Grave of Dragons

Location & Requirements

Where:

• Graveyard special event
• Triggers in graveyard.php (when you're dead)
• Random encounter (no specific graveyard location)

Encounter Chance:

• Event weight: 100
• Rare encounter (competes with other graveyard events)
• No VE scaling (static weight)
• No daily limit (can encounter multiple times)

Requirements:

• To enter cavern: soulpoints > 0 (need energy to descend)
• To search cavern: gravefights > 0 (uses soul energy to explore)
• If soulpoints = 0: Can see entrance but too tired to descend
• If gravefights = 0 inside: Can't search, torment too great

Initial Discovery

The Monolith:

• In distance through fog: Object like vast monolith
• Approach through swirling mists
• Dark spot at base of obelisk (crevice/crack)
• Stone surface unreadable
• "You think you might be able to enter this crevice."

Initial Choices:

• Descend into the Crack: Enter cavern (requires soulpoints > 0)
• Return to the Graves: Walk away, hear strange bestial roar behind you

If You Leave:

• Turn away from ominous pit
• Walk back into fields of the dead
• Mists close around monolith
• Strange bestial roar echoes back at you
• "Indeed, tis better safe, than sorry, even for the dead."
• No consequence (wise choice if low soulpoints)

Inside the Cavern

The Discovery:

• "As you wander into the huge cavern."
• ".you can see bones everywhere, of all sizes."
• ".but the majority huge beyond any frame."
• First skull confirms it: Draconic features unmistakable
• This is a graveyard of dragons
• "You wonder how the skeletons all got down here."
• "Where do dragons go when they die?"

Second-Level Choices:

• Search the Cavern: Explore for treasure (requires gravefights > 0)
• Return to the Surface: Flee before seeing too much

If You Return to Surface:

• "Upon realizing the bones are those of dragons, you've seen too much."
• Bolt for surface before panic sets in
• Recognize sounds of screams behind you
• Run from obelisk into mists
• No consequence (safe exit)

Search Cavern: 17 Random Outcomes

Probability Distribution:

• e_rand(1, 17) for equal distribution
• Case 1 (5.9%): Beast encounter - soulpoint drain
• Case 2-3 (11.8%): Dark altar - critical choice
• Case 4-6 (17.6%): Find gold in skeletal hand
• Case 7-10 (23.5%): Nothing happens
• Case 11-12 (11.8%): Find buried gold + gems
• Case 13-14 (11.8%): Frightened by skull, lose favor
• Case 15-17 (17.6%): Find gems in eye sockets

Outcome 1: The Beast (5.9% - Case 1)

The Encounter:

• Make way to furthest, darkest part of cavern
• Almost sense sounds from shaft in ground
• Peer down, blinded by shining white light
• Fall back, rub eyes to clear vision
• See two huge glowing red eyes emerge from pit
• ".before being horribly attacked."
• The beast from the pit attacks you!

Soulpoint Drain:

• Lose (lethality%) of current soulpoints
• Default lethality: 50% (admin setting 10-100%)
• Formula: lose round(lethality/100 × soulpoints)
• Example at 100 soulpoints, 50% lethality: Lose 50 soulpoints
• Rounded, so minimum 1 soulpoint lost if you have any

Possible Outcomes:

• If reduced to 0 soulpoints:
  • "You drift back to the shades, destroyed."
  • gravefights set to 0 (exhausted)
  • Event ends immediately
  • Catastrophic outcome (lost all soul energy + graveyard turns)
• If soulpoints > 0 after attack:
  • "You're barely able to drag your battered form back to the surface."
  • ".haunted by the image of those terrible eyes."
  • Lose 1 gravefight (searching cost)
  • Survive but heavily damaged

Risk Assessment:

• 5.9% chance per search
• At 50% lethality: Lose half your soulpoints
• Can be devastating if you have low soulpoints
• Beast is reason this cavern is dangerous
• Guards the deepest part of cavern

