TDM #1: WELCOME VISITORS

[calderamods]

TDM #1

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.

SIT, STAY A WHILE

The Tavernkeeper offers more than just answers. This is a tavern after all, and what is a tavern without drinks?

"I know just what you need." They say, giving you little time to reply before some manner of drink (alcoholic or not) is set before you.

DRINK MENU

PEOPLE SKILLS: A deceptively simple looking cocktail that when imbibed makes one feel very social. Time to make friends and influence people!

A SPOT OF COURAGE: a tasty concoction so nice on the tongue it loosens it up. You suddenly want to reveal something about yourself!

SKY HIGH: a fizzy blue drink billowing with white smoke and served with a lemon slice as a garnish. It has been known to make the drinker giggly and sometimes even float a few feet off the ground.

CRYING FROG: a swirling bright green drink that makes you want to cry - or is it something else about this place that just makes you want to tear up…

SHARING IS CARING: a large, delicious frozen concoction that comes with two straws. You can't finish it alone! (No, like, you quite literally can't finish it alone.)

52 PICKUP: It's just whiskey. But for some reason it really puts you in the mood for cards, or a game of mahjong, maybe a couple rounds of checkers

QUICKSAND: The thickest chocolate milkshake you've ever had. The flavour is rich and delicious, but it moves like concrete. Sucking it up the straw takes effort. Makes the drinker mellow and lethargic. It's all good, man. Don't worry, be happy.

BEER: Beer? I thought you said bear! (animal transformation)

SEX ON THE BEACH: literally just sex on the beach, but also an aphrodisiac. Have fun! (The rooms upstairs are still open, for the record…)

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.

A NEW NORMAL

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.

THE QUESTBOARD

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

Welcome to Caldera's first 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 them here.

All locations are available to be explored! Please mind that it is an active work in progress and will hopefully be finalized by June 8th.

We are looking at an opening date of July 1st with reserves opening on June 28th and and applications on opening day.

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

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Comments

[borelblue]

Aymeric sputtered briefly, then chuckled, replying as he followed her in, "I believe that is more so for one's wedding night. Though if you wish to be married again here, you'll get no objections from me." He winked.

His attention was soon swept away by the house. Simple as it was, with every new part he looked at, his affection for the place grew. "It is indeed. And it appears fully furnished, though lacking in a more personal touch."

Thus he was truly convinced no one lived there, or else there would be nick-knacks. So they could fill the place with their own nick-knacks - once they picked some up.

He came around that same doorway, and his face lit up at the sight of the kitchen. With a light gasp, he entered it and looked around. "Oh! What a splendid kitchen! A good size, excellent natural lighting, plenty of cupboard space...why, I have half a mind to start cooking right here and now."

Aymeric turned back to Night Sky. "I think I can already see myself preparing breakfast for the two of us here."

[wildwarden]

She shifted so he could step inside, lingering in the doorway with her arms folded. As per usual, Aymeric was absolutely adorable with his awestruck response to something as simple as a nice kitchen. The fact that his first thought was making breakfast for the two of them making the dryad's stomach flutter like a giddy schoolgirl.

"You're so cute..." she murmured as she stepped toward him, hands on his chest and her gaze turned upward to meet his. "I'm not opposed to cooking now - we have enough Bones for food? Maybe they were nice enough to drop supplies off, too." Couldn't hurt to look.

[borelblue]

Aymeric beamed down at her in turn. He placed one hand over hers on his chest, and stroked Night Sky's jawline with the other.

"So be it. If my lady is hungry, I shall do what I can to satisfy her." He winked.

With a quick, "a moment", he checked a few cupboards and what seemed to be - and was - a small pantry.

"Fortune smiles on us," Aymeric said as he began gathering ingredients. "We've some basic supplies to work with. Just enough, in fact, for some omelettes."

Fortunate, indeed, with omelettes being Aymeric's most signature dish.

[wildwarden]

Night Sky snorted out a laugh and resisted the urge to make a joke about satisfying her in other ways. She was trying to be good... for now. God only knows how long that would last.

While Aymeric toddled around the kitchen, Night Sky hopped up onto the counter beside the stove, assuring the one on the opposite side still had plenty of room for him to work.

"You make the best omelettes." She said with a pleased hum. "First meal in our new home... I can think of a few other new home firsts we'll have to check off soon."

