..

30 DAYS of MORK BORG

Adventure Chapbook

Vol.
1

1
 Death’s Fort
The ShaTTerEd TunNeLs
The Shrine of Evil
This book expands the one-page, one-shots taken from my digital offering 30 Days
of MÖRK BORG and is the first volume in a planned series of ten. For this edition,
we focused entirely on play and access, but there’s still plenty of room for
improvisation and substitution at your table.

30 Days of MÖRK BORG, Adventure Chapbook Vol. 1 is an independent production

by Rugose Kohn 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.

Content Warning. Contains: Depictions of slavery, violence against children, body

horror, and psychological distress.

Written by Rugose Kohn.

Art by Rugose Kohn and dead people.
Development and Editing by Matthew K.

For VBS
1938–2021

Copyright © 2021 Rugose Kohn. All rights reserved.

All artwork used in this book is free of known copyright restrictions or is an original work.
 Death’s Fort
2
D eep in the swamps, along the eastern shores of Lake Onda,
sits an ancient fortress, garrisoned by a strange heretical
religion. Their arcane and occult practices transformed the fort
into a grotesque living mass.

T he walls breathe and bleed, eyes watch your every move,

giant veins pulse. This unholy metamorphosis disrupts the
fragile wetland ecosystem and the fort sinks into the mud.
Inevitably, it will meet its ultimate fate—to be swallowed whole.

Whatever your reason for darkening the door of this

forsaken place, time is of the essence.
Cutting your way through, room by bloody room, is the
only way to move forward, but the twisting sinews,
organs, and veins make any path uncertain. When you
cut into a new room, roll 2d6 and consult the table on
page 4. If either die result is a 6, the fort sinks.
Every time the fort sinks, add DR +1 to Agility tests,
stacking, for a maximum of +5. When it reaches +5, the
fort disappears beneath the mud in d6 rounds.

In each room, except for the courtyard and vault, roll a d20.
1–17: No random encounter. A heavy sigh of relief.
18: d4 courtyard dregs. Roll reaction.
19: Zombies, d3 or 2d6 if you’re feeling saucy.
20: d2 Shit Monsters (18).

you Here?
y are
wh
roll a d4 or choose may
treasure that
Y ! Yo u he ar rumors of vast
1. MO NE
tiable greed.
slake your insa you a handsom
e
! A loca l inqu isitor promises in.
2. PIETY out the heretic
s with
reward to root t of the fort to
u ne ed bl oo d from the hearved your life.
3. DUTY! Yo cult herbmaster who sa
pay back an oc t pays you to
no ble in Ki ng Fathmu’s courcurry the
4. INTRIGUE! A ts from the fort’s trove to
retrieve bibelo
King’s favor.

3
A Gateway to Death
Hidden in the soup-thick yellow mist, you approach the fortress’s main
gate by navigating a series of man-made earthen mounds, connected by
rotted wooden decking.
You may breach the fort walls to avoid the gate guardian, Kvetin.
Cutting into the fort causes one instance of sinking. Roll 2d6 and
consult the table below to determine which part of the fort you enter.
The stone walls rise up out of the muck, their bulk sags heavily in the
filth. Swamp effluvia drifts in the open front gates. A rotting and
decrepit hut stands just outside the gates; rags hang in the windows and
doorway. This is the home of the gate guardian, Kvetin and his dogs.
The hut interior holds nothing more than a wooden chair and a mass of
matted straw. A stone circle and fire occupies the center with a small
cast iron pot wherein a viscous fluid burbles away. Partake and be
welcomed as a friend.

Wild-eyed, ne
arly bald, and
do
naked
gs guard the fr
ont gate.
s pa ck of
Kvetin and hi essed mea t dr
s cu rs cu ts of
Kvetin feed s hi wal ls, tu rn in g them into
ss
from the fortre He him self is ra ther sick ly
nd s.
slav er in g fie if pressed. H is
a cheap tu nic
and fold s like as a distra ction
s (a nd na kedness) act
an tic oa ched
comba t. If appr
for es cape or w ith you, bu t
ut io us ly, Kv et in ba rgains ovoked .
ca
s the ga tes if pr
fervently defend

Wher
e areyou going?
roll 2d6 to find out
2. courtyard 8. chapel
3. north tower 9. south tower
4. east tower 10. west tower
5. barracks 11. dungeons
6. kitchens 12. vault
7. latrines
4
kvetin

5
 2 courtyard
Its glory long dead, the royal courtyard is now a twisted warren of
vermin infested trenches and terrified, dying men. These former soldiers
of the great fortress cling to hastily built breastworks, as they fight off
rising muck and horrors from the fortress.

Navigating the space safely requires a successful DR12 Agility test. On

a failed check, roll a d4.
1. STUCK! Bogged down in the mud, lose one
item at random.
2. RATS! Vermin swarm over you when you disturb
their nest. Suffer d3 damage, ignore armor.
3. PARASITES! A host of small insects burrow in
your clothes. All DR tests are at +1 until you bathe.
4. DISEASE! You suffer an almost imperceptible
nick, the filth fouls you almost immediately. No HP
regen from resting until you treat your infection.

You may find items in the slop. If you pass a DR12 Presence
test, roll a d10.