Outcome 2-3: Dark Altar (11.8% - Case 2-3)

The Discovery:

• Wander amongst piles of bones
• Catch sight of curious arrangement hidden between huge skulls
• Altar made of bones, covered by blood-red cloth
• Small pile of gold on bone plate in center
• Candles burning but shed no light (eerie detail)
• Dark altar dedicated to Bellatrix (death overlord)

Critical Choice:

• Pray at the Altar: Offer sacrifice to death god
• Take the Gold: Steal from sacred altar
• Return to the surface: Leave altar undisturbed

Option A: Pray at Altar:

• Kneel down to pray before dark altar
• "Your mind is filled with disturbing images!"
• Quickly stumble away, barely sane
• Reward:
  • Gain (lethality + 10)% favor (default: 50+10 = 60 favor)
  • Example: +60 deathpower added to current total
  • soulpoints set to 1 (drained by ritual but alive)
• Message: "[Death overlord] thanks you for the sacrifice. You gain 60 favor."
• Excellent outcome: Major favor gain, minimal cost (soulpoints reset to 1)

Option B: Take Gold:

• Sneak forward, feel dark eyes all around
• Grab gold, go to flee
• Cry of anger rings out, frozen to spot
• Impression of great fury fills head
• Realize you stole from [death overlord]'s altar!
• Punishment:
  • Drop the gold (don't get to keep it)
  • Freed from paralysis
  • Return to shades shaken
  • Lose ALL favor: deathpower = 0
• Catastrophic outcome: No gold gained, all favor lost
• Never take gold from death god's altar!

Option C: Return to Surface:

• Turn from disturbing place of darkness
• Run for surface before will breaks
• No consequence (safe exit)

Strategic Recommendation:

• ALWAYS PRAY if you encounter altar
• +60 favor (default) is massive reward
• Soulpoints reset to 1 is acceptable cost (can recover)
• Taking gold = lose everything, gain nothing
• Altar is best possible outcome of search

Outcome 4-6: Skeletal Hand (17.6% - Case 4-6)

The Discovery:

• Looking under pile of smaller bones
• Find skeletal hand clutching small bag and journal
• Journal: Boring exploration log, guide leading someone to "The First"
• Bag filled with gold
• "Score one for grave robbing!"

Reward:

• Gain random gold: mingold to maxgold
• Default range: 50-200 gold
• Admin-configurable: mingold (10-100), maxgold (150-500)
• Message: "You gain [X] gold!"
• Debuglog: "gained [X] gold from the body of a guide in the shades"

Strategic Value:

• 17.6% chance (second most common positive outcome)
• Moderate gold reward (50-200 gold default)
• No risk, no cost
• Pure positive outcome

Outcome 7-10: Nothing (23.5% - Case 7-10)

What Happens:

• "As you drift through the cavern, poking at interesting piles of bones."
• ".nothing of interest happens."
• No reward, no penalty
• Wasted search (spent gravefight for nothing)

Strategic Impact:

• 23.5% chance (most common outcome)
• Costs 1 gravefight (opportunity cost)
• Could have searched elsewhere or done other graveyard activities
• Expected part of exploration (not all searches successful)

Outcome 11-12: Buried Treasure (11.8% - Case 11-12)

The Discovery:

• Looking at half-buried skeleton of long-dead dragon
• Sigh at thought of gold/gems already stolen
• While kicking aimlessly at dirt, gleam of gold appears
• Skeletons been here so long their treasure has been buried!
• "After some serious excavations."

Reward:

• Gain gold: mingold to maxgold (default: 50-200 gold)
• Gain gems: mingems to maxgems (default: 2-4 gems)
• Both resources simultaneously
• Message: "You walk away with [X] gold and [Y] gems."
• Debuglog: "gained [X] gold and [Y] gems digging in the Dragon's Graveyard."

