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 usual 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 less well - or 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 can be the 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 use your judgment to know when to pull back, but
often it’s also 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 other products like the
Mythic GM emulator, as well as from the huge selection of third-party MB
content available online.

2.
The additional 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).

You can jump straight into SÖLITARY DEFILEMENT with a one-shot dungeon
crawl: see the section beginning on page 16 for some advice on how to do
this, or use a semi-structured adventure such as SHADOWCLINK.

Alternatively, you can play SÖLITARY DEFILEMENT as a longer campaign –

running until the Seventh Misery befalls the world. Should your chosen scvm
die before then, roll up a new one and introduce them to the story. Play until
eternal darkness and silence fall upon the Dying Lands!

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, but can
also be related to the Strong/Weak/Fail approach to resolution. A failure to
cast a Power then equates to a Weak Hit (e.g. –d2 HP, plus some other
inconvenience or disadvantage occurs). A fumble is equivalent to 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 (note: 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, a temporary stat adjustment, neither
impressing nor angering someone you are trying to persuade, 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. 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. Some sort of danger reveals itself! A trap? An ambush?

CAMPING, RESTING, CATCHING BREATH

Catch a breath=DR9 Presence with 2d20; Camp=DR12 Presence with 2d20:
Strong Hit: Gain d4/d6 HP depending on whether catching a breath or
sleeping. If sleeping, re-roll your Omens, restore Powers, and use 1 ration.
Weak Hit: Gain d2/d4 HP. If sleeping, restore 1 Omen and 1 Power, and use
1 ration. Introduce a reason for a restless night or interruption.
Fail: No sleep for you. Something terrible is about to happen. The 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 potential prey,
forgeable food, or clean-ish water.

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 procedures.

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
can also be sourced from rooms 1, 2, 3, 4 in 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 (e.g. final battle/objective, and/or 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 the Room Descriptor Oracles on page
13 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?
- or if you are feeling unimaginative just roll a Common Encounter). Generate
a room from the Room Descriptor Oracles when (- or if -) the encounter is
resolved.

RETIRE FROM ADVENTURING

Hah! Come on - be serious!

7.
 Ö
IV
RACLES

8.
REGIONS ADVENTURE SPARKS
Core: 88 Core: 88

OVERLAND TRAVEL INNS AND HOSPITALITY

Feretory: 4-5 (Just use the bold text Feretory: 54-55
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 (Core: 35)

STOCK CREATURES (d20)

1 – Regional Creature (Feretory: 12-21/Eat Prey Kill)
2 – Pale One (Core: 71)
3 – Dusk Gnoum (Core: III)
4 – Scum (Core: 59)
5 – Blood Drenched Skeleton (Core: 62)
6 – Zombie (Core: 65)
7 – Mongrel (Core: III)
8 – Goblin (Core: 58)
9 – Guards with Sharpened Teeth (Core: III)
10 – Earthbound (Core: 70)
11 – Prowler (Core: 72)
12 – Wickhead Knife-Wielder (Core: 68)
13 – Wraith (Core: 61)
14 – Undead Doll (Core: 66)
15 – Nesting Death (Core: III)
16 – Lich (Core: 63)
17 – Berserker (Core: 60)
18 – Wyvern (Core: 69)
19 – Grotesque (Core: 67)
20 – Troll (Core: 64)

Roll d12 for less dangerous creatures – or d8+12 for a suicidal encounter!

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 (x 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 - Acrid 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/Retainer
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/Excavated
6 – Infernal/Unholy 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 - Bizarre creature (e.g. The Monster Approaches/Feretory: i-ii)
2 - Remains of something (a structure, object, a once-living thing?)
3 - Unexpected event (- a trap? - an ambush? - imminent danger gets
4 - A gathering/ritual/event/group closer?)
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 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 enter 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
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 populate a blank stat-block or
use a Dungeon Crawl worksheet (see page 33 for an example).

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 more dangerous
Rare Encounters. You could even stock these using the Stock Creatures
Oracle, rolling d12 for Common Encounters and d8+Dungeon DR for Rare
Encounters: perhaps also including the possibility of finding an item when 6 is
rolled. A DR10 Dungeon might look like this (* = roll Reactions):

Common encounters (d6):

1 – Mongrel 2 – Pale One* 3 – Earthbound*
4 – Pale One* 5 – Scvm 6 – Useful Item Oracle

Rare encounters (d6):

1 – Wickhead 2 – Nesting Death 3 – Undead Doll
4 – Berserker 5 – Wyvern 6 – Tenebrous Relic

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
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 retreating, ambushing, or sneaking past.

If you find it difficult to come up with a situation when faced with entries like
‘something blocks your path’ or ‘hazardous environment’, use the Sounds and
Odours & Tastes Oracles: often a non-visual cue can inspire something far more
interesting than the usual dungeon-delving tropes.

 
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. Alternatively, 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 borders
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 Stock Creatures and Yes or
No? Oracles to further help you make decisions.

18.
 Kratar's Return to Scumslaughter

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
skull el. Reuni , they ki
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

DEFILEMENT dungeon-crawling session, continuing from the gameplay example in part
X. 19.
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 printable worksheets to assist your 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,
plus additional space for Common and Rare Encounters, and also check boxes
for keeping track of each of your progress through 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
33), while the Forest of Spectral
Darkness and Mausoleum of the
Bone Stripper were brief (but
deadly) micro-crawls. 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 worksheet, 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
Tenebrous Reliquary are easy to access. All of these can be downloaded from
MorkBorg.com, which also links to an online version of The Monster
Approaches. Unique to Feretory is the additional overnight camping events
table in Overland Travel but I’m sure you can improvise your way around that!

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? It 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 had 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, and/or start with their maximum
Omens each day.

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 play 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 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 a 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. However, managing them is a skill in itself.

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 to the side. Passing that means they lose a random object while
clambering up, but failing means that they still cling on, although their boot
touches the deathly waters inflicting d4 damage. This roughly reduces the
chance of death or injury to 21%.

A Weak Hit can also mean 'less good than' in many 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 is now hunted by enemy
cultists.

II. SPARKING THE ADVENTURE

The adventure sparks in Core: 88 told me that I should start in the centre of
Alliáns, and that – inspired by some whisperings from a crypt – I would be
searching for ingredients to an elixir. 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 a destination where the elixir could be found

resulted in a dungeon called the Dark Tunnels. Since the exact text cannot be
reproduced here, I’ll summarise by saying that the Dark Tunnels are located in
the Valley of the Unfortunate Undead and are a place that had fallen into ruin.
The suggestion that the place was also infested with diseased larvae also helped
me come up with the common and rare encounter tables to complement the
DNGNGEN output:

25.
 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 rather then a straight one-shot dungeon crawl, this would be a
campaign-style play, involving several days travel from Kergüs to the Valley of
the Unfortunate Dead. Therefore I kept the stats for Plague Larvae, Plague Flies,
and Corpse Crawlers blank – I’d fill them in as and when I encountered them.

