MGP5599 - Black Stones of Kovag-Re.pdf - Conan - Sheera

The Black Stones

of Kovag-Re

A Scenario for

The Roleplaying Game

The Black Stones of

Kovag-Re

Credits

Contents

Author

Morgan Nash

Introduction 2

A Cold Morning in Arenjun 4

Development & Editing

Ted Chang

Oleska the Stout 5

Investigations in the City

of Thieves

A Perilous Pursuit 7

Studio Manager

Ian Barstow

Production Director

Alexander Fennell

The Challenge of Iovinicus 8

The Path Through the Peaks 9

Art

John Thompson, Chris Quilliams, Alejandro

Villen

Treachery in the Mountains 10

The Blooded Stones 11

Playtesters

Mark “neo” Howe, Mark Sizer, Daniel

Scothorne, Mark Billanie, Michael J Young,

Jamie Godffrey, Alan Moore, Daniel Haslam,

Vincent Darlage, Bob Probst, Allen Myers,

Chris Bradley, Craig Pekar, John Clark

Epilogue 11

Appendix 1 12

Appendix 2 13

License 15

and related logos, character, names, and distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Conan Properties International LLC

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 15 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.

Introduction

of such characters can be very low and that a difference of

a couple of points here and there means more at this early

stage of a character’s career than at any other time. Thus,

statistics will be given for all Non-Player Characters but it is

anticipated that the Games Master may need to adjust these

to suit his group’s particular abilities. The major Non-Player

Characters will be written up in detail in the appendix.

‘Father, tell me again of the Cult of the Blooded Stones.’ The

young boy looked up at his aged parent, eyes illed with both

eagerness and no small amount of fear. Across the table the

old man set his wine-cup down slowly and looked across at his

son. He said nothing for a moment and then spoke in a voice

resonant with doom-laden meaning, yet with a twinkle in his

eye common to all seasoned raconteurs.

Since it is better, perhaps, to give the hard-working Games

Master too much information than too little, sections of

descriptive prose and roleplaying notes for major Non-

Player Characters have been included. The Games Master

is at liberty to make use of them. Naturally, anything and

everything that is in this adventure can be changed or

discarded.

‘Byrus, my boy, the stories of that thankfully destroyed band are

not for the ears of small children. Why, it is but a handful of

winters since you were a mewling babe-in-arms.’ He shook his

head ponderously. ‘I could not tell you such a tale – it would rob

you of sleep for days and your mother would chase me from the

house with a skillet for illing your head with night-terrors.’

But, for now, let us have a look at what is in store for our

bold rogues...

‘Father!’ the boy pouted. ‘I have seen nine winters. I am nearly

a man!’ The old man smiled slightly and nodded his head in

agreement.

The Adventure in

Summary

‘Come then, let us draw closer to the ire. To talk of the Cult of

the Blooded Stones chills my old bones. But we should thank

the civilised gods that cold bones are all that remain of those

blasphemous priests. Kovag-Re was their god and few deities

have ever matched his need for sacriice. It is said that at the

height of his power, more than six centuries ago now, a constant

train of slave caravans rolled into the hills above Arenjun

carrying unfortunate souls whose only fate was to feed the near-

limitless hunger of Kovag-Re.

It is dawn and the adventurers are sleeping off a night

of heavy carousing on the loor of one of Arenjun’s less

salubrious wine shops when they are awoken and taken,

forcibly if necessary, before the city’s governor, one Oleksa

the Stout. A corpulent individual, Oleksa had married

the youthful Juliana only the day before and was about to

consummate the marriage when he was struck from behind

and rendered unconscious by an unknown assailant. When

he awoke only an hour ago, the window of his apartment

stood open and Juliana was gone.

Few tales remain of those times and the ceremonies of the Cult

have been, perhaps fortunately, forgotten. But stories remain of

the sacriicial temple – an ancient and dismal cavern beneath

the cold rock where many entered but none left; where the Black

Stones of Kovag-Re robbed the shrieking victims of their lives

and where, perhaps still, the temple waits for the sacriices to

begin anew...’

He tells them that it is obvious that she has been kidnapped

by some brigand or other who will no doubt wish to ransom

her back to him or to use her to put pressure on him in

some fashion. He will pay them well if they return her to

him and wipe out the bandits. He does not wish to simply

raise the alarm and set the guards to the task as it would be

catastrophic for his reputation and continued successful rule

if word got out to the thieves that the governor was unable

to protect his most precious possession.

The Black Stones of Kovag-Re is set in ancient Zamora,

home of thieves, treachery and, occasionally, some small

measure of heroism. Many young men and women have

started their careers in this land and many of those have

ended them shortly thereafter. However, this adventure

has been written in such a way as to make it relatively

simple to transplant it to almost any other location in

Hyboria – suggestions on renaming some of the Non-

Player Characters and place names will be given in an

appendix at the back.

