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

[creepface]

[ The fast movement makes him squeak, and he knows pretty much anyone here can kick his ass, so excuse him for being wary. So he's keeping a polite distance as he wipes at his eyes, looking at Ross. ]

A-a-are you s-sure...? You don't, don't seem... i-it, I'm a n-n-nurse, I might be able t-to h-h-help?

[shiitan]

I'm not hurt, so I don't see how.

[He had, of course, focused on the latter half of his statement instead of elaborating on anything else. On the plus side, his arm lowered all the way and his hand relaxed.]

[creepface]

Th-then what's wr-wrong...? A-are you seeing things t-too?

[ Luckily he knows about the hallucinations since... well, he's seen some stuff, and even if he hadn't he knows about mental illnesses and the like. Far from everything is physical. ]

[shiitan]

[He tensed, but he didn't make any sudden moves. Obvious tells like that one were more difficult to shake than he wished they were.]

"Too"? You've been seeing things?

[creepface]

[ Ah, so it is what's going on. It sucks that he doesn't know how to help with that. ]

Y-yes, it wasn't p-p-pleasant. Is, is it bad for y-y-you? Do you n-need anything that m-might help?

[shiitan]

[Something that might help? Honestly, he could think of a few things that would at least take his mind off things.

The ground rumbling put those things into perspective.]

There isn't time for that. It'll have to wait until the volcano calms down.

[creepface]

[ He'd listen to all you have to say if that rumbling didn't make him squeak. ]

Ah, y-yes, y-you need co-cover and then I w-will help you...!

[ Where to go though, but up? He's trying to figure out if it's better to take Ross back down if he's unwell but he doesn't know him well at all. ]

[shiitan]

[It didn't take a genius to figure out that Rasu was...skittish, to put it nicely. Still, the fact that he was still trying even though it would be easier to run away did him credit in Ross' book.]

Okay. [Whoa, that was the most agreeable he'd been so far.]

But I'm going up, so it might be hard to find cover.

[creepface]

[ He wants to help, even though a lot of things scare him. ]

I, I'm g-g-going up t-too. In c-case anyone gets h-hurt on the way u-u-up...!

[ He has a big bag on his back full with things they might need. ]

[shiitan]

[He leaned to one side to get a better look at that bag of goodies.]

Is that all just bandages and medicine? You overdid it.

[For at least one reason he could think of.]

[creepface]

A-and things to st-sterilise woulds w-with and in c-case someone needs s-stitches... [ His face goes red at the last thing Ross tells him because sure, he kinda knows he did, but he wanted to cover all his bases. ] I-in case someone needs e-e-emergency surgery I c-c-can do small s-stuff if we find a st-sterile enough env-environment... [ He brought a smaller tarp? ]

[shiitan]

Really... [Would it even be possible to find a sterile environment up here? Honestly it was a small blessing that he was thinking about that instead of pointing out Rasu's red face.]

Alright then. If I protect you, will you operate on me if I need it?

[He was hoping that wouldn't be necessary, but hey. It was better than dying again.]

[creepface]

I, I would help you e-even if you d-d--didn't, so y-yes.

[ He's going to be trying to developing a better way to do safer surgeries on the fly, because one day there might be a dire situation where it's that or the person has no chance at all. ]

B-b-but! H-h-hopefully it won't c-come to that? I w-wouldn't want you to get th-that hurt.

[shiitan]

I can heal myself, so it probably won't come to that. [He...waited an awfully long time before bringing that up. Even so, it was nice to have a safety net.]

Alright, time to climb this thing and not burn up in the process.

[creepface]

Oh... No, th-then, that's, that's g-good.

[ At least that's somewhat of a comfort to know, even if it would have been nice to know sooner, but... well. It is what it is. ]

I'll c-come with, if, if that's o-okay?

[ He'll do his best not to slow you down! ]

[shiitan]

That's fine. But my power isn't unlimited, so don't get burned too much by those things.

[Well, that was almost nice--wait. "Too much"?]

[creepface]

I, I'll try not to...?

[ He would prefer not to get burned at all, so that's... a thing.

And he'll just follow then. ]