| “ | New Cauldron, same as the old Cauldron. Doing things that everyone should be unambiguously on board for and making every enemy possible along the way. | „ |
| ~ Tattletale |
Summary
Cauldron is a secret organization in the Parahumans universe that was formed by Contessa and Doctor Mother. Its ultimate goal is to kill Scion, and they've subtly manipulated nearly every facet of society on multiple earths for decades in pursuit of this goal. They are behind the Case 53 phenomenon, with these mutated humans being the failed results of Cauldron's testing of powers in hopes of finding a power that can kill Scion.
Powers and Stats
Tier: 9-C to 9-B with clandestine operatives, 9-B to 9-A with Case 53s, Varies from High 8-C to High 6-A with the Triumverate and Endbringers. Unknown with The Siberian | Varies, up to 7-B to High 6-A
Key: Cauldron | Through manipulating others
Civilization Type: Post-Industrial Civilization
Name: Cauldron
Origin: Parahumans (Verse)
Classification: Secret Conspiracy
Kardashev Level: Type 0
Age: 35 years
Population: 21 willing members, thousands of Case 53s
Territory: Unknown. Maintains a facility described as being the size of a city[1], and also has holdings on planets across the multiverse.[2]
Technology/Abilities:
Social Influencing (Cauldron has subtly manipulated global culture for decades to make it more conducive to Parahumans[3]), Power Bestowal, Biological Manipulation (Cauldron produced vials from the brain dead body of Eden that would force a trigger event and subsequent acquisition of powers, oftentimes resulting in severe physical mutation [Case 53]), Information Analysis (The Number Man), Peak Human Physical Characteristics, Martial Arts, Weapon Mastery, Precognition, limited Biological Manipulation, Paralysis Inducement (Number Man, Contessa), Genius Intelligence (Number Man, Doctor Mother, Accord, William Manton, Citrine), Portal Creation (Doormaker is capable of creating portals across the multiverse, though is limited to the atmosphere of an earth), Perception Manipulation, Sense Manipulation, Statistics Reduction (Clairvoyant), Physics Manipulation, Gravity Manipulation, Heat Manipulation, Light Manipulation, Time Manipulation, Air Manipulation, Power Nullification, Power Modification, Resistance Negation (Citrine), Clairvoyance, Cosmic Awareness (Doormaker, Clairvoyant), Enhanced Senses (Various), Incorporeality (The Custodian lacks physical form most of the time[4]), Duplication (Custodian is capable of making thousands of duplicates of herself[5][6]), Invisibility (Custodian is invisible[7]), Possession, Body Puppetry (Pretender can take over living bodies[8]), Mind Manipulation, Memory Manipulation (The Slug can program people's minds[9] and erase their memories[10]), Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Physics Manipulation, Invulnerability, Matter Manipulation, Pseudo-Flight, Nonexistent Physiology, Immortality (Type 8), Resistance to Biological Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Gravity Manipulation, Spatial Manipulation, Teleportation, Time Manipulation, many more abilities (The Siberian), Resistance to Precognition Cosmic Awareness, Clairvoyance, Enhanced Senses (Contessa, The Dealer/Balminder was also unable to be located by Cauldron for a time[11], though The Number Man and Citrine eventually tracked him down)
Almost every Case 53 power and resistance (While Shamrock escaped Cauldron and there are rare monstrous capes that are not made by Cauldron, they're responsible for the creation of the vast majority of Case 53s and store most of them in their bunker[12]. Cauldron programmed specific trigger phrases or actions into many to cause them to throw a fight[13][14], and they're perfectly capable of using Doormaker to drop Case 53s into ideal locations if need be), Social Influencing (Cauldron Capes and Case 53s cause an aversive reaction in Scion[15], serving as a smokescreen for their operations while he's distracted)
Genius Intelligence, Martial Arts, Invulnerability, Immortality (Type 1), Resistance to Mind Manipulation (All preceding via Alexandria), Light Manipulation, Heat Manipulation, Absorption, Self-Sustenance (Types 1, 2, and 3) (All after Alexandria via Legend), Reactive Evolution, Power Absorption, Extrasensory Perception, Forcefield Creation, Air Manipulation, Density Manipulation, Earth Manipulation, Electricity Manipulation, Energy Manipulation, Explosion Manipulation, Fire Manipulation, Gravity Manipulation, Plant Manipulation, Sand Manipulation, Spatial Manipulation, Time Manipulation, Water Manipulation, Dimensional Travel, Attack Reflection, Healing, Illusion Creation, Precognition, Telekinesis, Teleportation, BFR, Instinctive Reaction, (All after Legend via Eidolon), Transformation, Ice Manipulation, Matter Manipulation (Both Legend and Eidolon), Flight, Superhuman Physical Characteristics (All 3), Physics Manipulation, Sound Manipulation, Explosion Manipulation, (Hero had essentially a Tinker version of Scion's powers over wavelengths and frequencies[16], which he had used to produce a broad variety of technologies including jetpacks, disintegration guns, sonic weapons, and small but powerful explosives and power sources[17]), the Creation of The Endbringers (Eidolon's shard is responsible for the creation of The Endbringers[18], though with the exception of Khonsu they cannot be said to truly be a weapon at Cauldron's disposal except in the most indirect of ways. Behemoth emerges to break stasis, Leviathan emerges to destroy resources to force conflict, and The Simurgh emerges to ensure humanity and The Cycle can persist.[19] It is likely that the others are just more backup conflict generators, as they only appeared after the death of Behemoth), Longevity, Large Size, limited Spatial Manipulation, Power Nullification, Regeneration, Flight, Time Manipulation, Forcefield Creation, Teleportation, Explosion Manipulation, Resistance to Biological Manipulation, Matter Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, and Precognition (Khonsu, indirectly Eidolon)
