The Kiva Archipelago was not a place one traveled to on a whim. Rings of islands, left from volcanos of old, dotted the sea with jagged shores and hidden reefs. Leagues from the mainland, and with a swirling maelstrom at its center, it saw little contact from the ”surface folk.” The true bounty of the archipelago, and its beauty, was beneath the waves. Now, more than ever, the land walkers had a chance to see it.
Ti’Ciuda glittered from within the dead caldera. An ancient seamount that once spewed fire and ash to the skies had sunk into the sea, and at its heart lay a magnificent city. Sharp, towering spires formed from the volcano’s own stone jutted upwards from colorful coral, and a rainbow of fishes, kivren, and other aquatic beings whirled through it.
Today was a special day: It was Prince Ti’Jan’s birthday. His twentieth, and his coming of age into the royal line. For miles around the Obsidian Palace the city was decorated and equipped to celebrate. Food was freely available, and decorative shells and baubles of all sorts were handed out. Games and competitions were set up, and verticality was no issue at all underwater. Several stalls had been tethered to the sides of buildings, or rigged for neutral buoyancy and bobbed along with the soft currents. It was to be a grand celebration, and indeed the festivities had already begun when the sun’s first meager beams had reached the volcano’s rim.
Today also marked the second year since the Queen had lifted the centuries-old restrictions on surface dwellers in the city. Now, if they could prove their worth, such people were permitted to enter, work, and even live in the city. Some were granted enchantments to let them breath, others were given contraptions. The dwarves, surprisingly, had taken to the offer quite readily, and had devised ingenious diving suits. For any of these two-legged visitors, the celebration would be a sight to behold.
The prince was not present.
Palace staff and guards alike had searched for hours but found no trace of Ti’Jan. The celebrations would continue, of course, but his mother would once again need to make excuses for him.
That was fine. Ti’Jan had no intension of making a fool of himself at the city center. He had no intension of graciously accepting his royal calling nor listening to the empty praises of his parent’s friends. No, he was quite happy here, in the Lobster Trap, a thoroughly un-noble establishment close enough to the vents that the water was several degrees warmer.
Ale was a surface creation, and liquid libations would not fare well underwater. When Kivren wanted to dull their senses they turned to the ocean, as they did for all things. Ti’Jan popped a colorful sea slug into his mouth and make short work of it with razor-sharp teeth. The flavor was bitter, but the smooth buzz the poisons offered was as good as any stout.
He looked gloomy, and plucked another from the small round cage on the table between him and his companion. He looked at it quizzically, noting that his vision was already starting to blur. He probably shouldn’t...
“Well, it is my birthday,” he muttered softly, and sucked the wriggling thing into his mouth.
Ti’Ciuda glittered from within the dead caldera. An ancient seamount that once spewed fire and ash to the skies had sunk into the sea, and at its heart lay a magnificent city. Sharp, towering spires formed from the volcano’s own stone jutted upwards from colorful coral, and a rainbow of fishes, kivren, and other aquatic beings whirled through it.
Today was a special day: It was Prince Ti’Jan’s birthday. His twentieth, and his coming of age into the royal line. For miles around the Obsidian Palace the city was decorated and equipped to celebrate. Food was freely available, and decorative shells and baubles of all sorts were handed out. Games and competitions were set up, and verticality was no issue at all underwater. Several stalls had been tethered to the sides of buildings, or rigged for neutral buoyancy and bobbed along with the soft currents. It was to be a grand celebration, and indeed the festivities had already begun when the sun’s first meager beams had reached the volcano’s rim.
Today also marked the second year since the Queen had lifted the centuries-old restrictions on surface dwellers in the city. Now, if they could prove their worth, such people were permitted to enter, work, and even live in the city. Some were granted enchantments to let them breath, others were given contraptions. The dwarves, surprisingly, had taken to the offer quite readily, and had devised ingenious diving suits. For any of these two-legged visitors, the celebration would be a sight to behold.
The prince was not present.
Palace staff and guards alike had searched for hours but found no trace of Ti’Jan. The celebrations would continue, of course, but his mother would once again need to make excuses for him.
That was fine. Ti’Jan had no intension of making a fool of himself at the city center. He had no intension of graciously accepting his royal calling nor listening to the empty praises of his parent’s friends. No, he was quite happy here, in the Lobster Trap, a thoroughly un-noble establishment close enough to the vents that the water was several degrees warmer.
Ale was a surface creation, and liquid libations would not fare well underwater. When Kivren wanted to dull their senses they turned to the ocean, as they did for all things. Ti’Jan popped a colorful sea slug into his mouth and make short work of it with razor-sharp teeth. The flavor was bitter, but the smooth buzz the poisons offered was as good as any stout.
He looked gloomy, and plucked another from the small round cage on the table between him and his companion. He looked at it quizzically, noting that his vision was already starting to blur. He probably shouldn’t...
“Well, it is my birthday,” he muttered softly, and sucked the wriggling thing into his mouth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The city celebrates! Even in the prince’s absence, the streets are filled with food and goods. Citizens and visitors alike may join in the festivities surrounding the palace, or perhaps venture to the darker districts for more off-color refreshment.
The city celebrates! Even in the prince’s absence, the streets are filled with food and goods. Citizens and visitors alike may join in the festivities surrounding the palace, or perhaps venture to the darker districts for more off-color refreshment.