Death Eaters

Death Eaters

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Episode 5

Evil never dies. Never sleeps. Never satiates. Ever listful. It festers in the quiet places where the light doesn’t reach—beneath crypt stones slick with old blood, in the whispers of dying men, in the hollow prayers of those who have given up hope. She stirs once more, pale and merciless, her will moving through the world like a sickness. She does not stride the mortal realm herself; she doesn’t need to. Her touch is carried by her servants—the Death Eaters. They are not a mere cult. They are carrion in human form–teeth are blackened from the feast of flesh; their robes stink of grave dirt and rot. They do not worship death—they serve it, feed it, spread it like wildfire through the bones of kingdoms. Their rites are crude and terrible. In the shadows of the growing war between Balek and Mot, they move unseen. Conflict is their harvest, and the dead are their tithe. Wherever men kill men, the Death Eaters follow, dragging bodies from the mud to the altar. Now, their mistress has given them purpose. Vengeance. Adventurers who once defied her are marked for death. One by one, they will vanish, their names swallowed by silence, their bones offered up in the old ways. Her servants feed while the world rots. Evil never dies—it only hungers.

• Prologue: The Death Eaters’ Purpose: The prologue established the theme that “evil never dies” and that a “pale and merciless mistress” (the White Lady/Red Lady) is stirring and seeking vengeance against adventurers who once defied her. Her servants, the Death Eaters, are shades from the underworld of Sheol looking to rot vengeance upon the living.
• Assigning the Shades: Participants selected cards to determine their Death Eater shade identities, based on seven deadly sins. The five shades assigned were: Pride (the exalted shade), Envy (the covetous shade), Greed (the gilded ma), Lust (the scarlet temptress), and Gluttony (the ma eternal).
• The Aboleth’s Command to Vengeance: An ancient watcher, an abalith, used its consciousness to slide between worlds and assist the White Lady in tracking down the “changeling betrayer,” Raz Malstrom, who had lost his warlock abilities. The White Lady ordered the shades to be sent to the upper worlds to “slay Raz Malstrom”.
• Unleashing the Shades via Bloodrite: The necromancer, “Frogs Delight Bone Rattler,” sought out the shades’ graves in an ancient graveyard, aided by goblins. The shades were identified using riddles related to their sins, such as Greed locking himself in his vault and Lust chasing every desire. The shades were resurrected using specific items: a golden bracelet for Envy, a senet ring for Greed, and a flipbook of goblinetses for Lust. The final step was a bloodrite where the necromancer sacrificed all the goblin companions to open the mausoleum and unleash the shades from Sheol into the material world.
• First Target: Raz Malstrom (Warlock/Sorcerer): The shades tracked Raz Malstrom, who was disguised as “Gio,” a double-timing dwarf, to a lonely, run-down tavern where he was drinking. Pride entered the tavern but, believing Raz was not there, left. Gluttony bit the furniture in excitement, rousing Raz from his drunken stupor. Lust charmed a barmaid who pointed out Raz. Lust then delivered the final, fatal “piercer kiss,” which dealt a massive 40 damage, causing Raz’s changeling form to cycle through all his past visages before he collapsed and reverted to his true form.
• Second Target Eros (Cleric): The shades easily tracked Eros, a Shadar Kai who had lost his clerical abilities when the Raven Queen died, to a quiet funeral house and shrine at the edge of civilization. Pride’s radiant blade multiattack and Envy’s multi-claw strike sliced across Eros’s body, killing him quickly. Gluttony immediately consumed Eros.
• Third Target Marius (Monk): Marius was found at the docks, playing a game of Bones with several pirates/slavers. Greed successfully used the Mine All Mine ability to steal the gold pot. Marius sliced off Greed’s hand. Gluttony attacked and killed the remaining slavers. Pride delivered the final, fatal blow to Marius. Marius’s last words were, “At least the slavers are dead”.
• Fourth Target: Honk (Goliath Warrior): Honk, the renowned Goliath warrior, was found severely wounded on a battlefield, covered in his own blood. The shades pummeled Honk with Lust’s piercer kiss and Gluttony’s engulf and digest. Greed successfully stole Honk’s Vasodilator. Honk died laughing, succumbing to his wounds after saying, “At least it wasn’t boring” and “See you on the other side Kesh”.
• The Heroes’ Vengeance: Kesh, Honk’s best friend (now running a fruit smoothie restaurant), saw Honk’s last moments using a scrying coin that Honk carried. Kesh linked up with the remaining heroes: Whisper, who had become an admiral of a bone ship (The Argentell) with an undead crew, and Quinton, who was now a renowned bard.
• The Shades’ Sea Voyage: The shades stole a ship called the Floatsum Gently and began a boring voyage across the frigid North Sea toward the Maracant lands. During the voyage, Lust unsuccessfully attempted to kiss Gluttony, and Pride fell overboard while demonstrating his hovering ability.
• The Final Confrontation at Sea: The shades’ ship became stuck in an unnerving dead calm. The heroes’ bone ship, the Argentell, glided through the water and intercepted the shades’ vessel.
• Death of Quinton (Bard): Quinton initiated combat by casting Shatter, damaging the shades and the ship. Lust flew to the crow’s nest where Quinton was positioned. Lust kissed him, delivering 56 damage (massive overkill). Quinton died, turning into a pile of goo.
• Death of Whisper (Admiral/Necromancer): Pride closed the gap and used Crown of Supremacy, centering the highly damaging attack on Whisper. Whisper failed the saving throw, taking 47 radiant damage, which was lethal. Whisper smiled, embraced her death, and faded away, causing her entire undead crew (including the Dracalich and the skeletons) to collapse.
• Death of Lust and Envy: Kesh, flying 100 feet above the combat area, began sniping the remaining shades using Eldritch Blast and Lightning Bolt. Kesh hit Lust with a Lightning Bolt, dealing enough damage to turn Lust into a “fully dysfunctional corpse”. Envy, attempting to board the boat from the water, was struck by an Eldritch Blast and disintegrated.
• Final Duel (Kesh versus Pride & Gluttony): Gluttony and Pride (who was now severely damaged) retreated below deck to hide, planning to wait out Kesh’s Fly spell which had limited duration. Kesh sealed the entrances to the below-deck area with a Wall of Fire. Pride eventually broke cover and escaped the burning deck. Kesh continued to snipe Pride from afar. The session ended on a cliffhanger, with Kesh having only a few turns of flight left, engaged in a tense standoff with the two hidden/evading shades.

