TDM #4

[calderaevents]

ARRIVAL

It happens in an instant. A heavy weight in your gut, a trembling of your limbs, the world spins and you barely have time to register that you're falling before you lose consciousness. And when you awaken, it's not where you were last. Dark, unadorned oak walls surround you in a tiny room, the only furniture the bed you are currently resting upon, and the bedside table with a folded piece of parchment resting atop it that simply reads:

“The Tavernkeeper is awaiting your arrival downstairs.”

As you exit you find others like yourself emerging from the surrounding rooms. You are indeed in a tavern, but there is no hustle and bustle one might think to hear in such a place. The only person down on the main floor is a humanoid figure wiping down the bar, who smiles when they see you. They're familiar, but not, and you can't quite place their face. For some reason, however, their presence is comforting and warm.

“Welcome, Visitor. I'm sure you have a lot of questions.”

And you most certainly do.

Due to popular demand, the starter tavern and the drinks provided are available to in game characters via a portal accessible only to those with a faction gem.

DRINK MENU

WINTER'S WHISPER A fragrant spiced tea that calms the nerves and inspires the drinker to share their hopes and dreams.

JINGLE BELL A crisp, bright drink...that makes jingling bell sounds as you walk. There are no bells, and yet you jingle.

S(LAY) RIDE This drink has an earthy, woody taste. Almost as woody as the tavern floor it forces you to lie down upon. You cannot get up unless someone else helps you.

MISTLETOE MEAD Made with honey from enchanted bee hives and a touch of mistletoe leaves. Time to find a smoochin' partner!

HOLLY JOLLY SPICE A bold and fiery blend of rum, cinnamon, and cloves with a secret twist—just a dash of enchanted holly berry syrup that makes your cheeks flush with warmth and your laughter contagious. One sip, and you're the life of the party, even if you're by yourself.

CANDY CANE CRUSH A festive burst of minty sweetness with a cool, refreshing sensation that tingles the tongue. The drinker’s mood subtly shifts the color of their surroundings, briefly changing the hues of objects or lights in the room to match their feelings.

GINGERBREAD MAN A thick drink that tastes exactly like a gingerbread cookie. However, candy and other delicious accents start appearing on you as if YOU were the cookie. Is that icing on your nose? Candied cherries in your hair? Gumdrop buttons? But on the bright side, free candy!

CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY

As the effects of your drink wear off, the Tavernkeeper speaks once more:

”It is time, my friends, for you to find your new homes.”

You are compelled to walk through the only door leading out of the tavern, finding yourself not outside, but in a deep black, seemingly endless room with five portals arranged in a circle. As the last of you leave and the door closes behind you, gone when you look back again and replaced with nothing but that black void, three of the portals illuminate:

The first portal is surrounded by an almost blinding light, prismatic rainbows shining brightly in the dewy air outside of the tavern. A soft breeze may gently caress you, pulling you toward it. The portal seems to lead to a city in the clouds, airships and winged beings of all sorts soaring through the skies. Of the little bits of visible land, much of it boasts giant waterfalls that look like clouds melting into the land below. The portal calls to those who crave independence and freedom; and especially to anyone that wishes to find the strong bond of a family not forged in blood.

The second portal is encircled by a fairy ring of spotted white capped mushrooms, the faint scent of damp stone and rich earth wafting from within the faint green glow. Peering inside, one can see a sprawling harbor city of gray hewn stone, a melting pot of humanoid beings going about their day, and beyond, rolling green farmland and cottages clustered in small villages. This portal is destined for those who crave stability and solid ground beneath their feet. A simple life, an adventurous one, and everything in between can be found within.

The last portal is adorned with shells and seaweed, the glow of blue around it catching on droplets cascading down the circular opening. Beyond it you see a city housed inside a massive bubble deep under the ocean, spiraling towers encrusted with coral, and a variety of different creatures mingling about the streets. Outside of that bubble, merfolk swim, a massive squid engulfs the view from the portal as it smoothly glides through the water, and schools of fish disperse as it passes. A sanctuary in the sea that calls to those with a hunger for knowledge and a desire to aid those in need. Or perhaps it is the mystery that beckons you - the lure of the unknown in the depths that bids you explore it.

