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THE SOOT OF IGNORANCE | RISING ACTION.
WHEN YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES, WHO ARE YOU?
Greetings, old friends and new, and welcome to — February's Plotting & CR meme! There are some big things going on in Kenos this month, and we wanted to take a moment to welcome everyone. We hope you're enjoying the game! To our older players, we're so proud and honored that you've chosen to spend all this time with little ol' us. May there be more fun in your future!
Before the Oracle event in March, there is something big happening in February. As a celebration of our mid-game, as well as the beginning of Kenos's tonal shift into the latter half of our collective story, the world will undergo some big changes. In the beginning of the month, Meridian's leader: Cyrus, will be assassinated by members of Zenith's faction. In the latter half of February, part of Highstorm (Yima's Manor, specifically) will be hit by a targeted magical weapon's strike by members of Meridian's faction. With both of these events being the culmination of player movements, participation, and dedication, they are acting as the heralds to the second half of the Kenos game.
War has always been waiting in the wings, and now it is officially coming. Enjoy a few days of relaxation, and get your CR engines revving up!
Before the Oracle event in March, there is something big happening in February. As a celebration of our mid-game, as well as the beginning of Kenos's tonal shift into the latter half of our collective story, the world will undergo some big changes. In the beginning of the month, Meridian's leader: Cyrus, will be assassinated by members of Zenith's faction. In the latter half of February, part of Highstorm (Yima's Manor, specifically) will be hit by a targeted magical weapon's strike by members of Meridian's faction. With both of these events being the culmination of player movements, participation, and dedication, they are acting as the heralds to the second half of the Kenos game.
War has always been waiting in the wings, and now it is officially coming. Enjoy a few days of relaxation, and get your CR engines revving up!
ZENITH | y̷̘͛̚ò̴̮͇̫u̵̖̱͙̎ ̸̲̮̾͝h̷̲̤͆͝a̴̢̰̋̀v̸͍͂͌͋ê̵̢̓͘ ̸̨̄m̸̜̙̟̓̐a̴̠̅̕d̸͈̯̞̄̄e̵̘̺̅̓͛ ̴̟̥̙̀̑m̷̲̩̦̏͂̊a̴̛͜ȓ̶͔͓͙͆t̷̡͓̟̎̈́̑y̵̫͋̌ŗ̵̌s̵̱̮̕ ̵̻̺̀͠
Cyrus — Meridian’s 34th Tribune — is going to die. Down one Oracle to Meridian’s two, Yima has tasked her most faithful followers with his assassination in order to turn the tides back in Zenith’s favour — and so, of course, it will be done.
While matters in Highstorm seem tranquil enough, slowly but surely, activity in Yima’s manor will begin to ramp up, to the point that anyone who resides there or even visits will be able to take note: this is not the norm. Her court is busy with personnel and attendants rushing about, organizing guards— poisons— weapons? Something is afoot, and before long one might be able to piece together whispered conversations of invasion and assault and assassination.
Perhaps you hear about it in time to get your foot in the door, an enterprising Zenite looking to help make your mark and strike a blow for your faction — or, through fortune’s chance, you’re someone looking to warn Cyrus of what’s to come? Or perhaps you pick up on things just a little too late, and suddenly find yourself thrust in the middle of a situation that forces you to either fight or flee. (Freezing and fawning are not recommended; this is about to be an active conflict zone!)
Either way, Cyrus is going to die — but it doesn’t have to go smoothly.
All of this to say: Zenith will be employing a strategy of overwhelming Springstar’s forces and causing mass chaos in the city in order to allow for a couple of Zenites taking a far stealthier approach to get to and ultimately dispatch of Cyrus. Those monster attacks from Ryad in the Below that have been causing trouble in Meridian’s home city? They’re about to come to a massive head, alongside other invading Zenite forces — PC and NPC alike.
As this mission was given to Amos when he hit T4 Harmonization, he will be the one to ultimately carry out the decisive blow against Cyrus.
While matters in Highstorm seem tranquil enough, slowly but surely, activity in Yima’s manor will begin to ramp up, to the point that anyone who resides there or even visits will be able to take note: this is not the norm. Her court is busy with personnel and attendants rushing about, organizing guards— poisons— weapons? Something is afoot, and before long one might be able to piece together whispered conversations of invasion and assault and assassination.
Perhaps you hear about it in time to get your foot in the door, an enterprising Zenite looking to help make your mark and strike a blow for your faction — or, through fortune’s chance, you’re someone looking to warn Cyrus of what’s to come? Or perhaps you pick up on things just a little too late, and suddenly find yourself thrust in the middle of a situation that forces you to either fight or flee. (Freezing and fawning are not recommended; this is about to be an active conflict zone!)