I’d started to link the adventure spark to the dungeon, deciding that the Dark
Tunnels would have sprung up around the site of an ancient catacomb: the
resting place of a gigantic, but now extinct, people. Giant larvae feeding on the
decomposing corpses of the giants created vast burrows running through the
burial site. The ‘elixir’ that Katla will be looking for is the venom of a spider that
lives inside one of the ancient giant skulls. Why exactly?! I am not sure, but
decided to count on that being revealed as the story 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 from the black grain that
grows erratically on the Kergüsian steppes. That’s where the nunnery
was, too. 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 impaled
upon, the spire-like shards of glass that dot the roof of our nunnery and
are the source of it’s name: Gloomflail.

26.
 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 know 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. Find the entrance to the Dark Tunnels
3. Retrieve 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 more manageable 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:

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.

27.
 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. The gnoums are fighting them off with bows
and knives, but it looks like a losing battle.

Katla decides she will try to pass discretely. Unfortunately, her splint armour
increases the DR of Agility tests by 4:

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: DR11+3+4 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. 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 decide to follow it. 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 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 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!” someone yells. 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!” Inquisitors of the Two-Headed Basilisk are also descending on the
field!

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 mouldering
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 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, 3 Powers. +1 HP. -1 ration.

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

Katla has a decent rest, and the Calendar of Nechrubel comes up as 19. It’s a
frosty morning and Katla continues along a narrow stretch of track. The events
by road table (Feretory: 5) tells me that she encounters two corpses:

Continuing along the farmer’s track, I reach a turning that 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 Cultist 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 is 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: III).
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 10, 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 the puny hammer in
my hand. 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. Hopefully he and
the mongrel will be able to start a new life somewhere… while the world
lasts.
34.
 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, while miscellaneous bones and globs of meat have been
kicked into the corners. There are three doors in the hall 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 right now!

Combat with the Cult Enforcer ensues. I decide that the second will descend
from the stairs once Katla has landed three blows 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 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 earlier, cooking over a small fire, the
Mongrel lying by his side.

Katla tries to forge a friendship with the Cultist:

General Adventuring Move: DR12 Presence: 7, 10: Fail.

Use an Omen to re-roll both dice: 6, 4: Fail.

35.
 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. 2 Omens, 3 Powers. 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 the farmhouse. The best I
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. After Katla falls, Wrythva fights on – claw to claw,
and maw to maw – emerging as 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 bought the mongrel from
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.
36.
 
37.
38.
ALÖNE IN THE CROWD contains everything you need to integrate city-
crawls – as well as town, village, and hamlet crawls – into your SÖLITARY
DEFILEMENT sessions. You may just be passing through a homestead while
travelling, or you may be involved in a quest taking you to various locales in a
sprawling metropolis. Either way, ALÖNE IN THE CROWD will provide you
with all the encounters, shops, and terrifying random events that you need to
guide your character toward their inevitable fate. Steal from museums, enter a
pig-wrestling contest, make some dodgy deals in the bathhouse, and when
you’re done, perhaps find absolution at a forgotten shrine, or oblivion at the
bottom of a tankard.

While ALÖNE IN THE CROWD provides comprehensive Oracles to support

your wanderings through the cities of the Dying Land, remember that these
are just guidance. Oracles like Unexpected Event and Gathering have some
stock suggestions and illustrative mechanics, but you may think of something
even better once your session is flowing. If you seek further inspiration,
remember that the Oracles for Sounds and Odours & Tastes in SÖLITARY
DEFILEMENT (SD) can sometimes prompt the most unexpected ideas!

Consider also that both the city and the wider world are persistent. If a hunting
party passed you by without incident, remember that they are still out there!
Perhaps next time you fail the City Crawl move, you may encounter them
rounding back on their prey – or seeking a new quarry for their sport!

As a rule-of-thumb, movement from street-to-street takes 5 minutes: useful to

know when you are hemorrhaging and attempting to ask horrified passers-by
the way to the nearest doctor.

So, how do you find towns, cities, and other settlements in a SÖLITARY
DEFILEMENT session? The following suggestions might help:

First, you could sketch out an adventure that takes place in a city. The
Chalice of Ruin, included in section VII of this supplement, provides a
possible template. You could alternatively start with an adventure spark and
single objective or milestone. For example, your quest might revolve around
stealing a ship harboured in the river: the first objective could be to find the
tavern where the crew-members drink. The next objective might depend on
how encounters at the tavern play out.
   2.    
If you are starting a campaign game, you may decide to begin at a settlement
as a prelude to adventure – providing an evocative background, and helping
you gather equipment or seek further information before setting out to meet
your fate. Alternatively, visiting a city or settlement might be a milestone:
perhaps you need to travel several days to a town and stock up on a specific
alchemical item as part of a larger narrative?

Settlements can also be discovered by chance. For each day travelling there
is a 1-in-8 chance that a settlement is discovered: consult the Settlement
Size, Settlement Name, and Settlement Descriptor Oracles, along with the
SD Geographical Features Oracle to get an idea of what it is like.

Finally, you may encounter a village when foraging (see Roads to Damnation/
Feretory: 3-8). If you choose to explore a village discovered this way, it
consists of either a d8+3 Dérive, or a d4 Micro-Crawl.

There are three ways to use ALÖNE IN THE CROWD to wander the doomed
and darkened streets – although you may also come up with others.

MICRO-CRAWL
As in SÖLITARY DEFILEMENT, you can make a Micro-Crawl when you need
to quickly move through a terrain en-route to some other objective. In this
instance, roll a d4 to find out how many streets need to be navigated. Next,
use the Street Descriptors Oracle (optionally rolling exits for extra flavour) to
find out what the streets contain. City Micro-Crawls can also be recorded on
the standard SÖLITARY DEFILEMENT Micro-Crawls worksheet.

   3.    
DÉRIVE
If you encounter a settlement and just wish to aimlessly wander around to see
what happens, then you may undertake a Dérive. Consult the Settlement Size
Oracle to find out how many streets the settlement contains and start a tally to
keep track of how many streets you have visited. Use the City Crawl Move
with a DR of 10 to explore the settlement, mapping as you go: both Strong
Hits and Weak Hits are treated the same way, and indicate that you should
generate a street with the Street Descriptors Oracle. Once you have reached
the end of the tally you find yourself at the edge of the settlement.

CITY CRAWL
A fully-fledged City Crawl is similar to the Dungeon Crawl in SÖLITARY
DEFILEMENT. The suggested DR for most City Crawls is 10. Instead of
‘Special Rooms’, you will seek Objectives: these are specific places you need
to visit in order to complete the adventure (see Chalice of Ruin for an
example of this). Use the City Crawl Move to explore the streets, reaching an
Objective on a Strong Hit. You can keep track of both Dérives and City-Crawls
on the printable City-Crawl Worksheet.

   4.    
CITY CRAWL
City DR vs 2d20. City Crawls do not use modifiers based on number of
Objectives reached. Use Get Directions to increase your chances of finding an
Objective.
Strong Hit: Reach the next Objective (- see Weak Hit if all Objectives met).
Weak Hit: Roll a new street using the Street Descriptors Oracle (p.15).
Fail: Something prevents you leaving. If you are stuck for inspiration, use a
simple Yes/No Oracle, or roll d4:
1-2 – NPC Encounter
3 – Environmental Hazard
4 – Unexpected Event
Resolve the encounter and then roll a new street.

