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

[reloves]

Okay, I won't ask how.

[ Still convinced she wasn't very useful here, okay! But Minako isn't the type to argue that at all, so she'll just take the compliment anyway - especially when it seems to be coming from him so genuinely. Just seeing him so happy is enough for her.

And it's not as if she doesn't like being held by a handsome guy and all, but she's still pretty aware of the situation they're in. She lets it linger for a few moments before saying-- ]

I think we probably have more people and temples to help out right now though.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[His thoughts had been going in a different direction, and her words startle him back into coherence once again -- enough of a jolt that he actually twitches. But she's right. Edge looks up and around at the Borderline, frowning slightly.]

I think I can hold it long enough for us to find another place that needs help. That should keep the lava flowing in its new channel?

[reloves]

[ She nods. ]

This stuff is kind of slow, right? Once it's flowing into a new direction, it'll probably stick to it. [ Not that Minako is a natural disaster or vulcano expert - far from it - but that just seems like the logical conclusion to her. ]

If we can just try to redirect at least a few of these streams to spots where it won't hit a temple or anything else important, then we'll have helped tons of people already!

[onehandsomeslickninja]

It'll spill a bit, but for the most part you're right. And I can keep holding it. Come on, let's go!

[He offers her a hand. If they're going on together, that's how they're going on together!]

And, uh... When this is all over I've got to ask you something, so remind me!

[reloves]

[ You don't have to ask Minako twice to hold a hand when one is offered to her. She easily grabs it - not like it'll be any hindrance to what they're trying to do here. If anything, it seemed to come in pretty useful (in Edge's eyes, apparently? Minako still doesn't know what happened there) this time, anyway.

And she smiles at him. ]

Sure. I won't let you forget.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Good.

[It's important.]

[Maybe a disaster, but important. But for now, well. Edge sights the next menacing lava field up ahead, and starts off for that. Together!]