Either way, Cyrus is going to die — but it doesn’t have to go smoothly.
All of this to say: Zenith will be employing a strategy of overwhelming Springstar’s forces and causing mass chaos in the city in order to allow for a couple of Zenites taking a far stealthier approach to get to and ultimately dispatch of Cyrus. Those monster attacks from Ryad in the Below that have been causing trouble in Meridian’s home city? They’re about to come to a massive head, alongside other invading Zenite forces — PC and NPC alike.
As this mission was given to Amos when he hit T4 Harmonization, he will be the one to ultimately carry out the decisive blow against Cyrus.
— FOR ZENITH.
— Are you hearing rumblings that you find concerning? Maybe you want to get in touch with some Meridian friends and warn them that something seems like it’s about to go down.
— Did you want to fight? Now’s your chance! Join the chaos in Springstar and have fun absolutely wrecking the place and/or people. Maybe even do some looting?
— Do you feel bad about innocent civilians getting caught up in this? Maybe you’re more inclined to minimize the damage — try to guide people away from combat zones, or stop a building from blowing up.
— And of course, what of an exit strategy? There are cornerstones throughout Springstar one could use to escape, or you could slip into the Below. Or perhaps something less fortunate befalls you, like being dissipated or captured and jailed by Springstar’s forces...
— FOR MERIDIAN.
— Because this is a successful Zenite assault, Meris will largely find themselves in a reactionary position — but if you were able to receive some word of warning beforehand, perhaps you were able to at least start making some preparations? Shoring up some Springstar defences, evacuating the more vulnerable, or bringing word to Heliopolis to expect something are all possibilities, even if you aren’t quite sure what you’re really preparing for.
— Springstar, your home city, is under attack — it’s time to defend it! There are monsters and Zenites alike to try to fight off and/or kill. It’s not murder if it’s self-defence.
— Of course, if you don’t particularly care (some of you are definitely the type), then maybe this is a good chance for you to snoop around safer areas of Springstar while everyone’s distracted — or maybe even Kowloon or Highstorm, if you really don’t want to be in a conflict zone for some reason.
— FOR THE UNHARMONIZED.
So you’ve found yourself in the midst of a warzone for a conflict you barely know anything about… Whoops. Sorry about that!
— Perhaps this would be a good time to Harmonize one way or the other? Just keep in mind that Meridian isn’t so squeaky clean either…
— But you can join up with Zenith or Meridian characters regardless! Do you thrive on chaos? Do you have a conscience and want to try to at least protect people? You may not have your (or any) powers, but as long as you’ve got the spirit, you’ll probably end up in someone’s good books.
MERIDIAN | w̶̫̹͊̿͠h̸͉̯̖̔̈̃e̸͙̣̬̋̍r̸̲̜͒ȇ̵͍̰͕̄͠ ̵̣͔̬̈́̕y̵̢̏o̵̺̟̔̒̐ũ̸͇̬ ̴̮̜̻̑̐̚ș̶́́͛h̷̤̬̠͘o̷̗͐͑͒u̵͓͐̆͠l̶͉͕̂̔ͅd̶̻́̕ ̸̗̞̥̒͂̚h̴̻̘̰͒͆a̷̘̥̅̇v̷̬̕͝ë̷̯̼̊ ̶͉͖̓̋͜m̸̟̃͌ả̶͍͔ḋ̵̯̹͆͝e̶̛̬͕̯̅̚ ̵͓̼̈́̾c̶̝͈̓ơ̵͔̺n̸͖̮̘̊v̶̛̩̙̈́͌e̶̞̻̲͌͆̕r̸̲̈t̶̺̫͗̆š̶̤̣
Even with two Oracles in their control under Tribune Cyrus's leadership, Springstar's populace appears to have come to favor another: Agapitos Voreen. The streets teem with conversation about his name, his promises of a hardline stance against Zenith, and his vow to carry on the and his vow to carry on the successes Meridian has been experiencing when he is elected Tribune. ( The successes his soon-to-be pre-deceasesor enjoyed. Oh, sorry. Predecessor. This is an OOC joke, because WE all know Cyrus gon' die. )
Springstar's populace may have turned from their current Tribune, but Meridian's Shard-Bearers still appear to strongly run the show. In the months leading up to the pivotal assassination, the majority of Meri's have been rallied by Set into a joint venture — the development of a grand weapon, with its sights aimed at the core of Highstorm. The effort culminates in a large beam of radiant power being fired upon Yima's Manor a few days after Cyrus's death is announced.
