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{{Realm
|name = Viscounty and Town <br />of Verbobonc
|image          = [[Image:Verbobonc01.jpg]]
|caption        = The arms of Verbobonc, as depicted in ''[[Living Greyhawk Gazetteer]] (2000)''.
|alt_name       =
|alt_spelling   = 
|demonym        = 
|motto          = ''Earth and stone, man and gnome''
|region         = Old [[Ferrond]]
|ruler          = {{table|Viscount(ess) [[Wilfrick]]|([[576 CY|576]]) |Viscount [[Langard]]|([[591 CY|591]]) }}
|authority      = 
|government     = Semi-independent nation owing fealty to [[Veluna]], but nearly autonomous in practice
|alignments     = LG*, N, LN
|established    = 
|disestablished = 
|capital        = Verbobonc
|major_towns    = 
|provinces      = Fourteen freeholds and fiefs, all under 500 square miles; entire viscounty is a bishopric under [[Saint Cuthbert]], divided into eight "guardianships"” overseen by abbots; some guardianships include more than one political fief.
|population     = 177,800
|races          = {{percentage table|[[Human|Humans]] (Ofsr) |79|[[Elf|Elves]] (sylvan) |9| [[Gnome|Gnomes]] |5|[[Halfling|Halflings]] |3|[[Dwarf|Dwarves]] |2|[[Half-elf|Half-elves]] |1|[[Half-orc]]s |1}}
|languages      = Common
|religions      = Saint Cuthbert*, [[Ehlonna]], [[Zilchus]], [[Fharlanghn]], [[Obad-Hai]], [[Beory]]
|organizations  = 
|allies         = [[Veluna]], [[Furyondy]] (distrusted), [[Knights of the Hart]] (distrusted), [[Kron Hills]] gnomes (distrusted, technically in rebellion currently), [[Dyvers]], [[Greyhawk City|Greyhawk]]
|enemies        = [[Empire of Iuz]], [[Pomarj]], various evil cults (especially [[Iuz]], [[Vecna]], [[Zuggtmoy]], [[Temple of Elemental Evil]])
|coinage        = [Modified [[Furyondy]]] leaf (pp), wheatsheaf (gp), knight (ep), spire (sp), common (cp)
|resources      = copper, gems, timber
|footnotes      = 
}}

'''Verbobonc''', properly known as the '''Viscounty and Town of Verbobonc''', is a semi-independent nation in [[Old Ferrond]]. Though Verbobonc owes fealty to the Archclericy of [[Veluna]], it is nearly autonomous in practice.

==History==
Overview: Long before the coming of humanity, Verbobonc was an elven settlement set on a wooded hilltop overlooking a spot where a minor tributary, [[Gillendyl’s Run]], enters the [[Velverdyva River]]’s wide expanse. The small river town featured an impressive elven tower fortress surrounded by yet more tall, thin towers, narrow walkways, lofty houses, and parkways filled with delicate wood and ceramic statuary. Considered a safe haven on the great river, a market place developed along the riverbank attracting goods from near and far.

The local [[elves]] shared their lives and livelihood with the good gnomes of the [[Kron Hills]] to the south, banding together to battle off threats from the north and east. Verbobonc, then, was a military town, aligned with the gray elves of Enstad, though a political entity unto itself. Her elven patrols ranged into the deep [[Gnarley Forest]] to the east, the Kron Hills to the south, and through the Iron Wood to the west. The surrounding hillocks still hold relics of those ancient days, slowly crumbling towers of unsurpassed beauty, troves of buried arrowheads and still-useful armor. It is even said there remain elven Old Places, sacred refuges hidden in the magical folds of wood and hill.

As civilized humans entered the Flanaess and most elves receded into the woodlands, Verbobonc gained more importance as a trade port on the Velverdyva River. At this time, many elves quit Verbobonc, leaving the town to the gnomes and the new arrivals. Humans soon took over the great elven fortress for which the ground dwelling gnomes had little interest. What few elves remained were content with their [[ipp]] houses. Thus began a new period in the history of the region, in which the two majority races worked together to improve and grow Verbobonc into a state of its own, not beholden to any
greater power.

