RPG: MORK BORG’s New Folk Horror ‘Mystery Box’, IKHON, Is Out Now
Free League’s new box of forgotten folk horror and profoundly profane gods for MÖRK BORG is here. Check out IKHON.
MÖRK BORG kicked off a whole new wave of aesthetic RPGs. And in MÖRK BORG‘s case, that aesthetic is “doompunk.” It’s baked right into the setting. Even into the rules.
Play any game of MÖRK BORG long enough, and the world will come crashing down around you. And that ignominious end can arrive without hope of abatement. All of which should help set the vibe for the RPG. So when Free League publishing decide to bring their supernatural sensibilities to the world and publish a “folk horror mystery box” you know it’s going to be full of teeth. And eyes. But mostly and especially teeth.
What is a mystery box, exactly? It’s basically a module. But more mysterious. It leans into the themes of folk horror and forgotten gods clawing their way out of the prison of the subconscious. Within the world of MÖRK BORG, an IKHON is an ancient god-vessel, used to fetter the Profane Profound.
In other words, they’re big, blasphemous god-creatures, and each one is at the heart of its own adventure-like tract. With gifts and punishments and powers aplenty, here’s a look at what’s in the box.
MÖRK BORG: IKHON – $22
IKHON is Here [PLEASE MAKE ME A BUTTON]
Forged by the left hand of Nechrubel, bound in cured skin and soot-black wood, the ancient god-vessels known as IKHONs are detested by the Two-Headed Basilisks. Wielding their Powers, unfettering the Profane Profound shackled within is a serious heretical crime and whoever may carry these blackened shrines will be forever hunted by the inquisition. But perhaps it is worth it.
IKHON is a mystery box for MÖRK BORG. A gaol keeping four almost-forgotten folk gods at bay; the Bilkherd, the Becklure, the Old Dead and the dreaded Silkfiend. Those who dare commune with them are promised great rewards. But life and death go hand in hand and too small a sacrifice could be perceived as an insult. This gift could very well be a curse.
- Boxed set with rules on how to unfetter the Profane Profound.
- Four tracts, one for each god-creature, detailing their gifts and punishments.
- Written by Pelle Nilsson but torn apart and rebuilt in a stranger, darker form by Fiona Maeve Geist and Jarrett Crader of the MoonRat Conspiracy.
- Over 40 full-page illustrations by the masterful Paraguayan artist Samuel Araya, whose oil paintings will bring the Profane Profound to blasphemous life.
In more practical terms, IKHON is a boxed set with four different Profanes. It’s a killer module if you want to play into more cursed fantasy themes. It’ll also look positively stunning in your collection because as we said, MÖRK BORG is as much an aesthetic as it is a game.
IKHON is available now—good luck, you’ll need it
