SÖ LIT A R

RY D E FIL
E M E N T
An Engine of Lonesome Death by 1d10+5
1d10+5, presents

ITA R Y
SÖL E M E NT
DEFILAn Engine of Lonesome
Death for MÖRK BORG
First edition

Many heartfelt thanks and apologies to Shawn Tomkinson, Johan Nohr, Pelle
Nilsson, and Karl Druid for giving us such incredible worlds to play in. If you
enjoyed your Sölitary Defilement, you will love Ironsworn: I guarantee that
you will have many happy hours chucking dice and vividly hallucinating
other worlds. Scumslaughter Farm map in section VI initially sketched with
Dungeonscrawl.

SÖLITARY DEFILEMENT is an independent production by 1d10+5 and is not

affiliated with Ockult Örtmästare Games or Stockholm Kartell. It is published
under the MÖRK BORG Third Party License. MÖRK BORG is copyright Ockult
Örtmästare Games and Stockholm Kartell.
 C ÖNTENTS
ÖNTENTS

E C H
HAANN CSS 2
IIC
CMME C
I BA
B ASSIIC
II CÖRE OBSERANCES
II I MÖ
M ESS
ÖVVE
3

IV ÖRACLES 8
4

V TTRRAAVVEELLLLIINNGG
V
14
ING
LIN
WL
VI NG E ÖÖNN C
C R
RAAW G
D
DUU N G E
16

VII MMIC
ICRÖ
RÖ-C
-CRA
RAW
WLS
LS 18

VII RECÖRD-KEEPING
20
PLA YERS 22
IX ADVI CE TÖ

X
X ME
GGAAM MP
EXXAAM
PLLAAYYE
EP
25
E
PLLE
SÖLITARY DEFILEMENT owes a huge debt to my favourite solo RPG,
Shawn Tomkin’s IRONSWORN. Like IRONSWORN, the basic mechanics for
playing SÖLITARY DEFILEMENT depend on the use of ‘Fiction’ and ‘Moves’.

Fiction invites you to set the scene or describe the action in which your
character finds themself, just as a Game Master might.

Moves dictate how your character responds. Unlike the standard pass/fail
test in a standard MÖRK BORG or OSR session, the Moves in SÖLITARY
DEFILEMENT have three possible outcomes: Strong Hit, Weak Hit, or Fail.
Every time you take an action that requires a DR test, roll 2d20 (plus any
modifiers) and compare with the DR to work out the outcome:

Both dice pass: A Strong Hit – you succeed in your intention.

One die passes: A Weak Hit – you succeed, but with some other
(often unintended) consequence.
Both dice fail: A Fail - you do not succeed, and something negative
(or occasionally catastrophic) happens instead.

Weak hits are fairly common – and are often a core driver for action, drama,
ambiguity, and plot twists. Of course, sometimes this can snowball
chaotically: an awkward attempt to haggle sparks an argument with another
customer, which leads to a street brawl, which ends in a civil war…
sometimes you’ll need to know when to step back, but more often it’s
enjoyable to revel in the spiraling chaos.

Finally, SÖLITARY DEFILEMENT includes a variety of random tables, or

Oracles. You may like to supplement these with those of products like the
Mythic GM emulator, as well as from the huge selection of third-party MB
content available online.

2.
The basic requirements for playing SÖLITARY DEFILEMENT are the MÖRK
BORG Core Book (referred to as Core from hereon) and FERETORY (but see
the advice on page 23 if you do not have Feretory).

Although you can play a one-shot dungeon crawl, part of the appeal
of SÖLITARY DEFILEMENT is the prospect of running a campaign until the
Seventh Misery befalls the world.

Should your chosen scvm die before that final Misery, then roll up a new one
and introduce them to the story. Play until eternal darkness and silence fall
upon the dying land.

Each time a day passes, remember to roll the Misery dice as per the Calendar
of Nechrubel (Core: 17). Start with a die of your choice – no higher than d20 –
and downgrade after each Misery is unveiled (e.g. d12, d10, d8, d6, d4, d2).

Almost all DR tests are handled using the Moves system (Strong Hit, Weak
Hit, Fail). However, combat follows the usual MÖRK BORG rules (e.g. begin
by rolling for initiative; then engaging in rounds of attack/defence using a
single D20). Powers should also be handled with a single D20 roll: a success
can be treated as a Strong Hit, a failure as a Weak Hit (e.g. –d2 HP, plus
some other inconvenience), and a Fumble as a Fail (e.g. Arcane Catastrophe
and a potentially worsening situation in general).

Omens can be used to re-roll either one or both dice when making a Move.
Your character can have a maximum of four Omens, and they also function
as an additional stat, akin to luck, in many of the Moves.
   

3.
  

M
III ÖVES

4.
BEGIN AN ADVENTURE
You may like to structure your play by deciding how many milestones a
campaign or adventure will involve:
Straightforward: 1 Annoying: 2 Depressing: 4
Wearying: 8 Suicidal: 12
Some of these you can map out straight away to define your initial
objectives… others may be more obscure and reveal themselves through
play.

COMPLETE A MILESTONE
If a character manages to survive from the beginning to the end of one
significant milestone then they can Get Better (Core: 33).

CONCLUDE AN ADVENTURE
Roll 2d20+Omens against the appropriate DR below:
Straightforward: 8 Annoying: 10 Depressing: 12
Wearying: 16 Suicidal: 18
Strong hit: Adventure completed! Now what? Time to start another one?
Weak hit: Something unexpected happens – add another milestone!
Fail: Something catastrophic occurs – add d2+1 milestones.

GENERAL ADVENTURING MOVE (GAM)

Decide what you are going to do, and choose the stat that best matches.
Your unspent Omens can also be used in place of a ‘luck’ stat (n.b. making a
‘luck’ roll does not spend an Omen). Assess the DR of the action (6 - simple,
12 - normal, 18 - almost impossible). Roll DR vs chosen stat with 2d20:
Strong hit: Things go to plan! A great success!
Weak hit: You succeed, but with a complication…! (Slight damage, losing an
item, losing some sort of advantage, temporary stat adjustment etc.)
Fail: Things couldn’t have gone worse. Uh oh… (Something particularly bad
happens… or perhaps some sort of plot twist occurs?)

5.
FLEE FROM COMBAT
DR11+Number of Enemies vs Agility with 2d20:
Strong hit: Successful evasion.
Weak hit: You evade, but the enemy gets an opportunity attack (roll to
defend against it, and then escape regardless of whether you were harmed or
not).
Fail: You can’t escape this time - and the enemy gets an opportunity attack
(roll to defend and continue combat).

SEARCHING FOR AN OBJECT

DR12 Omens with 2d20:
Strong hit: d4: 1 – Corpse Plunder or D100 Trinkets (Feretory: 32)
2-3 – An item of worth (e.g. Useful Items Oracle).
4 – Occult Treasure, Tenebrous Relic (Feretory: 48-53), etc.
Weak hit: d4: 1 – Nothing 2 – Corpse Plunder
3 – D100 Trinkets 4 – Useful Item (weapon, scroll, etc.)
Fail: Nothing.,. and some sort of danger reveals itself! A trap? An ambush?