GET DIRECTIONS
DR12 Presence vs 2d20. Use this Move to help you reach Objectives or find
specific destinations (e.g. shops, buildings, NPCs, or other locations).
Strong Hit: Something (a sound? smell? graffiti?) indicates a likely way
forward. Add +4 to your next City Crawl move if you are seeking an Objective.
Alternatively, add the particular destination you seek to the contents on the
next street generated.
Weak Hit: You ask a nearby NPC. Make a 2d6 Reaction roll:
2-3 – Attacks
4-6 – Ignores you
7-8 – Indifferent: +d2 to next City Crawl, or find destination in d4 streets
9+ Helpful: +d4 to next City Crawl, or find destination in d2 streets
Fail: You’ve got no idea, and no one else is any help.

PRAY
DR14 Presence vs 2d20. Add the following modifier to your roll:
Statue +0; Shrine +1; Tomb +1; Chapel +2; Church +2; Cathedral +3
The advice below is generic: even better would be to adapt the result to the
particular saint or deity that the place is dedicated to.
Strong Hit: d4: 1 – Healed (+d4 HP) 2 – Blessed (+1 Omen)
3 – Inspired (+1 Power) 4 – Gnostic Flare (+1 to random stat)
Weak Hit: Nothing: I guess the saints really are dead, after all.
Fail: d6: 1 – An Arcane Catastrophe rewards your insolence
2 – A plague is visited upon you (become infected)
3-6 – No response

   5.    
STASH ITEM
DR10 Omens vs 2d20. You may need to stash items you cannot carry, and
then hope they stay safe. Use this Move when you return to retrieve them:
Strong Hit: A great hiding place! The items are still there when you return.
Weak Hit: d6: 1-2 – You find several items missing (1-in-2 chance per item)
3-4 – Items damaged by water, damp, etc. 1-in-2 chance of
reducing armour & weaponry one tier, scrolls becoming
unreadable, food spoiling, etc.
5-6 – You surprise an NPC trying to carry your loot away!
Fail: Your items are missing – or scattered around and broken.

ANIMALS (d8, check Reactions)

1 – Stock Creature (SD: 9) 5 – d2 Dogs (4 HP, d4 Bite)
2 – d2 Monkeys (Core: 19) 6 – Horse (6 HP, d6 Kick)
3 – d2 Cats (3 HP, d4 bite) 7 – d2 Pigs (3 HP, d2 Trotters)
4 – Spider-owl (5 HP, d4 bite, DR14 to 8 – Region-Specific Creature
defend). Can climb and glide. (See Eat Prey Kill)

CIVIC BUILDINGS (d6)

1– Bathhouse: 4s to enter. Encounter d4 NPCs and roll Reactions +2. Helpful
NPCs may side with you against unfriendly ones, join you, or sell
wares/services appropriate to their profession. DR8 Toughness or pick up
an infection while inside.
2– Library: d10+5s to enter. Inside roll d2 books or manuscripts from the
Notable Artefacts Oracle and d2 Scrolls. Each item is DR12 Agility or
Presence to steal. Face d4 Guards if you fail (see NPC Encounters #54).
3– Museum: d20+10s to enter. Inside roll d2 Notable Artefacts & d2
Tenebrous Relics. Each item is DR15 Agility each to steal. Face d6 Guards if
you fail (see NPC Encounters #54).
4– Jail: If you can break in, or bribe a guard (d100+50s) you can undertake a
d4 Micro-Crawl. The final room is a cellblock with d4 imprisoned NPCs (use
SD core rules to generate NPCs, check Reactions +3).
5– Zoo: d4 random animals from Eat Prey Kill. Housed in either rickety wooden
cages or iron-barred cells. Animals can be tamed with rations and liberated
if you have the right tools, but face d2+1 guards (NPC Encounters #54) if
you want to get out!
6– City Gate: 1-in-2 chance of being open, 1-in-2 chance of being guarded by
d4 guards (NPC Encounters #54). Reactions (d6): 1 – Attack; 2 – Angry; 3-6
– Indifferent.

Note that in all Oracles there is a difference between NPCs (rolled using the Oracle in
SD: 12), and NPC Encounters (rolled using the Oracle on pages 13-14 in this book).

   6.    
FESTIVALS (2d10)
The Festival of 1– Skeletal Flagellation
2– Flaming Corpses
3– Murmuring Bones
4– Singing Stars
5– Ecstatic Priests
6– Nocturnal Relics
7– Infernal Curses
8– Buried Scythes
9– Whirling Galaxies
10 – Fevered Prophecy

When attending a festival, you might also ask how long it lasts and what the climax is.
Do participants reach an ecstatic peak, provoking supernatural phenomena? Does the
festival process to the outskirts of the settlement to exhume and play the Singing
Scythes? What happens then?

GATHERINGS (d6)
1– Funeral procession (d2): 1 – Scvm mourners; 2 – Noble mourners. A perfect
crowd to vanish into – or indulge in a spot of pocket-picking?
2– Ritual: Check the SD Religious Denomination and Yes or No Oracles to
determine whether the ritualists are friendly or not.
3– Contest (d4): 1 – Pig Wrestling (Strength); 2 – Axe Juggling (Agility);
3 – Chess (Presence): 4 – Glass-eating (Toughness). The champion’s DR is
12+your relevant stat modifier. Roll 2d20 vs DR: Strong Hit: Win a prize (use
Searching Strong Hit result); Weak Hit: You don’t quite make the grade but
an admirable attempt; Fail: Something goes wrong and d2 NPCs take
offence.
4– Spectacle (d4): 1 – Acrobats; 2 – Speaker; 3 – Puppet show;
4 – Musician. Make a donation – perhaps even persuade them to join you or
give you a lesson in their specialty.
5– Festival: Roll on the Festivals and SD Crowd Size Oracles. If you wander
through the throng, the festival contains either a contest (#3, above) or
Spectacle (#4, above), and d2 NPC Encounters.
6– Rioting Mob: Roll 2d20 vs Presence: Strong Hit: Pass through without
trouble; Weak hit: Roll once on d2 table below; Fail: Roll on d2 table below,
doubling the number of NPCs rolled.
d2: 1 – Encounter d4 Drunks (NPC Encounters #12); 2 – Evade the riot police
(use Flee from Combat vs d2 Guards – NPC Encounters #54).

