Verbobonc
"Things You Know"
The following knowledge is available to characters entering or living in the Viscounty of Verbobonc. Choose your additional knowledge the first time you receive this as a handout; if playing the same character in multiple adventures, carry those choices forward without selecting new ones.
Hard Work Keeps the Demons Away
The semi-independent Viscounty of Verbobonc is a land of rolling hills, mixed forest, farmland and orchards. The people understand the value of tenacity in the face of hardship, and of holding fiercely onto hope in spite of even the bleakest odds.
Things You Know
These are common facts your character would know simply by arriving or living in the viscounty.
Cautious Goodwill. The people of Verbobonc are an egalitarian folk, but they got through their darkest times by coming together in their communities and outsiders must be patient to earn their trust.
Trade Hub. The eponymous capital of Verbobonc is the second largest riverport on the Velverdyva and an important strategic middleman between Veluna and the lands to the east.
Elemental Evil. Not long ago, The Battle of Emridy Meadows finally scattered and crushed the Cult of Elemental Evil, which for years had been capturing and sacrificing the innocent to dark forces within their Temple.
Things You Might Know
Pick two facts from the list below that your character knows. These represent a deeper familiarity or time spent in the viscounty.
Elven Ruins. Crumbling towers cling to hillsides and the edge of pastures and occasionally one may stumble across the hopelessly eroded footprint of what must have been a sprawling estate, now reduced to its overgrown foundations.
River Pirates. The infamous Pirate-Queen of Nulb keeps a tight leash on the ne’er-do-wells and scoundrels within her town, but they terrorize the river barges up and down the Velverdyva at will.Â
Gnarley Rangers. The Gnarley Forest is a notoriously dangerous place and is patrolled by a group of rangers who keep those dangers in check.
Green Dragon. Years ago, a group of well-known local adventurers dispatched a green dragon which was terrorizing the lands around Hommlet. Rumor has it that its sibling escaped into the Gnarley, but it hasn’t been seen since.Â
Rise of the Cudgel. Though the folk of this region have long worshiped the Old Gods, in recent years there has been a significant rise in adherents to Cuthbert. The tensions between these two paths of faith are overshadowed, however, by their mutual devotion to stopping the forces of evil.
Kron Kerfuffle. There are rumors that a faction of gnomes of the Kron Hills want to secede from Verbobonc and form their own independent state.
The Cult Returns. Though the Righteous Host crushed the forces of Elemental Evil in the Battle of Emridy Meadows, not all of evil’s masters were rooted out. They have been quietly gathering followers and coordinating a resurgence from the shadows.
The Low Road. Once a passage out of the Lortmil Mountains with a spur into the Kron Hills, this carefully charted chain of connected tunnels, mines, and natural caverns is known to run safely beneath the mountains. The exact route is a carefully guarded secret held by only a handful of dwarven guides.
Things You Probably Don’t Know
Pick one fact from the list below that your character knows. If you have the Acolyte, Farmer, or Guide background, you may pick an extra fact.
The Fading Land. There’s a place in the Gnarley Forest which acts as a crossing into and out of the Feywild when the moons are perfectly aligned.
Elder Elemental Eye. Throughout the region there are whispers of a much older and more deadly force whose worshipers seek a return to true entropic chaos through the annihilation of all.
The Mycelium Network. The influence of Zuggtmoy extended far beyond the walls of the Temple. The spores released when she arrived on this plane infected the surrounding lands and have been growing voraciously even in her absence.
Noble Intentions. The Viscounty enjoys its independence largely due to benign neglect from the Archclericy of Veluna and there are those who fear the reach of Furyondy if it should bring Veluna back into its reign.