CAMPING, RESTING, CATCHING BREATH

DR12 Presence with 2d20:
Strong hit: A lovely rest! Gain your d6/d4 HP. Roll your omen dice and add to
your omens (max. 4). Lose 1 ration.
Weak hit: Gain d4/d2 HP. Lose 1 ration, and restore 1 omen, but introduce a
reason for a restless night... (e.g. campsite events table, Feretory: 7)
Fail: No sleep for you. Something terrible is about to happen. Next attempt at
resting after resolving whatever encounter ensues will be a 50/50 chance of
either a strong or weak hit.

RESUPPLYING
If travelling, roll on the Overland Travel Foraging table (Feretory). Otherwise
use the General Adventuring Move to try and find something to buy, haggle
for goods, etc.

6.
UNDERTAKE A JOURNEY
Work out how many days the journey will take (Feretory: 4). See the travelling
flowchart in section V (page 15) for general travelling procedure.

DUNGEON CRAWLING
See the advice in section VI (page 17) on preparing a dungeon crawl.
Decide on the DR of the dungeon: DR6 = small (4-9 rooms avg.)
DR12 = medium-large (9-14 rooms avg.)
DR14 = huge (17-32 rooms avg.)
For each room, roll Dungeon DR vs 2d20 plus number of special rooms
discovered:
Strong hit: Enter next ’Special Room’. These may have been defined in
advance to suggest specific pre-planned encounters or types of room. They
may also be sourced from rooms 1, 2, 3, 4 on DNGNGEN or the Bedeviled
Dungeons tables (Core: 93). Alternatively roll on the Room Descriptor
Oracles and simply mark one special room found. The fourth Special Room
marks the climax of the dungeon (final battle/objective and chance to
complete a milestone). Any strong hits rolled after Special Room 4 has been
revealed are counted as weak hits (generic rooms).
Weak hit: Enter a generic room - use Room Descriptor Oracles to reveal the
room type, contents, and exits.
Fail: Encounter some enemy, trap, or calamity as your leave your current
location (e.g. imminent danger becomes more imminent? The door is
locked?). Generate a room from the Room Descriptor Oracles when (- or if -)
the encounter is resolved.

RETIRE FROM ADVENTURING

Hah! Come on - be serious!

7.
8.
REGIONS ADVENTURE SPARKS
Core: 88 Core: 88

OVERLAND TRAVEL INNS AND HOSPITALITY

Feretory: 4-5 (Just use the bold Feretory: 54-55
text as prompts to avoid repetitive
encounters)

CROWD SIZES (d4) USEFUL ITEMS (d6)

For city events, outdoor
skirmishes, etc.
1 – Small (d4+4)
2 – Medium (d20+12)
3 – Large (d100+30)
4 – Massive (d1000+400 –
e.g. 3d10+400)
1 – d10 Weapon (Core: 20-23)
2 – d4+1 Armour (Core: 24)
3 – Piece of equipment (Core: 25)
4 – Unclean scroll (Core: 35)
5 – d4 Doses of a potion (Core: 56)
6 – Sacred scroll (Code: 35)

STOCK CREATURES (d20)

1 – Goblin (Core: 58)
2 – Scum (Core: 59)
3 – Berserker (Core: 60)
4 – Wraith (Core: 61)
5 – Blood Drenched Skeleton (Core: 62)
6 – Lich (Core: 63)
7 – Troll (Core: 64)
8 – Zombie (Core: 65)
9 – Undead Doll (Core: 66)
10 – Grotesque (Core: 67)
11 – Wickhead Knife-Wielder (Core: 68)
12 – Wyvern (Core: 69)
13 – Earthbound (Core: 70)
14 – Pale One (Core: 71)
15 – Prowler (Core: 72)
16 – Dusk Gnoum (Core: 111)
17 – Mongrel (Core: 111)
18 – Guards with Sharpened Teeth (Core: 111)
19 – Nesting Death (Core: 111)
20 – Misc. Thematic Creature

9.
YES OR NO? (d4)
1 – Yes 2 – Yes, but… 3 – No, but… 4 – No

RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS (d12)

1 – Order of (the) Bestial Dolor/Sadness
2 – Society “ Baleful Death
3 – Fraternity “ Unholy Witch/craft
4 – Sorority “ Spectral Whisper/s
5 – Brothers “ Oneiric Darkness
6 – Sisters “ Sinful Mason/ry
7 – Penitents “ Horrific Misery
8 – Sodality “ Necrotic Decay
9 – Cult “ Accursed Lord/Lady
10 – Children “ Black Corruption
11 – Knights “ Unnamable Relic/Saint
12 – College “ Infinite Druid/ry

BUILDINGS & STRUCTURES (d4)

Material (*d2) Size Form
1 – Stone 1 – Gigantic 1 – Thin
2 – Metal 2 – Large 2 – Wide
3 – Wood 3 – Medium 3 – Cubic
4 – Other * 4 – Small 4 – Chaotic/Rambling

* Roll on the Materials table overleaf.

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES (d20)

1 – Valley 11 – Swamp
2 – Plain 12 – Woods
3 – Field 13 – Forest
4 – Pool 14 – Lake
5 – Stream 15 – Fen
6 – River/rapids 16 – Outcrop/tor
7 – Hills 17 - Cliff
8 – Moor 18 - Crater
9 – Cave 19 – Rock formations
10 – Mountain 20 – Chasm

10.
MATERIALS

QUALITY (d20)
1 - Glowing 6 - Burning 11 - Mossy 16 - Interlaced
2 - Crumbling 7 - Blackened 12 - Hairy 17 - Carven
3 - Scaly 8 - Grimy 13 - Dirty 18 - Polished
4 - Clammy 9 - Mouldering 14 - Dripping 19 - Ravaged
5 - Icy 10 - Transparent 15 - Glazed 20 - Cracked

COMPOSTION (d12)
1 - Bone 5 - Clay 9 - Glass
2 - Skin 6 - Leather 10 - Earth
3 - Wood 7 - Stone 11 - Sinew
4 - Metal 8 - Jewel 12 - Flint

SOUNDS

QUALITY (d12)
1 - Discordant 5 - Echoing 9 - Irregular
2 - Sepulchral 6 - Unnerving 10 - Swelling
3 - Rough 7 - Muted 11 - Rhythmic
4 - Sudden 8 - Loud 12 - Receding

TYPE (d20)
1 - Whisper 6 - Wind 11 - Rumble 16 – Growl
2 - Laughter 7 - Chatter 12 - Wail 17 - Drip
3 - Footsteps 8 - Singing 13 - Scream 18 - Sigh
4 - Music 9 - Hiss/Buzz 14 - Howl 19 - Flutter
5 - Creak 10 - Moan 15 - Bellowing 20 - Rattle