   7.    
HAZARDS (d6)
1– Overturned carriage: Use a simple Yes/No Oracle to determine why it was
overturned, and whether the driver is still present. If looting, use the
Searching Move, repeating a Strong or Weak Hit outcome d4 times.
2– Roadblock: Manned by d20 guards. Set up to capture someone or
something? Or to barricade someone or something in?
3– Collapsed road: The has road collapsed into an old sewer, mine, cave, or
abyss. Work out a way across, backtrack, or Micro-Crawl underground to
emerge at another street.
4– Spiked wall/fence: Use simple Yes/No Oracle to work out why it is has been
erected. The SD Buildings and Structures Oracle may also help you
determine its purpose and construction.
5– Fallen building: Rubble spills across the street from a collapsed building.
Possible suggestions: avoid falling masonry (DR14 Agility/d4 damage);
Search the rubble; enter the building (d2 Micro-Crawl).
6– Environmental Hazard: Use SD Sounds and/or Odours & Tastes Oracles to
determine a hazard, for example: noxious gas or ever-burning fire seeping
from below; cursed winds blowing from the nearby moor; a slippery, blood-
soaked shambles…

HOLY PLACES (d4 villages and smaller; d6 cities and larger)

1 – Statue 4 – Chapel
2 – Shrine 5 – Church
3 – Tomb 6 – Cathedral (- has a vault: d4 Micro-Crawl if entered)

Use the last two columns of the SD Religious Denominations oracle to find out who
or what the holy place is dedicated to. Chapels, churches, and cathedrals are staffed –
use the SD Yes or No Oracle to determine whether the denomination views you as a
true believer or a heretic.

INTERIOR LOCATIONS (d4 hovel / d8 townhouse / d12 mansion)

1 – Hallway 7 – Balcony/Terrace/Rooftop/Dovecote
2 – Store/Pantry 8 – Study/Library
3 – Dining Area/Kitchen 9 – Great Hall
4 – Bedroom/Quarters 10 – Music Room/Observatory/Lab
5 – Atrium/Stairway 11 – Chapel/Shrine
6 – Reception Room/Drawing Room 12 – Armoury/Workshop

MERCHANT DISPOSITIONS (2d6+Presence)

0-3 – “No service for your kind!” 8-9 – All items at price
4-5 – All items 2x the price 10-11 – All items 10% off
6-7 – All items 1.5x price 12+ – All items 25% off!

Attempting to threaten or persuade a merchant (e.g. DR12 Presence vs 2d20) can shift
their disposition to the next favourable band on a Strong Hit. A Fail shifts the
disposition to the next unfavourable band. A Weak Hit means it stays at the same
band.
   8.    
NOTABLE ARTEFACTS
Type (d4) Concerning/Depicting (d12)
1 Book 1 Plants & fungi (+2 Presence to identify weird flora)
2 Manuscript 2 HER Blasphemous Gospel (+d4 when using Powers)
3 Nechrubel Bible (Core: 55)
4 Sacred Death (Becomes a random Sacred Scroll each morning)
5 Diabolic Debauchery (As above, but for Unclean Scrolls)
6 Boiling Blood (Core: 51)
7 Ascetic Praxis (+2 when Praying)
8 Fatalistic Divination (+1 Omen per day)
9 Roads of the Dying Land (Reduce travel time by d4 days)
10 Dream Gates (d2 Micro-Crawl nightly – wake if reduced to 0HP.
Wake to discover any items etc found if you survive.)
11 Apocalyptic Survivalism (+2 when Camping)
12 Infernal Topography (optional +d2 when Dungeon Crawling)
3 Picture 1 A tree with a Giant Goat (+1 Agility)
4 Sculpture 2 A battle with a Pallid Skull (+1 Toughness)
3 A life-study of a Screaming Basilisk (+2 Power) *
4 A cave with a Exiled Sinner (+1 Omen) *
5 The limb of a Wretched Noble (+1 Presence)
6 A bound and Forgotten Monk (+1 Power) *
7 Dismemberment of a Twisted Hound (+2 HP)
8 The face of a Decaying Goblin (+2 defend)
9 Landscape with a Burning Soldier (+2 attack)
10 A cursed and Dancing Youth (+d2 Strength)
11 Burning town and Unremarkable King (+2 Presence)
12 A fruit tree and a Hypnotic Spider (15 minutes
spider-owl powers) *
* Per day
Notable artefacts are worth 100+d100s.

To have the effect of a picture you need to consume a section of the canvas, reducing its worth
by half. Such modifiers are permanent. To have the effect of a sculpture you must be in
possession of it. Check its size using d2: 1 - Small (e.g. figurine or amulet), 2 - Large (-2 Agility).
Modifiers are lost when a book, manuscript, or sculpture is sold, lost, or broken.

SETTLEMENT DESCRIPTOR (d20)

1 – Shadowy/Blackened 11 – Tottering
2 – Crumbling/Ancient 12 – Seedy
3 – Sinking 13 – Squatting
4 – Cursed 14 – Brooding
5 – Isolated 15 – Sodden/Waterlogged
6 – Fortified 16 – Frozen/Fogbound
7 – Besieged 17 – Barren/Dusty
8 – Polluted/Mist-choked 18 – Declining/Forgotten
9 – Condemned 19 – Decaying
10 – Ruinous 20 – Pestilential/Infested

   9.    
SETTLEMENT NAME (d66)
11 – Ghast/Ghost Pit 41 – Night/Nacht Fell/Falls
12 – Blood/Blut Brae/Bray 42 – Dark/Mörk Dal/Dale
13 – Scar Borg/Berg 43 – Witch/Häxan Heath
14 – Hunds/Dog(’s) Cot(e)/Kut 44 – Goblin/Gnoum Caul
15 – Corpse/Lych Feld/Field 45 – Grey/Grå Hall/Hal(e)
16 – Old(en) Kirke 46 – Kniv/Knife Hill
21 – Nether/Never Stein/Stone 51 – Wretch(ed) Wood/Holt
22 – Ober/Unter Heim 52 – Gloom/Glum Spire
23 – Hell/Devil(’s) Moor/Mora 53 – Bone Gate
24 – Grave/Grav Beck 54 – Spittle/Spit Scythe
25 – Dead/Död Mere 55 – Grim/Grime Skull/Head
26 – Kur/Sar Gut 56 – Idol Ash/Ask
31 – Beggars Lees/Lys 61 – Gull’s Crypt
32 – Wraith/Wrat Dike/Dyk 62 – Wäst Peak/Näs
33 – Scum Gash 63 – Gallow(’s) Croft/Torp
34 – Rat/Pest Tor 64 – Candle/Kandul Wold
35 – Flayed/Flaying Kulle 65 – Salt Bridge/Brück
36 – Wolven Mark 66 – Wither(ed) Fort/Furt

Settlement Names are useful sparks for adventure ideas and additional colour. They
could suggest legends about the founding of the settlement, or things found within
them or in the area. What is the Dead Spire? What lies on the fields outside Idol Moor?
What are the traditions associated with the founding of Spittlescythe?

SETTLEMENT SIZE (d20)

1-5 Homestead (d2+1 streets)
6-10 Hamlet (d4+2 streets)
11-14 Village (d8+3 streets)
15-17 Town (d12+3 streets)
18-19 City Borough (d20+4 streets)
20 Metropolis (Almost endless – but use d20+20 for brevity!)