---

Upon following the pull of the breeze through the first portal, you are thrust into the beauty of a lively city that goes by the name of Heaven's Bow. Much of this main city feels exactly as you would expect on a city below, but there are clouds surrounding every direction you look. The walls of buildings are made with light-colored limestone, and buildings are generally built up to heights made even more grandiose by their position in the sky.

The Skyfall Docks are the first thing you notice, boasting hundreds of airships sailing in and out across the clouds with shouts that accompany a typical port city. Just outside is a fantastic market with goods not only from the other regions of Caldera, but from what some shopkeepers claim are other worlds--items sold or left behind by Visitors. Almost anything can be found in the markets if one is willing to look hard enough. Transport to other locations throughout the sky and even to the land or sea can be found here.

If the docks are too lively for you, you may instead find yourself roaming the underbelly of Heaven's Bow and finding brothels and gambling parlors filled with the promise of pleasure and fortune. The guild house for the Sylphs can be found here as well, giving out quests and training to prospective adventurers and guards alike--though none of them seem concerned with the illicit activities that surround them. Perhaps the freedom the Sylphs boast of extends to what others may deem an undesirable activity.

But most curious of all, you find a shimmering opal gemstone in your hand. When placed anywhere on the body, it will transform into a piece of jewelry with the gemstone set in the center.

---

If it was the second portal that called to you, you will find yourself in the busy city of Grey Ward, with its cobblestone streets and sturdy grey stone buildings. You are in the heart of the city, the Glass Market, so named for the colorful stained glass windows of the surrounding buildings. The scent of cooking food and the sound of barkers fills the air; watchful guards keep an eye out for pickpockets and thieves, and citizens go about their day. From here, one can investigate the rest of the city: the Sundown Docks, where both sea and sky faring skips transport people and goods. The Soot Spire, home of inventors and engineers. The Hearthstill, the main residential area. The Downs, a smaller residential area for those with less means.

Outside the city walls, one can explore acres of farmlands to the east and west, or follow Terra’s Pass to the less settled areas, but take care. Past the Skyward Range, out in the smaller burrows and villages, the influence of the city guard diminishes quickly, and you’ll have to keep your wits about you. Bandits along the road are always a risk, and the wildlife are less controlled by regimented hunting.

In your hand is a gemstone, a brilliantly green emerald that, when placed anywhere on the body, will transform into a piece of jewelry with the gemstone set in the center.

---

If the last portal beckoned you through it, you find yourself within that bubble covered city beneath the sea, the city of Salt Spire. Your ears pop with the change in pressure, and the smell of the salty sea fills your nostrils. All around you buildings made of dark stone encrusted with coral and seagrass tower high above your head, the backdrop outside the dome a deep blue, seemingly endless sea filled with fish and merfolk and all other manner of creature swimming through the water. You stand in the heart of it all, surrounded by people with gils on their necks and scales upon their vibrantly colored skin, all of whom seem intrigued by your arrival. You have many options of where to visit in the city under the sea, but where oh where will you go first?

The Salt Spire Library is right before you, an impossibly large building housing thousands upon thousands of books of all genres. Fiction, non-fiction, romance and mystery and all between. You may even find books from your world and others! Oddly enough though, no Calderan history books are to be found, and if you ask for them, the librarians and locals all choose to ignore your questions.

If scholarly pursuits aren't to your interest currently, perhaps a trip to Bluetide Market would be more your style? The marketplace is host to every manner of shop one might ever need: artisans of all varieties, apothecaries and healers in the Shimmer Quarter, the most in fashion undersea clothing shops, food stalls, and all between can be found in Bluetide. There are also the Tideshore and Fogbottom docks on either end of the city. The former allows transport to the surface via large, magical bubbles for those that cannot hold their breath or make the swim themselves yet. The latter allows people to venture further into the sea. Those without their underwater abilities are offered rebreathers for travel that last for four hours before needing to be replaced.

