Travelers come and travelers go on the Infinite Plane. Those otherworlders arrive. We know what has put them here: the intervention of the gods. As for us who were born of our parents who were born of theirs, the Infinite Plane is our ancestral home, and our fate is to remain on this side of the heavens.

–Greater Archscholar Mellior Cruskin, The Verses I.47.iii

Andy came to consciousness, submerged in the warm water, as flumes of bubbles rose around him. It was dark in most directions, but a dance of contrasting pale and warm lights helped Andy find the surface.

His feet found the stone floor, and he pushed himself up. He felt the water give way to a mixture of cool air and dense steam.

He was in some sort of hot-water pool. The first thing he saw was a ludicrously large full moon in the sky above him. The second thing he saw was a bonfire a few yards away. The third thing he saw was two people, a young man and a young woman in robes.

He seemed to be in some sort of outdoor stone pool, maybe a hot spring, at the edge of a clearing. He was in the midst of a great many mountains, forests illuminated with bright silvery moonlight.

Oddly, it felt more real than life.

"An otherworlder," the man said to the woman, pointing at Andy excitedly. "An otherworlder has arrived!"

The young woman looked confused. "Wait, this hasn't happened in… years."

The two of them rushed around some shrubbery to a small covered area and rummaged around before returning with a large towel.

"Greetings, otherworlder," said the woman. She knelt down and placed a towel by the pool. Andy could see the details–it seemed like arcane symbols–on her embroidered robes. Aside from the clothing and perhaps her waist-length braided hair, she seemed like any other woman Andy had seen on earth. About medium height, with skin that seemed to have enjoyed plenty of sun. No pointy ears. No glowing eyes. "You can use this to dry yourself."

There was a circular, stone patio surrounding the pool with a couple of small tables. There were some small trees and shrubs beyond the patio. Behind Andy, there was a vast, open field with a huge, vibrantly starry sky. He was on the edge of a mountain meadow.

"And here is a temporary robe and some footwear," said the man, placing the items on the small table.

He was tall, with the same complexion as the woman, jet-black hair, and a subtle smile.

Unlike the woman's robes, his were plain and simple. His demeanor radiated calm.

"Now, we know how otherworlders like their privacy," he said, "so we'll leave you to it. When you're dressed, you can meet us over by the fire. We'll get some food prepared for you"

Andy hadn't expected such a formal, direct welcome. In fact, he didn't really know what he had expected. Both of the people attending the spawn pool seemed perfectly sincere. There wasn't a hint of irony or ulterior motive. And they seemed just as surprised as Andy was.

"Where am I?" Andy asked.

"You're at the Dawnspring Cottage in the town of Cresthaven," said the woman. "Welcome!"

The two attendants left the immediate area and headed toward the bonfire. Andy wasn't thrilled that he didn't have any clothes on, and he was even less thrilled that there wasn't a curtain or something between him and the others, but it was dark enough, and he didn't have to be facing them.

He found some steps toward the edge of the pool and emerged, picking up the towel. He began to dry off. The towel was exquisitely warm, like it had come out of a dryer. It was a welcome contrast to the cold air against his skin.

After he was sufficiently dried off, he took the robe. It was thick and plenty warm, and it went down past his knees. The shoes slipped on. They were quite comfortable, some kind of wool-lined moccasin.

He took a moment to observe the landscape. Perhaps it was the cold air on his nude body, but he felt alive, connected with nature, with the environment. Already the feeling here was much more open, much less constrained than the average day in his old life, spent in front of a screen or under a piano.

He was in some sort of large garden with tall hedges. Outside the garden, a huge vista opened up to several mountains and a clear view of a coastal city below. The city's lights shone clearly in the crisp night air.

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Andy took the towel with him and arrived at the bonfire. The small pool, where he had just come from, was tucked behind a set of shrubs and small trees, and the larger patio opened up around the fire.

The man came over and took the towel from Andy.

"Here," he said as he passed him a small bowl of rice, beans, and vegetables covered in a bright red sauce that smelled of garlic, lime, and hot peppers.

"Thank you," Andy said. "I don't have anything to pay you with."