ODOURS & TASTES (d20)

1 - Rancid 6 - Floral 11 - Smoky 16 - Mouldy

2 - Musty 7 - Feculent 12 - Peaty 17 – Herbal
3 - Rotten 8 - Musty 13 - Fresh 18 - Fermented
4 - Bitter 9 - Fishy 14 - Sulphuric 19 - Metallic
5 - Sweet 10 - Fruity 15 - Waxy 20 - Burned

11.
NPCs

DISPOSITION (d66)
11 - Cursed/Despairing 41 - Sickly/Gaunt
12 - Bloodthirsty/Sadistic 42 - Burly/Imposing
13 - Drunken/Drugged 43 - Slimy/Insincere
14 - Miserable/Melancholic 44 - Narcissistic
15 - Malign/Sociopathic 45 - Bitter/Spiteful
16 - Greedy/Miserly 46 – Belligerent/Rude
21 - Reclusive/Shy 51 - Nihilistic
22 - Eccentric/Hysterical 52 - (Over-)friendly
23 - Awkward 53 - Arcane/Ancient
24 - Treacherous/Dishonest 54 - Pretentious/Extravagant
25 - Generous 55 - Sinister/Possessed
26 - Secretive/Suspicious 56 - Hopeless/Talentless
31 - Destitute/Ragged 61 – Cowardly/Scared
32 - Pestilent/Leprous 62 - Exiled/Tragic
33 - Heretical 63 - Fanatical
34 - Repellent/Wretched 64 - Guilty/Penitent
35 - Inscrutable/Hermetic 65 – Leering/Creepy
36 - Injured/Wounded/Broken 66 - Rowdy/Profane

PROFESSION (d66)
11 - Alchemist/Chemist/Herbalist 41 - Musician/Poet
12 - Necromancer/Demonologist 42 - Servant/Slave
13 - Tailor/Weaver 43 - Jailer/Warden
14 - Blacksmith 44 - Torturer/Inquisitor
15 - Soldier/Mercenary/Deserter 45 - Brewer/Innkeeper/Alewife
16 - Merchant 46 - Doctor/Dentist/Barber-Surgeon
21 - Rogue/Swindler/Gambler 51 - Grave-robber/Tomb-plunderer
22 - Noble/Royal 52 - Gravedigger/Undertaker
23 - Guard/Watchman 53 - Fortune-teller/Witch/Seer
24 - Butcher 54 - Artist/Artisan
25 - Baker/Cook 55 - Beggar/Gutterborn Scvm
26 - Farmer/Serf 56 - Performer/Fool/Actor
31 - Banker/Scribe 61 - Nightsoil/corpse/leech collector
32 - Monk/Priest 62 - Executioner
33 - Tanner 63 - Counterfeiter/Smuggler
34 - Poacher/Trapper 64 - Groom/Horseman
35 - Murderer/Assassin 65 - Ratbit/bloodmole/toad catcher
36 - Prisoner/Inmate 66 - Pilgrim/Hermit/Prophet

12.
DUNGEON ROOM DESCRIPTORS

ROOM ADJECTIVE (d20)

1 - Dark/Black 11 - Deserted
2 - Neglected 12 - Ruined/Ancient
3 - Acrid 13 - Extravagant
4 - Rotten/Unclean 14 - Crowded/Busy
5 - Oppressive 15 - Carven
6 - Infernal 16 - Rustic/Simple
7 - Deathly 17 - Misty/Foggy/Smoky
8 - Deceptive 18 - Ugly/Defaced
9 - Bleak/Blasted 19 - Deep/Flooded
10 - Sickly/Infested 20 - Unnatural/Uncanny

ROOM TYPE (d12)

1 - Crypt/Grave/Abattoir
2 - Stream/Pool/Chasm
3 - Prison/Cell/Stable/Zoo
4 - Store/Kitchen/Nest
5 - Cavern/Passage
6 - Stairwell/Ladder/Pit
7 – Chamber/Clearing
8 - Lair/Dwelling/Home
9 - Shrine/Temple
10 - Workshop/Library/Forge
11 - Doorway/Entrance
12 - Catacomb/Hall

ROOM EXITS (d4)

Special Rooms Uncovered
Roll 0 1 2 3 4
1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2 -
3 2 2 - - -
4 3 - - - -

ROOM CONTENTS (d12)

1 - Unique dweller (e.g. 'A Monster Appears', Feretory: i-ii)
2 - Remains of something (a structure, object, a once-living thing?)
3 - Unexpected event (- a trap? - an ambush?
- imminent danger gets closer?)
4 - A gathering/ritual/event/group
5 - Something blocks your path
6-7 - Common encounter
8 - Rare encounter
9 - Human (?) NPC
10 - Unstable or hazardous environment
11 - An object (Use Searching: Strong Hit result & Yes or No? to
12 - Looks empty…? determine whether trapped, guarded etc.)

13.
V
T
RAVELLING

14.
Before setting out on the road, work out how many days travel the journey
will take. You can estimate this from the world map, or use the map in the
Overland Travel rules (Feretory: 4). Follow this chart for each day of travel:
 

 
 
After camping, tick off a day of travel (- unless you spent the day foraging).
Once you have ticked off all remaining days of travel you will reach your
destination at some point during the next day.

When travelling along animal tracks or roads in disrepair, make a DR10

Presence or Omens check on 1d20 to avoid wandering off into the
wilderness. If you are in the wilderness roll on the Leaving the Road table
(Feretory: 7), and resolve any encounter before you find your way back to the
road. This counts as your travelling for the day.

15.
VI
D UNGEÖN
CRAWLING

16.
To explore a dungeon, you first need to do a bit of prep. SÖLITARY
DEFILEMENT uses the same dungeon stat block as Karl Druid’s DNGNGEN:

Dungeon name:
Status: Imminent Danger:
Who or what dwells there now? What brings you here?
Entrance: Guarded by:
Distinctive feature:
Special Room 1: Special Room 2:
Special Room 3: Special Room 4:

The quickest approach is to use DNGNGEN to generate some evocative

prompts to populate these fields. Special Rooms 1-4 correspond to
DNGNGEN’s ‘Room 1’, ‘Room 2’, etc. Alternatively, you can fill in a blank
stat-block or use a Dungeon Crawl worksheet (see sections VII and X.V for
examples).

Each dungeon consists of Generic Rooms and Special Rooms. You need to
uncover four Special Rooms to complete a dungeon. The size of a dungeon
is dictated by its Dungeon DR (see the Dungeon Crawling Move on page 7).
The Dungeon DR dictates how much chance you have of encountering a
Special Room.

