Mörk Borg Cult Heretic [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

SEEDS

OF A

Its name

CVLT The cult is...

2d12

d10

(forbidden to utter aloud)

1

Eternal

Dawn

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Children of

Knife Blood

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Reach for

Deathcrush

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Pipes of

Devastation

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Holders of

Burned Bones

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Unholy

Unsacred Signs

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Ruins of

Nechrubel

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Embrace

Rusty Razors

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Night of

Sarkantha

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Førlørn

Black Gates

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Hateful

Lost Chants

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Temple of

Dark Thrones

1–2.  almost annihilated, desperate for aid. 3-4.  thriving, or would be if only …

5.  enormous, official, legitimate, protected.

6-7.  secret and unknown. Legend. Lies. Myth. 8.  scattered in cells. Should they find a way to work together, all will tremble.

9-10. i n absolute turmoil. Warring and destroying itself from within.

KEY MEMBER, PERHAPS THE LEADER?

3d10

1

Demented …

… Elder,

full of keys

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2

Narcissistic …

… Pastor,

covered in rings

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3

Charming …

… Poet,

masked and stoic

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4

Unseen …

followed by black cats

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5

Stone-faced …

broken and wasting

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6

Lip-sewn …

… Thought-whisperer,

loved by all

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7

Cannibal …

… Caretaker,

back from the grave

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8

Black Disk’s …

who water cannot touch

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Mocking …

… Prisoner,

afraid of daylight

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‘No one’, cult-hating …

… Carpenter,

arm- and legless

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… Shadow creeper, … Executor,

… Child,

Headquarters

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d10

1.  Dim Schleswig sewers. 2. A mong the oldest, most obscure Grift temples.

5.  Bonfire camps 6. A  granite Bergen in the coldest Chrypt peak piercing Kergüs crevices. the dying skies. 7.  A Graven-Tosk murder-maze mausoleum. 9. A t the spelldead center of the Valley of the Unfortunate Undead.

3. M eadows of Strange Mist in Sarkash.

8.  In the murky bog where Lake Onda merges with Targ-Dungel.

4. B eneath the Beneath in Galgenbeck.

10.  The blackest of Alliáns cathedrals.

IN ORDER TO REACH THE SHIMMERING FIELDS, ONE MUST ... d20 1. b ake Blutday bread with a bipedal’s blood. 2.  in strong trees, hang living corpses upside down. 3. l ock strangers in torture catacombs where no one dies. 4. w ear nothing but the hair of strangers. 5. c ompletely numb all senses to know the Truth. 6.  build portals with the bones of 77 humans. ave servants erect 7. h the Tallest Tower.* 8.  kill the youngest one in an unknown party. 9. s et all clothes ablaze. The gods of the stars must see you in the flesh. 10. n ever speak aloud the name of a living soul. 11. g ive all silver to the deep well of underworlds. 12. t alk only in riddles. Come night, you can speak clearly again.

declare all Omens to 13.  the Nech-a-bebul Oracle. Hate those who refuse. 14. n ever hurt monkeys and always ride with donkeys, for they are holy. 15. e very week, sacrifice the oldest member and recruit two new ones. 16. d ig deep pits and keep undead (and a few living) prisoners. 17. k eep a diet of herbs, meat and drugs. 18. w alk barefoot and feel the mesmerizing strings from below. Some accept sandals. 19. n ever do honest work during the time of day. 20. t ie the legs with itching ropes and always walk slowly.

* many cults claim to have built the tallest one

They Truly Hate... d20

1.  an outsider’s wise, condescending words. 2. t he Two-Headed Basilisks, brutes and false prophets all. scrolls. Living Words of Power 3.  imprisoned in pathetic parchment. 4. V erhu claiming to be the head of Truth. All hubris and pride. 5. b right light and loud voices. SHUT UP! 6.  a nearby life cult constantly threatening to occupy this area. 7.  intruders hesitant to embrace the one trve cvlt. 8.  all kinds of birds; wings give the cult an inferiority complex. 9. a nyone of noble or, worse yet, royal lineage, AKA blasphemous blue bloods. 10. t hose not obsessed with tribulation. You waste such good suffering. 11. a nyone carrying pitiful signs or sigils. (Only the cult’s are worthy.) 12. b ragging, boastful words. We, on the other hand, never boast. 13. l istening to stories from the world outside this true one. 14. a  face unsinged, too good for the flames. 15.  those who care for children. 16. a lcohol, smoke and prepared meat. 17. i ntruders hesitant to embrace the one trve cvlt. (yeah, same as 7) 18. s pineless deserters and filthy gutterscum. 19. p ale ones, earthbound and weird wickheads unpierced by spikes. 20. n othing, really … or maybe funeral fog and a freezing moon. This is a place of harmony, love and kindness. Come, join the Circle of Euphoria. And rejoice! Your nails all got chewed off.

HERETIC

In MBC

:

Seeds of a Cvlt* First

fold

Sacrilegious Songbird Page Graves Left Wanting Page You Are Cursed Page

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Unheroic Feats Page

Shedding Vicar Page

10 14

Bloat Page

The Merchant Page

Sepulchre of the Swamp Witch Page Borg Bitor* Page

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3

45

Rotten Nurse* Page

32 36

12

Blackpowder Weapons for the Rich and Foolhardy

BWFTRAF Page

The Bone Bowyer Page 62

Nurse The Rot* Last

44 58

fold

MÖRK BORG is a mistake made by Pelle Nilsson and Johan Nohr. The content in this zine is made by a lot of terribly talented people. by Pelle Nilsson. All art and graphic Items marked with * are written design by Johan Nohr except where noted otherwise. Proofreading and editing by Walton Wood, Fiona Maeve Geist (MRC) and Jarrett Crader (MRC).

MÖRK BORG and MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC are © Ockult Örtmästare Games & Stockholm Kartell. It is published by Free League Publishing. Check out www.morkborg.com for more content. Back cover poem is by Pelle Nilsson, edited by Philip Bilbee Printed by Livonia Print, Latvia 2021

ISBN 978–91–89143–54–8

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OPTIONAL ADVANCEMENT RULES BY JOHNNY CARHAT 3

UNHEROIC FEATS

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Roll d66 or gain a Feat as a narrative achievement. 11. Assassin’s Deathblow A ½rm grip. A sharp knife. That’s all it takes for someone to disappear into the alleys of Galgenbeck. You’ve become adept at it over the years. Test Strength DR12 to grapple an unaware foe and automatically crit with a one-handed bladed weapon.

12. Battle-Hardened Deathspeaker You were called to battle not for your prowess with blade and shield, not for your speed and might, but because the words you speak bring death to your enemies. When getting better, if not using an optional class, you may instead gain a Feat. You may also gain an additional Feat each time you get better (maximum 3). Consult your GM on how Feats are gained. Options include: randomly, choosing or through specific narrative achievements. Choosing Feats allows you to make specific character builds. E.g., choosing Party Chef, Inspired Storyteller and Outback Survivalist allows you to create a powerful support character that buffs your party whenever making camp.

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You may wield Powers while wearing medium armor. You may take this Feat a second time to also include heavy armor.

13. Beastly Scholar You study the beasts of the land, gutting them and spilling viscera to uncover the world's secrets. You may scry and see the future in an animal’s innards. Gain an Omen for every 10 HP the beast had but never more than your maximum Omens. Usable once per animal type. The beast’s innards may also provide enlightening information.

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

UNHEROIC FEATS

14. Bloodied Knuckles

21. Bone Crafter

Years of bare-knuckle ½ghting transformed your hands into deadly bludgeons. They are heavy with scars from the guilty and innocent.

You don’t believe in letting things go to waste, including the fallen.

Your unarmed attacks deal d6 damage and ignore light armor. You may take this Feat a second time, increasing to d8 damage and ignoring medium armor, and a third time to d10 damage and ignoring all armor. Fumbling an unarmed attack means you break a hand, dealing the damage to yourself. You must seek out a specialist to help you set your bones.

15. Blood Pact It’s a cruel world to be all alone in, but you’ve found a way to avoid this fate. Form a blood pact with a willing participant. You can communicate by thought, no matter the distance. This never goes away. Whatever one experiences, so does the other. This includes injury and death.

You can craft equipment of strangely high quality using a number of humanoid corpses: • a d6 weapon for 1 corpse’s worth of bones. • a shield for 5 corpses’ worth of bones. • light armor for 10 corpses’ worth.

22. Butcher You’ve hacked livestock and poultry into small pieces before. You know what makes them work and how they are made. Humans aren’t that di¼erent. When any ally dies near you, test Agility DR12 to perform rapid, life-saving surgery, rendering them broken instead. Should the person still die, you may make d4 rations out of the corpse.

16. Bloodthirsty Rage The rush of combat is addictive. You’re always chasing that high. It’s kill or be killed. You can’t stop to ask questions. When landing an attack that kills a creature, you must move and attack another (this may include allies), adding d6 damage for every creature slain. Your onslaught stops when you fail to kill and you fall to the ground exhausted, losing your next turn.

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UNHEROIC FEATS

23. Calm Killer

26. Fateful Visions

The knife or arrow that is most careful is deadliest. You have a sharp eye for gaps and cracks in armor.

The fates steer your journey across the dying world. One can only hope they lead to redemption, not destruction.

Once per turn when making a ranged or melee attack, you may reroll the damage dealt and keep the higher result.

24. Cat’s Eyes

Consume an Omen and spend a few moments in quiet meditation. Ask the GM a question pertaining to the current situation. You will be granted a bizarre vision that provides enlightening information. GM rolls a d4 in secret; on a 1, the vision is deceptive.