[borelblue]

"Thank you, Starlight," he replied, touched. Even now, her compliments on his cooking made his heart swell.

Aymeric chuckled, low in his throat. "I can, as well. First cups of tea, first book read, first afternoon nap..."

He leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear, "First time I make you cry my name in carnal bliss..."

[wildwarden]

Night Sky parted her lips, prepared to say 'first time we fuck-' but Aymeric beat her to it and made it sound significantly sexier. The dryad giggled and shivered with the gentle whisper in her ear.

"And... how soon can we get to that one do you think?"

[borelblue]

Oh, how delightful her reaction. Aymeric felt a throb in his trousers.

"Well, I suppose that depends on which hunger you wish to feed first. Your stomach - "

He gently trailed his fingers down her abdomen -

"Or your nethers."

- until they just ghosted between her legs to run down her inner thigh.

He turned a bit sheepish as he added, "I must admit that as excited as I am to ravish you, I can't help but want to put this kitchen to the test..."

Aymeric was getting into a cooking groove. Please let him fill you wish delicious omelette before he fills you with anything else.

Broad NSFW from here on out to be safe

[wildwarden]

Night Sky leaned into his touch, teeth catching on her lower lip as she bit back a moan.

A sigh. "I suppose I should let you cook, since you're so excited for it." She offered, pressing her hand to the back of his neck and leaning up to kiss him - hard and passionate despite her relenting words. "But once our stomachs settle, I want to see what our bedroom looks like."

It was inevitable with us

[borelblue]

Aymeric moaned softly into the kiss. His hand at her thigh squeezed; the other brushed along the long edge and point of her ear.

"As do I," he muttered, grinning.

Looked like he'd be cooking half-hard again. Given how he and Night Sky carried on, it wouldn't be the first time, nor the last. Even so, he really did want to put some good food in his wife's belly (and his own).

As he started really getting into the thick of the process - finding bowls and utensils, figuring out the stove - he added jokingly, "Had I any doubt that it was truly you that arrived here, I wouldn't have doubted any longer after that. Your powerful sense of desire is...well, it is simply you, my dear. I would have you no other way."

[wildwarden]

Night Sky was a very good girl and didn't harass him nor get in his way while he cooked. She simply remained sitting on the counter, gently bumping her heels against the cabinet under her. "The ring on my finger wouldn't give it away?" She laughed, glad that it had remained in place even while shifting worlds. "Although I guess my perpetual horniness would be a more obvious sign. I knew it was you the second I saw you though - I don't think doppelgangers could mimic the love in your eyes when you look at me."

[borelblue]

She was - and he would remember that she was a good girl then.

"I agree. My love for you is inimitable and true, and I know yours is the same in return. Even without the soulmate weapon you gained in Ellipsa," he replied with a casual smile.

Their chatter continued as Aymeric cooked. Savoury scents filled the bright kitchen for the first of many times to come. Well-practised skill had him working the pan and ingredients with ease - and a smile.

"Bon appetit, Daeleth," Aymeric said as he laid her dish before her. The omelettes were fluffy and well-stuffed with whatever viable fixings he'd found. As he sat, her perked up. "Ah, I believe that's the first time I have used your true name since arriving."

[wildwarden]

"Bone apple teeth." She replied. Night Sky did not realize how truly hungry she was until the meal was laid before her, and she promptly dug in as soon as she had her fork in hand.

She paused only long enough to consider what he said, speaking after she swallowed back what she had in her mouth. "Huh. Must be." And that realization made everything seem more... real? Like, it had to be him. They had to be here in this new realm and it was - fine, actually. Perfectly fine. "It always sounds beautiful coming from you, my heart."

[borelblue]

Aymeric...blinked. Close enough.

"Because it is a beautiful name to me, belonging to the most beautiful woman I have ever known," he replied, beaming. "I could not say it with anything other than reverence if I tried. My dearest Daeleth."

He reached over and took her free hand. "By the Fury, I am so, so grateful that we came here together. I decided that if you did not arrive, I would make a home for the two of us in the hopes that you eventually would. But still, 'twould have been a most terrible loneliness without you."

[wildwarden]

Sometimes, even now, married for over half a year and well aware of the depth of his love, Night Sky was surprised by how he spoke of her. Like she truly was someone to be treasured and adored.

