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calderamemes2024-06-02 04:27 pm
calderamods) wrote in calderamemes2024-06-02 04:27 pm
TDM #1: WELCOME VISITORS
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:
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…)
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:
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.
main navigation
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.
Kafka Hibino // Kaiju No.8
[ He hasn't gotten a drink yet. But he IS sitting at the bar, staring intently at the back of one of his hands with an expression that is tight lipped and serious. It's almost as if he's expecting something to be there, and isn't finding it. He turns his hand over and then back again, only breaking out of it when the bright green swirling drink is planted in front of him.
He startles, and sits up a little straighter with a laugh. ]
Oh hey! Thanks! Uh.... Bottoms up, I guess! [ He lifts the drink up to take a sip but stops just as the glass touches his lips as he notices someone sit down next to him. Instead of drinking anything the glass is set back down and he grins, all teeth. ]
Hey there! Just waking up to this weird old situation too, huh? You thirsty?
II. Portal Choice
[ Honestly, he's taking all of this in stride. Or he seems to, on the outside. There's a bit of panic going on in that noggin of his as he stand in front of the three out of five activated portals. If someone were to pay attention they might notice the slight wiggle in his lip or the tense way he's clenching his fists.
Eventually he makes a sudden exhale and smacks himself on either side of his head with his hands. ] GET IT TOGETHER KAFKAAAA!!! This isn't a BIG DEAL!!!! [ Shouting at himself... He barely registers that he's not the only person in this Void of Portals. At least for a moment. ]
Oh. You made a decision yet? [ It's funny, but when he speaks to the person next to him, he's all smiles again, the tenseness in his shoulders releasing as he glances over at his temporary companion. ] Looks like we've only got three to pick from huh?
[ His gaze slips to the two portals that seem inactive. ] Wonder what's up with that...
III. Ultimate CRONCH [Dryad]
[ It's really not his fault they're in this situation, but things always seem to go to shit (sometimes literally, if you consider intestine duty to count) at every turn, sometimes. He and whoever else he's working with have been playing guard duty for a particularly large crystal, but now there's a sizable crowd of gemlins approaching. It's only natural, this gem is especially sparkly.
Kafka has armed himself with a metal bar of some sort and is currently taking a swing at some of the Gemlins that are getting too close. ]
Back! GeeeeeeEEEEEET BACK! This isn't for you! Find something else to get your snack on with!!! [ He takes another swing and the gemlins leap back again, but one takes the brunt of the hit and tumbles away. ] Hey!! Anyone got any ideas how to take care of these guys better? I can keep swinging, but we're REALLY going to wanna get out of here sooner rather than later!
IV. Wildcard
[ Open to just about any Quest, minus anything NSFW. Feel free to throw just about anything at me! Kinda voicetesting so please be gentle. ]
Portal Choice
[Nie Huaisang points to the portal leading to the gray stones of the port city.]
It seems as good of a place to start as any. There may be opportunities to change one's mind later.
[He gives a little nonchalant shrug.]
no subject
[ He scratches at his chin for a moment, glancing from the portal Nie Huaisang has pointed to, back towards the inactive ones. ]
That one is kinda calling to me though.
[ A pause ]
What do you think about the other two? The ones that aren't lit up.
no subject
[Nie Huaisang may come to later regret that decision but what else is new? He has enough faith in his ability to adjust and adapt to his new circumstances to be comfortable enough with this choice.]
How about you? Do you have any thoughts about the other two causing you reservations in the moment?
no subject
[ It just feels off to him. ]
Guess you're right though, the only one that matters is the one we pick in the end.
[ He turns then, finally paying attention, FULL attention to the guy he's been talking to. He holds a hand out. ]
Kafka Hibino.
no subject
Nie Huaisang. But you can just call me Huaisang. Most people do.
[He's not quite sure what the customs of this land are but he'll pick things up easily enough as he goes.]
It is a little strange, I agee, but I'm sure more answers will come with time. We've only just arrived. Sometimes it takes time and patience for full truths to reveal themselves.
iii - ultimate loser
this place is stupid. having to readjust to not having number one's foresight anymore is... strange. he never had to rely on it to get where he is, of course ( don't be stupid: he is The Strongest™️or whatever ), but to suddenly not have that is a pain in his ass. not that he needs it or anything!! not on these stupid little shits. he's just currently in a state of lamentation because he doesn't have his phone or his games — that's an even bigger bummer than anything. it makes him not want to participate and just be a general petulant child about, quite literally, everything.
or, so he thought.
turns out that watching hibino stand there waving a lead pipe or whatever like some sort of delinquent is more of a pain than being on the final boss fight and hasegawa kicking him across the room and losing his progress. )
Hey. ( he says rather boredly ) This is how you fight without Number 8? ( his lips twitch into a slightly smarmy sort of smirk ) Embarrassing.
he's so mean, kafka is doing HIS BEST (1%)
Wait.
Since .... since WHEN???? ]
CAPTAIN NARUMI?! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE?! [ He's so loud, and he's already waving his arms a little, the movement bonking another of the gemlins to the ground incidentally. It's a little comical just HOW lucky he got in that moment. ]
he ain't doin shit!!!
narumi sighs as he withdraws his finger from his ear and flicks it to the side then sniffs. )
Long enough to see that sorry display. ( he sighs, lofty, arrogant, annoying; lifts his arms in a slight shrug ) You disappoint me, Hibino. Guess I have to do it myself.
Crying Frog
Absolutely parched, my good man. All this fresh aired and nature really does dry one out. And that's coming from someone who lives in Hell.
Hahaha~
[A laugh track plays from him.]
god i'm the one who's crying (laughing)
hAH AHAHAHAHA— [ It's loud, so loud, and so forced as he sits up very straight and takes in what he's looking at. If he didn't know better he'd almost think this guy was some kind of kaiju, but it's not possible, no way. Not here.
And then? ]
H-hell huh?! That's kind of intense! Guess I'd be pretty thirsty too! [ He shoves his drink over. ] Here! You clearly need it more than I do!
:>
Nonsense! I'd never deprive a mortal man of their vice. We all need to unwind, after all! And what's a little thirst to the purest entertainment of a man getting lost to one of the oldest comforts in the book? Why it's nothing, I tell you, nothing! Ahahaha!
The loss of speech. Of basic motor skills. It hits so different in a living body than in hell. You don't even have to try. AHAHAHA!
[The laugh track plays again and there's a ticking of dials as an old radio would make when trying to find the correct station.]
But where are my manners? Here I am blathering on without proper introduction. You may call me Alastor. So deeply charmed!
II
[ hey man, you've gotta be pretty used to getting jumpscared by this guy at this point, right? either way, he looks largely unfazed as usual, casually observing the portal situation with a thoughtful hand on his chin. ]
They got land, sky, and sea, so what else could there be? Maybe one leads to the underworld. Can't really blame them for having that one shut off.
[ is that a normal thing to say? he's got the same smile on his face as he always does, even while theorizing a gateway to hell. it's fine. ]