(Non-HC in-character deaths are welcome as well, of course! But I presume most of us will be writing about perished HCs; it does ease the process of mourning.
)Tales of Tragedy: HC death story thread
Tales of Tragedy: HC death story thread
We gather here to tell stories about the deaths of our late brethren. May their sacrifice and their bravery never be forgotten.
(Non-HC in-character deaths are welcome as well, of course! But I presume most of us will be writing about perished HCs; it does ease the process of mourning. )
(Non-HC in-character deaths are welcome as well, of course! But I presume most of us will be writing about perished HCs; it does ease the process of mourning.
)
Last edited by Torchie8 on Sat Nov 05, 2022 10:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Tales of Tragedy: HC death story thread
Clouds of dust rolled by, force fed by the wind to the mouth of the cave.
Dra'Thok welcomed this rocky refuge from the harsh elements. While usually firmly in command, by now he had pushed the elemental spirits' goodwill a fair way, and yet he was only about to begin his real task. A trail of dead harpies marked the path behind him and more would follow in the twisting tunnels ahead.
His fist, empowered with the fury of the desert wind, shattered the skull of one unsuspecting bird creature as he made his ambush from behind a stocky stalagmite. Another one, standing down the corridor, spotted the killing and screeched in anger, rushing to the aid of its late kin. Dra'Thok felt a rush of hot, stinging pain as its sharp claws raked across his arm, which had only narrowly protected his torso from the attack.
Counterattack.
A heavy swing with the force of his whole body landed and an alarming crack was heard. The harpy collapsed from midair, landing on its knees, with its left wing bent at an unnatural angle and sagging downwards. It briefly released a low pitched croak before another powerful blow, this time to the head, silenced it.
Dra'Thok proceeded deeper into the maze of tunnels, which grew narrower and narrower as he crept further in. Each corner held a possible foe to dispatch just behind it and his progress was slow. Luckily, many of the monsters were caught unaware of his intrusion, but some did put up a fight. Dra'Thok began to feel fatigue building up steadily. His muscles were aching, his mind was growing foggy and frequent breaks to drink some water from his canteen only staved off the very worst of it.
The cavern reached an end, a shady nook with nearly a dozen wooden crates strewn about, as though someone absolutely could not have bothered to keep them neatly tucked away among the rocks. Many were broken or missing a lid; Dra'Thok mostly saw seeds, grains and fruit. One of the boxes, containing nuts, looked as if it had been shredded into pieces.
The shaman closed his eyes and called out to the spirit of the earth. He felt himself lose focus momentarily and forced in a deep breath. The answer came soon after. He raised his hands towards the ceiling, feeling his heart beating against his chest, and brought them down together.
With them he brought an avalanche. The ceiling of the makeshift storage nook collapsed. Heavy rocks buried the crates underneath, letting out only the cracks and creaks of crushed wooden planks.
A bird-like screech echoed through the tunnel. Dra'Thok snapped his head back and listened for the impending sound of flapping wings. He positioned himself against the passage corner. Wings sent a gust of damp air past his face. He jumped into the passage and struck.
The harpy staggered backwards, slouched over from the heavy blow to its lower torso. Dra'Thok threw a right hook against its head and struck true. The creature's skull cracked against the cave wall, spilling itself on the rocky floor. In that same instant, three more beasts turned the corner.
The orc huffed, feeling the searing heat of the air escaping his nostrils. The elements were eerily quiet.
"Lok'tar ogar!"
With the battle cry of his ancestors on his lips, he sprung and pummeled the leftmost harpy. The bird monster crashed to the ground, however, it was not entirely helpless. Dra'Thok felt a sharp burning sensation as the talons on the much shorter harpy's feet rent his belly. The unexpected counterattack surprised him, and lust for blood threatened to cloud his mind. His fist was already falling, however, and he relished the sound of the creature's beak cracking under it.
The other two foes struck. One of them, noticeably larger than the other, carved a deep creek into Dra'Thok's exposed side that rapidly filled with red. Dripped with red, even. The red painted Dra'Thok's inner arm, the floor, the cursed bird creatures. It sprayed against the nearby wall as the orc swung his massive body to power his blows. One harpy was thrown into the tunnel wall. Dra'Thok turned to block his other assailant's attack. How close that harpy had managed to approach surprised even him.
A powerful gust of wind knocked the shaman off his feet. He fell onto his back and when he raised his head, he saw only a white blur, and an instant later, a rapidly approaching black point.
He felt himself speak, even though he had nothing to say. The breath he took said a thousand words. It felt raw and guttural. It burned and bubbled in his throat. He fell into the earth and its embrace of all-enveloping blackness.
Dra'Thok welcomed this rocky refuge from the harsh elements. While usually firmly in command, by now he had pushed the elemental spirits' goodwill a fair way, and yet he was only about to begin his real task. A trail of dead harpies marked the path behind him and more would follow in the twisting tunnels ahead.
His fist, empowered with the fury of the desert wind, shattered the skull of one unsuspecting bird creature as he made his ambush from behind a stocky stalagmite. Another one, standing down the corridor, spotted the killing and screeched in anger, rushing to the aid of its late kin. Dra'Thok felt a rush of hot, stinging pain as its sharp claws raked across his arm, which had only narrowly protected his torso from the attack.
