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TDM #4
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:
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.
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!
As the effects of your drink wear off, the Tavernkeeper speaks once more:
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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Oh yes, there was a great deal of time to he made up for and a great deal of that time had started at the Paris Climate Accord when he'd first been aware of how absolutely sexy Alex was.
Fuck his life, he was absolutely smitten and this was doing nothing to help him resist this, it was a good thing he did not need to, so perhaps he'd just ride out this attraction.
"I hope you realize you are fooling no one."
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He laughed, scraping his teeth along the side of Henry's neck. "Oh well... guess you've got my number, baby. Can't hide from you."
That was fine with Alex. He liked it, how Henry understood him so well.
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"It is slippery, I hope you are prepared to keep me from falling." But only in the most basic way, the soul crushing way having to do with hearts? That was an unkindness that he would keep to himself-- he was already laying naked on the floor and deliriously in love with Alex.
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A turn of his own head brought his cheek brushing against wet hair, lips brushing his temple as he spoke. "Mmhmm. Don't worry. I've got you, baby." He had him, and he would not let him go -- physically in this moment and metaphorically for so much longer. Mine was the thought in his mind, the one he had no business having but was there nevertheless.
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It was not fair how he was coming apart at a mere touch, with Alex's hands greedily working every single reaction out of him, how his hips arched into his lover's and his mouth falling open with the tender whispered assurances of Alex against his ear. Not fair how this man could send him so close off the edge with just uttered words, and then there was a jerk of his hips against the palm and the fingers, and then come slid through those digits and ever downward until they mingled with the water that rained down around them.
This was the most free that he had felt in a while.
A harsh set of panting as breath expelled from his lips as he who belonged to Alex succumbed to that perfect orgasm, pleasure surrounding him like infinity, and his spine molding to Alex's chest as if he'd just been melted and was soon to be reformed and made anew.
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He stroked him through his release before settling both arms around the prince to hold him close.
"Fuck, you're gorgeous." It was honestly offensive just how attractive Henry was, how Alex couldn't even think straight (obviously) around him.
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Whatever would he do?
"Though I rather wonder why you are intent upon spoiling me like this? Do you not understand or remember what they say about payback?"
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He tightened his arms around Henry, holding him securely.
"Making threats, baby? Am I supposed to be intimidated?" He was, in fact, not very scared at all.
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He happened to have volumes of poetry, oh wait they were not here. Perhaps he could find some of these poetry volumes at the Undine Library? That could be a fun thing that they could do together, and perhaps he would deign to do something wholly american, to keep things fair and even.
"Yes, I will threaten you with poetry and also other things, you should be quaking in your boots."
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"Oh yeah, definitely. My Jane Austen exposure is definitely lacking. It's a hole in my life that is just begging to be filled."
Terrible threats to have that silky poshly accented voice reading poetry and romance to him. Woe is Alex Claremont-Diaz. So much woe. "Well, I forgot my boots so the quaking will have to wait."
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And it wouldn't be the most graceful thing ever.
"Oh I can assure you that a great many holes in your life will be filled, Alex Clarement-Diaz." and that sounded suspiciously like both a promise and a threat.
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Don't think about it too hard, Alex. That way lay danger.
He choked on a sound that couldn't decide between laughter and indignance at those words. "Threatening me with a good time, baby?"
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He said that in the most affectionate way even as he started to run the rather sudsy soap right along that chest that he had coveted in his deepest most secret fantasies. Bloody hell, it was such a good chest. He made sure though to pay attention to those nipples, it was as he had discovered rather a underutilized part of the male physique.
"It is not fair you to be unattended to, right sweetheart?"
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"I did get pretty dirty..." Alex admitted as those hands began to move over his chest. Oh he liked that, liked Henry's hands on him for whatever the reason happened to be. He liked how softly intimate this was, though that didn't stop the soft hitch in breath at the attention to his nipples. His hands moved to settle at Henry's hips, just resting there, thumbs caressing in soft, absentminded circles. "Totally not fair. But you'll take care of me, won't you?"
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There was an edge of personal to his attentions, as he ran slow circles with soap, first against one pectoral and then the other, when he needed to using the spray to rinse the other man. Then he started on those rather powerful thighs, oh yes-- they were also delicious and Henry was rather boggled by the fact that he wanted to just eat Alex up. It was the sort of cannibalism that was highly benign and yet still would devour as if consuming.
"If I am being honest, I have also thought about eating your ass-- in passing." you know, casual thoughts.
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He half leaned his head back against the wall for a moment, eyes half shutting while he basked in the attention.
Until he choked on nothing and looked back to Henry. "That ah... in passing, huh? Random Tuesday morning thought? Folding the laundry and it just comes to mind?"
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"Well, it was a little more inconvenient than that, I am afraid. I was on my way to a function and I was being driven, and it came to mind perhaps five minutes after I was set to get out of the car, so I had to think of some unpleasant things to get my body under control."
It was in passing, he'd been looking out the window and then surprise sexual fantasy seemed to hit him right in the mind-face.
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Fuck. fuck fuck. How dare he be so sexy. It was not far it was not right.
"Well, at least you weren't behind the wheel. I'd hate to be responsible for an accident." Or well, thoughts of him. That Henry was having. Back home in the back seat of a car. This was important information that Alex would torture himself with later, taking that apart and reading into it and then getting mad at himself for reading into it.
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He leaned in and then he continued upon that vein of thought, a soft hum against a shell-like ear while he fed Alex a few more mental images. "It is very easy to think of you bent over and spread for me while I part your thighs and I use my tongue and see if I can make you come just like that."
Oh yes, he was choosing violence right now.
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And then Henry decided to verbally destroy him, and Alex choked on nothing. Fuck him there was no surviving this man. This absolute criminal.
"Fuck, Henry... you are not playing fair right now."
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Oh, but the effort against dick was not concentrated at all, his body strafing to the side so that he could slip around Alex and then he used the momentum of his body to press Alex against the shower stall.
"Have you been good enough for a demonstration, I wonder."
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He leaned into the wall where he found himself trapped, glancing back over his shoulder at the other man. His dark eyes were darker than usual, pupils nearly subsuming the iris entirely. His lips parted around a rush of breath, the arousal dizzying. Or was that the heat from the shower? Or just being in Henry's presence?
So really, Alex did the only reasonable thing a person in his position could do -- begging. "Please, baby..."
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Down, down down to the center of back where he could feel and hear the heavy heartbeat of a body thinking that it was prey.
Well, it was.
Teeth scraping downward with tongue darting out, following the entrancing line of spine, ever downward until finally he found the slope where back turned into rear, teasing against the skin while his hearing primed for even the barest of sounds from Alex.
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A trembling sound more whimper than moan, he leaned more heavily against the shower wall, forearms braced against the wet stone, hips rocking mindlessly into that hand. He panted softly, glancing back over his shoulder at the prince.
"God, Henry..."
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Meanwhile his fingers continued on their leisurely exploratory stroking in the way that he knew would drive Alex to distraction. He managed to move his head with each thrust backward, so that with each movement Henry's tongue would delve in a little bit deeper... almost as if he was coaxing the brat to fuck back against his mouth.. to take.
He could not hear Alex over the taste of how delicious he was to the Prince.
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