In your hand is a gemstone, a shining sapphire that, when placed anywhere on the body, will transform into a piece of jewelry with the gemstone set in the center.

---

Visitors in all starter cities are offered a standard home with basic necessities provided (your choice in design, etc.) that can house 1-4 people if they so choose. Home upgrades can be purchased via rewards.

FANNING THE FLAMES

The renewed seething of the lava flows brought on by the tempestuous events deep below the sea seem to have been dealt with, though city guards have been stationed around the crater and are barring anyone from approaching to investigate any further than the outskirts. Interestingly, not only does the crater seem calm, it appears to be changing. Any remaining lava flow is being directed as if by unseen hands, and when the light catches just right, the barest hint of a shimmer can be detected surrounding the glowing rivers. New rock formations take shape as the days pass, though one never can catch the presence of a mason working on the structures. It's as if something intangible or invisible is repairing what was broken, turning what was previously chaos and ruin into order and life.

SEASON OF LIGHT

The world remains unsettled, still bearing the scars of the trials endured just a month prior, not to mention the oddities happening with the volcanic crater and the ominous shadows creeping in from the sea continue to haunt the collective psyche, leaving both locals and visitors on constant edge, fearful of a sudden, unprovoked assault. Despite these lingering anxieties, the leaders have publicly reassured all that calm has been restored. They claim that the worst is behind them and that every measure is being taken to prevent such devastating magics from ever threatening Salt Spire again. The protective bubble holds, new Undine are being ushered into their roles, and the world, it is said, is slowly healing. Or so they claim.

Whether or not the assurances of the leaders ring entirely true, life, as it often does, presses on. The people of Caldera have once again immersed themselves in the comforting bustle of distraction, turning their attention to the imminent Season of Lights celebrations. This holiday, it seems, bears a striking resemblance to the festive cheer of Christmas (and a mix of new years), with gifts exchanged in abundance and decorations of shimmering silver and radiant blue casting their glow across the sky, sea, and land in harmonious splendor.

One of the seasons's highlights is the grand Feast of the Sky, a night when the people gather beneath a star-filled canopy to exchange gifts—ornate trinkets, hand-crafted items, and tokens of affection that carry deep personal meaning. In the days leading up to the feast, a tradition of "Lightwalking" emerges, where families and friends embark on midnight strolls through streets aglow with lanterns, singing carols and sharing stories of hope and renewal. Sea-going vessels, too, partake in the festivities, their sails and riggings festooned with glowing orbs that drift like stars across the waters.

The Season of Lights is, above all, a celebration of resilience, a time when the people of Caldera set aside their worries, if only for a little while, to bask in the glow of community, generosity, and the promise of brighter days ahead thanks to the Visitor's arrival...

THE GRAND MASQUERADE

Another highlight of the season is the Grand Masquerade that unfolds high above the world in Heaven’s Bow, the floating city where the wind dances in the sky and the stars seem close enough to touch. The event is more than just a celebration of the Season of Lights—it’s a gathering of hope, a last-ditch effort to save Caldera from its slow unraveling. Here, among the clouds and the wind, the people of Caldera and the mysterious Visitors from other worlds come together in a shimmering, ethereal celebration, their faces hidden behind elaborate masks and appropriately fancy dress provided when one steps through the threshold of the castle gates.

The palace at the heart of Heaven’s Bow is a breathtaking sight, its walls adorned with silver and blue decorations that catch the light from thousands of lanterns floating in mid-air. The atmosphere is both jubilant and tense, a world on the brink of collapse holding its breath in the hopes that this fleeting night will offer a glimmer of salvation. The sky above is painted with the colors of dusk and dawn, swirling in a palette of purples, blues, and silvers.

