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

[defensivematrix]

[ Yes, it does show that much, if them almost falling off the sky is any implication. But Satya will spare him the sass. Not the right situation for it. If anything, she is visibly relieved that he agrees.

The warping is instant, and as they were engulfed in the dust, smoke, and view of the fiery volcano- everything is calm now. A chilly breeze comes from the sea, the beach is nearby, and so is a pier. It's silent aside from the sound of the waves.

Please, wait a moment. She guides him- or rather suggests he takes a seat at the bench and moves towards one of the small shops open nearby. The moment gets to be annoyingly long, because, despite the quiet and slow place, there is quite a queue- eventually, she decides that, duh, a god is in need. It's not like anyone will notice her breaking into the queue.

So she returns, with two steaming plastic mugs and gives Iskandar the bigger one. Get your cocoa with big cream for extra sugar ]

Hmm, you look better already. [ Again a sigh of relief ] But are you truly certain one night of sleep is going to be enough?

[ Not that she would suggest vacations now. But perhaps options that include risking falling from the sky- speaking of which ]

I always meant to ask- probably not the best moment to choose right now. But your chariot, you call it and dismiss it at will. It's related to your power as a god or-

[towards_okeanos]

[Iskandar raises an eyebrow at the sight of the steaming cup with the heap of whipped cream on top. For Heaven's sake he's tired not dying. Still he has to appreciate the effort. And good memory. Clean air for sure helps and the sound of the sea always calms him. The last question though.
The answer is both extremely simple and extremely complicated. Not something you can just cut with a sword. Sadly.
He watches the sea for some time. The tireless, relentless procession of waves washing against the sandy beach. He ponders on how best to formulate an answer. ]

They are connected to my legend so in a way are a manifestation of my divinity. Or at least a part of it. Yet they are not flesh and bone in a way any living creature is and as such are directly dependent on my power. That means that whenever summoned they are are a strain on it. My power, life force, whatever one is to call it. Which is not endless.

[He pauses. They should have had this conversation long time ago.]

For all I know I am not all powerful. Nor am I all knowing. [He smiles.] Which actually is good. For that would be extremely boring.
From the moment I was summoned here I am aware there are things I can do, among them some I couldn't do before like teleporting around. Still as well there are those I can't do. Yet those limits, as it very often is, are not set in stone. As the number of my followers grow so does my power.

[His gaze ventures back to the sea. As he is divine now and not a Heroic Spirit he wondered will he be able to summon his army again? If the need arises? They are all Heroic Spirits, each with a legend of his own. And the Throne of Heroes is no more ... or so it seems.
Yet as his power grows he started to feel it again. Faintly at first but stronger and stronger each day. To sense this presence that never left him. His greatest treasure. His people. There will be a day, of that he's certain now. A day will come, when in an hour of need, he will call and they would answer.]

Let me just promise you one thing. One day I will show you something a lot more spectacular than the chariot.

[defensivematrix]

[ So the chariot is something he brought here with him. That much Satya gets. Something he is familiar with, and something that has an associated cost with using it. Her hand travels to her arm, the metal is warm to touch but still noticeably colder than skin- it's the chill in the air that makes it lose temperature even faster. But that arm is a frame of reference she understands the explanation-

-only she doesn't yet know where the limits of this technology lie, but in a sense it's similar. It's not endless, nor it is limitless. But if your phone runs out of energy you can charge it, if your flashlight dies you put in new batteries.

What do you do when the god runs out of it? Aside from giving him the warm cocoa, it looks like it's helping but it's definitely not enough- sugar and polyphenols are not THAT potent ]

I will await that day patiently. Even if it quite hard to imagine something more impressive than your usual fare. [ She says with a small smile and a tiny bit of playful flattery. It does feel like being let on an important secret. The secrets and meanders of divinity. Especially since Iskandar runs into problems that no one else in here has- just by the ] Until then- we must work on rising the number of your followers for yet another reason, am I correct?

I assume that if your power grows relatively to them, it means you can summon your chariot more reliably and for a longer period of time. [ But until then, there is other matter at hand ] If situation like this arises, how can you recover this power- this lifeforce?

[Is it something that can be recovered in first place? ]

[towards_okeanos]

How do I recover, hm?
I think I try the usual: good meal and plenty of sleep. It should do just fine. Always did.

