Building Better Villages for Greyhawk: How Bellwright’s Beta Brought Life to the Viscounty of Verbobonc DND Greyhawk Campaign

-
Image
By 3orcs If you're like me, crafting an immersive fantasy world means digging deeper than stat blocks and encounter tables. It means knowing where the bread is baked, who tends the goats, and what the smith drinks after dusk . That’s why I want to talk to you today—not about dice, but about a game that’s become an unlikely but powerful source of inspiration for my Greyhawk campaign: Bellwright . Currently available as a beta on Steam , Bellwright is a medieval survival village builder meets RPG-strategy hybrid . And if you're a Dungeon Master running something as iconic as Temple of Elemental Evil , I highly recommend checking it out—not just for play, but for inspiration . What is Bellwright? Imagine this: You’re not just scavenging or surviving in the woods. You’re building a village , defending it, managing its farms and hunters, recruiting people to your banner, and slowly building a network of settlements that owe you their lives. Bellwright is about liberating th...
Post a Comment

The Waterside Hostel of Nulb: A Tavern of Whispers and Knives for Temple of Elemental Evil Greyhawk DND campaign

-

A blog post by 3orcs for Dungeon Masters running the Temple of Elemental Evil

In the backwaters of the Viscounty of Verbobonc, nestled against the murky banks of Imeryd’s Run, lies the festering hive of Nulb—and at its heart, the Waterside Hostel. It isn’t just an inn. It’s a cauldron of scheming pirates, cutthroats, cultists, and desperate adventurers, each seeking something—coin, glory, or power. If you're a Dungeon Master running T1: The Village of Hommlet and eyeing a deeper dive into the seedy roots of evil in Greyhawk, this is the side location to breathe life into.

And trust me—when your party walks into this place, the adventure won’t wait until morning.

A Note from 3orcs: How I Use the Waterside Hostel in My Campaign

When I first ran Temple of Elemental Evil for my players, I knew I wanted the village of Nulb to feel like a slow-motion ambush. Everyone is watching. Everyone has a knife behind their back. That’s why I love the Waterside Hostel—it’s a tavern with teeth.

In my version, I layered in dozens of factions: pirates from the Wild Coast, Temple agents posing as mercenaries, and even Rhennee bargefolk moving illicit goods. Players looking for rumors, work, or just a drink soon find themselves tangled in webs spun by Dick Rentsch, the barkeep and secret Earth Temple agent.

This place thrives on paranoia—and players love it.

What is the Waterside Hostel?

  • Location: Center of Nulb, facing Imeryd’s Run

  • Structure: Rustic fieldstone and timber, large tavern room, multiple bunk-style rooms upstairs

  • Reputation: Notorious, dangerous, and cheap

  • Known For: Banditry, shady deals, disappearances, and bug-infested bedding

Who Runs It?

Dick Rentsch – Earth Temple Agent, Spy, and Tavernmaster

Gruff. Suspicious. A man of “business.” He’s here to keep the chaos boiling just under the surface. Unbeknownst to most, he reports to Romag, high priest of the Earth Temple. But even within the cult, Dick plays his own game.

  • Secretly recruits for the Cult of the Elder Elemental Eye

  • Has enemies among rival Temple agents, especially his own bartender

  • Maintains fragile peace with pirates, Rhennee, and bandit gangs

Wat – The Bartender with Secrets

By day, just a man pouring drinks. By night? A rival cult agent working against Dick—possibly for the Fire Temple, or maybe for someone worse.

Inside the Hostel

Accommodations

  • Room A (Common Room): 12 bunks, 5 sp per cot

  • Room B, C, D (Small Rooms): 6 bunks each, 7 sp per bunk or 3 gp per private room

  • Security: None. Thievery is common. Valuables go missing.

  • Stable Services: 3 sp to 1 gp per night, depending on level of grooming and care


Tavern Dynamics

Daytime: Quiet. Locals and Rhennee regulars nurse drinks.
Nighttime: Controlled chaos. Bandits, mercenaries, pirates, and Temple agents drinking, plotting, and recruiting.