Counterattack.
A heavy swing with the force of his whole body landed and an alarming crack was heard. The harpy collapsed from midair, landing on its knees, with its left wing bent at an unnatural angle and sagging downwards. It briefly released a low pitched croak before another powerful blow, this time to the head, silenced it.
Dra'Thok proceeded deeper into the maze of tunnels, which grew narrower and narrower as he crept further in. Each corner held a possible foe to dispatch just behind it and his progress was slow. Luckily, many of the monsters were caught unaware of his intrusion, but some did put up a fight. Dra'Thok began to feel fatigue building up steadily. His muscles were aching, his mind was growing foggy and frequent breaks to drink some water from his canteen only staved off the very worst of it.
The cavern reached an end, a shady nook with nearly a dozen wooden crates strewn about, as though someone absolutely could not have bothered to keep them neatly tucked away among the rocks. Many were broken or missing a lid; Dra'Thok mostly saw seeds, grains and fruit. One of the boxes, containing nuts, looked as if it had been shredded into pieces.
The shaman closed his eyes and called out to the spirit of the earth. He felt himself lose focus momentarily and forced in a deep breath. The answer came soon after. He raised his hands towards the ceiling, feeling his heart beating against his chest, and brought them down together.
With them he brought an avalanche. The ceiling of the makeshift storage nook collapsed. Heavy rocks buried the crates underneath, letting out only the cracks and creaks of crushed wooden planks.
A bird-like screech echoed through the tunnel. Dra'Thok snapped his head back and listened for the impending sound of flapping wings. He positioned himself against the passage corner. Wings sent a gust of damp air past his face. He jumped into the passage and struck.
The harpy staggered backwards, slouched over from the heavy blow to its lower torso. Dra'Thok threw a right hook against its head and struck true. The creature's skull cracked against the cave wall, spilling itself on the rocky floor. In that same instant, three more beasts turned the corner.
The orc huffed, feeling the searing heat of the air escaping his nostrils. The elements were eerily quiet.
"Lok'tar ogar!"
With the battle cry of his ancestors on his lips, he sprung and pummeled the leftmost harpy. The bird monster crashed to the ground, however, it was not entirely helpless. Dra'Thok felt a sharp burning sensation as the talons on the much shorter harpy's feet rent his belly. The unexpected counterattack surprised him, and lust for blood threatened to cloud his mind. His fist was already falling, however, and he relished the sound of the creature's beak cracking under it.
The other two foes struck. One of them, noticeably larger than the other, carved a deep creek into Dra'Thok's exposed side that rapidly filled with red. Dripped with red, even. The red painted Dra'Thok's inner arm, the floor, the cursed bird creatures. It sprayed against the nearby wall as the orc swung his massive body to power his blows. One harpy was thrown into the tunnel wall. Dra'Thok turned to block his other assailant's attack. How close that harpy had managed to approach surprised even him.
A powerful gust of wind knocked the shaman off his feet. He fell onto his back and when he raised his head, he saw only a white blur, and an instant later, a rapidly approaching black point.
He felt himself speak, even though he had nothing to say. The breath he took said a thousand words. It felt raw and guttural. It burned and bubbled in his throat. He fell into the earth and its embrace of all-enveloping blackness.
Re: Tales of Tragedy: HC death story thread
Beautiful!
Let's see how many of us suffered the same tragic event and let these moments be known. Let's not forget the bitter lessons of our past lives!
Let's see how many of us suffered the same tragic event and let these moments be known. Let's not forget the bitter lessons of our past lives!
Slowly turtling my way up.-
Gladeshadow
- Posts: 178
Re: Tales of Tragedy: HC death story thread
Great to read something where the protagonist isn't invincible! I have a few hardcore characters and have suffered some losses as well. It makes the game much richer.
Re: Tales of Tragedy: HC death story thread
This tale is no longer canon, but the characters within remain at peace in the afterlife.
"Do you think we can take them?" Estrus the elf druidess asked, looking at the bottom of the hill with trepidation. Three blackrock ambushers sat at the bottom in a circle, picking their noses and grunting to each other in orcish.
"Yeah, it's no problem." Said Phane the confident elf huntress as her dog MrAphid charged in.
The startled blackrock orcs turned to face the attack as Mr. Aphid bit onto one of their arms. Arrows flung at them as well as blasts of nature's wrath sent by the druidess. The 0rcs were focusing on Phane who used her typical run and shoot tactic. She turned to run, but a net was flung over her and she got tripped up.
"Ack! Help! She cried, as orcs came upon her and started swinging their axes at her. She narrowly dodged them, getting cut deep and bleeding profusely. "Heal me!" she cried.
Estrus felt a sting of fear and gritted her teeth, using nature's energy to heal her friend. The orcs suddenly turned their attention towards her, and she gulped.
