BACKGROUND Volcanic calderas are the scar left on the land by super volcanoes that have erupted throughout history. These super volcanoes are also the source of magical power. This power radiates from the centers of these calderas in a grid or leylines that are strongest toward the center and eventually fade away over a distance.

The size of the volcanic caldera in question is directly related to its level of magic.

Calderas can imbue mortals (of various species) with supernatural powers either at random (infrequent- via leylines) or via ritual (to mixed success).

The most powerful calderas have a far higher success rate both with random and ritual empowerments. The Yellowstone Caldera The Yellowstone Caldera is the second largest volcanic caldera in the world.

Prior to 1878 it operated as the other calderas, infrequently empowering mortal humans and animals, but when a cult modified a ritual to attempt to empower themselves en masse, something went terribly wrong and fractured something deep inside of the Caldera, causing it to begin hemorrhaging its power and empowering people and animals at an accelerated rate. This corrupted power also brought with it corrupted empowered creatures known as cryptids.< RESOURCES

• List of Volcanic Calderas
• List of Largest Volcanic Calderas (this list is not in order by size)

HISTORY Vigil was established in 1860 as a mining community after gold was discovered in Landslide Creek in what was at the time the Idaho Territory. In 1863 the town also became a posting for the Montana Vigilantes, a group created by the Freemasons to dispense vigilante justice in the Idaho Territory when territorial law enforcement and the courts proved ineffective. Vigilante justice continued throughout the territory until Montana became a formal state in 1889 and it was at that time that the town was renamed Vigil.

It didn’t take long for the gold to run out and the miners to move west in search of better profits, but the Paradise Valley had become successful in agriculture as well as a military posting. This sustained the population until in 1893, after losing its bid to be the new state’s capitol, Vigil was granted an agricultural land grant college as a consolation prize. This college, now Montana State University, eventually became the largest university in Montana and Vigil has grown into a thriving town. PRESENT DAY In modern times, Vigil has grown into a successful, bustling town. The northern gateway to Yellowstone Park, Montana State university, and Bighorn Mountain ski resort fill the town with tourists, college kids, ski junkies, wealthy snowbirds, and locals.

Vigil boasts a fast-growing tech industry, a thriving craft alcohol market, and active local music scene in addition to many festivals, farmers markets, and workshops.

While for many years Vigil was considered a small ranching community, it has become very gentrified in recent years with the influx of both temporary and permanent out-of-staters. Quality of life is high, but the cost of living is higher, pushing the lower-income members of the community to the outskirts of town or the greater surrounding area.

Younger people and singles are especially drawn to living as close to the downtown area as possible for easier access to Vigil’s 8 breweries, 3 whiskey distilleries, cider house, a vast array of restaurants, art galleries, and the downtown area’s quaint boutique stores and museums.

For weather, business, and event references, Vigil is based on Bozeman, MT.

Downtown Everyone loves going to Downtown Vigil, and who wouldn’t? With the beautiful brick facades recently restored and tons of vibrant bars, shops, and galleries to dip your head into, there’s a lot to love! One thing that makes Downtown a drag: the rent. Being a walk away from your favorite brewery has a price tag, and so does being in the same neighborhood as that fancy new condo that most of Vigil’s locals fought the town commissioner to not build. Also, the noise coming off of the festivals on Main can be a little rowdy sometimes. University District At the heart of this neighborhood is one of the crown jewels of Vigil: Montana State University. Accordingly, most of the restaurants, apartments, and duplexes in this area are geared towards the inexpensive, over-caffeinated, drunk-at-3am lifestyle that is being a MSU Bobcat. Towards the edge of MSU’s influence, some of the older and more affordable family homes in the area are starting to fill in where once there was just grazing pasture for some mustangs home for winter pasture. Such is life in Vigil, though. West Side This neighborhood starts, they say, west of Vigil’s 19th Avenue. It is, simply put, your garden variety suburban sprawl: blocks and blocks of cookie-cutter homes, elementary schools, and box stories as far as the eye can see. The West Side is the purview of two sections of folks: new families, ready to settle down, and professionals that lack both the paycheck and the ability to live in a house of five to take up space downtown. The longer you live in Vigil, the more likely you’ll scorn the West Side. But you gotta live somewhere, alright? The Junction Strictly speaking, The Junction isn’t part of Vigil proper. Between Vigil and its gate to Yellowstone and the John W. Meldrum Memorial Airport, The Junction is an incorporated township that, courtesy of Vigil’s creeping sprawl, is beginning to be absorbed as a bedroom community of Vigil proper. If Vigil is lively, The Junction feels depressed; between the trailers and the middling offerings of restaurants peppering the landscape, it definitely feels like a place you pass through to another location. But the Junction has one thing that Vigil does not: affordable housing, at prices that make young families feel that they can buy instead of merely plunk down rent month after month after month. Yellowstone Club On the other side of the spectrum is The Yellowstone Club: a gated ski community for the incredibly rich and famous. Multi-million dollar mansions dot the landscape of this select playground, with heated driveways and breathtaking views into the Park itself. Often, most of these homes are only occupied a month out of the year, full of folks that native Montanans dismiss coldly as ‘Californians.’ “Wait,” you say, “I’m not from California!” Ah, sweet Californian: it’s not about the birthplace, it’s about your wasteful lifestyle and proclivity to ski in jeans!