The party leader looks up, bleeding and defiant. "Why are you here?"
Because the dark hero isn't coming to save the day. He’s coming to settle a score. Your party just happens to be in the way. dark hero party save
In the vast landscape of fantasy storytelling, few moments hit quite like the "dark hero party save." You know the scene. The shiny, optimistic main character and their party of paladins and mages are surrounded. Their hope has been systematically stripped away by a villain who plays by no rules they understand. The cleric is down. The tank is exhausted. The final prayer fades into a whisper. The party leader looks up, bleeding and defiant