"Not to worry," said the man. "New spawns don't arrive with anything. Cresthaven is a spawn city, so we have plenty of resources allocated for new arrivals. That said, it has been a while since we had an otherworlder arrive here. Be patient with your guides," he said with a chuckle, "we may be rusty."

The warm fire provided Andy some comfort and relaxed him. "Is this like.. a porch?" he asked.

"It is indeed!" said the man. "I was just grilling some vegetables over the fire pit."

There was a metal grate over a portion of the fire and it looked like several stuffed peppers were roasting. The aroma was divine.

Just beyond a row of hedges, there was a small cottage covered with vining plants and surrounded by a neat garden. Some gardening tools and equipment leaned against it, and a large telescope stood next to a doorway.

"Is this your house?" Andy asked.

"Yes," said the man.

"Well," the woman said, "we are taking care of it."

"Yes we do take care of the property. We live here. I suppose technically it belongs to the scholar's guild.

This is Dawnspring Cottage. It was built here on the springs of mount Aurora, from which the otherworlders, like yourselves, emerge. We're stationed here so that we can attend the pools and guide those who come through," said the man. "My name is Rowan," he said, bowing slightly.

"And I am Lilly," said the woman, bowing similarly.

"Nice to meet you," Andy said. "I'm Andy."

He thought about attempting to imitate their bows. The two hosts did it so naturally without a second thought, so perhaps it was a common custom. But it also seemed awkward.

Andy's indecision was interrupted. There was bubbling sound coming from along another path into the bushes, near the pool where Andy had been, but not the same one.

"The second one must be arriving," said Lilly. "I'll get the towels and clothes. Rowan, could you put some more rice on? I'm afraid we'll need some more food."

"Certainly," said Rowan as she departed down the path. "Andy, please eat up!"

Andy nodded and took a bite of the vegetables and rice. It was delicious, and very spicy. As he swallowed it, he felt himself grow more energized, more vital.

"What does this have in it?" Andy asked.

"Ah! Do you like it? It's a recipe from Malia, my island home. They don't grow peppers like that around here, but I know enough merchants that I can get them when I want. I was feeling homesick, so I put in an order and they arrived today," said Rowan.

"Are the peppers the thing that feels like, I don't know, caffeine or something?"

"Ah, I see," said Rowan. "No, that is simply how food works here on the Infinite Plane. Many otherworlders do have trouble adjusting to its effects. Food restores your health, provided that you are conscious, that is. Many otherworlders find this bizarre, but it is how it has always been here."

There was some sound from Lilly's direction. It was quite muffled, but it sounded like Kermit was speaking, maybe getting a bit testy. Lilly's soothing voice reached the patio. Soon she emerged.

"A small boy," she said. "He will be out in a few moments. He's quite shaken."

Then the familiar bubbling started again, this time from a different pool.

"And there's the third," she said as she gathered more clothes and a towel and headed down the path.

"How did she know there would be a second and third?" Andy asked with a mouth full of rice.

"There's always three. No more and no less have ever arrived here," said Rowan.

After a short time, Lilly emerged, followed shortly by Arlene wearing the same sort of robe and shoes as Andy. She had clearly spent some time drying her hair, but it was still wet.

"Oh thank god, a fire," she said as she drew closer to it. She bent toward the fire as she exposed her hair to the heat and continued drying it. "How was your trip, Andy? This game is crazy real, huh?" she asked.

"Not too bad," Andy said. "Just got here. The food is pretty good."

"Yes, indeed," said Rowan. "I am Rowan, and I have some rice for you," he handed her a bowl.

"I can't wait to see what this place is all about!" she said, accepting the bowl.

Arlene began scarfing down the rice and veggies before having a very similar reaction to the one Andy had a few minutes prior. "This stuff is awesome," she said.

Kermit wandered to the patio, clearly barely containing his nerves. His shoulders were hunched and he kept checking his surroundings.

"You ok, bud?" Arlene asked.

"Yeah, I just can't swim," he said. "Lilly helped me though."

"You did great!" said Lilly, seemingly eager to encourage him.

"Well, good show," said Rowan. "The cohort has arrived!" He handed a bowl to Kermit.

Kermit ate voraciously. The food didn't stand a chance.

"Let's get our guests inside out of the cold air," said Lilly. She beckoned us to follow her into the cottage.