You looked up at the birds for a sign. Scattered bones, spilled entrails. For naught. But one day, you saw your fate in the eyes of a cat lurking in the shadows.

31. Iron Stomach

Perfect vision in darkness, but the clouded sun’s light burns your eyes. DR−2 presence when in darkness, DR+2 when in daylight, no matter how dim.

You may consume rotting, putrid flesh with a DR6 Toughness test. Others witnessing this may find it disgusting. Outcasts roll morale.

Staring into the eyes of a wild beast lets you feel whatever it is feeling.

32. First Strike

25. Dual Wielder You’re no trained soldier, but you think two weapons should help you kill twice as fast.  It hasn’t failed you yet. You suffer no penalty when attacking with two weapons: you roll both damage dice and combine the results.

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MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

When crops fail and livestock births inedible abominations, one learns to not be picky about food.

You believe the Shimmering Fields are for those who leap into battle, those ½rst to reap glory. Whether your side passes or fails the initiative roll, you may always act first if your action involves inflicting harm.

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

UNHEROIC FEATS

33. Gutsy Strike

41. Hyper-Awareness

You once saw a man decapitate a horse with a giant blade. It was less a sword and more a large slab of iron. When swinging your own sword, you can’t help but think of the beast’s vacant eyes.

You are paranoid, seeing danger in every shadow. Everything wants to kill you. You are jittery with bird-like movements.

When wielding zweihand weapons, you may swing with DR+2. If the attack lands, you add d6 to your damage. Missing allows your opponent to strike with an attack that you can defend against at DR+2.

34. Harbinger of Misery

You can never be the victim of a surprise attack. Additionally, your side takes the initiative on 3+.

42. Immortal Memory You are haunted by the memories of those who have fallen. Even if their spirits have moved on and their bodies are dust, their memories linger for eternity.

You feel a dark blessing course through your veins. You have dedicated yourself to the black disk that will block out the sun.

Whenever encountering a place of great suffering, you may relive the tragedy through a lingering memory.

Gain 4 maximum Omens instead of 2. As long as you live, the GM rolls two Misery dice every day.

There’s a 1/20 chance things become all too real. You suffer the same fate in reality. This might cause creatures and Powers to reappear.

35. Herbalist Healer You spent what seemed like an eternity under the haze-½lled apprenticeship of a master herbalist. You left with a new outlook on life and a few extra skills. Once per day, you may scrounge to find the necessary herbs and flora to create an infection-curing elixir that also heals d4 HP. Test Presence DR12 to attempt this treatment. Failing instead creates a toxin dealing d4 damage.

36. Horrific Growth Maybe it was something you ate, or a Power had grown malevolent. Whatever it is, you can’t get rid of it. You violently grow an extra arm (and hand). It functions just like your other arms and can grip things just fine. Other people see it as a sign of evil.

43. Inspired Storyteller Your tales bring joy and smiles to everyone around you even in the bleakest of times. All of it is lies, of course, but who cares? Test Presence DR9 whenever resting to weave a compelling tale. Increase the DR+1 for every additional audience member. Success allows everyone to gain an Omen. None can exceed their maximum number of Omens.

44. Leech An acquired taste. Or perhaps a disease. Maybe a curse. An eternal thirst. Blood heals and sustains you. A pint heals d4 HP. You may still eat regular food, but you suffer the effects of starvation after one day.

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UNHEROIC FEATS

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

45. Likeable There’s something about your smile. The way you comport yourself. How you speak. You’re best described as approachable. It’s weird. Whenever a reaction roll is made, roll 3d6 and keep the highest two dice.

46. Living Armor You’ve survived war because of cold steel that was scarred so that you may live. It’s become a part of you, and you’ve learned to carry its burden. Remove the Agility penalty for the armor you are currently wearing. This does not affect your defence rolls. You may not remove your armor without painfully dying. This also happens if it breaks. Repairing it is possible but very painful.

51. Lucky Fate? Sounds ominous. You prefer luck. Good things always seem to happen to you. This has lulled you into a false sense of security. How long will this last? You do not have any Omens, and no Omens can be spent to influence your rolls. Instead, you always roll 2d20 for your tests and pick the highest result. However, you still fumble if either of them comes up as 1. Your luck must run out eventually. 8

52. Mortal Draw Your blade hungers—sated only with blood. Once drawn, it demands it, punishing you for failing. Your first attack always deals max damage, assuming it hits. If you miss, your opponent may attack you. This can be defended against at DR+2.

53. Negotiator You abhor con¦ict. A paci½st by nature, sometimes it’s best to try de-escalating the situation. Some call you a coward. Test Presence, DR6 + opponents’ highest morale. Success means the fighting stops. For now.

54. Outback Survivalist Time spent in the harsh wilderness taught you how to thrive. Small comforts can be made even in this bleak world. Test Presence DR9 to create a comfortable campsite. DR+1 for every additional person it shelters. When resting at this camp, everyone recovers 2d6 HP instead of d6.

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

UNHEROIC FEATS

55. Party Chef

63. Reckless Attacker

You’ve mastered the art of cooking slop and are able to turn the most horrid of food somewhat palatable.

Overzealous, constantly making bad calls, an extremely poor sense of judgement. But you’ve lived this long, so you must be doing something right.

Test Presence a meal when resting. additional servings. may stretch a single the entire party; on ration is spoiled.

DR9 to cook DR+1 for any On success, you ration to feed failure, the

56. Piper You speak with rats: whistling allows you to attract d4 of them. They might not have reliable information but are always happy to converse.

You may attack the same target twice on your turn. Missing the second attack allows your opponent to make an attack that you can defend against at DR+2.

64. Shield Breaker You know that the moment an opponent is at their most vulnerable is right after they’ve attacked.

61. Power Word

Whenever you use your shield to block all incoming damage, you may attempt a counter-attack with +3 damage.

The powers-that-be whisper dark secrets in your ears wherever you walk. Their incessant chittering never gives you peace.

65. Skinner

You innately know one random sacred or unclean Power. Additionally, once you have read a scroll, you may carve its esoteric glyphs into your flesh and wield it without the scroll. Every night, there is 1/20 chance you accidentally wield a Power in your sleep—with a 1-in-6 chance of fumbling.

62. Predatory Sense Somewhere along your bloodline, wickedness was introduced. Its in¦uence is thin within your blood but ever-present. You have a keen sense of smell when it comes to humans. You can sniff individuals out from a room away, identify someone, and even track them easily with a DR12 Presence test.

Your skin crawls and itches, constantly scabbing and foul. The skin of others brings you momentary solace. You may wear the skin of a creature you recently killed to disguise yourself. You look, sound and even smell like them. The skin decays after d4 hours, and you revert back to your normal, wretched form.

66. Vile Blood Something about your blood is wrong. It’s more akin to a corpse's putrid ichor. Whenever a creature attacks you with a biting attack and hurts you, it is poisoned. It suffers d4 damage for d6 rounds. Additionally, should you suffer an infection, roll a d2. On a 2, you are not infected.

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Begins with 4d6×10s and d2 Omens. HP: Toughness + d6

A deal was struck (d6) 1  In an outhouse just outside Grift. 2  Hiding from guards in Galgenbeck. 3  In a Wästland noble’s bedchamber. 4 Dreaming in a disremembered ditch. 5  In a Schleswig prison cell. 6  Minutes from freezing to death on the way to Alliáns.

Abilities Your amplified personality makes up for a soul bartered, roll 3d6+2 for Presence. A hard life lived has you set for an early grave, roll 3d6-2 for Toughness. Roll d6 on the weapons table and d3 on the armor table. You carry an aura of unnatural charm everywhere you go, capable of unsettling foes and calming friends; spend a use of your daily Powers to add or subtract d6 to any Morale check. When you made your life-and-soulaltering deal, you were gifted one (1) of the following accursed instruments:

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Always the bringer of unwelcome sounds, your vocation as a bard left you destitute and disreputable … until the rueful day when a being of impious character made you the deal of a lifetime. Your soul may be screaming, but your throat sings sweetly, and your purse ever sweeter. A small price to pay.

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This amalgamation of sown, hairy gutsacks features extruding bone pipes for you to blow on. When doing so, listeners of your choosing are filled with unearthly hunger as if they had starved for a week.

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SACRILEGIOUS Songbird

1. G U T PI PE S OF DE ST I N Y

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Cranking this stringed thing of wood and gore emits a droning sound that hurts the ears of creatures that fail a DR12 Presence test. The first round played, it deals d2 damage, increasing to d4 and beyond on subsequent rounds. 3. S PI NA L H U S K

When anyone hits this drum made from a hellion’s shell, roll 2d6: 6+  Everyone except you tests Agility DR14 or falls prone. 11  Choose d4 creatures that can hear your drumming. Their spines break like twigs. You cannot use the drum again today. 12  Your ears won’t stop ringing; you are deaf for the next 24 hours. Also doubles as a shield. 4. T H E DEV I L’ S AQU I F ER

The horn of a beelzebubonic creature from the deepest depths of the Endless Sea. When blown, your enemies’ lungs fill with seawater should they fail a DR14 Toughness test; a round must be spent expelling it before doing anything else. 5. MOU T H-TO -MOU T H ORGA N

Play this bony mouth harp to make a broken listener instantly recover d4 HP. They cannot speak until their HP is fully recovered. 6. LU T E OF T H E AC U T E BRU T E

When strummed, the sound of this axeshaped (d8 damage) instrument makes the Strength and Presence score of anyone hearing it swap for the next d6 days. Repeated listening has no effect.

