Masques and Mazes (A to Z)

Dragon love wealth, partly for what it is (see Gems again) but also for the power it symbolizes.  They love ostentatious displays of wealth which can be done in a variety of ways.

Massive and expensive parties, especially Masques, are a favourite of dragons.  The Masque is an interesting sort of party, part costume ball, part staged musical entertainment and part gift giving ceremony.   People are expected to come in costume, often the more outlandish the better as long as they are on theme.  The Masque involves organized singing and dancing, and sometimes acting and debate, usually by professional players (in the theatrical, rather than gaming sense), around a elaborate stage designed to present a deferential allegory ultimately flattering to the host of the event.  The rest of the masquers, usually in support roles, are guests and courtiers.  Sometime the rulers, or their family, will become actively involved in the performance, usually in the dance side of things.  After the performance, gifts ties to the theme are presented, in an equally staged way to the host and patron of the event.  Naturally, there is an attempt for each dragon’s Masque to upstage the one before, sometimes, for very special events, they last for multiple days.  The longest Masque held, and for obvious reasons no one else has tried to equal or exceed, was a thirteen day extravaganza themed around some of the major astrological signs to celebrate the Empress’ birthday on the thousandth anniversary of the Draconic Conquest.

Another way for dragons to show off their wealth is maze building, this became a craze in the fourth century after the Draconic Conquest for reasons unknown.  It has waxed and waned in popularity but has never quite died out.  The dragons enjoy the mazes because they can just fly over them and they love to watch the lesser being try to make their way through the twisting passageways.

Notes: Somehow I got out of sequence and did K twice!  So working on catching up.  Again just some cultural bits to spark ideas and adventures.

Photo allegorical female figure striking a pose in masque costume, with a stork or crane. Woodcut by T. Stimmer, 1580. from the Wellcome Collection, license Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).