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

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Aaah, ask the book, they're overrated.]

[Zetta clears his (lack of a throat), making smacking noises as he tries to work the last of the crud out of his mouth.]

That was weird. As a demon, stuff like that shouldn't really affect me.

[erogappa]

[ Oh, it's broken. Cartilage doesn't twist that way without breaking.

The idea of having Hakkai's magic in him again makes Gojyo pause... but it's not something he can say no to. 'Gojyo' wouldn't say no. 'Gojyo' would let Hakkai heal him, and thank him for it. ]

You mean, so I don't have to explain to anyone that your car tried to run me over? [ He can't really grin right now, but he hopes his tone is clear enough. ] Please.

[alchemists]

Romeo calm down please.

[ The borderline doesn't do much, and Elfnein is more concerned that Romeo might try and do something else outside of that if they don't get off the mountain now. ]

We can walk down without the wolves getting us, trust me.

[alchemists]

Everything is a mess

[ Cleaning can wait till later, even if it hurts Elfnein to see the temple in this much chaos. Getting to the world history section is the only thing that matters right now. ]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

...Huh, that's actually legit.

[Zetta has to subside a little, since -- well, she's doing something stupid, but not AS stupid as he thought.]

...but you're still going to get yourself killed up here!

[alchemists]

I know, keeping my health in check is important and given the conditions here it's not safe for me in my current state.

[ Elfnein's accepted that, there's no use fighting that since anyone else she runs into is going to tell her to go back down. ]

[reformedsinner]

All right. -- There should be room.

[He gestures to the passenger seat; the back seat is piled high with supplies but the front is clear.]

Cho Hakkai, incidentally. And you are?

[reformedsinner]

Mm. Besides, if you look any more like a gangster, I think police will start to spot you even as a shinki.

[It's important to protect his last vestige of respectability, the unflattened nose. Hakkai's attempt at a joke is just as weak as Gojyo's; abandoning an attempt to smile, he steps forward, feels for the break with a light touch, and aligns it in one movement.

His fingers linger there for just a moment, channeling enough energy to encourage it to begin healing. Gojyo's still going to spend a few days black-and-blue, regardless.]

There.

[reformedsinner]

Perhaps mine is defective.

[That said-- he shakes his head, smiling, at Davesprite's description.] And in that case, your crocodile must feel like he's back home.

[If it likes lava, well then.

Odd, but who is Hakkai to judge Davesprite's bizarre world?]

[artificialrose]

Well, it's good that you're aware of that, then. [Or else they'd waste time arguing.] You're a god, aren't you?

[reformedsinner]

What?

[Cat ears? Hakkai's expression is blank.]

You're a youkai...

[Is she? He blinks rapidly; his vision is foggy, but he's sure the crouched figure with her wildcat is a young youkai woman. Cat ears?

Slowly, he suggests:]

Can you describe yourself, please?

[reformedsinner]

It would have to be after all of this calms down.

-- Does it strain you to change shape? [She'd certainly be better able to wrap herself in the blanket at a human size, and Hakkai could fit her into Jeep to drive her back to her temple to rest. On the other hand, she's barely beginning to recover from her exhaustion, and she shouldn't be doing any difficult magic yet.]

[darkestbefore]

[ When the other goddess apologizes, Yona relaxes once more and offers her a small, hesitant smile as she takes a step closer. ]

It's alright. I think everyone up here is a little on edge. No one expected something like this to happen. You're not hurt, are you?

[darkestbefore]

[ She looks up at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, and then pauses in surprise, her mouth dropping open, eyes going wide. ]

Are you... are they... flying?!

[ He has oxen and a cart that fly! For the moment, that's more distracting than the fact that she's standing on the slop of an active volcano. Which... probably should be more of a worry, honestly. ]

[veiledflame]

[The bird swoops down at the boy, legs extended to grab at him with massive metal claws, and the boy jolts backwards, looking from side to side with the whites showing around his eyes. He's on the crumbling edge of the volcano's crater, with lava seething and spouting below, the white-robed shinki dashing in behind the three closest fighters, and no route of escape.

