Bringing Greyhawk to Life: Side Quests and Story in Hommlet for Temple of Elemental Evil DND Campaign

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By 3orcs | A DM's Perspective on Creating a Living World in Verbobonc When I first started building my Temple of Elemental Evil campaign, I didn’t just want to run the module—I wanted to bring the World of Greyhawk to life. I wanted villages that felt alive, not just as a backdrop for battles, but as places where characters could belong . Over time, that ambition led to the creation of the Hommlet Campaign Guide: Main Plotline and Side Quests , a resource designed to expand the scope of T1: Village of Hommlet into a full-on narrative engine for your campaign. This post is a personal look at how that project came to be, and why I believe it will help new and veteran DMs transform the classic Temple of Elemental Evil into something unforgettable. The Missing Link Between Plot and Place If you've read the T1 module by Gary Gygax , you know that Hommlet is more than a village—it's the staging point for an epic battle against evil cults. But in many campaigns, it ris...
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DM Notes - The Role of Nulb in T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil

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 Village of Nulb serves as an essential setting for Dungeon Masters running the classic T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil by Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer. Originally, the module offered only a brief glimpse into Nulb, leaving much of its intrigue, inhabitants, and locations open to interpretation. This publication aims to expand and reimagine Nulb, providing Dungeon Masters with a fully fleshed-out village to enhance their campaigns while staying true to Gygax's vision.


 Original Vision of Nulb

In the T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil, Nulb is presented as a den of scum and villainy, a place where adventurers encounter danger at every turn. However, Gygax only keyed four specific locations and introduced a small roster of non-player characters (NPCs). Nulb was meant to be a haven for pirates, brigands, and cultists loyal to the Temple, but its potential as a campaign hub was left largely untapped.

Gygax later mentioned in interviews that there were plans for additional Temple outposts and expanded content for Nulb, which had to be omitted to keep the module from ballooning to an unwieldy size. As it stands, T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil is already one of the most detailed and sprawling modules of its time. A fully developed Nulb would have added hundreds of pages to the adventure, making it impractical for publication.

Expanding the Vision: Nulb as a Dynamic Setting

This reimagined version of Nulb provides Dungeon Masters with the tools to immerse their players in a village rife with intrigue, danger, and opportunity.

  • Lawlessness and Power Struggles: Nulb is a chaotic frontier town with no formal government. Power rests with the most cunning or ruthless factions, each vying for control. Lady Nysera’s Iron Talons patrol the streets, pirates disrupt trade, and bandit gangs carve out their own spheres of influence. The resulting power vacuum is fertile ground for adventurers to navigate shifting alliances and treacherous plots.

  • The Temple’s Shadow: Following the Battle of Emridy Meadows in 569 CY, the Temple of Elemental Evil has spent the last seven years rebuilding in secret. Nulb plays a critical role in their resurgence, serving as a staging ground for covert operations. Agents and priests from the Earth and Water Temples use the village to recruit allies, smuggle supplies, and destabilize the region—all while avoiding detection by the Forces of Good.

  • A Living, Breathing Village: Nulb is more than just a backdrop. This expanded setting includes detailed NPCs, factions, and locations, from the ominous Baroness Manor of Lady Nysera to the murky dealings at the Boatman’s Tavern. Every alley, bridge, and dock conceals secrets, and every NPC has ambitions, fears, and motivations.

Use Case for Dungeon Masters

This module expansion serves several key purposes:

  1. Campaign Depth: The additional content for Nulb allows Dungeon Masters to enrich their campaigns with new storylines, faction dynamics, and opportunities for roleplaying and exploration.
  2. Customizable Encounters: The power struggles between Lady Nysera, the pirates, and Temple agents give DMs flexibility to tailor encounters based on player actions.
  3. A Staging Ground for the Temple: Nulb provides an ideal setting for adventurers to uncover clues about the Temple’s activities, encounter its agents, and engage with factions working both for and against the cult.

The Temple’s Strategy in Nulb

The resurgence of the Temple of Elemental Evil hinges on secrecy and gradual buildup. Unlike the bold displays of power seen in the past, the new Temple leadership employs subtlety.

  • Covert Recruitment: Pirates, brigands, and outlaws in Nulb are prime targets for recruitment. The Temple provides them with coin, resources, and protection in exchange for loyalty.
  • Resource Smuggling: The docks of Nulb and the nearby waterways are critical for smuggling supplies, weapons, and even slaves to support the Temple’s operations.
  • Faction Manipulation: Agents of the Earth and Water Temples play a dangerous game, pitting local factions against one another to consolidate influence while keeping their presence hidden from the Forces of Good.

Conclusion: A Gateway to the Temple

Nulb is more than a stopping point on the way to the Temple of Elemental Evil—it is a crucible of intrigue and danger. Lady Nysera’s rise to power, the pirates’ dominance of the waterways, and the Temple’s covert resurgence make the village a microcosm of the larger conflict unfolding in the Viscounty of Verbobonc.

For Dungeon Masters, this expanded Nulb is a playground of moral ambiguity, factional strife, and high-stakes adventure. Whether your players seek to disrupt the Temple’s plans, align with one of Nulb’s factions, or simply survive its perils, this reimagined village offers a wealth of possibilities.


Additional Resources

3orcs
Bringing traditional Dungeons & Dragons back to life, one story at a time. Happy adventuring, and may your dice roll true!

 

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