Prologue: Sheol

We are between worlds—somewhere between the material world and the underworld. Sheol—a place of shades and shadows. A place of grey. All must pass through here and very few stay—unless…unless they don’t belong to either world. Caught between the material plane, but not confident to descend into the underworld. This is the shadowland—the deadland, a barred pit, a place of despair…and darkness.

Before the true darkness of the tale commenced, the minds of the adventurers spun with shared, chaotic invention. In one instance, they were desperately clinging to a spaceship hurtling through an asteroid field, attempting to change the oil, only to drop the crucial wrench into a colossal vat of M&M’s. In the next, a frantic, fluffy chaos broke out: an urgent quest to hide a giant sparkly egg while avoiding the massive teeth of seven-foot-tall, transforming penguins—all because someone had fed them after midnight. These fantastical, high-stakes improvisations served merely as the prelude to the terror that was to come.

The White Lady

A grim truth hung over the dark corners of the realms: “Evil never dies, never sleeps, never satiates”. In the quiet, lightless places, “beneath the crypt stones slick with old blood,” she stirred once more. She was the mistress, “pale and merciless,” and her will moved through the world “like a sickness”. She required no mortal stride, for her touch was carried by her chosen servants, the Death Eaters. These Death Eaters were shades drawn from the underworld of Sheol, a realm defined as a shadowland and “dead land”. Sheol was a place “between worlds,” comprised of gray, a “barred pit, a place of despair and darkness” where few remained unless they were “caught between the material plane and the underworld and not confident enough to descend”. These shades sought a path into the world to enact their mistress’s “vengeful rule”. The chosen legion of vengeance was five strong, each embodiment of a fatal flaw, their purpose now focused by this renewed hunger:

