Pox Scarred Squalor, A Mork Borg-Solitary Defilement Solo Actual Play - Chapter 1: The Gospel According to the Streets
Welcome to the Pox Scarred Squalor, a dark city campaign using Mork Borg system and setting, and Solitary Defilement solo rules. This promises to be a dark and sad jaunt through a dying and corrupt city. Every day may be the last and we are truly witnessing the end times.
Content warning: This will be a much darker campaign than previously played, there will be swearing, excessive violence, gore, depression, sadness, etc. If you are staying for the story, be prepared for almost anything.
What is Mork Borg?
Mork Borg could be considered part of the OSR or Old School Renaissance, movement. The mechanics of the game is somewhat similar to how games were played (especially DND) back at the start of the hobby. There aren’t many stats and combat is brutal and deadly.
The setting for Mork Borg is dark and violent. The world is dying and people are scared, greedy, and without hope. Everyone is just trying to live another day.
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| Mork Borg is a work of art itself! |
Game Tools
Solitary Defilement Deluxe Edition
PDF Fillable character sheet by Polyhedral Nonsense
Mork Borg Third Party Supplements - Look dear readers, there are so many damn good Mork Borg third-party supplements and tools. I’ve read through a few and I’m astounded by their creativity. Instead of listing them now, I’ll note a new tool when I start using it and add it to the list of tools on a separate page.
Getting Better - For this campaign, I’ll be using a milestone-type leveling system. Survive a quest, and get better! Defeat a dangerous foe or foes, Get better! Survive a dangerous near-death situation, and get better! ‘But why are you being so generous, has your heart and brain gone soft?’ No dear readers, at least not yet. The truth is, I don’t think it will matter one bit. Mork Borg is a thresher dressed up as an RPG, I’ll probably be rolling up new characters often. Let’s give them a chance, yes?
Everything else I’ll describe as we go. Alright, let’s play.
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There are no heroes in this story. No gallant knight riding on horseback to smite the evil wizard. No fair princess, with her virtue intact, to reward the noble knight with a gentle kiss on his cheek. Do you want that? Read a fucking book.
In this story, there is pain, death, greed, and shit. These are the streets of the Pox Scarred Squalor, the slums growing off the walls of the city of Grift like cancer on the side of a diseased cow. People cling to their life as the buildings cling to the stone of the city walls. One misstep and they are like to fall into the crushing water a thousand feet below.
Many a house, family and all, have fallen into the deep tempest without warning. Many a body has been flung from the Squalor, crimes washed away by the ocean.
The high and mighty of Grift care not for the existence of the people hanging to their livelihood and lives. The king has gone mad, his insanity grows by leaps and bounds. The nobles squabble among themselves, scratching and tearing each other for gems and coins of silver.
The priests walk through the streets, preaching their death cult, pledging to save all who leap off the cliffs when the time is right.
Those living in the Squalor live hand to mouth, every meal is a struggle and every meal is a blessing. It doesn’t take long for a person to lapse into desperation and violence when they realise food is not to be had. The damned of the Squalor care not for the ravings of a mad king, the fueds of petty nobles or heretical scripture.
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| The Pox Scarred Squalor has been forgotten. By Michael Sweerts |
To top it off the world is dying. Slowly and fast, all at once. The prophecies call for disasters, plague, war, and death. Some fight the truths and some welcome them, either way the end is coming.
The Calendar of Nechrubel will be set at a D6. Every day I roll a D6. If I roll a 1 something terrible happens to the world. If I roll 7 of those, the world is covered in darkness and I delete this blog.
So we find our ‘not hero’, Svum the Scum (Guttor born Scum class), as his friends call him as if he had any friends. They said Svum was thrown, still fresh from birth directly onto one of the shit carts that move through the Pox Scarred Squalor. How he survived those first few years nobody knows. Before he was 10, he was already picking pockets, shoplifting, and selling what he needed to survive.
By 15 he’d killed his first man in a stupid alley fight. Well, it wasn’t a man, not if you know the truth and not the lies Svum will tell you. Just another boy his age. He crushed his head with a cobblestone, watched his soul go to the beyond, and cared not about it.
Strength (3D6-2) 5,1,1 -2 = 5 That is -2 to Strength
Presence (3D6) 1,3,1 = 5, That is a -2 to Presence
Agility (3D6) 4,4,6 = 14, That is a +1 to Agility
Toughness (3D6) 3,3,2 = 7, That is a -2 to Toughness
HP (Toughness +D6) 5+ -1 = 4 HP
Stealthy, all Presence and Agility tests have their DR reduced by 2 (normal tests are DR10 instead of DR12).
Svum did not eat well or consistently as a child. Food was hard to come by, often from whoever threw him a bit of stale bread or whatever we could steal and get away with. Svum is not a strong or tough man, and while he won’t admit it, his eyesight ain’t too good either.