I. silver snuff box, d4 doses*

II. necklace of yellowed teeth WH
MU EN Y
III. d3 almost rotted rations CK, OU
YOU ON SEA
IV. full waterskin (smells okay) A R RCH
OF FIN OLL T
V. bottle of wine d66 D A OF HE
SIL RO 18+
VI. d2 life elixir T
VER TE
D
COI SA
VII. random armor bits, tier 1 NS. CK
VIII. random weapon, roll d8 (MÖRK BORG 20 )
IX. inverted cross amulet (worth 3d6s)
X. a boomstick, 3d4 damage, dice explode

*one dose grants +1 to Agility rolls for an hour

6
 Some of the dregs have set up a
makeshift camp here. For 2s you
can take a short rest and for 4s
you get three hots and a cot.
Sleeping in the camp is not without
risks. 1 in 6 chance someone picks
your pockets.

t ypical courtyard dreg

HP 3
Morale 5
d4 improvised or broken weapon
-d2 mismatched armor
Exhausted and generally disinterested in
outsiders. Some might help, some might
barter, none will care.
Dregs have a random trade item.

Brint
HP 5
Morale 8
d6 sword
-d3 rusted chainmail armor
Brint, beloved former captain of the fortress guards,
languishes in the courtyard. He watches as the once
premier frontier outpost slides into ruin. If you
mention King Fathmu or braving the fort’s horrors,
he joins you in the hope of a glorious death.

7
 Begin each tower on Level One
Level Four - Parapet
• Grotesquely large mouth on the floor
• Wet, smacking lips.
• Row upon row of razor sharp teeth.
Stray too close and you must pass a DR8
Agility test as the mouth strains to eat you.
Suffer d6 wounds per round until you pass
a DR12 Strength test or someone comes
to your rescue.
Needs to Floss
Random magic item (perhaps from the
Tenebrous Reliquary) jammed in between
some teeth.

Level Three - Armory

• Blood-soaked, legless corpse
with a zweihänder.
• “THE EYES” scrawled in blood.
• Flesh tube continues upward.
• Walls drip with condensation.

Level Two - Bunk Room

• Handful of beds and
personal items.
• Huge, pulsing tube of flesh
erupts from the floor and
pushes through the ceiling.
• Very humid and warm.

Level One - Common Room

• Hastily evacuated and lying
in shambles. Overturned
furniture and stinking of waste.
• A giant fleshy sack hangs
from the ceiling, its lone orifice
oozes a putrid substance.
If you ingest the goo, make a
“Getting Better or Worse” roll
against the stat of your choice.

3 north tower
8
 4 east tower
Level Four - Even Bigger Hole
• 3d6x10 pieces of silver
scattered around a large hole.
• Falling in causes 3d6 damage,
ignores armor.

Level Three - Big Hole

• Really shiny sword in the far
corner. Impresses opponents
-1DR to attack, +1 damage.
• Trying to retrieve it requires
navigating around the hole.
Falling in results in 2d6 fall
damage, ignores armor. A
drunken dreg from the courtyard
throws stones and laughs at you.

Level Two - Pile of Debris

• 2d3 corpses in the debris.
• Roll on the Corpse Plundering
table (MÖRK BORG 3).
• Discussing the fort brings the
corpses to life as zombies.
• 1 in 6 chance the floor collapses.
Suffer d6 fall damage, ignores armor.

Level One - Drinking Hall

• Looks perfectly normal.
• Table and stools.
• Three barrels: water, wine,
and grain.
Strange creaking sound
near the ceiling.

9
 5 barracks
Black and charred from fire. The smell of ash and human waste
overwhelms you. The mud of the swamp swells up through rents
in the floor.
Destroyed furniture and tattered clothing litter this space. Row
upon row of blood-soaked bunk beds line the walls, many with
their occupants still in them. Fleshy tendrils feed on corpses in
slurping gulps.
If the players spend more than a moment
in the barracks, the fort brings to life…
the Flesh Puppets!

flEsh pUppEts
HP 24
Morale -
The corpses come alive! Like marionettes on strings of
living sinew, they dance and flop desperately about.
THEY ARE EVERYWHERE! DR10 to attack them,
DR14 to defend against them.
ABSORBING GRASP! Successful attacks from the
puppets grapple you, but deal no damage. DR12
Strength test to escape. After three consecutive rounds,
the puppets absorb you. Add your HP to the Flesh
Puppets’ HP. It has your voice now.

s 1d6+1
A search of the barracks reveal
l on the
random items. For each, rol BORG 19).
Starting Equipment tables (MÖ RK
On a roll of 18
+
tucked under a you �nd a diary
details the vaulmattress. The diary
the cursed coin t (19) and warns of
s.

10
6 kitchens A giant lit fireplace dominates
the kitchen. Massive prep table
in the center of the room holds
an unserved meal of a brutishly
large roast hog. Worth a week
of rations.
Stone basin holds two sinks, both
filled with filthy, brackish water.

Where
soldiers once
feasted has become a
gallery of nightmares.
The walls pulse and crawl
with twisting veins. Giant
chandeliers hang in the dining hall,
their ceaselessly burning candles drip
wax into congealed pools on the
tables below.
Remains of some long dead beast of
burden rot on a nearby table. If you
look closely, the brute is clearly a
recent meal for some foul denizen.
11
 7 latrines
Reeks of human waste and swamp gas. From the looks of it, personal
hygiene was not high on the list of priorities. Poems, messages, and
crude drawings carved into the walls. Two Shit Monsters (18) copulate in
the far corner.

here i sit broken hearted

came to shit and only farted
now and then a fart is heard
followed by a thundering turd
He who writes on shithouse walls
Rolls his shit in little balls
He who reads these words of wit
Eats those little balls of shit

Religious
ZEAlOtS
8 chapel Strange light filters through slitted windows.
Blasphemous statues circle the room.
An elephantine effigy of the fort’s patron
sits atop a profane altar. Blood pours from
under the stone robes as the fortress
endeavors to absorb the statue.