SPECIAL STRUCTURES (d4 villages and smaller; d6 towns and larger)

1-2 – Market (roll d4 Businesses)
3-4 – Holy Place
5-6 – Civic Building (town, city and metropolis only)

   10.    
TAVERNS (d4)
1– Seedy doss house: Stay the night for 1s: DR10 Toughness vs 2d20.
Strong Hit: +d6 HP. Regain Omens and Powers; Weak Hit: +d4 HP. Regain
Omens -1 and Powers -1; Fail: +d2 HP and infected.
2– Alewife’s Dwelling: Drink her ale for 1s: DR10 Toughness vs 2d20. Strong
Hit: +d4 HP, +1 Omen; Weak Hit: +d4 HP, -1 Presence for 4 hours; Fail:
Violent Hallucinations -2 Agility for 4 hours, then either: attack a random
companion/NPC, or DR12 Agility to avoid some sort of accident for -d4 HP.
3– Tavern: Has d4 NPCs (use SD NPC Oracle, roll Reactions+2 if you
approach one). Dried food can be restocked (1s). Use Grey Galth Inn
(Feretory: 54-5) for more flavour. Gamble: Place a bet, roll 3d6 – get back
double for a run or any pair, quadruple for three matches. 2-in-6 chance of
having to fight off a drunken gambler each time you win.
4– Inn: As Tavern, but with a room can be hired for d8+3s. Staying overnight
reduces the DR of a Resting move to 8.

Remember to roll Merchant Disposition for the proprietor or bar staff!

UNEXPECTED EVENTS (d6)

1– Escaped Animal: Use Animals Oracle (p.6).
2– Falling Object: DR12 Agility to avoid (d4):
1 – Masonry (d4 damage)
2 – Excrement (DR8 Toughness or infected)
3 – A corpse (d2 damage, can be plundered)
4 – Rotten animal carcass (d4 damage, d4 rations)
You could extend this encounter by seeking a source for the falling object.
3– Execution: d4 heretics, d6+2 fanatical executioners (roll on SD Religious
Denominations Oracle), and d20+20 crowd. Use Yes or No Oracle to
determine whether denomination is friendly. Encounter up to d4 SD NPCs if
you wander the crowd looking for trouble.
4– Plague Cart: Buy body parts (5s), or take up to d4 ‘lucky dips’ for 5+d6s
each (use a Searching Move with a +2 modifier). Beware of fleas, corpse
flies, rats, exploding pustules, and so on!
5– Hunting Party: Chasing an escaped animal. The party consists of (d2):
1 – d4+1 Scum 2 – d4+1 Nobles
Use Animals Oracle to determine their quarry. DR12 Agility vs 2d20 to leap
out of the way. Weak Hit: Take a glancing blow (-d2 HP); Fail: -d2 HP & one
hunter dismounts to “teach you a not to get in our way.”
6– Collapse: Something suddenly gives way and collapses: the street or
bridge beneath your feet? The tunnel that you are passing under? A
tottering slum building? Consider making a DR14 Presence or Agility check
vs 2d20. Additional guidance can be found on the Collapsed Road and
Fallen Building entries of the Hazards Oracle.

   11.    
BUSINESSES (d20)
1 Apothecary/Herbmaster 2 Blacksmith
Stocks d4 potions from the Occult Sells & repairs armour (Core: 25): Light 20s,
Herbmaster (Core: 56, d4 doses) 20s. Medium 100s, Heavy 200s, Shield 20s.
3 Taxidermist 4 Bookseller
Sell trophies for (HP x damage die x Has d2 Notable Books/Manuscripts, and
armour die) s. Head 50%, Limb 25%. d4 sacred or unclean scrolls for 50s each
5 Loan Shark 6 Tailor
Lends d6 times the amount of silver you Fine clothes, costumes, and disguises: 5s to
have… but you must pay it back next 100s. Spider-silk gloves, masks, veils, etc:
time you roll a City Crawl Move that 50s. May help to staunch bleeding by sewing
includes the number 1 wounds.
7 Amateur Dentist 8 Cunning Person
Fang repair (15s); Tooth sharpening Defixione (80s: bury it in the ground - anyone
(10s: d4 bite for non-Fanged Deserter); walking over it tests DR14 Toughness or
Fang implants (100s: d6 bite for non- suffers Arcane Catastrophe); Poppet (80s:
Fanged Deserter). For any procedure, can be made in the form of a person or
test Toughness DR14 or sustain d4 creature: +2 to attack & defend against that
damage from bleeding. creature).
9 Stables 10 Jeweller
Horse (80s); Donkey (10s); Horse Buy and sell jewels, as well as gold and silver
Powder (25s, charm any animal, 1 use). trinkets.
11 Gunsmith 12 Butcher
See the MBC Blackpowder Weapons Dried meats (rations), wet meats, offal, etc
supplement for firearms and prices. 1s. Fancy meats 3s. Will buy corpses.
13 Inventor 14 Grocer
70s: can combine two items - including Dried mushrooms (1s, provides 2 dried food,
organic ones - to create new hybrids 1-in-4 chance of hallucinations); Algae flakes
that give a +1 modifier to some ability (2s, +1 HP when added to meal); Accursed
(e.g. knife glove: +1 to attack, lich eye Rhubarb (10s, DR10 to use Powers for one
staff: +1 Power). day).
15 Piss Prophet 16 Gymnasium
Decocts urine into potions. They are 2s to enter. Encounter d2 NPCs – use SD
only effective for the person whose NPC Oracle & roll Reactions. Helpful NPCs
urine is used. Aqua Vitae (20s, +d10 may join you/sell wares/services appropriate
HP); Uric Vigour (35s, +1 to all to their profession. Others are spoiling for a
attributes for 1 day); Pick-me-up (15s, fight. Train: Roll higher than DR12+Strength
+d2 Omens). on d20, +1 Strength on success.
17 Mortician/Undertaker 18 Doctor / Barber-Surgeon
Coffin (30s), Embalming Fluid (15s, Staunch bleeding (5s); Heal 1 HP (3s); Cure
highly flammable - d4 rounds of d6 infection (10s); Medicine Box (15s);
damage if ignited), Bone Saw (10s, Amputation (50s); Transplant (90s). Use DR14
d4+1), Reclaimed prosthetics (4s, glass Toughness vs 2d20 to see how well
eyes, wooden limbs). transplants and amputations go.
19 Tanner 20 Confectioner
Sells –d2 leather armour (15s), or -1 Boiled sweets (2s); Berserker’s Honey (15s,
shields (20s). Buys trophies/hides (see two attacks per round for one combat
Taxidermist, above). encounter: DR10 to hit, DR13 to defend).
Remember to check Merchant Disposition Oracle when engaging businesses.

 
 12.
 
