Need help protecting a Decanter of Endless Water used as a fountain in my town!

[WonkaMania]

Hey there everyone!

I'm starting up a new campaign soon, and in the middle of the town square of this town I'm planning, I'm going to have a Decanter of Endless Water mounted in the middle of a large fountain using the "Geyser" option (a 20-foot long 1-foot wide stream at 30 gallons per round). People can then get fresh, *clean* water from the pool that it will collect in. (The excess will drain off, some going to a sewer-type system, some going towards helping the farmers, and the excess just running into the river that is by the town) As to why the Geyser instead of Fountain? I just think it'd look cooler!

What I need help with:
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How do I protect this Decanter from being stolen from common theives? I mean, it will be glued down with "Sovereign Glue", but if someone really wants to steal it, they could just use "Universal Solvent" which only costs 2,000 gp (per ounce). That's relatively cheap for someone to get ahold of if they really want the Decanter. So how else can I protect it from being stolen?

Please let me know of all ideas that you can think of!
(It also makes for a good plot hook if it IS stolen, but I'd like to know of a way to keep if FROM being stolen all the same

Thanks!

~Wonka

 

[Mytholder]

Build it into a fountain? Keep it under a locked grate? Stick a repulsion on it? Or even just an alarm?

 

[The Lone Badger]

Embed in into a massive stone pedestal with just a channel for the water to come out (the Romans had concrete, why not these people?). Sure it could still be stolen, but the sound of sledgehammers would probably attract people if it's in the main square. The town constable also has a stone of alarm keyed to it.

Have nobody actually know how/why the fountain works. It's been there since before I was born, guv'nor.

 

[spyscribe]

Make it so distinctive looking that anyone seen with it would be immediately pegged as the thief.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Make possession of Universal Solvent within the town limits a capital offence.

With random strip-searches of strangers by the Watch.

-Hyp.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

Step 1. Inbed the decanter inside the contrete or stone thats shaped to hold it inside.
Step 2. inscrube glyphs and ward runes around the stone under the decanter protecting the general area.
Step 3. Magical Trap, Anyone to lay a hand upon the decanter (yes the decanter, not the stone) without speaking the proper command word gets shocked for 3d8 electrical damage.

etc etc.

 

[WonkaMania]

Have nobody actually know how/why the fountain works. It's been there since before I was born, guv'nor.

The only problem with that, is the fact that this is a relatively new town, at most 15 years old, probably going to be 10 years. Perhaps a small portion of background info is needed here. Across the ocean there are two great cities at war. The war has been going on for 20 years now, and at the 10 year mark, a very wealthy noble who was sick and tired of the war-ing, and several others, set out for the newly discovered continent. Upon reaching the new continent they started to build a settlement. The settlement grew into the "town" that is there now.

Good ideas otherwise though, please keep 'em coming!

(I love these boards, people are so creative and helpful! )

 

[Al'Kelhar]

Make possession of Universal Solvent within the town limits a capital offence.

With random strip-searches of strangers by the Watch.

-Hyp.

LOL!

Seriously, I like the "no-one knows it's a decanter of endless water" idea. Another is to make the fountain an holy shrine dedicated to some deity or hero, and is protected by the sorts of magical devices one finds in temples and shrines. Further, IIRC, a decanter of endlass water has some connection to the Elemental Plane of Water, so having an appropriate elemental or outsider appear to defend the device against "defilers" would not be out of the question.

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

 

[Sir Whiskers]

Don't know if this really fits your concept, but you can always have a stone golem holding the decanter...

 

[Gez]

The decanter of endless water is actually not there. Instead, there's a really tiny (2-inch-diameter) gate effect to a hidden cell in the Kingorwhatever's castle, where the decanter actually is. A pipe leads the water from the decanter to the gate. The decanter can be actually upside down, with the hole beneath, for a more convincing geyser effect (added speed).

1° The decanter will not be able to pass through the gate. Stealing this way is about impossible.

2° The Kingorwhatever will have the possibility to deprive the village from water, or even to poison it, from afar, on a whim, just to show them who's the boss in case they don't pay their taxes.