12
 The Eyes!
If you drink the blood, you will be
allowed to pass through the halls
unmolested by the living fortress.
You have become one.
Gain +1 Toughness, but
lose -1 Presence.

S Giant bulging eyes cover the walls. A disgusting ichor slides from
the corners of their unblinking lids. They stare into your godless
soul. Oh how it burns.
Pass a DR12 Presence test upon entering this room or be
overwhelmed with dread. You are frozen in place until you pass
the test or are dragged away. Fail three times and join the other
statues of this accursed space.

What do you Find?

d4 Religious trinkets, roll 2d6 for each
2. Gold chalice (4d6s) 8. Random Sacred Scroll
3. Small stone icon (2d6s) 9. Ritual dagger
4. Blasphemous text (invaluable) 10. Religious vestments (3d6s)
5. Urn of a true believer’s ashes* 11. D2 doses Life Elixir
6. Random Unclean Scroll 12. Vault key
7. d3 vials of poison

*2d6 doses. Snort, eat, or otherwise ingest and gain +d4 HP temporarily, but 13
become addicted.
 9 west tower
Level Four - Parapet
• Lone watchmen sits against the wall.
• Almost comatose, snores loudly.
• Small Chest next to him has a poison
needle trap. Contains jewelry worth
3d6x10 silver.

Level Three - Bigger Mass

• Makes strange
mewling sounds.
• Caustic pus. Cut
through the organs and
get doused in vile,
viscous yellow fluid. Pass
a DR10 Toughness test or
suffer d3 wounds.
Reduces armor one tier.

Level Two - Organic Mass

• Huge veins pulsate on the walls.
• Massive, undulating growth
occupies the floor.
• Stairs leading up blocked by the
fibrous mass.
• Caustic pus. Cut through the
organs and get doused in vile,
viscous yellow fluid. Pass a DR8
Toughness test or suffer d3
wounds. Reduces armor one tier.

Level One - Empty Room

• Eerily quiet.
• Oddly barren.
• One of the few places left in
14 the fort not overrun with flesh.
 Begin each tower on Level One

Level Three - Destroyed

• Open to the skies above, a smoking ruin.
• 1 in 6 chance the floor collapses. Suffer
2d6 fall damage, ignores armor.
• The tower has almost completely
collapsed, only thing here is woe.

Level Two - Bigger Debris Pile

• Gigantic hole in the ceiling
open to the sky.
• Debris everywhere,
humongous pile blocks entry
onto the level.
• A search of the pile reveals
2d6 corpses to plunder.
• 1 in 6 chance they
reanimate as zombies.

Level One - Empty Room

• Walls groan.
• Completely empty.
• Dust particles float through
the air and coat the floor.

10 south tower 15
 11 dungeons
Down a steep stone staircase are the fort’s dungeons. Tiny and cramped.
Stinks of mildew and rot. Knee deep in swamp water.
A Juvenile Shit Monster (18) clings to the ceiling in the shadows. Drops down if
you explore the cells.
Six cells with rusting bars and no windows. Rudimentary sleeping cot,
small table, stool, and filthy chamber pot in each. Three cells have
corpses, either submerged in muck or half eaten by vermin. The final
cell has the last living occupant chained to the wall in an unlocked cell.
A cheerless place to call home.
Terrified and shivering, the rag draped prisoner pleads for their release.

Von
HP 2
Morale 6
d3 arthritic fists
Dirty Fighter: Von will feign injury and
then throw a sucker punch for 3d3
damage. Once per combat DR10 to
attack, DR14 to defend.
Von is tough and ruthless as well as
rough and toothless. He will remain
loyal to anyone that frees him, fighting
at their side until the bitter end.

Thick mud and filthy conditions, roll a d4.

1. STUCK! Bogged down in the mud,
lose one item at random.
2. RATS! Vermin swarm over you
when you disturb their nest. Suffer d3
damage, ignore armor.
3. CLAUSTROPHOBIA! The cramped
space of the cells gets to you
somehow. Presence tests are DR +1
for the next hour.
4. DRAGGED UNDER! Some unseen
villain pulls you under. Without aid,
pass a DR12 Strength test or never be
16 heard from again.
 Folds of flesh everywhere. The outer walls pulse and throb. A
disorienting bass note pounds rhythmically from behind a locked
vault door. Makes any focused tasks all the more difficult.
Picking the locks of the vault door is DR16. A Gutterborn Scum with Filthy
Fingersmith reduces this to DR10. The key potentially found in the chapel
(13) will get you in clean.
The heart of the fort. Literally. The great muscle, nearly the size
of an ox, palpitates like clockwork, pumping blood through the
fort. Sacks of silver coins strewn about the place (d666). Coins are
cursed. Take them and forever hear the beat of the heart in your
ears. -1 to Presence or Toughness, whichever is lower.
The heart can be removed and sold as a valuable religious artifact.
Fathmu alone would pay 300s. Cutting out the heart will flood the vault
with blood causing the fort to die in a series of great convulsions.
When the heart is removed or destroyed, for every instance
of Sinking, roll a d6. If you roll a six, the fort begins
to sink entirely. Run!

Roll d20, on a 4 -20, encounter

d2 Shit Monsters in the vault.

12 vault 17
 shit MONSteR
F
irst spotted crawling out of the
latrine, these spasmodically skittering
beasts are made of shit, mud, and
phlegm. The rancid stink they emit makes
breathing around them truly agonizing
and their huge, swiveled eyes make
sneaking nearly impossible.
HP 12
Morale 11
d6 tentacle attack, can grapple
-d2 armor, smells bad, hard to get close
for the kill
Sometimes travel in couples (roll a d2).

