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

[fortunesmiles]

[Komaeda hears that message loud and clear, but he can't be very bothered by it. Really, he and Hakkai are very similar in their level of concern for Komaeda's well-being, and their ideas of how worth worrying about he actually is.]

Well, other people's temples might be hit by random chance, but with my luck, what happens to my temple won't be random at all. It's just a question of whether my good luck or bad luck will win out...

I suppose I could put out a request on the network. I certainly don't know anyone personally who could do anything about it, but I'm sure someone in the heavens probably could.

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun gives a faint hum of agreement at the note that she was jumpy. Their first meeting wasn't all that long ago, considering, and he remembers her manner from it quite well. He definitely can't disagree that he hasn't changed much in that time either, though something about it seems to worm its way into his expression almost like worry.]

I don't know if that's completely true. But that's not something I need to be told by anyone else either. [In the wake of his disagreement with Fubuki and his continued lack of reconciliation with Reisi, he's definitely feeling much more acutely his seeming inability to connect to his shinki despite wanting to work with them on an equal level. It's happened often enough now that it's definitely a pattern, and starting to become troubling.]

[priforprince]

No, every millimeter of me is optimal.

[ Hibiki feels a little bit better now. Still detached from her body, but what can one do? When given the choice between accepting absurdity and mentally clapping one's hands over one's ears and singing loudly, Shikyoin Hibiki has perfect pitch.

Relating self-obvious facts about herself, however, she can do in any condition. ] Such is the nature of absolute genius.

[ The absolute genius is sitting in a puddle. ]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Your worst bloody nightmare if you don't stop pointing that big key at my Blade. [Not normally this hostile, Nia is running more than a little tense thanks to the gas swishing around up here.] Unless you're the one popping this rock's top, I'm on your side, so knock it off.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Pretty unoriginal, and also likely to get you scratched. [Nia shrugs, her ringblades dangling from her palms to go along with her smirk.] Is that going wrong by your standards?

[sassywelshcatgirl]

[Nia glances sidelong (and way, way up) at Pyrrha.]

I'm not sure we want to. Not yet. Not till I know what the group's actually planning. The Far Shore's no paradise.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

"It's kind of a little like that," Nia said, not sure she could really explain adequately. "Not quite the same but there's a couple similarities."

[mithrarin]

How much time? [That may put a crimp in his plans. If only he'd gotten here quicker -- urgh.] I can't do anything myself, but I can strengthen yours.

[mithrarin]

I wonder if anything lives on volcanoes normally. [He isn't just idly wondering, either; they might find parallels of those creatures up here as spirit.]

[Well, one easy way to answer. Dust pulls out his phone to look it up.]

[letteropener]

[Well, it gets a snort from Celestia, whose sense of humor is less refined and elegant than she usually lets on.]

No other outcome would be asheptable?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Okay. He sees the lay of the land. So without a moment's pause, the minion tosses Zetta to the side, then dives to try to tackle Hibiki by the legs.]

[Zetta, of course, slams face-down into some hot rocks. This is not his day.]

[lookingforhead]

[Sorry Dust, but Celty wants to make sure you're safe, even if it means going a tiny bit overboard on the protective aspects of what her powers can do. But a moment later and he's back on solid ground, away from the heat and neither sticky nor irreparably singed.

The shadows are dispelled and Celty begins to look him over, going through the physical motions of asking if he's alright. She doesn't bother getting her phone out, thinking she's being clear enough.]

[boneofsword]

Good. [that's what Archer was aiming for. At Shun's question he pinches the bridge of his nose before he replies.]

A bit better. I'm seeing only glimpses that vanish when I try to look at it. [he takes a breath and adds with a bit of reluctance.] It's unnerving.

[sageprincess]

[Sorry, Minako, but she can't really explain right now. Zelda takes a step forward, as if to preempt Sotero's escape, but restrains herself from doing more than that. It's very difficult to do and her body is tense with the effort, what with being reminded of the chaos caused that night, of feeling Oscar's pain as clearly as she would her own, but Chikusa is right about her in some regards.]

Why did you do it? Whose orders were you working under? [This boy is a tool as much as Votelli is. The means by which someone wishes to destroy Heaven.] ... Tell me that, and I will have no reason to inquire about you further. We will leave, and swear not to give chase wherever you might flee.

[Her words are intent, serious, but sincere. It might pain her to leave without all her questions answered, but without a doubt that is the most important one.]

[defensivematrix]

[ Yes, it does show that much, if them almost falling off the sky is any implication. But Satya will spare him the sass. Not the right situation for it. If anything, she is visibly relieved that he agrees.