 
NPC ENCOUNTERS (d66)
11 d4 Debt Collectors
If you owe a loan shark, pay up +20%,
otherwise 1-in-4 chance they mistake
you for a debtor owing d100+50s.
13 Musician
d4: 1) Tuneless Minstrel; 2) Street
Singer (gain news and rumours from
their song); 3) Troubadour (20s for a
song that acts as a Sacred Scroll); 4)
Cursed Soloist (Infernal Instrument
d6+2, DR14 Toughness or transfixes
hearers for one combat round).
15 Prophet
d6: 1-2) Lonely Flagellant; 3-5) Upstart
Heretic (2d4 followers); 6) Cult Leader
(d10+10 followers). Looking for
followers – or unbelievers to persecute.
21 Miserable Bastard
Assign a random PC class to an NPC.
Allocate special abilities/items. Roll
other stats as if they were a regular
NPC (see below).
23 Soldier
HP 5 Morale d12 Falchion d6 Leather
Armour –d4. Reaction modifiers (d4): 1)
Deserter +2; 2) Unemployed +4; 3) Off-
duty ±0; 4) Malcontent -3.
25 Local Hard Case
HP 6 Morale 10 Broken Bottle d4
Scarred Skin –d2. Looking for a fight:
-5 to Reaction roll.
31 Flâneur
A noble idler with nothing to do but
drink and walk. On Reaction of 7+ will
direct you to the nearest tavern (add a
tavern to the next new street), or give
you +3 to your next City Crawl move.
33 Junk Collector
Offers up to d4 items from d100
Trinkets for d6s each.
35 Flea Trainer
If friendly will sell a trained flea for 3s. It
is trained to do one task appropriate to
its size.
 13.
12 d4 Drunks
Reactions -4. Pay them off w/ 1s each or
some booze: otherwise things might get
fraught.
14 Toy-Maker
Reactions +2. Sells two cursed toys (d4): 1)
Snapping Fangs (d4 bite); 2) Flaming Basilisk
(d4+1 sparks); 3) Gnoum Archer (d4 arrows);
4) Dancing Goblin (distraction, +2 DR for d2
combat rounds). 40s each. Need winding to
use: character winding misses their round,
toys 1-3 attack for duration of combat.
16 Guide
For 10s will take you to end of a Micro-Crawl,
to the next Objective, or to a place/
business... or (1-in-4 chance) try to take you
down a quiet alley and cut your throat.
22 Assassin
HP 6 Morale 10 Dagger d4 Crossbow d8
Depending on Reaction may be looking for a
contract… or looking for you! Lurks in
shadows: -2 Initiative if entering combat.
24 Beggar
Reaction +3 if you give money or food. d4: 1-
2) Holds a sign; 3) d2 pet Mongrels (Core: III);
4) Cursed tongue (DR14 Presence or Arcane
Catastrophe if you do not give alms).
26 Wounded Person
d4: 1 - Beaten, 2- Crushed, 3 - Stabbed, 4-
Burned. Who or what injured them?
They have 1 HP. Reaction +3 if aided.
32 Pickpocket
DR14 Presence vs 2d20: Strong Hit: You
catch the pickpocket in the act; Weak Hit:
You realise the scam too late: lose one item,
but the rogue is still in firing range! Fail: You
are an easy mark – lose one item.
34 Diseased Host
Infected by goblinism, zombism, plague, or
parasite. Cure them, or avoid them!
36 Lost Soul
Afflicted by d2 Arcane Catastrophes. They
could be a useful ally, a liability, or a
formidable opponent.
 41 Fugitive
Depending on Reaction, may either join
you, fear being reported, or attack in
desperation. HP 4 Morale 5 Dagger d4
Cloth Armour -d2.
43 Organ Grinder & Dancing Animal
Roll on the Animals Oracle to see what
is chained and doggedly shuffling to the
organ’s broken reeds.
animal/prisoner is relatively tame –
although the organ grinder might not
be.
45 Servant
Reaction +2. d2: 1) On an errand; 2)
Returning from errand. Roll on
Businesses Oracle: may direct or
accompany you to the business, which
is d2 streets away.
51 Pilgrim
d2: 1) Votive charms (5s, leave at holy
places for +3 when Praying); 2) Holds a
Tenebrous Relic: will not part with it.
53 Demonologist
If friendly will sell an imp sealed in a ring
for 75s. Once daiiy it will (d4): 1) Bring –d4. DR7 Presence vs 2d20: Strong Hit:
you d20s; 2) Cast one random unclean
power (without fail); 3) Possess any
creature for d10 minutes; 4) Appear as
mongrel (Core: III) for one combat
encounter.
55 Fence
+3 to Reactions roll. Has d2 weapons
for sale at 50% list price. After buying
roll d4: 1) Weapon is a useless replica;
2-3) Weapon is ok; 4) Weapon is high
quality: +1 to attack and to damage.
61 – 66 Roll on Sölitary Defilement NPC table
42 Hand for Hire
Roll d4 on the Outcast Followers table (Core:
70-71). Roll Reactions+3. If you promise to
fulfill their demands, they will accompany
you. Test their Morale daily if you cannot.
44 Grave-Robber
Offers d4 Corpse Plunder items (d4s each).
May know location of a tomb. To help them
The plunder it, use d4 Micro-Crawl or DR6
dungeon crawl. Find d2 Occult
Treasures/Tenebrous Relics in last chamber.
46 Mugger
d2: 1) Approaches you in the street – the
interaction quickly turns nasty; 2) Attempts to
bludgeon you from behind: DR12 Toughness
to shake off the blow, otherwise begin
combat with Initiative to mugger.
52 d4+2 Gamblers
See gambling rules (Taverns #3/Grey Galth
Inn). They are all distracted by their game,
unless you join them.
54 d4 Guards
HP 5 Morale 8 Falchion d6 Leather Armour
They pass by; Weak Hit: Question you
suspiciously; Fail: Attempt to arrest you: talk
your way out, flee, fight, or submit!
NB: Increase DR to 14 if the law is already
seeking you!
56 Poet
d4: 1) A useless scribbler; 2) Sublime Artist
(knows d2 Sacred Powers); 3) Gothic Hellion
(knows d2 Unclean powers); 4) Rhetorician
(+2 on relevant Presence checks). Poets use
Powers without fail once per day: when
attacking PC will use Powers immediately.

Unless otherwise stated, NPCs have: d6 HP, d12 Morale, d2 armour (1: no armour, 2:
-d2 armour), d4 damage (1: d2, 2-3: d4, 4: d6).

Don’t forget to check Reactions unless otherwise stated. Remember: almost-friendly

and helpful NPCs could potentially become new allies: consider rolling DR12 Presence
vs 2d20 when trying to persuade an almost-friendly NPC. Use the Yes or No Oracle or
simple Yes/No questions to answer any particular queries (e.g. “Can the Cursed
Soloist give away their instrument?” Yes, but…).

