DCC DotSK: Act 1-3

Ty is vaguely aware of the tumult behind him, but can't turn to look. The snake-ridden ghoul has clambered through a tangle of roots in the roof, and now hisses its defiance before the elf, blocking any escape. Whatever might be happening in the pillared chamber, they won't be able to get away from it unless they can deal with this abomination. Somehow.

Ty hasn't had much luck with his spear against these beasts. Perhaps fire will prove a more fearsome weapon to an aged corpse.

Leaning forward, Tyravasiel thrusts his torch at the creature's chest. Even if the ghoul doesn't catch fire, maybe he can drive it back toward the roots from which it came!

In a panic, Dufgal pats his belongings to see why he feels like something is missing.

Inside the tunnel, there's a terrible scream as Ty tries to drive the creature he's suddenly facing back with his flaming torch, but Anora and Aldric pay it no mind as something gives over their heads. It's suddenly raining down smooth river rocks, the rounded cobbles and pebbles one would find in the bottom of a river bed... or at the beach. The things must have been used as fill by the builder of the mound, but regardless they come like an avalanche now, hundreds of them, up to the size of the woman's fist! Their bodies are pounded and pelted by the round stones as they make for safety -- there's no avoiding the things!

---

Anora had spoken too soon of water, when the river rocks start to come from above. She sees Aldric take a nasty wound, even as her cloth begins to cover her eyes as her hands cover her head!

As the torrent of rocks and river water slam into Aldric, he knows Pelagia had come for him at last. He had tried so hard, but he should have known better. "Save yourselves!" he calls to his friends. Perhaps he could give them this one, miserable gift before his end.

He suddenly feels so, so tired. Tired of running. Tired of pretending. Tired of being afraid. Tired of being a fool. The cold, inky depths swallow him, and he has no strength left to resist it.

Somewhere, Anora hears it. A ghoul-thing burning, thrashing, screaming. It's parasitic snake-fiend howls too as the flames crackle and blister its already-dead flesh. But there lies Aldric, on the ground, struck down by the stones, and now somehow lying in -- water? Here?

Turning as the tumble of stones only increases, she looks at Dufgal. He's is perched at the edge of the tunnel just a few paces away. Three? Four? It's not far -- and Anora, though bruised and battered, is suddenly sure she can make it!

A great and deep resonant cracking suddenly shakes the whole tomb as piece of stone ten feet across shears off and plunges down from the top of the chamber, to the floor below. To where Anora is about to reach out for her companion's hand. The woman is nearly crushed instantly when the boulder hits the ground right in front of her with a cacophonous boom, a sound that must carry all the way back to Hirot.

Dufgal jumps back as the huge rock then tilts and crashes against the tunnel entrance -- completely sealing it. Between Dufgal and Anora are inexplicably now many hundreds of pounds of stone, and the shearing, ripping, rumbling cracks spreading across the ceiling reveal that the entire chamber is about to collapse in on itself.

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Anora hammers on the massive stone, just as soon as her bones stop shaking from the immense weight landing near her.

"Dufgal!" she cries, as she hammers on the stone. She doesn’t know if the man can hear her! "You’ll have to push it! Just a little. Aldric is here… He’s hurt! We don’t want the stone to fall on him." she says, hoping that if the rapscallion won’t do it for her, he would at least do it for the death-bound priest still within!

Ever bound to serve the Lady Anora, Dufgal hears and heeds her call. He grips his side of the massive stone slab and times his heave when he hears the timbre in the woman’s voice cue her effort.

One moment, Dufgal is straining, pushing for all he's worth, hearing Anora's desperate cries through the small gaps in the rock -- and the next is there final jarring shake... and then eerie silence, save for the trickle of water and loose scrambling of pebbles and small stones.

Of Anora and Aldric, there is no more sign.

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😥

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REST IN PEACE

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Aldric
Waveborn of Pelagia, former Potato Farmer

Anora the Blue
Evoker and Apprentice Without Peer

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While two of his companions are dying, Ty desperately shoves his torch right into the chest of the rotting monster that is coming at him, hands grasping and frightful snake head hissing and biting!

The clothes worn by the poor soul who this happened to ignite first, and within seconds the monster is aflame, without much ability in the close confines of the tunnel to do much about it! Flesh blisters and boils and sloughs off the creature as it burns and wails, but the serpent...

Is singed by the flames, but not yet burning!

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ROUND 2
Init Order: Tomb Serpent (7), Tomb Denizen (7), Dufgal (?), Ty (?)

Forgetting to breath, not out of fear of inhaling dust, but out of devastation, Dufgal finally gasps and lowers his head for just two moments; one for the man who was the strangest priest the thief had ever, likely will ever meet m, and one for the vision of refined beauty that was the Lady Anora. Truthfully, he would have pledged his service to her without contract or pay. Now though, her imprint on him was all that was left. He gave himself an oath right there to praise her name in any circle that would hear it for as long as he lived.

Suddenly, he was reminded that his own life was still at risk as he whirled around to see another foul serpent in combat with the elf.

The frantic thief reaches for his dagger and is relieved to find it still secured in his belt. His fingers close tightly around the hilt and then he lunges and plunges the blade into the flesh of the snake.

Realizing he missed, he tries to push past and make his escape. There is nothing left to gain from fighting.

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ROUND 2
Init Order: Dufgal (19), Ty (7), Tomb Serpent (7), Tomb Denizen (7)