Borka’s robbers’ rope ladder

Borka’s robbers’ rope ladder gives Borka’s band a way up and down the rock face to the North Fort, enabling their entry and making the ladder both a practical advantage and a conspicuous vulnerability. Its guarded use turns Matt’s attempt to exploit it into a brief, costly skirmish.

Entry into the North Fort

Borka explains that Birk climbed the steep walls with a long, strong rope trailing behind him. At the top, Birk tied it securely so the others could climb after him; the band then went into the keep and began organizing a robbers’ den. Borka pats Birk’s red topknot as he recounts the feat, and Birk smiles: the ladder’s origin is bound to the younger robber’s climbing skill and his role in bringing his father’s band into the fortress.

A guarded route

The ladder also provides a means to move up and down the cliff without difficulty. Yet it is not left exposed for Matt to seize: Matt sees it lowered only once, and the loopholes above are watched closely enough for arrows to rain down when he rushes forward. The ladder therefore offers access to Borka’s Keep while requiring vigilance to preserve that access.

Matt’s failed assault

After scouting the northern wood repeatedly and finding it silent, Matt finally sees the ladder descend and loses control of his caution. He charges toward it and starts climbing, with his robbers close behind, eager for a fight. Arrows from Borka’s Keep drive them back; Little-Snip is struck in the thigh and stays in bed for two days. The encounter establishes the ladder as more than a convenient route: its guarded lowering creates a rare opening, but the defenders can turn that opening into an ambush.