Troika Tuesday Devil in the Crypt

 

It’s Troika! Tuesday. I ran Devil in the crypt for 3 people in a discord server I am in.

We had

• Vashko the Demon Stalker
• Jimdon the Gremlin Catcher
• Ghonnorea the Hogoblin

The three of them had heard tell, an ancient tomb of the ascendant of the phoenix throne floating near a traderoute upon the humpbacked sky had had strange occurrences happen, golden barges had been disappearing if they traveled too close. Rumors of devilry caught the attention of Vashko, so he rented a golde barge, and the help of two mercenaries. Or tried to get two mercenaries, he got one and an exterminator.

As their barge sailed they scouted three details, a cave waterfall about 30 meters down the side of the floating island, arid shrubland coating most of the island, and a mesa that creates a crescent shaped valley in the middle.

After trekking to the valley they gave upon a verdant vale, the road continues onwards for a while curving around palm trees and wind fluttering grass towards the back of the valley.

Ghonnorea suggested to head back towards the edge of the island and explore the cave waterfall, while Vashko was more interested in exploring around the edge of the mesa. After some time and seeing a few small caves, home to naught but bats, in the rich red stone walls Ghonnorea hatches a new plan. Using some rope borrowed from Vashko, the well fed goblin ascended the outer walls to peer into the valley to see if there was any more detail to obtain.

Coming close to the edge he spots below muddy tracks leading into the walls of the Mesa. Armed with this information the group made its way back to the verdant valley. Beyond a stand of palm trees was a truly massive white stone door, engraved with a blazing phoenix; an inspection of the muddy tracks leading to it revealed they were recent, but not fresh.

Pulling at the door’s massive knockers they heard the telltale creak of wood, and could pull no more. Peering in the slight crack they see it, the wooden beam baring the door from opening.

Vashko wastes no time; uncorking his bottle of lantern oil, rendered down from Big Jim the porcine demon, he slathers the small crack of wood in it and lights a fire. The flame takes and the group waits as the wood burns.

Jimdon, being weary of any inhabitants behind that massive phoenix door, moves out of the line of sight hoping to set up an ambush. Rounding a corner, hidden behind bushes is an opening to a cave.

Delighted at another method of entry the party moves quickly, Jimdon hears a crack under foot.

A human skull, picked clean, no nothing left.

They pause at the entrance, it smells of rot and shit. They think on it for just a second more and delve into that dark cave.

Eventually they get to a point where no more light will shine in from the outside, Vashko lights a lamp, Ghonnorea readies his axe.

Wandering into a larger opening, five sets of eyes glow back in the dark. Readied of spirit the three rush in. Vashko with silver sword in one hand, lantern in the other screams at the top of his lung in the abyssal tongue, insulting any demon unlucky enough to face him.

His lantern floods the room, these figures were once human. Their gaunt bodies tight against their bones, their mouths a toothless black void, their skulls split horizontally, with alligator like teeth.

Ghonnorea wastes no time, with a mighty swing he decapitates one of these wretches.

Jimdom unleashes Chumley (his small, but vicious dog) and goes in swinging with his gremlin club, the club makes purchase with a grazing blow against these cave fiends.

However in a single fluid motion the corpse eaters of the cave swoop up Chumley and with a wet crunch that echoes off the walls of the cave throw it into the gaping skull maw. Another wildly swipes at Vashko making purchase, he feels the clawed arm graze his unarmored flesh, but no pain follows. His arm goes limp.

His lantern falls to the ground, and against all odds remains lit.

Soon they begin to swarm, blows are exchanged with Jimdom landing a devastating blow that nearly kills his initial target.

Ghonnorea, the rubenesque war machine, became a whirlwind of steel killing yet another cretin, but in his glory one managed to chomp down hard; his entire body began to tingle.

Vashko is swarmed, taken off guard by his numbed arm and is unable to land a single blow, the creature rends its way through him killing him.

Jimdom , seeing his friend fall, lands one more blow against his opponent; smashing its mutated head like a watermelon.

It’s too late for him to save anyone, the remaining two begin to consume the delicate innards of the once mighty demon stalker. Ghonnorea goes stiff, totally paralyzed as Jimdom drags him out of the cave and into the light. 

Hauling his compatriot back to the golden barge the tales of the devils in the crypt soon hit the pubs of Troika town, those fool hearty enough to raid the crypt of a long dead autarch take heed.