However, leading up to this event there is movement. With several Meridian Shard-Bearers on the move, the efforts of Zenites Link and Drizzt in January result in attention being drawn to the Beyond: the dark, inhospitable landscape of gleaming flora and dangerous fauna that have surrounded the city of Highstorm since its advent. Meridian's Shard-Bearers, a crack team of Legionaries and even retainers have mobilized a supply line that seems to lead to a staging ground near Set and Quetzalcoatl's divine structures.
Something is afoot, and at this stage in the game, one will begin to piece together some pieces of information: mentions of waiting for the right moment and the weapon and letting them dig their own grave.
Either way, Yima’s Manor will be struck — but it doesn’t have to go smoothly.
All of this to say: Meridian has, ironically, taken the Zenite route, and is employing a strategy of defensive subterfuge, clandestine supply runs and the secret assembly of a weapon in the depths of the Beyond. Protected by militant Shard-Bearers, anti-Zenite spellwork and the sheer hostility of the Beyond itself, the weapon is very difficult to get to. But before it is fired, the information is there for your preparations. Will your character attempt to move innocents out of the way? Warn Zenith's leader of what is to come? Will they attempt to ambush or cripple the last of the supply chains or assault Meri participants in an effort to stall the last legs of the construction process?
Pertinent historical information about the development of the weapon can be found here, for the curious looking to see how this came about.
Springstar's populace may have turned from their current Tribune, but Meridian's Shard-Bearers still appear to strongly run the show. In the months leading up to the pivotal assassination, the majority of Meri's have been rallied by Set into a joint venture — the development of a grand weapon, with its sights aimed at the core of Highstorm. The effort culminates in a large beam of radiant power being fired upon Yima's Manor a few days after Cyrus's death is announced.
However, leading up to this event there is movement. With several Meridian Shard-Bearers on the move, the efforts of Zenites Link and Drizzt in January result in attention being drawn to the Beyond: the dark, inhospitable landscape of gleaming flora and dangerous fauna that have surrounded the city of Highstorm since its advent. Meridian's Shard-Bearers, a crack team of Legionaries and even retainers have mobilized a supply line that seems to lead to a staging ground near Set and Quetzalcoatl's divine structures.
Something is afoot, and at this stage in the game, one will begin to piece together some pieces of information: mentions of waiting for the right moment and the weapon and letting them dig their own grave.
Either way, Yima’s Manor will be struck — but it doesn’t have to go smoothly.
All of this to say: Meridian has, ironically, taken the Zenite route, and is employing a strategy of defensive subterfuge, clandestine supply runs and the secret assembly of a weapon in the depths of the Beyond. Protected by militant Shard-Bearers, anti-Zenite spellwork and the sheer hostility of the Beyond itself, the weapon is very difficult to get to. But before it is fired, the information is there for your preparations. Will your character attempt to move innocents out of the way? Warn Zenith's leader of what is to come? Will they attempt to ambush or cripple the last of the supply chains or assault Meri participants in an effort to stall the last legs of the construction process?
Pertinent historical information about the development of the weapon can be found here, for the curious looking to see how this came about.
— FOR MERIDIAN.
— Are you hearing rumblings you find concerning? Maybe you want to get in touch with some Zenith friends and warn them that something seems like it’s about to go down. It's too late to stop "the weapon", but at least you can brace them for what's coming.
— Did you want to fight? Now’s your chance! Join the chaos in the wake of the attack on Springstar by focusing on undefended? Highstorm and have fun absolutely wrecking the place and/or people. Maybe even do some looting? Snooping?
— Do you feel bad about innocent civilians getting caught up in this? Maybe you’re more inclined to minimize the damage — and to try to save people who might have gotten caught in the crossfire, even?
— And of course, what of the fallout? Are you going to stand proudly by your participation in this? Are you going to slip back into the shadows and use the chaos to your advantage to (re)forge relations? Will you decry those who participated to Highstorm, to salvage anything you can?
— FOR ZENITH.
— Because Meridian's efforts are in retaliation to Zenith's assassination, their forces will largely find themselves in a reactionary position — if you were able to receive some word of warning beforehand, perhaps you were able to at least start making some preparations? Shoring up some Highstorm defenses, evacuating the more vulnerable, or bringing word to the Manor to expect something are all possibilities, even if you aren’t quite sure what you're preparing for.
— Highstorm, your home city, has been eviscerated— the Manor, specifically. In the wake of the attack, Yima has disappeared and rumblings of the agonized citizenry betray their fears: they do not know what to do. Time to step up, step in and lead your people! They need you more than ever.