• Pride, the Exalted Shade: Surrounded by a brilliant aura that radiated superiority, Pride’s very presence challenged the courage of any foe, forcing them to confront their own hubris made flesh. His ability sheets detailed his radiant blade and inherent sense of supremacy.
• Envy, the Covetous Shade: This shade studied every move, perpetually coveting the strengths of its targets and twisting them into weaknesses. It held the horrifying power to copy a target’s highest attack ability and assume the appearance of creatures it had seen through its Stolen Shadow and Jealous Form.
• Greed, the Gilded Shade: An insatiable collector, golden light glinted from its claws and teeth. Its inherent hunger was weaponized by the ability Mine All Mine, which allowed it to instantly teleport any dropped object within thirty feet into its hands.
• Lust, the Scarlet Temptress: Every glance was a snare, every movement a lure. Desire was its weapon, allowing it to manipulate both body and mind. Her devastating piercer kiss drained vitality, and her Siren’s Dance allowed for deceptive illusion and escape.
• Gluttony, the Eternal Maw: An endless, ravenous hunger defined this shade. It did not merely fight; it consumed. Its Engulf and Digest attack allowed it to swallow foes whole, and its Feast Unending ensured that every creature death within fifteen feet restored Gluttony’s own strength. The Command to Slay Raz Malstrom Deep in the fathomless dark, where no light dared to tread, the Ancient Watcher—an Aboleth, a “psychic leviathan”—bent its vast, cold intellect to the mistress’s will. Its consciousness could “slide between the worlds” to help the White Lady track her targets. The Aboleth focused on the missing warlock, the “changeling betrayer”:

Aboleth: “i found him as you’ve asked… he’s washed up, he’s a drunk, he’s at a tavern”. White Lady: “well he should be easy prey then”. Aboleth: “he was once my thrall but no longer I have taken my abilities from him”.

The pale mistress delivered her decree of retribution: “we shall kill him,” but his end must be agonizing and slow. She ordered the shades to be sent to the “upper worlds” with a single purpose: “slay Raz Malstrom, let’s release them now we shall”. The necromancer Frogs Delight Bone Rattler, along with his goblin companions, then conducted a bloodrite in an ancient graveyard to open the mausoleum gate from Sheol. The necromancer resurrected the shades by identifying their graves using riddles and placing an object related to their deadly sin upon the tomb—a golden bracelet for Envy, a senet ring for Greed, and a flipbook of goblinetses for Lust. Finally, the necromancer sacrificed all his goblin friends in a bloodrite across the mausoleum doors, unleashing the Death Eaters into the material world.

All Shades

Sin	Title	Description
🐍 Envy	The Covetous Shade	Envy studies your every move, coveting what you have and twisting it against you. Nothing is safe when this shadow stalks the battlefield. It can turn your own strengths into your greatest weakness.
💎 Greed	The Gilded Shade	Golden light glints from every claw and tooth of this insatiable collector. Greed’s hunger for treasure turns even the ground beneath you into a trap. Beware — everything he touches might become a weapon against you.
🍖 Gluttony	The Eternal Maw	An endless maw hungers with ravenous delight, eyes gleaming with appetite. Gluttony does not simply fight; it consumes. One misstep, and you may find yourself part of its unending feast.
💋 Lust	The Scarlet Temptress	Every glance from Lust is a trap, every step a lure. Desire becomes a weapon as this Death Eater manipulates body and mind alike. One look, and you may find yourself questioning your own intentions.
😈 Pride	The Exalted Shade	A brilliant aura surrounds this Death Eater, and every movement radiates superiority. Pride’s very presence challenges your courage, making you doubt your own strength. Facing him is like confronting your own hubris made flesh.
🕰️ Sloth	The Dreaming Corpse	Time seems to drag when Sloth appears, each second a weight upon your limbs. The Dreaming Corpse moves slowly, but lethargy seeps into your soul. Even the strongest may falter under its oppressive aura.
🔥 Wrath	The Infernal Executioner	Flames dance across Wrath’s armor as fury drives every strike. This Death Eater knows no mercy, and the battlefield itself feels the heat of its vengeance. One blow may ignite chaos for everyone nearby.