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Begins with 1d6×10s and d4 Omens. HP: Toughness + d4

Your First Peel (2d6) Who? 1 Cult leader

What and why? From fingernail to armpit for assault

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Abusive parent

Ear to ear, over closed eyes for coveting

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Skindealer

De-gloved hand for theft

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Grift trader

From heel to buttocks for evasion and lies

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Lone goblin Sarkash hermit

Face removed for vanity Mark of the Heretic on back for blasphemy

Abilities Covered in wounds and on the edge of death, roll 3d6-2 for Agility. Monstrously unnerving, roll 3d6+2 for Presence. Roll d8 on the weapons table. You can never wear armor or coverings. Pain is either a stranger or your constant companion; regardless, you are not bothered by any amount of it. You begin with d2 unclean scrolls and one of the following blessings: 12

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Armor is weak, clothing a sin, and skin an abhorrent vanity. King Sigfum’s hubris needs to be stripped from the lands, from our bodies. As skin is shed and scabs peeled, the day when the wounds don’t heal is the beginning, and we must seekabsolution. Thefirstpeel is alwaysTHEWORST,butremember:attheENDof PAINliesTHEPROMISEOFtrueVINDI C A T I O N .

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A FLAYING CLASS

K Once daily, you may pull a thread of skin from the top of your head to an extremity. It is elastic and tough and may be used as, for R O example, d10 ft. V E D of rope or a whip (d6, DR10 to hit, breaks if it does maximum damage).

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Shedding Vicar

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Peel a slab of your skin, lowering your Toughness d3. The bloodied side is marked with henious glyphs functioning as a random unclean scroll. Should your Toughness reach -6 this way, you die. You may reattach and dispel the slab to regain the lost Toughness. 3. A FA I R BA RT ER

Shed skin or scab to tap into a higher power. Trade 1 HP damage for +1 to a test roll, maximum 3. 4. BLO OD EAGL E

Your broken back births a black eyed, viscera-covered wing-demon who seeks eyes to feast upon. Each time the Blood Eagle attacks a target, roll d6, plucking d2 eyes from the target on a 4-6. A 1–3 means the hawk is captured; try again next round. A second 1–3 means the hawk is killed and cannot be summoned again. 5. HOLY MOU LT I NG

You twist away and out of your wretched skin, entering the world anew, uncovered and glistening red. This way, you may escape grapples and shackles or reduce the damage of an incoming attack to 1. Once freed of your skin, your Strength is reduced by d3 (minimum -6) until re-donned. 6. BLO OD T R A I L

The scent of blood always finds you, and you it. You are able to track another Shedding Vicar or any wounded creature who has passed by within the past week.

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GRAVES LEFT WANTING

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

An immense cemetery, older and greater than memor y, Graven-Tosk sits in Sarkash like a festering scab. To the east, the Shadow King’s manse looms always, impossibly equidistant. Although abandoned since the palace's ruination, bodies somehow keep finding their way inside. All the while, living and unliving attempt to claw their way out.

A BIT OF METANO IA

• This adventure is intended as a starting point of your campaign, a one-shot or a post-TPK adventure. • Due to its massive size and unsettling nature, even PCs familiar with other parts of the cemetery are oblivious to this adventure’s locales. • Have the players awaken in the Plague Pit, in coffins under suffocating earth or wherever you deem appropriate.

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• There isn’t a defined ending or clear escape path. Once the Undertaker’s Hut is explored, the players should plan a potential getaway or be hopelessly lost. Add a more obvious exit or method of escape if you feel that would end their misery. It won’t.

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

GRAVES LEFT WANTING

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GRAVES LEFT WANTING

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MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

THE S TR A NGLY TR E E

OW AD ER H EW E S TH G'S S N KI

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MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

GRAVES LEFT WANTING

Map of the Graveyard (NO T T O S C A L E)

Pl a c e s m a y no t b e whe r e t he y a p p e a r.

When traveling the graveyard, roll a d4:

THE C OL A NDE R RO OM

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GRAVES LEFT WANTING

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

Graveyard THE

Walking purposefully is hard in the fog. Winding paths seem bent on leading fools astray. Traveling between places takes 15 minutes. roll for a random encounter each time. Once all four locations are visited, the next path leads to the Undertaker’s Hut. The Roach Herder knows which way to go.

Walking the Trails... (d4) 1.

The Strangly Tree (p. 29).

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d4 Rotted Skeletons skulking.

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The Plague Pit (p. 22).

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a ghastly Widow-Wraith.

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The Origin Fountain (p. 25).

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d4 Unbred Mutts digging.

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Maus’ Vomatorium (p. 24).

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d4 Half-Billed Ravens.

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d4 Hungry Zombies eating.

6–10.

A random PC experiences Sensory Strangeness:

What You Know about Graven-Tosk (d6, roll for each PC)

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Random Encounter (d10)

1.

 magical barrier stops the A dead from leaving. (false)

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he place is growing warmer. T (true)

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he graveyard is full; no one T uses it anymore. (maybe)

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he dead sleep well to a T magical instrument’s music. (false)

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It’s inescapable. (maybe)

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he mist plays tricks on T the mind. (true)

Sensory Strangeness (d8) 1.

The muffled sound of scratching.

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Is everyone walking backwards?

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A wind chills the spine yet makes you sweat.

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An invisible breathing behind your left/right ear (50%).

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That cherub just looked at you.

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The sudden smell of wet dog.

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Did something grab your hand just now?

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You could swear there were more of you. Where’s Skruggs?

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

GRAVES LEFT WANTING

WIDOW-WRAITH

HUNGRY ZOMBIE

HP 15, Morale Icy touch d4 + special Special Her sobbing alerts anyone to her presence; she always loses initiative. Touch drains Strength, Presence, and Agility by 1 for the fight’s duration.

HP 6, Morale Leather scraps -d2, Claw/Bite d2 + special Special Test Toughness DR8 or die turning into a zombie after 2 days.

ROTTED SKELETON

UNBRED MUTT

HALF-BILLED RAVEN

HP 5, Morale 7, Knuckles d2 Special Whenever it takes damage, a puff of vile marrow-dust leaks from its broken bones. Melee attackers test Toughness DR10 or become infected.

HP 8, Morale Bite d6

HP 2, Morale Beak/Choking tongue d4/special Special Test Agility DR12 or take d4 damage/round until Strength DR14 succeeds or the raven dies.

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MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

THE

Plague Pit Repugnant smell. Illuminated by moonlight the color of sour milk. Encircled by soupy fog whose tendrils occasionally creep down. • Corpses at differing stages of decay. • Any direction: The Graveyard. • West: Ruin-tunnel to Erhard’s Tomb.

Erhard's Tomb Stale, warm air. Dark. Floor covered in drifting fog. • Standing sarcophagus (sealed). • Flanked by two unlit torches. • North: Narrow crawlspace to Catacomb Corridor. • East: Tunnel to Plague Pit. • South: Tunnel to Colander Room.

Loot the Bodies (d6, roll twice)

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1.

3d10 silver.

2.

d4 seemingly edible rations of dried meat.

3.

Pendant featuring a portrait of a mouthless man.

4.

Rusted but functional shortsword (d4 damage).

5.

10' rope with noose still firmly tied.

6.

Pouch of white powder (win the next initiative roll automatically). Contains d6 doses.

Open the Sarcophagus Test Strength DR18 reduced by 2 for each assistant. Failure means everyone involved takes d4 damage as the lid falls open. Inside: a man’s odorless corpse in near perfect condition, wearing fine silk clothes. The skin is waxy, malleable like dough and very flammable. Digging into the body reveals an iron skeleton, a fist-sized ruby inside the ribcage.

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

GRAVES LEFT WANTING

THE

C OL A NDE R R O OM Half-lit by moonbeams piercing miniscule holes in stone and dirt. Long worms of mist droop and drip from the ceiling. The sound of chattering teeth. • Circular chamber with a ceiling pierced by thousands of tiny holes. • Three Fogbound Skeletons wrapped in foggy coils sit at a stone table, arguing. • On the table: a locked metal strongbox. • North: Tunnel to Erhard’s Tomb. • East: Earth tunnel to Maus’ Vomitorium. UNHEARD VOICES

The Fogbound Skeletons speak with elongated tongues of mist, soundless save the unmistakable clatter of tooth against tooth. One waves an elaborate key-like dagger in a bony hand.

The Skeleton Unkey Attempting to grab the dagger or strongbox makes the skeletons hostile. The dagger (d4) is usable as a key that opens any lock. Things unlocked this way lead to unexpected, rarely convenient places.

FOGBOUND SKELETON HP 7, Morale 8, No armor, Weapon of condensed fog d4 Special Shatters if an attack deals 5+ damage, but otherwise, damage is reduced to 1.

Strongbox, Unlocked by Unkey (d4) 1. Full of flowing, cold water. 2. Reveals a PC’s beating heart. 3. Releases a ray of dazzling light. 4. Contains red sand. If opened by other means, the strongbox contains 200 silver coins.

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Maus’ Vomatorium Acid's sour smell permeates the air. Illuminated by sickly glowing puddles of green and yellow gall. The sound of a boiling pot. • Ornate stone-walled chamber. • Flagstone f loor eroded by pools of gall. • Two rows of columns hold the chamber’s buckling ceiling. • A marble coffin on a raised dais, leaking yellow gall from a bubbling lid. • North: Stone doors and staircase to surface. • West: Collapsed wall to Colander Room. THE NOBLEWOM AN & THE WITCH

The legendary bard-made-noble Fela Maus was cursed by a bog hag after neglecting to fulfill her part of a longforgotten occult enterprise. The sour stomach broth corrodes f lesh, but not bone, in minutes (d6 damage/ round).

