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]

[ Yata is not impressed by your scowl, book. He's seen scarier. In which case, your attempts to gain some dignity have fallen flat on their face. Cover? Whatever. ]

You're a book. With no feet, going to kick a volcano's ass when it.... doesn't have an ass. Do you think about the words that come out of your mouth before they actually come out of your mouth? [ He leans forward, as if to peer in the book's mouth with a skeptical look. Even though he is the very last person who should ever condemn anyone of not thinking before they speak. ] I mean can you even do that? Do you have pages? What happens if someone opens you up? Is that like, indecent for you? Are you flammable, like, y'know, paper? Volcanos might be a bad idea for you, dude.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Wow, you're really taking this 'book' thing to a logical conclusion it doesn't deserve to reach, what with the whole 'cosmic keystone with the confined soul of the strongest Overlord in the cosmos in it" thing. [Zetta's honestly more baffled than angry.] But to answer your question, I've been set on fire countless times by now and not died! I'm too strong for that!

[thevanguard]

Uh-huh. [ Yata has no idea what you're babbling about, book, but whatever. He still doesn't look impressed. After another moment of eyeing him skeptically, he points a finger at the volcano behind them. ] Does that mean you can stop a volcano?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Actually, I'm willing to bet there's someone behind this. It's way too suspicious, especially after that forest thing. So I'm going to kick THEIR ass.

[It isn't unreasonable, is it?]

[thevanguard]

With these theoretical feet you still don't have.

[ Just saying...

But no, that sounds perfectly reasonable to him actually, even if he does still roll his eyes and sigh. ]

Fine, let's go kick the ass of whatever asshole is trying to set everything on fire this time.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

There! Now you're talking! Welcome to the party!

[As the book smirks, a pickup truck crashes to the ground like it had fallen from the sky far above. Despite LOOKING like it should have been reduced to powder and cracks in the street, the truck survives without any apparent damage.]

Hop in!

[thevanguard]

[ Yata yelps, jerking backwards in alarm as a truck suddenly drops out of nowhere, because what the fuck?!

....Nope, he doesn't trust that thing at all. That's so not happening.

Instead, he drops his skateboard to the ground and props one foot on it. ]

Uh, no thanks, I prefer my own wheels.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

That skateboard isn't a good vehicle for the volcano! It'll burst into flames! Or the tires will melt! Or the tires will burst into flames! Point is, you'd be making a huge mistake to ride it up there.

[thevanguard]

[ Yata just gives him a flat stare. And then curls his fingers into fists at his sides, calling on his Aura.

A moment later, the air around his form seems to waver with intense heat and then he's surrounded in red flames, wrapping around his body, his limbs, even his skateboard. The heat emanates from him intensely, able to be felt by everyone in the vicinity, but none of his clothes or his skateboard actually seem to be catching on fire. ]

....I'm pretty sure it'll be fine.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

...Huh. You're the first person around here who's had the slightest idea of how to use their mana power. I was starting to think no one had any clue whatsoever.

[Zetta's respect increases a notch, to the level of 'one notch'.]

[thevanguard]

You've been hanging out with the wrong people.

[ Yata has found himself surrounded by people who could set things on fire - or more - since day one. At this point, it's rarer to find people who don't have any extra abilities.

...He does have the good luck at being a natural, however. His Aura's always come easily to him, even if he doesn't remember that. ]

Are we going then?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

[Setting things on fire or even wacky magic tricks is one thing. Actually altering reality sufficiently that physics went out the window is another very different thing altogether.]

[The book nods, or rather, the top of it bends over and then the minion has to catch it before it spins out of her grasp.] Right. Saddle up!