29.15 The sage words concerning the dragon of Sapience.

Every Avalon year there is a frenetic period of harvesting during the
month of Hindyear. This harvest is the result of the labours earlier in
the year of those cities or guilds involved in the working of fields
about the land. Crops are thus created and from these crops many crucial
items in the land can be fashioned - food, most obviously, but much more
beyond as Avalon's harvested flora has mystical properties beyond the
mere farming staples. This, of course, is common knowledge to most
Avalonians and the skills of Farming and Labours are possessed by most
individuals to deal with this aspect of the land.

However, less well known is that deep in the mountain of Sapience - an
extinct volcano to the southeast of the continent, sleeps an enormous
and immortal dragon. Few have seen this leviathan face to face for it is
difficult to enter the well-protected, riddle barred corridors carved
into the mountains that lead to the dragon's cave. Recently, though, a
great sage descended from the heights of the mountain with claims to
have mapped the entirety of its interior. He spoke of a way to awaken
the dragon, to bring it forth into the land for a short time, and, most
importantly, of a quest to persuade this mighty beast to lend its
near-divine powers to benefit an entire city population.

Great golden eggs are the key, the sage did say. Eggs forged by young
innocent cityfolk, forged only from gold and smoothed over a period of
days by these naive youngsters. Once forged, those possessing the skill
of Forging may shift this great golden egg to a furnace and, using
essence as a mystical conduit, augment the value of the egg with gems,
with gold, with silver or other metals. Finally, the egg filled with as
much wealth as a city may wish to muster is taken to Mount Sapience,
past the outer defences and into the very cave in which the dragon
sleeps. Then, come the month of Hindyear and the time of harvest, the
dragon awakens for a short time and, should it find any city having
sacrified a great golden egg to its greedy treasury, it will take to the
skies and use some of its powers to repay its benefactor. It can breathe
fire to harm enemy crops (and those unfortunate enough to be standing
nearby), rain blessings on the fields of its friends by augmenting
harvests or steal commodities from about the land and shower them on the
streets of the friend-city. It can even defend the homesoil of city
gift-givers against enemies in invincible, unstoppable ways. Homesoil
being defined either as those location denominated a permanent part of
the city being defended or, at times, both those permanent spots AND
those fields sewn by citizens of aforementioned city. Thus it is said by
this ancient sage and of late the wise of Avalon's great cities have
again lent credence to his ancient tales.

Barons, Captains, city leaders, and those with mastery of Forging should
read on. The rest of you need know no more.

To awaken the loyalty of the dragon requires the forging and enriching
of a golden egg. Barons/Captains may begin the process of forging this
egg in the central squares of their home city by typing EGGSTART with
sufficient gold laid upon the ground ready for collation. Young cityfolk
will then set about the initial task of making the golden egg ready for
their elders. Protect these youngsters for they must be given time to
complete their task. The great golden egg then created should be taken
to a furnace where those with Forging skill can use the EGGFORGE command
to add gold, gems, silver or metals to augment its value for the greedy
dragon. Syntax here is EGGFORGE followed by the precious metal/gems you
wish to add to the egg's value. Refined essence must be on the ground,
before the furnace, alongside the valuable items being added.

The great egg is moved using the EGGROLL command, for otherwise it is
difficult to shift about and has a divine protection against being
destroyed or interfered with by hostile forces. Since the EGGROLL
command brings about aggressive behaviour from the dragon its use is
limited to those who do not hold duellist, pacifist or protected status.
Issue the EGGFIX command to set it by its furnace if you wish it to be
immovable by any mortal force, or EGGUNFIX to begin moving it again.

At some point it will be decided that the golden egg is sufficiently
filled with enough city wealth to merit presentation to the dragon
itself. At this point the egg must be moved, using the EGGROLL command,
away from its homeland, to the mountain of Sapience. It must be rolled
into the very cave of the sleeping dragon and there fixed, left in the
claws of the beast until it awakens at the start of the month of
Hindyear. Whether the great dragon acts on behalf of a city will be
determined entirely by the value of the golden egg deposited into its
treasure trove. What its actions are, during its short period of waking
flight, is determined by the Prince or Princess alone. These settings
can be done at any time once the egg has been forged and does not
require the presence of the Prince or Princess during the waking period
of the dragon for his/her instructions to be acted upon. The dragon will
forge out on behalf of a city regardless of the worth of opposing city
eggs. Thus, even if your own city egg is of lesser value than that of
your opponent, the dragon will still bestow benefits according to the
wealth of your own egg. He is, truly, a fickle beast and is perfectly
content to bestow bouts of loyalty to all cities or towns either
concurrently or consecutively, depending on the worth of the offering.

There may also be years when no city gives over a treasure-filled golden egg
to bolster the dragon's horde. It is common knowledge that for every year
the dragon receives nothing, the value or egg-worth to the dragon of the
egg that at least IS given over to its treasure chamber will be worth three
times its normal value. Thus a three year hiatus will render the eggs
given over on the fourth year nine times their regular value.

See also HELP DRAGONACT for further commands, mainly for those of sufficient
authority in the city.

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