"Me too, Aymeric." She said softly, squeezing his hand. "I wouldn't leave you alone long, my heart. Even if I had to tear the universe apart, I would find you."

[borelblue]

"As would I." He smirked. "Though I do believe I would enjoy the sight of you doing so. Your eyes ablaze with determination and your hair streaming behind you as you part the very cosmos with your plants. Eorzea may very well have to add another goddess to the pantheon."

Aymeric paused, his smile turning a bit sheepish. "Ah, 'twould seem my imagination is running wild. You are here with me in the present, and that it was matters. Is the food to your liking?"

[wildwarden]

"No, no. Keep going." She grinned. She could listen to Aymeric excitedly gush about her for hours.

She looked to her half eaten meal though and took another bite. "It always is. Thank you for making it, my love."

[borelblue]

Aymeric laughed. "Oh, I think I shall save whatever else my imagination conjures for later," he replied, punctuating with a wink.

"You are most welcome. My culinary skills are at your disposal, Starlight."

But even the most delicious meal must, sadly, come to an end. A little while later, as Aymeric swallowed the last bite, he sat back with a satisfied sigh. "Well, if that was any indication, the ingredients here are of excellent quality. I am all the more energized to continue discovering this new world, and our new home."

[wildwarden]

Night Sky finished her food and sat back, absently glancing around the kitchen. This was their new home in this strange world, and with Aymeric there, it didn't seem all that new or strange when she thought about it.

"Me too." She said, gathering the plates quickly before he could and setting them in the sink, she turned back to him and extended her hand. "Dance with me." Probably not what he anticipated from her. But sometimes Night Sky liked to exert energy in ways beyond sex.

Although they were definitely still going to have sex after this.

[borelblue]

His mind and gaze similarly wandered, though all returned to Night Sky. A new home, a new beginning, but still with the familiarity and comfort of his beloved.

A dance? Not what he expected, indeed, but expectations be damned. Aymeric rose to his feet, took her hand, and kissed it.

"Gladly, Starlight."

He took up formation with Night Sky in his arms. "Would you like to provide the music this time, or shall I?"

But yes they were definitely going to have sex afterwards.

[wildwarden]

Night Sky settled into position, closer than she needed to be just because she could. "Mmm. You know I like the sound of your voice far more than my own." She said, nuzzling her face into his chest. "But if you really want me to try..."

[borelblue]

Aymeric smiled down at her. Warmth spread through his chest as Night Sky snuggled into it.

"So you do," he responded, lowering his voice to make it that much more tantalizing. "Since it would most please my lady, I should be happy to provide a tune for the two of us."

Thus he sang something low and sweet as they began dancing. Theirs were simple, swaying steps that were more about moving together and being close than performing. He gently spun Night Sky, admiring the flow of her hair, her movement, her smile...her everything, really.

[wildwarden]

"Mm. It most certainly pleases your lady." She assured, head still resting against his chest as they moved together. Sometimes (most of the time) it felt like a dream, being with Aymeric. Handsome and kind and strong- like a prince from a fairytale. And so delightfully awkward in some situations she could not help but be endeared to him still, after over a year spent together.

"I love you." She said as she returned to his arms after that spin, chin propped on his chest. "I think I'd lose my mind if I came here without you."

[borelblue]

He kept one arm around her as the other stroked from her hair to the tip of her ear. "I love you too, Daeleth. Gods, as would I. As much as I thought I could prepare a home for us and wait, I would be devastated to be without you. Entirely and utterly."

"But that was not the case, Fury be praised," Aymeric continued. He pushed the sadness from his smile and played idly with her ear tip. "Let us be spirited away to a hundred different worlds, so long as we are spirited away together. Perhaps we could even be wed again in each one."

[wildwarden]

Night Sky raised her arms to drape them around Aymeric's neck, still swaying along with him. Each touch against her ear made her shiver, head tilting into his touch.

"Really?" She asked, "do you want to get married here, then? I bet we could, with enough Bones..."

[borelblue]

"I bet we could. And the idea of having another opportunity to celebrate the bonds of love we share sounds wonderful..."

He laughed under his breath as excitement took hold of him. His eyes gleamed as he asked, "Shall we, then? Shall we be married in every world we find ourselves travelling to?"