He spins, and flings himself, arms spread, out over the crater. Lava fountains up around him, surrounding and swallowing his small form, and abruptly hardens into a solid spray of black stone.

The volcano rumbles violently, and the glow of molten stone begins to vanish, darkness spreading out from the point where the boy had vanished as if the heat is being sucked from the lava.]

[unlucky7]

Suppose it's a matter of differences in moral beliefs. Not a situation where one belief is right or wrong, but one where the beliefs are in conflict with each other and resolution requires one to bend or back down on their stance.

[Ginia knows she's completely transparent and Shun's stance as god and how he runs his temple doesn't matter in the long run. Every god manages their temple as they will it and no one minds unless it puts someone in danger. Ultimately, there is nothing to do but talk to Caster, but it's not a conversation she's looking forward to.

She rubs her forehead and sighs.]

I suppose I'm a poor shinki outside of fighting ayakashi.

[veiledflame]

[The shinki clinging to Suzaku's hand strains, and flings her other hand up, grabbing his wrist with it to solidify her sweat-slippery grip as she scrambles for a foothold on the rough and broken stone. She's getting her footing, and one solid heave should be enough to drag her up to safety.

Meanwhile, the boy trapped in Akutagawa's coat tendrils clenches his fist, and the glow intensifies in the crevasse beneath him until a burst of molten stone fountains out to engulf him, burning the fabric.]

[darkestbefore]

His outburst seems very unlike him, at least in how she'd encountered him so far, which is what's puzzling her. She's not sure she believes he's 'fine' at all, but she doesn't question it for the moment, not wanting to make him more defensive about it.

"I'm not sure anyone does, but isn't that why everyone's out here looking? For a cause for this? Amaterasu certainly seems to think there must be something suspicious about the cause of this, since he even sent her own shinki here in search parties."

[veiledflame]

[There's a slim, short figure in a gray hoodie lurking on the mountainside, and he raises his head as Judar points, lifting a hand to shade his eyes from the ashfall as he looks in their direction.

Under the shadow of his hand, his eyes glow a vivid scarlet.]

Hey, how many people are up here, anyway?

[darkestbefore]

[ She sure doesn't look like she believes him, nope.

But she doesn't call him on it. Instead, she pulls out a flask of water from beneath her cape and offers it to him with a small smile. ]

Here. Maybe this will help with the fogginess. Since I don't think sitting down to catch your breath on the side of a volcano sounds like a very safe option.

[darkestbefore]

[ She stumbles to a stop at the sound of that growl in his voice. Confused, she studies him for a moment before carefully edging her way into his line of vision. ]

Jae-Ha? Can you hear me?

[ She has no idea who he could be yelling at, but that didn't bode well for his state of mind. ]

[unlucky7]

With everyone back on their feet and no injures besides scrapes and non-critical cuts from falling onto volcanic rock, Ginia rejoins the chase. As he jumps over the edge of the crater, Ginia tries to throw out a barrier to catch him, but she's too far and it's too late. The heat from the fountain of lava holds them back; Ginia throws down a barrier in front in case more lava spills their way.

As everything cools around them, it feels like it should be a success of some sort, but Ginia can't shake the feeling they've made a mistake. Still on guard, Ginia carefully takes out her phone and takes a few pictures and video to document the scene.

[veiledflame]

"That's way too much!" Sotero sounds outraged. "How about, keeping anybody who's not on the volcano safe? I can't make it safe to walk all over on top of the volcano if people think they're gonna try that."

Besides, he doesn't want to make it safe for Amaterasu's shinki and whatever other do-gooders are dashing up here to walk all over. Where's he supposed to hide then?

(Maybe in one of Ebisu's shrines, if that's part of the deal: but still.)

[veiledflame]

"Ew, I don't want to," Sotero says, making a face at him, but leans forward to check each of the names. "I guess you were telling the truth after all. -- Did somebody kick you out?"

His anger has faded as quickly as it came, and now he just looks curious, and intrigued.

"Or what?"

[veiledflame]

Maybe.

[His expression is flat.]

But only if you ask nicely.