Dragon Warriors

Sadly, Swan's dreams of immediate fortune are quashed as the light nears her.

The lantern's glow reveals that she stands at the bottom of a (of course) dried up well. The walls are caked with dried mud and the ground underfoot is squelchy and muddy.

Leading off to the north of the well shaft is a narrow passageway.

Determined to prove that he was a brave as any buccaneer (which he really wasn’t sure he was), Taradoc calls down the shaft, ‘release the lantern and we’ll pull the rope back in.’

Turning to his companions and trying to sound braver than he felt, he adds, ‘I’ll go next’.

'Wrap the rope around you,' says Arkyn, 'and tie it nice and tight. I'll lower you down.'

Arkyn prepares to brace himself against the side of the well, ready to lower Taradoc down.

'I think we need to secure the rope up here when the last person goes down. Otherwise we won't be able to get back up,' he continues. He turns to Betala. 'Good rope climber, are you?'

Following Arkyn’s advice, Taradoc ties the rope tightly and seeing the barbarian brace himself, climbs up and after balancing a moment on the wall steps tentatively over the edge and prepares to be lowered.

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co-author Fury of the Deep
co-author Friends or Foes
co-author Dragon Warriors Players Guide
co-author Cold Fury
co-author Cadaver Draconis
co-author Ordo Draconis 1 and 2.

Swan does as she was asked, and unties the rope from the lantern.

She calls back up, "There's a tunnel here! To no one's surprise, no doubt! I'll take the lamp up it a little way to make room."

And to ensure myself first pick of any treasure, she mutters to herself.

She moves fiver or ten feet up the passage, holding the lantern before her and with her sword drawn and pointing forward.

Arkyn lowers Taradoc slowly into the well. 'Untie yourself when you get to the bottom!' he shouts.

'You go down last then,' Arkyn says to Betala, 'and why would you cut the rope and leave all that treasure down there?'

Arriving at the bottom, Taradoc nods briefly to Swan. Untying the rope he calls back up the shaft, ‘I’m free. Pull it back up!’

Swan ventures down the passageway. In the distance, say maybe fifty feet on from where she stands, she can barely make out the shape of a door. Not even the eagle eyes of such a talented buccaneer as she can make out any more than that.

Arkyn pulls the rope up ties it around his waist and steps over the edge of the well.

'Lower me down then laddie,' he says to Betala, 'and don't forget to secure the rope before you come down!'