Conan d20 1e - the Dark Altar of Katar.pdf

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The Dark Altar
The Dark Altar of Katar
Credits
Author
Eric K. Rodriguez
Contents
The Dark Altar of katar
Introduction
The Encounters
Non-Player Characters
License
2
4
5
8
10
Line Developer
Richard Neale
Editors
Matt Sharp & Ted Chang
Studio Manager
Ian Barstow
Production Director
Alexander Fennell
Art
Chris Quilliams, Alejandro Villen
Maps
Eric K. Rodriguez using Campaign
Cartographer v6.12 from ProFantasy Limited
The Dark Altar of Katar is © 2004 Conan Properties International LLC. CONAN®, CONAN THE BARBARIAN®
and related logos, character, names, and distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Conan Properties International
LLC unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved. Mongoose Publishing Ltd Authorized User. Conan The Roleplaying
Game is released under version 1.0 of the Open Game License. Reproduction of non-Open Game Content of this work
by any means without the written permission of the pulisher is expressly forbidden. See Page 10 for the text of this
license. With the exception of the character creation rules detailing the mechanics of assigning dice roll results to
abilities and the advancement of character levels, all game mechanics and statistics (including the game mechanics
of all feats, skills, classes, creatures, spells and the combat chapter) are declared open content.
Continuing support for Conan The Roleplaying Game can be found at
www.conan.com, www.mongoosepublishing.com and in the pages of
Signs and Portents magazine.
1
The Dark Altar
The Dark Altar
of Katar
A
Conan the Roleplaying Game
adventure set within the dark jungles of
Vendhya, bordering the mysterious land of Uttara-Kuru. Characters
should be 4
th
to 5
th
level, with an average of 4 to 6 players. Any character
type can be played, however a Noble type character (Kshatriyas) would be
helpful to the adventure.
E4
E3
Tower of Minar Ki
E2
E1
2
The Dark Altar
Large, red drops of blood flowed down the mail corselet of Harsha,
house guard to the Lord of Cuddapah province. Dropped silently to the ground, the body of
Harsha exhaled its last breath and began to once again spill its lifeblood upon the marble steps
of the garden entryway. The music of wind chimes and the smell of incense wafted through the
air, giving the garden a semblance of serenity; and a feel of horror. The many candles set about
the Lord of Cuddapah’s mansion swayed with the shifting of the wind, that wove its path through
the many trees set about the estate. The shadowy slayer of Harsha moved quickly, but silently through
the gardens entry hall. The assassin’s blade dripped bright red blood and left a trail as he glided up the
staircase that would lead him to the living quarters of Lord Gopali and his doomed family.
As the assassin passed an open window adorned with vines and sweet flowers, the half-moon shed light
upon the breast of the intruder. A small, black amulet hung about the chest of the intruder; an amulet
identifying the assassin as a faithful of Katar. Hertus of Katar crept slowly up to the first marble landing and
listened intently for sounds. His animal-like senses took in his surroundings; letting him know that all was as it
should be. Suddenly he became aware of a flickering of candlelight, moving its way down the corridor toward the
landing where he stood. His dark clothed body merged with the planters and statues that lined the marble landing,
becoming more shadow than man.
A turbaned servant was walking toward Hertus’ place of concealment; in his hands he carried a candle and bag
of incense. With lightning speed and deathly silence, Hertus struck out at the servant as he passed. Like a deadly
cobra, his dagger plunged into the servant’s back, over and over again. No sound came from the servant’s mouth,
for Hertus had smothered it with a piece of his own dark outfit. Laying the dead body of the servant among the
planters, Hertus made his way stealthily down the hallway toward the estates living quarters, his head swaying from
side to side, similar to the deadly cobra that he emulated.
At the end of the corridor the passage way went left and right. The shadowy figure slowly turned to the right,
noticing a large double door a mere 30 steps down another corridor. The left hand corridor gradually faded into
darkness. Seeing the noble sigil of Lord Gopali upon the double wooden door, Hertus began to slowly move down
the corridor, listening for any sounds. When he came to the double door, he put his head against the wood, straining
to hear any sounds or movement. When none were heard, Hertus thought to himself how strange the Lord Gopali
had not set guard at his bedroom door? However, it did not really matter to Hertus; he had come to kill the Lord
and his family, for insulting the honour of another Lord’s daughter. It did not matter whether Lord Gopali had
been in the right or wrong or that the insulted Lord was a follower of Katar, Hertus had been paid and Katar
demanded her due.