At the dawn of the [[First century CY]], the two primary races of Verbobonc encircled their growing town with walls. They constructed hundreds of new buildings, mixing a distinctly gnome architecture
with the existing elven structures, and more human styles. In this spirit was the slogan "Earth and Stone, Man and Gnome" carved above the city’s east gate, a motto and approach to life that endures to this day.

The viscounty was formally incorporated into [[Veluna]] and the Viceroyalty of [[Ferrond]] in 119 CY.
Verbobonc became the primary river port for Veluna, a fact that made it a primary target of [[Keoland|Keoish]] aggression in the 350s CY. By 355 CY the [[Second Keoland Expeditionary Force]] had taken [[Devarnish]] and fanned out into the lands south all the way to the Lortmils and east passed the [[Iron Wood]] and into the Kron Hills. Only Canon [[Turgen IV]] of [[Mitrik]]’s negotiation of the [[Treaty of Devarnish]] saved the remainder of Verbobonc territory from annexation. However, much of the western lands of the viscounty were occupied. The looming [[Castle Estival]], just east of the Iron Wood housed the furthest eastward Keoish garrison. From there the forces of Keoland controlled all trade traveling on the [[Great Western Road]] and controlled the western and southern approaches to Verbobonc Town itself. In 415 CY, however, a new governor for the
northern Keoland provinces arrived, Commander [[Berlikyn]] of [[Gran March]]. He initiated a program of grim oppression in the occupied lands, and by 436 CY publicly threatened to violate the Treaty of Devarnish and annex the whole of Veluna, including Verbobonc, in the name of the Keoish crown.

Whether the king of Furyondy decided to act due to the agents dispatched by the Velunese canon in
that year, or because the looming threat of Keoland had simply become too large to ignore, act he did. The armies of Furyondy surged into Veluna, battling south of the Velverdyva in a ferocious
series of actions soon known as the [[Short War]]. Several volunteer companies from Verbobonc assisted a small Furyondian force in isolating the Keoland garrison in Castle Estival, rendering
them helpless. The bulk of the [[Furyondy]] armies battled to the west through Veluna, the [[Fals Gap]], and capturing all of [[Bissel]] in the process by 438 CY.

Following the Short War, Verbobonc grew distant from Mitrik. Its viscount still sent a delegate to sit on the [[Celestial Order of the Moons]], but never again would the people of the Viscounty be
considered completely willing vassals. The Velunese [[College of Bishops]], rallied by a contingent of orthodox [[Saint Cuthbert|Cuthbertine]] Overseers, voted overwhelmingly to break from Furyondy in 446 CY signing an agreement known as the [[Concordat of Eademer]]. In these years, the church of Saint Cuthbert came into great prominence in Verbobonc, inspired in no small part by the actions of the [[Cuthbertine Overseers]] in the College of Bishops. To many in the Viscounty it was taken as a sign of autonomy. Gradually, over time, clerics of Saint Cuthbert displaced [[Rao]]an clerics in
important government roles throughout Verbobonc.

In the early 500s CY Verbobonc forces assisted their [[gnome]]-friends in the Kron Hills. Gnome volunteers from the Kron in turn assisted their relatives in the [[Lortmils]] during the [[Hateful Wars]], when the dwarves and gnomes of the mountains forced out nearly all the major humanoid tribes. Verbobonc forces helped patrol those areas of the Kron left unprotected by the gnomes fighting away from home and protecting their southern frontiers from humanoid incursions.

The trading town might have fallen from the gaze of history if not for the development, in the late
550s of a nexus of evil southeast of the town, I the Kron Hills. This outpost, the infamous [[Temple of Elemental Evil]], soon became a beacon for vile men and humanoids from across the [[Flanaess]].
These evil forces began raiding the overland caravan routes which pass through or near [[Hommlet]],
thus threatening this avenue of trade between [[Dyvers]] and Verbobonc as well as the local hill
folk and gnomes. The raids did not appear alarming at first, but gradually increased over time. Efforts by the [[Gnarley Rangers]], mounted patrols from Verbobonc, local woodsmen, and gnomes
from [[Ostverk]] apparently checked, but did not stop, the spread of outlawry and evil. In the year 560 CY various troubles began to crop up between the Viscounty and the Kron Hill gnomes. Trade goods disappeared on their trek from the Kron Hills to Verbobonc City, gnome merchants reported being
harassed by Verbobonc patrols, Verbobonc patrols reported defeating humanoid raiding parties paid by
gnomish coin, and gnome claims of human raids on their caravans. Worst of all was an attempted assassination of Prince [[Jimm]] of the gnomes of the Kron Hills, a resident of Verbobonc City. All of these troubles proved to be the doings of an agent from the Temple of Elemental Evil. He was revealed and chased out of the city.

