#ruinationevent

EVENT 002. - THE SECRETS OF BLOOD. 

Location & timeline: the royal palace of Asteria, March 1st, 1276.

It has been a little under a month since the dignitaries of Sotera and Asteria have been enjoying merriment at the Queen to Be’s coronation - and a little under a month since confusion and mortification both arose within the ranks of the Two kingdoms… and the empire that managed to survive shrouded from the knowledge of the Two. It wasn’t long after the young Queen’s coronation, and the Thorned King’s riddles, that the kingdom of Asteria returned home, praying for dreamless nights and the return to normalcy - as much normalcy as they could muster in light of secrets, spilled. 

There’s chaos brewing on the horizon and the New King had barely slept a wink for two weeks, surrounding himself with those he trusts the most and isolating from the rest. The rumours circulating among the courtiers of Asteria reach a maddening peak - whispering behind the New King’s back, watchful and hesitant as they gazed at their beloved monarch. When the Thorned King spoke of the Three, the oldest of the courtiers began to remember something ; images. Whispers. Memories - of something that was forgotten, something that should not have been forgotten, placed out of mind and memory. 

The existence of the Two Lost Siblings - the New King’s younger brother and sister. 

But, while the eldest of courtiers remembered, the majority of the kingdom remained in the dark, wrestling and tackling their own battles - as well as attempting to decipher ( or forget ) the Thorned King and his riddle. Sotera, for one, had been mostly unaffected by the Asterian rumours, save for the Queen to Be who had heard of such a tale long ago, and the Wise, who knew a lot more than one would have guessed. But, they had their own problems to deal with - the ascension of the young Queen had not been without opposition, not since the whole fiasco happened at a party in her honour - and now a fraction of the nobles rebels against the young Queen, in absolute secrecy pledging to support her sister, the Spare Princess, to take the throne - the flames of discord and chaos fanned by the Ancient Queen, the Warrior of Steel & Silver and the Bone Carver, to the point where tensions were clearly felt in the air. 

But, salvation comes in the form of an anniversary. 

A funeral anniversary, honouring the deaths of the previous rulers of Asteria - the king and queen who had perished so abruptly, in their sleep. Three years have passed since their untimely demise, and the New King’s constitution seemed to have started to deteriorate - whether it was due to the rumours, or the pressure of being a sole ruler currently seated on the throne, with no one to truly rely on save for his advisers - but, even their consolation stretches so far. 

In light of the honouring of the deceased monarchs, the New King sent Kingdoms wide invitations, summoning Sotera’s royal court ( and their courtiers ) to join in the celebration of death and life, the perpetual cycle which governs every living creature’s lives. Carriages pull in front of the gates, nobles and dignitaries flock in, greeted by the New King’s welcoming smile - and the inquisitive glare that follows the faces of all those who meet his person… for the King has a plot of his own, a purpose to the fete of the Dead that only two people in his kingdom are privy of - for the past two weeks, the Physician and the Whisperer helped their King prepare for the honouring, and the feast, helped to set his plan into motion ;

The plan to find his siblings - if they still live.

The kingdoms of Asteria and Sotera, and the empire of Frigoria, have come together once more, to eat, drink, chat and amuse themselves - as much as the situation allows them. Coaxed into a relaxed state by the feast and the soft music played by the troubadours, the guests are unaware they’ve become subject to the New King’s careful scrutiny. 

But, shadows lurk in the corners, unseen, unperceived spies with an agenda of their own - the smiles of Joy and Amusement, hidden deep within the belly of the Asterian archives, plant a wicked seed that would soon shake the very pillars of the known continent. Secrets unveiled - but as the majority of the Two still remain in the dark about the existence of Frigoria, damnatio memoriae had started to weaken, helped by the wicked intention of the two unknown spies. Two unknown creatures, that vanish into thin air the moment seeds take root. 

And the first crack in the shield set by the Five Sagas had rippled through the kingdoms, bringing forth a sickening shriek. The Three will now come together, but hold yourselves close, little kingdoms - for a Hollow Eater is coming for you all. 

The shriek had ended the same as it had started. Abruptly, violently, leaving every soul in attendance to frown and turn a distrustful glare to one another - no one is safe from scrutiny, from anger as the Damnatio Memoriae falls into ruin, the images and knowledge of something long lost and forgotten now returning to the collective consciousness.

