32 - Blow Your Top

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: A volcano eruption threatens the Western District
When: Jan 14 - 16
Where: The Western District of the Heavens
Summary: The Western District volcano is erupting again, endangering nearby temples and sending ash sprinkling down across the Heavens. Is it natural, or another attack? Those who dare climb the volcano can find out.






Earthquake Warning

On the morning of the 14th, an earthquake rattles windows throughout the Heavens. It's not strong enough to knock down buildings -- unless they're about to fall down anyway, like some of the older abandoned temples -- but it's strong enough to knock things off shelves and startle any late sleepers out of bed.

After the earthquake, strange sights abound around the Heavens. The poetic koi are swimming in organized schools in all of the canals, heading upstream towards the east. Springs of pure water burst out in some areas, and in others, normal springs or fountains have gone temporarily dry. Blue and green lights bob and weave across the landscape.

Falling Rock

The volcano begins erupting with a roar and a bright scarlet glow on the horizon. Ash and bits of rock fall across the Western district, and may even reach into the Southwest, Northwest and southern Central districts. Volcanic glass fibers that look like golden hair collect on trees, fences and buildings.

Trails and fountains of lava are also erupting from freshly opened fissures and wending down the sides of the volcano. Gods and shinki who live in the Western District are going to need some help clearing ash and glass from their roofs, trying to re-route lava flows (the good news is, if you cool one side down enough, you can turn them! the bad news is, that takes a lot of work) or just offering them a spare room to stay until things calm down.

Swamp Gas

It's not just lava and springwater erupting from mysterious new crevasses -- and it's not just mundane volcanic gases, either. Divine volcanic vents are blowing mind-altering fumes all over the Heavens. Anywhere across the Far Shore, but especially as characters get closer to the volcano, they may experience one or more of the following effects:

• Confusion
• Intense emotions
• Anger and irritability
• Impulsive behavior, loss of emotional control
• Hallucinations
• Unusually clear insight into other people and situations
• Coughing, eye and throat irritation, difficulty breathing
• Irresistible impulses to speak in poetry

Most symptoms will clear up after a few hours in fresh air, and all of them will be gone within 48 hours of the last volcano gas exposure.

Mountain Climbing

Natural disasters don't just happen like this in the Heavens... do they? Amaterasu's white-robed shinki are convinced that something is wrong, and they're organizing into search parties to go up the mountain and seek out the cause of this eruption. New and old gods and shinki are welcome to join them, or form their own groups. All of the hazards -- tremors, lava, ash, and volcanic gas -- will get worse as characters ascend the volcano. Strange little spirit flames, in shades of red and blue, dance on the rocks, dazzling, confusing and threatening to singe interlopers.

And there's someone up here, too. A mysterious figure with glowing red eyes is keeping watch on the intruders and vanishing behind boulders whenever someone turns his way. He won't let anyone traveling with one of the white-robed shinki get too close, but solitary gods or shinki might manage to lure him into conversation, if they try....

OOC: Please comment to the 'NPC REQUEST' thread below in order to talk to the mysterious figure on the volcano.

Those climbing the volcano will have a chance to battle the mysterious figure should their characters choose to do so. If you're interested in a fight, please comment to the 'NPC FIGHT' thread below before the top-level is posted. A top-level for the fight will go up on IC Jan 16/OOC Sept 4.

In Summary:

• Don't get rattled
• Help out the Western District with their volcano problem
• Watch out for volcanic gases
• Find out who's behind the eruption
• Have fun~

Comments

[hellskitchen]

Once they leave the temple, the woman takes one last look at her temple, before listening to Suzaku's instructions. She then starts to run in the direction of the refuge. Rin is curious about what's going on. Wondering how much time they had left to make sure all the temples in the area have evacuated.

He then turns to Suzaku after making sure the woman will be fine. "I guess we don't have time to be standin' around. We gotta go to the next one."

Rin beckons the other forward as he runs over to the next temple.

[priforprince]

This movie will make its golden age a reality.

[ She sounds every bit as sure of this as this uncouth young fellow had about making things be fair. ]

Now, follow me.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

You're not perfect. A little self-awarness might go a long way to helping you.

[The effect of the divine gas isn't hypocrisy, that's just a side benefit.]

[Zetta regards her with a thoughtful frown, more puzzled than angry, which is of course quite unusual.]

...There's someone you consider your treasure? You, really?

[shiitan]

Wow. Lucky me. [His excitement was oh-so-palpable.]

I want to un-earn that treatment now.

[He was going to start by staying out of her clawing range, even if that meant climbing the volcano.]

hibiki only has top-class fr---/fuwari runs by covered in mud bleating like a goat

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki looks away. She tries to get out from beneath her captor/savior, the better to stand up and look into the distance, still facing completely away from Zetta. "BRILLIANT", says her jacket across the shoulderblades.

She's talking to herself, not Zetta, when she speaks. ]

The most precious treasure.

[ And then she turns to head back to the truck, all business, still trying to avoid Zetta's direct gaze. ]

Let's return.

[kokuyoyo]

[Landing with an elegance that doesn't befit dumping a screaming teenager into water, the enormous bird turns its head to look at Yata and slowly lowers its head to be more to the ground.]

[There's a note taped to its beak. That should probably tell Yata a lot, assuming he can swim well enough.]

[letteropener]

We ponies control it. Most of it is manufactured in the pegasus city of Cloudsdale, and then distributed all across Equestria for local weatherponies to manage.

[She might be, just a little, but Celestia is naturally clearheaded and doing all she can to keep herself focused and in the moment. Talking helps, indeed.]