24

Opening the Coffin The dais is covered in flowing gall. Walking up to the coffin surely results in burnt flesh and ruined shoes. Floating in the wicked liquid are Maus’ bones and the heresyinscribed cursed organ (and Maus’ favorite instrument), THE ROSEATE BARITONA, desecrated by the bog hag.

A Corrupted Horn of Roses A human-sized ivory horn bedecked with Maus’ family’s skulls and bound in magical entrails. When blown, it spews a noise that forces listeners to test Toughness DR10 or vomit acid, taking d6 damage. Blower beware.

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

GRAVES LEFT WANTING

THE

Catacomb Corridor Dark and deadly quiet. Balmy and unventilated. • Stretching North to South. • Toothless skeletons rest in dusty niches along the walls. • Three large urns on the floor. • Lamp thrown on the ground. • North: Tunnel to the Roach Herder’s Lair. • East: Crawlspace to Erhard’s Tomb through broken niche wall. • South: Staircase to Origin Fountain.

Open an Urn (d4) 1. Teeth, just teeth. 2. Rotted books and tube containing a random unclean scroll. 3. Decomposing corpse. A TwiceGrown Corpse Fly bursts out of the soft skull, looking for food.

Origin Fountain The smell of stagnant water. Whispers of laughing children. • A grand rectangular fountain, decorated and ancient. • Cherubs vomiting mist. • Two statues at the fountain’s crest are holding a stone jar. • A bridge of protruding pillars leads across the mist to a stone door. • North: Door and steps to Catacomb Corridor.

Reaching the Door Test Agility DR12 or slip on a pillar, falling into the mist. The cherubs laugh. Moments later, the PC wakes in the Catacomb Corridor, toothless and aged, head spinning with a lifetime of memories not quite their own. In this withered body, their abilities are 1 lower than they remember.

4. Lamp oil. Enough for 4d6 hours. TWICE-GROWN CORPSE FLY HP 4, Morale -, Exoskeleton -d4 Bite d4 + special Special Test Toughness DR12 or become host for a dozen freshly laid fly eggs. Extract them within d6 days or watch them hatch in your corpse.

The Jar To reach it, test Agility DR16 or fall into the mist. Contains NOSTALGIA GRUEL, enough to restore two people to their prime by increasing all abilities +1.

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GRAVES LEFT WANTING

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MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

GRAVES LEFT WANTING

THE

Roach Herder's Lair Hot and humid. Rancid sweat's stink clings to the nostrils. Sound of rushing water from the North.

• Covered in debris and things stolen from nameless graves and tombs. • An occupied throne of trash and would-be valuables. • Roaches, meaty and otherwise, sit and scurry on the shit-stained f loor. • North: Archway and tunnel to the Shadow King’s Sewer. • West: Tunnel to the Catacomb Corridor.

THE RECLUSE OF REFUSE

The Roach Herder, a graverobber made hermit, sits on his throne, roach whip in grubby hand. After being unable to escape the cursed graveyard, his party members eventually died, leaving him terribly alone. Now he breeds cockroaches, hoping to hatch one big enough to f ly him back to the city he once rejected.

Recruiting the Roach King His breeding endeavours so far without triumph, the Roach Herder is keen to attach himself to the party, hoping they’ll secure his escape. An insecure liar and untrustworthy narcissist who values his own skin above all else. The Roach Herder offers to guide them to the Undertaker’s Shack.

THE ROACH HERDER HP 4, Morale 5, Bite d4 + special or Barbed Roach Whip d6 Special Test Toughness DR12 or become infected.

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THE

S H A D OW K I NG ' S S EWE R The air carries petrichor as icecold droplets splash warm stone. Words are drowned by pitch-black water deafeningly crashing past. • Stone tunnel amputated by a river of frothing and rushing water heading North and West. • north: Nothing but cold, hard rock. • South: Tunnel and archway to the Roach Herder’s Lair. • Above: Hatch and rope to the Strangly Tree. Someone standing on another’s shoulders could reach.

The currents are strong! Anyone touching the water must test Strength DR14 or be swept away. They drown before long. Rotten coffins or makeshift rafts would surely be crushed before reaching the ocean.

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MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

GRAVES LEFT WANTING

THE

Strangly Tree

A wind blows through wheezing branches, chilling the air and carrying decay 's smell far away. • A huge tree, long since leafless. • Branches groaning from a dozen hanging bodies’ weight. • Nooses sway excitedly in the wind. • Above, a wooden door just big enough to crawl through, firmly planted at the top of a rickety plank ladder. • Any direction: The Graveyard. • Below: Rope to the Shadow King’s Sewer.

INSIDE THE TREE

Going through the door reveals the tree is hollow, a long rope attached somewhere far above leads somewhere far below. Climbing the rope weighs it down, causing the nooses outside to pull on their corpses with every movement. A macabre marionette show.

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MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

THE

Undertaker’s Hut The intermingled smell of wet lumber and rotting flesh. Light flees through the cracks of a closed window shutter. Muffled voices are audible inside.

• Stone hut with a thatched roof and walls covered in creeping vines. • Outside: piles of logs, a dozen barrels, and half as many freshly made coffins. • A robed woman’s body in an open grave, beside her a worn shovel. • Behind the hut: a small garden, overgrown.

STEIN, a Grift merchant HP 2, Morale 8, No armor, Shortsword d4 Carries a purse containing 50 silver BENZEN, a Schleswig guard HP 3, Morale 9, Leather -d2, Crossbow d8 Carries 10 bolts ARGA, a Galgenbeck priest HP 4, Morale 10, Scale -d4, Staff d4 Carries a random sacred scroll

30

THE DEADN’ T

The Undertaker dug graves and made coffins. She buried corpses and left them to rot. Some refused to do so quietly. Some, she silenced herself. Some died. Some didn’t. The Deadn’t are living, breathing people—like the PCs—who, by chance or fate, found themselves alive. They made it to the hut, proceeding to confront the Undertaker in order to escape. She refused to cooperate, so they killed her. Unable to leave, they’ve decided to stick around. THE ENCOUNTER

When the PCs arrive, the Deadn’t are inside the hut, assigning chores and arguing about first watch. They’re friendly enough and invite the PCs to join them in settling down.

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

GRAVES LEFT WANTING

A ND TH E N:

A Twist of Fate

At some point during the Deadn't encounter, the air grows suddenly chill and the ever-present flies' buzzing seems strangely distant. Neck hairs stand on the edge of an impossible abyss as the fog swirls around the uncovered grave.

THE ÜBERTAK ER

Rising, f loating a few feet above the ground, is the Undertaker’s body. The face is gaunt, eyes sunken and filled with a mad purple fire. Rune-covered robes swirl around grim feet, the shovel a fiery polearm of doom. Upon festering, the Undertaker’s body and vengeful mind hosted a being both lesser and greater than human, a servant of a faraway underworld: an Übertaker. This creature is concerned with one thing—to bring people back below dirt.

THE ÜBERTAKER HP 27, Morale -, Barrier (palefire) -d4 Performs a random action each round (d4:) COURGE TAKE YOU Creatures in melee 1. S range take d4 damage EHOLD THE POWER Its next attack 2. B deals maximum damage O REPROACH Appears next to random 3. N creature and swings the shovel (Defense DR14, d6 damage) EST IS NOW Skeletal hands pull a 4. R creature into the ground (prone + test Strength DR14 or d8 damage) When targeted by healing powers, the Übertaker loses rather than recovers HP. Upon destruction, the torn robes can be rolled up and used as an Unclean Scroll (BEHOLD THE POWER, d4 creatures’ next attacks deal maximum damage).

31

1. VESTIBULE

Tight crawlspace (armor won’t fit) dug by a ratbadger leads to a set of stairs to the vestibule: • Pitch black. Stinks. White fungus. • The ratbadger is still here: HP 5, Morale 9, Tough hide –d2, Nasty bite d4 • Debris (and d10 silver) on the floor. • A search reveals a mosaic Discarded of bloated people in robes and bones bizarre headdresses enjoying a massive feast.

A GLUTTONOUS DUNGEON Written by Greg Saunders Original map design by Dyson Logos

THE TALE

Doors are stone slabs carved with reliefs of a great feast. Easily moved.

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Moldy curtain If not found This is where automatons are stored search or Pres and created in huge vats of rendered a falling block fat. Empty ceramic humanoid figures d6 damage. and parts are strewn on the floor. • Smell of fat, blood and offal. • The two original automatons animate others by pouring bodily fluids into their empty heads. • Anyone entering who is not an automaton is taken to the Larder for processing.

5. AUTOMATON STORAGE

U

Silas, a vagabond, sought shelter from a storm in a large animal burrow. To his surprise, he found a set of stairs leading to an underground labyrinth once housing an obscure cult of bacchanalian priests dedicated to a goddess of fat and plenty. In the chapel, he found a beautiful knife and fork and a statue that compelled him to use them... The Gourmand’s Cutlery allows the wielder to eat anything, which is good as the user becomes famished and must eat. Luckily, everything tastes wonderful! Silas is overcome—all he wants to do is eat, so he has compelled the labyrinth’s automatons to feed him. As Silas accepted the statue’s offering, it animated two f leshy ceramic automatons to serve him, and now they are creating more of their kind! They are kidnapping people to feed to their Fattened King. Perhaps the disappeared villagers’ relatives or lords have asked the PCs to find and rescue them? Or did B O R G the PCs find the C K hole when hiding R from brigands or inquisitors? Perhaps they are even looking for the vagabondturned-FattenedO N King Silas? V E D C O

Fleshy Automatons Ceramic bile-filled golems. Smell of rot, meat and decay. • If knocked over, spill their contents and deactivate. • HP 8, Morale -, Ceramic –d4, Violent shove d6

Slimy, stinking passage

2. ROTTING LARDER

Here the fleshy automatons prepare gourmet feasts for Silas and render down substance for themselves. • 3 automatons looking for suitable ingredients. • Smell of rotting flesh. • Huge trenchers full of decayed meat, offal, clothes and blood. Tiny salad leaves for garnish.