Assuming that the adventurers accept the commission, they

have a number of options open to them. If they investigate

the governor’s apartment for clues they may discover that a

few of Juliana’s belongings have gone missing, some of them

not particularly valuable, suggesting that she had time to

gather some things. This may further suggest that she left

willingly. Asking subtle questions of the servants will reveal

that Juliana was a far-from-willing bride. Questioning the

guards on this sort of thing is a less wise course – they are

loyal to Oleksa and will reveal nothing of use but may report

on the adventurers’ activities to the governor.

It is also written for a low-level party of

adventurers from 1st to 3rd level.

Experienced Games Masters will

know that the life expectancy

If Oleksa himself is confronted with any of this information,

he will deny that she left willingly and will inform the

adventurers that she has very likely been taken by a band

of clever outlaws who have lately been raiding caravans and

pilgrims travelling through the Pass of the Goat and have,

thus far, evaded capture. Astute observers will see Oleksa

twitch over this and they may guess that he knows more

than he is telling.

adventurers. They can always dispose of him in another

fashion, of course, but he is a dangerous man and will not

hesitate to draw his sword if threatened seriously. The

villagers know that the bandits have made their camp up in

the hills and can give suitable directions on how to approach

the place by little-known paths. Following this route, the

adventurers will avoid the traps set by Bogdan but may

encounter similar problems with local beasts.

The truth is that Juliana has run away from Oleksa, who

she was forced to marry. Her true love, a young man from

Arenjun’s soldiery, called Bogdan, helped her to escape with

some loyal men at his command. Bogdan and his men

were too honest for the corrupt bureaucracy of Arenjun and

led the city two months previously, turning to banditry to

survive. They have raided a couple of caravans belonging

to Oleksa in the meantime (it is a lie that they have robbed

pilgrims). Juliana told Oleksa that she would never give

herself to him and would be reunited with her lover and

Oleksa is certain that this is what has happened. Naturally,

he will not tell the adventurers this; in fact, he has no

intention of letting anyone who knows about this abduction

live, let alone pay them a reward.

The adventure will come back onto the same route at this

point. Having survived Bogdan’s traps or negotiated a

successful outcome in the village, the adventurers will ind

themselves travelling through the peaks along an old path

that leads up along the spine of the mountains into desolate

and broken land away from the Pass of the Goat. At some

point they will spot something at the foot of a dangerous

slope below the path. An agile climber can ind his way

down to ind some wooden timbers, an old and rusted iron

cage containing many bones and a couple of other skeletons,

each wrapped in fragments of black and red robes. This is

all that remains of a slave caravan that tumbled from the

path on the way to the temple of Kovag-Re; a scholar or

historian may be able to identify some of the items in the

wreckage.

The adventurers should attempt to track the ‘kidnappers’.

Asking questions of the palace guard and the watchmen, it

will be relatively simple to discover that a lone rider, carrying

a woman, raced out of one of the gates last night. The road

from that gate does indeed lead up into the mountains and

towards the lofty Pass of the Goat.

When the adventurers reach the bandit lair, they again have

a number of options: negotiation, scouting, all-out attack,

etc. Their own agenda will also come into play at this point

– do they want to return Juliana for the reward? Allow her

and her lover to escape? Kidnap her and ransom her for

even more money? In an ideal world they will, perhaps,

recognise that the bandits are not bad men and will at least

talk to them.

A skilled tracker would be useful at this point. The

adventure diverges here, dependant upon the characters’

success at tracking. If the party have a capable scout, he

may be able to ind the trail of a single horseman leaving

the road some miles outside of Arenjun and heading up into

the hills. If the tracks are followed, the adventurer will have

to cross dangerous terrain, encountering some of the local

wildlife and a couple of surprises that Bogdan has left for

any who follow him.

Regardless of the decisions of the players, some short time

into the proceedings, Oleksa and his guard (who have been

following the players) will arrive to deal with the problem

in a terminal fashion. Oleksa has no intention of paying

for the return of his wife and will be aiming to kill the

adventurers after they have taken the bandits out and are

weakened.

If the adventurers are unable to follow Bogdan’s tracks,

they will need to travel on up the road and look for further

clues. They will come to a small village at the entrance of

the Pass of the Goat where they may ask questions. The

locals will be more-than-usually nervous around strangers

and will suggest, at best, that they may be able to assist

the adventurers but that they are somewhat troubled by

problems of their own. It is at this point that Iovinicus, the

village’s newly acquired bully, swaggers out of a nearby hut

and begins to make trouble. He will demand to know what

the adventurers are doing in his village and will, eventually,

challenge one of them to a wrestling match.

In all likelihood the adventurers and bandits will join forces.