[shiitan]

So no going straight home, got it. [He out his hands in his pockets and looked off into the distance. His flippant words also didn't match with the conversation.]

I don't mind being disobedient, but I'll still be up there soon.

[hellskitchen]

If I go up on the volcano or stay on the ground, I still could be in danger. Though it's not going to stop me. People have to do things even if they might get hurt.

[ Not everyone is unaffected by lava, but it doesn't stop people from doing what they must.]

I'll be more careful, but that doesn't mean I won't go. I have a responsibility to protect my home, you understand that, right?

[shiitan]

[He leaned to one side to get a better look at that bag of goodies.]

Is that all just bandages and medicine? You overdid it.

[For at least one reason he could think of.]

[kuroi_taiyo]

[ He looks back to it for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulder in a dismissive way. ]

It doesn't feel impressive. It's not like it's all that draining of a spell.

[hellskitchen]

[Rin still looks concerned even if Celestia tells him, she's fine. It does look like a nasty burn, but he's not really equipped to handle it. It just encourages him to get her out of there, so that she can be properly treated for it.]

It's no problem, Princess. What are friends for?

[He smiles at her, and then he starts looking for some path to safety. They couldn't go back down since the lava is in that direction. So that only leads them to go up, and maybe they can find a way to go around the lava.]

So let's start heading out. We can't stay here.

[Rin decides to stay in his demon form, in case they come across something that requires his full strength.]

[unlucky7]

"In-temple tailor?" The comment had been more a slight joke, but she's noticed the uniforms the old shinki seem to have. "I should be fine on clothes, I have things I can bring. Unless there's anything special I need to get? I have money saved up already."

She's not unfamiliar with an allowance - Archer always sets aside money for everyone from the shrine's offerings that week - but she is grossly underestimating how much a God of Fortune too.

[mithrarin]

We all went to search the forest in the Near Shore that corresponds to the one in the Far. If we ever found anything clear, I didn't hear about it later. Of course, people might have discovered things they didn't share.

[He isn't in the right circles to hear these things, as he well knows. Maria herself would have had much better luck, he thinks with some irony.]

[hellskitchen]

You're doing great! Just keep your eyes on the prize!

[He decides not to say, "Don't look down", because that might freak her out. He starts making his way as well. His arm slung around the tree's trunk as he gets his feet up, and he uses the strength in his legs to make lift him up. Sliding his arm up as he climbs up higher. It's really hard to scale up the tree with one hand, but he makes sure to keep Nia's blade close to him.]

You're almost there.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

[Is it good or bad that Nia doesn't remember that in Alrest, people created vehicles by wiring machinery into Titans to steer them? That might make things more understandable... or even more confusing.]

Huh. I'm not sure I get it, but I'll try and follow along. So it's all basically making him go, making him stop, and changing up for speed?

[sing_for_me]

[ She's about to respond when Ginia suddenly moves, appearing behind Alex and throwing up a borderline. But there was nothing to get in between. ]

Ginia, there's...there's nothing there...

[ She places a hand on her shoulder. Ginia is on edge, tense. She's ready to take on whatever was there--but what was she trying to take on? ]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

[She looks sidelong at Pyrrha, choosing her words for maximum impact.] I hate the Far Shore. I hate being a shinki. I hate being someone else's bloody property. Give me a way to tear it all down and put up something better in it's place, I'll take it in a heartbeat.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

I literally don't think you can. You'd have to go so far against your nature you'd snap like a twig. [She even makes a little motion like she's snapping something between her hands.]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

"I'm not sure a volcano has a life, but I believe you'll find a way regardless." He wasn't even really joking; Wendy seemed like the kind of girl who would, somehow, Find A Way. But he was just relieved she seemed to be recovering, taking a moment to -- not quite calm down, but acknowledge that his heart not pounding really felt wrong at the moment.

[reformedsinner]

Ah-- [Help, his face is being cleaned. Hakkai blinks, and then chuckles lightly and accepts the handkerchief, mopping at his forehead. He mostly succeeds in spreading it around.]

-- did that get it?

That's what I'm going to do, too. I'm looking for anyone who needs medical help or a ride back to safer areas of the Heavens.

[hellskitchen]

[All they can do is their best! Rin doesn't have much mobility in the air to be able to catch every piece of debris that flies towards the temples. Though he does his best trying to stretch his blue flames as far as he can.He cuts down a few of the rocks, but then he's left relying on his flames to take care of the pesky smaller ones that evade the edge of his blade. This isn't going to work.

He then decides to jump onto a rooftop and erect a borderline. It flashes blue just like his flames but stays invisible for the most part. At least he can prevent the debris from destroying more of the temples, but his barrier can only protect a certain area. A lot of the temples on the outskirts of his borderline remains unprotected.

At least it's a smaller number for Goku to keep his eyes on.]

I'm countin' on ya!

[sassywelshcatgirl]

[This'd be so much easier if...]

[No point in thinking about that. Despite her discomfort, Nia doesn't let herself get distracted from the goal. She takes a moment to balance on a branch, then runs down it to leap from it onto the roof. Landing roughly, she rolls back to her feet like she's used to it, quickly standing up again.]

[letteropener]

[His sentiment earns him a very warn smile indeed. That's just the sort of thing she loves to hear, after all. But no time to dwell on that; she turns her attention to the path ahead.]

The way will be very treacherous. Are you able to manage it all right?

[letteropener]

[As much as Celestia generally tries to keep her calm and composure, especially around Hibiki, she has to admit she's quite lost here and wondering what in Equestria she missed. Even her forward momentum slows as she turns this conversation over in her head, trying to parse it.]