3. SEWAGE PIT 4. CHAPEL OF FILTH

e d6 captured Here the fleshy automatons forc ue of an villagers to pray before a stat opal eyes. imposing, corpulent woman with of rancid waste • The statue stands in a pool is awful. from the sewage pit. The smell ence DR14 Pres test : eyes opal • Look into the in room 6 or be compelled to visit Silas and offer yourself for dinner. as priests. • 3 automatons are here, acting

Fountain of sweet water

hides tripwire. (describe the ence DR14), deals

The fleshy automatons deposit Silas’ collected filth in this stream. Sadly, as reality breaks, this gunk has been imbued with a life of its own. • Debilitating stench makes all tests DR+2. • The animated waste cannot be killed, only temporarily dissipated by enough water. Leaves a horrendous stench. HP -, Morale -, No armor, Fecal acid burn d4 • The only thing Silas can’t digest is metal; beneath the sludge are d6 silver and a long, curved knife shaped like a tongue (d6 damage, on a hit makes the target ravenously hungry and desperately thirsty, must eat and drink within the hour or die).

6. THE FATTENED KING

Redolent in travesty, Silas’ bloated form fills this chamber. Too large to fit through the door, instead he waits for the fleshy automatons to feed him. The Gourmand’s Cutlery commanding them looks tiny in his swollen, greasy hands. • HP 20, Morale 9, No armor, Cutlery d4 + engulf • Engulf: when hit by Silas, test Strength DR10 or be partially swallowed for d6 chewing damage. • Flatulence: when Silas takes damage, he loses bodily control. All in the room test Toughness DR14 or gag for d3 rounds, increasing all tests by DR+2 (cumulative). 33

What now?

d20

1.  1.  You must kill a living You creature daily or you die come nightfall. A threefaced cadaver tells you this in a dream. 2. Y 2.  ou are cursed to always fail. Whenever you attempt something for the first time, roll three dice and pick the worst outcome.

11. Any tool you use breaks.

12.  Wherever you go, 12. the ghosts of your past friends, parents or mentors follow. They 4.  4.  You cannot see, hear or in any You won’t shut up about how way perceive living creatures much of a disappointment within 5 feet of you. and failure you are. 17.  17. Your voice is amplified by the sound of buzzing flies. 5. You cannot lie. 5. 13. Unintelligent 13. Unintelligent creatures In D In  D4+1 days, flies start always instinctively crawling out of your mouth. 6.  6. Blood seeps endlessly from your attack you. Intelligent palms and feet. The wounds do creatures dislike you. 18.  You 18. You cannot die. Your body not heal. You leave a crimson can still be broken, beaten, trail wherever you go. 14.  Black mold spreads in 14. crushed, pierced and mauled. your veins. You must lift And it still hurts. But you are 7.  7. You cannot talk normally, only the curse in D4 + 7 days never released from agony scream at the top of your lungs. or die. A ghost tells you until everything blackens each dawn how many and burns. 8. Slowly but surely, you are 8. remain. transformed into a giant 19.  Whenever you lie down to 19. cockroach. In D4+4 days, 15.  Wherever you go, black 15. sleep, it feels as if youʼre your body is insectoid, beyond cats follow in great drowning. Which you are. your control. After 3 more numbers. In 2D 2D6+4 days, Each morning, you vomit days, your mind is gone. a black goat comes to brine and youʼre not rested. you in your sleep and carries you away to 9.  9. Glass shatters violently 20.  You 20. You cannot feel joy, pleasure the Void Eternal. in your presence. or satisfaction. Life is miserable and pointless. 16. You cannot walk past 16. You amount to nothing. 10.  Your hands are covered in a 10. mud or filth without No one cares about you. black, tarry gunk that sticks rolling in it like a Also, now you’re cursed to everything you touch. swine. Washing hurts. with a headache. It’s highly flammable. 34 3. Y 3.  ou now trust everyone you meet. They instinctively know this.

by Johan Nohr

What is the price d10 for this knowledge? 1.

3d10 silver and a kiss.

2. A dangerous errand in a dangerous place. 3. A week of hard work. 4. Your darkest secret. 5. A single drop of blood. 6. Your soul. Whatever that means.

They say one can help you. Who? d10 1. Ketel-Erg, an eyeless hermit who once lifted a curse, they say. 2. Hukan II, penniless prince, once a curse-crafter himself. Now a wreck lost in malaise. 3. Ulv and Jóte, twin scryers at Anthelia’s Alliáns court. 4. Tüwold the Red. Former priest now rotting in King Fathmu’s dungeons for murdering dozens one crazed night. Claims to have been possessed by a devil. 5 . Hidden in the crypt of Iktin is a tome, “Souls of Distemper”, in which various anti-hex rituals are described. Derkan the trollkiller knows its location but will not go there. 6. Belt, young boy whispering untold, esoteric secrets in his sleep. Heavily guarded. 7. Völtu, witch of Meadow Death. She lives in the obsidian mouth of a lifelike giant statue. 8. Agan-Krit. To summon this demon, you must first burn an unclean scroll and inhale the smoke. There is no known way to banish it again. 9. Krugan of the Deathless Crag. This lich is guarded by a ghastly knight who won’t let any living being enter the cave. 10. Father 10. Father Calth, High Deacon of the Basilica of Gorgh. Will not see unbaptized people.

7. A human sacrifice. 8. Nothing. Or so they say. 9. Everything you own. 10. You trade it for another curse.

So how do I get rid of this? d12

1. Coat a mirror in a snake’s saliva. Pour ash and salt in a metal bowl. Watch yourself cry into it. 2. Sleep under the full moon wearing the flesh of a predator. 3. Create a spell-breaking talisman from a sinner’s skull and the wraith’s ectoplasm, then have a priest consecrate it. Carry this with you at all times. 4. For 3 nights, you must share the bed with an undead. You cannot touch. 5. Create a clay effigy of your mother and have a troll break it during a downpour. You must ignore the pain. 6. Go without food for 6 days and 6 nights. Then eat the heart of a sinner. 7. Murder an innocent in a cruel manner. Their ghost will haunt you forever. 8. Gather corpseweed, murk nail and wailer’s leaf; burn them with dried grass. Stand in the vapors and recite the Prophecy until you pass out. 9. Walk naked into the deepest, darkest room of a cursed place and return unscathed. Take nothing. Leave nothing. 10. Kill 10. Kill a person of royal blood and befriend one of their family members. 11. Sacrifice 11. Sacrifice three goats and a good dog to Nechrubel. 35 12. Swim 12. Swim alone in a dark lake on a moonless night. A being from Beyond will come and eat the curse. But whatever you do, do not

THE MERCHANT

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MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

THE MERCHANT

The Merchant A MYSTERIOUS PEDDLER

BY JOHNNY CARHAT Graphic design Johan Nohr  Art Joakim Hanner  Special thanks to Caleb C.

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Wretched

S

old Mikhael

aid to have come from a wealthy mercantile bloodline, Mikhael’s family were crucified before his eyes for a heretical crime long forgotten. A foul priestess extended her hand and offered him mercy: “Repent for the sins of your family and be forgiven by the Dark Spider, Harbinger of the End.” And so Mikhael was forgiven and cursed with damned eternal life. The mournful dead spit him out from blackened earth if ever he should die, for he has no place among them. Soon, Mikhael resumed his familyʼs trade, but time spent in the dead earth taught him that souls are just as valuable as silver. Eternally he wanders the dying world, bearing a grudge that too will never die. Mikhael only trades with heretics and outcasts. He has a distrust for villagers who would crucify him for being an unfortunate undead.

38

Mikhael the Merchant

HP 6  Morale 9  No armor  Staff d4 Eternal unlife: Should Mikhael die, all of his unsold possessions burst into black flames. The earth spits him out in d4 days. Willing to forgive the PCs the first time. Sells various items depending on where he is found. He is frequently found alone or with a wagon drawn by a white-eyed mule. Roll a d6 to see what he is selling on a particular day. If with his wagon, he also carries basic equipment. The cost of every item is a portion of your soul. Roll a d6: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

−1 Strength. −1 Presence. −1 Agility. −1 Toughness. −1 maximum HP. Roll twice on this table.

Mikhael also buys rare, magickal or extremely heretical items off you for a portion of a soul. Roll on the table above but ADD the result instead.

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

THE MERCHANT

39

THE MERCHANT

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

Tveland 1

Stone Dagger

2

D4 damage, test Strength DR12 to plunge the dagger into a living creature. The creature instantly turns to stone. If the dagger is removed, the creature springs back to life.

 ongue of a T False Prophet

Consuming the tongue allows you to cast Powers at DR6 for one day. Any failure results in an arcane catastrophe.

3

 wo-headed T Silver Ring

A silver ring in the shape of twin basilisk heads. Wearing this increases your crit and fumble range by one. You may wear multiple rings.

4

Vial of Goblin Ichor

Grows hot when goblins are about. Adding a drop of cursed blood causes the mixture to bead up, pointing in the direction of the goblin that cursed you.

