A transcript of the initial announcement on the E! microphone...
Good evening, Egypt...
Quite some time ago, I made note to the nature of the Gods as they pertain to all our disciplines -- all save two. Those I shall explain later...
Additionally, I hinted at the first of my own tasks approaching completion. This has now been done. But before I introduce it, a small piece of history...
Those followers of the various gods and goddesses have long been divided into several camps, or perhaps temples -- groups worshipping a given god or another. Those worshipping Hapi make their homes on the Nile, and reap their crops in the fertile soil. Those who worship Bastet do the same for the great sea to our north. Those who worship Ra give praise to the lands, for they have the ability to take great yields as from the sun itself, turning useless ores into yet more than mere gold. And those who worship Thoth may be considered the greatest school, for they prize above all else the human mind, that splended instrument given us by whatever force brought us into the land.
Through that mind, we see the world: we see our own hands turning metal into splendid instruments and artifacts beyond the reckoning of our forefathers. And those works of art often find a home in the Universities of Worship.
The Students of Thoth also have a little-known trait among themselves: only those who are capable of producing a single piece of art, a masterwork, are permitted to become disciples. They must meditate on a document describing this piece, then attempt to create it with little more than the image in their minds; several do not even have that. They also have the option to take as long as they desire -- some spend years attempting to create a perfect piece, while others grasp its nature instantly.
I have managed to convene with the priests of Thoth as of late -- taking but a moment of time for a small request. And giving them my purpose, they agreed.
At each University of Art, you will now find copies of the scroll, and prints of a flat blueprint. A blueprint with little to no detail whatsoever, worse than useless if you depend upon it entirely. This scroll details the creation of an item known as the "Thoth's Pendant", the same masterwork that the disciples spend so long in trying to create. Once you have the blueprint, you may take it to any anvil and attempt to create it. I shall designate several dropoff sites throughout Egypt for those desiring to take part; the Artist with the highest quality shall be, in this branch of history, one I shall call the Disciple of Art.
There may also be something -material-, well worth your time, if you attend...but Art for Art's sake should be the focus, as it has been in the past.
Artists: Go to work! You have one week from this point to create the finest. And for tonight - work well, Egypt.
The challenge lasts one week, from the 18th of February through the 25th.
Once you have your Pendant of the desired quality, you may build a chest in one of three dropoff points near central chariot stops: Kush, at 800, -3615; Seven Lakes, at 1408, 1825; and Lower Egypt, at 1058, 6950. Do not overlap another smith's chest. In that chest, you place the pendant and (optionally) a chit. Finally, transfer it to Emmanuel. Scores will be released at the end of the competition.