   14.    
 STREET DESCRIPTORS

STREET ADJECTIVE (d20)

1 – Filthy 11 – Dusty
2 – Affluent 12 – Cobbled
3 – Forgotten 13 – Smoky
4 – Sodden 14 – Dark
5 – Flooded 15 – Ascending
6 – Decaying 16 – Descending
7 – Abandoned 17 – Icy/Frosty
8 – Ruined 18 – Broken
9 – Boarded-up 19 – Twisting
10 – Desolate 20 – Subsiding

STREET TYPE (d12)

1 – Alley 7 – Tunnel
2 – Lane 8 – Bridge
3 – Street 9 – Arcade
4 – Highway 10 – Undercroft
5 – Plaza/Square 11 – Terrace
6 – Terrace 12 – Yard

STREET EXITS (d4)

1 – Dead end 3 – Two exits/Junction
2 – One exit 4 – Three exits/Crossroads

STREET CONTENTS (d12 – roll d2 times for city & metropolis)

1 – A monster or dangerous creature
2 – Remains of something (a structure, object, a once-living thing?)
3 – Unexpected event
4 – A gathering
5 – Special structure
6 – Tavern
7 – Business
8-9 – NPC Encounter
10 – A hazard
11 – An object catches your eye
(Use Searching: Strong Hit result & Yes or No? to determine
whether object is lost, carried by NPC, trapped, guarded etc.)
12 – Looks empty...?

BACKTRACKING (d8)
1-5 – Nothing 6-7 – NPC 8 – Unexpected Event

   15.    
Using Scvmbirther and DNGNGEN, I came up with this scenario:

Belsum the Fanged Deserter dreams of the Wretched Crypt. Each

fevered night he sees himself called by some irresistible power into to
the wilds of Bergen Chrypt, and crossing over a silent threshold.

I decide that Belsum will start in a nearby village – waking there and
wandering its streets will form a prelude to the dungeon crawl. Using the
Settlement Name, Settlement Descriptor, Geographical Features (SD: 10)
and Weather (Core: i) Oracles, the following locale is conjured:

Roaring thunder wakes Belsum in his sparse digs at Ghastkut: a

decaying village on an outcrop at the edge of Bergen Chrypt. Belsum
stumbles down the stairs and out into the grimy streets – determined
to breach the Wretched Crypt this day.

This crawl will be in the Dérive format, with Belsum wandering a fixed number
of streets until he reaches the outskirts of the village – after which he will begin
the journey to the Wretched Crypt. A village contains d8+3 streets: I roll 5.

Using the Street Descriptors I roll up the first street: a cobbled yard, one exit,
and a monster or dangerous creature. I roll a d6 on the SD Stock Creatures
Oracle, since I don’t want to risk immediate death:

As Belsum descends from his lodging, toward a door that leads into
the cobbled courtyard, the barb-like hairs on the back of his neck
stiffen. Something is lurking outside. Through a dirty windowpane he
sees the edge of a bat-like wing. He puts his crumpled monster mask
over his face and kicks open the door…

Belsum fails the Initiative check: he forgets the door opens inward and alerts
the creature! The lurking Pale One sets upon him!

I check the Pale One’s specialty – it possesses Eyelid Blinds the Mind, but
fails to cast it, so Belsum takes a chunk out of its torso with his teeth. After a
further scuffle, Belsum fatally tears into the Pale One’s jugular. The question is
who sent the Pale One, and why? Engaging in a spot of Corpse Plundering,
Belsum finds a map to a place that cannot possibly exist: a strange-angled,
expressionist nightmare somewhere between dimensions.

   16.    
City Crawl DR10: 11, 6: Weak Hit: Decaying Lane, two exits, empty.

Belsum emerges into a damp, and all-but-forgotten lane. Aimless flies

wander and plaster crumbles from the walls, as Belsum chooses a
direction to move in, guided by the pull toward the Wretched Crypt.

City Crawl DR10: 12, 6: Weak Hit: Icy Street, 1 exits, NPC Encounter.

Consulting the NPC Encounters Oracle turns up #32 – Pickpocket. To add

some colour, I roll on the SD NPC Disposition Oracle: exiled/tragic. I take the
Presence check described in the Oracle (- Belsum has a -3 modifier):

GAM DR14 Presence: 17-3, 10-3: Weak Hit

A ragged figure emerges from a shadowy nook, telling a tale of tragic

loss. Belsum is caught off guard for a moment, but snaps to attention
as the beggar has the audacity to suddenly tear the monster mask
from his face and run off down the lane with it. Belsum fires off a
crossbow bolt at the disappearing figure, but is wide of the mark. He
grunts a curse. His face is cold.

City Crawl DR10: 18, 5: Weak Hit: Descending Square, 2 exits, tavern.

Rolling on the Taverns Oracle reveals an Alewife’s Dwelling:

The lane opens into a small square, tilting downhill vertiginously. A

flash of lightning in the gloomy sky illuminates the telltale broom hung
above the door of an alewife’s dwelling. Thirsty after the morning’s
drama, Belsum sups a suspicious brew at the doorway.

GAM DR10 Toughness: 1, 18: Weak Hit: +d4 HP, -1 Presence for 4 hours

Perhaps Belsum is a lightweight drinker – or perhaps it’s the yew

tankard the ale is served in? Either way, it’s initially refreshing, but
quickly followed by a distinct mind-fog. Belsum decides that he’d
really like to find a gunsmith before he leaves the village.

Get Directions DR12 Presence: 1-3, 17-3: Weak Hit: 4 (Ignored)

There’s a shifty-looking corpse-collector, also taking a drink for mid-

shift refreshment. Belsum asks her were a gunsmith can be found, but
she stares straight through him. With a sigh, Belsum slopes off.

   17.    
City Crawl DR10: 13, 8: Weak Hit: Affluent Lane, 3 exits, remains of
something.

I use a simple Yes/No Oracle to work out what the remains are:

Are they the remains of a person? Yes

A noble? Yes
Are there visible sign of death? Yes

A roll on the SD Stock Creatures Oracle suggests that a zombie was

responsible for the death of the noble. Belsum decides to engage in a spot of
corpse plundering before moving on.

Search DR12 Omens: 12, 3: Weak Hit: Corpse Plunder (8 silver)

City Crawl DR10: 9, 2: Fail

After pocketing the small purse that was attached to the noble’s belt,
Belsum straightens up and begins to walk away, nonchalantly whistling
through his fangs. Of course, the putrefying arm of the noble reaches
out to snatch his heel…

Belsum manages to bite his way out of trouble – emerging, gore-stained and
infected from the struggle. Fortunately he has three doses of life elixir,
enabling him to cure the infection. Having resolved the failed Move, he
continues on to the next street: a flooded undercroft with two exits. It contains
a business: a blacksmith. This is the final street in the Dérive – all exits will
lead to the edge of the village. I check the Merchant Disposition Oracle and
come up with 5 (8-3 Presence): all items will be 2x the price.

Belsum stands before the vaulted undercroft, beneath the stone

guard-tower at the edge of the village. A blacksmith practices his craft
within. He takes a slow look at Belsum’s gore-stained mouth and
erratic gait, before shaking his head and returning to the anvil.

Belsum attempts to charm the blacksmith:

GAM DR12 Presence: 1-3, 19-3: Weak Hit: No change in disposition.

After considering killing the blacksmith, Belsum grudgingly stumps up

40s for some light armour, seemingly cobbled together from recycled
pots, pans, and other odds and ends. Leaving via the village gate, he
stands on the edge of the outcrop outside Ghastkut. A rough track
   18.    
 leads downward into a gloomy valley, while over the peaks of Bergen
Chrypt strange fires burn against the churning skies. Picking the last
chunks of zombie flesh from his teeth Belsum tramps off, led by the
call of the Wretched Crypt.