5

6

athmask Galgenbeck De priest’s sarcophagus,

Stolen from an esteemed see how it placing it on a corpse allows you to ht with it. caug if theft tical here died. Considered 40

Wickhead Brain

When rubbed, emits light equivalent to a torch. Extremely fragile: if broken, everyone must test Toughness DR12 or be blinded for one round.

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

1

THE MERCHANT

Wästland

Pouch of Valley Vapors

Strange-smelling ashy vapors not made for living lungs. Opening the pouch and breathing in the vapors replenishes all your HP and cures infection but leaves you catatonic for D4 hours.

3

2

When spilled on the ground, ensures that no beast dares approach the area, allowing you to make safe camp. Might attract a territorial troll.

Fine but

Gaudy Clothing

Allows you to pass as nobility or as a moderately ranked official with a DR10 Presence test. Mercilessly mocked by common folk and outcasts. Bandits always attack you on sight.

5

Peasant’s Kuksa

A wooden cup carved from a fine birch burl. Any liquid scooped by the cup turns into adequate drinking water.

 ar of J Troll Piss

4

Pilgrim’s Compass

A small, bloodstaine d compass. Its needle always points to the most lif eendangering thing in the immediate vicini ty.

6

Lu  cky Fishing Spear

When thrown into a body of water, is guaranteed to strike a living creature. Instantly kills fish. Might strike much larger creatures. Damage d6.

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THE MERCHANT

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

Kergüs 2

1

Vial of Glowing Blue Blood

A vial of blue blood drawn from deep within Kergus itself. May be used as a poison; freezes the veins of any living creature solid, and they die painfully in D4 rounds. DR16 Toughness to resist.

4

3

 leaming Golden G Scalpel

A shining golden scalpel that is viciously sharp. DR8 to attack. D4 damage. You may attempt to surgically open a vein midcombat; impose a DR + penalty of your choosing to the attack. If you succeed, add that number to your damage.

Pleasing Green Cloak

A viridian cloak of unknown make. Protects against the elements remarkably well. You never feel too cold or too hot while wearing it. It is very itchy.

 ne-eyed, O One-legged, One-winged Gull Needs

Vibrant Red Ribbon

A crimson silk ribbon. When worn, all colour drains from your vision. The world is in black and white, but you do see living creatures’ pulsating heartbeats thumping with splashes of red. Allows you to see the living in complete darkness.

5

to be fed a ration every day. Squawks loudly and irritatingly. Utterly useless and never leaves your side. Allows you to reroll your Omens gained when resting. 42

6

Bright Yellow Flower

A sunny, sweet-smelling flower that doesn’t seem to wither. May be given as a token of affection to another person; they become extremely agreeable to the next thing you say.

MÖRK BORG CULT: HERETIC

1

THE MERCHANT

Grift Little Poppet

A small sack doll filled with hay. When in your possession, allows you to wield a unique Power: You peer into the mind of one person whose eyes you can see. You know their thoughts, their intentions and what their immediate next action will be.

2

Key Retrieved from the Múr

Any door opened with this blackened key leads to a 15' × 15' stone room. This room can only be opened from the outside. Living creatures trapped inside die after 24 hours due to a lack of oxygen.

3

Chip the Rat

Chip is an unusually intelligent rat who, upon purchase, will love you unconditionally, chittering in your ear and performing a dance on its hind legs to lift your spirits. HP 4, Morale – (loves you too much to leave), Bite D2 but always causes infection, No armor, Very Small, DR16 to hit.

Chip understands you and follows basic commands. Will also dance for your amusement; roll an additional D4 hp when resting.

4

Sorrowful Music Box

5

Hangman’s

A small music box with a crank. Plays extremely sad music. Those listening cannot lie unless they pass a DR12 Presence test. Those affected sob uncontrollably.

Rope

A 30' length of rope. Fuses permanently to whatever it is tied to. The rope is seemingly immune to all force. Nothing can undo its knots, and it cannot be severed.

6

Giant’s Chisel

D4 damage, a chisel-like tool the size of a shortsword. Instead of attacking, you may attempt to dislodge a part of an enemy’s armor with a DR14 Strength test. If you succeed, their armor is lowered by one tier.

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BLACKPOWDER WEAPONS FOR THE RICH AND FOOLHARDY

By Ian McClung

Expensive, exotic, and very loud, these strange weapons could hail from a number of infernal planes. Most blackpowder weapons are characterized by the following traits: Presence DR14 to hit.

DRAGON 2d4. Uses 2 shots per load. Deals full dam age in melee range or 1 damage die to each of two adjacent target s at range. One-handed. 200s

BASILISK GUN 2d10. Requires two people to carry and fire. 300s BLUNDERBUSS 2d6. Uses 2 shots per load. Deals full damage in melee range or 1 damage die to each of two adjacent targets at range. 250s

HEAVY ARQUEBUS d12. Takes two inventory slots. 240s

PEPPERBOX PISTOLET d4. Can be fired up to 6 times before being reloaded. Each chamber is reloaded separately. One-handed. 160s Remember 4 4 If you can buy them,

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LOUD. Lesser creatures might roll Morale when a shot is fired. Anything more intelligent will notice and investigate.

BLACKPOWDER BOMB 3d4. Roll another damage die on the result of 1. Repeat. 50s

RIBAULDEQUIN 6d6. Uses 9 shots per load. Roll an attack against every target in front of you then divide damage by the total number of targets or 3, whichever’s higher. Round up. d4+3 minutes to reload. Takes 2 inventory slots. 600s CANNON 4d10. Must be rolled around using a pack animal (or very strong person). Action to aim, action to fire. Two separate characters can do each action on their turn. Deals d8 damage to the idiot standing directly behind it when fired. d4+1 minutes to reload. 1000s so can everyone else.

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A SCENARIO FOR

by Christian Sahlén (Stockholm Kartell) 45

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,

is the Swamp Witch s ancient sepulchre and an altar of dead roots covered in lost symbols. They say if certain forbidden words are chanted at it, any wish is fulfilled. Even stopping the approaching Doom is , not outside the powers of the Swamp Witch s altar. You stumbled on these forbidden words on a murdered , messenger wearing mad King Fathmu IX s crest in a ditch. You just need to get past the Strange Serpent Drug Cult lairing in the ancient tomb and reach the altar.

You also heard...(d6)

1. Of snakes guarding the entrance. Whatever you do, do not harm them! 2. The cult kidnaps people, desecrating the Swamp Witch’s altar with blood and viscera. 3. Chanting those forbidden words backwards raises the Swamp Witch from the dead. 4. Of occult treasures buried deep within, guarded by slime-covered amphibians. 5. Of deep-pocketed merchants trading illicit goods with the cult. 6. Entrants risk catching a psychic parasite. To prevent it from spreading, isn’t it better to simply kill everyone and maybe also burn the swamp? Yes. Itʼs the only way to be sure.

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The Strange Serpent Drug Cult formed when Ueth the Scalehunter found the Emerald Serpent while already intoxicated by a fungus-and-swamp-water brew. Stunned, he did nothing as the serpent bit him, mixing brew and venom into a permanent hallucinogen in his bloodstream. He had visions of sacred snakes promising eternal happiness after the worldʼs end. All he must do is to spread a message of love and joy until then—and make a sacrifice to the serpents every three days. He returned to his village of Nechdorf preaching happiness, love, sex and drugs, asking everyone to join him in his newfound swamp paradise. A few did; the rest were later kidnapped and sacrificed in the name of eternal love.

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The

Sepulchre

Paths invisible if unaf fected by the Emerald Venom 48

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1. Sunken Entrance

• Stone gate standing in 5′ of green water. • A large Emerald Serpent sits on a f loating leaf. q  She speaks, informing those approaching that the door opens only to those allowing her to bite them. q  This is a half-truth: her bite injects a hallucinogenic venom that also works as a key, but the door also opens if she’s slain. She attacks anyone trying to force the door.

2. Cult Common Hall

• Upward slope leads to a moist cave with crappy furniture and puddles of swamp water. Smells of algae, mold and burnt bread. • 50% chance D4+3 cultists are present, dining on bread and grilled gator. • The path to the Scalehunter’s Chamber is invisible to those unaffected by the Emerald Venom until someone who sees the path steps into it. q  The same applies to further EV doors and portals in other parts of the sepulchre. EV Those tripping see sparks in the puddles, new green leaves growing from the rock ceiling, and a shining pathway to the Scalehunter’s Chamber (4).

Emerald Serpent

HP 8  Morale –  No armor Bite D2 + Emerald Venom Lightning reflexes Attacks thrice each round, and melee attacks against her use Agility DR16 instead of Strength. Emerald Venom Test Toughness DR12 or be afflicted (no test if willingly bitten). Everything turns chromatic. Fire burns with colors never seen before: jale, dolm, and ulfire. Spectral leaf buds grow from dead matter. Everything is kaleidoscopic. Nature sings just for you. There is beauty in the world. Certain truths become clear to you. You get −1 on initiative (if using individual initiative) and fumble on 1–3 for the duration of the 7-day-long high. You also perceive some things differently here. (See EV in each room description.)

Strange Serpent Drug Cultist HP 4  Morale 4  Gatorskin vestment −D3  Knife or club D4 Drug-addled Immune to ­ mind-affecting powers. The cultists recognize Emerald Venom in people, assuming the party are new disciples if more than two are tripping. If so, they are friendly or helpful; otherwise, roll Reaction. The cultists are unaware of the Swamp Witch or her tomb but know plenty about an altar and fulfilled wishes, though they are wary to speak too much about it.