Killed 25s
Captured 150s
Eyestalk 60s

Juvenile Shit Monster

An amorphous mass of vileness,
newly spawned. Fast. Very fast.
HP 4
Morale 8
d3 tentacle attack
18 DR14 to hit and defend
19
 The ShaTTerEd
TunNeLs
20
 N ear the top of a volcano lives a twisted
thaumaturge. Years ago, the nearby
townsfolk foolishly struck a pact with him.
The details of the arrangement are lost to
time, but one thing is clear, the villagers
reneged. As recompense, the village children
are now the mage’s property.

W hile mothers weep, others shrug, one less

mouth to feed. Whatever their reaction, the
situation grows dire. The town is damned
unless this attrition comes to an end.

why are
roll a d4 or choose
you Here?
1. JUSTICE! A grieving mother promises you her
family relics if you scale the volcano and return
with her son or news of him. You want peace.
2. REVENGE! You suspect the mage is the same
bastard that ensnared your sibling with
sweets back in the gutters of Galgenbeck. You
want blood.
3. GREED! Rumors abound of great treasure
locked away in the mountain stronghold of a
terrible Blood Wizard . You want fortune.
4. POWER! The arcane works of the Blood Wizard
lead you to his doorstep. You want knowledge.

21
 Make the steep climb and avoid the lava flows.
Earthquakes and ERUPTIONS will kill the unlucky.
If you dawdle, pass a DR12 Agility test or
face disaster.
When you travel to a new location along the
mountain trails, roll 2d6.
2-9 The path is clear
10 d3 Goblins
11 BEAR-THING (29)
12 Automaton (33)

22
23
THE VILLAGE
N ameless and forgettable. A desperate place for desperate people. The
only redeeming feature is the plentiful (and gigantic) crops, thanks to
the volcanic soil. A steady flow of refugees and outcasts from the Dying
World is all that sustains the population.

A ll homes are worn, some a stiff breeze away from total ruin—devoid
of any children other than unweaned infants. Residents tend to be
suspicious and unkind to outsiders. Who can blame them? Most ran
from something or someone. Or worse.

B asic goods are available in the marketplace, but cost an extra silver. The
common house is the place for gossip, booze, and board. For every drink
you buy someone, they’ll share something useful about the trail up to the
Blood Wizard’s Lair. Most of the time they lie. Roll a d6.
1. The Blood Wizard keeps a pet Wyvern.
2. Winged demons swoop about the mountain.
3. Some of the villagers are actually the wizard’s offspring.
4. The Blood Wizard died and it’s his ghost taking children.
5. Shitting in the old mine shaft summons a wish granting spirit.
6. Following the trail around the north side leads to the BEAR-THING.

S ome of the drunken louts occasionally look for honest work. d3

possible hirelings. Roll 2d6, on an 11, one of the available hirelings is a
Wickhead, on a 12 a Pale one, otherwise Prowlers (MÖRK BORG 70).

THE CEMETERY
At the foot of the volcano is an ancient burial site. Crumbling mausoleums
litter the landscape, many half destroyed by the frequent earthquakes and
magma flows. A thick layer of soot and ash covers everything.
Roll on the Corpse Plundering Table (MÖRK BORG) for every grave you
plunder, up to 3d4. If you disturb the graves, test Toughness DR8 or spend
the next d3 hours violently coughing.
A small stone chapel sits mostly intact at the far end of the cemetery. Inside,
the stink of mildew hangs heavy. Columns carved with the faces of dead
saints cast long shadows over empty pews. A single wooden door occupies
the wall opposite the entrance. Locked, but rotten. Test Strength DR10 to
break it down or Agility DR12 to pick it. Behind the door is a small altar
atop a dais. Two blood-drenched skeletons on either side of the dais grip a
golden inverted cross worth 50s. A search of the main chapel reveals a
secret compartment hidden behind a loose stone. Inside is an arcane puzzle
cube and a random scroll. Test Presence DR18 to solve, at which point it will
24 loudly and continuously begin to swear.
THE ABANDONED
Just off the main summit trail lies an abandoned mine. A
hardscrabble path zig-zags through half-rotted stumps of
cleared forest. All that remains is a dilapidated shack with
assorted mining tools—shovels, picks, buckets—and the mine
entrance. While most of the tunnels have collapsed, some are
still navigable.
The mine takes an hour to explore should anyone be brave enough
to enter the half-flooded tunnel system. Roll a d6 on the table.

1. Got your foot stuck in rotting timber and

wrenched your ankle. All combat tests are DR +1
until healed.
2. You walk headfirst into a stalactite. Suffer d3
wounds without a helmet.
3. While bumbling about in the dark, narrow
caverns, a random item from your inventory
inexplicably disappears.
4. Dead miners. They’re hungry. d3 zombies.
5. 3d6x10 silver coins in a pouch.
6. 5d6x10s worth of uncut gems.

A short rest in the mine complex is fine but anything longer could
result in catastrophe. 1 in 4 chance the mine collapses, 4d6 damage.

MINE
25
 Dank, narrow tunnel. Obvious pit filled with huge spikes. Narrow, pathetic
board stretched across. Anyone crossing must make a DR8 Agility test or
fall in. Anyone encumbered or wearing heavy armor, breaks the board.
Suffer d6 wounds. On a 6 lose an eye too.

Haggard three-legged mule eating

bloody hay. The mule likes to opine
on the existential crisis of the coming
apocalypse. Stay and listen, gain an
omen. Leave and be cursed, DR +1
for the remainder of the day.

