10 Cathedral
Obsidian cathedral dedicated to the
basilisks. Twin spires corkscrew upwards,
carved like necks and topped by massive,
bestial heads. Coal-black eyes leer upon
the streets below, and impossibly long,
lashing tongues stretch out over the
surrounding rooftops.
10 Cathedral
I Narthex
II Verhu Spire
III Gorgh Spire
IV Nave
V Crossing
VI Choir
VII Apse
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Cathedral 10
I. NARTHEX
Water trickles down the steps, slowly
eroding a skull crudely drawn with white
chalk. Impressive bloodstained doors give
entrance to the cathedral, where pools of
water seep up from cracks in the tile floor
and drain towards the street.
† Thick, musty air.
† Reeks of burnt offerings and sacrificed livestock.
† Font of holy water just inside. It grants a blessing
or curse.
‡ Dipping a body part into the water gives
advantage on the next d6 rolls. (Roll two
dice and choose the higher result.)
‡ Ingesting or otherwise defiling the water
gives disadvantage on the next d6 rolls.
(Roll two dice and choose the lower result.)
† East and west: Spiral staircases through
archways. Carved keystones—one reads Verhu,
and the other, Gorgh.
North: To the Nave.
II. VERHU SPIRE
Immediately upon embarking upwards, the
sensation of superiority—the notion of
being somehow better—overwhelms you.
The stairs seem to go on forever before
opening on the tower’s peak. A gigantic
tome rests upon a lone pedestal in the
room’s center.
† This tower is significantly taller than the
Gorgh Spire.
† Read the book: test Presence DR14 or this
accounting of Verhu’s prognostications
increases knowledge (Presence +2) but
shatters hope (permanent −1 penalty on rolls
to recover Omens).
† A crow sits on the tip of the tongue outside
the window and mocks you.
3
10 Cathedral
III. GORGH SPIRE
Entering the stairwell, you feel resentment
course through your veins. Every slight
turns into a stinging barb as you climb. The
walls get tighter until you practically have to
squeeze through the doorway at the top. A
gigantic tome rests upon a lone pedestal in
the room’s center.
† This tower is significantly shorter than the
Verhu Spire.
† Read the book: test Presence DR14 or this
list of Gorgh’s grievances and grudges makes
the reader irrevocably bitter (permanent −4
to reaction rolls).
IV. NAVE
Long colonnade with a soaring ceiling, each
pillar carved to depict a more hideous scene
than the last. The side aisles are dotted with
niches filled with equally horrific effigies of
tormented and tortured souls.
† Heavy coat of dust and soot.
† From the corner of the PCs’ eyes, figures on
the pillars twist in agony and silently scream
in despair.
† Something follows in the gloom above.
† North: To the Crossing and Transept.
South: To the Narthex.
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Cathedral 10
V. CROSSING & TRANSEPT
Enormous piles of rubble from the caved-in
roof lie strewn across the floor. Bloated
corpses recline half-submerged in shallow
pools of fetid water. A thick swarm of flies
buzzes in the air, feasting on the rotten flesh.
† Smells to make even the most iron-stomached retch.
† Open to the sky and elements.
† Pile of branches and grass in the left transept.
Cathedral Fiend’s nest.
‡ Rank, stinks of old shit and rotten meat.
‡ In the bedding is… Cathedral Fiend
⁜ A thick, crimson robe. HP 7, Morale 8, Blood-
⁜ 3d6 skulls in various stages of slicked skin −d2, Bite d4.
Special: Fast. DR14 to
destruction. attack and defend. Defence
⁜ A completely intact spinal column rolls failed by 6+ result in an
and skull, fused vertebrae. Oddly egg implanted in the
targetʼs stomach. In d3
terrifying. Wielded like a club, will days, the larva hatches and
do d8 damage. Min or max burrows into the hostʼs
damage automatically triggers brain, turning them into a
a morale test. Fiend over the next d3 days.
† While investigating the “nest”: the Cathedral Once human, now a twisted
Fiend drops from the ceiling. One corpse will beast. Wet, raw skin drips
rise as a Cathedral Fiend after d6 rounds. blood everywhere as it
crawls on all fours,
† North: To the Choir. backwards and upside
down but lighting fast. Can
South: To the Nave. scale any surface. Ragged
teeth. Huge proboscis that it
attempts to shove down
your throat and deposit an
egg sac in your stomach.
5
10 Cathedral
VI. CHOIR
An elaborate bronze screen separates the
Choir from the Crossing—several panels
depict skulls engulfed in flame. Corpses
pack the space, standing elbow to elbow and
encompassed with a thick, velvet rope.
† Odors of a freshly dug grave.
† Corpses are quite dried out like they’ve been
here a long time.
† Approach the dead chorus: they burst into
song; roll a d4.
1. Their dirge breaks even the hardest of
hearts. Overwhelmed with despair,
PCs sit and weep, incapacitated for
the songʼs duration. If they havenʼt
killed it, the Cathedral Fiend
implants an egg into a random PC.
2. Their rousing tune boils the blood.
Inspired to break shit, the PCsʼ worst
impulses take hold, and violence is but
a hairʼs breadth away.
3. Their caterwauling is awful and
arduous to listen to. PCs find it hard to
concentrate on anything but shutting
them up.
4. Their uplifting hymn swells PCsʼ hearts
and invigorates them with a steadfast
belief the basilisks will bless them.
Everyone other than Heretical Priests
are healed d4 HP.
† Untie the velvet rope: the corpses collapse
and burst into a cloud of black mold (p. 7).
†. North: To the Apse.
South: To the Crossing.
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Cathedral 10
VII. APSE
Massive slab of creosote-soaked wood
dominates the apse. The heaped ash and
blood unmistakably indicate this is the
cathedral’s altar. A bas-relief triptych looms
on the back wall: HE to the right, SHE to the
left, and Nechrubel in the center.
† Various claw and hoof marks on the altar.
† The blood-soaked ash can be collected to make a
paste. Occupies one inventory slot, one use.
‡ Applied to wounds, it either heals or
inflicts d4 wounds; flip a coin. Applied to
weapons, it adds d4 damage (exploding),
lasts d6 rounds.
‡ Eating it causes violent gastric distress and
death via intestinal eruption in d3 hours.
† Buried in the ash-paste is a ceremonial blade.
Permanently coated in the paste. Bleats loudly like a
goat when used.
Black Mold, d4
Searches or combat amidst black mold require a DR10
Toughness test. Fail and roll a d4:
1 Lymphatic reaction—break out in hives; only nakedness
relieves the itching. Otherwise, scratch till they bleed. Lasts
one day.
2 Hallucinations—strange visions separate the PC from reality.
Unable to use Powers or Omens, 1-in-3 chance to
attack an ally in combat. Lasts d6+1 hours.
3 Hacking cough—violent coughing wracks the PCʼs body,
and they spit up blood with alarming regularity. d3
damage and hiding or sneaking is impossible
through the next two city districts.
4 Changing tastes—begin developing a desire for human
flesh. Each day, a 1-in-20 chance the PC tries to eat a
companion. After three failures, they fully transform
into a Canalbal.
7
Cathedral is an
independent production
by Rugose Kohn and is
not affiliated with Ockult
Örtmästare Games or
Stockholm Kartell. It is
published under the
MÖRK BORG Third
Party License.
MÖRK BORG is copyright
Ockult Örtmästare Games
and Stockholm Kartell.
