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

[mithrarin]

[Honestly, he's doing better on the 'singed' part than ought to be expected. One has to wonder if being the Sen-Mithrarin comes with a certain refusal to acknowledge convection.]

[(The answer is probably "Yes" inasmuch as being the Sen-Mithrarin makes him a platform game protagonist.)]

I'm fine. What about you? You look like you took a lot worse from that than I did. [He's looking over her in turn with a frown, wondering how much the sizzle to her shadows did to her.]

[lookingforhead]

[She nods, and she is feeling a little frayed. Just because her resistances and durability are better than a normal human's doesn't mean she isn't feeling tired and a little toasty.]

I'm fine. And I don't really feel with the shadows like that. I can sense things but it's
I'm not sure how to describe it?

[It's like how she can hear or see or faintly smell. She doesn't know how it works and she's not sure how to describe it. It just works.]

Anyway, are you okay? Did someone attack you?

[She didn't see how he got into this situation. He might be able to salvage some dignity at least.]

[mithrarin]

[Dust will settle for her rescue efforts not hurting her. If they had... well, he would have been unhappy. Let's leave it at that.]

The ground collapsed beneath me. I guess the lava had been running beneath it, wearing it away without it looking suspicious on the surface.

[Why lie? His dignity vanished when he needed to be saved.]

[lookingforhead]

Ah I see
you need to be careful
I don't think even I could regenerate from this stuff

[Even if most people don't know about her regenerative powers, she's still managed to make the understatement of the week.]

Did you find any clues to what's going on here? Or were you still searching?

[mithrarin]

Now that I know that's an actual thing that can happen, I'll be ready for it next time.

[Dust is a bit annoyed, not so much at her warning as the fact that it happened in the first place. Why does he get so lucky? And he's more than a little sick of looking so worthless in front of people whose good opinion he'd like to have.]

I haven't seen a thing suspicious, yet.

[lookingforhead]

[She nods, mostly happy that he's safe but she can understand him feeling a bit indignant over the whole affair. Still, there will be time for that later.]

Me either. I'm going to head to the top. See if there's something up that way. Do you want to come with me?

[mithrarin]

Yeah, that's where I've been headed. Safety in numbers?

[At the very least, they bring different skills to the table. That's versatility, if nothing else.]

[lookingforhead]

[She nods. No need to explain any further. She shifts a bit sideways to open the path head, offering him the lead if he wants it.]

(ooc: we can leave it here if you like)