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

[myblueskies]

Oh that's good! [Especially since there is an aftershock that rocks the whole temple again, Romeo grabs the wall to steady himself, there's a crash as some books fall to the floor.]

I hope everyone's alright...

[And a second later!] We better check on Carol! And mister goat!

[alchemists]

Carol should be by the world history section, if books are starting to get knocked off the shelves we need to find her quickly.

[ Elfnein knows the goat will be fine on it's own, it is Hibiki's goat after all, but Carol is a lot smaller and with all the chaos of books falling she might get trapped. ]

[myblueskies]

Let's go! [He reaches out for her hand, keeping one hand on the wall to guide them along. The floor and walls all seem to be shaking and Romeo can only hope that Elfnein is right, that the building is made in a way that it won't fall down!

The library is chaos when they get there, several of the free standing shelves have fallen over and books litter the floor. Romeo looks around trying to find a path to the world history section.]

[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. ]

[myblueskies]

It is, but we can put it all right again. [He smiles at her, anything was possible when they worked together and they would be able to fix everything! But for now they had a cat to rescue! Romeo clambered over a fallen shelf, reaching back to help Elfnein.] This way!

[alchemists]

[ They had gotten past the fallen bookshelf without any problems, Elfnein was trying her best to hear for any sounds to lead them in the right direction. ]

Carol if you're nearby please come out, I'll give you treats!

[ Hopefully mentioning treats would cause the cat to show up, then they could get Carol into a safe part of the temple. ]

[myblueskies]

It's okay Carol we can go somewhere where books aren't falling! [He heard a faint sound and pointed.] Over there!

[alchemists]

[ Time to play the treat game, Elfnein had a little container filled with treats in her lab coat pocket and handed it to Romeo. ]

Try shaking the container, she'll come over when she gets a treat.

[myblueskies]

Alright! [He takes the container and shakes it in the direction he had heard the noise.]

Come on Carol! We got treats for you!

[alchemists]

[ With the sound of a shaken container the orange tabby cat appears from the shadows. There's a small meow before Carol sits waiting for a treat. ]

Perfect ~

[myblueskies]

Good Carol! [Romeo picked up Carol, sheltering her as the room started shaking again.] We should go somewhere where things won't fall on us!

[Libraries were not safe in earthquakes it seemed!]

[alchemists]

What place would work for that? Even the empty rooms in the back have risks.

[ Carol is not happy with being picked up but puts up with it, the treats will be worth it. ]

[myblueskies]

But they are better than being with all these books! [As if to illustrate his point there was a crash from the far end of the library and Romeo had to clutch Carol tight to stop her jumping out of his arms.] Let's go to mister goats room! We should all stick together!

[alchemists]

We need to make sure the goat is ok, Hibiki won't like it if something happens to them.

[ Elfnein almost forgot about the goat since it's so well behaved. ]

[myblueskies]

No she won't! So we best go make sure it's alright!

[And then stick together until this is all over!

Holding Carol tight in one arm he reaches out his hand for Elfnein's. To the goat room!]

[alchemists]

Let's go

[ Grabbing Romeo's hand it's off to the goat room.]

A wrap?

[myblueskies]

[Off to the goat room! To get the final member of the temple so they can all be safe together.]