Darashan Desertsun, my Dragonborn Bard (with an amazing stat line (S:18, D:18, C:18, I:10, W:8 & C:18)) was murdered last week.
We were fighting a Yuanti/Eladrin assassin/drug cartel who had basically turned every gnome in a village into living-drug-addict-zombies. The party had to wither flocks of zombie-gnomes as we were pelted relentlessly by Yuanti Archers (who had the high ground). Although we were beaten and battered on our way up the hill, we were able to subdue the gnomes and butcher the Yuan-Ti. With the mooks taken care of, we rushed into a shack to find a corpulent Yuan-Ti harnessing the power of gnomish younglings to summon a devil.
My bard was the first one in the shack. She launcher herself at the fat boss with much gusto. She performed a daring flourish with her rapier, slashing the bad guy across his chest. The beast retorted by cannoning his fanged maw at my Bard's shoulder, then following that vicious assault up with a full body slam, wrapping his serpentine body around the dragonborn.
The Dwarven Archer attempted to save the children, while the Elven Monk and the Dwarven Wizard (who also had an amazing stat line), dove into melee to attack the rotund snake-man. Although normally exceedingly competent with her axe, the Wizard's volley of attacks proved... Futile. The Monk landed several devastating blows but not enough to make the Yuan-Ti let the bard go.
Darashan attempted to break free... But I rolled a 1!
The boss attacked the monk with his gaping maw, while he constricted the Dragonborn. The DM rolls his dice and laughs, "Max damage!"
A frown worms its way across my face as I realize my bard is now out of hit points.
My bard makes a death save on my turn!
Failure!
The Yuan-Ti and the party continue to battle.
Eventually, I come up in initiative again. The DM asks me to make another Death Save.
I roll...
A ONE!!!!!
Darashan's body goes limp as she is flung to the ground by the Yuan-Ti Boss, who proceeds to get himself killed by a stunning assault by the monk, whose fists were empowered by the fiery rage of revenge.
With the snake-man dead, the Wizard rushes into the swirling vortex of infernal energy and manages to save the last gnome child before the vortex explodes, damaging everyone inside the shack.
As was tradition with all Brass Dragonborn, her body was lit aflame with a funerary pyre, the flames heralding her soul's arrival into the to the afterlife and eventual reincarnation.