Thick and humid air. Water drips

from the ceiling and turns to steam
when it hits the floor. Three goblins
intently argue over a bomb. Bomb
deals 4d4 damage, dice explode.

Fetid lake. Dark brackish

waters. Strange eyeless fish.
Gold ring worth 40s at the
bottom. Wearer turns
invisible. Every round you
wear it, -1 Presence until
removed. At -6, you decide
to live in the lake.

GobliN
26
TuNNeLs*
 Large muddy chamber. Stinks of sulfur and
rust. Massive suit of armor (Automaton) half
buried in the muck. A single passageway leads
to a vertiginous staircase. Ascends to the Slave
Pits. 1 in 6 chance d4 Goblins here battling
another Automaton (33).

Low ceiling. Stinks of rot and sweat. Piles of

matted grass and filthy blankets. 2d6+1 piles of
shit. Each hides d3 gems worth 3d10s each.
Five goblins doze.

Smoke-filled, stinks of burning hair. Large cooking fire.

An old goblin tends the flames, d3 more sit about
gnawing on things. Scattered bones and piles of refuse.

* Up a steep flight of roughly hewn steps is a dark,

foreboding cave. Scattered about the entrance
are bones and detritus of misbegotten travelers.
A cohort of goblins live here. Hunted by the
BEAR-THING and often at odds with the wizard’s
Automatons, they scratch out an existence as 27
they stockpile shiny bits pilfered from the Blood
Wizard’s horde.
The Old Man
Not far from the summit lives the Old Man. Withered and frail,
he ekes out an existence in the shadow of the Blood Wizard.
He spends most of his time collecting the rare plants and fungi
of the volcano.
While he can’t recall much of his life before the volcano, he
knows the Blood Wizard took him as a child to work in his
unholy factory. With nowhere to go, he remained on the
mountain after his escape. He wants to help and desperately
craves an audience for his woeful tales.

The Old Man offers a safe place

to rest and d3 rations.
He hides d4 random decoctions
from the Occult Herbmaster’s
repertoire (MÖRK BORG 56)
behind the fireplace.

If pressed, he eventually tells

you about the Blood Wizard’s
heart (32). Claims he saw the
wizard rip his own heart out to
survive a vicious battle.

HP 2
Morale 1

Bad Omen Killing the

Old Man costs everyone
an omen. No omens
left? Next scroll used is
an arcane catastrophe,
even if successful.

28
Bear-thing
BEAR-TH ING Hungry.
BEAR-TH ING Angry.
BEAR-TH ING Hangry.
A strange concoction of goblin and bear . . . but undead.
Drooling and caked in blood, the BEAR-THING is
insatiable. Everything it eats just falls right out of its
rotting, open abdomen.
Generally feeds on local goblins, but will happily eat
man-flesh too. Lives in a cave on the north face.
H P 14
Morale 10
d6 craven claws
d8 terrible teeth tooths 20s
-d2 matted mane furs 40s
captured 90s

2d3 corpse-things

BLOOD.
EV ERY.
WH ERE.
Test Agility DR10 at
the start of combat or
end up prone as you slip
in the gore.

29
 Beyond the steel doors lies
The Grand Hall. Enormous
arched windows let in the
glow of the magma and
gaudy chandeliers emit a
grotesque, weak light.
Stone columns flank the
ornate carpets and terrazzo
floors. 1 in 12 chance to
encounter an Automaton.
Three doors inscribed with
ancient runes lead to the
other areas of the complex.

A
fter another torturous climb,
you reach the summit. Steps
lead to just below the rim of
the crater. A pair of rusted steel
doors covered in arcane heretical
runes at the top. Test Presence
DR12 or any damage you take from
magic is +d3 for the next d6 days.
The Library

Shelves stuffed with ancient tomes

reach the ceiling. d3+1 random scrolls.
Reading the books results in knowledge
30 of occult horrors but at a cost of -1
To the Boudoir Presence. A single door leads to the
Blood Wizard’s chambers.
 The Grand Hall

The Slave Pits

Cavernous pit of filth and decay.

Hundreds of emaciated prisoners.
Their moaning creates a wall of
droning sound. The room is difficult
to move through without being
pressed against slaves. An Automaton
silently watches. Combat with the
Automaton could cause the floor to
collapse into the goblin tunnels below,
but it won’t attack unless provoked.
Two other exits here; to The Crater
Laboratory and The Goblin Tunnels.

The Crater Laboratory

to:
Gobl
iNs

Difficult to breathe and

extremely hot. A narrow ledge
leads to a workshop where slaves
construct Automatons.
Unconscious and kept in cages,
the village’s children are all
connected to a strange
contraption that siphons their
blood while an Automaton stands
guard. Fighting in the Crater causes
exhaustion. DR to hit and defend 31
increases +1 every round after the
second, stacking.
 The Blood wIZard
Lounges nonchalantly in his bed. The life-blood of the village children keep him
young and vital. Freeing them would wither him to a bag of dust. Deep down he’s
a businessman and would rather strike a bargain than cross swords, but he’ll
double-cross you if it suits his ends.
Though he made the Automatons, he also fears them. Mostly keeps to himself in
his chambers, counting his silver and designing a new mechanical nightmare.
His ghostly pale and blood streaked cheeks shine in the soft light of his boudoir.
Hands drip with the heme of the village’s children. Sinister laughter roils from
under the brim of his hat, and the tassels sway in time to his incantations.
BLOOD WIZARD’S HEART
Cut out the wizard’s heart
s

HP 9 0s for a special treat. When

0
s5

1 2
rt you squeeze it in your hand,
be

Morale 9
ea 35s ignore any damage you take
Ro

H at
2d4 Black Kergüs dagger H until you put it down.
-d2 mystical wizard robes Then suffer double what
you would have.
Terrifyingly Pale, roll melee
attacks against the Blood
Wizard using Presence instead
of Strength.
Renowned Spell Caster, s d3+1
powers and d3+1 scr s (choose
or roll randomly).

