Burrowing ahead

[Anastasia]

Okay.

It's not hard to get everyone together and...

Go ahead, expo dragon.

[Corwin]

"Thank you for gathering on such a short notice," Seira tells the rest of the Cauldron's leadership as they gather in the same room where they first discussed the realm's future. It simply feels right to continue in the same place.

"The Abyssal seed is ours, and I believe that Alicia's search in Limbo exhausts our available options." She sighs, spreading her arms in a helpless gesture. "I just received word that Emily is searching for the Astral seed, and while it would've been nice to hear about it from her it does rather soundly eliminate the possibiolity of recruiting Vlaakith. Therefore, let us discuss the Cauldron's reconfiguration."

[Anastasia]

"She told me," Amaryl speaks up, "I'm sorry, I lost track with everything else going on." She bows her head in contrition a moment.

Elle sits back, motes of magic dancing around her steepled hands. "So is it Bytopia, then, or do we have other options?"

[Corwin]

"We always have options, but my heart is set on Bytopia," Seira responds to Elle. "To elaborate on some of those options, we may use the Cauldron as a shared divine realm, or we could spread the control over its layers, somewhat similar to how it is set up right now. We could also establish a set of seven volcanos to match the seven hills of Dothion's past. We could keep a Cauldron on different planes as our personal divine realms, and link them together with color pools and wonders, or we could establish these Cauldrons there as embassies, held by our strength on Astral and the Inner Planes and through our bonds of friendship across the Heavens. We could mix and match, we could do a great deal... though I admit I'm partial to the seven Cauldrons where each of us has a chance to create her and his own unique environment and a gaggle of embassies spread out across the planes."

[Anastasia]

"Well, if you want it?" Ranbar speaks up quietly, "Could you elaborate more on what you really want, Seira?"

Kascha has her book open and writes away, but as she does, "Seven Cauldrons makes good sense, though the more we spread the more planar politics we're exposed to. There's downside and complications for certain."

"Well, let Seira speak first and then everyone else can say what they want," Amaryl speaks up, "Let's not let someone be overwhelmed by this." A smile to Kascha at that, "But do go on, Seira."

"I made an informal inquiry to the Water Lord about that, at least on Water," Sanzha points out, "The reception was tepid but not decisive."

[Corwin]

"Donald and Sanzha had certain reservations about Bytopia last time we spoke, so I'm not going to force anyone to move," Seira elaborates. "I would be happy if we all tried out Bytopia as shared divine realm of seven linked volcanos while maintaining footholds elsewhere. We found the Cauldron and claimed it before we were properly divine, after all, and we held it here on Astral just fine. There's no reason we can't treat a demi-plane here as part of our land and defend it against our enemies."

[Anastasia]

"Well, as long as it's not part of our divine realms we'll get less trouble that way," Sanzha points out. "A demiplane is different."

[Corwin]

"My thoughts exactly," Seira agrees. "There's also the part where the Cauldron cannot live up to its full potential while on Astral given the binding contracts everyone has about the Silver Sea, but over on Shurrock we'll have proper control over Bytopia itself with full approval of its guardians."

She claps her hands. "So! Let's hear it, who wants to share Cauldron Prime with me on Bytopia, who wants to have an adjacent Cauldron there, and who is interested in a private Cauldron elsewhere across the planes?"

[Anastasia]

"Cauldron Prime."

It's Sanzha who speaks up, "We're still only demigods and assorted powers - potent, but we're stronger together. We're going to face challenges, and we'd be fools to break that apart."

"Have you changed your tune already?" Donald asks, pointedly. "Usually all of you women here are so stubborn."

A rather icy smile as Sanzha meets Donald's gaze, "Seven realms tied together are stronger than one, but we can get by with six."

"No, that would ruin the numerology," Kascha pipes up, still nose in book as she writes. "Oh! Did the Water Lord tell you something to change your mind?"

"My, I think it's mostly common sense," Lady Sanzha retorts, "We need to protect Garl in his time of weakness as well."