You will also need to describe the possible encounters in the dungeon, by
creating two tables: one for common encounters, one for rarer and more
dangerous encounters, for example:

Common encounters:
1-2 – d4 Plague Larvae
3 – d2 Zombie (Core: 65)
4 – 1 Blood Drenched Skeleton (Core: 62)

Rare encounters:
1 – 1 Lich (Core: 63)
2-3 – d4 Plague Fly
4 – 1 Corpse Crawler

Use the Dungeon Crawling Move to explore the dungeon. Note that the
number of possible exits for each room diminishes as Special Rooms are
revealed, so that the number of dead-ends gradually increases. Keep a
record of your explorations using some sort of map, and remember that
possible exits may go up, down, or even through weird glowing portals. Hit a
dead end? There must be a secret door somewhere… (General Adventuring
Move DR12 vs Presence or Omens, perhaps?).

17.
Make as much use as you can of the adjectives and room types in the Room
Descriptor tables – try to tie the room descriptors in to the contents.
Remember that traps, creatures, etc do not have to reveal themselves
immediately, but could be impending threats that spring upon your character
when a Weak Hit or Fail occurs – for example, a creature may be distracted
by some other task, giving your character the option of sneaking past.

 
There may be some situations where you need to pass through hostile
terrain, but delving into a fully-blown dungeon seems inappropriate. This is
where a linear micro-crawl is a useful solution.

For example: you have rolled a monastery on the Overland Travel events
(Feretory: 4). You used a Yes or No? Oracle to determine that the inhabitants
are hostile. Obviously you’re going to give it a wide berth, but just walking by
seems anti-climactic, but seeing if something happens by making some sort
of General Adventuring Move against Agility or Omens seems too shallow to
account for a whole day’s travel. Detouring through the dark forest that
comprises the monastic estate seems like a good option, but spending time
fleshing out the dungeon details for what will (hopefully) be a fairly casual
encounter seems too involved… This is the ideal time for a micro-crawl!

To undertake a micro-crawl, simply roll a d4 to determine how many

waypoints the micro-crawl comprises. Next, use the Dungeon Descriptor
Oracles (excluding the Room Exits table) to determine each waypoint as they
are encountered. Most Room Types should have an appropriate analogue
for your current environs – be they outdoor or indoor. If the Room Type does
not apply, then concentrate on the Room Adjective and apply it to a location
that feels thematically appropriate. Common and rare encounters are handled
on-the-fly during a micro-crawl, but you might like to use the Yes or No?
Oracle to further help you make decisions.

18.
 m
Kratar's Return to Scumslaughter far

7 5
6
2
3 4
??? r
arriv
es
atar e Katla's
K
1 :
Path me to se he
in ti shed by t with his
cru ted
sku l el. Reuni , they ki
l ll
mon , Wrythva d dog...
g r
hound ultist an
the c
Hall of Gore: Kratar

1 2 invisible, shrieking is attacked by an

Emissary who animat Furrow-Fiend
of limbs and bones. es a stumbling mass
..

3 Parlour (Special 1): Seemingly empty?

Kratar notices a book, smouldering in
4 Latrine (Speci
chained al 2): Scud,
the
the fire place, but is too late to
retrieve it.
Kratar indiff latrine-cleaner, regards
er
attacks him wh en tly... but vi
en freed. olently 6 Study (Special 3): Cowering
under a desk is Helix the
Terrified. In the parlour
can be heard a fight between
5 Bunk Room: The floor in this damp
room sags worryingly, before
collapsing. It reveals the mass-
cultists and Basilisk
Inquisitors. Smoke curls from
grave of an earlier manifestation of under the door. Helix grudgingly
the cult, who committed mass-suicide. agrees to join Kratar - if only
Kratar manages to get through as the to increase his chance of
bunks tumble into the gore - but his survival. The chest contains a
tent slips from his back. cursed rosary of human teeth.

7 Store Room: The bodies of two dead cultists blaze away in the parlour.
In the hallway, the stairs are on fire. Kratar checks into the store
for some last pillaging. Upon leaving, a Basilisk Inquisitor stands in
his way. His Trumpet of Death incinerates Wrythva and Helix. Kratar
manages to flee, screaming and howling into the night...

KRATAR'S RETURN TO SCUMSLAUGHTER FARM: An example of a completed SÖLITARY

19. continues from the gameplay example
DEFILEMENT dungeon-crawling session, which
given in section X.
How you keep track of your Sölitary Defilement is up to you. I favour the
‘journaling’ approach: keeping detailed prose commentary on my character’s
experiences, thoughts, feelings, and motivations. For me this really helps with
immersion: sustaining the illusion that you are a small part of a vast,
persistent world. Of course, this will not suit everyone, and you may simply
prefer to simply keep the briefest of notes about what is going on when
necessary, and keep the rest of the action in your head.

There are four supplementary worksheets to assist record-keeping. These are

purely optional, but the intention is that they can provide you with a lasting
record of your adventures – no matter how verbose your play-style may (- or
may not -) be. Their usage should be fairly self-explanatory, with a couple of
small exceptions.

The dungeon Crawlsheet includes the categories from the DNGNGEN

template, additional space for Common and Rare Encounters, and also adds
check boxes for keeping track of each of the four special rooms. For each
strong hit on the Dungeon Crawling move, check one box:

The Microcrawl sheet provides space for four micro-crawls, along with an
area for notes. Each of the micro-crawl maps has a scale dividing the area
into halves and quarters (along the top) and thirds (along the bottom). This
aids with mapping the possible d4 waypoints in a micro-crawl:

20.
 The Roadmap provides a record
of your overland travels. Fill in
your journey details in one
section, and then use a section
of the map for each day of travel,
making notes as appropriate.

This example shows the first five

days of travel from the campaign
that began with the gameplay
example in section X. Of the
locations shown here,
Scumslaughter Farm became a
full dungeon crawl (detailed on
page 19), while the Forest of
Spectral Darkness and
Mausoleum of the Bone
Stripper were brief (but deadly)
microcrawls. Character deaths
have also been marked on the
roadmap with inverted crosses.

The Roadmap also provides

future opportunities to re-visit
discovered sites as part of future
journeys.

Finally, Sölitary Defilement

provides a World Map, which
allows a higher-level record of
the major and important sites in
your adventures.

21.
 A
IX
DVICE
TÖ
PLAYERS

22.
I. PLAYING WITHOUT FERETORY

Although having a copy of Feretory to hand is recommended, this is simply

so the tables for Overland Travel, Eat Prey Kill, D100 Items and Trinkets, and
The Merchant are easy to access. All of these can be downloaded from
MorkBorg.com. Unique to Feretory are the additional overnight camping
events table in Overland Travel, and The Gray Galth Inn, but I’m sure you can
improvise your way around these!

II. THE REACTION TABLE: YOUR BEST FRENEMY

Not every person or creature you encounter is necessarily going to want to

eviscerate you… just most of them. Unless you feel an enemy is explicitly
intent on attacking it makes sense to roll on the Core Book’s Reactions Table
to see how they respond to your presence. This can create all sorts of
unexpected scenarios and plot branches that are more interesting than
simply entering another round of combat. Remember also to check Morale
when appropriate during combat, and also to use your ingenuity and
imagination: not every encounter has to be resolved by combat – even
though Mörk Borg combat is genuinely risky and thrilling!