32
 Brain
-box
120s
Seldom encountered in pairs.
Prefers to work alone.
Kind of hates the wizard.

HP 20
Morale – 0s
Sword 8
D10 really big sw?rd
-D6 made ?f metal
Slow DR8 to attack
and defend.
relentless Will not
stop until destroyed.
Big swing On a hit,
roll again to strike
another combatant
within reach.

automaton 33
 The Shrine of Evil

34
 Good King Fathmu IX, adored and loved by his subjects—or else. His third cousin thrice
removed, a scrawny lad named Nagl plotted against T he King’s noble and just rule.
His plans uncovered, Nagl fled for his life, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs across the
Dying World. Rumor has it a coven of weirdos protects Nagl somewhere in Sarkash.
Complicating matters, a rival of T he King wants Nagl for their own nefarious ends.
Nagl seems harmless enough, but the reality is he’s a cruel beast who enjoys plucking the
wings from corpse-flies. He spent his summers wandering the Valley of the Unfortunate
Undead and developed quite a taste for necromancy. His true crime was not lavishing his
cousin, T he King, with praise and gifts. While Nagl has no care for political power,
those around him do. He’ll make a useful pawn in Schleswig.

why are
roll a d4 or choose
youHere? ack down N
agl.
s a ge nt hi red you to tr
Fathmu’
1. DUTY! King d, doesn’t matter. ND profitab
le!
Alive or d e a
e nt e rt a ining! Fun A
flight is mo st gl aliv .
e
WHIM! Nagl’s nt s y o u to capture Na
2. al w a
he King’s riv
3. SCHEME! T bad decision. e been in his
Probably a
m is un d e rs tood, you’v out a fellow
agl’s just u can help
4. EMPATHY! Nyour intervention, yo g debts, maybe.
shoe s. W it h se g a m b lin
pay off tho
sufferer and

Welcome to Sarkash, a vast forest of gloomy overgrowth and dread. Each

hex is approximately the distance a person could travel through the thick,
twisted wood in six hours (four hexes a day without rest). Sarkash is an
inhospitable place on a good day. Tracking Nagl won’t be easy. For every
hex you travel, roll 1d20 on the Erratic Explorations table (36) and 1d4 on
the Tracking Travails table (36), except for at The Crater, The Shrine, and
The Shipwreck.
For every night you don’t rest, DR +1 to all tests, stacking. After three days
without rest, lose one inventory slot from fatigue. Camping in the Sarkash
isn’t without its perils. Every time you camp, roll 2d6 on the Camping
Conundrums table (36).

35
 Erratic Explora tion s d20
1–3 The fir s of Sa rk
ash loom over yo
trek th rough m ile u. A
s of gloomy forest n uneventfu l, yet m iserable
.
4–7 The we ather ge
ts worse. Or weird
Wea ther table. er. Roll a d8 on th
e Wicked
8–13 You encounter
disturbed deni ze
d10 on the Forest ns of this accu rs
Fiends table. ed forest. Roll a
14 A bu rned effig y
th at looks va guely
member of your like one of you. A
group ha s -1 Pres ra ndom
time in the forest ence for the rem
or until they bu ild ainder of thei r
15–16 W hisp er s in th a ne w effig y.
e tre
next camping ro es. Is something following you? Ad
ll. d +1 to your
17 You discover a di
sc
A lta rs table (38). oncertin g sh rine. Roll a d4 on th
e Appa lling
18–19 Your we ar y tr
ud ge
gu ard down . Test th rough the underg row th causes
Presence DR 12 yo
hu nter ’s trap. Be or be come sn ared u to let your
tter es cape befo in an old
re it gets da rk .
20 You sp ot somethi
ng
and Terr ible Trea potentia lly useful. Roll a d6 on
su res table (39). the Terr ific

Tracking Travails d4
1 Footprints, a scrap of clothing, a half-eaten loaf of bread; Nagl’s
whereabouts are clear. You get a general indication of where he’s headed.
2–3 Nagl’s tracks are mixed with others, all vaguely similar. You get two
general indications of where he’s headed.
4 Rain, animals, or large piles of dung obscure the trail! You get nothing.

Ca mping Co
2–6 Quie
t. Just yo nundrums
7–8 Storm
u and lots
of yellow
2 d6
s. You res ed eyes in
tore no H the brush
9 Beasts P this mis .
. Pack of h erable nig
slumber. d ungry anim ht.
4+1 wolve a
10 Hunters s (or similals interrupts your
. A party lo r).
d3+1 goblin oking for
s. man flesh
11 Zombie to gnaw o
s. Gaggle n.
from their of Graven
graves an -Tosk res
d into the ide
12 The ea
rth shake woods. d6nts shamble
s and tree attack!
s snap. Oh
noes! It’s
Trolls!

