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

[chibisu]

Oh. Oh, he knows what this is about. After all, he's just recently named a new shinki as well. Ebisu digs through his pockets, which is a little harder considering what he's wearing. Thus, he's rather belated when he offers the handkerchief out. Well, better late than never

"Well, he's the knife when he's with me," Ebisu says plainly. "But I don't know what he was when he was named by his first god."

Fortunately, Kiyoshi can answer that for himself. I was a rolling mat for her. You know, like for sushi? I don't think she particularly cared for me like that.

[veiledflame]

"He says he was a sushi rolling mat," Sotero reports, and reaches out to accept the belated handkerchief, blowing his nose loudly on it. He looks down at the frying pan again.

"Hey, Kiyoshi, can you cook?"

Because, obviously, if everything he turns into is a kitchen utensil, he must be a great chef himself-- right?

[chibisu]

"Oh!" Ebisu sounds pleasantly surprised. "I bet one of my past incarnations must have known that." He had named him, after all, although Ebisu is only vaguely aware of the details of that time. Kimi is one of his younger shinki, although only relatively, and really only barely.

Meanwhile, even as he nods in answer to Sotero's own question, Kiyoshi answers himself. Ah, yeah. I cook for the- well, Ebisu-sama's temple as well. Well, me and some other people. One man alone cannot cook for a temple as big as Ebisu's. That's asking to die for a second time.

[veiledflame]

"Hey, you should teach me how to cook," Sotero says, grinning down at his skillet-- and then, reluctantly, he holds it out at arm's length. It's heavy; his arm trembles with the effort.

"Return, Kiyoshi."

It's not fair having him just be able to talk to Sotero, after all. Plus it's weird having to tell Ebisu what he says.

[chibisu]

"Whoa-" It feels a little funny, to be called out by a new name after so many decades of service under one... but it had felt funny when Ebisu had first named him, too. Kiyoshi- Kimi adjusts, making sure he doesn't lose his balance as he gains legs once more. Ebisu holds onto his hand automatically and, after a moment, he holds one out to Sotero.

"Well, you'll have to drop by the shrines then, right?"

Ebisu leans around him. "It's easy to find a good kitchen."

[veiledflame]

Sotero, swelling with obvious pride, takes Kiyoshi's hand and squeezes it.

"Yeah," he says, and nods to both of them. "Yeah, I will! Even if I'm not staying."

[chibisu]

"That's fine." Although, if Sotero doesn't stay, but still comes to visit... Now with a slightly renewed interest (as if it needed to get anymore intense), Ebisu blinks at Sotero.

"If you're coming to visit, and we're both sharing a shinki like this..." You know, openly, with him taking care of both of them, and there being no judgment about it. "Does that mean we're friends?"

That shinki at one of the training meals had certainly said it could be so easy, after all, and Ebisu has to admit he's intrigued by the idea.

[veiledflame]

"...Maybe," Sotero says, and then, in a lower, confessional tone: "I don't really know. I haven't had any friends before."

Humans can't see him, he doesn't have shinki, and other gods aren't safe to talk to, mostly.

But if Ebisu's okay... then maybe they can be friends.

[chibisu]

"I only have one," Ebisu confesses in an equally quiet tone. "I was told by someone that I should have more." Clearly humans are very experienced in this area, dead or not, so he's inclined to trust such stellar advice. He'd cared so much about it when he'd talked about it to him, after all! And none of his shinki have really corrected it.

It only makes sense.

[veiledflame]

"Really? Who's your friend?"

Clearly whoever told Ebisu that must be very experienced on the topic of friends; Sotero's never even had one, so Ebisu, it seems, has more friendship experience than he does.

[chibisu]

Well, it's not like there's any harm in telling him. "His name is Yato. He's a combat god." A very small, minor combat god, but a god of combat nonetheless. Even despite the fact that he's well aware that most of Heaven thinks his prior incarnation was a traitor, he's a little proud he was able to stand alongside a combat god in the Underworld.

[veiledflame]

"Seriously? That's awesome! Where from? I don't know that name." Sotero leans forward, beaming in excitement.

[chibisu]

"He's a Japanese god!" At least, he seems to be, as far as Ebisu himself understands. It's a little hard to tell, since... "But he's just a small one. I'd be surprised if anyone else knew his name yet. I'll tell you more when you come to visit, alright?"

[veiledflame]

"Yeah, okay," Sotero says, and, reluctantly, steps away. He pauses, and then hops up onto a small rock by the path, swinging his arms to keep his balance before he turns to look at Ebisu and his shinki.

"So I guess I should go work on the volcano now, huh? I'll do my best."

[chibisu]

"Yes, please!" Ebisu perks up, relieved. This will help at least a little bit, won't it? And it's much better than what he suspects Heaven's forces would do. Although that remind him...

"Be careful, alright? Even if we're gods who can reincarnate, you still need to take care of your life. That's what I was told."

[veiledflame]

"Yeah, don't worry," Sotero assured them. "Anyway I'm a really new god."

He puts his hands behind his head, and grins down at Ebisu and their new shared shinki.

"I don't know if I even would reincarnate! So I'll be careful."

[chibisu]

"We'll hold you to that, Sotero-sama," Kimi says, smiling up at him while Ebisu nods insistently down by his side. "Then, we'll wait to hear from you."

With that, Ebisu holds his hand out, and calls the name he bestowed upon Kimi. The knife returns to his hand easily, and Kunimi ensures that he doesn't hurt himself putting the other away back on his belt. With everything accounted for, he looks to Sotero one last time and waves before gracefully going back down the mountainside.

Hopefully this can all be resolved peacefully. He'd want nothing less.