But he is small, he is quick and he can get around without being seen.
Omens (1D2) = 2
Although those who know Svum say he is a lucky man, as lucky as anyone born and raised in the shit hole of the Squalor could be. Often the knife meant for his throat just barely misses, the guards just can’t hold onto this greasy skin, and the rancid food he eats doesn’t make him shit his guts out.
Silver (1D6x10) = 3x10 is 30 silver.
Flush from a recent score, Svum is looking forward to dropping his ill-gotten gains on a night of drinking and comfort, anything to forget the pain and the weird black stuff he’s been coughing up lately. If he would guess, which he won’t, he’d probably guess he’s about 22. Older and wiser than most of the stupid street kids that run around the Squalor.
Roll a D6 on the Weapon table: A 6, which is a D6 Sword
Roll a D2 on the Armour Table: A 2, which is Light padded Tier 1 armor, d2 damage
Svum also has a sack for 10 items, a waterskin and 1 day of food, a silver crucifix (definitely stolen), Heavy Chain 15 feet, and lockpicks.
Recent prosperity, or a recent murder, has blessed Svum with a sword and padded armor, still bloody from the last owner. When people at the drinking hole ask him how he got it, he just smiles his broken and rotten smile.
Specialty: Filthy Fingersmith Your snaky little digits get into pockets and pick locks with a DR8 Agility test. You also begin with lockpicks!
How does our Svum make a living? He steals from his fellow man. He’s good at it, often being unseen and quiet. It keeps him fed and in drink.
Look, our Not-hero is waking. Head pounding, mouth dry, body aching from another night doing everything he can to feel alive. Let this tale of woe start.
The Calendar of Nechrubel
Augusti the 5th, of the Year of 543
Rolled a 5 on a D6. Behold, a world thus saved from disasters, at least today. But I wonder, for the better?
“Wake up you damn lazy man. Wake up before the gods curse you and you miss the biggest score of your pathetic shitty life.” They start to shake Svum.
Who is waking up Svum? Rolling on the Contacts table. I got a 1. The one-eyed woman who rules the thieves. To perfect. What is her name? Aerg-Tval.
Svum stirs, waking slowly with a hangover that could kill a zombie. Still, it was a good night last night, even if the morning is painful. Svum isn’t too bright but he knows when he is being shaken awake it usually means trouble. He immediately reaches for his sword but the lady, lightning quick pulls a dagger and puts it to his throat.
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| Svum sleeping off a good night's drink. Unknown artist. |
“Stop there you dumb shit. I could have let your cheap blood flow across this floor before you woke up. It's mostly piss beer by the smell of you. Now, we gonna talk, or am I going to see if your blood is red or some rotten shit?”
Svum slowly gets up, not reaching for the sword anymore. “Lady,” Svum says in his uncharacteristic soft voice, “why do you wake me with threats? This better be good.”
“Oh it is. Do you know me? I run the thieves around here.” She taps her cruel dagger against her glass eye. “Aerg-Tval they call me, the One-Eye they call me, cyclops they call me behind my back. I got a job for you. I need something and I can’t go through the normal means. This needs to be quiet and low-key. Have you heard of the Black Pearl of Margar? Of course, you haven’t, you idiot. Well, I have. It's valuable, that’s all you need to know. I need it and you’ll get it. I’ll pay for it.”
Our not-hero knows a setup when he sees it. He hasn’t gotten into his 20s following every damn fool score. But still, this One-Eye does have the silver to pay. “Right, I’ll do it for 300 silver.”
Non-combat moves with Solitary Defilement act similar to Ironsworn. You decide how hard something is, a DR 12 is a normal difficulty. Then you decide the stat that best fits. And then you roll 2 D20s, add the modifier and see if you beat it. Beat it twice and you have a strong hit, beat once and its a Weak hit, and don’t beat it at all it's a Fail
General Adventure Move Presence -2
DR - 10 (average), Vs 8,4, A Failure
Aerg-Tval laughs a deep and evil laugh. “300? Is your brain full of worms? 100 or I can throw your rotten body off the cliff into the deep below. Now enough fucking around. The Black Pearl is being held by the Rusty Cutters in their Tavern. I’ve heard it's being kept in the room above the tavern. Now go, and for fuck’s sake put some pants on!”
Aerg-Tval spins around and storms out in a flurry of black robes. Svum looks down to discover he’s had the whole conversation with nothing on below the waste. Fantastic.
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| Svum is not your first choice. Or your second. Or your third. |
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That's all for Chapter 1: The Gospel According to the Streets. Are you excited? Are you pumped? Don't get attached to Svum, I'm not sure he will be around for long. Be sure to check in next week and don't skip any chapters on this one. Likely our character might not make it.
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Mork Borg
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