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

[onedrinkwithme]

[New? Wait a second, if that was the case perhaps a small test would be in order.]

I see. The gathering must have been overwhelming for you then; having to learn about the Heavens and going through such physical training in the cold.

[That was a lie considering the last training was at a beach. He just wants to make sure...]

[veiledflame]

I didn't go to the gathering.

[It's true he definitely hadn't been there, so if these guys are trying to catch him out--

He adds, glancing at Goten:]

And I don't have any shinki yet.

[sonofson]

I thought all gods got a shinki...you shouldn't be out here alone. Bad stuff can happen and shinki are good friends to have around. Right, Aymeric?

[He glances back to his god. He knows some gods doesn't always get shinki but at least super quiet shinki like the souless...something. Otherwise what would he do if he got into trouble or ayakashi showed up?]

[onedrinkwithme]

[Goten is right; a god would be given a shinki upon their arrival, even if they were a soulless. It was the same with Alphinaud as well as Anduin so that's a flag right there.]

Every god is assigned one when they arrive here. [But he kneels to speak to the boy. His neck has to hurt from looking up at him.] Might we start with your name? It could be that I have heard of it before today.

[veiledflame]

Maybe with you guys. Most gods don't get shinki automatically, though. It's only if we find a soul we can name.

[He eyes Aymeric, not quite sure why the man's kneeling, but nods.]

I'm Sotero. What about you?

[sonofson]

...You sure? Maybe you're just weird or special?

[That sounds really weird considering all the times he's seen gods arrived but he doesn't question more than that. But he moves closer to Aymeric and the other god.]

[onedrinkwithme]

[Yeah, he sounds special alright. And besides, he's 6'5 at least so it has to be a pain in the ass to look up and him to look down, hence kneeling.]

My name is Aymeric, tis good to meet you Sotero. Since you seem to have some knowledge of this subject, have you seen anything out here? Or how the volcano came to be?

[veiledflame]

You're the weird ones, not me. Ask anybody, and I bet it's just you weird newbies who got shinki handed out at the door.

[He puts his hands behind his head.]

The volcano was already erupting when I got here, so who knows?