— Of course, if you don’t particularly care (some of you are definitely the type), then maybe this is a good chance for you to snoop around safer areas of Highstorm while everyone’s distracted — or maybe even Kowloon or Springstar, if you really don’t want to be around a damaged zone for some reason.
— FOR THE UNHARMONIZED.
So you’ve found yourself in the midst of a warzone for a conflict you barely know anything about… Whoops. Sorry about that!
— Perhaps this would be a good time to Harmonize one way or the other? Just keep in mind that Zenith aren't the victims you might be lead to believe they are.
— But you can join up with Zenith or Meridian characters regardless! Do you thrive on chaos? Do you have a conscience and want to try to at least protect people? You may not have your (or any) powers, but as long as you’ve got the spirit, you’ll probably end up in someone’s good books.
OOC NOTES & MINI FAQ
This event will take place throughout February. Like the Oracle events, we are frontloading all the information you might desire for your plotting and threading purposes, because this is a doozy of a moment for everyone — no matter your characters investment in their Faction, or the battle for the Oracles, things are changing in Kenos. The rough IC timeline is Friday, February 2nd to Thursday, February 15th for the "first half" of the event, with the "second half" occurring from Friday, February 16th to Thursday, February 29th. Again, this is not a strict timeline, but just an idea of how long both aspects of the event are going on for in-universe.
HERE'S A LITTLE FAQ
My character intends to warn the other faction. What does this look like?
Setting-wise, with both plots preordained to be successful, warnings will at best have a small effect on the environment — e.g. parts of Springstar and Yima’s Manor could be spared, or maybe you manage to get Cyrus an extra half hour of life or so. Keep in mind that both factions are taking this seriously, so they won’t be inclined to let anything big slip in the presence of anyone whose loyalty they are not assured of. Think of it as your character overhearing something sus rather than having any hard evidence.
Character-wise, keep in mind that if anyone finds out you betrayed your faction, there may be consequences. It depends on how sneaky you’re being and if you’re sharing information with the right person! Also keep in mind that betraying your faction will bump your character’s Discord up one tier. The degree of social consequence depends on how sneaky they are, who they tell and, surprisingly, the "type" of person they are*. Essentially if we, as mods, see something about someone's actions in a public arena, that character could be punished (severely!) by their Faction from here on out. Factional trust may become difficult to earn back without concentrated effort, as well.
( *This is an assessment based on your past reported Notable Actions, including where your character has spent time, and what actions they've taken before NPCs! If your character is suspected — or if you WANT them to be, for some reason? — Zenites will be visited by Florence and Kathova, while Meris will be paid a visit General Zaman and Cetina to... have a little chat. )
Please make a note here if your character intends to feed the other faction information, or if your character is Unharmonized and chooses to warn a faction about a plot against them!
My character lives in Yima’s Manor. Do they still have a home?
Yes! Don't worry, we have already considered this when creating the target. The location of Yima's quarters are known, thanks to previous explorations and are far enough away that the damage incurred by the Manor is centralized on that point. She lives far enough from her Shard-Bearers in resident that if you want to opt-in or out of any damage to your room, you can! ( Maybe it's time to get a real place to live! )
My character is going to go searching through the cities. What might they find?
Like in our Iconoclast Oracle event ( link for refresher ), we have a toplevel comment for curious explorers.
What if my character is dissipated during the event?
Dissipations continue to work as normal; they’ll have to be taken to the Tree of Life to revive. Make sure to use the buddy system so someone can take you there!
What if my character is captured during the event?
Individuals who are captured in either city will be immediately imprisoned until the chaos settles. However, before the chaos settles and their fates are decreed by either Faction, the next Oracle will awaken... and call them to it. Thus, they will be ~magically freed~ THIS TIME. The results of their participation/non-participation will be announced following the Oracle, when we deploy our world changes!
What can I expect, going forward?
In the wake of both events, Meridian's leader: Cyrus, will be dead. The fate of Zenith's leader: Yima, will be unknown for some time. Both cities will be damaged. A new Tribune will be selected in due time, and an interim leader will step up to take over Yima's responsibilities. Other world changes will occur, so keep your eyes peeled. For those seeking to Harmonize to either faction, Cetina and Kathova will still be available to assist Zenites. For now.
Lastly, for old players and new, please take a look at The Soot of Ignorance, as a reminder and as an introduction of some of the world-effects still going strong at this time. For no reason. Don't worry about what's coming next.
