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

[veiledflame]

"You think she's helpless?" Sotero snipes, and turns away with a dramatic huff to look back up at the volcano. Its rumbles are intermittent anyway, but it does seem that when he's angrier, the ground begins to rumble more.

This isn't anger right now; it's performative, and it's not having any effect on the ground or opening any glowing crevasses.

"She's the one who runs this whole place. Anything that's messed up around here, she either came up with it or she's okay with it."

[erogappa]

Gojyo rolls his eyes.

"I think most of the newcomers think she's helpless, jerk." He's not stupid, okay? She wouldn't have that many powerful people tagging around after her if she wasn't pretty damn powerful herself, geez. "They look at her and just see a cute little kid, so yeah, most of them are on her side. Because they don't know anythin' else about what's goin' on here."

Which is where Sotero comes in. "You could change, that, if you wanted to. Tell me more about what's really goin' on, with her and Votelli and all the rest of you lot. Because right now?" He leans it, making sure Sotero can see that he's serious. "Right now, there's a whole lot of pissed off heavenly folks running up this mountain because they think you're the bad guy."

[veiledflame]

Sotero's stare is uncertain, but not actively hostile.

After a few seconds, he shrugs, and says, "I mean, I'm not on the side of anybody who likes what's going on with Heaven, so maybe they're right.

"What do you want to know, anyway?"

[erogappa]

Relief washes over him.

"You mean, other than everything?" Where to even begin? With Amaterasu's death and resurrection, Votelli's creation and whatever is up with her father, what other gods -- and other heavens? -- there are out there...?

His gaze fixes on Sotero again.

"How about we start with why you wanted to get into Heaven?"

[veiledflame]

"I wanted to show them they can't keep us out all the time."

Is it too simple a motive to be the truth? Maybe it sounds that way, but Sotero's saying it as though it's the most natural thing in the world. He watches Gojyo warily, lacing his fingers together behind his head.

"Even if they try."

[erogappa]

It's a kid's argument, to be sure. Maybe that's the whole truth, but Gojyo doubts it.

"I can't argue with that. People tell me no, and it just makes me want to do the thing even more, too." But. But.

"You must've done something pretty bad to piss her off, though, if she kicked you out forever!"

[veiledflame]

"Who's 'she'?" Sotero blinks, gaze uncertain. "That's just how the Heavens are. They won't let you in if you're not part of their--"

He shrugs, apparently lost for words.

"If you're not already one of them."

[erogappa]

Yeah, okay, they're pretentious and isolationist, that's not all that surprising. Let's back up a second though.

"She. Amaterasu." Sometimes he feels like this conversation with this kid is just going in circles. He's missing so much, and it's really starting to frustrate him. "You know, the lady runnin' the place?"

[veiledflame]

"Oh," Sotero says, "her? Does she really make all those decisions?" His glance is dubious.

"I thought that's just, you know, how it was."

crap i missed this, sorry!

[erogappa]

Huh.

"You mean, like an automated security system?" Does Sotero spend enough time around humans to know what that is? "I dunno. I thought Amaterasu was runnin' everything. She's in charge here, right?"

[veiledflame]

"That doesn't mean she does everything," Sotero scoffs, clearly pleased to get to sound like the one who knows what's going on. He folds his hands behind his head.

"Like, if she wanted to keep one particular person out, she probably could, but not everybody who's not allowed in did something to make her not let them in."

[erogappa]

"Huh." He pretends to think about that harder than he needs to, coddling Sotero's ego a bit, and licks his dry lips. Damn, he really should have brought water.

"So she's just keepin' everyone out who isn't part of her special club. That's not very nice." He scratches the back of his head, this time thinking for real. "Well, I'm not gonna ask how you got in, 'cause that's your secret... but are there a lot of you other gods out there?"

[veiledflame]

"Ones who aren't part of the Heavens?" Sotero asks, blinking. "I mean, probably. But most of them get forgotten and then they die. I don't want to disappear like that."

[erogappa]

Probably? So there isn't a group of them all working together.

"Do you have a temple?" He finally gives in and drops back down into a squat. It's been a long day, okay? He's tired. "A place out in the Near Shore, for humans to come and leave offerings, I mean."

[veiledflame]

"Course not," Sotero shoots back. "Who'd be that dumb? If I did I bet the Heavens would find me in no time."

[erogappa]

"Even if you used a different name?"

The heavens can't have spies everywhere. Can they?

"Humans believe in all kinds of ridiculous stuff. You really think the heavens would spot you for havin' a shrine or two?"

[veiledflame]

"I don't know how they're looking for other gods," Sotero snaps, scowling. "I just don't care that much about having a shrine, that's all."

[erogappa]

"Why not?" He's not being a jerk -- he really doesn't understand that mindset! "You have to have believers or you'll vanish, right? So how are you getting believers without a shrine?"

[veiledflame]

"There's a human who knows all about me. I'm not going to disappear." His frown is darkening.

"I don't have to have lots of believers, 'cause I'm not scared anything's going to happen to him."

[erogappa]

Gojyo's poker face really is terrible. "Just one human?" Like Votelli had just one human?

"I'd sure be scared if I were you. What if he gets sick?"

[veiledflame]

"Yeah, so? He's fine." Sotero glares, defensive. "Are you threatening him? You don't even know who he is."

[erogappa]

"Whoa whoa whoa," Gojyo interrupts, raising his hands (and, cautiously, standing, because otherwise he's gonna fall on his ass). "I'm not threatening anybody, kid. You said you were worried about disappearin', but you only have one single believer. That just sounds risky to me."

And it's not like it's had to set up shrines. The books were really clear about that! "I hope he lives a long life with fat grandbabies, okay? But if he doesn't, what happens to you?"

[veiledflame]

"I said he knows all about me, but I didn't say he was the only one. And I'm doing other things so I won't disappear.

"Like not letting the Heavens find out where I am," he adds, and props a hand on his hip. "Not until it's safe."

[erogappa]

Gojyo scratches his head, pretending to be confused.

"Isn't setting off a big-ass volcano in the middle of Heaven kinda letting them know where you are?"

[veiledflame]

"Sure, if I lived out here on this stupid mountain in Heaven all the time."

Sotero shrugs. "I couldn't help the volcano anyway. I'm not staying here."