Draconian Economics

[s/LaSH]

There's a difference between X wealth and X wealth-earning potential. I don't know whether dragons care about real value or just have a magpie complex, but they're smart creatures, often with centuries of experience - they could make extremely able fiscal development decisions that culminate centuries later. On the other hand, they could just like pretty shiney things, which would stimulate development of non-pretty currency and artworks - stern granite sculptures, ugly buildings full of girders and merciless mortar, desaturated paintings as if seen through smog, tin or paper money. Then you make some brass and give it to the dragons to keep them happy.

An often-overlooked object of draconic envy is the human form. When I think of pretty things, I don't spend much time thinking about jewels - I think about the person wearing them. A dragon might have no biological reason for keeping that princess in a cell under its lair - then again, it might - but the fact that it has something so valuable and so desired by others is certainly a draw. And once you've got one, why stop? As a bonus, you can demand 'rent payments' from the fathers, and probably perform all sorts of manipulations. As I said, dragons aren't entirely stupid...

 

[The Amazing Dingo]

Dragons, in their search for money, will make use of everything they possibly could and, being lawful, he wouldn't break his word. That said, I could see him (this would probably be hundreds of years ago if he is truly old) walking into the high lord's (or mayor's or such) office and demanding money to protect the city from attack by other dragons (and only dragons...he won't interfere with marching armies, etc.). This amounts to a year payment of some high amount that will also have a lever to increase over the years (as the city makes more money).

And then, six months later, the dragon just suddenly pops back in again. This time, he demands money (or artwork or first born child or something...one idea is for him to just demand platinum so that the platinum becomes so sparse as to be nearly non-existant as someone mentioned about China earlier...an idea I'm yoinking for myself)...anyway, he demands money, but this time for him (the dragon) not to attack the city.

Hence, he gets paid twice a year: once as a guardian and once in tribute. At the same time, he never breaks his word about the first agreement.