Q:Build a movie plot around this: Princess Elspeth rigs the lottery draw, so that only who's name can be drawn? Hers.
A:
A sixth-century post-Roman kingdom called Urland[2] is being terrorized by a 400-year-old dragon named Vermithrax Pejorative.[2] To appease the dragon, King Casiodorus (Peter Eyre) offers it virgin girls selected by lottery twice a year. An expedition led by a young man called Valerian (Clarke) seeks the last sorcerer, Ulrich of Craggenmoor (Richardson), for help. A brutish soldier from Urland named Tyrian (Hallam), who has followed the expedition, intimidates the wizard. Ulrich invites Tyrian to stab him to prove his magical powers. Tyrian does so and Ulrich dies instantly, to the horror of his young apprentice Galen Bradwarden (MacNicol) and his elderly servant Hodge (Sydney Bromley). Hodge cremates Ulrich's body and places the ashes in a leather pouch, informing Galen that Ulrich wanted his ashes spread over a lake of burning water.Galen inherits the wizard's magical amulet, and takes it upon himself to journey to Urland. On the way, he discovers Valerian is really a young woman, who disguised herself to avoid being selected in the lottery. In an effort to discourage the expedition, Tyrian kills Hodge; before dying, he hands Galen the pouch and dies with the words "Burning water..." on his lips.Arriving in Urland, Galen inspects the dragon's lair and attempts to seal its entrance by causing rocks to fall from the cliff. Tyrian apprehends Galen and takes him to the court of King Casiodorus. King Casiodorus guesses that Galen is not a real wizard and complains that his attack may have angered the dragon instead of killing it, as his own brother and predecessor once did. The king confiscates the amulet and imprisons Galen. His daughter Elspeth (Chloe Salaman) comes to taunt Galen, but is shocked when he informs her of rumours that the lottery is rigged to exclude her name and those who are rich enough to pay to have their children' names removed. Casiodorus is unable to lie convincingly when she confronts him regarding this.Meanwhile, the dragon frees itself from its prison and causes an earthquake. Galen...