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

[reformedsinner]

[A wildcat leaps forward, snarling, chi shield shimmering into place over it to deflect Hakkai's attack, and he stares, shocked. The youkai behind it skids to a stop, clawed hands flexing, face set in a vicious snarl that's somehow clear despite the fog. Hakkai keeps eye contact, putting his back to Jeep. It's just the two of them; his fingers flex around his second ball of chi, ready to release as soon as his opponent's guard falters.]

Now, now. I'm a little busy for this.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

What the hell are you doing?!

[Nia is too shocked to do anything but exclaim, even as the barrier falls away from in front of her. Not that her guard is truly 'down'; Blade shields are as quick to come up as Borderlines, and no challenge to generate. But Hakkai may not guess that.]

[reformedsinner]

Trying to get through!

[He readies another attack, tension humming in his muscles, but doesn't release it immediately.]

If you let me go, there won't be a problem.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

You started it, you idiot! I just showed up and you're flinging blasts at me!

[She wants an explanation, damn it! An apology's too much to ask for, but damned if she's gonna just let him run around flinging balls of energy at people. Someone could get hurt!]

[reformedsinner]

You attacked me.

[What is this...? Hakkai's slowly straightening out of his combat-ready stance, but not taking his eyes off the young youkai. Had he misunderstood?]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

What... the...

I never did! [Now she throws both her fists back, leaning over in an offended huff.] Bloody hell, Hakkai, why would I attack you?!

[reformedsinner]

... How do you know me?

[He still sounds wary: but her gesture is so casual, so familiar, it's hard to stay on guard. He lets the energy ease away from his hands.]

Who are you?

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Uuuurgh. [Nia slaps her face, running her hands down it in a state close to agony. That is really uncomfortable with the grips of her weapons scraping her cheeks, but damned if she's even noticing that right now.] How many other cat-eared Drivers do you know around here?! Because I sure haven't met them, and I'd really like to!

[reformedsinner]

What?

[Cat ears? Hakkai's expression is blank.]

You're a youkai...

[Is she? He blinks rapidly; his vision is foggy, but he's sure the crouched figure with her wildcat is a young youkai woman. Cat ears?

Slowly, he suggests:]

Can you describe yourself, please?

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Describe my-- [Okay, he's clearly gone crazy. That's sad, but she'd rather play along than fight him.] Cat ears, grey hair, two hair ribbons on each side? You might not recognize them, they're different from last time we talked... Amber eyes, three markings on my face, fangs? You need more than that yet?

[reformedsinner]

[He knows the person she's describing, but her face -- although blurry -- is still distinctly that of a young youkai woman, her ears long and leaf-pointed. He's sure. Carefully, he draws his fingertip across his face: down his forehead, up each cheek at an angle.]

Three markings, like this?

I, ah.

... Nia? It's possible I may be seeing things. [That, he says in a perfectly conversational tone.]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Oh. That's just super. Yeah, it's me. We talked while we were grilling food, remember? [Okay. She'll put her weapons away -- carefully, just in case that doesn't go well.] You all right?

[reformedsinner]

[He closes his eyes. Without the images to distract him, it proves easier to focus on her voice, easier to recognize her intonation.]

Yes, I remember. I'm fine.

[Apart from the violent hallucinations, of course. Just fine. He flinches, sure suddenly that something is rushing at him: but he can't feel any energy in it, and so he doesn't do more than flinch.]

Are you hurt? I didn't hit you, did I?

[He thinks that cat thing had protected her, but he's not sure if he can trust that the cat is real, either. A shield-generating wildcat doesn't sound too believable.]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

[Oh. What can she do to help him out? Nia bites her lip, wishing her Arts could do more to heal mental trouble as well as physical...]

Naw, my Blade protected me. Sorry, I didn't think that you hadn't met him yet... But it's fine. Maybe you should stick with me a bit till this wears off.

[reformedsinner]

Maybe so. [He's leaving his eyes closed. It's better that way. Carefully, he steps back, reaching out for Jeep; the edge of his windshield meets Hakkai's fingertips, icy in the winter chill.]

Can you drive? I've been looking for people who need first aid, or a ride to somewhere safer.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

I am a Driver, yeah.

[Nia doesn't put the gesture and the comment together, figuring he's just looking for support. This misunderstanding will surely have no consequences.]

[reformedsinner]

[That's an odd way to put it, but Hakkai nods, and gestures to the driver's seat.]

In that case... I'm a little nervous about whether I should be driving when I can't trust what I see. Would you mind accompanying me until this wears off?

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Yeah, sure, no problem. Is -- this your Blade?

[She peers at the Jeep curiously. It seems pretty darn quiet and still for a Blade...]

[reformedsinner]

He's my car. Jeep, Nia; Nia, Jeep....

["Blade"? How do you drive a blade?

Jeep's engine revs, questioning.]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Uh, hey, Jeep. You -- don't mind me using your weapon, then?

[This is so weird. Can Jeep not even talk?]

[reformedsinner]

He's not my weapon. Usually, I fight unarmed... ah, Nia?

[This is definitely beginning to sound as though they might be misunderstanding one another.]

When I say drive, I do mean drive cars.

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Cars? You mean the vehicles people in the Near Shore zoom around in? [She'd seen them, she just doesn't understand them.] That's what you Drive instead of Blades? How -- how the bloody hell does that work?

[reformedsinner]

... Yes. Like Jeep.

[Not precisely like Jeep, to be fair: none of the vehicles on the Near Shore turns into a dragon, and none of them appear to be anything like sentient.

That said, he definitely has the feeling he shouldn't be letting Nia drive.]

Ah, I suppose I can, if you look out for obstacles? I'll explain what I'm doing.

[She can learn a little and he'll avoid driving off any cliffs he doesn't mean to drive off.]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

I'm going to admit, you've totally lost me. I've got no clue how you Drive something that isn't a Blade. But my vision's clear, at least. I can do that for you.

[Shaking her head, Nia starts to climb in. She gets THAT much at least from having seen them down in the Near Shore.]

Guessing they didn't have these things where I come from.

[reformedsinner]

Cars? Well, maybe not. I can't imagine what you mean by driving a blade, myself, unless it's "driving a blade through a target"...

[He shrugs, and settles into the seat, letting his hands rest on the steering wheel.]

This controls the direction the car travels in; turn it to the right to turn right, to the left to turn left.