The Rudraprayag Leopard - Part 4

Second Attack!

Having just established for the party what a real leopard attack looks like, now it’s time to show them what sort of a mess the Leopard Cultists can make. For this purpose, the Keeper should engineer the assault according to interaction that the party has had with the local people. If someone is violently opposed to the party’s presence, or has been outraged by them in some fashion, they will make a suitable victim. Conversely, if one of the locals has become a useful ally to the party, then the target could fall upon them. At this stage, the Keeper should avoid targeting any major players, such as the fakir or Pandit Chandra, and they should hold off abducting the “butterfly cursed” player until later (if that scenario is an option). There should be an obvious connexion between the party and the victim, either positive or negative, so that the cultists can gain some tangible benefit from their attack.

The attack should happen at night, preferably in a town (either Rudraprayag or Ratura, depending how far along the pilgrim route the party has ventured). The victim should be alone when the attack occurs and in a place where normally they would be safe – behind locked doors or gates for example.

The wounds on the body will be highly localised. A real leopard rakes with its rear feet, leaving long, vertical gashes on the abdomen and thighs as well as bite-marks on the throat. The victim typically also has defensive wounds on their hands and forearms and other areas of their body. In these staged attacks, the victim is usually overwhelmed by several assailants, sometimes suffocated to prevent noise, and slashed and torn in the abdomen using a bagh nakh: these rents will usually be horizontal rather than vertical. There will often be ligature marks where the victim was strangled or tied before being killed.

The cultists are adept at picking locks and removing roof-tiles to gain access to buildings. They also post sentries at the scenes of their crimes to give coded warnings and to distract passers-by. All of the evidence of watching the scene of the crime and testing its defences that are typical of a real leopard attack, are absent here.

The cultists are keen to make a sensation. They want to demonstrate that no-one is safe from the attacks of “The Leopard” and that, whatever barriers are put in place, “The Leopard” will bypass them all. If the party is clued-in to the situation, they should soon be able to spot a real leopard attack from a scübidüberism.

Upping the Ante

The region is already layered in fear – once the attacks begin, some of the local people will flock to the party members seeking their assistance in driving off the “magical” leopard. As often however, there will be those who believe that the presence of the foreigners in the area is the reason that the attacks are taking place. The Keeper should present a mixture of responses from the locals: some villagers are welcoming; some are wary; some are hostile in the extreme.

At some point, the party will encounter the fakir once more. This time, he has thrown a moth-eaten leopard skin over his nakedness and will be leading a group of similarly-clad novices, all waving sacred flags of Shiva and calling out to the populace that, unless great penance is performed and offerings given, the Leopard will strike relentlessly, passing through the very walls to gain access to its prey. It’s obvious, to the party members at least, that the fakir derives great pleasure from instilling fear in the villagers and is almost beside himself with delight at the chaos that he is causing.

Should the party try to break up this gathering of the Leopard Cultists, they will be in for some stiff resistance. The Cultists have some Martial Arts training and some home-grown weaponry that will give the players pause for thought. Obviously, the Cultists do not openly carry their bagh nakhs – this might give onlookers reason for unwanted speculation.

Average Cultist

These adherents of the Leopard Cult are truly dedicated. They worship Shiva as an escort of the dead and the bringer of death to the world. As a result they are arrogant and aloof, obeying every command of their Bati Yeli, or ritual executioner – the crazy fakir. They are smeared with white clay covered in dark spots and draped with leopard skins and yantras dedicated to Shiva. Like their god, their hair is matted in thick dreadlocks. Most of the time they are affected by bhang, a cannabis-based drink that heightens their physical awareness while making them quite biddable for their leader.