By 568 CY, it became clear that the Temple villains had established an army, and the following year saw a banding together of the forces of good to clear the Verbobonc lands of its evil scourge. Contingents of men-at-arms and cavalry from Verbobonc, Furyondy, and Veluna, together with a force of
dwarves from the Lortmils, gnomes from the Kron Hills, and an army of elven archers and spearmen gathered together against the vast horde of evil men and humanoids based at the Temple of Elemental Evil. The opposing forces initially met on the grassy fields south of the Velverdyva River and several leagues to the east of Verbobonc Town. The allied forces of good maneuvered against the evil
forces, closing upon the stronghold of the evil creatures, the walled Temple near Nulb, not far
from Hommlet. Elven scouts reported that a huge evil army was approaching from the south. The [[Marshall of Furyondy]], leader of the combined forces, ordered a withdrawal northward to a position scouted earlier. This new position would afford more open ground for the heavy cavalry and pikemen to effectively operate. Light cavalry skirmishers were sent out to screen the withdrawal, and no real fighting took place that day.

The horde of evil creatures and men marched forth the next morning into the [[Emridy Meadows]] northwest of [[Nulb]]. These meadows were so named from the [[Emridy Run]], a small tributary of the
[[Imeryds Run]], which enters the larger river from the west. The allied army waited with formed ranks, pike-men from Furyondy, Veluna and Verbobonc were arrayed so that their right flank was secured by the Emridy Run; in the center were the banners of horse, and on the allied left were deployed bands of dwarves and gnomes, with a few units of elven archers place in the intervals between. The flank of the demihumans protected by the Imeryds Run. The humanoids fell immediately upon the allied left, while the men in the evil ranks rode to engage the allied center and right. The hordes of [[orc]]s, [[gnoll]]s, and [[ogre]]s thrust aside their hated foes and rushed  to encircle the balance of the allied army. But, this fell into the Marshall of Furyondy’s planned trap. The whole human portion of the allied army pivoted backward to the left as the demi-humans pivoted backward and right, and a large contingent of previously screened heavy cavalry charged into the right flank of the humanoids. Meanwhile, squares of elves emerged from the Imeryds Run where they had remained hidden until this moment. Trapped in this pocket with the pike-men now advancing into their left flank, the cavalry in their front, the demi-humans on their right and the elven squares at their rear, the packed mass of evil humans and humanoids fought hopelessly. When the great slaughter was finished, the allies went on to besiege the Temple of Elemental Evil itself. It fell after a  fortnight. Powerful mages and clerics sealed the temple ruins with arcane bindings, claiming to have trapped a powerful demon within its golden doors.

The peace was short lived. The so-called "Second Rising" of the [[Horde of Elemental Evil]] surprised
no one. Viscount Wilfrick, alerted to the growing evil by agents in the south, ordered the construction of a castle at the sleepy village of Hommlet. In the late [[570s CY]], dozens of parties of
adventurers sallied forth against the temple. After
much loss of life, the horde
seemed at last to have met
defeat. The castle at
Hommlet was completed in
581 CY, and the folk of Verbobonc
began cautiously to
return to a life unhindered
by the shadow of evil.
Verbobonc was not an official participant in the
Greyhawk Wars, though dozens of volunteer
companies native to the viscounty bolstered the
armies of Furyondy and Veluna. It was rumored
that Scarlet Brotherhood agents and 'advisors" had counseled the Viscount to sit tight in those
troubled times., yet no proof
was ever discovered. When
the volunteers returned
from the wars in the north,
they found their homeland
embroiled in a desperate
political struggle with the
realms they had left to assist.

The Viscount’s influence
over his own vassal lords also declined to
the point where they nearly exerted free rein to
rule their small holdings
In 585 CY, the Furyondian [[Knights of the Hart]] called for the annexation of Verbobonc and Dyvers.
Wilfrick, more loyal to Veluna, hosted a
visit from a Velunan representative. The representative
assured Wilfrick and a gathering of the
populace in Verbobonc Town itself that their
Furyondian allies would do no such thing. But,
the emergence of the Great Northern Crusade in
586 CY, in which Veluna and Furyondy acted as
a single political unit, frightened many in the
town who had long preferred the reason (and
liberal tax laws) of Mitrik to the zeal (and active
monitoring of the finances of the aristocracy) of
Chendl.