Social Influencing, Most abilities in The Real World and Worm (Cauldron has had a massive influence on the world[20] through their mass manipulation, with The Number Man alone being said to have bankrolled half the villains on Earth Bet.[21] Without Cauldron, Parahuman society would be far less sustainable and much more chaotic.[22]. Their decentralized operating model[23] resulted in their influence across numerous earths, with Cauldron even being responsible for Goddess' reign on Earth Shin[24]. Groups they most directly controlled included The Triumverate [All of them are Cauldron operatives], The PRT, Protectorate, and United States and Canadian Governments [The Triumverate lead the Protectorate, with Alexandria's position as director of the PRT[25] giving her influence within the American and Canadian governments], Vegas Dark [Through Pretender], and The Ambassadors [Through Accord, later Citrine]. Due to Contessa's power, almost anybody can be brought into their fold)
Attack Potency: Street level to Wall level with clandestine operatives (Contessa[26] and The Number Man[27] carry out assassinations for Cauldron, and Custodian who acted as internal security was capable of throwing Case 53s around and also snapping their limbs[28], Custodian also halted a desk thrown by a weakened Eidolon[29]), Wall level to Small Building level with Case 53s (Many Case 53s posses superhuman strength, Sveta would be able to squeeze Weld hard enough to deform his body[30], and Weld is capable of one shotting Mannequin[31]), Varies from Large Building level to Multi-Continent level with the Triumverate and Endbringers (Legend, Alexandria, and Eidolon were part of Cauldron, with Hero likely being on a similar level of power. Cauldron briefly controlled Khonsu[32], and the Endbringers in general exist as a consequence of Cauldron[33]. Usage of other Endbringers is not possible for Cauldron to actively do however, with them instead emerging under specific circumstances). Unknown with The Siberian | Varies (Cauldron manipulates almost everybody to some degree), up to City level (Alexandria was at one point head of the PRT, which has access to nuclear weapons and other similarly destructive technologies[34], Cauldron also manipulates the governments of the world. Doormaker was later used by Taylor Hebert to portal in every bomb she could find across the multiverse, including many nuclear ones, against Scion) to Multi-Continent level (Influenced some of Glaistig Uaine's killings[35], with her being ambiguously more powerful than Eidolon even before claiming him[36])
Power Source: Eden, Hero's tinketech
Industrial Capacity: Produced thousands of power vials over the span of a few years, which also resulted in the creation of thousands of Case 53s.
Military Prowess: At most 15 (Contessa, Number Man, 5 Number Boys, Siberian, Eidolon, Alexandria, Legend, Hero, Custodian, Pretender, Citrine) of their regular members are suited for direct combat, though they can also use thousands of Case 53s as weapons or enlist a variety of other factions for battle. Coordinated almost every major parahuman group in the constant conflict against the Endbringers after the emergence of Khonsu[37][38]. Briefly controlled Khonsu.
Notable Individuals: Doctor Mother, Contessa, The Number Man, Harbinger clones, William Manton, The Dealer/Balminder, Eidolon, Alexandria, Legend, Hero, Doormaker, The Clairvoyant, Custodian, The Slug, Pretender, Accord, Citrine. For a very brief period of time, Khonsu.
Weaknesses: Due to Cauldron's extreme secrecy, only 3-4 people (Doctor Mother, Contessa, The Number Man, likely Alexandria) truly know what is going on with the organization, and their overall membership when it comes to willing members is severely limited. Most Case 53s hate Cauldron and are not under their direct control. The Endbringers are just as much a problem to them as they are to everybody else and can't be factored into Contessa's plans. Eidolon's resistance to Thinker powers makes it difficult for Contessa to incorporate him into their plans, necessitating her to use the workaround of considering hypotheticals which can result in imperfections in the given path.
References
- ↑ Dying 15.1
- ↑ Scarab 25.5
- ↑ Word of God
- ↑ Interlude 27.x
- ↑ Venom 29.5
- ↑ Infrared 19.6
- ↑ Interlude 27.x
- ↑ Crushed 24.5
- ↑ Interlude 29
- ↑ Interlude 27.x
- ↑ Interlude 21.x
- ↑ Interlude 21.x
- ↑ Word of God
- ↑ Interlude 15.z
- ↑ Venom 29.6
- ↑ Word of God
- ↑ Interlude 14.y
- ↑ Infared 19.9
- ↑ Infared 19.z
- ↑ Word of God
- ↑ Gleaming 9.z
- ↑ Word of God
- ↑ Interlude 5x II
- ↑ Pitch 6.8
- ↑ Scourge 19.5
- ↑ Beacon 8.11
- ↑ Gleaming 9.z
- ↑ Venom 29.5
- ↑ Interlude 27.x
- ↑ Polarize 10.2
- ↑ Prey 14.5
- ↑ Cockroaches 28.5
- ↑ Word of God
- ↑ Crushed 24.3
- ↑ Word of God
- ↑ Worm Interlude 27
- ↑ Scarab 25.5
- ↑ Extinction 27.2
Gallery
Discussions
| Discussion threads involving Cauldron |