[Corwin]

Seira nods, showing no sign of her earlier mirth. "That's why I feel it's my calling. I realize, objectively, that the Cauldron can grow and florish on Bytopia in a way it would never be allowed on Astral, and how effectively uncontested control of an entire established major plane of reality would be a massive boon to us, not to mention the safety in having Zaphkiel and the High One on call for realm defense. But really, at the core of it, I feel responsible for wrapping up the God-King war, for mending the pieces and for fixing the problems caused by the previous generation. It is the task I took upon me while growing up, and in a sense I am grateful I can still do that."

She looks at each and every member of her pantheon in turn, saying, "It would delight me to have you all join me in Bytopia, for our mission has not changed one bit. We'll still advocate for freedom and justice, corny as it may be to some. We'll still advance the cause of magical research, and draw wide-eye worshippers to us with our wonders. We'll keep on reaching well beyond our grasp and getting away with it, too. And disparate as we might sometimes seem, we'll continue to complement one another well."

[Anastasia]

At this Donald sits back, "Then I'll go along with that," he speaks up, "I have reservations but it's too good an opportunity to pass up. We'd never get one as good as this."

[Corwin]

"And here's one more thing," Seira says, transcribing her plans onto a large scroll she makes materialize on the table before them. "Just like with the portal network, I've designed a superior version of a Spellpool. Elle, Sanzha, once we've moved I want to establish it as a central pillar of the Cauldron and key every Bytopia native to it!"

[Anastasia]

Elle takes the scroll and...

Elaborate OOC a bit here since Elle's interested.

[Corwin]

Named with a touch of pretention in golden letters, the Glory of Hope is a spiral stairway rising from the Temple of the Golden Flame all the way to the Market. Aside from being the only place in The Cauldron where objective directional gravity is in effect, it is The Cauldron's version of a Spellpool. All natives of Bytopia and its divine realms are automatically keyed to the Spellpool the moment they first set foot on it for the first time and a golden token grows out of it for their personal use. Traveling down the length of Glory of Hope for at least two hours provides the same benefits as a full night's rest.

Presumed minimal cost of 200,000gp, given that's what the Balmuria spellpool cost. Also, this is what I had in mind for the Cauldron on Bytopia:

[spoiler]http://www.soulriders.net/forum/index.php/topic,104118.msg1109277.html#msg1109277

Divine Realm: The Cauldron

It is where water and fire are born into steam.

It is what powers the fires of rebirth in Bytopia.

It is where rivers of gold are whispered to flow.

The Cauldron is a finite demiplane modeled after a vast volcano. Its slopes rise high, into great terraced areas within, the entire Cauldron criss-crossed with caves.

Cauldron Traits

- No gravity: Movement in The Cauldron is as per the Astral Plane.

- Normal time

- Finite size: The Cauldron is about 50 miles in diameter. The edges lead back into Shurrock. The Cauldron's size may change as Seira sees fit.

- Divinely morphic : Certain powerful creatures (Seira and her pantheon) can alter The Cauldron with a thought. Normal creatures find The Cauldron as easy to alter as the Prime Material Plane.

- Elemental balanced dominant: The Cauldron is a stable mixture of all four elements. While naturally quite warm, it is tolerable for all sorts of creatures.

- Mildly good aligned: Evil creatures in The Cauldron suffer a -2 penalty to all Charisma based checks.

- Enhanced magic: Spells and spell-like abilities with any elemental, energy or Good descriptors are cast at +1 caster level.

- Impeded magic: Spells and spell-like abilities with the Evil descriptor are cast at -1 caster level.

The Cauldron Links

The Cauldron is linked with the Shurrock layer of Bytopia. Creatures flying from The Cauldron can pass into Shurrock. Creatures who reach The Cauldron from Shurrock can enter as well. The magma chamber at the base of The Cauldron is a massive color pool linked to a Cauldron replica on the Astral Plane.

The Cauldron Inhabitants

The Cauldron is dominated by elementals and dragons of all types. Seira has recruited elementals from the various elemental planes, para-elemental planes and quasi-elemental planes, as well as from pacts with various archomentals of elemental good. The dragons are those of a celestial outlook or those seeking prismatic enlightenment at The Cauldron. Celestials and Seira's servants can also be found here, as well as a contingent of travelers and traders at all time.