Disciples of the Leopard

char.	value	char.	value	char.	value
STR	13,12,13,14,12	POW	9,9,10,11,10	Age	18,23,21,34,19
CON	12,13,11,11,12	DEX	12,13,14,12,13	HP	11,12,11,12,13
SIZ	10,11,10,12,13	APP	9,10,9,11,12	Magic Points	9,9,10,11,10
INT	9,12,12,10,11	EDU	n/a	SAN	0

Damage Bonus: +/-0; +/-0; +/-0; +1D4; +1D4

Weapon:       Axe 25%, 1D6+1; Club 25%, 1D6; Fist/Punch 50%, 1D3; Kick 30%, 1D6; Knife

                           30%, 1D4+2; Sword 20%

Armour:        None

Skills:             Climb 50%; Disguise 25%; Hide 30%; Martial Arts (Kalaripayat) 25%;

                           Mechanical Repair (Pick Locks) 35%; Sneak 30%; Track 20%

Spells             None

SAN Loss      It costs no SAN to see a normal Leopard Cultist

New Martial Art: Kalaripayat

Element: Fire

Origin: The origins of this fighting style are lost in time; however references to it can be found in some of the most ancient Hindu texts. It is believed to have been the training regimen of the great warrior clans of the Mahabharata. During British rule of the Sub-continent, it went underground and was all but lost, kept alive by a secret coterie of proponents. Its spiritual home is now the city of Kerala, where some of the best schools are situated.

Techniques: The style concentrates on building physical fitness and endurance for the purpose of defense while targeting nerve clusters and overbalancing opponents in offense. Students are taught initially only how to use their bodies in combat before being trained to use short rods and staves. Many colourful weapons are added to the armoury of the Martial Artist at advanced levels, including the whip-sword, or urimi.

Statistics Requirements: Both STR and DEX should be 12 or more

Weapons: Axe, Club, Dagger, Short Staves and Rods, Urimi

Martial Arts Ability	Special Techniques
01-50%	The Blessing of Kali - Fist, Grapple, Head Butt or Kick damage is doubled if the roll is also less that the character’s Martial Arts skill (does not apply to the Damage Bonus)
51-75%	Toppling the Buffalo - The Kalaripayat master has learnt to perform prodigious kicks from a standing start, leaping high in the air and returning to his starting position. If the Kick is successful, the Martial Artist is then also able to strike again that round
76-87%	The Cobra’s Strike - The Martial Artist has developed his strength and speed to such a level that he can make two attacks per round, once at the beginning and once at the end of a round.
88-94%	Fists of Stone - At this level, the Martial Artist also doubles his Damage Bonus in a successful attack. Also, a successful Parry has a 50%+Martial Artist’s POW chance of breaking the weapon used to attack him.
95-98%	Bones of Iron - The Martial Artist’s physical prowess is such that he can ignore 1D4 points of damage from all attacks.
99-00%	Voice of Thunder - At this level the Martial Artist can Stun all opponents in a 20 foot radius with a mighty shout. All within the area must make a DEX Roll or fall over, while automatically losing their attack for that round. This costs 5 Magic Points.

Urimi

As a special surprise for our Investigators, the Keeper may choose to arm the third cultist (the one with the best DEX score) with a urimi. This is a sword, but with 0ne, or several, ribbon-like, edged lengths of steel instead of a standard blade. The weapon is usually carried coiled on a belt, often covered by the user’s clothing. When revealed, it is usually whipped forth with a sinister ringing, hissing sound, and whirled dramatically about the wielder’s head. Once in motion it must be kept constantly moving or it will snag and become ineffective; in fact, the user must spend a round getting the weapon up to speed before using it in attack.

The best way to use the urimi is as part of a massed offense: the wielder drops back and gets the urimi moving while his confederates occupy their enemies; then, once the weapon is at speed, the wielder moves forward, constantly spinning and circling, slashing at their opponents. If, at any time, the wielder is struck for damage or fails a DEX Roll, the weapon is stopped and another round must be spent getting it going once more before it can be used again.

Weapon	Base Chance	Damage	Range	Attacks / Round	HPs	Malfunction
Urimi	10%	1D10	touch	1	10	DEX Roll

If combat does ensue, the Keeper should be keenly on the lookout for opportunities to exploit the party’s missteps and failures. The fakir will use any gun misfire, or stumble, to make extreme claims about the invulnerability of the cultists and their magical protections. Moments such as this will paint strong pictures about the party in the minds of the villagers, so the Keeper should milk them for all they’re worth!

To Be Continued...