Balcony over the Dragon's Lair

The balcony is a natural pocket on the side of the huge cavern, though the floor of the alcove was leveled and the stone railing was added by dwarven stone workers not too long in the past. Even a stone bench has been added to allow you to sit comfortably while overlooking the cavern spread out before you. It is a shame the stone has been blackened and pitted by some sort of incredible heat. Ashes can be seen swept into one corner of the balcony.

Beyond the blackened stone railing is a huge hemispherical cavern at least 100 feet across. As if a god had blown a enormous bubble of molten rock which then cooled to leave this monstrous cathedral. Below you lies the biggest red dragon your have ever laid your eyes upon.

The dragon, which must be at least 50 feet from nose to tail, lies coiled on top of and partially buried, amongst huge piles of countless coins of gold, unwrought gold nuggets, gems the size of hens eggs, jewelry and crowns fit for kings and queens, all turned a red-bronze in the ruddy light. From the snoring dragon's mouth a red flame flickers, and wisps of smoke curl in and out, between the dragons sharp teeth.

The heat coming up from below is just incredible and your cloths are again soaked from your sweat. You feel the dragon fear eminating from the great monster and you desperately wish to leave this place and not disturb the slumber of the vile beast, and return to the coolness of the passage behind you.

But then you think of the riches, of the dragon-horde spread out before you. You have heard tales of dragon-hoards before, the splendour, the lust, the glory of undescribable treasure, but this outstrips any possible telling. Your eyes linger for a long time on the view before you, and your knees give way so you sit down hard, on the stone bench provided.

After a time you notice other things. The gold has been carefully swept into middle of the room leaving a wide space of barren and blackened rock around the edges of the chamber. Swept against the very edges, are the blacked and charred remains of past adventurers, broken skeletons, melted shields, helms, plate armour, and broken swords, lances, pikes.

On the eastern side of the room where you would expect it, is the iron gateway indented into a dwarven tunnel leading into the dragon lair. On the north side of the room, furthest from where you sit, the floor seems to have caved in to open a passage into some sort of tunnel below this one. A dragon entrance if you ever saw one. The pitch black opening is steep sided and the rock looks like it has been melted, almost glassy smooth, which would making climbing in that way impossible.

On the western side of the cavern, furthest from the gateway, the dragon's old scales have been piled. Strangely it looks like some of them have been hinged into crude books, obviously to dragons, paper books are rather useless. Perhaps this dragon is quite intelligent. Some stories you have heard tell that some dragons do indeed speak, and even read, maybe that is indeed the case.

The only other thing of note, is a pillar of rock about 5 feet from the wall and half way between the iron gateway to the east, and the dragons entrance passage to the north. The various remains of past adventurers seem to be rather thickly piled around this piller, probably as it looks like it could provide some cover from a angry dragon, defending its lair from intruders. Indeed the rock piller itself, is glassy smooth and black on the side toward the sleeping dragon.

You can...

Sit down and watch the scene below, the dragon may leave

Dragon might be friendly, lets announce our presence

Those ashes look mighty suspicious! Examine them closely

Go back, round the corner into the passage, south then east and downward

Created: 22 April 1997
Updated: 20 May 1997
Anthony Thyssen, <anthony@cit.gu.edu.au>

Dragon Image Curtesy of Kevin Palivec as part of ...