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

[myblueskies]

"So you didn't come from a different world?" He thought everybody had come from lots of different places!

"So did you know about the heavens before you were a god? Did you live on the Near Shore? Do you still got friends there? Is that who your friends who told you things about the heavens are?"

It would sound like an interrogation, except Romeo is all slightly confused enthusiasm rather than insisting on answers.

[veiledflame]

"I came from this world but I was born a god," Sotero says, confusion written across his face. "Weren't you all? Is there such a thing as a god who used to be a mortal?"

[myblueskies]

"I think so." Romeo nodded. This little boy had been born a god? Was that how some gods worked?

"Most of the gods I know came from different places then they came here and were told they were gods now. Some of them say they are just filling in because they aren't really that god at all! I think they were just normal people before they came here!"

[veiledflame]

"That's weird," Sotero declares. "They're weird gods."

He looks shifty for a moment, and then adds, under his breath: "Probably."

[myblueskies]

"They're not weird! They're my friends!" His friends were not weird, Elfnein was not weird, it was just the way everything worked!

"Do you have a shinki? Are they from this world too? Or do they not know? I guess they won't remember but they might not get confused at all the things here."

[veiledflame]

"It's okay if they're weird," Sotero says, generously. "The regular gods are the worst, so weird is better."

He puts his hands on his hips, and adds, with a tone of mild annoyance: "Stop asking so many questions. Anyway, I don't have a shinki."

[myblueskies]

"If you don't ask questions then you don't learn anything!" And it was very clear that he had lots to learn still" Sotero knew so much more than him!

"Why don't you got a shinki?"

[veiledflame]

"Then just ask them one at a time." One at a time is better, and since that's what Romeo's actually done this time, Sotero generously deigns to answer.

"--Because I haven't gone looking for one yet. They don't just get given to you, you know?"

[myblueskies]

Romeo nodded, he would try and remember to ask only one question at a time! It was hard though when he had so many questions in his head it felt like they would burst out of his eyes and ears if he didn't ask them all!

"That's why you should come to the training days, everyone arrives then and there's always shinki who don't got gods and are waiting to be found!"

[veiledflame]

"Maybe," Sotero points out, "but the Heavens always have a bunch of people around then, right? I don't like them."

Maybe if he spells it out really bluntly, Romeo will get it.

"So I'm not going to their events."

[myblueskies]

"You might find people you do like too though! And Amaterasu... the queen. I never even saw her before so I don't think she goes to them and a lot of the older gods don't go either so it's just the new ones and shinki."

None of the people Romeo had met had been cruel... Surely if Sotero was right then the really bad bosses were hidden away.

[veiledflame]

"Her shinki are just as bad as her," Sotero snapped. "They'll tell her anything."

[myblueskies]

"Well of course they will, they are her shinki but they wouldn't have any reason to hurt you not if you were coming for training, everyone is welcome!"

Why was he getting so annoyed, he couldn't just avoid everyone forever!

[veiledflame]

"No, everyone's not!" Sotero's voice is escalating to a yell; he spreads his hands. "Isn't that just what I told you? They only want people around who follow their rules!

"I'm not gonna do that, so if I tried to come to some kind of training, I'd probably just get killed right away."

[myblueskies]

Romeo stepped backwards, hands coming up to his chest defensively, in case Sotero decided to hit him! He hadn't meant to make him angry! He was just trying to understand.

"Alright! You don't got to come to training if you don't want. I don't think they would kill you though, you've not broken any rules right?"

[veiledflame]

"Coming here without being one of them is breaking the rules, dummy," Sotero snorts. He's not making any move to hit Romeo; in fact, as the other boy retreats, he drops his hands, shoving them into his hoodie pockets and looking away.

[myblueskies]

"But you're a god!" So of course he could come to the heavens! That's where gods lived!

Romeo felt bad when Sotero looked away. Clearly there was something he didn't understand! Something that was making Sotero sad and scared.

"Its okay though. You don't got to meet anyone if you are scared."

[veiledflame]

"You don't think every god in the whole world lives here, right?"

Well, he's a kid. Maybe he does: that dubious realization is slowly stealing over Sotero's face.

[myblueskies]

"Um..." He had... He blinked in confusion. Of course all the gods lived here! It was heaven!

"Where else would they live?"

[veiledflame]

"There's earth, there's the underworld, plus this isn't the only 'land of the gods.' It's just the one Amaterasu runs."

Sotero shrugged.

"So the only gods here are the ones who obey her."

[myblueskies]

"There are other heavens?" He guessed gods could live on earth and he's heard talk of the underworld though he doesn't know what it is. But he had had no idea that there are other heavens.

[veiledflame]

"Yeah. The world's a big place."

[myblueskies]

"It is! Where are the other heavens? Do you live in one of them?" He paused as he remembered he had promised to ask only one question at a time.

"Sorry Sotero! There's lots of things I don't know!"

[veiledflame]

"Whatever, it's fine," Sotero scoffs, and glances away. "I don't live in any heavens, so how should I know where the other ones are? I guess you'd have to ask gods who do live there."

[myblueskies]

"Oh." He didn't know anyone who lived in a different heaven to this one. Maybe it was something he should try and find out! He puts that question aside, which doesn't mean he hasn't got plenty more.

"So why are you in this heaven right now? How did you get here?"