Sylphs—the free-spirited, airborn people of the Sky—flutter about, their wings glinting in the light, performing acrobatic feats in the air, their laughter and music mingling with the sounds of the celebration. Guests, their masks intricate and stunning, move among the crowd, exchanging pleasantries and stories, some joining in the dances while others linger near the grand tables, laden with food and drink from every corner of Caldera and beyond.

As the night unfolds, the guests find themselves drawn into different corners of the event—each space offering the Visitors a chance to prove themselves worthy of the leaders’ favor. There is no shortage of opportunities to learn, grow, and, perhaps, change the course of this dying world.

THE SKY'S ASCENSION

At one end of the palace's terrace, a floating platform hovers above the clouds, surrounded by shifting air currents. Sylphs glide effortlessly through the space, their wings leaving trails of light as they move to the lively music, which seems written by the wind itself.

Aella, Admiral of the Slyph, stands at the center of the platform, her cloak of shimmering feathers rippling in the breeze. She surveys the crowd, inviting those brave enough to take part in her challenge. Before them, a maze of floating platforms stretches out, some wide and stable, others narrow and swaying in the wind. The task is simple: leap from one platform to the next, navigating the shifting air and ever-changing obstacles.

The platforms move unpredictably, some rising higher, others sinking, and a few disappearing entirely. Guests must time their jumps perfectly, balancing agility with timing as they avoid falling into the clouds below.

Those who succeed will earn Aella’s favor (in the form of 100 Bones and a single white feather). And those who falter will simply reappear the start of the challenge to begin anew or give up with no repercussions for the latter save perhaps a bit of embarrassment.

THE SEA'S SECRETS

On the other side of the terrace, a serene water garden unfolds, its shimmering pools reflecting the stars above. Water flows in delicate, endless cascades, filling the air with a soft, soothing melody that mingles with the distant sound of waves. The Undines, graceful and serene beings of the Sea, glide effortlessly through the space, their robes flowing like gentle currents, their movements as fluid as the water itself.

Cordelia, Queen of the Sea, stands quietly on a raised platform at the edge of the garden, her presence calm and powerful. Her eyes, deep and unfathomable, seem to reflect the vastness of the ocean, and though she watches the guests, she does not engage with them. Her stillness holds an air of mystery, as if she is both present and yet unreachable.

The Undines move silently through the garden, offering peaceful company to those who wander nearby. The garden is a place of contemplation, where guests can simply pause and connect with the tranquil beauty of the water—its soothing flow, its quiet depths, and its promise of renewal. There are no tests or challenges here, only the peace of the Sea to calm the mind and soul.

Those who linger may feel the weight of ancient knowledge in the air, a silent understanding of the oceans' mysteries and the healing power of water. In this place, the answers are not spoken, but felt—a quiet reminder that some of the world’s deepest truths are best discovered in moments of stillness.

As the evening fades, those who have found solace in the garden’s stillness will discover, tucked gently in their palm, a lustrous pearl. Unlike any found on the shores, this pearl is soft and warm, its surface shimmering with an inner light. It is a symbol of the wisdom that comes from quiet reflection—the knowledge that some things, like the depth of the sea, cannot be rushed.

THE LAND'S EMBRACE

In the heart of the palace gardens, beneath a canopy of flowering trees, the Dryads drift gracefully among the guests, their earthy skin glowing with life and their eyes bright with the vitality of nature. The air is thick with the scent of blooming roses and jasmine, while the ground beneath the guests' feet pulses with a quiet energy, inviting them to pause and feel the garden’s magic.

Terra, the Lady of the Land, stands at the center, her form adorned in living vines and blossoms, moving as if the garden itself flows through her. Her presence is both nurturing and fierce, a silent invitation to those seeking connection—to the land, to love, and to one another.