Slowly, Hertus pushed upon the doors. They opened silently, as if they had been well oiled. The room was very dark
and silent as the grave; no candles were lit to reveal the room’s occupants. Suddenly a fierce breeze blew through the
windows, blowing aside the curtains and letting the half-moons light shine into the room. Immediately it became
apparent that this was not the room of the Lord Gopali. The room was littered with boxes, bundles and sacks of
grain. Hertus had been deceived; if this was not the Lord’s room, then where in the estate was it? The midnight
wind blew at the curtains again, bringing with it the sound of chimes in the distant. No, thought Hertus, not
chimes but bells! He quickly turned around and fled through the double doors out into the corridor. He had
barely travelled halfway down the hallway when a large door burst open somewhere along the previously darkened
corridor, spilling out a flood of light as well as large group of armed house guards. The room behind him was a
dead end; those little windows would not allow him passage. His only possible exit was blocked by Lord Gopali’s
house guard. There seemed to be no escape. Drawing a viciously curved scimitar, Hertus gave out a cry of rage and
contempt, ‘May the midnight blade cut my way to salvation!’
Knowing that today might be his last day among the world or mortal men, he then charged down the corridor into
the wall of gleaming scimitars and warspears…
3
Introduction
The Dark Altar
For 30 long, dark years, the cult of Katar has kept itself
hidden among the dank and haunted jungles of Vendhya.
The faithful of Katar, mostly assassins and thieves, have
secretly worshipped their goddess in the broken ruins
hidden deep in the dark jungles or the underbelly of
civilization. The king of Vendhya, Bhunda Chan, has
placed the highest bounty upon any known members of
this death-dealing cult, and has let it be known that any
who harbour or help the followers of Katar, will face royal
judgment. To this end, Bhunda Chan has assigned his
spymaster, Dergith Vrul, the task of rooting out any nests
of this dark cult and executing their members.
Until recently, very few leads or information about the
whereabouts of the Katari assassins have come to the
notice of Dergith Vrul. However, four days ago, the
spymaster received a message from a mystical source. A
Rakhsha named, ‘Yurra’, contacted Dergith Vrul through
a
sorcerous news
spell and advised him that many men
had been seen traveling to an ancient place of worship
within the Misted Wood of Al’Merraz. Two problems
immediately became apparent. Firstly, the Wood of
Al’Merraz was across the border of Vendhya into the dark
lands of Uttara Kuru; second, this ancient place that the
Rakhsha spoke of was one of the last known locations of a
Dark Altar of Katar. Believed to have been crafted over a
millennia ago, the Altars of Katar were said to be imbued
with their dark mother’s power and that any faithful who
spilled the blood of innocents upon the altar would be
granted powers relative to their sacrifice. The cultists of
Katar were hunted down and slaughtered and most of the
remaining altars were buried or lost with the passage of
time. However, the one truth that was not widely known
was that the altars could not be destroyed by mortal men
and must instead be hidden from the world so that none
could call upon their dark powers.
Though the ruined temple is said to lie across the border
into Uttar Kuru, Dergith Vrul cannot ignore this possible
threat. Royal Vendhyan troops cannot be called upon
to cross the border and deal with the dark cultists;
subtlety and guile must prevail. Dergith Vrul, through
his spy network, makes contact with several independent
mercenaries or adventures and hires them for a secret
mission.
(The Games master can easily incorporate
player characters from other parts of the Hyborian world
as mercenaries, or simply use Vendhyan characters as
independent adventures.)
Dergith Vrul will use
one of his lieutenants, Bahu Dasa, as his intermediary
and have the characters meet him in the village of
Kepthhamun, which lie’s near the border of Uttara Kuru.
What is really
happening
Over two years ago, one of the last surviving priests of
Katar found the destroyed temple of Shirma. Shirma, once
a magnificent temple made of dark stone and obsidian,
now nothing but ruins among the jungle overgrowth,
was found in a lost grove just inside the border of Uttara
Kuru. Vadavaa Sharman, faithful priestess of Katar, had
been searching for the ruined temple of Shirma for over
five years. Her quest had begun in the Vendhyan capital
city of Ayodhya, where she had been taught the ways of
Katar from an early age. Trading the lives of men for gold,
Vadavaa earned a name and reputation as a skilled assassin.
One cloud filled night; Vadavaa had killed and murdered
a merchant and his entire family. It just happened that
the merchant had been hosting a learned scholar from a
temple of Asura, who Vadavaa most happily killed. After
searching through the scholar’s bags, Vadavaa came upon
an ancient scroll, which spoke of a destroyed temple of
the cult of Katar. Since that day, Vadavaa has dedicated
her life to the finding of the temple and the raising of it
to Katar’s glory.