Act I: Opening the Grave

The shadows clung to the ancient graveyard beneath a soured sky, where headstones, lean and crooked like broken teeth, jutted out of the earth. A shroud of mist obscured the path to the silent, dark, and utterly cold mausoleum. Above its heavy, rusted iron doors, a disturbing script with a warning:

“The veil thins beyond eternity waits its due.” -Inscription on Mausoleum

This was the chosen staging ground for the necromancer, Frogs Delight Bone Rattler, whose eyes gleamed with an unholy light. He was attended by a crew of goblins, eager for treats, or “snackies,” as they called anything that wasn’t a Shade. Frogs Delight was under command to release the Shades—entities from the underworld of Shol. The necromancer, seeking to crack their bones and find marrow sight, knew the key was to unearth the correct gravestones and pair them with objects related to the Shade’s fatal sin. The search began, aided by the necromancer’s insight regarding the order of the shades.

1. Envy: One gravestone bore the epitaph: “He lingered among others orchard until the poisonous fruit he coveted became his last”. Frogs Delight Bone Rattler correctly identified this as Envy, the covetous shade. To resurrect Envy, the necromancer produced a golden bracelet, an object coveted in the Shade’s lifetime.
2. Greed: Next, they found the tomb of the gilded ma. Its riddle read: “He locked himself in his vault for one last count and the air ran out before the coins did”. This was Greed, the insatiable collector. The necromancer exhumed the grave and placed a senet ring—the key to a vault—upon the site to call Greed back.
3. Lust: The next finding was chillingly direct: “She chased every desire until the one who wanted her most was death itself”. This was Lust, the scarlet temptress. To draw Lust back, the necromancer produced a specific, vile token: a flipbook of scantily clad goblinetses, placing it upon the grave.

“It’s a flip book of scantily clad goblinettes!” -Necromancer

1. Pride: One epitaph was short, yet arrogant: “He leapt for glory and the river claimed him before his name could echo”. This was Pride, the exalted shade. To coax him forth, the necromancer offered an award, described as a “number one general general Microsoft 25-year crystal”.
2. Gluttony: The final Shade was found beneath a tombstone reading: “He gorged at every table until his heart gave way under its own weight”. This was Gluttony, the ma eternal. For the core of the right required fusing objects of power, and Gluttony required a living sacrifice. The necromancer decreed that one of his goblin companions, Billy, would be the object. Billy was thrown into the pit, becoming part of the Shade, doomed to be trapped in the immortal form of Gluttony for all eternity. With all five Shades (Pride, Envy, Greed, Lust, and Gluttony) prepared for release, the final step—the bloodrite—was at hand. Frogs Delight Bone Rattler instructed his remaining goblins, including Skit Skrat, to open the mausoleum door. As they approached, the necromancer struck, drawing a tough ritual dagger and slicing across all their throats. The blood sprayed across the dark stone door. There followed a shuddering of the earth as the doors of the mausoleum fell open. Shol, the place caught between the material world and the underworld, emerged. The Shades, now recombining with their former bodies, were unleashed into the upper world, carrying the will of their mistress and the Abalith to rot vengeance upon the living.

“Don’t eat shades tastes horrible” -Goblin

The Unholy Catalyst

With all five Shades located and linked to their tokens, the final step—the bloodrite—was at hand to open the mausoleum. Frogs Delight Bone Rattler instructed his remaining goblins, including Skit Scrat, to open the door. As they went forward, the necromancer acted swiftly, drawing a tough ritual dagger and slicing across all their throats. The blood sprayed across the dark stone door. A shuddering of the earth followed as the doors of the mausoleum fell open. Shol, the place between the two worlds, emerged. The Shades, recombining with their former bodies, were thus unleashed into the upper world.

