TDM #10

[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. If you aren't ready for a permanent home yet, there is an inn in Grey Ward, where accommodations and food are free for Visitors.

THE AFTERMATH

When the mysterious moon god attacked, tearing treacherous rifts into the fabric of Caldera. The Star Gods held these rifts open while Visitors bravely stepped up to find and destroy the broken shards of lunar light within them. Thanks to their efforts, the moon was finally pushed back into its rightful place in the sky. The god sentenced to serve their punishment upon the displaced satellite was seemingly torn asunder by the overwhelming power they unleashed in a last, desperate attempt to destroy the world. Nymion dealt the finishing blow in a blinding beam of lightning and a boom of thunder that shook the very earth, then restored the moon, hanging it carefully back where it should be in the sky, albeit now with visible cracks he was unable to fully mend.

The gods were exhausted, but standing. All except one.

As they descended from the chaos where the rifts in reality had once writhed, Triton carried Cordelia in his arms. The Queen of the Seas lay unconscious, her strength spent after holding both her own and Nymion's rifts open long enough for the Visitors to break through. Fortunately, the seas did not erupt into turmoil; Vesper and Triton kept the Undine realm steady, even as Cordelia fell into a deep, uncertain coma.

"Caldera survives another day!" Nymion boomed triumphantly as he and the others touched down. "This calls for a celebration! 'Tis the season, is it not? Enough pouting — Cordelia will rise again, if she is strong enough to."

SEASON OF LIGHT

In the aftermath of this tremendous chaos and effort, feelings of paranoia, exhaustion, and grief linger in the populace, making the people reluctant to celebrate this victory. Once again, the realm has been shaken, and the fear of life or death is not an easy one to brush off.

Yet at Nymion's urging, the locals yield. Perhaps he is right — this is the season meant for unity and hope. Though still wary, they do their best to ensure that the Season of Lights begins as it has in years past. Once more, the people of Caldera sink into the comforting bustle of distraction, fixing their attention on the imminent celebrations. The holiday, reminiscent of Christmas and New Years, brings gift-giving in abundance and decorations of shimmering silver and radiant blue that cast their glow across sky, sea, and land in harmonious splendor.

One of the season's highlights is the grand Feast of the Sky, a night when the people gather beneath a star-filled canopy to exchange gifts and share a meal. In the days leading up to the feast, families and friends take part in a tradition known as "Lightwalking," embarking on midnight strolls through lantern-lit streets, singing carols, drinking hot cocoa and cider, and sharing stories of hope and renewal. Even the seafaring vessels join in the light show, their sails and rigging adorned with glowing orbs that drift like stars across the water.

Above all, the Season of Lights is a celebration of resilience — a time when the people of Caldera set aside their worries, if only briefly, and bask in the glow of community, generosity, and the promise of brighter days ahead, especially now that the threat of the moon has been vanquished.

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 moon, thankfully, is no longer that close. The event is more than just a celebration of the Season of Lights — it's a gathering of hope, a focus on light during dark and uncertain times. Here among the clouds, the people of Caldera and the heroic Visitors from other worlds come together in a shimmering, ethereal celebration, their faces hidden behind elaborate masks and appropriately fancy dress provided with instantaneous magic when one steps through the threshold of the castle gates.

The gleaming silver palace at the heart of Heaven's Bow is a breathtaking sight, its walls adorned with shiny blue decorations that catch the light from thousands of lanterns floating in mid-air. The sky above is painted with the colors of dusk, 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 and playing beautiful, floating melodies on lyres. Their laughter and music mingles with the sounds of the celebration. The atmosphere is that of a sigh of relief, a dissolution of tension; the laughter echoing through the palace halls is tired but genuine, the chatter between friends is that of gratitude that they made it through all right.

FLIGHTS OF FANCY

In the grand hall, there are long tables laden with lavish finger foods and desserts, the plates interspersed with baubles of iridescent glass. A round table off to the side has a tower of champagne glasses with sparkling wine, and it appears to be a custom to pair up, make a heartfelt toast, and link arms with your partner to drain your glass. This wine has mild magical effects, making your form glow faintly and your voice take on an airy, musical quality, which may charm those around you, and slowly turns the din of the party into a symphony as the night goes on. You may also find that you are lighter on your feet, enough to even float off the ground a little as thought gravity has lessened, and it may give you the urge to dance.

And as for dancing, there is a gorgeous ballroom floor that gleams with silver and blue polished tile. The dances of the locals echo the sylph's graceful flight through the air, with languid, flowing movements and a freestyle form of step, letting the music move them across the floor. However, there is the occasional livelier song, where the Calderans will push you into the closest person to partner up for a complicated and jovial traditional dance. Keeping up seems to be optional- there is plenty of laughter and no judgment if you falter in the steps. Finally, a slow dance brings couples together more intimately, holding each other with a renewed sense of love, knowing now that nothing here can be taken for granted.

