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

[trapperkeeper]

Mountain Climbing

[Lann, like so many others, is making his way up the volcano to try to find the source of this mess. Unlike many others, he's making his way up the mountain with two of his pets stacked on his head.

No, really. On his head is balanced a strange little creature brandishing a knife. And on its head is balanced a little black bird with red eyes.

And somehow, despite the fact that he is navigating his way around countless rocks and lava flows, they're managing to stay balanced. Honestly though, Lann is even thinking about stuff like that. He's got more important things to worry about. Like that shadowy figure he keeps seeing out of the corner of his eye. In fact, there's someone now!]

Hey!

[Oh, wait. False alarm. It's just you.]

Did you see a weird guy with red eyes come this way?

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Well that's a heck of a question. Edge blinks, then looks left and right, as if such a sinister figure is about to pop out from behind a rock and attempt to do them both in.]

A weird guy with red -- no, I can't say that I have.

[He looks back at the kid, and then his eyes abruptly snap two figures up on the stack.]

--is that a black chocobo chick!?

[trapperkeeper]

You mean Sheldon?

[He points up toward the top of the stack. The little bird kwehs softly.]

Yeah, dude. Pretty cool, huh?

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Wow! [He's impressed without knowing why. SOMETHING tells him that's amazing, but without memories the reason escapes him.] That's incredible! Where did you find him here? Everybody keeps talking about those 'horses' like chocobos don't exist!

[trapperkeeper]

[Lann fishes in his pockets until he finds a prismarium, which he holds up for Edge to see.]

He was in one of these things. I found it in my shoe one morning. Stabby was in one of these too.

[He indicates the Tonberry. In case Edge couldn't figure out which one was named 'Stabby.']

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Okay, now he's lost again. Why would a chocobo come out of a weird thing like that? He glances back up to the chick.]

In his egg? [Though really, shouldn't he have left the shell behind by now either way?]

Tonberry~ <3

[lookingforhead]

[Celty turns as Lann runs up to her and her first though is...how cute the stack of critters on Lann's head is. Perhaps not the most cuddly creatures but she still thinks they're adorable in their own right. That knife looks a little dangerous though.

It takes her a moment to realize he's asking a question and she shakes her helmet in a negative.]

[trapperkeeper]

Darn it.

[He frowns and glances around, hoping to catch a glimpse of his quarry. No such luck.

Impressively, even as he turns his head this way and that, the stack doesn't topple. There's barely a wobble. Both he and his strange little pets have very good balance.]

[lookingforhead]

[Celty's helmet turns this way and that as he turns, her hands raising as she gets ready to catch the critters if need be. The fact that they don't fall is surprising almost to the point of baffling.

But of the questions on her mind in this moment she finally settles on one to type up.]

What are those animals? Where did you get them?

[Okay, it's technically two questions.]

[trapperkeeper]

I keep finding these little crystal thingies. They were inside.

[He says it with a small shrug. Lann has given up trying to figure this stuff out.]

[lookingforhead]

Interesting. Is it something to do with the Heavens?

Maybe it's like how I was reunited with my horse. I woke up one morning and he was in the chicken pen at Aditi's temple. Fortunately I got him out of there before the chickens could hurt him.