III. STAYING ALIVE

The comical level of cruelty of Mörk Borg is one of its most delicious features.
Even the strongest character is often only a few Fumbles away from losing all
their armour and weapons and consequently getting minced into a fine paste.

Personally, I am pretty happy losing a character almost every session to

some sort of ludicrous death. Of course, the immediate issue with this is that
the character who kicked off your whole campaign has just died. Where on
earth does the next character factor in? In may help to have a particular aim
in the campaign, which your subsequent characters can approach from their
own perspectives. For example: in the campaign that developed from the
gameplay example in the next section, each character I played after Katla
developed their own motivation for retrieving the venom from the Dark
Tunnels. Perhaps the classic boardgame TALISMAN is a good parallel:
everyone is after the same thing, and if you can embrace wild twists of fate
and take your death like a champ, then you will have fun.

You may also like to run a new character through the Getting Better rules
(Core: 33) in order to slightly prolong the inevitable.

23.
Finally, you could start your game with a party of two or three. I would
suggest that the other members of the party are treated as NPCs, while you
playing from the perspective of a single character.... at least until you die and
then shift to one of the survivors. This should give you plenty of opportunity
to introduce further NPCs to the story who might join the party, or provide
other opportunities to pick up the story from another angle.

IV. MANAGING WEAK HITS (Plus Some Boring Probability Stuff)

The chance of a Strong Hit using DR12 and no stat modifiers is 16%. The
chance of a Weak Hit is 48%. This means there is, in total, a 64% chance of
things generally going in your favour - and almost of 1-in-2 chance of at least
a Weak Hit... although it rarely feels that way!

As I said in the introduction, Weak Hits are very common, and as such are a
great way to make sure that narrative progresses beyond what a simple
pass/fail mechanic can offer.

In some situations, such as facing dangers in the wilds, it is tempting to make

a Weak Hit result in a success that also entails some sort of mechanical loss
or injury, although not quite so grievously as a Fail. For example: imagine a
player leaping across precarious pillars that span a cursed river. We know
that a Strong Hit means they make it across easily. A Fail could easily be
instant death. And a Weak Hit? We could say that in the event of a Weak Hit,
the PC slips and loses a random piece of equipment in the river.

This is fine and good - it will probably be nail-biting if you've burned through
your Omens and don't mind facing a 36% chance of certain death. Perhaps,
though, the death could be made a little less certain: a Weak Hit might mean
that they lose their nerve halfway across, and have to undertake the task a
second time. A Fail might mean that the PC has to make a further DR12
Agility test with 1d20 to cling in to the side. Passing that means they lose a
random object, but failing means that they still cling on, but their boot
touches the deathly waters, inflicting d4 damage. This roughly reduces the
chance of death or injury to 21%.

A Weak Hit could also mean 'less good than' in some situations. For
example, you find a strange well. When the waters are imbibed, a Strong Hit
(16%) could mean d6 HP are healed and gain +1 to a random attribute. A
Weak Hit (48%) may simply mean that you regain d4 HP. Of course, a Fail
(36%) might make you subject to an Arcane Catastrophe...

24.
I. KATLA: THE CHÖSEN SCVM

SCVMBIRTHER puked out Katla, the Heretical Priest:

HP: 7/7 Strength: -2

Omens: 2 (d4) Agility: -2
Presence: ±0
Toughness: +1
Equipment
Wrong Jesus Crucifix
Sword (d6 damage)
Splint armor (-d6 damage, tier 3, DR +4 on Agility tests, defence is DR +2)
Waterskin and 2 days' worth of food
Rope, 30 feet
Toolbox 10 nails, tongs, hammer, small saw, and drill
169 silver

The biographical text generated by SCVMBIRTHER also told me that Katla

was the sole survivor of a massacred Alliáns cult, who was hunted by other
cultists.

II. SPARKING THE ADVENTURE

The adventure sparks in Core: 88 told me that I should start in the centre of
Alliáns, and that ‘Faint whispers from the crypt tell me that a powerful elixir
needs ingredients’. I decided to move a little further out of Alliáns and into a
monastery in southern Kergüs – although the building has the same
aesthetics as that cold, black-spired city.

Using DNGNGEN to give me somewhere to journey to, resulted in Dark

Tunnels:

Status: Inactive, because its depraved inhabitants only eats, kills and
sleeps.
Imminent danger: A lethal mechanism is about to activate.
What dwells there? Disease spreading larvae.
Entrance: Seven dead trees in The Valley of the Unfortunate Undead
surround a simple door.
Guarded by: Two wickhead knife-wielders, trying to keep warm.

25.
 Feature: Rooms move around the dungeon's center.
Room 1: Smoke-filled. Basket with dead bugs.
Room 2: Leaning. A cracked obsidian basilisk.
Room 3: A heavy chest. A murderous golem, activates when a wounded
creature is near.
Room 4: Two defaced busts. Venomous spider protects a laughing skull.

For the dungeon I then created my tables for Common and Rare encounters
– although who knows if Katla will even get that far:

Common encounters:
1-2 – d4 Plague Larvae
3 – d2 Zombie (Core: 65)
4 – 1 Blood Drenched Skeleton (Core: 62)

Rare encounters:
1 – 1 Lich (Core: 63)
2-3 – d4 Plague Fly
4 – 1 Corpse Crawler

I decided that I’d roll the stats for Plague Larvae, Plague Flies, and Corpse
Crawlers as and when I encountered them. I’d started to link the adventure
spark to the dungeon: The Dark Tunnels would have sprung up around the
site of an ancient giant graveyard. Giant larvae, feeding on the decomposing
corpses of the giants created vast burrows running through the burial site.
Katla will be looking for the venom of a spider that lives inside one of the
ancient giant skulls. Why exactly?! Well, we can count on that being revealed
as the fiction unfolds.

I was now ready to write the first bit of fiction to set the scene:

When you’ve joined as many apocalyptic cults as I have, sometimes

the doctrines get a bit fuzzy. I came to the Sisters of Baleful Dolor
maybe ten weeks ago. I honestly can’t remember if they were of the
‘face the end with fearless grace’ variety, or ‘seek the next world at
your own hand’ types. The beer was good, though… brewed form the
black grain that grows erratically on the Kergüsian steppes. That’s
where the nunnery was. Carved from a vast chunk of black, volcanic
glass, vomited from the earth many ages ago.

It was probably the beer that saved me. I was passed-out drunk in a
cupboard when the massacre happened. When I awoke, everyone
had either fled, or been slaughtered. Bodies hung from, or were

26.
 impaled upon, the spire-like shards of glass the dot the roof of our
nunnery and give it it’s name: Gloomflail.