The warping is instant, and as they were engulfed in the dust, smoke, and view of the fiery volcano- everything is calm now. A chilly breeze comes from the sea, the beach is nearby, and so is a pier. It's silent aside from the sound of the waves.

Please, wait a moment. She guides him- or rather suggests he takes a seat at the bench and moves towards one of the small shops open nearby. The moment gets to be annoyingly long, because, despite the quiet and slow place, there is quite a queue- eventually, she decides that, duh, a god is in need. It's not like anyone will notice her breaking into the queue.

So she returns, with two steaming plastic mugs and gives Iskandar the bigger one. Get your cocoa with big cream for extra sugar ]

Hmm, you look better already. [ Again a sigh of relief ] But are you truly certain one night of sleep is going to be enough?

[ Not that she would suggest vacations now. But perhaps options that include risking falling from the sky- speaking of which ]

I always meant to ask- probably not the best moment to choose right now. But your chariot, you call it and dismiss it at will. It's related to your power as a god or-

[badassfreakingoverlord]

MINE is a unit of measurement! And if you'd told me from the beginning we could have gotten you some Dramamine or something!

[veiledflame]

"I wanted to show them they can't keep us out all the time."

Is it too simple a motive to be the truth? Maybe it sounds that way, but Sotero's saying it as though it's the most natural thing in the world. He watches Gojyo warily, lacing his fingers together behind his head.

"Even if they try."

[erogappa]

It's a kid's argument, to be sure. Maybe that's the whole truth, but Gojyo doubts it.

"I can't argue with that. People tell me no, and it just makes me want to do the thing even more, too." But. But.

"You must've done something pretty bad to piss her off, though, if she kicked you out forever!"

[sing_for_me]

[ Alex shakes her head, her voice firmer. ]

You can accomplish more than I can, so it'll be put to better use with you.

[ Maybe talking practically will help. ]

You can do that for me.

[defensivematrix]

[ Satya is Very Panicked, but the roof over her head puts her at ease enough so, that she peeks between the front chairs. Now a sudden jump won't make anyone fall off- they might hurt their head but that's a lesser of two evils.

She reaches forward with her mechanical arm testing and analyzing the distance between her position, the road, and front of the car. ]

It would shatter on a rock, but I imagine it could push wood out of the way. [ Keyword "imagine" - she never actually tried doing that. But it should work, it should work. ]

I am more worried if it could perform at a speed faster than your car. But if it wouldn't, I foresee no true damage to the vehicle

[ It's steel and having considerable kinetic force, as opposed to unmoving wood. Also, the roof would sadly have to go. ]

[rockthemonkey]

But... it's me...

[Something's wrong. He's not moving, but he can see himself attacking Gojyo still. Clawing at a bloody heap on the ground. But his hands are dry and isn't it strange that he can see himself like this? Something is wrong. He can't feel anything-

before long arms envelope Goku and pull him into a tight hug. He flinches at the first contact, but doesn't punch or push Gojyo away. He's just tense for a second before gripping Gojyo's shirt tightly and burying his face in his chest.]

... Somethin's wrong.

[It's easier like this. Eyes shut tight, the visions aren't so clear. His other senses are overwhelmed by Gojyo- scent, touch, sound- and they overpower any blood or death in his imagination. It's pathetic and childish, but maybe he'll just stay here for a minute.]

[sing_for_me]

[ That makes Alex wince. She hadn't thought about it that way. Even if Maria was stronger than she was, there was still a chance she could harm her, or even get in her way.

Her eyes close for a moment, her brows knitting together before she finally relents. ]

There's someone..I hear him sometimes..and see him. I know he's not really there, he can't be..but it feels so real.

[sing_for_me]

No, I'm okay. But what about you?

[ Yona's been so much already, Alex can't help but worry. Especially because she liked to push herself so much..

Alex steps closer to get a better look, scanning her from head to toe. ]

[rockthemonkey]

Lots of people care about stupid things. I'll just ignore them if it's something I don't wanna do.

[A very responsible attitude. Luckily, when what you usually want to do involves helping others anyway, people don't tend to notice the rebellious streak as quickly. Goku squats down, balancing his hands on his knees and getting comfortable.]

And I've never looked in any records about anythin'. I don't think I've ever seen 'em. Did they mess your stuff up in there?

[sing_for_me]

If you don't mind..! [ She felt bad for not being prepared herself, but any help she can take and give she'll gladly do.

When he starts the countdown, she prepares herself, adjusting her hands. ]

Three-- [ Alex puts as much of her weight as she can. She can hear the wood cracking as it started to move. ]