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]

Ha ha, it really would have been.

["Dumb" is certainly one way to describe that situation. Hakkai's left wrong-handed as he tries to get his limiters back on with his uninjured hand; it takes a few extra seconds, but he lets out a breath of relief as the sharpness of his senses fades back down to normal, his strength diminishes, his claws and teeth are blunted again.]

I have mine back on.

[He turns to look at Goku, his frown pinching worriedly.]

I should get you off the mountain. If it's something around here....

[rockthemonkey]

[It would have been very dumb and very embarrassing. Other adjectives can be neatly swept under the rug like all other trauma and fears.

Goku still isn't opening his eyes. He can feel Hakkai's energy dampen and that's enough for him. He's not risking looking and seeing something terrible again.]

I was messin' with you too, right? [He sits up. He's really not all that hurt, he thinks. Hopefully Hakkai isn't either.] ... Is Jeep okay?

[They're probably very lucky to have not just been run over in the middle of that fight.]

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai turns, squinting up towards the road where Jeep is sitting, back seat still piled high with supplies.]

Ah, yes. I think so.

[It's probably only the fact that Jeep suspected he'd get them both killed by trying to intervene that saved them from being hit by a flying and annoyed vehicle.

He's going to have to do a lot of apologizing when they get home tonight.]

[rockthemonkey]

[That would also have been a very dumb and embarrassing way to die. Goku finally gets to his feet, keeping his hands pressed over his eyes.]

I don't get it. What would make us see somethin' like that? Was it a person doin' it?

[It wouldn't be the first time they met someone who could make convincing illusions. Though that felt significantly different than this.]

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai shakes his head.]

I don't know. But there shouldn't be anyone here who would know how to make each of us see something like that.

[Knowing to show Goku rampaging without his limiter... perhaps. He'd been without his limiter before, here, and people had died as a result. There's no doubt that Amaterasu and her shinki remember the event, just as they certainly remember Hakkai's response.

He'd taken his limiters off before, too... but he's never gone on a rampage with them off. No one should be associating him with his limiters removed with a dangerous rampage, except for, well, Goku.

(And anyone else who's named Gojyo; but Hakkai's not going to suspect Ayumu of casting some kind of elaborate illusion spell over the two of them to force them into murder. For one thing, she can't spin illusions.)]

But we could have been exposed to some kind of hallucinogen.

[rockthemonkey]

Hardly anyone even knows what I look like when I'm like that...

[Some people do- Goku doesn't know about what happened when he was a shinki, but obviously Hakkai knows. Dokugakuji does too, but this doesn't seem like his style. Nia knows what he looks like, but she doesn't know how dangerous he is. Probably nearly everyone knows what Hakkai looks like without his limiters, but only Goku and Dokugakuji know about the Minus Wave.]

So... [Ugh, talking is a pain when there's blood dripping down his face. Goku removes one hand from his eyes and covers his cheek instead. They don't feel serious, but he'll probably have scars for a few weeks. That'd be kind of cool, if he hadn't gotten them in such an embarrassing way. Goku moves his arm to cover both eyes and keeps talking.] It was a... uh, that thing?

[reformedsinner]

It probably was. We're just seeing things; no one's making us see them.

[Which, unfortunately, means they can't be sure it's not going to happen again. Hakkai's moving with more confidence now, although his footsteps are still hesitant. When he can't trust his eyes, he can't trust that the ground is what it looks like, either.

He makes it to Goku's side without stumbling, at least, and puts his good hand lightly on Goku's shoulder. The side of his face is a bloody mess from Hakkai's raking claws, and that, Hakkai suspects, is real. He remembers the blows.

He's also not offering a hand up. Goku should be able to stand, and Hakkai's going to have to be careful of straining his ribs until he's wrapped them, just in case it worsens the break. He'd hate a punctured lung.]

There's gauze in the back of Jeep. We should get that bleeding stopped.

[rockthemonkey]

[Goku can stand fine, yes, and he can even do it confidently. His other senses are so good that when his sight is as unreliable as it is now, it's easier to just rely completely on them. He can tell where the ground is and hear Hakkai coming closer and doesn't even flinch at the hand on his shoulder.]

But then why're we seein' them at all... [Grumbling, more than anything. He doesn't really expect Hakkai to have an answer. He nods anyway.]

Yeah, okay. [He tries to wipe some of the blood away and winces.] You're not hurt, are ya, Hakkai?

[reformedsinner]

Ha ha, I'm afraid you got my wrist, but it'll heal.

[It's not a bad break, after all; the skin is intact, the tendons strained but not torn. His side isn't worth mentioning.]

-- Ah, sorry about those scratches. I can get you some gauze for them?