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

[badassfreakingoverlord]

What about YOU?!

[It would be inappropriate to abandon a vassal to some mortal fate! Zetta won't have such a stain on his record!]

[shiitan]

What about me?

[Yeah, uh... He was kinda bad at this whole "worrying about his own welfare" thing.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

What if YOU meet an ayakashi or something?! You can't Rend it if it's just you!

[Sheesh, what is he, a babysitter?!]

[shiitan]

I can use a borderline. That'll have to give me enough time to get away.

[The alternative was going back to that truck, and he was not doing that unless he was dragged there kicking and screaming.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

...I don't like this. I don't like this at all.

[Not that he intends to explain why. Or acknowledge why. Though he could come up with some crap if he had to.]

[shiitan]

You don't have to like it. But if I go up there with you, I won't be in any condition to fight ayakashi.

[Okay, yup, that was as close as he was ever going to get to saying what was actually wrong.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Wait. Hold on.

You get motion sick?!

[What -- what an embarrassing condition in a vassal!]

[shiitan]

[The moment the word "motion" came out of Zetta's mouth was when Ross threw a rock aimed right at his face. (Seemingly faster than he should have been able to... Hmm.)

You can't just say things like that! There was his pride to consider!]

Why would you say such a thing about me, bargain bin book boss?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[The rock zings directly into Zetta's cover, knocking him down into the truck once again. A minion promptly leaped out of the driver's seat, shook Ross's hand, and handed him a small stuffed Prinny as his prize.]

[Meanwhile, Zetta surges back up again.] BARGAIN BIN?! I'm a freaking Overlord!

[shiitan]

[Oh. He hadn't expected a handshake and a prize, even if the latter was Prinny shaped. He took a moment to contemplate his maybe ill-gotten goods.

...Maybe Beggar would like it.]

I know, you keep telling me. My name has more alliteration though. [Which was very important, clearly.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

MINE is a unit of measurement! And if you'd told me from the beginning we could have gotten you some Dramamine or something!

[shiitan]

[He bristled ever so slightly.] I didn't know it would turn out that way from the beginning.

[He'd held out for as long as he could. Not long enough, apparently.] I won't need a lot of time before I start feeling better anyway.

[...Hopefully.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Zetta glances back up at the volcano, which insists on being present and erupting a lot no matter how inappropriate interrupting this deep and meaningful conversation is.]

Damn...

I don't like this, but I'll do it. You're under orders to make it up and rejoin me safely and competently! I won't tolerate disobedience in this matter.

[shiitan]

So no going straight home, got it. [He out his hands in his pockets and looked off into the distance. His flippant words also didn't match with the conversation.]

I don't mind being disobedient, but I'll still be up there soon.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

If you don't follow orders, then your whims and amusements better damn well see you safely up there anyway.

[Somehow that word 'safe' keeps slipping out, like it matters. Well -- an Overlord needs a healthy functional vassal to boss around, doesn't he? It doesn't mean anything more than that!]

[shiitan]

[It's okay, Zetta. He already knows you're a tsundere.]

I can manage that. My whims have served me pretty well so far.

[He would be keeping his word too, though whether Zetta's group was in trouble or not when he saw them entirely determined the speed in which he would approach.]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Biggest tsundere in the cosmos. That's an official title. Not one he realizes he has, but still.]

...Fine.

[No standing on ceremony or sentiment here. Zetta pops back into the truck, which starts back up. He's got a nemesis to slay, after all.]

[shiitan]

[He would simply watch Zetta leave. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he really wasn't happy about the whole thing. Still, managing on his own didn't feel like that much of an ordeal; it felt almost normal, even.

Well, anyway. Though it took him a tad longer than he'd anticipated, he did eventually end up following regardless of the trouble up there (or lack thereof).]