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

Yata | OTA

[thevanguard]

A. Rude Awakening
[ Late sleepers is right, because Yata is still completely dead to the world, sprawled in his bed, an orange cat half-splayed over his face. And then the earthquake hits, sending most things in his room rattling and his cat yowling in alarm right in his face. There is a lot of flailing and yelling before Yata tumbles face-first out of bed to faceplant on the floor. Confused and annoyed, it takes him a moment to realize that something is really Not Right and he scrambles to his feet, tripping over his skateboard in his haste to get out the front door.

And then he just stands there in front of Izumo's temple, still in a tank top and shorts, bed-hair sticking up in ever direction, and gapes at the appearance of a volcano in the distance. ]

What the fuck is this shit?!

[ ....Maybe Mikoto woke up underground this time...? ]

B. Something Smells Funny
[ Of course Yata is one of the first ones to head towards the Western District to help, if only because he's completely used to working in and around fire. Even if this is.... considerably different. He helps where he can, but that also means he's at ground zero when fissures start opening up and releasing strange-smelling fumes into the air surrounding him.

He wheezes, bending over double, his eyes watering intensely for a moment as his head swims...

Hey. Now he feels kinda... weird?? ]

Rude Awakening

[monkeyblue]

[Fushimi, meanwhile, is coming back with Sicily. Somewhere in the temple Fuku is furiously grooming Toshi as she tries to calm her cat-friend down.

Fushimi is very tempted to do the same to Misaki, seeing that hair.]

Tch.

[thevanguard]

[ Hearing the familiar sound, Yata spins around to see Saru approaching with his horse and then abruptly pointing to the huge plumes of smoke in the distance. ]

Are you seeing this?!

[monkeyblue]

[Seemingly in response, Sicily shakes his head and sends ash flying everywhere.]

Yes.

[thevanguard]

There's a volcano. [ Yata's arms are waving for emphasis. ] Right there! What the hell?!

[toremainbehind]

Yata.

[His voice cuts through, tone firm with concern underlying it.

Of course Izumo would be close by. All of his shinki are a little scattered right now and he has Mikan with him, too. He frowns deeply as he finds Yata, placing a hand on his back.]

[thevanguard]

[ Yata coughs, trying to clear his lungs. Unbalanced, he sways a moment until Izumo's hand on his back steadies him. Eyes still burning and running, he rubs his fist against his eyes, trying to clear out whatever he got hit with.

Trying to clear his throat enough to get words out, he coughs again, his voice coming out a croak. ]

C-careful. Something's not... right.

[toremainbehind]

[Izumo gently nudges Yata forward, to start walking.]

How much of the smoke did you breathe in?

[thevanguard]

[ He shakes his head, trying to clear his lungs, his eyes still watering and burning. ]

D-dunno, I-

[ He felt - or sensed - something go whizzing past his ear and he jerks backwards, away from Izumo's bracing hand, eyes wide in sudden surprise as his gaze darts around, searching for the source of the unexpected attack. ]

What the hell?!

Rude Awakening

[badassfreakingoverlord]

It's a volcano.

[The answer comes from a book held in the arms of a demon, one of ten in a chevron formation that points them directly at the Mount Doom wanna-be.]

And we're going to go kick its ass back into dormancy. Fall in!

[thevanguard]

[ Yata jolts at the sound of a voice from behind him, spinning around and then stopping to stare in confusion at the formation of...what the hell were these guys?

Unsure who had spoken to him, his gaze just falls on the lead demon, figuring that might be the most likely suspect. ]

Fall in?! What, the volano?! Dude, are you nuts?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Surprise it's the book!]

Hell no! We'll find out what's causing this and stop it! I refuse to have my future dominion crapped up by lava and debris!

[thevanguard]

Future... what the fuck?! [ He'd been looking in the right direction this time and followed the source of the voice to... ] You're a fucking book?!

B

[kokuyoyo]

[One moment, Yata is doubled over, wheezing and eyes tearing up.]

[The next moment, an enormous cloud passes by overhead, casting a shadow over the area he's in.... and then, in the moment after that, an enormous taloned foot wraps around him and just. hauls him off.]

[Try not to freak out too much, Yata. Or set things on fire.]

[thevanguard]

[ The smoke and the foul-smelling vapors had been bad enough, but this takes him completely by surprise and Yata lets out a shocked shriek as a taloned claw wraps around his middle and lifts him off the ground.

He, of course, immediately starts struggling and yelling as the ground starts to go distant beneath him. ]

The fuck are you?! Let me the fuck go, you freaking bird-brain! Fucking...! SHUN, you asshole, are you up there?!

[kokuyoyo]

[Nice scream, Yata.]

[Although there's no response from Shun, either, considering the fact that the god isn't here. Instead, the enormous bird just continues to patience glide through the air, ignoring all the struggle that's happening in his grip. And, honestly, with how high they're going, does Yata really want to fight anymore...?]

[thevanguard]

[ That's like asking 'is water wet', Chikusa. He's still totally struggling, ineffective though it might be. ]

Hey you asshole, where the hell are you taking me?! I need to get back down there! I'm gonna turn you into fucking fried chicken!

A

[revolutionfalcon]

Do you even need to ask?

[Shun had not long come back from his patrol when the volcano erupted, so unsurprisingly, he's on his way through Central District to assist in the situation, flanked by several green and white metal birds.

He barely spares a glance for Yata's condition.] Put some actual clothes on and make yourself useful instead of gaping like a fish.

[thevanguard]

[ He recognizes that voice instantly and manages to stop gaping at the volcano long enough to spin around and fix Shun with an aggravated glare. ]

Sh-shut up! What the hell am I supposed to do about a volcano?!

[revolutionfalcon]

Not standing in your front yard in pyjamas yelling at people would be a good start.

[Somehow, Shun's tone is even drier in saying that than it had been in the first place. He's not one to decide from the outset that he can't do anything about a particular situation.]

[thevanguard]

[ Shun gets flipped off for his troubles. ]

I was asleep, dammit, then the whole house started shaking and my cat tried to murder me! There weren't time for clothes!

B for bugging

[redstray]

[ Eric had spotted the beanie wearing companion as he was heading over to the area himself. Anything he could do to help, and being used to fire as well, it could be some kind of advantage.

He watched as Yata got engulfed by the smoke, managing to avoid the majority of it. Covering his mouth with his sleeve he jogged over and proceeded to pat the other's back to help with his coughing. ]

You alright?

[thevanguard]

[ Yata is still crouched over, coughing thickly as he tries to clear the smoke out of his lungs, eyes burning from the vapors. ]

Fuck, no, this place is awful.

[redstray]

[ Eric chuckles, continuing to pat his back ]

I'm sure it's lovely...when it's not trying to choke you.

[thevanguard]

[ Eyes still burning from the smoke and fumes, Yata gives another wheezing cough. ]

Shit. Done in by a fire mountain. This is the worst. I want to file a complaint.