The Banana-Run to the Dragon Shrine

urt, Sorcall and McBykar founded an own guild today and called it The Pilgrims. To become a member, everybody (even the founders themselves) had to pass a ritual called The Banana-Run to the Dragon Shrine. This stupid idea had come into their mind after the race they held during their last adventure in the Hedge Maze. The object was to enter the Destard Dungeon and run on foot through the big cave towards the shrine at its end, armed to the teeth with a few bananas. Destard dungeon level 1, armed to the teeth with bananas and nothing else! At the shrine you'd have to mark a rune and then run back to the entrance with the bananas still in your backpack.

McBykar made the start and jumped into the dark entrance. The point was to avoid the Dragons and not get hit by any of their spells or firy breaths. It was quite difficult, for he often had to escape poisoning snakes as well. When he finally reached the shrine, a big dragon was awaiting him and casting a fireball on me. McBykar successfully hid but the Dragon did not leave. So McBykar just had to take the risk and mark the rune, trying to get away alive. Unfortunately the spell fizzled several time until it finally worked. He had almost been rosted to death before he ran back to the safe exit on a knife's edge.

Breathless McBykar was stepping out of the dungeon, being welcomed by his friends. I showed them my banana and the rune, then Kurt prepared for descent. I took his whole equipment, giving him a short description of the way and warning him of the dragon at the shrine.

Kurt was ready to go. He disappeared in the darkness. We waited. After some time he finally returned and we cheered at him. He had also made it. I welcomed him to The Pilgrims and he presented the marked rune. He had not lost many hitpoints, so he must have had less problems with marking.
Then it was Lorin's turn.

We waited long for Lorin, until some other fighter who came out of the dungeon told us, that the entrance was crammed with monsters. Lorin was stuck at the shrine. The bridge near the shrine was also guarded by a drake.
We decided to help a little, so Kurt and me recalled to the shrine. Lady Seth'LeNara was waiting outside, for she held Lorin's stuff and could not move.

On the bridge in front of the shrine lay the corpses of other fighters. Lorin awaited us, he was still alive! The dragon had done a good job! We killed the dragon with spells while Lorin continued his run. Suddenly a breathless fighter approached, telling us that the entrance was haunted by murderers. They had killed Seth'LeNara! Damn. All of Lorin's equipment was lost and Seth was dead. That was sad.
But we would not give up and continue our test some other time.

05/98

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