Wilfrick’s age appeared to weigh heavily upon him during this time. He began to lose interest in
maintaining patrols into the Gnarley Forest and
the Kron Hills. Also, he did little after the visit of
the Velunan representative to quell the fears of
his own people. The situation
came to a head when
the old Viscount died in his
sleep in Harvester 587 CY,
leaving Castle Grayfist to
his eldest known son, the Right Honorable Sir [[Fenward
Lefthanded]].

The new Viscount publicly denounced all talk of annexation
and embarked on a series of wellpublicized
raids into nonhuman lairs of the
Gnarley Forest. At first, the people and nobles of
the Viscounty were pleased with the boldness of
their new leader. But, Fenward then enacted a
number of rash policies that harmed the city and
its allies. He declared he had "eradicated all enemies of the viscounty, both
imaginable and otherwise."
He ordered the withdraw all patrols from the Gnarley
Forest and the Kron Hills,
calling them too costly and
no longer necessary. Nonhuman
communities that
depended on those patrols to protect them from
real and still present threats exploded in uproar
against this new policy. Fenward responded to
the Kron Hills gnome protests with an illthought
insult; “the craven little moles can take
care of themselves.” The gnomes of the Kron
Hills summarily declared themselves free from
Verbobonc’s authority, swearing themselves to
their Clan lord, Urthgan the Eldest of Tulvar,
and to the Assembly of the Kron Hills, a council
of gnome elders. The sylvan elves of the Gnarley,
though hard pressed without human patrols,
scarcely acknowledged the change.

A series of slanderous dispatches between Viscount
Fenward and the [[Kron Assembly]] followed
and left many city gnomes unsure of their
allegiance. This dangerous development worsened when papers implicating the viscount as an
agent of the [[Scarlet Brotherhood]] were discovered
in Fenward’s chambers. They hinted at
plots to cut off all river trade along the
Velverdyva and the assassination of those nobles
who supported increased patrols. Later, the papers
were revealed to be forgeries, a fact that
helped Fenward little. As
the captain of his own
guard attempted to place
Fenward under arrest for
treason, Fenward resisted
and was slain in the resulting
struggle by the captain.
Shortly after, the guard captain
killed himself, supposedly
over the humiliation
and shame of having killed his Viscount. Again,
suspicion fell on the possible involvement of
Scarlet Brotherhood. And as before, no real proof
could be found. However, a known minor advisor
to both former Viscounts had disappeared
without a trace.

Thereafter, rulership of Verbobonc
fell to Langard of
the Gnarley Border, a half-elven,
half-forgotten bastard son of Viscount [[Wilfrick]].
The new viscount was surprised
to find himself in charge of the town, and
he is a cautious though naively open ruler
(hoping that his past affairs as a minor smuggler
do not come to public attention). In a land so
controlled by fear (of monsters, evil cults, and
annexation), many look upon Langard’s
“discovery” with the suspicion that he is a Scarlet
Brotherhood agent and no relation to the former
viscount. No less a personage than the city’s
venerable [[Haufren]], Bishop of Saint Cuthbert, vouches for him. However, he does not have the
support of a majority of the nobles, who would
rather see one of their own, take control. Langard
quickly became popular with the lower
classes for his openness. He quickly established
fair relations with Veluna and Furyondy. He also
wants smoother relations with the Kron Hill
gnomes, boost internal security, and improve
trade with Dyvers.

==Geography and climate==
The Viscounty of Verbobonc is bordered to the north by the [[Velverdyva River]], and extends roughly 15 miles into the [[Kron Hills]] to the south. Verbobonc is bordered to the east by the [[Gnarley Forest]] and the lands of [[Dyvers]].

==People==
One personage of note, from Verbobonc's past, is a gnomish architect by the name of [[Snirthiglin]], who is said to have drawn Verbobonc's first city plans. 

