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

Gasps softly...! <3

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[That first comment, if given enough time to actually digest it, would likely be met with some measure of uncertainty, but as it is, there's really no space for him to dwell on it. Perhaps when things quiet down again, he'll remember it and... likely not say anything about it then, either. Perhaps.

And, as it is, there's really not a whole lot to be done immediately to abate his own panic over the situation. Getting to a safe area and higher ground is all well and good, but,] How many places do you think are going to be hit by all of this?

[A lot of them, he'd bet.]

<333

[royaltyloyalty]

[ Dokugakuji spares a moment to stop on a taller building and scan the area. Through the magic of the shinki vessel, at least Shinji can kind of see what Doku's trying to describe. ]

If I had to guess, this area's not as perfectly flat as it appears. Not so good for us, it'll likely dip into that bowl-shaped area and fill it up, but I mean the whole terrain from one end of this city to the other. Chances are that the lava will flow downhill... so we just have to figure out which buildings are uphill instead.

[ And he's turning towards that side of town as he's scrolling through the BBS and answering Ebisu in lieu of anyone else. ]

Looks like someone else has the same idea as us and he's offering his place as somewhere for you and the others to stay awhile.

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[In the face of what is absolutely going to be a total and inevitable destruction of the temple, it is a small relief to know that there's shelter available elsewhere when the time comes.

There is something about the way he says that, though, 'somewhere for himself and the others'? Why not just 'all of us'? There's no way he can't be worried about that on top of everything else.]

What about you...?

[You're planning on coming along too, right??]

[royaltyloyalty]

[ Dokugakuji holds up Shinji's vessel form to his face as if he can see that expression on Shinji's face. Their emotional connection helps with it, but he can hear it in the young man's voice after all. ]

What's that? You don't trust your leader?

[ He laughs to hide his own concern and dismisses it out of hand. ]

With as bad as this destruction is, who knows how much space that guy will have at his temple. You three are my first priority. In other circumstances I'd be worried about splitting a group up, but these phones are plenty handy.

[ In Dokugakuji's mind, he could rough it in the outdoors camping-style if he had to. At least he knows how, and didn't forget how to as a shinki either. So he wants to make sure his trio of shinki will be comfortable first. ]

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[Having it laid out like that, that the three shinki are priority when it comes to finding space, it is somewhat comforting. Even so, Shinji's still pretty concerned - the idea of being left somewhere while his god is off somewhere else shakes him in a way he can't really put his finger on.]

Sorry, [And, for however glib the 'leader' comment may have been, Shinji appears to take it fairly seriously,] It just seems... dangerous? [He, at least, doesn't seem to have it in him to argue that point any further.]

[royaltyloyalty]

Well. It's not like I'm eager to do it. [ He tilts his head a little in the direction of Ebisu's temple, where he'll be heading next. ] It's just a practical question. Does he have the space? We'll have to find out.

Besides... [ He rolls his shoulders in preparation. ] I can call your name for miles away and you should hear it. The only reason you wouldn't come flying into my hand is if you refused to heed my call.

[ He smirks. ]

And I'm sure you wouldn't do that, Shinji.

[ With that, he teleports about a block away from Ebisu's temple, since he doesn't know precisely where it is. ]

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[Okay... okay, that's actually a little more reassuring to hear. At least, in a less-than-ideal scenario, Dokugakuji could still reliably get to him if he needed to. And, even if it isn't the same level of convenience, Shinji can always call him if need be.

So, really, this should be fine... Probably, it's just the adrenaline and situation on the whole shaking him up. This will work out, either way, won't it?]

Of course I wouldn't.

[Perish the thought of letting him down like that...!]

[royaltyloyalty]

Exactly!

[ He gives Shinji's vessel form a quick 'noogie' with the back of a closed fist where he imagines Shinji's head would be. ]

So we got this! No moping.

[ He could feel that emotion, after all. Dokugakuji starts walking towards the temple after that. ]

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[No moping... how could you call him out like that!

But, still, he'll do his best to keep those thoughts out of mind for now. The attempted noogie, at least, cuts through some of the tension.]

R-right. ['We've got this'. Sure.]