36
 Wicked Weather d8
h rains down on you.
1 Fires burn in the distance. As ility tests are DR +1
eve ryt hin g. Wa ter an d mud everywhere. All Ag
2 A deluge soaks x.
through the next he concentration is DR +2.
col d set tle s acr oss the forest. Any test requiring
3 A freezing this hex.
Double your travel time
4 A thick soup of yellow fog rolls in. ng fiends. All
son . Th e sky tur ns ne arly black with the buzzi s.
mating sea madly at the nuisance
5 It must be fly+1 the next hex as you swat
tests are DR through agical light.
ckn ess en vel op s the for est, swallowing all non-m
6 An ink-like bla camp, roll on the
un see n sun set s the for est alight. When you next !
7 The eerie glow of an s table at +3, but at least you’ll see them coming
Camping Conundrum and smashing into
as fist s rai n fro m the sky, shattering tree limbs
big
8 Chunks of ice asst Agility DR12 or suffer d6 wounds.
the ground. Te

Forest Fiends d10

(All creatures from MÖRK BORG unless otherwise noted. Roll reaction, applying any
modifiers as noted.)
1 Big Game Hunter(s). d4 hunters creep through the forest, setting traps. Will barter
for furs or rations. On a bad reaction roll, they wait until you leave, then hunt you.
Stat as Prowlers.
2 Occult Herbmaster. Collects ingredients for their decoctions. Wild-eyed with
matted hair and filthy robes. Might be willing to sell their current stock, especially
if you have some interesting fungi to share.
3 Root Witch. Rooted to the ground and spreading her vile corruption. Very talkative.
Tries to convince you to stay and keep her company, as her roots creep up your
legs. Test Strength DR10 or get rooted to the spot. HP 5, Morale 8. -d2 tough bark.
d4 sapling switch.
4 Goblin Cursed Wretch. Soiled and stinking, half-way through metamorphosis into
goblinhood. Begs for help tracking down the goblins to break the curse.
5 Wild Wickhead. Alone and careless, he wanders Sarkash lighting the way for
anyone that’ll have him.
6 Earthbound. A danger sensing hypochondriac. Wandered away from their pack
and got lost. Looking for a friend.
7 Prowler(s). d3 Prowlers on the lam, hide in the woods, hoping they’ve covered
their tracks. Make a reaction roll at -1.
8 Bounty Hunter. Did you honestly think you were the only one searching for Nagl?
Psssht. Heavily tattooed. Heavily armed. HP 9 Morale 10. Armed with a Spiked
Flail, wears Chainmail (tier 2) armor. Expert Warrior, make defense rolls at DR14.
Make a reaction roll at -3.
9 Goblins. d4+1 goblins looking for trouble or poor souls to curse.
10 Ball O’ Corpses. Just what it sounds like. Rolled in from Graven-Tosk with a foul
wind. Pinballs off tree trunks. Test Agility DR10 or get absorbed into the ball.
37
 ars d4
Appalling Alt Blasphemous runes e
acked rocks.
st t wood in th rn
ropping with . Smell of bu uences
1 A stone outc h charcoal on the stoneskings or face the conseqarn
scrawled wit not to smudge the mar eciphered, the runes w
air. Take care icked Weather table). D
(roll on the Wing the black disc (41). . At first
against hold d ov er gr ow n with vines s. Fresh
ark, musty, an n here in year
2 Stygice an temple. Dlook like anyone has bee
esn ’t
glan , it do altar. tely
d o n th e or is comple
b lo o
st il l al ive, b ut the interigods inside. You
tree, rest
3 An imped ossibly huge n images of long dead fo reaches, watching you.
t. C ra ve e u p p er dibles
hollow o ething in the dark, in th y hands in place of man
u
can fe el so m hum an b ab
s spider with
An enormou down a line of silk.
slowly drops . Stone
ct ci rc le o f cobblestonese third dog,
op a perfe onkey, on
4 A ralpistued dais sits at the center. One third m n g. Defile it and
be cursed
re st an d s in ird s te rrif yi s.
scu e th day
shroom, thre orm over d6
one third mu rth as this beast. Transf
to walk the ea

Terrifying
TreeSpider

38
 Terrific and Terrible Treasures d6
(all worth 6d6x10s to a collector)
I A large bipedal mammal’s upper leg bone, juts from under a rotted log. This is no
ordinary femur. Does d4+2 damage. If thrown, will return to your hand
automatically. If it breaks (or on a critical fumble) a sickening crunch signals your
leg breaking too.
II An amulet glistens amongst a pile of decaying leaves. A blood red stone on a rusted
inverted cross with a heavy braided chain. The chain constricts around the wearer
making removal impossible without decapitation. Allows you to cast a random
unclean scroll d3 times a day. When casting any of the scrolls, a result of 1-3 causes
arcane catastrophe (MÖRK BORG 44).
III You stub your toe on a rusted breastplate sticking out of the mud while stepping over
a tangle of roots. Knits itself to the wearer’s chest. Tier 2 protection in a Tier 1
package (no Agility modifiers). Removing it causes d4 wounds.
IV Length of rope coiled around the stump of a felled tree. Frayed and sticky with sap, it
can only be tied into a noose. Anything finding its neck within, dies instantly. It
demands lives, loudly, and if you don’t give it one, it demands yours.
V Nailed to a tree is a mask made of clay with a fearsome toothy maw. When worn,
enemies quake in fear. You always go first in combat. Adds a d6 bite attack. Fragile
(it is clay after all). 1 in 6 chance it breaks in combat. When it does, all your teeth fall
out. Each toothe turns into a tiny golem.
VI A scrap of paper caught on a foul breeze reads, “Bot-Tanical.” When cast as a scroll,
nearby plants spring to life to do your bidding for d6 minutes. You become more
tree-like with every casting. On a critical failure, you become a Root Witch (37).