EDIT: We got so excited about the content, we forgot to include WHEN the post is going up. The event post will be going up Wednesday, February 7th! Please have exploration requests turned in by Thursday, February 15th to receive information on the areas you are exploring.
And, as always! Please fill out the form below to join the joint Plotting/CR meme:
HERE'S A LITTLE FAQ
My character intends to warn the other faction. What does this look like?
Setting-wise, with both plots preordained to be successful, warnings will at best have a small effect on the environment — e.g. parts of Springstar and Yima’s Manor could be spared, or maybe you manage to get Cyrus an extra half hour of life or so. Keep in mind that both factions are taking this seriously, so they won’t be inclined to let anything big slip in the presence of anyone whose loyalty they are not assured of. Think of it as your character overhearing something sus rather than having any hard evidence.
Character-wise, keep in mind that if anyone finds out you betrayed your faction, there may be consequences. It depends on how sneaky you’re being and if you’re sharing information with the right person! Also keep in mind that betraying your faction will bump your character’s Discord up one tier. The degree of social consequence depends on how sneaky they are, who they tell and, surprisingly, the "type" of person they are*. Essentially if we, as mods, see something about someone's actions in a public arena, that character could be punished (severely!) by their Faction from here on out. Factional trust may become difficult to earn back without concentrated effort, as well.
( *This is an assessment based on your past reported Notable Actions, including where your character has spent time, and what actions they've taken before NPCs! If your character is suspected — or if you WANT them to be, for some reason? — Zenites will be visited by Florence and Kathova, while Meris will be paid a visit General Zaman and Cetina to... have a little chat. )
Please make a note here if your character intends to feed the other faction information, or if your character is Unharmonized and chooses to warn a faction about a plot against them!
My character lives in Yima’s Manor. Do they still have a home?
Yes! Don't worry, we have already considered this when creating the target. The location of Yima's quarters are known, thanks to previous explorations and are far enough away that the damage incurred by the Manor is centralized on that point. She lives far enough from her Shard-Bearers in resident that if you want to opt-in or out of any damage to your room, you can! ( Maybe it's time to get a real place to live! )
My character is going to go searching through the cities. What might they find?
Like in our Iconoclast Oracle event ( link for refresher ), we have a toplevel comment for curious explorers.
What if my character is dissipated during the event?
Dissipations continue to work as normal; they’ll have to be taken to the Tree of Life to revive. Make sure to use the buddy system so someone can take you there!
What if my character is captured during the event?
Individuals who are captured in either city will be immediately imprisoned until the chaos settles. However, before the chaos settles and their fates are decreed by either Faction, the next Oracle will awaken... and call them to it. Thus, they will be ~magically freed~ THIS TIME. The results of their participation/non-participation will be announced following the Oracle, when we deploy our world changes!
What can I expect, going forward?
In the wake of both events, Meridian's leader: Cyrus, will be dead. The fate of Zenith's leader: Yima, will be unknown for some time. Both cities will be damaged. A new Tribune will be selected in due time, and an interim leader will step up to take over Yima's responsibilities. Other world changes will occur, so keep your eyes peeled. For those seeking to Harmonize to either faction, Cetina and Kathova will still be available to assist Zenites. For now.
Lastly, for old players and new, please take a look at The Soot of Ignorance, as a reminder and as an introduction of some of the world-effects still going strong at this time. For no reason. Don't worry about what's coming next.
EDIT: We got so excited about the content, we forgot to include WHEN the post is going up. The event post will be going up Wednesday, February 7th! Please have exploration requests turned in by Thursday, February 15th to receive information on the areas you are exploring.
And, as always! Please fill out the form below to join the joint Plotting/CR meme:
NPC CONTACT & WARNING REPORT.
communion to Yima, pre-manor attack
Has Yima ever died before? Has she ever been dissipated? It's hard to know how a being like her would react to the experience of dying, if at all. But if she knows and understands real mortal death, she'll probably still recognize what's happening for what it is. But unlike the flashing of one's life in the moment before the end, this moment is filled with purpose — unfocused and clumsy, but desperately bold and determined. ]
Lady Yima! The Meridian is going to attack the Manor!! They're going to try to kill you!!
Please, get everyone away from the Manor, away from —
[ ...and then, it's gone. Both the message and the roaring sensations that carry it halt abruptly, like the slamming of a door — but, even a slammed door makes a sharp noise as it shuts, sends a gust of wind as it moves on its hinges. This sudden stop doesn't come with anything, no friction, no echo, not even the intentionality of closing a Communion once a person has said what they meant to say. Just stillness. ]