The battle will go against them, however, as the campsite

is surrounded by archers. Fortunately, nearby, there are

some cave entrances that the bandits know lead into tunnels

that will be very defensible. Bogdan, Juliana and any

surviving men will retreat to the nearby caves and the

adventurers would be wise to join them. The ensuing

combat should be entertaining as the adventurers

and surviving bandits get pushed down deeper into

the caves.

Eventually, the players will arrive in

the ancient temple to the forgotten

Should a brave adventurer defeat Iovinicus in this brawl

he will slink away, allowing the villagers to assist the

god, Kovag-Re. This is a dark chamber with a circle of

black monoliths and a thick carpet of ine white dust – the

powdered remains of the sacriice victims. The monoliths

are magical and feed upon blood. When blood is spilled on

one of them, all will animate and attempt to destroy anyone

within the caves. Naturally, a wounded bandit will stumble

into one if a player is not stupid enough to do so.

The watch are hardly professionals, being thugs and part-

time thieves themselves for the most part. However, they

have been instructed not to be overly vicious in their dealings

with the adventurers. Each is armed with a bill and a short

sword and is wearing a mail shirt. If necessary they will

attack with the butts of their bills using them like staffs.

Only if the ight becomes truly dangerous, will they use their

weapons in earnest.

This should ensure a suitably vigorous inale in which

the adventurers should try to escape from the caves alive.

Juliana will, of course, fall into danger if the adventurers

are heroic sorts who would appreciate a chance to rescue

her. A typically Conanesque result would be for all of the

soldiers and bandits to be stabbed, shot or crushed while

Juliana and Bogdan escape and Oleksa is killed in a bloody

and appropriate manner. Naturally, the players may well

inluence things otherwise!

Watchman of Arenjun

Medium Humanoid (1st level Zamorian soldier)

Hit Dice: 1d10+1 (6 hp)

Initiative: +4 (+2 Dex, +2 Ref)

Speed: 25 ft.

DV (Dodge vs. Ranged): 12 (+2 Dex)

(Dodge vs. Melee): 12 (+2 Dex)

(Parry vs. Melee): 11 (+1 Str)

DR: 7 (brigandine coat 6, steel cap +1)

Attack: Bill +2 melee (2d8+1, Crit. 20 x3, AP 7); or

Short sword +3 melee inesse (1d8+1, Crit. 19-20 x2,

AP 1); or Unarmed strike +3 melee inesse (1d6+1, Crit.

20 x2, AP 0)

Space/Reach: 5 ft. (1)/5 ft. (1)

Saves: Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +0

Abilities: Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha

Skills: Intimidate +4, Listen +2, Search +4, Spot +2

Feats: Alertness, Brawl

A Cold Morning in

Arenjun

Read or paraphrase:

By the gods, what a night! True, you had little enough coin

left after your most recent exploits but a man cannot take his

wealth with him and who knows what tomorrow might bring?

Better then to spend the last of it in ine style in a wine-shop

and what iner place exists in Arenjun, the renowned City of

Thieves, than Malvolio’s tavern? There had been good food,

lusty dancers, wagering, brawling and many, many lagons

until each of you had stumbled into a corner to sleep or just

sank to the ground where you stood.

Watch Sergeant of Arenjun

Medium Humanoid (2nd level Zamorian soldier)

Hit Dice: 2d10+4 (15 hp)

Initiative: +4 (+2 Dex, +2 Ref)

Speed: 25 ft.

DV (Dodge vs. Ranged): 13 (+1 level, +2 Dex)

(Dodge vs. Melee): 13 (+1 level, +2 Dex)

(Parry vs. Melee): 12 (+1 level, +1 Str)

DR: 7 (brigandine coat 6, steel cap +1)

Attack: Bill +3 melee (2d8+1, Crit. 20 x3, AP 7); or

Short sword +4 melee inesse (1d8+1, Crit. 19-20 x2,

AP 1); or Unarmed strike +4 melee inesse (1d6+1, Crit.

20 x2, AP 0)

Space/Reach: 5 ft. (1)/5 ft. (1)

Saves: Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0

Abilities: Str 12, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha

Skills: Intimidate +6, Listen +2, Search +5, Spot +2

Feats: Alertness, Brawl, Quick Draw

Sadly, the cold light of dawn brings with it more than just

a pounding in your skull. A soaking from a bucket of cold

water brings you to your senses, eyes struggling open to see the

unwelcome sight of a watch sergeant leaning easily on a bill.

‘Get up, scum! You’ve got an appointment with the Governor!’

the sergeant sneers.

The adventurers have been picked for a singular honour;

Oleksa the Stout, Governor of Arenjun, has selected them

to assist with the location and recovery of his wife. The

adventurers have little choice in, at least, being taken to

hear what he has to say. If they are wise, they will not

pick a ight against a watch patrol in their current

tender state but there is no guarantee that a hot-

blooded barbarian or argumentative pirate

might not take offence at the manner

in which they are summoned.

MGP5599 - Black Stones of Kovag-Re.pdf

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