“I instruct skit scratten the other one to open the door and as for as they go forward to open the door and tough ritual dagger across all their throats ah we sprays across the door” -Necromancer

Act II: Death

The Betrayer: Raz Malstrom (Warlock/Sorcerer)

The Shades easily tracked their First Target, the former warlock, Raz Malstrom, to a lonely, run-down tavern. The air inside was thick with the scent of spilled ale and pipe smoke, and Raz, stripped of his warlock power and relying only on his sorcerer abilities, was dissolving his misery in a drunken stupor in the back corner. He currently wore the visage of “Gio,” a double-timing dwarf. Pride, the Exalted Shade, towered through the entrance. He scanned the sawdust-covered floor and the rough-hewn tables. Believing he knew the essence of their quarry, Pride failed to recognize the drunken, disguised figure in the back. With characteristic conviction and disdain, the tall Shade swept back outside, declaring the search a failure: “He’s not in there”. The commotion brought Gluttony rushing in. Unconcerned with strategy, the Ma Eternal targeted the nearest, most edible-looking barmaid. He lunged, but missed the mark, sinking his ravenous teeth into the wooden table instead. The shriek of the barmaid and the sound of splintering wood roused Raz from his deep sleep.

Finally, Lust, the Scarlet Temptress, strode in, moving across the floor with a lethal, slow sashay. Her Enrapturing Gaze settled on a frightened barmaid, charming her instantly. The bewitched maiden pointed a trembling finger toward the awakened, confused man in the back. Lust approached Raz, a predatory smile illuminating her decaying features. She leaned in, placing a hand upon his cheek, and delivered the final, horrific stroke: the Piercer Kiss. The spell connected, dealing a massive 40 damage. The magic ravaged Raz’s stolen form. His body went white and gray as the dwarven disguise dissolved, cycling rapidly through every single visage Raz had ever worn in his life as a changeling—past the time he was a hitman, back through grotesque visages—until his emaciated, true form reverted and collapsed to the floor. Gluttony, seizing the opportunity, immediately used Feast Unending to recover hit points from the freshly deceased target.

The Hermit: Eros (Cleric)

The Shades found their Second Target, Eros, the Shadar Kai, with unsettling ease. Eros, whose clerical abilities had vanished when his goddess, the Raven Queen, was killed, had retreated to the edge of civilization, tending to a quiet funeral house and shrine. A hunched figure responded to the loud, collective call of his name, opening the door. He was met instantly by the Shade’s fury. Pride rushed forward, his arms flailing, manifesting radiant blades that criss-crossed Eros’s body. Envy, copying the action and consumed by covetous desire to inflict superior harm, followed with a Multi-Claw Strike. Extending giant, sharpened fingernails like razors, Envy sliced across the Shadar Kai’s torso in a grotesque V-pattern. The old man’s body offered no resistance. Eros perished instantly. As the body crumpled, Gluttony was upon him, consuming the former cleric entirely (Feast Unending).

The Gambling Monk: Marius (Monk)

The Shades located their Third Target, Marius the Monk, at a bustling port. He was inside a dockside building, deeply involved in a high-stakes game of Bones with three pirates who were also slavers. Greed, the Gilded Ma, entered the gaming house and observed the large pot of gold, silver, and pearls at the center of the table. He did not wait for the game to end. Using his Mine All Mine ability, the insatiable collector teleported the entire kitty—the gold pot—into his hand. Marius, the swift and unarmed Monk, reacted instantly. He used his monk skills to slice off Greed’s hand. The combat was joined. Gluttony rushed in, motivated by the promise of “more food”. He attacked the surrounding pirates/slavers first, neatly killing all three of the vile men. As Marius stood, having achieved his goal—the death of the slavers—Pride stepped forward. The Exalted Shade delivered his Radiant Blade Multiattack directly into Marius’s face. Marius suffered the triple blow, a single hit connecting with the force to destroy his face. As Marius passed on, his final, defiant words echoed in the smoky room: “At least the slavers are dead”.

