Please take note that some this information may be out of date with respect to the latest origami releases.

Origami is the art of folding paper. By taking a sheet of paper and folding it into a particular shape you can create not only a work of art, but a unique gift. Origami is rarely practiced in the Realms due most to the high costs involved. A basic sheet of origami paper is 250 copper Kronars and can go all the way up to several gold for the marbled or gold varieties. Recently envelopes of origami paper have been introduced to the realms and offer a much more convenient way of dealing with the paper and quite possibly leading to origami's more widespread use.

Origami is yet another way to train mech lore, and if you don't mind the costs involved can be a fun and rewarding way of training the skill, as opposed to crushing or scraping. In addition it is also a good way to learn scholarship. Although its gains in scholarship are not as large as in mech lore, it can be a good supplement in learning the skill. So, if you think you would like to give origami a try read on below for futher instructions.

The most convenient place for folks in Crossing to find origami supplies is the tent in Leth Deriel. You can purchase various papers, origami cases (Note: these are not worn, so not very useful) and most importantly for beginners, an origami primer.

Currently, you can purchase these instructions in Leth for 1250 kronars:

  mouse instructions, some crown instructions, some phoenix instructions,
  some yak instructions, some ship instructions, some bird instructions,
  some crow instructions, some cat instructions and some dragon instructions.

In Mer'Kresh you can purchase the following items:

  jackal instructions and some vulture instructions.
  a fine china origami case, a leather origami case, a cloisonne origami case,
  a slim maple origami case, a red enameled origami case, a varnished elm origami
  case and a polished oak origami case.

On Ratha, you can purchase the following:

  silverfish instructions, goblin instructions, mask instructions,
  ship instructions, gryphon instructions, crow instructions,
  mouse instructions, horse instructions, dragon instructions,
  bird instructions

  marbled (1200 L), scarlet (850 L), silver (1000 L), blue (500 L),
  lined (500 L), white (350 L),  gold (2000 L), plain (200 L),
  green (600 L)

In Aesry you can purchase the following items:

  vulture instructions, phoenix instructions, horse instructions,
  cat instructions, dragon instructions, ship instructions,
  dolphin instructions, jackal instructions, raven instructions and
  some yak instructions

  a tarnished steel origami case, a pine origami case, a bronze
  origami case, a jade origami case, a turquoise origami case,
  an etched glass origami case, a brass origami case, a wicker
  origami case and a driftwood origami case.

  green origami paper, plain origami paper, gold origami paper,
  white origami paper, lined origami paper, blue origami paper,
  scarlet origami paper, silver origami paper and
  marbled origami paper.

Once you have your kit it won't take long until you've begun folding origami. Take out the Origami Primer and read it:

read primer

  Origami is the ancient art of paper folding.  By using this
  technique, and finely made, carefully cut and squared paper, one can
  learn to make all manner of delightful things.

  The recommended procedure is to choose a piece of origami paper,
  then look over the instructions.  Read them through to get some idea
  of how difficult the project will be.  It is not recommended that
  beginners attempt the more difficult projects, as this results only
  in frustration and the waste of good paper.

  When you have decided upon a project, study the instructions
  carefully, and begin to fold the paper.  Continue folding until the
  project is completed, or until you have made a mistake; if a mistake
  is made, the only recourse is to discard the ruined paper and try
  again.

  This book contains instructions for five simple figures, all of
  which are suitable for beginners.  They are a hat, a star, a flower,
  a medallion, and a fish.  To see how to make any of these figures
  simply read the instructions for that figure.

To read futher instruction on a design type in the following:

read <design> instructions Choosing either hat, star, flower, medallion, or fish for the the design.

  You glance at the flower instructions, and recognize this as a very
  easy project.  You could probably fold it with your eyes closed; it
  certainly wouldn't be any kind of a challenge.

This will give you an idea of the difficulty of the design. Obviously with the above message folding the design won't train very well, but it shows what you can expect from the primer with some pre-existing skill in mech lore. It would seem that the difficulties aren't always accurate and are probably based in some part on your scholarship skill.

Now, take out a sheet of paper from the origami case and we can begin to fold the design. Begin by studying the design you wish to fold:

study <design> instructions

  You study your <design> instructions and begin to fold.

This is the message you will get when you begin to fold. After this point, you no longer need the primer and can either put it away or pass it along to someone else who may want to fold a piece described within. If you get the message:

  You turn the instructions this way and that, but just can't make any sense of them.

The item is simply going to be too difficult to fold and you should move back up the list trying to find something in your skill range.

To continue folding type the following:

fold paper

You will most likely have to do this several times before the piece is completed. If you mess up during this process you will have to start with a fresh piece of paper. It should be noted that you needn't hold the primer or instructions in your hand in order to read it, but can instead say read <design> instructions in primer in my <container>.

In addition to the main primer, there is also a sample primer that contains only the dragon and star patterns.

Origami envelopes provide 10, 25, 50 or 100 sheets of paper in a single item, somewhat akin to wedding invitations in game. In addition to cutting down the item count on your character, it's also conveniently belt worn for ease of folding and weighs a scant 10 stones, so you needn't worry about weight. In order to use the envelope, simply pull envelope with a hand free in order to get a single piece of paper.

Most origami items have a few verbs associated with them and as more information is found, it'll be listed here. In general, doing a poke <model> or shake <model> will end up with a crumpled and useless piece of paper, but not all of the forms accept that verb. Be careful just the same if your intention is to keep the item or poke <model> twice to get rid of it for good. Several forms also accept the exhale <model> verb that gets rid of the item in a fun way. Also, if you're feeling particularly proud, try to snuggle it.

• Hat: rub, pull, punch and other verbs for hats. This is basically considered a piece of clothing and as such does not use the generic origami verbs mentioned above.
• Animals accept the pull verb and do some cute things depending upon which model you use.

1. Dragon
2. Hat
3. Bird
4. Star
5. Goblin
6. Flower
7. Jackal
8. Fish
9. Dolphin
10. Ship
11. Silverfish
12. Medallion
13. Gryphon
14. Cat
15. Horse
16. Mask
17. Phoenix
18. Mouse
19. Yak
20. Raven
21. Crown
22. Vulture

This list was done by Apu and posted on the DragonRealms forums from where I scooped it up. All the credit goes to Apu.

This origami calculator is a very handy tool for figuring out which pattern is best for you, based on the factors involved in the origami system.