WRITTEN IN THE STARS

If dancing isn't your thing, you notice that curiously, there's a stream of Calderans leading out of the great hall, and if you follow them, you will find yourself outside in front of a large crystal dome. Welcoming folks inside is none other than Nymion, the showboating Star God himself, who singles out Visitors entering with a special little quest:

"Hey, not a bad job you guys did with those rifts. Couldn't have saved it without your help, but don't tell anyone I said that. Anyway, I'm still looking for exceptional talents in this world, and I've yet to be truly wowed. You up for a challenge? Yeah, of course you are, that's what I thought. Come on, champ!"

He claps you on the back a little too hard and ushers you inside. Upon entering the dome, you discover it's a gorgeous planetarium, so realistic that it feels unnervingly like you're floating in space. In here, Visitors are granted the magical ability to create stars and form constellations in this space. Nymion wants you to create something truly show-stopping, name it, and present it to him. If you're having trouble getting the creative juices flowing, it may help to work as a team with a fellow Visitor. If he likes it, he may just make your constellation real.

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 10th 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.

◾All constellations crafted by Visitors will be visible in the night sky unless specified otherwise.

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Comments

[lordofrats]

Xander never wanted Viktor to feel embarrassed or insecure, but he had to admit how nice it was to catch glimpses of the man he had initially fallen in love with.

He took Viktor's hands and shifted them, just slightly, to the side, shaded by a glittering pillar so many of the party goers would have to make some effort to actually see them.

"Have you seen anyone else dance? Besides now, I suppose."

[hexstrapper]

He appreciates Xander's choice to move them somewhere less visible, so Viktor can learn without being on display.

"Of course," he murmurs. "But I imagine the dancing in Zaun is quite different than that of Empire nobles." He's seen people topside dancing a few times, and that was probably closer to the way Xander learned how to dance, more formal. However, Viktor has little knowledge of it, because as they discussed earlier, he's allergic to such gatherings.

[lordofrats]

"Livelier? The—" Hold on. He did not want to insult him here. "—well. I do not know how to say this without sounding rude, but those of lower status always seemed to move about more when I passed by taverns that allowed dancing." He cleared his throat, "Imperial nobles do not enjoy boisterous dancing, it is uncouth, so theirs is a bit slower. Like this." He adjusted their stance and stepped to one side, letting Viktor follow. "Simple, and to allow for conversation while moving monotonously."

[hexstrapper]

Viktor squints at him for a moment, skeptically, like he's waiting for Xander to say something offensive about 'those of lower status.'

He doesn't, thankfully. Thankfully for Xander, that is, who would get whacked with a staff for talking shit.

"Yes, boisterous is one word for Zaunite dancing. And Zaunites in general, I suppose." Viktor being an obvious exception.

He follows Xander in the step, moving with him slowly and gracefully.

"This is more similar to dance customs in Piltover. More rigid, slow, and structured."

After a few more steps, he adds, "I do have great pride in Zaun, but the boisterousness was never for me, as you well know. I think I prefer this sort of dancing, even without trying the other."

He's not sure he would even want to try dancing the way people would in the Last Drop.

[lordofrats]

He would deserve it.

Xander bit his lip to stifle a laugh while he imagined Viktor, of all people, dancing boisterously even with his renewed form.

"No? I am shocked," he said, a chuckle escaping him at the very end of the thought, "you are doing well so far." Daringly, he angled to spin him once.

[hexstrapper]

Viktor frowns and flicks Xander in the nose with immense precision.

"Do not laugh at your partner," he scolds teasingly, "or he may just abandon you on the dance floor."

The compliment and the spin are more like it, though, and his expression lifts as he twirls.

"I never would have imagined this," he muses. "Not in one hundred years."

[lordofrats]

He flinched, mostly in surprise. What!!

"I would weep, Viktor." And then what? Imagine Xander crying and see how easy it would be to abandon him.

He spun him again, tugging him close so Viktor's back pressed against his chest, one arm around his waist and the other still holding his hand aloft. Xander kissed the side of his neck with a hum. "Neither would I," he admitted, "I did dance with Celene during one of the few parties we attended, but she had no limitations, and I could not be upright for long." That, and she found other noble ladies willing to indulge her more than he could. "You are by far my favorite dance partner."

[hexstrapper]

He rolls his eyes, though a tiny smirk still tugs at his lip.

"So dramatic."

Of course, he would never abandon Xander on the dance floor, and if he made his partner cry it would break his heart. But he can pretend to be less soft than he is.

"Oh-" Viktor is surprised at his body being moved so swiftly and strongly, but he likes it. He likes it... A lot. It's incredibly romantic to be held like this, and he feels... Desired. Loved.

"It's possible I have made you too powerful," he teases. "I fear you may bring me to swoon."

He closes his eyes and leans against Xander, his head falling into the crook of his partner's neck as they sway.

He shouldn't find satisfaction in being compared to Celene, or being called the favourite, but he does anyway. He respects Xander's marriage, but he can imagine dancing with someone and enjoying it, but wishing to be more capable, and wishing to be with someone you were able to love romantically. How that must ache.

"While this is my first dance, I know there is none other worth having. I am glad it's you."

He turns his face into Xander's neck, kissing it softly.

[lordofrats]

"I can catch you now, if you did," he said with a confidence he had not had in a long time. Pointedly, his grip tightened, and he held Viktor as close as he physically could, determined to keep him upright even if the threat of swooning was very unlikely to happen.