The shadow of Nechrubel lengthens across the Dying Lands, heralding the
final coming of Verhu’s immolating flame. The shadow can be felt even in the
cities: in the fabric of buildings, in the flowing of sewers, in the smallest mote
of dust, there his sickness spreads. Heretical cults flourish: their leaders
attempting to draw their own power from the all-pervading psychic miasma.

Worst of the new cults are the followers of Svamp: a rich merchant-turned-
prophet who has miraculously survived all attempts at assassination by the
Two-Headed Basilisk Order. He has now retreated into his fortified
townhouse, guarded by fanatical followers.

Askaräc, High Inquisitor of the Two-Headed Basilisk has a task for you: in the
oldest catacomb of Galgenbeck is the tomb of Aversus, the demi-lich.
Aversus is rumoured to be buried with the Chalice of Ruin: one sip from which
will condemn the drinker to eternal physical and spiritual damnation. Force
Svamp to drink from the chalice and even if he cannot die, the curse will
ensure that whatever life he has will not be worth living. Unfortunately the key
to the catacomb is held by Haav, a custodian with Svampist sympathies, who
will need to bribed, or otherwise ‘persuaded’…

Start by rolling on the Street Descriptor Oracle (p.15). Give the street 2 exits,
and roll for contents and weather (Core: i). Use the City Crawl Move to explore
Galgenbeck and uncover the Objectives below. The City DR is 10.

Objectives.
1.  The  Custodian’s  Lodge     Roll  street  descriptors,  exits  and  contents  
Haav,   The   Custodian   of   the   Lesser   Vaults   of   Galgenbeck,   lives   in   a   crumbling   lodge.   Their  
desk  is  strewn  with  mouldering  plans  of  the  catacombs,  and  codices  of  deaths  and  burials.  A  
portrait  of  Svamp  hangs  above  the  desk  almost  lost  amidst  the  all-­‐pervading  gloom.  
 
Possible   approaches   to   getting   the   key   from   Haav   include:   Bribe   (100s).   Persuade   (DR15  
Presence  vs  2d20).  Threaten  (DR14  Toughness  vs  2d20).  Steal  (DR14  Agility  vs  2d20).  
 
If  attempts  to  get  the  key  fail,  or  you  decide  to  attack,  roll  Initiative.  Haav  casts  Metzhuatol  
Blind  Your  Eye  as  their  first  attack  (DR18  to  hit  and  defend  for  the  first  d6  rounds).    
Haave  HP  5  Morale  8  Cracked  Quill  d4.  

   19.    
 2.  Galgenbeck  Catacombs   Roll  street  descriptors,  exits  and  contents  
The  vast  black  iron  gate  of  the  catacomb  is  easy  to  spot,  although  overgrown  and  ivy-­‐choked.  
You  may  continue  to  explore  the  city  –  although  you  will  need  to  descend  into  the  catacombs  
at  some  point  to  retrieve  the  Chalice  of  Ruin.  
 
A   cold,   roughly-­‐hewn,   cobweb-­‐filled   passage   descends   into   darkness.   Undertake   a   d4  Micro-­‐
Crawl  through  the  catacombs,  after  which  you  reach  the  Abysmal  Crypt  of  Aversus.  
 
Common  Encounters  (d4):            1-­‐2  –  Zombie  (Core:  65);    
           3  –  Blood-­‐Drenched  Skeleton  (Core:  62);  4  –  NPC  
Rare  Encounters  (d4):        1  –  Pale  One  (roll  Reactions,  Core:  71);  2  –  Nesting  Death  (Core:  III);    
                                                                                                   3  –  Undead  Doll  (Core:  66);  4  –  d2  Zombies  (Core:  65)  
 
Aversus,  the  Demi-­‐Lich:  HP  8  Morale  –  Decaying  Touch  (special)  d6  Necrotic  Barrier  –d4  
On   their   first   combat   round   Aversus   will   use   your   most   potent   Scroll   against   you   or   your  
companions.   When   hit   by   decaying   touch,   make   DR6   Toughness   test   or   suffer   an   Arcane  
Catastrophe.  
 
Once  Aversus  is  dead,  you  retrieve  the  (unremarkable-­‐looking)  Chalice  from  a  sarcophagus.  
You  emerge  into  the  city  through  a  manhole:  exactly  where  you  first  began  your  adventure.    
3.  Svamp’s  Townhouse  
The  townhouse  is  fortified,  with  armed  acolytes  posted  at  the  front  doors.  It  is  quieter  around  
the   back:   a   servant   is   passed-­‐out   drunk   near   the   back   door,   and   a   window   is   open   on   the  
second  floor.  If  entering  the  back  door,  undertake  a  d4  Micro-­‐Crawl  to  find  Svamp’s  chamber.  
If  you  are  able  to  gain  entry  to  the  window,  undertake  a  d2  Micro-­‐Crawl.  In  either  case,  use  
d12   on   the   Interior   Locations   Oracle   in   place   of   the   SD   Room   Type   Oracle.   As   a   former  
merchant,  the  house  is  full  of  curios  –  use  DR9  whenever  you  Search  an  area.  
 
Common  Encounters  (d2):  1  –  Svampist  Acolyte:  HP  3  Morale  8  Black  Needle  d2;  
2  –  Leech  Swarm:  HP  4  Morale  –  Bite  d2  
Rare  Encounters  (d2):  1  –  Svampist  Adept:  HP  6  Morale  10  Leeching  Gaze  (special)  d4  
 Leeching  gaze  heals  the  Adept  equal  to  the  damage  inflicted;  
                   2  –  Cosmic  Rift:  Additional  d2  Micro-­‐Crawl  through  a  heretical  dimension!  
 
Svamp’s   Study:  Svamp  sits  at  a  small  desk  piled  high  with  arcane  cosmological  texts.  Two  
Acolytes  stand  by  his  side.  A  four-­‐poster  bed  is  in  the  corner,  curtains  drawn.  
 
Svamp,  The  Heretical  Prophet:  
HP  7  Morale  –  Leeching  Gaze  (special,  as  above)  d6  Auric  Shadow  –d4+1  
If  reduced  to  0  HP  or  less,  Svamp  will  restore  to  d4  HP  next  round.  When  he  is  at  0  HP  or  less,  
make  a  DR10  Presence  check  to  force  his  inert  body  to  drink  from  the  Chalice.  
 
Victory?  The  shadow  of  Nechrubel  is  exceptionally  strong  here.  As  Svamp  flails,  assailed  by  a  
barrage  of  Arcane  Catastrophes,  the  curtains  on  the  four-­‐poster  bed  draw  apart.  A  vast,  dark,  
clawed   hand   reaches   out,   snatching   both   Svamp   and   the   Chalice,   pulling   them   within:  
vanishing   into   some   dark   nether-­‐void.   The   townhouse   is   quiet   now.   What   you   do   with   it,   and  
Svamp’s  terrified  acolytes,  is  up  to  you.  
   20.    
  

   21.    
  

   22.