Guests are drawn to the tranquil beauty of the garden, stealing soft moments with their partners among the flowers. Lovers exchange quiet glances, touch petals with gentle fingers, and share unspoken promises beneath the soft glow of lanterns. The garden hums with romance, as if the earth itself is blessing these tender moments, offering the quiet assurance that love—like the land—can grow in the most unexpected places.

As the night draws to a close, Terra’s gentle power is felt in the air, and for those who have taken the time to connect with the garden’s beauty, a soft gift of nature is bestowed. A flower—unique and radiant—appears in their hand, a token of love and growth, a reminder that even the briefest moments can take root and blossom into something everlasting.

QUESTBOARD [NEW QUESTS ADDED]

Settled in? Good. It's time to make your way to the Questboard located in every city in numerous, easy to access locations. That is, if you want to make any kind of impact on the world or just get some Bones for anything you might wish to purchase. Visitors are given a very small stipend in which to survive every month, but all it does is keep you fed and housed. These quests will assure you greater wealth, and they're the main reason you're here: each finished quest helps the Calderans fix their shattering world.

Quests can be accepted at the questboard via magically signed parchment upon the board. Just sign your name to accept and the paper will be whisked away... somewhere. You're not actually sure. Probably nothing to concern yourself with.

Once quests are completed, earned Bones will be dropped off at the character's residence by Bonita, the mysterious artisan who has supposedly handcrafted every Bone circulating in Caldera. Please do not speak to her, she startles easily.

OOC NOTES

Welcome to Caldera's fourth TDM! All characters awaken in a strange tavern with nothing save the clothes on their backs, all of their powers stripped, and a piece of parchment directing them downstairs to the Tavernkeeper. There is a thread of all questions answered by the Tavernkeeper here, and if you have more, feel free to ask there for what would be offered ICly.

For OOC questions, please direct themhere.

All locations are available to be explored!

The TDM is game canon and all completed quests can be carried over once accepted into the game.

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Comments

[shuffled]

Anthem wasn't sure what to say. In most situations she tried to ease closer to optimism if she could — but the reality of the situation was really too much to deny. Alice was long gone if she had not turned up by now, and this dive down to the depths would be absolutely heartbreaking.

"Hello, Finnick." She greeted as she stepped toward the boat. "Are you all right?"

[odare]

He exhales a breath through pursed lips and teeth, like he's deflating. He lifts his hands slightly, then lets them fall and slap against his thighs, as though he's already halfway given up on it all.

"Well. No. Not at all. But here we are."

Another kid dead, yet another kid he failed to protect, and so young. The loss is tragic, and the guilt keeps him up at night, raking himself over the coals of what-ifs.

But all he can do now is exactly what they're about to do.

[shuffled]

Her gaze fell, tail drooping behind her. It was the answer she expected, and yet it still was awful to hear.

"I'm sorry, Finnick." She offered as she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a hug that had her squeezing him tight. "We will give them closure, if nothing else."

[odare]

Finnick squeezes her back just as tightly, his eyes scrunching closed as he wills himself not to cry. It's not his place to cry about this, and he's got important work to do, so it's not the time anyway. He takes a deep breath, in and out, steeling himself. As he pulls away, he holds her shoulders, squeezing them a bit, looking into her eyes.

"It's all we can do, and an honor to do it." An honor to be able to help someone grieving in any way, and an honor to provide physical proof that this child was here, they lived, they were important.

Plus, if Finnick doesn't do something, his own helplessness will eat him alive.

"Will the cold be an issue for you? I'm a little worried about it, myself." Not that it's going to stop him even if he gets hypothermia.

[shuffled]

Anthem held his face in her hands for a moment, offering a smile she hoped was reassuring. It was sad and she hated that they had to do it — but better than not knowing. Not knowing always hurt more.

"I should be fine. We will just have to be sure to watch each other's backs. If we have to retreat, we need to be sure that we do so as soon as we can. Promise me."

[odare]

Her touch is sweet, soothes his heartache a little... Or perhaps it only makes it ache more.

"Retreat? Why would we do that?"