Movement and Combat

Combat is similar to combat on the Astral Plane, with three dimensional combat and flight playing a large role. Unlike the Astral Plane, time flows and wounds heal naturally.

Features of The Cauldron

Steam's Reach

The outer walls of The Cauldron are dotted with hidden caves, fortified into defensive zones. Illusions and favorable terrain give defenders a defensive advantage. These cave are death traps of oozes, animated objects and elementals. These defenses are meant to stymie an indirect attack around The Cauldron's main defenses in the volcano's maw. These caves are also full of veins of gold and even rivers of liquid gold superheated by The Cauldron's natural affinity for fire, a fact made to tempt a greedy invader right into the teeth of Seira's defenses.

Rising Heat

The highest terraces of The Cauldron are dedicated to defense. Animated statues of adult red dragons are about and ready to come to life to defend the realm. The first ten terraces are heavily fortified. A garrison of elementals, Seira's clerics and allied forces constantly mans them, serving as border guards in times of peace and a potent defense in times of war. True seeing and magic circles against evil are used to ensure that fiendish trickery does not gain them entry to The Cauldron.

The Market

The middle section of The Cauldron's terraces are dedicated to trade and visitors. It is an ensnaring pattern of walkways and labyrinthine passages, all leavened by the fact that flight is normal here. Gold banners adorn the market area, Waukeen's portraits mingling with shields bearing the image of a majestic golden dragon. Seira's efforts and connections to Brightwater (for Seira followed Waukeen in her mortal life) ensure that the marketplace is full of goods from across the planes, as well as The Cauldron's own offerings.

Temple of the Golden Flame

The second to last terrace holds the Temple of the Golden Flame. An immense phantom flame burns eternal at its center, as Seira wills it, encouraging all those who pass through it as though Seira had shared a fragment of her power directly with them. It harms none, even fiends, though fiends would experience a profound emptiness should they attempt to defile these sacred grounds. The temple is just above the final terrace, which is dominated by a massive lake of lava. This lake is hallowed and in spite of the heat it sheds, everything around is bearable even to those without protection against fire.

Innocence

Seira's abode rests besides the lake of lava in the final terrace. It is a gingerbread palace of whimsy and wonder, where Seira and Amaryl reside. It houses essential functions and receptions for important guests. The design of the palace is not tied to normal physics and it often goes on wondrous, impossible designs.

Glory of Hope

A spiral stairway rising from the Temple of the Golden Flame all the way to the Market and the only place in The Cauldron where objective directional gravity is in effect, it is The Cauldron's version of a Spellpool. All natives of Bytopia and its divine realms are automatically keyed to the Spellpool the moment they first set foot on it for the first time and a golden token grows out of it for their personal use. Traveling down the length of Glory of Hope for at least two hours provides the same benefits as a full night's rest.

The Victory Arch

This arch in the Cauldron is large enough for even an elder elemental to pass through. Those that activate the arch gain the following weapon properties to a weapon or natural weapon for 24 hours: corrosive, flaming, frost and shock. A creature can only benefit from this arch once per 24 hours. It is placed on the upper level, in a hidden room just past the guard post that has one-way portals to it from the main garrison, and from it to the volcano's vent. Its existence is not secret, although its exact location is, as access to it is restricted.

Notable People of The Cauldron

Seira Aryn: The Dragon Princess

Seira is the ruler of The Cauldron and its founder. She is forever busy seeing to The Cauldron and its continued growth. She is an optimistic bundle of energy combined with draconic vigor. She is not weighed down by her new duties and instead embraces them. She is known as a passionate leader who is not afraid to buck against normal trends to do what she feels is right. Seira is the first amongst many in The Cauldron's pantheon.

Amaryl Gaial: Princess-Consort

Amaryl is Seira's lover and partner. She aids Seira as she continues to grow into her own role and divinity. She is a rising demigoddess, following the path Seira forged decades ago. She organizes things for Seira and ensures The Cauldron's affairs flow smoothly. She runs a more even keel than Seira, but tends to defer to her.