Unprepared, Frigoria had returned to centre stage - but while their powers of the unholy had been widely revered in the past, now they must all band together as a sickening idea echoes through the courtroom. 

What is a Hollow Eater and why have they’ve all felt like mice trapped in a glass jar?

Welcome to our second event and the beginning of the Second Part of our gameplay. Story is turning darker, secrets are slowly being spilled and Frigoria is now known once again! Naturally, this doesn’t mean everyone would know who their rulers are, who they are in the Two, or even if they’re in the  Two. They now perceive Frigoria as the Hidden Threat that had been to blame for the past events.

EVENT 001 - THE MASQUERADE

Location & timeline: The royal palace & the gardens of Sotera ; February 12th, 1276.

The kingdom of water and storms is raging with life - a whirlpool-like event drawing masses from far and wide, all eager to see the newly crowned queen of Sotera ; a young, formidable woman of an old, but equally formidable, line. The old Queen had made an effort to invite all known (and some lesser known, of course) individuals from the rivalling kingdom - including their king - to her daughter’s celebratory fete held in the very evening of her coronation. It was to be a magnificent event - a masquerade ball, the likes of which Sotera had never seen before.  It took weeks of meticulous planning, the Old Queen and her most trusted advisors wrote out and signed invitations for the nobles and dignitaries of Asteria, inviting them to the luxurious, but tasteful, event. It was not only a celebration of a young queen’s ascension to the throne, but also a promise of peace and understanding that was to be signed between two kingdoms - and masked intentions were so much easily unveiled once the persons holding them are kept anonymous with a veil covering their faces. It was a celebration, yes, but it is also a cunning plan - the one the Old Queen has made with her most trusted advisors, the Wise and the Admiral, to poke at Asteria’s true intentions, to see the New King and feel his soul, his heart - if he proves to be anything like his late father, then Eliona was certain there could be everlasting peace between their two great nations.  But, things are never the way they seem. Tonight, instead of coming down all the masks are coming up - while it is a night of the Old Queen’s secret plot, it is also a night of amusement and relaxation, an opportunity for peoples of various backgrounds, professions and opinions to come together and, if Providence allows it, form more genuine relationships with each other. Eliona, and her closest officials, are not as naive as to expect it to happen, but it does not hurt to hope - and life is rather bleak without hope, even if it is on shaky grounds.  Enter two court jesters. Enter Amusement and Joy …  And enter hidden danger. No one knows who they are - Amusement and Joy - no one knows where they come from ; and no one cares to know. On a night like this, everything is possible and nothing should be taken seriously. On a night like this, after all the attendees have arrived and adjourned to the ballroom after a scrumptious banquet, the spirits are high and the wine glasses are always full to the rim.  Amusement and Joy frolic around, playing their merry tune, the lute and the flute, they swirl, and sway, and circle around other masked figures - singing their songs and telling tall tales as they converse with the souls in the ballroom. Everyone seems to be in a merry mood, laughing at the Jesters, dancing together, or sitting in the corner of the room looking for a respite and a private conversation. Such glamour, such joy! And no one seems to perceive the all too sweet stench of something odd - something amiss, something… not being quite right. Even the Old Queen seems lost in the festivities, smiling widely beneath her gilded mask. Those who sense something strange in the air brush it away as the sweetness of the honey mixed with wine, or the dizziness after too many consecutive dances. No one sees the ink black grin on a porcelain mask, sticking to the shadows. No one feels how the air has grown ticker, heavier. No one hears the eerie tune in Amusement’s lute and no one hears the quiet warning, the silent danger woven through Joy's song. “All the voices in our heads, they don’t quiet down even when we’re dead. They sing where they sleep, and they sleep where they sing, and a tale as old as time has forgotten how to come alive. But alive it comes, alive it comes, alive it comes, and alive it comes! Oi ye, oi ye, oi ye, ye-ye, see how the sea comes alive! Oi ye, oi ye, oi ye, ye-ye, see how fire devours earth alive! Oi ye, oi ye, oi ye, ye-ye, see how the petrified stones come alive!”