===Population===
In [[591 CY]], the population of Verbobonc totaled 177,800 persons, the vast majority being humans of chiefly [[Oeridian]] stock. [[Elf|Elves]], [[Halfling|halflings]], [[Dwarf|dwarves]], and [[Gnome|gnomes]] make up less than 20% of the total population.

===Religion===

===Languages===

==Government==

===Administrative Divisions===
The secular divisions of Verbobonc are fourteen fiefdoms ruled by a local lord.  None of them exceed 500 square mailes.

Additionally, Verbobonc has religious divistions and those same fourteen Fiefdoms are divided into eight "guardianships" of the Church of [[St. Cuthbert]], each with it's own abbot, under a Bishop of the church.{{csb|LGG|131}}

===Executive Branch===

===Legislative Branch===

===Heraldry===

==Economy==
After [[Dyvers]], Verbobonc is the second-largest port on the Velverdyva, and brings much wealth to the Viscounty.

===Resources===
Verbobonc does a brisk trade in gems and copper from its local mines, and also harvests timber from the nearby [[Gnarley Forest]]. The town is renowned across the [[Flanaess]] for its gnomish smiths.

===Currency===
The Verbobonc standard coinage is a modified version of [[Furyondy]]'s coinage, consisting of the platinum leaf (pp), gold wheatsheaf (gp), electrum knight (ep), silver spire (sp), and copper common (cp).

==Transportation==

==Military==

== In ''Legends of Greyhawk'' ==
{{LoGsection}}
Verbobonc is one of the regions adventures are set in, organized by Baldman Games, one of the Premier Organizers for the organized play campaign. It is part of the group of regions referred to as [[Old Ferrond]] in the early previews of the campaign.  Though the name is well-known in Greyhawk lore, they decided to separate regions individually since the name "Old Ferrond" isn't in the DMG 2024, and they didn't was to confuse fans and players. <ref name=OFname>Dave Christ  (@TheBaldman).  legends-of-greyhawk.  ''Baldman Games Discord''.  24 Jul 2025 "'''Q:''' Did they just break "Old Ferrond" into Furyondy Veluna and Verbobonc? or do we have some new regions to celebrate?  '''A:''' Old Ferrond isn't in the DMG. So we had to clarify it."[https://discord.com/channels/727692031945605252/1313198371477000232/1398132671523197028]</ref>

== In ''Living Greyhawk'' ==
{{LGsection}}
In the ''[[Living Greyhawk]]'' campaign, Verbobonc corresponds to the states of Illinois and Indiana. It pioneered a system for allowing ''Living Greyhawk'' player characters to develop towns, open businesses, and establish strongholds, something previously beyond the scope of the ''Living Greyhawk'' campaign. Player-created towns include [[Cienega Valley]], which is located in the [[Kron Hills]] and is known for its fine wines; and [[Irondelve]], a subterranean dwarven community beneath the [[Lortmil Mountains]].

==External links==
*[http://www.verbobonc.net/ Official Living Greyhawk site for the Verbobonc Region].
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbobonc Verbobonc at Wikipedia].

== References ==
=== Notes ===
<references group="note" />
=== Citations ===
<references />
=== Bibliography ===
*[[David "Zeb" Cook|Cook, David]]. ''[[Vecna Lives!]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1990.
*[[Findley, Nigel]], [[Dan Salas]], [[Stephen Inniss]], and [[Robert J. Kuntz]]. ''[[Fate of Istus]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
*[[Gygax, Gary]]. ''The World of Greyhawk''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1980.
:———. ''[[World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
*[[Gary Holian|Holian, Gary]], [[Erik Mona]], [[Sean K. Reynolds]], and [[Frederick Weining]]. ''[[Living Greyhawk Gazetteer]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
*[[LaMontagne, Chad]], [[Michael Maenza]], and [[Vernon L. Vincent]]. ''[[The Walker's Guide to Verbobonc]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2006. Available online:[http://verbobonc.net/Downloads/p13_sectionid/7]
*[[Moore, Roger E]]. ''[[The Adventure Begins]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
* [[Carl Sargent|Sargent, Carl]]. ''[[Ivid the Undying]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995. Published online. [https://greyhawkonline.com/download/16370/?tmstv=1727302323 PDF by William Allman with maps].  Original RTF archived:[http://web.archive.org/web/20081218001449/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Wizards.com]. WGR7 or WGRx
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[[Category:Settlements]]