The titans gifted the charr with magic artifacts that would be known as Searing Cauldrons or Cauldrons of Cataclysm with which the shaman caste could perform the ritual of the Searing to weaken human defenses. It is said that the cauldrons' magic was older than the charr and presumably older than even recorded history, and forged by ancient entities fallen into sleep and quiescence.[1]
cauldron
The Cauldron of Cataclysm was used by shaman Bonfaaz Burntfur to bring forth the Searing, breaching the Great Northern Wall and decimating the Kingdom of Ascalon in 1070 AE. The High Legions brought another cauldron with them when they invaded Orr in 1071 AE although they were unable to use unleash its power when Vizier Khilbron invoked a dark incantation from the Lost Scrolls to cause the Cataclysm which sunk Orr and led to the demise of both the Orrians and the invading charr force, including Flame Imperator Ventus.[2] After these defeats, the charr began to lose ground. Even their victories in Ascalon lost ground and became an ongoing conflict that would last generations.[3]
The Durmand Priory came up with the idea of using the Searing Cauldron against the Risen guarding Orr's strategic locations although the Pact would have to secure the cauldron first before the Risen managed to use it against the Pact. Assisted by Arda Gyreshriek and piloting a special Golem Battle Suit Prototype built for the assault, the Commander located the Searing Cauldron at the Cathedral of Zephyrs and cleared out the Risen so the Pact could claim the cauldron for the next stage of the offensive.[5]
After acquiring the cauldron and transporting it near the Cathedral of Verdance which acted as a staging ground for Risen forces, the Priory got to work. With help from the Commander, Laranthir of the Wild, and Researcher Fero, Researcher Barron activated the cauldron and unleashed the Searing to weaken the Risen forces enough so that the Commander and Laranthir could enter the cathedral to slay the Risen commander, Prince Nekandezzar.[6]
The concept of deathless warriors brought to life by a magical cauldron originates in a story from the Mabinogion, "Branwen Daughter of Llyr". In the tale, Bran the Blessed gives the Cauldron of Life as a gift to Matholwch, King of Ireland. Through a series of events, both leaders are caught in a war, during which the Irish use the Cauldron to revive their dead. One of Bran's warriors -- Efnisien -- disguises himself as an Irish corpse, allowing himself to be cast into the Cauldron, which destroys it.
Chinese torchbearers and Olympic athletes Dinigeer Yilamujian (left) and Zhao Jiawen place the Olympic flame into its snowflake cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, at the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing. Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
The Olympic flame is now burning in Beijing's Bird's Nest, poised in the center of an extremely unique cauldron that's shaped like a huge snowflake. Rather than an inferno, its flame comes from a single torch, and the identity of one of its lighters made a major political statement.
The large snowflake is made up of smaller snowflakes bearing participating countries' names. And while many viewers appreciated that symbolism, they often circled back to a larger debate over a small issue: the cauldron.
Both the Beijing 2022 and the Olympics' official tweets met with a wide range of responses, as some people criticized the cauldron, and others defended it as being part of a broader theme of putting on a less wasteful Olympics.
The identity of the person who lights the Olympic cauldron is always a tightly guarded secret. Many observers had predicted China might select one of several high-profile gold medalists, such as retired speedskater Yang Yang or retired pairs figure skaters Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo. 2ff7e9595c
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