As I wandered through the now deserted halls, I found myself in the

chapel. Beneath the altar lies the tomb of the Sisters’ founder:
Abbess Thervegard. The seal on the tomb was cracked during the
massacre. As I sat in a pew, wondering what to do next, a dusty,
whispering voice seemed to float from the crack. “Seek the Dark
Tunnels… feed me with venom from the skull of the hysterical giant.”

All I knew about the Dark Tunnels is that they are somewhere in the
Valley of Unfortunate Undead… Wait! … Am I hearing voices?!

Sounds like it’s time to Begin an Adventure. I decide that this will be a
‘Depressing’ level adventure, consisting of four milestones:

1. Journey to the Valley of Unfortunate Undead (d6+6 days travel)

2. Seek the Dark Tunnels
3. Find the venom
4. Return to Gloomflail

Before setting out on the road, Katla decides to see if there is anything in the
nunnery that hasn’t been stolen or smashed…

Search for an Object DR14 Omens: 15+2, 11+2: Weak hit: 1. Nothing.

Nothing - just charred skulls and bones… everything seems to have

been decimated by some sort of supernatural fire. Ugh, well. It could
have been worse - at least there were no lurking cult members. Time
to take the long walk to the Valley of Unfortunate Undead, then…

III. ZOMBIES VS GNOUMS: KATLA’S FIRST DAY

It’s going to take eight days to reach the Valley of Unfortunate Undead. Since
each encounter on the road can easily spiral into their own adventures, you
may like to divide journey lengths by two for a less epic game. A roll on the
Calendar of Nechrubel using a d20 gives 8 – so no extra Misery today. Just
the standard amount of misery for Katla.

Rolling on the Core weather table, and Feretory overland travel tables, Katla
sets off. Outside it is black as night. The road is well-used, and she is going
to encounter a battle (no. 7 on Feretory’s Overland Travel table). I decide to
use the Oracles to dictate the crowd size and creatures in the battle:

27.
 Nechrubel’s teeth! It’s dark out here! Is it night? Is it day? Who knows
or cares anymore. At least the road hasn’t completely fallen into
decay yet.

I manage to walk for a few hours – attempting to edge a little closer to

the border of Kergüs. The road begins to skirt above the deep edge
of a valley. I can hear the sounds of battle - dismal groans and high,
piercing war cries. In the twilight I can see what looks like 30 dusk
gnoums, encircled by 90 zombies. They are fighting them off with
bows and knives, but it looks like a losing battle.

Katla decides she will try to pass discretely:

General Adventuring Move: DR12+4 Agility: 4-2, 3-2: Fail.

I don’t want to attract any attention to myself, so attempt to sneak

along the path. THWACK! A stray arrow arcs up from the valley and
hits me.

Katla takes 1 HP damage (- the arrow is d4, doing 2 damage, but 1 is

absorbed by her armour). The arrow might have been the complicating factor
of a Weak Hit, but since this was an outright Fail, things get even worse:

The impact causes me to lose my footing. Urgh, I roll down the side
of the valley. Fortunately my splint armour took the brunt of it, but I
still find myself at the edge of the skirmish. Two zombies break away
and stumble toward me.

Katla is unscathed by the fall (d4 damage: 3 damage dealt, but all of it was
absorbed by her armour).

At this point, Katla fights with the zombies, following standard Mörk Borg
combat procedures:

I duel with the zombies - all the time retreating to the edge of the
valley to make my escape. As the last one falls, I decide to quickly
pick through its pockets...

Search for an Object: DR12 Omens: 2+2, 10+2 =

Weak hit. 1 - Nothing.

Nothing. Damn - a few more zombies have cottoned on. Time to try
and get up the edge of the valley.

28.
 General Adventuring Move: DR12+4 Agility: 16-2, 10-2: Weak hit.

As a result of the weak hit, Katla got up the side of the valley, but lost a
random item – in this case 1 ration.

My knapsack gets tangled in my armour as I attempt to get back up to

the road. By HIS arse! There goes one day’s worth of rations.
Onward! No time to go back for them!

Having bounded along the road, leaving the battle behind me, I find a
quiet spot, between some blasted, leafless trees and settle down to
rest. I think it’s nighttime, anyway…

Camp. DR12 Presence: 11, 5: Fail.

Damn. Katla really could do with a rest, so I spend an Omen to re-roll the 5. I
get an 18. Weak hit. She uses one ration, gains 1 HP and an Omen.

IV. CULT OF THE FURROW-FIEND: KATLA’S SECOND DAY

Of course, this being a weak hit, Katla wakes up to find she is not alone:

Well. That was a fairly cold, uncomfortable night. The mist started
creeping from out of the valleys, saturating my clothes and even my
bones. I’d just started getting my things together when I saw three
shadowy shapes in the mist. Those groans... not again…

Flee an Enemy: DR12+3+2 Agility: 1-2, 13-2: Fail

Ok, got my armour on? Check! Sword? Check! Let’s get out of here! I
turn and run - smack into a tree that looms out of the mist. I fall back
on the ground, dazed. The zombies are almost upon me! FFS - this
armour is a liability!

A fight ensues between Katla and three zombies. She wins, but her sword
breaks in the fracas:

After slaying two of the zombies, the damp mist had evidently
corroded my already shonky blade! I missed, whacked a tree and saw
it shatter in front of my own eyes. I managed to finish the creature off
in a grueling melee using the hammer from my toolbox, emerging
victorious – and only somewhat slightly clawed.

29.
 Search for an Object:
Zombie 1: DR12 Omens: 11+0, 4+0: Fail
Zombie 2: DR12 Omens: 7+0, 16+0: Weak hit - Nothing
Zombie 3: DR12 Omens: 20+0, 5+0: Weak hit –
D66 Corpse plunder

A quick look over the bodies of the deceased reveals one of them
was some sort of soldier - I find a curious metal cylinder with a fuse...

I walk a few hours more - definitely out of the zombie battle’s way
now… right? Having totally run out of food, I spend a day searching
the blasted heath.

Feretory foraging table: d6+1 rations

I manage to gather enough withered berries and fruit to see me

through three days… although having returned to ‘camp’ and
consumed some of my bounty, I puke for six hours straight.
Unnnggghhh….. Ok, let’s call it a day.

Camp, Rest or Catch a Breath: DR12 Presence: 16+0, 1+0: Weak hit
(Gain 1 HP, 1 Omen, ration already consumed!)

I roll 14 on the Calendar of Nechrubel – and Katla wakes to a deafening

storm:

I don’t believe it - another bad night (obviously). Almost got to sleep

after shivering and puking, before the ‘heavens’ opened and a violent
storm started battering down on me. AND - illuminated by the
lightning flashes - I spied around 30 or so of the shuffling zombie
army half a mile-off. Time to get going!

