The To'Boam Portal
Fancy a visit to To'Boam? Here's a Visitors Guide. An additional peek at a key story location
Dear Curious Quester, welcome to this bonus item in the Curious Questers fantasy fiction series.
Are you curious about the place that Zhael lives? How it is laid out? Well, wonder no more, because here’s a visitors guide to one of the most fascinating places on The Drifting Expanse. To’Boam is circled in red on the map of The Drifting Expanse. Scroll down to the bottom of this letter to see it ⬇️. If you were curious, and enjoyed this deeper dive into this fantasy world borne of my imagination, please leave a comment or reply to this email - I’m always to keen to know what readers think!
I had way too much fun writing and illustrating this piece - there is a bit more about this at the end of the letter.
To’Boam is a sacred site on The Drifting Expanse, and is home to Zhael1, the Benevolent Spirit. It is also where she was previously suspended in time, as a long-forgotten hermit. Zhael’s Ambassadors (Kriliah, Jalisse and Crox), the Guardians of the Lakes and a small hospitality team, are the only other permanent residents. Now that Zhael has been brought back into an active and highly present life, the place is becoming a hive of activity and hub of knowledge for the inhabitants of The Drifting Expanse and beyond.
Your visit to To’Boam is free and you will have discovered that the only way to get here is through a portal from a few selected places on The Drifting Expanse. Portal traffic and accommodation are restricted, so you are here because you made a booking.
This is a self-sufficient but ever changing community, as visitors are only permitted to stay for limited periods. However, your stay in this remarkably special place will be sustained by the nourishing and nurturing care offered by the hospitality team.
Visitors gather in the Sanctuary Plaza at High Sun for news on tours to places such as the Mignonette Pearl Lakes, the Valley of Dwalas and the Wayfinding Capsule. You can also listen to lectures on the history and geography of The Drifting Expanses hosted by the Knowledge Hub.
Before you come to the Sanctuary Plaza, why not take a look at the map and places of interest to orient yourself and find out a little more about why this fascinating community and site are so special.
The Wayfinding Capsule is a powerful Guidance Tool. Its power comes from a more ancient and well established source than The Drifting Expanse. The Capsule has the ability to connect to the being inside and relay / provide guidance that is unique to that being. For each being, it feels like receiving guidance from a beloved, visionary advisor. If you want to engage with this incredibly intimate experience, please come to the Wayfinding Capsule Visitors Centre in the Plaza to discuss your requirements further.
Zhael and the To’Boam Community live in her compound - please respect their privacy there. They welcome you and hope your stay will be nourishing, enlightening and enriching.
What does The Drifting Expanse look like?
This evolving map shows the locations of each of the episodes, from Series One and this new series. To’Boam is circled in red.
How this piece came together
Last year I created what I call an Activity Book - a product for my Mappery Moodles endeavour (I call it that because it hasn’t quite morphed into a business - yet!) For years, I’ve immersed myself in creating abstract maps. The combination of doodling, making shapes, colouring, decorating, and storytelling allows me to escape reality for a while. This inspired me to create a book filled with a variety of my favourite hand-drawn map outlines for others to enjoy - an invitation to get lost in your own "moodle" by exploring the maps within.
I grabbed a spare copy for myself, using it as a space to lose myself and escape reality for a time. One of the outline maps (below) was the actual map used for the To’Boam location in Curious Questers, so one evening I set about adding loads of detail to it and it turned into a site map with a key, as you’ve seen in this piece. Again, more fun than should be legal!
You can support me by subscribing, restacking and sharing my stories and maps, or you can buy me a cuppa through my Buy Me a Coffee page ⬇️
Where can I read more?
The entire first series can be found below ⬇️
What next?
Say hi, just for fun! 🖐🏻// Leave a comment 📝 // Restack ♾️ // Share 🔁
If you fancy collaborating with me on a fictional story in this series, contact me here
Can you spot the spelling mistake in the map?
Hi! Your world is fantastic and magical. I'm inspired now
Your imagination is magical, Debs. Fabulous