Strategic Value:

• 11.8% chance
• Best treasure outcome: Gold + Gems
• At defaults: 50-200 gold + 2-4 gems
• Gems worth ~1500-3000 gold (3 gems × ~750 each)
• Total value: ~2000-3500 gold equivalent
• Excellent reward (second best after altar for favor value)

Outcome 13-14: Dragon Skull Fright (11.8% - Case 13-14)

The Encounter:

• Looking at half-buried skeleton of long-dead dragon
• Skull seems to shift in earth
• Edge closer to head
• Light still flickering from its eyes!
• Run in fear at the sight
• [Death overlord] curses you for your cowardice

Penalty:

• Lose favor: 5 + e_rand(0, player level)
• Maximum loss: Current deathpower (can't go negative)
• Example at level 10: Lose 5-15 favor
• Example at level 20: Lose 5-25 favor
• If favor > 0: Message shows loss amount
• Scales with level (higher level = more expected to be brave)

Strategic Impact:

• 11.8% chance
• Moderate penalty (5-25 favor loss typical)
• Favor is valuable but recoverable
• Not catastrophic like beast encounter or altar theft

Outcome 15-17: Eye Socket Gems (17.6% - Case 15-17)

The Discovery:

• Examining huge skeleton of dragon
• Notice flickering of something in eye-sockets
• ".something. sinister."
• Of course, immediately climb into eye-sockets as far as possible
• Find someone has inset gems to skull
• "How very strange."
• "Well, they can't have valued them that highly - yoink!"

Reward:

• Gain +2 gems
• Fixed amount (not random)
• Debuglog: "gained 2 gems from the eye sockets of a dead dragon."

Strategic Value:

• 17.6% chance (tied for second most common positive)
• Fixed +2 gems (worth ~1000-1500 gold)
• Good outcome (gems valuable)
• No risk, no cost

Expected Value Analysis

Positive Outcomes (53% total):

• 17.6%: Skeletal hand (50-200 gold avg: 125 gold)
• 11.8%: Buried treasure (125 gold + 3 gems avg: ~2375 gold equivalent)
• 17.6%: Eye socket gems (2 gems: ~1500 gold equivalent)
• 11.8%: Dark altar if pray (+60 favor: priceless, set soulpoints to 1)

Neutral Outcomes (23.5%):

• 23.5%: Nothing (0 value)

Negative Outcomes (23.5% total):

• 11.8%: Skull fright (lose 5-15 favor avg: -10 favor)
• 5.9%: Beast encounter (lose 50% soulpoints, possibly all gravefights)
• 5.9%: Altar theft if stupid (lose ALL favor, 0 gold: catastrophic)

Expected Return per Search:

• Positive outcomes weighted average: ~350-500 gold equivalent per search
• Negative outcomes: Minor favor loss (recoverable) or major soulpoint/favor loss (rare but severe)
• Net: Positive expected value IF you:
• (1) Always pray at altar (never steal)
• (2) Have enough soulpoints to survive beast (50+ recommended)
• (3) Can afford occasional favor loss from skull fright

Strategic Recommendations

When to Search Cavern:

• High Priority:
  • You have 50+ soulpoints (can survive beast encounter)
  • You have gravefights to spare
  • You want gold/gems (47% combined chance)
  • You want favor (12% altar chance for +60 favor)
• Moderate Priority:
  • You have 20-50 soulpoints (risky but survivable)
  • You're willing to gamble on 53% positive outcomes

When NOT to Search:

• Avoid if:
  • You have < 20 soulpoints (beast might destroy you)
  • You have 0 gravefights (can't search)
  • You can't afford favor loss (need favor for resurrection)
  • You're risk-averse (23.5% negative outcomes)

Critical Rules:

• ALWAYS PRAY at dark altar (+60 favor excellent)
• NEVER STEAL from altar (lose everything, gain nothing)
• Leave if low soulpoints (beast can destroy you)
• Accept skull fright (minor favor loss, not worth avoiding cavern)