[There are of course other means of mana transfers. Still those are easiest. The only problem with them being that previously this always was in context of tad more predictable rules of the Grail War. Not some barely comprehensible eastern Heavens. He's still not very sure, not to say anything about comfortable, if he understands their workings correctly.
Yet it is not in his custom to dwell on such things. Time will verify how correct are his assumptions. Until then he's going to proceed as he sees fit and adapt may the need arise.
He raises his overflowing cup in her direction. She may have not yet noticed but this god runs mostly on his own stubbornness as fuel.]

Though I do believe that those poisonous fumes may have hindered not only my state of mind. Since we are here I've definitely started to feel better. Lack of need to support the chariot is but a part of this.

Which makes the need to evacuate anyone in the range of their influence even more pressing.

[Still he knows he's in no shape to continue like that. While annoying him to no end this also makes him acutely aware he would be putting not only his own life in danger. And that, more than anything, let's him ignore his usual urge to just push through no matter what.]

But this is not my call now.

[Iskandar smiles. This is not a defeat. This being is wise enough to know when to retreat before you'll get beaten. Luckily there is no shortage of capable defenders here. That in itself is a pleasure to witness.]

We should retreat to our lodgings and continue only once we're both properly rested.

[That of course after he finishes his drink. Which is heavenly, even if a bit too sweet.]

[defensivematrix]

[ Stubbornness is a good fuel to run onto. So is tenacity. Satya does wonder how much that "plenty of sleep" might mean, since he made it sound like the chariot was quite a heavy thing to lift. Metaphorically of course, energy wise. Like more than 8 hours of sleep could give.

She nods as he says it's not his call. As much as call to action could be great now, he needs rest, and she is glad she doesn't has to find a way to force him to go for it.

Because that could be a challenge. ]

I am relived to hear that you feel better. [ She says it with a hint of exactly that in her voice - relief- only now that she starts to sip from her own cup but a sudden gust of wind brings hair to her face- and a bit of the cream too- DAMMIT WIND! She does her best to get clear that mess, as she continues talking in her usual serious manner-

Please do not pay attention to the whipped cream on her face and hair, it makes her no less professional, seriously!!! ]

By your permission, I will contact our host and report the effects of the fumes. Ebisu's temple is well organized, and if it works as I suppose it does- [ That is like busy, well-designed and organized company ] -such information might be crucial in preparing for their rescue efforts.

Reconnaissance and scouting is just as important for that. [ Turns out they unwittingly did the latter. But she is certain that the information they found will help anyone following their steps. Getting gas masks or some kind of proper spells. She also wants to make it a point that even if they had trouble along the way- and their action cut short, they still did something important.

So you've absolutely earned your rest, big guy. ]

[towards_okeanos]

[Earned or not, it's something Iskandar feels he has to do. As well as distance himself from those fumes. He was supposed to be there to save people not to put them in more danger.
When Satya proposes she reports their incident and related information to Ebisu Iskandar just nods. There is certain order to things. Now is his turn to step back and let others handle the situation. It's only right to give them all the head start he can deliver.]

Do so then. I'm sure he can make use of it.

[And there's the whipped cream ... He wouldn't dare to suggest that anything could make her look less professional. Certainly not bit of sweetened dairy. But she still has a traces of the cream on her nose. And cheek. And several other places. A living testament to that you can be simultaneously stunningly adorable and utterly professional. Even with the sticky white marks on your face. It's not impossible! Iskandar reaches to wipe the most offending spot on her cheek.
He smiles.]

You had a bit of cream there.

[defensivematrix]

[ Cannot compute. Is this an affectionate gesture? How do you react to that? She is saved from awkwardness the moment Iskandar mentions the cream. She blinks, and her surprise turns into a small laugh, she quickly covers with her hand. Just to stealthily makes sure if there is no residue stickiness ]

Oh dear- the wind. It is quite strong here. [ Well, ocean. That comes in the package. Perhaps she should have seen it coming as a possibility. Especially since few other people around are using buildings, or just their hands as a shield from it. She lowers her voice in a conspiratorial tone. ] Let this stay a secret between us, forever.

[ Or her image will be in ruin! In shambles! Annihilated! There is a sense of humour there, surprise ]

[towards_okeanos]

[Iskandar puts hand over his heart and bows.]

Your secret is safe with me.

[Then he proceeds to sip his cocoa. He was only half joking. The fact not exactly obvious is that his Exemplar has a wicked sense of humour and now he's just happy he had a chance to witness it. They have been through a lot today, the mountain is still on fire and everybody there is still in danger. They would have plenty of chances to be serious later.

Good job, wind.

That moment of levity was sorely needed.]