They'd never retreated before. Finnick had never left the Drop before doing what he went to do. Kill cultists, save people, or simply check on the status of things. They are going deeper than ever this time, though, to the bottom.

[shuffled]

Her tail curled nervously behind her. "There's — things have happened to me in the sea that I have found far worse than drowning, is all." She admitted. "My magic is returned and with it my affinity for divination. Those shadows speak to me in the sea, and I would rather we retreat and regroup than risk the both of us if something were to happen to me."

Maybe she shouldn't have come, but she couldn't just let him do it alone either. Not after everything they had been through. "I'm hoping it won't come to that."

[odare]

"The shadows speak to you?" Finnick asks with concern. He doesn't know what that means, and he doesn't know what divination is. "I mean, we can retreat any time you need, but can you explain that to me? I don't know any magic stuff."

[shuffled]

"Sometimes... I can hear echoes of the past, see hints of the future. I usually do it on my own — read cards and the stars and catch glimpses of what might happen to myself or others. But that connection makes me vulnerable sometimes, too, and those shadows, those voices, they crept into my mind when I came too close. It sounded... dark. Angry."

[odare]

"Oh..." He places his hands on her upper arms gently, worry written on his face. "That's scary... Just signal to me if that happens and we'll get out of there ASAP."

[shuffled]

She forced a smile to her lips and nodded, patting his cheek gently. "Of course. Shall we get to it, then?"

[odare]

Finnick nods, then moves to the boat, getting it prepped and then pushing them off the dock. He sails them out to their usual location near the edge of the underwater cliff, and drops anchor.

He should have a wetsuit, for how cold it is, but he doesn't, and he's not going to let it stop him. He tells himself that keeping a quick pace while swimming will keep him warm.

He grabs his trident, removes his extra clothing, and makes sure Anthem is ready before diving in, immediately swimming down the drop, not bothering with stealth at all these days.

[shuffled]

Anthem was ready by the time they dropped anchor, her rebreather secured to her face. She dove in after Finnick, the trip to the drop shorter than the last for how well they knew the area at this point.

Luckily, stealth didn't seem to be required anyway, as the drop seemed... eerily silent. The glow dulled in places by darkness. Anthem felt her stomach drop, but she continued swimming, stopping a few feet away from one of those swirling pools of blackness.

"This isn't good."

[odare]

It's so cold down here, and creepy, when lit only by the purple glow of the mysterious crystals. And there are... Black pools among those crystals now, with shadows that are surely of the sort Anthem was just talking about.

"Okay, you stay away from that," he instructs, not wanting the shadows to start talking to her if she gets too close. Instead, he swims closer, curiously peering at the darkness. It's like a pool of dark tentacles that writhe and move. Extremely unnerving. Looking around him, he also doesn't see any bodies. Until--

From the blackness, an arm shoots up, grabbing Finnick's wrist with an impossible strength. The arm is laden with crystals, otherwise looking necrotic. He yelps in panic, as well as one can yelp underwater, and jerks backward. The strange hand has a firm hold, so all his movement does is slowly lift a body from the blackness, which is similarly crystallized and undead. But... It does, vaguely, have the form of a little girl. A wisp of long red hair unfurls in the water.

This was Alice. Benjamin's twin sister. Her eyes glow with a sinister violet energy.

[shuffled]

She was perfectly content staying away from the shadows. Would have remained some distance away, too, if Finnick hadn't been grabbed by the crystallized corpse of the very girl they were searching for.

Anthem had a choice. Try and pry the hand off physically and get Finnick away from the girl, or magic her way out of this and potentially kill (double kill?) The girl.

Not really much of a choice.

A bolt of bright blue streaked past Finnick and seemed to lock into Alice's chest, the shock of magic surging through her tiny body like a lightning bolt. Anthem reached her other hand out to try and pull Finnick back while the crystal zombie girl convulsed.