The Downed Warrior: Honk (Barbarian)

The Fourth Target was the renowned Goliath warrior, Honk. The Shades tracked him to a dismal battlefield, where he lay severely wounded, sprawled amongst dozens of slain soldiers. His armor was broken, and his blood coated the ground, creating a dark, sticky mud. Honk looked up as the Shades gathered, asking with a low, guttural whistle of breath, “Are you the angel of death come to take me away?”. There was no time for an answer. The Shades pummeled the fallen Goliath. Lust struck first, her Piercer Kiss connecting for a staggering 48 damage. Gluttony followed immediately, attempting to swallow the Goliath in his Engulf and Digest attack, dealing 41 damage. Meanwhile, Greed moved in, using Mine All Mine to successfully steal Honk’s prized Vasodilator. The Shade’s relentless assault, combined with his battlefield wounds, finally claimed the Goliath. Honk did not curse or cry out. He died laughing, saying with shuddering breaths:

“At least it wasn’t boring.” Then, as his life faded, he whispered: “See you on the other side Kesh”.

The Heroes’ Vengeance

From his secluded fruit smoothie restaurant on the archipelago of Moku, Kesh looked into a scrying coin that Honk, his friend, had carried. Through its cursed mirror, Kesh witnessed the brutal, laughing end of the great Goliath. Vengeance ignited in Kesh’s mind, and he sent a sharp mental plea to his remaining comrades: “Dude, you’re in the shit. We need to get out or hide or something. Me backstage now”. He found Quinton, now a renowned bard playing his current hit, “The Wet Lady’s Dance”, at a concert. The third ally was Whisper, who had become an Admiral and commanded the bone ship, The Argentell. Whisper held the philosophical view that the difference between life and death was a “mere technicality”; thus, her enormous crew was composed entirely of the undead, whom she considered her friends and backup dancers.

The Shades’ Sea Voyage

The five Shades—Pride, Envy, Greed, Lust, and Gluttony—had stolen a ship they named the Floatsum Gently. Their journey across the frigid churning North Sea toward the Maracant lands was, to their immortal minds, boring. Pride, the Exalted Shade, boasting of his superiority, attempted to demonstrate his ability to hover above the deck, only to lose his balance and pitch into the chilling waters, taking seven damage before being hauled back aboard. Restless, Lust, the Scarlet Temptress, grew playful. She used her Enrapturing Gaze on Gluttony, suggesting he kiss Pride. Though Gluttony successfully resisted the charm with a natural 20 save, Lust kissed him anyway, noting satisfiedly, “tastes good”. But the journey stalled. The turbulent North Sea fell into a sudden, glassy unnerving stillness, a dead calm, muffled by a heavy silver mist. Lust, whose shade form could fly, was tasked with tying a rope around her to tow the becalmed vessel. It was then, cutting through the eerie stillness with unnatural speed, that the heroes’ bone ship, The Argentell, appeared.

The Final Confrontation at Sea

The Heroes struck first. Quinton, positioned in the crow’s nest, initiated the assault by unleashing the destructive magical force of Shatter. The sound ravaged the wooden hull of the Floatsum Gently, dealing 42 damage. The blast also hit Gluttony, Greed, and Envy, inflicting 21 full damage upon each Shade who failed their save. Lust responded immediately, flying toward Quinton, who was situated precariously high up. The bard, stretching toward the grotesque Shade, was in no position to defend himself when Lust delivered the fatal Piercer Kiss. It connected with horrifying force, dealing 56 damage—a massive overkill. Quinton’s body dissolved under the necrotic and psychic assault, collapsing into a pile of goo. The battle continued to rage. Pride closed the gap, maneuvering onto the deck, and unleashed the devastating Crown of Supremacy. He centered the highly damaging attack on Whisper, the Admiral. Whisper failed the DC 17 Charisma save and was struck by a lethal surge of radiant energy, taking 47 damage. Whisper, smiling, embraced her death. She felt her spirit detached from her body, becoming light and free, and faded away. Her death was catastrophic for the heroes’ forces: her entire undead crew, including the Dracalich and the skeletons, collapsed into inert piles of bone.

