The way it is depicted, it looks like the island isn't really a volcano, but rather there is just a permanent gate to the Elemental Plane of Fire in the caldera, which is what makes it seem like a volcano. In which case, the rest of the "volcano" would just be solid rock.
Or am I reading the diagram and information wrong? Is Mt. Kala actually a volcano, but there is also a gate to the Plane of Fire located at the very top of the Caldera? In which case it could both erupt normally (like a volcano), as well as potentially have planar eruptions (spewing forth matter from the Plane of Fire)?
The way it is depicted, it looks like the island isn't really a volcano, but rather there is just a permanent gate to the Elemental Plane of Fire in the caldera, which is what makes it seem like a volcano. In which case, the rest of the "volcano" would just be solid rock.
Considering the structure of Mystara, this is not surprising -- actually, it would make little sense for volcanoes to be anything else than gates to the Plane of Fire (or, at least, to have such gates below them).
I'd say that the volcano is a point where the Prime is especially close to the Plane of Fire. The caldera is a point where the two planes touch, while the rest of the island is still close enough to allow Ethereal structures to touch both planes at the same time.
Considering the structure of Mystara, this is not surprising -- actually, it would make little sense for volcanoes to be anything else than gates to the Plane of Fire (or, at least, to have such gates below them).
I'd say that the volcano is a point where the Prime is especially close to the Plane of Fire. The caldera is a point where the two planes touch, while the rest of the island is still close enough to allow Ethereal structures to touch both planes at the same time.
and how about non-volcano related earthquakes being perhaps related to gates to other elemental planes reacting with the surrounding solid rock. That is if, because of the whole Hollow World thing, we have to throw all of plate tectonics out the window.
I'd say that the volcano is a point where the Prime is especially close to the Plane of Fire. The caldera is a point where the two planes touch, while the rest of the island is still close enough to allow Ethereal structures to touch both planes at the same time.
I'm beginning to lean more towards this concept, although it seems to me that the actual point of contact would have to be beneath the surface rather than near the top, as it would have to be pushing the earth up into the volcanic mountain shape (otherwise, why would there be a mountain?)
I'm beginning to lean more towards this concept, although it seems to me that the actual point of contact would have to be beneath the surface rather than near the top, as it would have to be pushing the earth up into the volcanic mountain shape (otherwise, why would there be a mountain?)
Yes, that would be the best solution.
The illustration shows that the inside of the volcano (near the top) is a gate to the Ethereal Plane, through which the travelers then proceed to the Plane of Fire (down a stairwell leading from Citadel).
Assuming the volcano is currently dormant (ie, no eruptions from the Plane of Fire for quite some time), could it be possible to have a lake in the middle of the volcano there? I'm just finding it hard to get a grasp on how the whole Ethereal Gate concept works (frankly, all the planar gate concepts, now that I sit down and think about them, are boggling my mind).
Is a planar gate just like a (presumably one-sided) hole? Anything that hits it from the entryway side disappears into it? Or is it something more ephemeral (particularly in the case of an Ethereal gate)? Such that it could occupy the same space as another object?
Don't know why I can't figure this out better.
Alternately, they might want to see it the way we look at, say, the Grand Canyon which could easily kill us.
Frankly, I'm having trouble figuring out why there's any Ethereal gate there in the first place. If there is a gate to the Elemental Plane of Fire, it should connect the Prime and Fire directly, right? And completely bypass the Ethereal?
Aaagh! I'm failing my Planar Physics 101 course!!!! :headexplo
It might well render all of Ierendi uninhabitable if it connected directly.
Also, I'm kind of imagining a waystation in the Ethereal Plane which connects to Fire and also to various prime planar tourist stops--like Honor Island, but also others.
But there's a portal between the lip of the caldera and the lava.
The portal goes to the Ethereal Plane. The lake is only an illusion. Anyone who jumps in ends up directly in the Ethereal Plane. It's a two-directional portal that requires no key to function.
The wizards of Honor Island created the portal to the Ethereal Plane, rather than making it link to the Plane of Fire directly, because they're as interested in the Ethereal Plane as they are in the Plane of Fire. The Ether Station is a base for the wizards' etherships, which explore the plane thoroughly.
As it is, I'll probably still use the map of Cauldron in place of the map of the interior of the volcano in Gaz4- the tiny blip that is Citadel on that map doesn't seem able to accomodate the entire population of the place (which is the majority of the population of the island), even given interior housing which the Gaz mentions.
It's the lake bit that I was trying to figure a way to adapt, since that plays a role in at least two of the SCAP adventures. I'll have to give it all a bit more thought.