ROOM 1+2

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EV A large spectral lizard rests atop a green pillow in a corner. If approached, it lazily retreats into the wall and disappears. The pillow is a pouch with 2D4×10 silver.

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Ueth the Scalehunter

HP 20  Morale 6  Gatorskin robe −D4 Jagged spear D8 + bleed Bleed D2 damage every round for d4 rounds after being hit by the spear, ignores armor. The permanently high cult leader is the real deal—a complete believer in his serpentine visions and would very much like the newcomers to join him in worship. If they seem unwilling, he tries to subdue them for use as sacrifices. If his morale breaks, he tries to escape to the Worship Hall (5) for cultists’ aid. He has heard the rumors of the Swamp Witch buried somewhere in here but hasn’t gone farther than the Garden, where he felt threatened and turned back.

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ROOM 3+4

3. Cult Bedroom

• Twenty or so mold-covered straw mattresses • D6+4 resting cultists who assume the party belongs here unless they are blood-splattered or charging, weapons drawn.

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4. Scalehunter’s Chamber

• The small openings leading to Ueth’s chamber are only visible for those on Emerald Venom. • Dried gators hang from the ceiling, drawings of snakes made with bodily f luids on the walls, well-used mattresses on the f loor. q Among   the dirty rags is a scroll with Ueth’s gospel scribbled on one side and the Power Slithering Strangulation on the other. EV There are three large snakes slithering upside down on the ceiling. They do not wish to be disturbed and respond to threats by attacking twice the same round for D4 damage and then disappear.

UNCLEAN SCROLL: SLITHERING STRANGULATION D4 rainbow colored, ethereal boa constrictors emerge from the ground and capture one creature each for D8 rounds, dealing D2 damage each round. Attacking a constricted creature in melee comes with a 50% risk of the snake changing target to the attacker.

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Forked-Tongue Devotee

HP 9 Morale 9  Gatorskin hood and vestment −d4  Forked dagger D4 + poison, or Viper spit Agility DR12 or blinded. Poison Test Toughness DR10 or become infected and drowsy, raising the difficulty of all attack and defence tests by +2 for D4 hours. Viper spit Test Agility DR12 to avoid being blinded D3 rounds. These are the most fanatic of Ueth’s ­followers and will die for him if asked. They will not allow any suspicious behaviour in the Worship Hall (5). They speak with a burning passion and wicked lisp.

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5. Worship Hall

• Stained blankets on the f loor, used while practicing Ueth’s gospel of free love. q  A mong them is a ruby ring inscribed with the name Klopstock—worth 200 silver to most merchants, but if brought to Schleswig, the only surviving Klopstock family member pays five times as much. • Three large metal cages with five starved prisoners, horrified and ripe for sacrifice. q  Travelers and nearby villagers with nothing but a will to be set free. • D4+2 fanatical Devotees guard the sacrifices, and there’s a 50% chance that they’re joined by D4 regular cultists enjoying themselves. EV The paths to both the Snake Pit and the Scalehunter’s Chamber appear as a portal of green vines and a crevasse behind a f lutter of butterf lies, respectively.

6. Snake Pit

• Grime-covered stone altar above a 20′ pit full of snakes. Walls and ceiling covered in dead roots. • A Forked-Tongue Devotee is feeding the snakes. q  Most serpents are harmless and won’t come near open f lame, exempting another Emerald Serpent who warns anyone without Emerald Venom in their blood that they won’t reach their goal without letting him bite them. q  Underneath the snakes are a dozen human skeletons. A protrusion in the pit’s wall looks like a stone block from above and hides a narrow tunnel to the Hidden Ferns. EV A giant snake’s head with a vertical mouth sits in the northern wall. If approached, it telepathically informs the PCs that Ueth forbids any cultist from going farther. It opens its mouth, allowing passage to the Garden if someone claims to not be a cultist or not care about the rule.

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7. Garden

EV The shif ting symbols, if carefully studied, change into a familiar alphabet: “The eternal avatar here guards, protecting both those above and below from famine, plague, war, death and extinction.” A giant f lower opens when approached, revealing the path towards the Hidden Ferns.

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• Luminescent f lowers grow from the ceiling. • Strange, ancient symbols are carved into the walls. • The ground is covered in (mostly human) skulls. q  A few are wide and violet with three eye sockets and a mouth capable of swallowing a person whole. q  Hidden among them is a small bag containing 750 silvers’ worth of gems.

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8. Hidden Ferns

• Luminescent ferns cover the ground and walls. q  The Croaking Trident is hidden beneath ferns along the east wall. • Venomous adders guard the path from the Snake Pit, attacking anyone unaffected by Emerald Venom. Test Agility DR12 or be bitten for D4 damage. EV Dead ethereal snakes are piled up along the east wall, especially atop the Croaking Trident.

The Croaking Trident

A two-handed trident surrounded by pandemonic energy, it deals D10 regular + D4 pandemonic damage. Each living creature it slays gradually turns the wielder into a mad amphibian ­humanoid. The changes start subtly, but af ter 5 kills, people begin noticing the bulging eyes, the slimy sweat and discoloration of the skin. Af ter 8 kills, the wielder has a natural −D2 armor due to their rubbery skin, and croaks between their words as they sometimes incoherently speak. At 13 kills, the transformation is complete, and nothing remains of the person but chaotic amphibian rage, madness and violence.

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EV A whirlwind of colors, most previously unknown and alien. The droning noise of hundreds of souls screaming in ultra-slow motion fills the room. Tentacles of pulsing light grow from the sarcophagus towards the corridors leading to the Dead Root Altar and Downward Spiral.

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• A cloud of moths seems to fill the room but are, on closer inspection, just circling: • A ring of 13 obelisks carved with endless spiraling snakes surrounding in turn: • A lidless and empty sarcophagus. • The Swamp Witch f loats 2′ from the ground at the far end, obscured by moths.

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THE SWAMP WITCH HP 30 Morale –  Ethereal barrier −D4  Lunar Zweihänder D12 + radiance  adiance The Lunar Zweihänder is made from R moonlight, ignores all non-magical armor, and each hit fills the room with radiant light. Everyone within 50′ tests Presence DR12 or takes D4 damage. Eternal As long as the Dead Root Altar stands, the Swamp Witch does not die at 0 hp but instead evaporates and reforms in the sarcophagus with full health 3D6 rounds later. Should the Swamp Witch truly die, the Emerald Serpents, the barrier blocking the Downward Spiral and all Emerald Venom hallucinations disappear forever.

The Swamp Witch takes the form of a scraggy figure dressed in a green robe. Instead of skin, she is covered in multi colored scales, and where her head should be is just black smoke and two bright diamond eyes. On her back is a shining greatsword longer than she. She floats 2′ above the ground. She communicates telepathically with either whispers or screeches. She would very much enjoy seeing the party make a wish and pledge at the altar and can instruct them how, whispering seductive promises of individual gains to them if they just find an unwilling person to pledge. After all, would all members of the party truly be missed in this world?

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Srolki

HP 25  Rubbery skin and Metal armor −D6  Claws D6 ×2 and Bite D10 or Croak Slimespeed Attacks twice each round with their claws and bites or croaks once. Attack and defence tests are DR14 against Srolki. Croak A loud croak stuns and deafens anyone within 20′ unless they test Presence DR12.

Yaoxl

HP 27  Rubbery skin −D3  Ranseur of the Maelström D10 + drain Drain The ranseur transfers D4 HP from the target to Yaoxl on each hit. Powers Can wield the following powers up to D3 times per day each: Metzhuotl Blind Your Eye, Nine Violet Signs Unknot the Storm and Roskoe’s Consuming Glare.

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10. Dead Root Altar

• Walls, ground and ceiling covered in dead roots. A group of roots stand up, shaped like an altar. q  L ost symbols are carved into the altar. • Loose bits of dead wood, vaguely resembling humans, are spread around the room. • It is dead silent: not a f ly lives here. • It’s possible to squeeze through a pair of roots on the south wall to enter a tight passway to the Hidden Ferns. EV The altar is surrounded by a golden glow. Small budding leaves are spread around on all roots, but the loose bits of wood are completely dead and barren. The altar reads “Without cost, no wish comes true. Make a pledge unwilling, and reality bends for you. Stay then silent.”

11. Downward Spiral

• A black pit with a narrow ledge circling it downwards and downwards and downwards. • If the Swamp Witch is alive and the altar is intact, a magical barrier blocks anyone from going farther down than 30′. • Two antediluvian, three-eyed, humanoid toads stand guard, hidden 50′ below. q  Srolki and Yaoxl have guarded this pit for centuries, during which they have been partners, enemies, lovers and allies. q  They are willing to do almost anything to get their hands on the Croaking Trident. q  If the barrier is broken and one lives to tell the tale, more of their kind will appear in the area over the next d20 days. • Further down, great caverns open up, and ­­somewhere deep are entire cities of these creatures. EV Bubbles are slowly rising from the pit, and it almost sounds like waves in the distance. An opaque, shining green barrier blocks the path.

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Wishes A wish made while an unwilling human is sacrificed on the altar somehow comes true. The exact phrasing is important, and the GM is encouraged to find loopholes and possible complications. Asking for riches may result in stolen treasures someone already seeks, etc. Asking for the world not to end only delays the inevitable; do not roll on The Calendar of Nechrubel the next time a Misery is supposed to activate. No matter the wish, the sacrifice dies screaming as their soul is pulled from their body and into the altar—all that remains is dead wood. Roll D6 below to see what happens after a wish is made.