Death of Lust and Envy

With the deck cleared, Kesh took to the air, flying high above the combat area, ascending to 100 feet. Greed, having taken cover below deck, was targeted first. Kesh used a Lightning Bolt, streaking the attack across the water. Greed, the Gilded Ma, took the full force of the blast and, unable to withstand the 39 damage, was killed and sank into the watery depths. Next, Kesh turned his attention to Lust. Already struck by a Fireball and the Shatter spell, Lust looked like a rotting corpse. Kesh’s Lightning Bolt connected again, dealing 39 damage—the final blow that rendered Lust a fully dysfunctional corpse. Finally, Envy, who had jumped into the frigid North Sea to swim across to the Argentell, was clambering onto the bone ship when Kesh pivoted. Kesh fired an Eldritch Blast. The force damage was precise: Envy was whacked in the face and immediately disintegrated. Only Pride and Gluttony remained, taking cover below deck as Kesh continued his relentless aerial assault.

The following is the Epilogue (off camera):

At The End

The salt spray of the open sea was a faint mist against Kesh’s face. It beaded up one his face, mixing with his sweat. The air around him was thin with dread. His Sorcerer’s flight, woven from stolen elemental energy, was flickering—a candle in the wind. Another minute, perhaps less, remained before he would fall to the yawning void below. Below was the ghost-ship Aargentale, its bony prow white against the black yawning placid stead. The timbers of the dread ship creaked and moaned as the two terrors emerged from the shadowed belly of the deck. They did not rush; they simply appeared, patient as the grave. Pride, the Exalted Shade, stood defiant. His armor, a shifting canvas of dark necromancy, seemed to absorb the light. He carried his radiant blade with the insolence of a king who knows his victory is assured. Beside him, Gluttony, a brute twice his height, his shadow a stain on the bone-white deck. It was a mass of insatiable hunger, and Kesh, small and desperate, was its meal. Gluttony lick his lips and opened his undead maw.

Desperate Plunge

Kesh’s ethereal wings were majestic, a gift from his Celestial Father. But their time was limited—they would only hold for so long. Kesh calculated his odds for this moment: direct combat was suicide. His single advantage was the vast, indifferent ocean below. He had to exchange his final minutes of flight for their destruction. He raised his arms out in majestic, glorious terror, “Behold truth and despair!” His body glowed as fire as he spoke the words. Pure truth emanated out from him, washing over the deck. Both monsters were caught in the tide. Pride, the arrogant killer, caught a fleeting glimpse of its own inevitable decay, a weakness it refused to acknowledge. The creature’s form staggered, its spectral shield momentarily dropping. A primal, inhuman shriek of terror tore from its mouth, and it turned, using its otherworldly speed not to fight, but to escape—dashing straight away from Kesh and off the boney deck. But Kesh’s victory was split. Gluttony, with the dull, single-minded resolve of a force of nature, shook off the spell’s effect. Its colossal form barely flinched. The save was successful, and its yellowed gaze locked onto the airborne Aasimar. Kesh had no time to gloat, no time for another spell. Gluttony was still on the deck, and Kesh’s flight was failing. With a surge of desperation, Kesh poured his remaining magic into a flicker of spatial manipulation. He cast Misty Step, vanishing from his high perch and reappearing on the rowboat bobbing a scant forty feet from the ship’s massive hull.

Rowboat Gambit

The Sorcerer’s feet were now firmly planted in the boat. He was safe at least from falling out of the sky, but danger loomed. Pride was fifty feet out, but recovered from his fear was now fifty feet away, a churning disturbance in the water, its dark form bobbing but relentlessly hovering back towards the ship. It would be back on deck by the next round. Gluttony, still standing at the ship’s rail, let out a frustrated roar that was more gurgle than sound. Unable to reach Kesh, the beast tore a section of the railing free with its massive teeth. Its weak Missile Attack was an insult—a chunk of splintered wood hurled through the air, but it fell short, splashing harmlessly into the water. Kesh, recovering his composure, finally lashed out with offense.

Kesh spoke the Word, and a javelin of pure, shimmering Force shot from his palm, trailing the celestial light of his Aasimar blood. His Eldritch Blast slammed into Gluttony’s massive chest, the radiant energy meeting the creature’s resistances and dealing pitiful damage, but the attack served its purpose: keeping the monster’s attention.

