I ran another game of Conan using 5th edition D&D last week. I drew heavily for my inspiration from the Robert E. Howard Conan story, Shadows in the Moonlight, as a very truncated episode in my ongoing and highly sporadic Hyborian campaign. Interestingly, Shadows was written by Howard in 1934, which was just after King Kong was released by RKO Radio Pictures (1933).
In our adventure, Conan, Argol Arran and Subotai (all now 4th level) were serving as pirates on a ship captained by Molina Goth, which had been sunk by the Turanian navy. They had escaped with their equipment, but no water, and found their way after three days to a tropical island in the inland Vilayet Sea. Here they landed in search of sustenance.
On the beach they found another boat bearing the symbol of Turan. Searching it they found a torn silk scarf of high quality. Footprints led to a passage between two cliffs. There was also a salty pool (undrinkable water) fringed by palm trees, and a small ruin. As they searched the area they heard the screams of a woman and a girl in torn silk garmets fled through the passage between the cliffs, pursued by three soldiers in Turanian uniform. She ran to Conan for protection as he was closest (and beefiest).
A fight quickly commenced after the Turanians demanded the return of the girl: two of the soldiers were quickly despatched but the third was grappled and beaten into submission. The grateful girl proved to be Sanara, a concubine of the Turanian satrap Akhmen, who had fled to the island, pursued by Akhmen and some of his guards. She told the pirates that Akhmen had at least six men with him, maybe as many as eight.
Conan and Molina interrogated the prisoner, who confirmed Sanara's story and also that Akhmen had a boat elsewhere on the island. The pirates decided to release the prisoner (after he pleaded for his life) and let him sail off in one of the boats.
Subotai investigated the passage through the cliffs, and discovered the arm of a statue buried in the sand, inscribed with curious runes. Argol identifed the runes as being associated with lunar magic and bound servitors. The arm seemed to be attached to a statue of some kind. The pirates did their best to vandalise it!
Pressing on into the interior of the island, they saw a ruined citadel or temple of some kind on the summit of the highest hill, surrounded by jungle. Subotai detected the tracks of what looked to be a huge ape, less than a day old.
The pirates sought water and soon found a stream where they could fill their waterskins. While doing so, Argol felt they were being observed. He used his alchemical potions to make himself invisible and creep away into the jungle. This enabled him to see the massive thirty foot tall ape observing his comrades. He was able to warn them and the party retreated away from the creature back out into the open.
It was now dusk and the crew spotted the flickering of firelight coming from the ruins, so decided to investigate. As they entered they saw carvings on the ancient walls of men worshipping a giant ape. In the central square, at the foot of a ziggurat crowned by statues, they spotted the satrap Akhmen and two of his bodyguards, sitting by a fire. The pirates decided to mount an attack, with the invisible Argol seeking to get closer to the Turanians. Subotai had earlier dressed himself in the uniform of a dead Turanian, and at a distance, and in the shadows, introduced Conan to Akhmen..
Conan wanted to pretend to offer Sanara in a trade for treasure, and Akhmen was prepared to offer him a jewelled medallion for her (of considerable value). Conan asked instead for Akhmen's fabulous suit of armour. As Akhmen was reluctantly disrobing, one of his guards spotted Molina trying to sneak closer in the ruins and tried to shoot her with a crossbow. This forced Subotai to attack.
A fight quickly developed. Akhmen was felled by Conan while Molina was badly wounded by one of the guards and forced to retreat, to be treated by Sanara. At this point the moon came from behind the clouds, bathing the temple complex in light, and the statues on the ziggurat came to life, and began to advance on the pirates. One of the guards was killed and the second fled into the jungle, where he was subsequently attacked and eaten by the giant ape. The animated statues were also too much for Sanara, who also fled from the temple.
Molina rejoined the fight. One statue was destroyed by Conan and Argol set another alight with alchemist's fire but it was a tough battle, and Subotai was soon also badly wounded. Molina managed to push a statue out of the moonlight and saw it seize up. At this, the pirates focused on bull rushing the other statues out of the light, one by one. Soon all had been immobilised, temporarily at least. This allowed the buccanneers to loot the bodies of the two dead Turanians (Conan took the medallion of Akhmen) and also flee from the ruins.
From there it was relatively easy for Subotai to track down Sanara before the ape found her. Keen to avoid conflict with the giant simian, the pirates located Akhmen's yacht and escaped from the island!
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