A cleric, a thief, and a fighter (or possibly an assassin) set out to slay a dragon (or a “Gargouille,” depending on your source).
From Ebenezer C. Brewer’s A dictionary of miracles (1910):
“What renders the name of St. Romanus [aka St. Romain] especially memorable in all France, is his victory at Rouen over a horrible dragon, of a shape and size hitherto unknown. It was a man-eater, and also devoured much cattle, causing sad desolation. Romanus resolved to attack this monster in his lair; but as no one would assist him in such a dangerous enterprise, he took with him, as assistants, a murderer condemned to death, and a thief. The thief, being panic-struck, ran away ; but the murderer proved true steel. Romanus went to the dragon’s den, and, making the sign of the cross, walked in, and threw a net over the beast’s neck. The murderer, then taking the net in his two hands, dragged the monster through the town into the market-place, where was a huge bonfire. Into this bonfire he led the beast, there was it burnt to death, and then thrown into the Seine. All the people thanked the saint for delivering them from this pest, the murderer was set at liberty, and Romanus appointed a day of public thanksgivings. — Propre de Rouen.”
No word on the dragon’s hoard, but the murderer was pardoned for his part in slaying the dragon, and after Romanus’ death there was annual procession of his relics ending with the pardon of a convicted criminal.
A surprising number of saints took an active role in slaying or banishing dragons. A pretty good list is here.
It’s enough to make one wonder if France wasn’t briefly overrun with cave crocogators…
I hope the thief didn’t get a full share of XP on account of his running away.
He was making sure there was an escape route. And checking for traps. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Honestly he was exactly as effective as most thieves would be in that situation…
Legends say he was heard to yell, “Chaotic Neutral, suckers!”
Fantastic! And that link will provide great reading.