39
 T

40
The Shipwreck
Between the forest and the Endless Sea, there is a great shipwreck made of
bone and sinew. To see what’s washed up on the shore, roll a d6.
1 A mountainous pile of broken bones and torn flesh, only the skull of the
figurehead survives, its disfigured face frozen in mid scream. If you carry the
skull, any lake or river will part before you, but you cannot willingly step in the
same water twice.
2 Bolts of flesh, stitched together. Clothing made from them will always stay dry,
but you will be marked as the lowest of the low by sailors.
3 A dying horse calls out to you by name and tells you a tale of woe. Left on these
shores to cross the great divide, the horse shares the name of the master who
abandoned her to die. She begs to be avenged and promises riches beyond belief.
Her master is a petty noble in Grift.
4 Intestinal lattice. Use these nets and you shall never hunger, for they always
make their catch, whether fish, fowl, or man. Beware, your taste will be for this
flesh and only this flesh. Without it you will starve, with it, you will course with
vitality. Add +d6 to max HP.
5 A skeletal jester. Abandoned by his master and become the walking dead, he
seeks a new liege. He will serve you well, but will abandon you at the time of
your greatest need.
6 A woven bone tent, lashed together with the most beautiful blond hair. Take
shelter here and heal 2d6 HP. Feel refreshed and invigorated like never before.
Originally appears in The Truly Wretched as part of the true MÖRK BORG Discord Server’s The Occult Ossuary.

The Crater
In a clearing to the West is a large crater surrounded by dry, cracked
soil. Wisps of smoke trail upwards into the air as the last moisture in the
ground cooks off. Not even insects enter this place. A void-black disc,
the size of a dinner plate lies at the bottom, pulsating and vibrating so quick,
it seems to buzz. The silence of the forest here is deafening, the buzz
of the disc fills the hole in your senses. Near the disc are two
pairs of gloves and a set of disembodied hands, fingers blackened to
their base. Shattered, jagged bones protrude from just below the wrist.
They look twisted off, rather than cut. The Pale Ones at The
Shrine desperately want the disc.
The Black Disc
When picked up, its vibrations increase exponentially and requires both hands to
hold on to. Holding the disc causes anyone looking directly at you to see into the
void and the disc absorbs all attacks directed at you. Test Presence DR12 to let
go. Each failure increases the DR +1 until it is impossible to put down and rips 41
itself from your hands.
 At the Shrine
A miserable, ramshackle building surrounded by an intricate series
of concealed trenches. Each trench extends outward in concentric
circles, the outermost is over a mile from the shack.
First Trench. Thick grease oozes down the steep sides. Bottom is
filled with wickedly pointed spikes.
Second Trench. More a shallow furrow than a trench, it is easily crossed,
but walking through it agitates poisonous fungal spores. Any disturbance
sends a plume of them into the air.
Third Trench. Looks impossibly deep and far too wide to leap
over. Nearby trees might serve as a bridge, but they are
filled with carnivorous centipedes. D6+2 centipedes, 1 HP, d3
damage, DR14 to hit.
Fourth Trench. Falls away gently, easy to cross, but 1 in 6 chance of a
flash flood.
Fifth Trench. Twisted path of rotted boards. Thick mud on either
side, bubbles and steams. Straying off the path causes horrific
scalding burns. d4 zombies follow along under the boards. They
attack at the worst possible moment.

Successfully navigating the trenches leads to the shack’s arcane rune

inscribed doorway. If you pass through, all Presence tests DR +2 for
d6 rounds. Catastrophic spell failure on rolls of 1 or 2. If you defile the
runes or pray to your god, avoid the curse.

in the shrin
Four Pale Ones conduct strange experiments on lost souls that wander into their
grasp. Nagl lives among them, fascinated and terrified by his companions’ macabre
life. He tries his best to fit in, even going so far as to dress himself in flayed animal
skins bedecked with eyeballs.The Pale Ones prize the Black Disc above all else. If
you promise to bring it to them, they are far less violent. When you arrive 1 in 6
chance the Pale Ones are out searching for the Black Disc, otherwise they are in
the Basement.

42
 Front Parlor. The floor leans at a harrowing angle. Black nails are everywhere, test
Agility DR8 or suffer d3 wounds. Chained in the far corner is a crying child. They’ll
gladly tell you what little they know of the Pale Ones, but mostly begs to be freed.

Kitchen. Two horse skulls rest on the mantle over the fireplace. They casually
converse about banal topics relating to (post) equine life. A zombie chained to the
wall sits on a chest filled with pearls worth 150s.

Bed Room. Bloodied beds and the smell of death fill the cramped space. Nagl bolts
up at your entry. If you try to take him by force, he’ll scream for his Pale One
brethren, but if he thinks he doesn’t have a chance he’ll try to bribe you instead
with a hidden cache of gems, worth 5d6x10s, behind the building.
A violin balances carefully on the lip of a dresser. When you play the violin, test
Presence DR12. If successful, anyone in earshot heals d4 HP as their wounds are
soothed by beautiful melodies. Fail and the violin’s strings unwind and lash
violently at the amateur musician, inflicting d4 damage.

The Basement. Damp, exudes the aura of a freshly dug grave. Four sarcophagi line
the walls. Against a wall are three tables heaped with all manner of surgical,
woodworking, and smithing tools. One of the tables holds three Life Elixirs in
unmarked opaque glass bottles. The floor is coated in blood and viscera. If the Pale
Ones aren’t out searching for the disc they are found here conducting their
gruesome experiments.

ne Nagl
Wretched Royal
HP 4
Morale 7
d6 sword
-d4 heavy furs

43
Player map

44
45