Donald Smurth

The Cauldron gathers a great deal of intelligence about all the planes. It falls to Donald to manage this as well as The Cauldron's various espionage efforts. While Donald is something of a fool and has a knack at saying the wrong thing at the wring time, he is strikingly competent in this field. Notably, Donald eschews any sort of title nor does he seem to care overmuch about propriety.

Lady Sanzha: Mistress of the Elements

Lady Sanzha is a former Padisha of the Marid who now serves Seira. She is a calm and confident woman who oversees much of The Cauldron's research into elemental harmony. Her role has her deal with elemental magic most of the time, though she is a capable guide and hostess when circumstances require, for her previous experience as Padisha trained her well in diplomacy and people skills.

Oraga, Fallen

A fallen angel who was reached by Seira and as a result of a long, complicated situation, was put into the body of a mortal elf female. Since then, Oraga sees to the defenses of The Cauldron and savagely trains those that would defend it. While he is not fully fallen anymore, Oraga does not mind the title of such.

The Cauldron Encounters

d%   Encounter   Number
1-10   Fire Elementals*   1d6
11-20   Water Elementals*   1d6
21-30   Earth Elementals*   1d6
31-40   Air Elementals*   1d6
41-50   Mercane + Elemental Bodyguards**   1d4 + 1d4+1
51-60   Mortal pilgrim***   1
61-63   Ice Para Elemental*   1d6
64-66   Ooze Para Elemental*   1d6
67-69   Magma Para Elemental*   1d6
70-72   Smoke Para Elemental*   1d6
73-74   Lightning Quasi Elemental*   1d6
75-76   Vacuum Quasi Elemental*   1d6
77-78   Steam Quasi Elemental*   1d6
79-80   Salt Quasi Elemental*   1d6
81-82   Mineral Quasi Elemental*   1d6
83-84   Dust Quasi Elemental*   1d6
85-86   Radiance Quasi Elemental*   1d6
88-90   Elemental Monolith****   1
91-94   Githyanki   2d6
95-99   Adult metallic dragon*****   1
100   Unique encounter******   1

* The exact type of elemental varies from small to elder. Mixed groups are common and lead by the biggest elemental present.
** Mercane are guarded by large earth elementals.
*** Mortal pilgrims are mortals on a pilgrimage to The Cauldron. Typical examples are paladins or clerics of Seira. Waukeenites are also common.
**** The DM may choose which type of elemental (or para or quasi elemental) monolith is encountered. Fire and water monoliths are the most common.
***** The DM may choose which type of metallic dragon is encountered. Copper and gold dragons are the most common.
****** A unique encounter is one where a notable personality of The Cauldron is met. As The Cauldron is a small and new realm, it's even possible to encounter Seira in this manner.

The Cauldron Miscellanea

New Special Material

Cauldron Steel

This rare iron is forged in The Cauldron, heated by elemental fire, cooled with elemental water, shaped with elemental air and hardened with the spirit of elemental earth. Weapons and armor made of cauldron steel are 25% heavier than normal steel, but have a hardness 5 points higher than steel. Further, weapons made of this material count as cold iron and retain some elemental power. They deal one point each of acid, cold, electricity and fire damage on each hit. Armor made of cauldron steel grans resistance to acid, cold, electricity and fire 3.

Cauldron steel equipment costs the same as adamantine equipment.

New Weapon and Armor Special Abilities

Elemental Harmony

This special weapon ability can only be applied to a weapon made of cauldron steel and that has a special property that deals energy damage (such as flaming, frost, shock and so forth). Whenever a weapon enchanted with this ability deals energy damage, all of the energy damage becomes whichever type is most beneficial to the wielder. For example, a creature immune to acid and cold, with resistance to electricity 30 and vulnerability to fire would take all fire damage from the weapon's energy damage.

Moderate transmutation; CL 12th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Price +2 bonus.

[Anastasia]

As Elle reads, "How big are you planning?" Kascha asks, then with a glance, "That's big!"