1. The altar temporarily cracks, weakening the Downward Spiral’s barrier long enough for Srolki and Yaoxl to cross. No further wish can be made for d12 months. 2. The altar cracks straight through, weakening the Swamp Witch to 1 HP, making it possible to kill her permanently. A Misery instantly activates. Nothing can ever restore the altar. 3. The room fills with chaotic magical energy. All scrolls of Power shif t. Test Presence for each scroll someone carries. If the test fails, roll a random new Power to replace the previous one. No further wish can be made for D10 days.

4.  Seasons change: if it is summer, it becomes winter, etc. No further wish can be made for D6 weeks. 5.  Time slows down in the dungeon: the GM rolls until a Misery occurs. A number of days passes equal to the number of rolls made. No further wish is possible until as many days have passed once more. 6. The altar deems the pledge unworthy and drains the energy from everyone in the room, resulting in a loss of D4 from their maximum HP. No further wish is possible until as many months have passed as total HP were lost.

A wish made with a willing sacrifice, such as a character giving themselves up for the greater good, is punished. The would-be sacrifice is thrown into the air for D10 damage while the wish-maker must test Toughness DR16 or suffer 2D8 damage and be paralyzed for D6 rounds. This also angers the Swamp Witch, who appears sword in hands. 57

A MONSTER by Matthew Bottiglieri

Children oft go missing. Parents would tear the scalps from their skulls if they knew their child was stolen and harvested by the Bone Bowyer—a horrid, stealthy fey lurking in Sarkash’s tangled depths. This tall, etiolated demon fashions bows from the bones of the hunted children; it stitches together supple f lesh and fashions blood-dyed cloaks; it slays the elderly, the infirm and the innocent. It is altogether alien and indifferent to suffering.

The Bone Bowyer HP 25, Morale -, Tanned flesh -d4 The Whispering Death: May attack twice each round for d6 damage. Defence is DR14. Special: The Bone Bowyer ­ delights in hiding and picking off its prey. Test Presence DR12 to detect the Bowyer to prevent it from getting two free shots.

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Unsavory Services The Bowyer might be compelled to fashion a bow for a wicked character who completes a task on its behalf. The Bone Bowyer might ask the following: —  Kidnap a child from a nearby village and bring it to the Bowyer. —  Murder one’s kin in a particularly cruel manner. ­ —  Desecrate a shrine or church. —  Sow discord. —  Spread disease. —  Burn a heretic.

The Bowyer’s Bow Pallid bow carved out of small bones merged together with dark magicks, its string a length of twined hair. Will always hit but not necessarily the desired target. Deals d6 damage, and should it miss, the arrow flies towards another (random) creature in the area. If ­ it misses that, another random creature is targeted and so on until one creature is hit. The bow cannot target nor harm the Bone Bowyer.

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y chitin -d4 HP 8 Morale - Rubber ness DR6 or die) ugh (To om ven Bite d4 +

ed Grublike, centipedal arthropods call e. crud and rant igno the by r bito

The typical specimen grows to roughly two meters long from a steady diet of stone, mortar and wood. Its drill-like mandibles drip with an acidic venom, reducing buildings and flesh alike to a crimson sludge. A hungry bitor gladly devours creatures and silver. This extremely territorial pest dwells in caves, cracks and holes and ruthlessly attacks anyone getting too close. Rarely spotted until it’s already too late.

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Bitor’s Spawn

The stories of the children are tragic and numerous. Of course, the female bitor devours the male after mating. But she cannot carry the single black egg herself. Silent and quick, she is a night guest, creeping into nurseries and transfering the egg to the defenseless and the frail. Hardly a thing is noticed the first years. A few bites and scratch marks, but we can all agree that the child is just lively.

7+7 years from then, the changes begin, the ones no parent wants to speak of. Hardened skin. Tiny deformed arms and legs. Eyes turning void-black. Reclusiveness and increasing cruelty. These are times when no one would question if the child is hidden away in root cellars or tragically dies in their sleep. If nothing is done, the spawn will soon be long gone. Rumor has it that a fully grown bitor never harms its human parents or siblings.

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As if the bite and the corrosive venom wasn’t enough, the bitor has an abdominal orifice secreting a substance known as devil’s glue. They smear this slime near the nest, hoping for it to catch unwary intruders. It is hard to spot (Presence DR18) and equally difficult to escape if one is stuck (Strength DR18 every round). In d4 rounds, the bitor arrives to attack anyone stuck. Anyone stuck in the glue attacks and defends with DR+2.

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or murder for silver

Impossible to capture

any a Galgenbeckian remembers the debacle of Mikol’s Infirmary, when surgeon (and, as it turned out, necrobutcher) Vretul Kanth’s gruesome experiments surfaced. As the inquisition dragged him out, shackled and bruised, they found a trove of limbs, heads and cut-up torsos. Animals and humans dismembered and strewn about in a blood-drenched jumble. Down in the tunnels, he and his nurses struggled to create the ultimate creature: a conjoined, bestial meat-construct with a human mind. Although the Church of the Two-Headed Basilisks couldn’t hide their fascination, the experiments were condemned, and Vretul jailed and later disappeared. His accomplices, the two dozen nurses, received a different punishment. After being brutally flogged, their broken Then all was silent. bodies were lowered into But the nurses saw no rest. acid vats, but they were not When the graves were unearthed, allowed to die. Bleeding, the coffins were empty, and so with smoldering flesh, they rumors spread. Many claimed to were buried alive. The have seen a human figure at the screams echoed across the gravesite, grunting occult city, and the masses rhymes in an incomprehensible tongue. Others saw a relished the heretics’ strange shimmer seep down from an overcast sky into suffering. wide-open graves, or black Schleifir horses carrying the recently deceased women into the silent night.

Hidden away from prying eyes and pointing fingers, terrified of further torment, the nurses dwell underground. It is impossible to hurt them, but neither can they harm you in a traditional sense. Presence DR14 to escape her MENTAL TORTURE PRISON, which lowers a random Ability by 1 every round until you are free. Should any ability go below -3, you die. When the test is passed, the nurse focuses on the next PC. When everyone has escaped the MENTAL TORTURE PRISON, the nurse leaves stumbling, shrieking, crying. They might return. 62

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Corridor North Roll d4 (crossing out the results) 0 spectral skeletons adorned for 1. 2 battle pass through the PCs before vanishing. hitty pit trap. Searching will 2. S find it. If not, a random PC tests Presence DR16. Failure means another random PC falls, taking d4 damage. A gust of wind extinguishes all light. 3.  hispering inside the western wall. 4. W

As you put Mother Marathuk—one of you dreg’s aunt— l to rest, you recall her final wish: restore the Staff of Awfu al Light from Chapel Olundan, or the village of Tünst will forever sink into darkness. And now, as the sky blackens and a strange mist rises from the cracked earth,   you realize time is short. Head into the chapel, find the staff, and be quick about it!

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• Toothless, screaming hag tending:  • Blazing bone fire completely blocking the western exit (impossible to pass). • The smoke seeps into a pipe leading to the nurses in room X. • Ceiling: a mosaic of carnage, a battle without a winner.

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Toothless Hag HP 3  Morale 10  No armor  Claws d4 6. Borg Bitor Nest PCs improve when entering (only roll for abilities and Hit Points). • Glowing moss, healing fungus (d4 HP). • Pit-lurking Borg Bitor notices anyone entering and attacks in a few minutes. • Also in the pit: Staff of Awful Light. 5. Guard Room • Four guards lie armless and legless in dirty cots, hissing with ruptured vocal chords: “We are the one, the chosen guardian”. • Weapons are scattered on the floor: two swords, four knives, two bows. • Deep in the murky canal is a key to the locked door. • The starving Sludger attacks anyone diving in but is rendered harmless if the canal is drained (see room X).

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Corridor South • Stairs descend only to ascend for no apparent reason. • Paintings of smug royals. • Among them: Fathmu IX holding a golden spire. The next time the PCs pass, he is instead holding a severed head.

1. Dim Room • The western wall is an impenetrable sheet of skin. • Shelf: garbage and bomb (3d4, reroll if 1). • Door to room X hidden unless the nurses have left. X • Smoke-filled chamber with a lever, some old bedrolls and a group of Rotten Nurses. • They will not leave unless alerted. Pulling the lever drains the canal between the Gaol and Guard Room.

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Corpse Kôbôlths Gaol Guard Room

THIS ALERTS THE NURSES • Someone touching the the guard room stairs. • Three torches are removed from the walls. • The Toothless Hag dies. • The bone fire is extinguished. When alerted, they go to room d4+1 to investigate. Reroll this every 10 minutes.

2. Corpse

• Purple skinned, black-eyed corpse with 100 silver, some smeared with poison (1-in-20 chance of killing whoever touches them).

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Corridor East • Spider legs protrude from the walls, and a monstrous maw makes strange noises from a rusty floor grate. • When passing, test Agility DR4 or get caught. Your skull is crushed and fed to the hungry well-spider.

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• Six weak Kôbôlths dwell here, eating mud and pissing into holes in the floor. • Taunt the PCs, crafting useless traps, while d6 flee the room. The rest fight to the death.

Weak Kôbôlth HP 2  Morale –  No armor  Shiv d4 (Toughness DR12 or infected)

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Cold, Dark Corridor

• Rank liquid dripping from ceiling holes. • Skittering and tittering from above.

4. Gaol • Prisoners long dead yet moaning and wailing, trapped between the canal and the portcullis. • If freed from this chamber, they finally find rest.

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• Partly ruined, floor

covered in stained shards from howling windows. • Steep stairs descend.