Rolling on the Feretory road and events table, Katla diverges onto an old
wagon track, and encounters a religious procession (Crowd Size Oracle:
Small – 8 participants):

Maybe getting off this main road might help things? As I trudge
through the storm I see a wagon track and diverge down there. It’s
muddy as hell. In another flash of lightning I see something ahead - a
weird procession coming toward me. They are in brown robes,
carrying storm lanterns, hoes, pitchforks, and poles with horses’
skulls on them.

30.
Rolling on the Core reactions table tells me that the procession is angered:

I try to bow my head and avoid eye contact, hoping to shuffle past
them. As I approach, the leader screams “Halt, infidel! Who is this,
who blocks up our route, like a pile of over-ripe manure?"

Katla makes an attempt to persuade them to let her past:

General Adventuring Move: DR12 Presence: 1+0, 8+0: Fail.

The leader - a rancid, grizzled old farmer leans in closer as I try to spin
a story to get by the group. Suddenly he grabs me the back of the
neck and pushes me to the floor. “Put her in the back, boys! More
flesh for the Furrow-Fiend!”

Five other members of the cult strong-arm me into the back of a

rustic-looking cage on the back of a cart, pulled by the remaining two
cult members. There are three other shivering, mud-caked peasants
in the cart. Slowly we roll on down the sodden track, before the
procession takes a left into a waterlogged field.

Burned bones and decaying, hacked-up body parts float in the mud.
The lightning flashes and illuminates a set of stakes in the middle of
the field.

It’s not long before each of the prisoners is dragged in turn toward
the stakes. As two burly cultist farmhands grab me by the arms, I try
to struggle free.

General Adventuring Move: DR14 Strength: 1-2, 11-2. Fail.

An utter failure! I am lashed to the stake, which stands on top of five

barrels of tar. Rain batters down. “We’re going to need some serious
fire, my boys!” The other prisoners wail, drugged and delirious, as the
cult members begin to set fire to the barrels, which leap up in violent,
skin-blistering flames.

As one of the cultists comes over, flaming brand in hand, to light the
barrels under my feet, a palpable tremor runs through the assembly.
There is the sound of countless voices moaning. Craning my head I
can see the army of zombies, breaking through the hedges and
ditches at the far end of the field. Almost at the same time, a shrill,
elite voice rings out from the other end of the field: “Cease, ye
heretics! SHE demands your lives!”
31.
 The sound of horns ring out from the side of the Basilisk Cultists - and
with it comes great tongues of penetrating green fire, whipping
across the length of the field, indiscriminately enveloping Farm
Cultists and shuffling zombies. As the nearby Farm Cultists disperse
in panic, I try to break out of my bonds.

General Adventuring Move: DR14 Strength: 17-2, 19-2: Strong hit!

SNAP! The twine they use had probably been sitting in some
mould’ring barn for years and breaks easily. I start to dash toward the
track that we entered the field by. Typically, the leader of the Farm
Cult is standing at the gate. The eyes of the horse skull on his staff
glow with a spectral red energy. Methinks it is time to toss that
grenade.

Katla tosses the metal cylinder – as per the instructions from the Core book a
d6 is rolled. It comes up as 5, causing 3d10 damage to the cult leader:

BOOM! That wiped the annoying, superior grin off his face! Tatters of
burning flesh and clothing rain down like grisly fireworks as I pelt up
the path into the darkness, leaving the three factions to slaughter
each other in the sodden field. I run for as long as I can along the
muddy farm track, until the battle is out of earshot. I find a field with a
clump of trees in the middle - somewhat sheltered from the continual
downpour, and try to make a camp.

Camp: DR12 Presence: 5+0, 3+0: Fail.

I’ve barely dozed off, when I wake to hear a twig snap. I open one
eye to see another figure in the cloak of the Farmer’s Cult skulking
around the shadows.

A role on the Core reactions table tells me that this Cultist is indifferent:

He is young. He stares at me for a few moments. I give him my most

evil stare in return, and he retreats.

Camp: 50/50 chance of strong or weak hit:

Strong hit: +4 omens (maxed out), +1 HP, -1 ration.

32.
V. FARMHOUSE OF FILTH: KATLA’S FINAL DAYS

Katla has a decent rest, the Calendar of Nechrubel comes up as 19. It’s a
frosty morning, and Katla continues along a narrow stretch of track. The
Feretory events table tells me she encounters two corpses:

Continuing along the farmer’s track, I reach a turning which I assume

would lead me up to the farmhouse. One of the gateposts says
’Scumslaughter Farm’. Scum’s Laughter Farm?! Skewered on a pole
either side of the track up to the house are two frost-caked corpses -
they don’t look too amused. I have a quick shufty through their
pockets.

The Corpse Plunder table gives Katla 12 silver:

Hmm, a few silver coins. I guess anything decent they might have had
ended up at the farmhouse. Maybe I’ll just take a quick peek.

The track leads upwards - soon a ruinous silhouette is visible on top

of the hill, like a black tooth against the gray sky. The squat
farmhouse is decaying and emanates an oppressive atmosphere from
its dark windows.

At this point, Katla is ready to enter a dungeon. Using the DNGNGEN

template as a guide, I quickly fill in some particulars about Scumslaughter
Farm:

Dungeon: Scumslaughter Farm (DR6)

Status: Semi-active: many members of the rural cult have probably been
killed in the battle with zombies and Basilisk Cultists in the field below.
Imminent danger: Basilisk Cultists turning up to loot the farm.
What dwells there? Cult members, their pets, their prisoners, and the
shades of their sacrifices. Some members are thoroughly brainwashed -
others may have their doubts.
Entrance: A reinforced door.
Guarded by: 1 Farm Cultists and 1 Mongrel
Feature: Furniture, tools, and fixtures made from bone (human and animal).
Room 1: A smoky parlour, human skulls on the fireplace.
Room 2: A stinking latrine. A prisoner, charged with cleaning up the waste,
is chained to a wall by their ankle.
Room 3: The study. All books burned for winter kindling. A heavy chest on
the desk.
Room 4: Blood-crusted kitchen. The Cult Farmwife is here.

33.
 Common encounters:
1-2 - d2 Farm Cultists: Check reactions; Use stats for Scum (Core:
59). Cultists have a d4 dagger, but no poison special.
3 - d2 Mongrels (Core 111).
4 - d2 Sacrifical Shades: Check reactions. HP 5, Morale 8, Plasmic
Mantle -d2, Frozen Touch d4, DR14 to hit.

Rare encounters:
1-2 - d2 Cult Enforcers: Attack immediately. HP 10, Morale 9,
Ironwool Robe -d2, poison dagger d4 - as Scum (Core: 59).
3 – Former victim (Blood Drenched Skeleton, Core: 62).
4 - d2 Farm Cultists (attacks immediately) & d2 Mongrels.

Cult Farmwife: HP 18, Morale 10, Leather apron -d4, Filthy Cudgel d6 (test
DR8 toughness or get infected).
Special: Each round roll d4:
1-3 - Attacks with cudgel.
4 - Whistles and a Mongrel appears from somewhere.

