The stairwell was illuminated but the source was not apparent. The stairwell was littered with bones! The bones were mostly of men. Some were gnawed upon. Nigel used his boot to slide the bones aside; he did so respectfully.
“Why do you tarry? Just kick them aside!” Boomer said impatiently.
Nigel did not respond. The ring fingers of the skeletons bore rings bearing the insignia of the Assassin’s Guild- the Assassin’s Guild had been dissolved for eight hundred years. The annals of the Guild at Rancide talked of the sudden disappearance of many of the guild’s brethren. Nigel knew now what had happened to them.
Nearly all noted the ornate rings.
Cade was the first to say, “Nigel, the bony hands wear the same ring that adorns your right ring finger. Aren’t these valuable?”
The elf started to remove one of the twenty rings when Nigel snarled, “Leave them as they lie!”
Cade jumped back.
Cara placed a hand on her trembling brother’s shoulder and gave him a comforting and reassuring glance as she said, “Don’t disturb the dead. We do not seek treasures. Most of what we find here will likely be cursed.”
They stepped over fifty or more skeletons scattered on the thirteen steps. The stairs were thirteen feet across and thirteen inches tall; the ceiling was thirteen feet high.
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