Xander closed his eyes, and perhaps he would cry anyway, for how happy he was in this moment.

"I love you." He murmured just over the din of the music, "the problem now is that I do not want to move. This may complicate further dancing."

[hexstrapper]

"My hero," Viktor murmurs with a catlike smile. His hands, strong and possessive around his waist, stir a desire in him that he tries to keep contained. Still, Viktor's own hands spark with magic as he places one over Xander's on his waist, and the other on the side of his face.

"I love you, Xander." He gives a small huff of a laugh. "We can sway like this for a while, darling." His eyes are still closed, and pressed up against his partner like this, the rest of the world seems not to exist. It feels like they're floating in this bubble of love they've created... Wait, are they floating?

[lordofrats]

Are they? It certainly felt like they were, and for the moment, Xander was not inclined to check to see if his feet were actually still on the ground. This was a near perfect moment - just the two of them, swaying to the music, the sounds of the others around them a pleasant murmur in the background, their bodies as close as they physically could be.

"I can introduce you to some other Imperial dances, once we are in the privacy of our home. If you like."

[hexstrapper]

Viktor feels the same, closing his eyes and resting his head against Xander's shoulder.

"What, are they lewd?"

Why would they need privacy??

[lordofrats]

"Oh, terribly." Xander said with an air of seriousness that would have been ruined if Viktor could see the amused smile on his face. "Nudity is mandatory for the more high society balls, and the dances are so very intimate." He kissed Viktor's cheek and chuckled. "In seriousness — I was just thinking you might not want an audience the either."

[hexstrapper]

He can hear that smile. He puts his hand over Xander's face.

"Hush, silly man." His own smirk can be heard as well. He opens his eyes and turns around to face Xander, and as he does, sees that they are indeed floating about a foot off the ground. He stays just as close to him, wrapping arms tightly around his neck, and kisses him there.

"I could do without an audience now... But I will be patient for later tonight. Are you hungry, darling? The food looked very good."

[lordofrats]

"We will have one if we continue floating." He noted playfully and without an ounce of complaint. He liked the magical things his lover did, even unconsciously. Xander wrapped his arms around him once more, head resting on his shoulder.

"Mmm. I could eat. Was there anything you found particularly enticing?" For a man who didn't have to eat anymore, that is.

[hexstrapper]

Viktor hums, and though he just insisted he didn't want an audience, he opens his mouth against Xander's neck, gently kissing with his tongue and sucking on it, grazing lightly with his teeth.

"You mean, other than you? No." His tone and movements are languid, like despite the lewdness of his acts, he knows exactly what he's doing and where he is.

"I thought I might feed you a little. Would this be embarrassing?"

[lordofrats]

"You are incorrigible." And he was getting hard, what with that attention to his throat. Xander felt his cheeks flush with heat again.

"I do not think so. Plenty of other couples are being physically affectionate — and there seem to be plenty of finger foods on offer." So, once his partner felt inclined to stop kissing his neck, he would head over with him.

Take your time.

[hexstrapper]

"I suppose I am," he murmurs languidly, moving up to roll Xander's earlobe between his teeth gently. He will take his time here, yes, beginning to feel Xander harden against him. His neck heats up a little, and Viktor is sure he's blushing. His fingers ghost up the back of his partner's neck, into his hairline, tickling there.

"Good." His lips brush against Xander's ear, his breath warm. "I want them to know you are mine."

Aside from... Every other indication. Their matching outfits, the fingerprints on Xander's face, the fact that they're glued to each other.

[lordofrats]

As if there was any doubt who he belonged to given everything already stated and then some. Xander, if he had a braincell functioning at the moment, would have insisted that maybe they shouldn't get so horny in public. Remember the picnic, Viktor? He sure did — although the circumstances were a little different this time. For one, they were officially together. For two, Viktor was significantly more outgoing than the last time. If he didn't know any better, he would think his partner wanted to fuck right there behind the pillar.

"Mmn." he moaned softly, hands pressed to Viktor's waist, gripping insistently and tugging him close enough to grind against his thigh. "I can bet most do already, darling."

[hexstrapper]

"Better to leave no room for doubt at all," Viktor says coolly.

He does remember the picnic. This is entirely different, to him. He is not on drugs, fumbling through one of his first romantic encounters with a man. He is now a powerful being, and Xander is his, and he wants everyone to know this. Not because he's afraid of his partner being taken from him, but because he's proud. Proud of Xander, and proud of being the one the doctor has chosen to spend his life here with.

Xander's tugging puts cracks in Viktor's air of detachment, and he makes a soft sound in return. It is tempting, to simply find the bathroom and devour each other. He kisses Xander, heated and insistent, on the mouth. Hungry. Feeling the brush of his beard, his soft warm lips that still taste vaguely of wine.

[lordofrats]

Xander could not deny him even if he wanted to. If Viktor wanted to steal away from the ball, then all the gods be damned he would steal away with him. He pressed his palm against the center of his lover's back, cupped his cheek with the other hand, head tilted to return the kiss with just as much vigor and passion, their bodies all but melded together with how eagerly he pressed against him.