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

[dredefulchilde]

Don't worry, Ken. You're in good company with the fangs, because you're helping a ten year old with canines that are a fair bit longer and sharper than most, though they're not currently extended to their full length.

Joss accepts the cup gratefully and gulps it down. Good, now his throat isn't so dry and he feels at least marginally more human (ha). He gives the teen a rare, grateful smile.

"Thanks. Don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come along." He coughs again into his wool scarf and winces. "Nngg. Hurts. Do you know how far it is to the Temple of Vesta? I can't tell in all this smoke."

[junkyarddog]

"Vesta?" It takes Ken a few moments to place the name, figure out why it sounds so familiar, but then he remembers - that's Ayumu's new god name. "You know Ayumu?"

He supposes he shouldn't be surprised. Ayumu's looked after them as a sort of surrogate mother figure; it makes sense she might have picked up other kids. Younger kids.

He feels a flicker of something like jealousy.

[dredefulchilde]

Joscelin looks up at the older boy then pulls up his shirt a little, revealing the mark for "child" on his stomach. "I'm her shinki. You know her?"

He coughs again, but at least this is a positive development. If the older boy can get him to the temple...

"Please help me get to her."

[junkyarddog]

"We were shinkis to the same god for awhile...we baked cookies with her and stuff. And I stayed with her for awhile when she got hurt. She's really nice, byon." Ken seems happy to talk about her, Ayumu's one of his favorite people, and has become a sort of mother figure for him and Chikusa. Granted, things are...tense with her and Chikusa right now, but...well, he's hoping that'll get fixed. He wants to fix it himself, but...he's scared to get involved in arguments between other people right now. It's backfired on him a lot. "She's a god now, but she didn't forget us."

He eyes Joscelin briefly. The boy looks light enough. "I can give you a ride, byon. I can channel different animals and stuff, so I can get you there really quickly." He tilts his head. "But you should cover your face like me or you're just gonna keep coughing, byon."