Many years ago, the Viscounty of Verbobonc was a land bedevilled by the fell legions of the Temple of Elemental Evil, but the power of that evil cult was thrown down not once but twice. The first time, a coalition of armies from Furyondy, Veluna, dwarves from the Lortmils, gnomes from the Kron Hills, and an army of elven archers from the Gnarley Forest assisted the goodly folk of the viscounty in throwing off the tyranny and wanton cruelty of the cult. At the Battle of Emridy Meadows in 569 CY, the armies of Weal led by Prince Thrommel of Furyondy threw down and destroyed the vile forces of Elemental Evil. Ten years later, when the temple threatened to rise again, bands of adventurers hailing from near and far pooled their resources and shattered the cult once more.

For the most part, the years after were good for the Viscounty of Verbobonc.

It weathered the storm of the Greyhawk Wars relatively intact as its lands were never directly threatened. Local volunteers fought for the besieged realms of Furyondy and Ulek, and unlike the soldiers of those lands, many of the viscounty’s soldiers had the luxury of returning home to take up the plough, the axe, or the scales once again.

For years its wealth and stability has grown steadily, its prosperity driven by those who have immigrated from more imperilled lands. There have been moments of instability to be sure, particularly regarding the political strife that followed the death of Viscount Wilfrick, but for the most part the people of the viscounty look to the future in hope.

And yet now, it seems that the shadows lengthen on their dreams. From the boughs of the Gnarley Forest, rumours drift west like a foul wind; whispers of fell creatures, profane rituals, and screams in the night. It has been twelve years since the power of the Temple of Elemental Evil was broken for the second time, and the good people of Verbobonc wonder if it will now rise for a third…

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: A very great debt is owed to Gastoff, who most generously allowed me to use his Terror at Thrushmoor campaign CSS as the backbone for Ill Winds Over Verbobonc. He in turn borrowed the nav-bar CSS customization from both Bortas and Conan_Lybarian and his The Cold Truce campaign, the parchment sheet background CSS from Thorvaldr’s Tyellador and Bortas’s Morwindl campaigns, and more parchment tweaks from Ikabodo’s A Tale of Blood and Honour. Many, many thanks are also owed to LordMisha, who also assisted me with CSS and inspiration from his The Haunted campaign.