Hiding myself behind a withered blackthorn bush, I can get a good

view of the house. There appears to be one entrance - a formidable
black, studded door within a porch. A single cultist patrols the house
- walking a circuit with a massive shaggy dog on a chain. I’m guessing
the door probably requires a key, and the cultist probably has the key.
I look at the house. I look at the guard. I look at the dog. I look at my
puny hammer. Le sigh.

Maybe it’s time to try a little bribery. The kid I saw near my camp
didn’t seem so bloodthirsty and brainwashed as the ones down in the
sodden field. I begin to walk up to the house. The giant mongrel
barks. I raise a hand in a gesture of peace.

Katla decides to try and bribe the cultist:

General Adventring Move: DR14 Presence: 20+0, 13+0: Weak hit.

Use omen to re-roll 13 - 17: Strong hit
Cultist can be bribed for d100 silver: 25s

Turns out I was right. He’s depressed and disillusioned. “Hvrax has
been burning and hacking people up for years to try and make his
fields grow. I’ve never even seen a stalk of grass. It’s all pointless.
Everything is pointless.” I hand him 25 silver in exchange for the key.

34.
 Hopefully he and the mongrel will be able to start a new life
somewhere… while the world lasts.

Dungeon Crawling: DR6: 9,2: Weak hit. Deathly Crypt/Grave/Abattoir.

4 exits (North, East, West, Up). Rare encounter: 2 Cult Enforcers.

The door opens with nauseating, atonal shriek as it scrapes across

the floor. It opens into what was once a hallway, but it is now more
like a deathly charnel house - the walls literally painted with dark
brown bloodstains, miscellaneous bones and globs of meat have
been kicked into the corners. There are three doors and a flight of
stairs going up. A brutish man in a red cloak was obviously alerted by
the sound of the opening door and stands at the far end of the hall.
He stares at me unflinchingly and cracks his knuckles. By the nails of
Wrong Jesus - I’d give my right eye for an unclean scroll!

Combat with the Cult Enforcer ensues. I decide that the second will descend
from the stairs once Katla has inflicted three hits on the first – given that the
combat is already ridiculously unbalanced. She manages to inflict three hits –
burning one Omen to avoid being infected by a dagger – before the second
Cult Enforcer descends. Having only 3 HP remaining, she decides to retreat:

Flee from combat: DR11+1+4 Agility: 19-2, 11-2: Weak hit.

Defend vs Enforcer 1: DR14: 10-2: Hit (absorbed by armour)
Defend vs Enforcer 2: DR14: 12-2: Hit (absorbed by armour)

Having got a few decent whacks in on the Cult Enforcer - and taken a
few in return - I heard the stairs creak, as a second one came to
investigate the fracas. I was able to escape back through the door,
their poisoned daggers glancing off my battered armour. I ran down
the frozen mud of the path and back to the gates.

Katla maybe needs a lucky break, so I use the General Adventuring Move
against Omens:

General Adventuring Move: DR12 Omens: 13+2, 4+2: Weak hit

Use an omen to re-roll the 4: 13+1, 16+1: Strong hit.

As I belt further along the track, I notice a glint from a copse of

shriveled woodland. I see the cultist I’d bribed, cooking over a small
fire, the Mongrel lying by his side.

Katla tries to forge a friendship with the Cultist:

35.
 General Adventuring Move: DR12 Presence: 7, 10: Fail.
Use an omen tor re-roll the 7: 4, 10: Fail.
While bleeding all over the floor, I babble about the two cultists who
had attacked me. He evidently neither wants to know, nor return to
that place.

Desperately, Katla offers to buy the Mongrel:

General Adventuring Move: DR12 Presence: 16,10: Weak hit.

He’ll sell for d100 silver (36s)

I manage to persuade him to let me have his Mongrel… for a price. I

pay him 36 silver, and he teaches me the basics of Mongrel-
ownership, and gets her accustomed to my presence.

Camp: DR12 Presence: 13+0, 20: Strong hit.

Restore 5 HP, 4 Omens (maxed out), lose 1 ration.

The Calendar of Nechrubel rolls 11, and the weather is a lifeless grey:

I awaken to a lifeless grey morning. The Mongrel, Wrythva, is already

awake and alert. The young cultist is gone. I may not have a scroll. I
may not have a sword. But I do have a bloody big dog, so watch out
you culty bastards, here we come!

Returning to the farmhouse, a new cultist and mongrel are on guard

duty. This one doesn’t look quite so easily turned away from the task.
There’s a look of grim determination on his face. The news of
yesterday’s melee with the Basilisk Cult must have got back to them.
The best we can do is make a full frontal assault. Hammer and hound
at the ready!

This is Katla’s final encounter. She beats the cultist down, but a hammer is
no match for the enemy mongrel. Wrythva fights on – claw to claw, and maw
to maw – emerging the bloody victor.

For a moment I consider continuing the game from a canine perspective, but
Wrythva is so beaten up that I suspect it would be an interesting, but all-too-
brief, diversion. Instead, I decide the cultist who Katla bribed earlier is
suddenly overtaken by a sense of guilt. He has a strong urge to turn back and
seek out the lady heretic he met the night before… and perhaps also settle
an old score with the Cult Farmwife. And so the tale continues…

36.
 Imagery throughout SÖLITARY DEFILEMENT was sourced from the
Rijksmuseum under their CC0 Public Domain license. I owe a tremendous
debt to the artists listed below, as well as the curators, technicians, and
other Rijksmuseum staff, without whom this project would be very different.

Inner cover (front) - Abraham Delfos,

after Albrecht Dürer (RP-T-1958-15)
p.1 - Valentijn Klotz (RP-T-00-172)
p.4 - David Pièrre Giottino Humbert de
Superville (RP-T-1937-64)
p.8 - Jan Swart van Groningen (RP-T-1921
-483(R))
-122)
p. 14 - Paul Brill (RP-T-1977
Giovan ni Bat tist a Pira nesi (RP-T-1954-149(R))
p. 16 -
-T-2 008 -10 0(R))
p. 22 - Jan Nagel (RP erville (RP-T-1937-63)
er (ba ck) - Dav id Pièr re Giottino Humbert de Sup
Inner cov

37.
 Comprehensive rules for exploring the dying lands solitaire

or so lo RP G kn ow led ge req uir ed ! Th e MÖRK BORG Core Book

No pri
Fe ret ory (or alt ern ati vel y a ha nd ful of free MÖRK BORG CULT
and
to get started!
digital downloads) are all that you need
Oh, and a willingness to die, haha!
SÖLITARY DEFILEMENT includes a series of Moves

A R
tailored to MÖRK

SÖL IT
BORG solo play, introductory Oracles to move you
r story forward,
rules for travel and dungeon-crawling, and an exte
nded gameplay
example to introduce the concepts.

RY D E FIL
1d105.itch.io

5
@1d10_
38.