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

[thevanguard]

Something's wrong. [ He's on high alert and he feels exposed and vulnerable out here, like someone's looking at them with murderous intent. It's creeping him out. Which is why he moves towards Izumo, hands outstretched as he tries to push his god away from this place. ] ...We shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be here.

[toremainbehind]

Yata?

[He blinks as he's pushed, but he just tugs Yata along, too.]

I'm not going to leave you in here either.

[thevanguard]

You can't stay here. It's not safe. There's....

[ Whatever he'd been about to say is interrupted in a sudden hiss as he jerks as if he'd just been struck and he spins around again, fists raised, flames licking out and around his skin as he calls on his Aura in a sudden fury. ]

Fuck!

[toremainbehind]

[Well--okay.

Izumo's feeling all sorts of things from him. Particularly anger and uncertainty.]

Yata, there isn't anyone besides us right now.

[thevanguard]

There is.

[ His reply is forceful and vehement as his gaze scans his surroundings, like he can't pinpoint where this sense of danger is coming from, either. He knows it's there, though. His skin is practically crawling with the awareness of unfriendly eyes on them. ]

Something is here, Izumo. I can feel it.

[toremainbehind]

I don't feel anything.

[But this is...bad.

He can practically feel Yata's agitation, how tense he is right now.]

[thevanguard]

[ It's not like Izumo to be less aware of his surroundings than Yata is. Although he is often the eyes and ears of Homra - not that he remembers that - he's used to his god being just as alert as he is. Which he... seems to be, even if he can't feel this, apparently?

The hair on the back of his neck and arms suddenly stands on edge as another wave of paranoia and panic wash over him, his pulse spiking again as his head jerks up in alarm.

He reaches out, grabbing Izumo by the sleeve and physically dragging him away from where the vapor had erupted. And perhaps a little ways back down the mountain. ]

We have to go! Now!

[ He suddenly feels like he's on the verge of a panic attack and even he has no idea why, but his instincts are screaming at him to run. ]