Grave-Soaked Secrets in the Shadow of Nulb, in the World of Greyhawk for the Temple of Elemental Evil DND campaign

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How the Village Graveyard Became a Cornerstone of My Temple of Elemental Evil Campaign

When I first laid eyes on the crumbling, moss-covered tombstones of the Nulb Graveyard, I didn’t expect it to become such a pivotal piece of my campaign. But that’s what I’ve come to love about building out the Verbobonc Campaign Guide 576cy—those small, seemingly forgotten places often reveal the most story-rich, atmospheric threads.

Nulb, with its damp streets and looming threat of corruption, has always been a favorite location of mine when expanding upon the legendary Temple of Elemental Evil campaign by Gary Gygax. I’ve worked to bring this infamous, chaotic village to life—not as a cardboard cutout of evil, but as a living, breathing space of secrets, routines, and long-buried grief. The graveyard, tucked between Baroness Nysera’s Manor and the road to the old Temple ruins, is no exception.

The Forgotten Heart of Nulb

This is no grand cathedral graveyard. The Nulb Graveyard is windswept, uneven, and suffocatingly quiet. The Imeryds Run murmurs nearby, and the fog rolls in like it's hiding something. I wrote it to feel old, like it’s seen too much—and buried most of it.

The lone caretaker, Rahmsoot, is one of my favorite NPCs to run. A man haunted by his past with the Temple’s first rising, Rahmsoot now lives in self-imposed exile among the dead. He drinks alone at the Waterside Tavern, watches the wagons roll south to the Temple ruins, and speaks little—unless the players earn his trust. He’s the kind of character that makes your players lean in, asking: What’s he hiding?

And that's what I love to offer fellow DMs: characters with weight, locations with consequence, and quests with moral texture.

Building Village Life in the World of Greyhawk

When I set out to expand the T1 Village of Hommlet into a full campaign rooted in Greyhawk lore, I knew the secret would lie in realistic villages—ones with functional economies, social structures, trade routes, rivalries, and emotional weight. This idea snowballed into the Verbobonc Campaign Guide 576cy, where I’ve built out not only Nulb, but also Hommlet, Sheernobb, Ostverk, and Twilight Falls.

Each village serves as a node in the living world of Greyhawk. They don’t just exist to support adventuring—they exist because they must. Crops are grown. Grain is stolen. Smugglers whisper over barrels in the dark. And the Temple of Elemental Evil is always watching from the edge of the map.

That’s where the Nulb Graveyard shines. It’s not just a place to bury the dead. It’s a watchtower for DMs—a narrative lens into the shifting corruption in the region.

Why DMs Should Use Locations Like This

If you’re preparing to run the Temple of Elemental Evil, I strongly recommend adding detailed, grounded side locations like this one. Here’s what they bring:

  • Hooks for side quests — Rahmsoot might warn about cult activity or beg the party not to get involved.

  • Worldbuilding through routine — Watching carts leave the Grain Tower headed for the ruins creates tension.

  • Hidden knowledge — The caretaker might reveal sigils on gravestones or unmarked graves tied to the Temple’s earlier war.

  • Personal stakes — If the party befriends him, and he’s taken or disappears, it means something.

These are the touches that pull players deeper into the World of Greyhawk, and ground their characters in a living space—one that reacts to their choices.

For New Players in Greyhawk

If you’re a new player creating a character for a Temple of Elemental Evil campaign, this is your chance to build something rooted in the world. Maybe your PC has a relative buried in Nulb. Maybe you were raised in Twilight Falls and now the rising tension is calling you home. These stories add texture to your backstory and give the DM something to build on.

And for you Dungeon Masters—these layers create the kind of campaign your players will still talk about years later.

Read More, Watch More, Build More

To see the full write-up of the Nulb Graveyard, complete with NPCs, encounter tables, and original artwork, visit the Verbobonc Campaign Guide 576cy website.

For deep dives into building village life, running the Temple of Elemental Evil, or designing political intrigue in Greyhawk, head over to my 3orcs YouTube channel, where I post behind-the-scenes devlogs and campaign discussions regularly.

Final Thoughts

The Temple of Elemental Evil isn’t just a dungeon crawl. It’s a chance to tell stories about power, memory, corruption, and resistance. Nulb isn’t just a staging ground—it’s a crucible. And places like the graveyard give you the space to show that. Click here for access to this location of the Nulb Graveyard

If this project inspires you like it’s inspired me, drop me a message. Share your own towns. Let’s bring more of Greyhawk to life—one village at a time.

—
3orcs
Worldbuilder of the Verbobonc Campaign Guide
DM of Mud, Grit, and Memory

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