The church of the Two-Headed Basilisks claims that wielding the Powers of the Ikhon unfetters the Profane Profound and is a deep heresy hunted by crow spies and punishable by fire. What are Ikhons you ask? Ancient god-vessels of cursed skin and soot-black wood. With willing sacrifice, a wielder of one of these books might find great Power to crush enemies and fulfill desires. Or a reader might instead unlock the Profane Profound and suffer terrible consequences.
Ikhon comes in a small box with four small books with all black covers. A player can shuffle these four books to determine which god-vessel answers a beseeching call. Because all the covers are black front and back the player doesn’t know which forgotten god they are picking. And getting a boon instead of a bane require a bit of luck if willing sacrifices are made.
Before we check some results drawn from the Ikhon, let’s look at the forgotten folk gods shackled within. The Silkfiend is Nechrubel’s aberrant right arm that the god scratched off in an itching frenzy. Nechrubel’s shredded organs and severed limbs obtained unholy life and sprouted detestable limbs. The Silkfiend is one of the results.
The Bilkherd tends his flock from an exiled field of the mundane. Once generous and kind, he is now vindicative and cruel striking with hoof and horn. A drowned force of nature, the Becklure feeds on the misery of those it lures into rivers and streams. The first to die, the Old Dead enjoys death and beguiles the living, dying, and deceased. She even roused Nechrubel’s laughter once.
Back to the results. While a d8 is rolled, the results go up to 10. Which means that the highest boons require sacrifice or cannot even be obtained. And low rolls are suboptimal. For example if a 1 was rolled for the Becklure without sacrifice, the wielder of the Ikhon sees the Raver Sank and has to test Presence DR14 or throw themselves into the brook and drown. If three sacrifices are given to the Old Dead but a 1 is still rolled the result of 4 is not deadly but it is painful. The Old Dead clicks antediluvian fingers for 1d8 round, sundering a random item each round.
Great rolls yield better results. An 8 rolled for the Silkfiend causes ichorous fangs to appear and bit a target for 3d6 damage. This shocks the target’s allies and the wielder defends with DR8 the rest of the fight. And if the Bilkherd is summoned with a 10, the highest result possible if sacrifices are given, a rotting lamb appears out of bubbling mud and devours one foe by effortlessly masticating and grinding them whole and then the lamb sinks back into the burbling muck.
The other results need to stay hidden for future wielders of the Ikhon to uncover. But rest assured that the life of the wielder or those who oppose them, will be changed when the Ikhon is opened and its pages read.
Up for the Challenge?
Assuming your character is willing to oppose the church of The Two-Headed Basilisks and can find a copy of the Ikhon, how does one ask these ancient god-vessels for a bane or boon? The answer blends real world books and in game results.Ikhon comes in a small box with four small books with all black covers. A player can shuffle these four books to determine which god-vessel answers a beseeching call. Because all the covers are black front and back the player doesn’t know which forgotten god they are picking. And getting a boon instead of a bane require a bit of luck if willing sacrifices are made.
How Ikhon Works
A player rolls a d8 and turns to that result in the randomly picked Ikhon book. Higher rolls are better. That roll can be adjusted upwards in two in game ways and Omens are not one of those ways. A willing human sacrifice grants a +1 and each significant body part severed from the wielder of the Ikhon also grants a +1 to a maximum bonus of +3. Finding sacrifices in the world of Mörk Borg will be an adventure in itself, as the wielder only has so much to give.Before we check some results drawn from the Ikhon, let’s look at the forgotten folk gods shackled within. The Silkfiend is Nechrubel’s aberrant right arm that the god scratched off in an itching frenzy. Nechrubel’s shredded organs and severed limbs obtained unholy life and sprouted detestable limbs. The Silkfiend is one of the results.
The Bilkherd tends his flock from an exiled field of the mundane. Once generous and kind, he is now vindicative and cruel striking with hoof and horn. A drowned force of nature, the Becklure feeds on the misery of those it lures into rivers and streams. The first to die, the Old Dead enjoys death and beguiles the living, dying, and deceased. She even roused Nechrubel’s laughter once.
Back to the results. While a d8 is rolled, the results go up to 10. Which means that the highest boons require sacrifice or cannot even be obtained. And low rolls are suboptimal. For example if a 1 was rolled for the Becklure without sacrifice, the wielder of the Ikhon sees the Raver Sank and has to test Presence DR14 or throw themselves into the brook and drown. If three sacrifices are given to the Old Dead but a 1 is still rolled the result of 4 is not deadly but it is painful. The Old Dead clicks antediluvian fingers for 1d8 round, sundering a random item each round.
Great rolls yield better results. An 8 rolled for the Silkfiend causes ichorous fangs to appear and bit a target for 3d6 damage. This shocks the target’s allies and the wielder defends with DR8 the rest of the fight. And if the Bilkherd is summoned with a 10, the highest result possible if sacrifices are given, a rotting lamb appears out of bubbling mud and devours one foe by effortlessly masticating and grinding them whole and then the lamb sinks back into the burbling muck.
The other results need to stay hidden for future wielders of the Ikhon to uncover. But rest assured that the life of the wielder or those who oppose them, will be changed when the Ikhon is opened and its pages read.
