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

[rockthemonkey]

[The hand on his back feels nice. This sort of thing is nice generally, but especially right now. It's one of the many things Goku likes about Gojyo. Sanzo might put his hand on his head and Hakkai might pat him on the shoulder- but, when he needs a hug, Gojyo really is his best option.]

Your mom? [Goku doesn't hate anyone- certainly not someone he's never even met- but it's possible that Gojyo could hear the distaste in his voice.] ... Gojyo, that sucks.

["I'm sorry." It feels super lame to be comforted like this when Gojyo has it rough too. There's no shame, but he's not helping like this either. He pulls back from the embrace, rubbing tears away from his eyes with one hand. If he does that, it's like he can't even see the blood anymore.]

... When we're done here, I wanna giant sundae! One bigger than me!

[It really has been getting too serious.]

[erogappa]

[ Goku's voice is too muffled for Gojyo to hear that disgust. It does suck, to only be able to see her in flashes, without any context or understanding. But at least he got to see her. He can hold on to that.

Goku pulls back, and Gojyo mashes his hand onto the kid's head. ]

Let's be done, then! You can eat with your eyes closed, right?

[ He'll put Goku on his back and haul the kid down into town if he needs to -- anything to get away from all this fake blood and death. ]

[rockthemonkey]

[At least she's dead. Everyone who cares about Gojyo can hold onto that.]

Right now?

[Goku shifts the arm covering his eyes a little to peek back up at the mountain still spewing smoke and ash. He sees all that and also himself, standing not very far away with bloody hands and long hair blowing in the breeze. Quickly, he covers his eyes again.]

... Is that really okay?

[erogappa]

[ The volcano is still erupting, there's still chaos happening up the hill between Amaterasu's shinki and who knows who else, there's still a huge amount of clean-up that's going to need to happen...

...and Goku's welfare is still more important. Gojyo's voice is quiet. ]

Can you fight like this?

[rockthemonkey]

[He can't trust his vision and he's distracted by waking nightmares and repressed emotional trauma. Goku clenches the fist covering his eyes.]

... If I have to.

[He can fight blind and he can bury all distractions and he can pick an enemy and focus all his frustration on them... If he has to.]

[erogappa]

[ He can't have been a terrible person, Gojyo thinks. In life, if all that was real, then that Sha Gojyo can't have been a total monster. Not if somebody like Goku was willing to stand by him.

It's a good thing Goku can't see the ridiculous sappy smile Gojyo's wearing. ]

You don't have to. [ This isn't such a bad spot, really. There's a fallen tree to sit on, it's shielded from the falling rocks by the forest uphill and the lay of the mountain... there's hallucinogenic gas wafting through, but nothing's perfect. ] It's your choice, shrimp. We can wait here until this wears off, [ Until, he says. Not if ] or we can get out of here, and come back when it wears off.

[ He's pretty sure which one Goku will pick. ]

[rockthemonkey]

[They're all monsters, Gojyo. It's not a big deal.

Goku looks back up at the mountain thoughtfully, however much help that is while he still has his eyes covered. It doesn't feel cool to run away- but staying and just sitting around isn't any good either.]

... We could go back to where all the temples are and see if anyone needs help there, right?

[That's a good compromise. Still not as cool as fighting a volcano head on, but at least he won't be completely useless.]

[erogappa]

[ And instead Goku pulls out option C. Gojyo can't help but laugh. ]

You're too good, you know that?

[ Stomping his feet one at a time to both knock off some of the ash and to warm them, he checks the mountain -- no impending lava yet, good -- and claps a hand onto Goku's shoulder. ]

C'mon then. Let's get out of here before we get squished.

[rockthemonkey]

How can I be too good? [Goku sticks his tongue out at Gojyo. He's not going to let not being able to see stop him from making faces.] That doesn't make sense, Gojyo.

[Being good is good, so how could you have too much of something good? That's like saying there's such a thing as eating too many meat buns.]

C'mon, let's go!