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

[hellskitchen]

I'm not sure of not hurting myself, but...I think I could do it.

[He doesn't mind if he's the one being hurt. It doesn't make sense to help someone and have them get hurt during the rescue. He's responsible for himself since he decided to interfere, that's how Rin sees it.

He shifts the weight of the boulder to one hand. He steadies himself before he makes the halberd symbol with his other hand. The timing has to be right if he wants to avoid injury, however, if it's off, the boulder could roll on top of him. Or, even the borderline might cut off a piece of the rock and that could deal Rin some damage too.

He tries his best to concentrate, calming his thoughts and concerns, focusing on seeing the line in his head. He infuses his conviction to protect his friends into his borderline. Rin drops the hand holding the boulder back, and the mass starts to roll toward him. It's a little close for comfort, but it's Rin's cue to cast his line!]

A line!

[He swipes his hand to the side, erecting a strong borderline that's able to push the boulder backward, the barrier contains the rock, preventing it from reaching them. Admiring his work for a moment, he turns to Celestia.]

I did it!

[letteropener]

[Celestia dances to the side to avoid the Borderline, though she might have been able to stand still and be safe. Reflex, don't you know.]

Wonderful! Now let's move!

[Hurry, hurry! Celestia beckons him away with a hoof, backing up herself as she keeps her magic trained on the lava. If they can get to high ground, she can let it go! And then probably collapse. That's almost certainly inevitable.]

[hellskitchen]

[ Rin moves along with Celestia, getting out of the way, while also maintaining the borderline. There are not many places for them to run, but if it's higher ground, Rin sees a hill close by. He points it out toward Celestia.]

What 'bout there?

[letteropener]

Right!

[She spreads her wings reflexively, then lets out a neigh of pain and flinches violently, the wing that the boulder had been pressed against spasming as she does. It might be broken; at the very least it's badly bruised and certainly burned, in no shape for flight.]

[Well, that isn't good.]

[But worry about that later; run for the hill now.]

[hellskitchen]

[Ouch! That looks painful! Rin finds himself cringing a bit at seeing the wing. It definitely doesn't look fit to fly let alone, moving around too much. Though he saves his concern for when they get somewhere safe.

He runs with her as they race to higher ground. Obviously, Celestia can there a lot faster since she has more legs than him, but he's not far behind. The heat and the suffocating air does make it a bit harder, but both of them are able to reach it before lava melts them. ]

Wooo! That was close!

[he then turns to Celestia.]

Your wing? Are you all right?

[letteropener]

I'll be fine. [She furls the wing quickly, heedless of the pain. The feathers on the outside and the fur surrounding it are scorched and seared, burns that aren't life-threatening but certainly unpleasant.]

[Letting the spell go, she staggers with the sudden relief. The lava surges behind them, no longer a threat save for the convection that her magic allows her to conveniently ignore.]

Thank you very much.

[hellskitchen]

[Rin still looks concerned even if Celestia tells him, she's fine. It does look like a nasty burn, but he's not really equipped to handle it. It just encourages him to get her out of there, so that she can be properly treated for it.]

It's no problem, Princess. What are friends for?

[He smiles at her, and then he starts looking for some path to safety. They couldn't go back down since the lava is in that direction. So that only leads them to go up, and maybe they can find a way to go around the lava.]

So let's start heading out. We can't stay here.

[Rin decides to stay in his demon form, in case they come across something that requires his full strength.]

[letteropener]

[His sentiment earns him a very warn smile indeed. That's just the sort of thing she loves to hear, after all. But no time to dwell on that; she turns her attention to the path ahead.]

The way will be very treacherous. Are you able to manage it all right?

[hellskitchen]

Treacher---you mean there's going to be treasure?!

[ Rin's eyes go wild. Unfortunately for Rin, Treacherous sounds very close to treasure, so the two words must be related? Rin's ignorance is a play, but he still means well.]

Well, I'm not really interested in that. Though I think I can handle whatever this volcano wants to throw at us!

[ He points at himself, and thrusts his thumb towards his chest.]

You can count on me!

[letteropener]

Dangerous. [Okay, that is a new one on her, and she has to work hard to suppress a smile.] But if you are confident, I will rely on you. And though there may be little treasure to be found, I will make you a cake when we get done here, by way of thanks.

[hellskitchen]

Oh! Is that what it means?

[Then why did it sound so much like treasure if it's two separate things. Whatever! Though Rin brightens up at the reward of cake. He's never going to refuse food.]

Well, that's better than any treasure!

[ Though they should probably get moving. Rin continues to lead the way, his sword drawn out, so he can react as quickly as possible.]

[letteropener]

Why do you say that? [Because seriously, she'd just been exposed to plenty of danger, and it left her with bad burns and a hurt wing, while coming this close to killing her. She doesn't particularly understand why harrowing danger is welcome, though she asks without judgment, merely a desire to learn.]