Burrowing ahead

[Anastasia]

"Do you have any idea of how?" Elle asks at last.

"Regardless of this, it's also derailing us from everything," Amaryl speaks up, "We should have plans for if that's possible and if it isn't."

[Corwin]

"I'm thinking I could become her friend while forming a contract ahead of time that delivers Vlaakith all she wants while limiting her worst excesses. After all, what need is there to eliminate the stronger gith if you are now divine?"

Shrugging, she tells Amaryl, "I don't know if it's that much of a derail. I would like us to decide on our course, and cooperation with Garl and with Vlaakith is rather mutually exclusive, if only because we will need to go all-in if we want to see results. Like you said, we'll wilt like a withered sapling otherwise."

Returning her gaze to her friends once more, Seira says, "I believe we should make all important decisions unanimously, and that includes accepting others into the pantheon. Before we get to that part, however, I would like to note the last matter I wished to discuss, which relates to entering our pantheon. Yandrazrt. Oraga. Would you like to join us properly, and take on a more direct role in matters? You know what's at stake, and we've never hidden our goals, be they short or long-term."

[Anastasia]

As the others murmur, Oraga steps forward. "In the end...no," he says, simply.

Lagann smiles instead, "Well...there are openings available for the gnomes," he says, rather thoughtfully. "That's your plan, a direct connection in that way?"

[Corwin]

Seira nods at Oraga in understanding, and looks at Lagann next. "The beauty of it is that I don't have a complicated, structured plan. Our desire to help can be expressed through a long-term loan to Garl, and perhaps a recovered divine seed to ensure the gnomish pantheon has some teeth. Or it could accomplished by you joining our own, and taking on the gnomish portfolios to help Garl and Bytopia. Even if we don't shift the Cauldron to that plane, we could still accomplish a great deal. In fact, one of my avatars is going to be permanently detached for protection and restoration duties there pending securing agreement with Garl Glittergold."

She grins, asking, "So which would you prefer?"

[Anastasia]

Lagann rubs his metal chin before, "Let me consider it. There's possibilities here!"

[Corwin]

"Let's start with the first option," Seira decides. "A loan. Perhaps we'll end up joining forces with Garl and make the choice moot, but for now that's how we'll proceed."

She sneaks a peak at Amaryl, before asking, "One last candidate is Xera. We sadly cannot bring her in on the big secret, but we can guide her through becoming One and ascending. Are there any objections or reservations?"

[Anastasia]

"None," Amaryl says after a fair few headshakes.

[Corwin]

"I'll need to figure the mechanics, then," Seira muses, nodding. "In that case, let's get back to the Cauldron's future. Our options are, assuming successful negotiations, to make Bytopia our home, to try and unite Astral's two powers under a single aegis, or to expand on Kascha's suggestions and see about anchoring the layers in Bytopia and the other heavens from the Astral starting point."

[Anastasia]

Okay, this is where I need to ask a DM question so I fully comprehend this OOC. When you talk about anchoring different parts to different planes, do you mean like trying to split your realm up and have chunks in each plane, or like astral bits around portals to them?

[Corwin]

A bit like splitting it up. Consider it this way.

Each of us is a deity, and could have his or her own divine realm. So, say, Amaryl could have one in Arborea bordering on Arvandor, Sanzha could have one in Water, Kascha on Fire and perhaps bordering Zaaman Rul's realm, Elle on Bytopia, Seira on Astral with Cauldron Prime and so on.

Secondly, there are planar phenomenons that cross planes. The river oceanus, to name one example. Alicia connected Sylica to it, and through that linked her realm to other planes. I'm sure we can find something to do that or even form it artificially with Astral links or whichever, so that each of their realms had a 'border' with Cauldron Prime, as per Kascha's design (which I visualize as a flower and its petals).

So when I talk of splitting the Cauldron into layers where each deity in the pantheon will be in charge of one such layer, it's really no different from personal divine realms that are all connected to the original, which is mine.

[Anastasia]

"How about we ask Garl first?" Elle suggests, "Before we decide on anything? If Bytopia won't work, that changes our choices.""

[Corwin]

"Works for me, though that means we're making Bytopia our first choice," Seira responds. "We can't succeed unless we're all in, like I said. Is this course of action unanimous?"

[Anastasia]

First is Amaryl, who doesn't reply.

Donald hums and says, "Yeah, sure, an outer plane offers more safety than the Astral. Plus a few diplomatic feelers and we'll be set - no one is going to let this happen to Bytopia a second time."

Elle considers and nods slightly, slowly. "That logic isn't terrible," she finally says, "I hate to lose the advantages of the Astral, but this is a powerful chance."

Ranbar simply nods along with it, not expressing her opinion beyond that.

"Hmph." Sanzha says, "I had expected some Heaven or another. My main complaint will be to look up and see not sky, but another realm." She smiles rather tightly, "But as I am beyond vertigo and nausea, then I have no real objection to this course."

Kascha's quiet, "I think so. It's a good cause if we can help them - and not overshadow them, too. We should be a part of Bytopia, a big part, but it shouldn't be the Cauldron and also Bytopia too."

[Corwin]

"Amaryl?"

[Anastasia]

"I didn't want to unduly influence it," she answers to your unspoken question. "We would be safer in a Heaven, Donald's right. It ties us closer to our allies in Celestia, who are next door." Amaryl pauses a few moments, "It feels like running away, but...it may be better to leave Vlaakith to her own devices. She's been there a very long time and will likely be there for just as long. With all our other struggles now, do we need to entangle ourselves that deeply with the githyanki, when we have the same offer in a far more advantageous position in Bytopia?"