Admin Configuration

Settings:

• mingold: Minimum gold (10-100, default: 50)
• maxgold: Maximum gold (150-500, default: 200)
• mingems: Minimum gems (1-5, default: 2)
• maxgems: Maximum gems (1-10, default: 4)
• lethality: Percent of soulpoints lost to beast (10-100%, default: 50%)

Balancing Recommendations:

• lethality = 50% (DEFAULT): Severe but survivable, encourages caution
• lethality = 100%: Instant death if beast encountered, very risky
• lethality = 10-25%: Minimal threat, less exciting

• Gold/gems defaults (50-200, 2-4): Moderate rewards, balanced
• Higher ranges: More attractive to search, may trivialize graveyard economy

Lore & Atmosphere

The Dragon Graveyard:

• Where do dragons go when they die? Here.
• Vast cavern beneath mysterious obelisk
• Bones everywhere, "huge beyond any frame"
• Draconic features unmistakable
• Some treasure buried with corpses (ancient custom?)
• Guarded by beast in deepest pit (eldritch horror)

The Dark Altar:

• Made of bones, blood-red cloth
• Candles burn but shed no light (magical darkness)
• Dedicated to death overlord (Bellatrix default)
• Sacrifice (prayer) grants favor
• Theft brings divine wrath
• Hidden among dragon skulls (sacred space)

The Beast in the Pit:

• Deepest, darkest part of cavern
• Shaft in ground (goes even deeper)
• Blinding white light
• Two huge glowing red eyes
• Horribly attacks intruders
• Guardian of deepest secrets
• Nature never explained (dragon ghost? Demon? Guardian entity?)

Creepy Details:

• Fog and swirling mists
• Unreadable stone monolith
• Bestial roar when you leave
• Dragon skulls with flickering eyes (still alive?)
• Candles that burn without light
• Dark eyes watching when you approach altar
• Disturbing images when praying

Technical Details

Event Integration:

• module_addeventhook("graveyard", "return 100;")
• Weight: 100 (standard graveyard event weight)
• Graveyard-only event (only triggers when dead)

Soulpoint/Gravefight Requirements:

• Entry: Check soulpoints > 0
• Search: Check gravefights > 0
• gravefights-- when searching (based on code flow)
• Beast can set gravefights = 0 if destroyed

Favor Calculations:

• Altar pray: deathpower += (lethality + 10) (default: +60)
• Altar steal: deathpower = 0 (complete loss)
• Skull fright: deathpower -= min(5 + rand(0,level), current deathpower)

Grave of Dragons: where you drift through graveyard fields and see a vast monolith through the fog with an ominous dark crevice at the base, descend into the crack to discover a massive cavern filled with dragon skeletons ("huge beyond any frame"), and decide whether looting ancient dragon corpses for gold and gems is worth the 5.9% chance of encountering a beast with glowing red eyes that will obliterate 50% of your soulpoints and possibly destroy you completely. The search outcomes are 53% positive (gold/gems/favor), 24% neutral (nothing happens), and 24% negative (favor loss or beast), making this a profitable venture IF you have enough soulpoints to survive the beast (50+ recommended) and you follow the golden rule: ALWAYS PRAY at the dark altar (gains +60 favor, sets soulpoints to 1), NEVER STEAL the gold (loses ALL favor, gains nothing, you get paralyzed and forced to drop it anyway). The best outcomes are the dark altar for massive favor gain (11.8% chance) and buried treasure for gold + gems (11.8% chance for 125 gold + 3 gems average worth ~2375 gold equivalent), while the worst is the beast encounter that can send you back to the shades destroyed if you're unlucky. The atmosphere is peak creepy fantasy: fog and mists, unreadable monolith, bestial roars, dragon skulls with eyes that still flicker with light, bone altar with candles that burn without shedding light, and a shaft leading to something even deeper where a beast with glowing red eyes waits to obliterate intruders.