewing of the community. People talk a lot about spiritual awakenings but its hard to say if that's real or just part of the trip. Any further looking into this will have to be done as an investigation on the event post itself.

2) Crime in Achamoth is defined almost entirely by things that have anti-Regent sentiments. Because of this, if Silco wants to seek that stuff out and get involved with it, it should be done as an official investigation on the actual event post because it'll have a chance of getting him into trouble.

EDIT: Come to think of it, there is something in specific that will come up if he goes looking for different types of drugs, but we'd rather handle it on the event post, so maybe sure you ask about it there.

[expiera]

Some questions I have a sinking suspicion the actual event post may answer, I'm sorry in advance if they're redundant but as always, thank you for everything mods...!

1. How's the spicy food scene in Achamoth, maybe in Horos in general, curry specifically? Asking because sometimes your character is a hopeless addict but it's just to a certain food in particular... 💦

2. Would there be religious texts Ciel can get a hold of to make Black Keys with? In a similar vein, what would these texts preach about and how would they potentially compare to the Bible?

3. Can characters wander outside of Achamoth if they want, outskirts or further? If so, how far would they be allowed to go and what sort of things would they be able to find?

I'd also like to ask about more Citadel specific stuff such as if there's barracks/training grounds/library/etc and what could be found there, for the unfun types more concerned about learning and being productive than having fun. But if you'll be covering that on the event post itself, I'll wait for the infodump then o7

[aionmods]

1) They don't have any particular affinity for spicy food but its definitely something that exists. There are probably restaurants that are centered around that conceptually.

2) There are religious texts about the Regent. The stuff about the Regent isn't much like the Bible at all and has a lot more in common with the Church of Satanism, with tenants like indulgence, undefiled wisdom, kindness to those who deserve it, responsibility to the responsible, and an eye for an eye code of ethics, while shunning abstinence based on guilt, unconditional love, pacifism, and equality. It's also got a lot of focus on death, the inevitability of it, and the virtue of it.

There are also some texts about the Legacies in general, which are more similar to the Bible in structure (a series of parables) about the embodiment of each Legacy doing things representative of their personality types. These are not focused on as much in Achamoth, though, because Legacies themselves are not worshipped so much as Aion's are glorified for their service of the Regent.

3) They're being asked to stay in the city for now. Besides that, we want to limit our mod work to the areas being covered by the mod posts at the moment.

The Citadel questions are better for an investigation on the actual event post.

Re: QUESTIONS

[lachtara]

♩ ♪ Questions tiiiime. The best tiiiime ♩ ♪

• What do the citizens revere about the Regent? Like what traits or are there any legends about them?

• The Aions are like deities, but does each Legacy have something specific about them that they are revered for? A characteristic or something? Similarly, what would the people in Achamoth think about the other Legacies from the Pleroma?

• It's said that The Innocent often is seen the opposite of the Regent. And we have... one innocent. So what kind of stories of opposition are there?

• Aaaaand this doesn't have anything to do with the event specifically, but it seems to be creeping its way into my threads a bunch. But can someone with abilities teach other people how to use abilities as well? If no, how would that be explained ICly?

[aionmods]

1) The Regent's plan for the universe is well known in Achamoth and the fact that they have the power and vision to reshape reality for the better is the thing they revere. Also, just their immense power. The Regent has been around, in some form or another, for all of Horos's written, and spoken, history. Legends are mostly about the Regent besting other nations with wit and strength, or besting the Legacies themselves.

2) The Legacies aren't particularly revered in Achamoth at all. Kenoma Aions are, but that's more because of their connection to the Regent and the Kenoma than anything else. In some ways, Kenoma Aions are seen as rising above the inadequacies of their Legacy.

3) The same way that Earth fables tend to rotate around similar subjects or variations, it's usually just something about the Innocent being ignorant and the Regent dropping a truth bomb on them. Revealing the harsh truths of life, as it were. There are stories about the Regent besting every one of the Legacies by some means or another, it's just that the Innocent gets it the most.

4) This is better asked in the FAQ since it's not event specific and others could benefit from the answer.

[traversal]

hello mods! i have a question regarding godsblood.

since the setting page mentions that the city is concerned about history, are there books, documents, word-of-mouth stories and legends that would give the pleroma some information about horos, aions, legacies, and all that good stuff? is it possible to gather that information by talking to people during the festival, including the current political climate with the regent?

also, is it possible for anyone to get a job in the place? like doing errands, chores, etc.

[aionmods]

1) Yes, it's safe to say that if they go looking and talk to people they can basically get all of the information on the setting page, Godsblood's reputation and history with the Regent, and the nature of each Legacy.

2) Yes, it's reasonably easy to get work this way, especially at the docks doing heavy lifting and errands.

[passio]

for the type of person who eats things off the ground, are there any fun/weird/dangerous plants on the edge or near the entrance of the lohkimareen forest?

[aionmods]

There is a type of mushroom that looks oddly like a dessert. Though if consumed, bowel movements the next day will be very unpleasant.