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

[lookingforhead]

(ooc: sorry, this past week got away from me)

[Another nod, and then she pockets the rune stone before fishing her phone out to reply.]

It's fine. Even one will be of help.

[She glances down at her bike before continuing.]

I was thinking of having Shooter remain down here to keep checking for people in need if I go up into the mountain with others.

What about you?

[futhark]

((ooc: that's fine! aaand it's my turn to say sorry, oops hiatus))

[ Caster leans in to read the reply the moment she starts to write . A force of habit, thanks to living with Ginia for so long ]

Shooter? Your motorcycle? [ It is no ordinary bike, but to think it was capable of looking for people in need? Interesting. Of course machine commanded by a being like Celty must have some secrets. Perhaps it's not even a machine at all, who knows? ] Now I kind of want to see that.

[ His imagination provides him with a picture of riderless bike moving towards someone in need and then vrooming angrily as way to communicate ]

I mean, if he- [ Or she? ] -needs assistance.

[lookingforhead]

[It's a helpful force of habit, though Celty does mean to get some proper sign language lessons from Ginia once they both have the chance.]

He's probably going around in his horse form, though he probably also has his neck covered to avoid scaring people. But he can go around on his own as a motorcycle if he needs to, if that's what you're thinking

If you see him, I'm sure he'll be happy for any help you offer.

[Being both a god and of Celtic origin, he likely has the knowledge and memories to know a thing or two about dullahan, including the idea of one having a familiar which can inhabit the corpse of a horse or even a coach that it drives, its coiste bodhar.]

[futhark]

I see, I see... [ And thus everything makes sense. He had a hunch that the motorcycle could be the familiar, but it having an ability to switch forms makes it even more impressive. Since all puzzles fell into place, he's not really surprised, and is actually pretty accepting of the revelations.

But then he clearly doesn't look like a modern person either, so you know. Been a Celt 2000 years ago, seen some shit, got the t-shirt ]

I'm sticking around, gotta put those stones to use- [ He opens his hand to show more of the fire resistance runestones ] Find other people who could use them, I mean.

[lookingforhead]

[Celty nods and types up one last message wishing him well before she heads off on her way.

And given the way silly luck tends to roll, it wouldn't be long before Caster either spots a black motorcycle driving along on its own, or a giant black stallion galloping on the roads, with a black piece of armor barely keeping hidden its lack of a head.]

(ooc: we can leave it here but offering Shooter if you wanted to follow up on that. I'll be on hiatus for November though.)