09-03-2022, 11:11 PM
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#21
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Re: Of Mana and Dragons
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mister Negative
In fact, this subjective value could be the actual value of the hoard. What if the mana is recovered through envy, rather than the wealth itself. The accumulated envy from others is what powers dragon mana. So sleeping on wealth is a deliberate act to increase the amount of envy generated.
This also means that dragons can't regenerate their reserves through hoards of once-valuable material that is no longer considered valuable (say, shell currency from a prior empire), and they can't regenerate their reserves through secret, unknown hoards, nor can they surreptitiously assemble a pile of valuables and regenerate mana.
It has to be known that the dragon has taken a hoard, known that the hoard exists, and known that the dragon is in control of it. It also has to be in a form that would generate envy--which is why dragons don't control massive tracts of land through shell corporations and proxies.
In that case, the diminution of the hoard could simply be the ebbing of envy over time as the populace grows complacent or resigned to the dragon's control over their hoard. Taking new items for the hoard, or even allowing thieves to steal and bring back choice spoils from the hoard, would work to increase envy and offset the loss in value (otherwise, old dragons with old hoards not only have to acquire new stuff, but also have a load of old, musty, unimpressive crap in their hoard).
"I thought Smaug had the Arkenstone. All I found was this crummy disco ball."
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Love the idea, but I got what I came up with as part of a plot line already. I might have that for a dragon or spices of dragon that learned to harvest envy, though.
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