"Uh oh..." Estrus muttered, feeling a cold sweat form on the back of her neck. Two orcs left the netted Phane and came after Estrus. She quickly changed her shape into that of a mighty bear to fend them off. "ROAR!!" The cute elf was now a maurauding grizzly, swiping at the orcs with deadly claws. They were savage orcs, however, and hacked at Estrus despite her menacing bear form.
"Estrus! Run!" Cried Phane, and Estrus saw her friend escaping the orc she was fighting only to have another net cast upon her. Estrus herself decided it was best to retreat, but she was getting hacked up by axes. She ran, returning to her lovely elf form which was now cut and bleeding. Blood coming from her mouth and her clothes shimmered with the crimson liquid pouring out. She tried desperately to try to get a healing spell off, but one of the orcs booted her in the chest and knocked her on her back.
"No! Plea- AHH!! AHHH!!" Estrus screamed as the two orcs stood over and began hacking her to death with their crude. dull axes. Phane ran past her friend, unable to stop and help due to the final orc still chasing her. Mr. Aphy tried to protect his master, but he let out a final yelp as the orcs axe cleaved into his ribcage.
Then it was only Phane. She ran in a panic, her purple skin having turned almost white as the orc walked her down with sadistic glee. She tripped falling flat on her face, and the orc ran and threw another net on her. "AHHH-!" With a splurting thud sound against her head the orc's axe silenced her high pitched screaming, giving her a rather merciful and painless end compared to her friend.
After that the orcs returned to their post and prepared to ambush the next passerby.
---
A day later the mangled unrecognizable corpse of Estrus was found getting picked at by dire condors. Some unfortunate travellers found her, and afterwards Phane and Mr. Aphy were found as well. They were all cremated, their ashes scattered across Lake Everstill.
"Do you think we can take them?" Estrus the elf druidess asked, looking at the bottom of the hill with trepidation. Three blackrock ambushers sat at the bottom in a circle, picking their noses and grunting to each other in orcish.
"Yeah, it's no problem." Said Phane the confident elf huntress as her dog MrAphid charged in.
The startled blackrock orcs turned to face the attack as Mr. Aphid bit onto one of their arms. Arrows flung at them as well as blasts of nature's wrath sent by the druidess. The 0rcs were focusing on Phane who used her typical run and shoot tactic. She turned to run, but a net was flung over her and she got tripped up.
"Ack! Help! She cried, as orcs came upon her and started swinging their axes at her. She narrowly dodged them, getting cut deep and bleeding profusely. "Heal me!" she cried.
Estrus felt a sting of fear and gritted her teeth, using nature's energy to heal her friend. The orcs suddenly turned their attention towards her, and she gulped.
"Uh oh..." Estrus muttered, feeling a cold sweat form on the back of her neck. Two orcs left the netted Phane and came after Estrus. She quickly changed her shape into that of a mighty bear to fend them off. "ROAR!!" The cute elf was now a maurauding grizzly, swiping at the orcs with deadly claws. They were savage orcs, however, and hacked at Estrus despite her menacing bear form.
"Estrus! Run!" Cried Phane, and Estrus saw her friend escaping the orc she was fighting only to have another net cast upon her. Estrus herself decided it was best to retreat, but she was getting hacked up by axes. She ran, returning to her lovely elf form which was now cut and bleeding. Blood coming from her mouth and her clothes shimmered with the crimson liquid pouring out. She tried desperately to try to get a healing spell off, but one of the orcs booted her in the chest and knocked her on her back.
"No! Plea- AHH!! AHHH!!" Estrus screamed as the two orcs stood over and began hacking her to death with their crude. dull axes. Phane ran past her friend, unable to stop and help due to the final orc still chasing her. Mr. Aphy tried to protect his master, but he let out a final yelp as the orcs axe cleaved into his ribcage.
Then it was only Phane. She ran in a panic, her purple skin having turned almost white as the orc walked her down with sadistic glee. She tripped falling flat on her face, and the orc ran and threw another net on her. "AHHH-!" With a splurting thud sound against her head the orc's axe silenced her high pitched screaming, giving her a rather merciful and painless end compared to her friend.
After that the orcs returned to their post and prepared to ambush the next passerby.
---
A day later the mangled unrecognizable corpse of Estrus was found getting picked at by dire condors. Some unfortunate travellers found her, and afterwards Phane and Mr. Aphy were found as well. They were all cremated, their ashes scattered across Lake Everstill.
Re: Tales of Tragedy: HC death story thread
Thank you very much.
I felt the tension of the moment when reading your story.
Morgruk - Orc Shaman
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You think you do, but perhaps maybe 100% you don't not do.
Or... some of you might actually perhaps most surely do actually anyway, still.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You think you do, but perhaps maybe 100% you don't not do.
Or... some of you might actually perhaps most surely do actually anyway, still.
Re: Tales of Tragedy: HC death story thread
Tragic, and for some reason I also found this kind
of comic
Thanks for the read! It was good.
Morgruk - Orc Shaman
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You think you do, but perhaps maybe 100% you don't not do.
Or... some of you might actually perhaps most surely do actually anyway, still.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You think you do, but perhaps maybe 100% you don't not do.
Or... some of you might actually perhaps most surely do actually anyway, still.