[odare]

Finnick stares in horror as she not only looks terrifyingly inhuman, but she's soon hit by some kind of beam from Anthem and begins to convulse. He's frozen for a moment, unsure if he should try to help her or get the fuck away from her.

Thankfully, he doesn't have to make a decision. Alice's hand grips tighter, painfully so, then releases completely, her wrist bending back in an unnatural way. At the same time, Anthem grabs him and pulls him back, which snaps him out of his state of shock a little. He yanks his hand into his chest, wincing as the pain continues, for some reason. He doesn't think she broke his wrist, and he's not quite cold enough to be getting frostbite, but somehow it feels like a little of both.

His instinct is to move away from Alice, if that thing can even be called Alice, so he swims up quickly. Then, a pause. He looks back down. He promised her mother to find her remains, something left of her. He can't very well bring back a zombie, but there must be something he can do...

His eyes flash to her red hair as she convulses. Her hair always reminded him of Annie's. It's still in two braids, one of them not totally crusted by crystals yet, and somehow, a green silk ribbon still barely hangs on, almost untied now at the end of her braid.

He quickly swims back down with one hand, carefully retrieving the ribbon. Just as he's moving away from her again, she stops seizing and reaches for him, but he's fast enough to evade her grasp. He bites the ribbon between his teeth to free his hand for swimming and guns it upward.

[shuffled]

"Finnick!" Anthem felt him pull away and stared in horror when he drew back toward the crystalline undead. She would fully understand his reasoning once there was time to explain, but in that split second, she was certain she would be dragging her friend's corpse back up to the surface.

That bolt of arcane energy shot out again, keeping the girl back while they made their ascent. Luckily, she didn't seem inclined to follow after them — either because she physically couldn't, or simply did not have the instinct. Anthem did not question it and swam hard for the boat, reaching for Finnick as they popped above the waves.

[odare]

Finnick doesn't look back again, swimming as fast as he can until they reach the surface. He reaches back for Anthem; he's now freezing cold, somewhat sick from the rapid changes in depths, and the crystals on his arm are causing more pain. He swims over to the small ladder at the back of the boat and hauls himself into it, then helps anthem up with him. The air is frigid, and against his wet skin instantly makes him shiver uncontrollably. He searches the boat for the blankets he hopes are stashed here- and thankfully finds them, throwing one over Anthem's shoulders, one over his own as he huddles down onto the deck.

Looking now more closely at his wrist, it's encircled with purple crystals, and he's not completely sure, but they may be spreading. He touches them with his bluish fingertips, mildly horrified.

"That doesn't seem good."

[shuffled]

She was cold, too, but not nearly as much as Finnick thanks to the infernal blood pumping through her veins. Anthem tugged the blanket tightly around her shoulders and huddled next to Finnick, arm around his shoulder to pull him into her side so he could leech that warmth for himself.

"Do not touch them." She said. "They seem to be spreading." Anthem reached for her dagger, pulling it from its sheath and spinning so the handle was aimed down. "I can try and break them, but I fear that is my only idea so far."

[odare]

"Hold on," Finnick murmurs, unsure if her breaking them is going to hurt like a bitch or if he's numb there now. He first puts his hand near the crystals on his forearm and channels healing into it, then moves his hand slowly toward the amethyst's edge. They begin to crackle, which hurts a little, but as he brushes at them with his hand, they start to flake off. He continues the motion with his glowing hand until his arm is back to normal. Then sighs with relief.

"Okay, good. Well, I got her ribbon, at least..." He holds it between his fingertips again. "But that was... Not good. I hope those zombies don't wander toward Salt Spire."

[shuffled]

Anthem paused, uncertain, but let him work, anxiety bubbling in her stomach. If he turned into one of those crystal monstrosities, she didn't know what she would do.

Thankfully, magic seemed to do the trick (it often did), and she sighed in relief, nestling in close so he could continue feeding off the natural warmth of her body, her tail curled around him. "The Drop is deep." She murmured. "Hopefully they cannot climb well. Regardless, we will have to alert someone."