Inevitable Closing

Round 3. Kesh’s flight spell faded with a soundless pop. He was fully grounded in the tiny rowboat, his focus now split between rowing to safety and the creatures closing in. Pride, dripping and furious, vaulted back onto the main deck. It was faster, its hover speed unaffected by the slippery wood. It closed the distance to the rail, its glowing blade raised. Pride’s ranged attack—a concentrated burst of Necrotic and Radiant energy—blasted across the gap. It tore into Kesh’s side. The Sorcerer staggered, pain lancing through his ribs. His low HP, already taxed by the brutal energy, dropped precariously close to zero. Gluttony followed, its massive form lumbering towards the rail, ignoring the damage from the single cantrip. The monster was a few steps behind, but its bite reach was 10 feet.

The Maw and the Shadow

Round 4. This was it. Kesh was out of options save one—his final 3rd-level slot. He did not aim for the monsters; he aimed for the very air between them. Kesh hurled the darkest horror he knew. He spoke the cold, alien words of the Great Old One patron and slammed his last arcane energy into the ship’s center. Hunger of Hadar exploded onto the deck: a 20-foot sphere of utter blackness, impossible cold, and the sound of endless, sickening consumption. Pride was consumed by the sphere. The Shade’s vision failed. The freezing, acid-laced tentacles of the spell lashed at his spectral form. He was blinded, and the chill pierced his necromantic essence. But arrogance, Kesh realized too late, was a shield greater than any magic. Pride had seen the death of heroes before. He knew the pattern of retreat. The Shade did not shriek or flee. He drew upon the power of his self-regard, channeling his contempt for this petty spellcaster. Pride’s Perfection’s Rebuke was a force of will. He refused the reality of the darkness and, instead of running, sank low, dropping below the level of the deck itself. His hover speed allowed him to slip beneath the black sphere, moving by the familiar geometry of the ship’s hull, soundless and unseen.

Gluttony, however, was still a slave to instinct. It moved to the edge of the Hadar sphere, its great maw open. It ignored the biting cold, focused only on the sight of the small man in the rowboat, now just forty feet away. With a devastating, ground-shaking leap, it abandoned the safety of the ship, plunging into the ocean to swim the remaining distance toward Kesh. The Sorcerer, focused on the massive ripple of Gluttony’s charge, desperately began to row, his last Eldritch Blast singing past the brute’s head. He had slowed one. He could still survive if he could just gain a hundred feet…

Fatal Strike

It was too late. Kesh felt the air grow impossibly cold behind him—not the cold of the Hadar spell, but the unnatural chill of pure malice. Pride had circled under the ship and emerged directly behind the rowboat, its spectral form radiating contempt. Pride’s voice, a dry, rasping sound, filled the air, “You confuse hope with worth, little creature.” Pride’s Radiant Blade descended, not in a flurry of strikes, but in a single, perfect execution. The blow struck Kesh, a shattering spike of radiant and necrotic energy that passed through his chest. His body convulsed, his vision blurring as the world turned to a haze of white light and creeping shadow. He slumped forward while his wand slipping from his numb fingers. Gluttony arrived moments later, its massive head emerging beside the capsized rowboat, its terrible teeth snapping at the air. But Pride held up a hand. The victor was decided. Kesh’s vision swam. He was dying. He had seen his companions—Honk, Whispers, Quintin—all fall to these shades, always fighting for one more moment, one more chance. He, the optimistic one, the one who always found a way, was the last. He looked past the two looming figures, past the sinking ship, to the vast, empty horizon. He thought of his life, the unmet promises, his father who died before him, and finally his best friend, Honk. And he whispered a bittersweet confession into the sea air as tears streamed down his cheeks:

“I’m so sorry, buddy.” -Kesh (Wizard)

The light faded from the Aasimar’s eyes, and his resistance to the evils of the world finally failed. Pride, unmoving and unchallenged, simply stood over the body, the master of the final, empty moment.