Vadavaa has slowly been gaining a reputation among
the dark underworld of Vendhya. Many assassins and
professional murderers believe her to be an incarnation
of Katar herself. After discovering the lost temple of
Shirma, Vadavaa has been slowly gathering her faithful
to her. The Vendhyan village of Kepthhamun lies just
across the border from Uttara Kuru and the Misted Wood
of Al’Merraz. Vadavaa eventually discovered the Dark
Altar of Katar, buried among the ruins of the temple.
Once it was restored, Vadavaa began to send out the
call to all the faithful of Katar, that they come at once
and pay homage to the return of their goddess. Since
that time, thieves, murderers and assassins have been
migrating west, to the village of Kepthhamun. However,
all are disguised and have done everything possible to keep
their presence a secret. Vadavaa only had one obstacle in
her way – a sorcerer named Yurra, resided within his
tower a mere six miles from the location of the ancient
temple. Not knowing whether the sorcerer would reveal
her plans to the authorities, Vadavaa put together a team
of assassins to strike at his tower and murder him in his
sleep. Yurra, a powerful and skilled sorcerer and not some
mere apprentice, was warned by his spells of warding that
he had laid about his tower. Yurra was able to chase off
the assassins and then sent a message to Vendhya to warn
them of the danger.
4
Having failed to kill Yurra, Vadavaa was left with no
choice but to act immediately. Vadavaa ordered several
of her faithful to sneak into the village of Kepthhamun
and capture the unsuspecting townsfolk for sacrifice. The
adventure starts with the group arriving in Kepthhamun
in the aftermath of the abductions.
The Encounters
Encounter E1
The characters should arrive the morning after the mass
abductions. The village is in complete chaos and armed
militia and citizens are roaming the streets in mobs. The
characters will have to make Diplomacy and Bluff checks
to convince the angry villagers that they had nothing to do
with the abductions. The Games Master might consider
giving the player characters a royal writ or order showing
that they have been sent by the royal government on an
unrelated mission. After convincing the villagers that they
had nothing to do with the abductions,
they will be approached by the Varman.
An elected official speaker f o r
the village, Varman
Kohada will approach
the group and ask for their
help. Varman Kohada
has already sent a
runner north to the
Fortress of Dahatma,
seeking aid from the
royal troops stationed
there. Unbeknownst
to Varman Kohada and the
characters, Dergith Vrul
has sent Prince Sullima,
cousin to Bhunda Chan,
and 500 Royal troops to
reinforce the fortress and
to aid in the eradication
of the Katari assassins.
It will take one and a half
days for Prince Sullima’s army to
reach Kepthhamun. Varman
Kohada believes that any royal
help will not arrive for several
days and fears for the life of his
missing daughter, as well
as those of the other 23
missing villagers. The
village of Kepthhamun
is not overly wealthy;
however, the Varman is
willing to provide each of the characters with food and
general supplies and offers a sack of 600 silver pieces for
the safe return of the villagers. If any characters perform
a successful Diplomacy check, Varman Kohada will reveal
that the sorcerer Yurra is a distant relative of his and that
if the characters safely return with the villagers, he would
speak to Yurra on the characters behalf. If the characters
agree, then Varman Kohada immediately supplies them
with any basic supplies that they need and can give the
group a list of the names of the missing villagers. After
the group re-supplies and leaves the village, they will
immediately be followed by one of Vadavaa’s spies. The
assassin, Ranjit and his six companions will be lying in
ambush just two miles outside the village (Ranjit, 4
th
level
Thief- Katari Assassin, (4) Vendhyan 3
rd
level Thieves-
Katari Assassins, (2) Vendhyan 2
nd
level Thieves- Katari
Assassins). Ranjit also has two Panthers (see
Conan The
Roleplaying Game
page 307) who are trained to attack
whomever Ranjit wishes. Ranjit and his assassins will not
surrender and fight to the death. Even if the characters
manage to capture an assassin alive, they will get
no information, even under torture. If one of the
characters is a Scholar and is able to use magic
to
charm an assassin, the only information they
will be able to obtain will be the route leading
across the border into Uttara Kuru. The only
items of value that the characters will find on the Katari
are 78 silver pieces, 2 gold necklaces (symbol of Katar),
one Kukri dagger - Akbitanan quality.
The Dark Altar
Encounter E2
A f t e r crossing the border of
Uttara Kuru, the group runs into
a border patrol. The Uttaran
border patrol seems to consists
of ten soldiers mounted on
horseback. It will immediately
become
apparent
that
something is wrong with the
soldiers and characters should
be allowed a Spot check
(DC 15). Characters will
notice that the patrols’
clothing is unkempt
and dishevelled. They
might also notice that
the patrol does
not handle their
mounts well
or that
there are
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