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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Warbringer" data-source="post: 3999781" data-attributes="member: 14391">As a DM this is exactly what I strive for in session... but the threat of death is an important element in that tension....the below is a written repewsentation of the tension that actually happened in game, the player of Kat was getting nervous as the scene unravelled, frantic that the 'dragon' would attack and proceeded to roll a '1' on her skill check. Sorry this is long... but the tension of death is importantKateria stared into the pitch black of pit below, the smell of tarnished metal and old bones drifting up from the darkness. The elf opened her hand and dropped one of the gnome’s alchemical lights down into the dark, its magical orange flames bringing light to the ancient vault.The cold stone walls that enclosed the large room seemed to spring to life, scrawled draconic glyphs pulsing with their own blood red flame in response to the magical flare. Her attention was drawn neither to the pulsing glyphs, nor to the glinting mound of tarnished precious coins and dusty gems, but to the blood bathed bones of the long dead dragon that sat upon its hidden treasure, an eyeless skull staring back up at her.Her hands started to sweat once again, the air about her seemingly colder. Be brave, Valenar warrior, she chided herself. Tearing her eyes from black voids of the dragon’s skull, she focused on the draconic writings; the ancient etchings seemed to shift in the flickering light.  She was too high, the lettering too small to read.‘We’ll have to go down,’ she whispered, her throat now dry.‘I’ll go first,’ Mithros said, taking the secured rope, lowering it over the ledge, carefully measuring the rope so it did not disturb the resting bones.Confidently, he descended, the rope entwined between his ankles as he lowered himself hand over hand. As reached close to the dragon, he signaled Tzzt to swing the rope to the left and letting go, landed in a roll away from the dragon.Kateria took the rope next, wiping her hands dry on her tunic, and lowered herself nervously down the rope. Her hands quickly began to dampen again as she descended, becoming wetter the closer she came to the dragon, still some twenty feet away. Mithros watched Katiera’s descent with growing trepidation. She was climbing the rope like a child, all her training forgotten. Kateria looked down at the dragon, her pulse suddenly quickening. Her brow was drenched in perspiration, an unwarranted fear growing in heart. This is ridiculous, she chided herself. Calm yourself. You need to relax, what are you going to do, runaway?‘Run,’ a voice whispered to Kateria. ‘Run if you can.’She screamed, the rope slipping from her grasp, plummeting to the floor.She landed awkwardly, sprawled on the dragon’s ancient hoard, but thankfully, completely missed the dragon. Lying there, winded she almost wanted to laugh; she had been so childish.‘Katiera,’ Mithros called all thoughts of causing an alarm gone from his mind. ‘Are you okay?’She started to answer but the words caught in her throat. All she could do was stare as the dragon moved, as its great skeletal head turning towards her, it  eyes now burning red with the fires of Khyber itself.She wanted to scream; she wanted to run. She did neither.</blockquote>

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