Notable Guests

  • The Hangmen: Cult-aligned bandit gang; up to 4 members present any night

  • Temple Agents: Posing as travelers; watching and whispering

  • Magicians: Epaqir and Baalgo, dark mages in Room B, working for Menentep

  • Merchants: Borter & Doe, dubious traders with mind-controlled barbarian bodyguards

  • Bandits & Villagers: More than just NPCs—they’re living plot threads

Adventure Hooks from the Hostel

🗡 Triple Cross at Waterside Inn

Rentsch and Wat are both double agents—and don’t know it. Stir paranoia. Watch them tear each other apart.

🐺 Rentsch Makes an Offer

He asks the players to ambush a gnoll pack for the Earth Temple. Play it straight or betray him.

🧪 Dick Pays the Price

Wat poisons Rentsch. Do the players save him or let the betrayal unfold? Each path leads to deeper involvement with the Temple.

Running the Hostel in Your Campaign

  • Add tension by keeping the players under constant watch

  • Plant secrets in overheard conversations, drunken boasts, or coded messages

  • Make NPCs memorable—each with an accent, secret, and weakness

  • Use this as a hub to explore faction conflict, recruit allies, or set the stage for betrayal

And keep this in mind: every person they meet might be with the Temple.

Why This Matters to Your TOEE Campaign

If you're running T1: Village of Hommlet and your party just took out Lareth the Beautiful, they'll be hungry for the next lead. The Waterside Hostel offers dozens. It’s your bridge to the Temple proper, the dark cults, and the broader war brewing in Verbobonc’s shadows.

And the best part? It’s all in one dank, bug-bitten, booze-soaked tavern.

Final Thoughts from 3orcs

In my campaign, The Waterside Hostel is the fork in the road. Do the players trust a bandit to learn more about the Temple? Will they infiltrate it from the inside? Or do they spark a turf war between rival factions?

The setting gives you enough plot hooks, personalities, and politics to run entire sessions without ever stepping foot in the Temple itself—making Nulb not just a stopover, but a narrative playground for your Temple of Elemental Evil campaign.

👉 Want the full NPC writeups, side quests, and dialogue? Visit the Verbobonc Campaign Guide 576 CY
👉 Watch deep-dive lore videos on the 3orcs YouTube channel, where I break down each element of the campaign and share DM strategies
👉 Support the project and get exclusive art, maps, and tools at Patreon.com/3orcs

🎲 And a huge shoutout to Daniel Rivera (aka Darklyte) for the VTT map of the Waterside Hostel. His work brings Nulb’s shadowy heart to life on the digital tabletop. Go check it out if you want to give your players a visual they won’t soon forget.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elon Musk, Rob Kuntz, and the Defense of Dungeons & Dragons’ Legacy

-
Image
Hello, adventurers and Dungeon Masters! It’s 3orcs here, bringing you a deep dive into the latest storm surrounding Dungeons & Dragons , sparked by none other than Elon Musk and Rob Kuntz. As someone who grew up with Gary Gygax’s brilliant World of Greyhawk and who runs traditional D&D campaigns, I felt compelled to address this controversy and what it means for fans of classic D&D. Musk’s fiery comments defending Gary Gygax and criticizing Wizards of the Coast (WotC) and Hasbro—calling out their perceived disrespect for D&D’s origins—have resonated with many fans. Rob Kuntz, a close collaborator of Gygax, has also voiced his frustration, accusing WotC of historical revisionism and sidelining the game’s creators. Let’s break this down and explore how these sentiments impact us as Dungeon Masters and fans of classic D&D. Elon Musk’s Defense of Gary Gygax When Elon Musk tweeted, “ Nobody, I mean nobody, gets to trash E. Gary Gygax and the genius who created Dungeons ...
Read more

Falls Keep: The Last Bastion of Order in the Western Gnarley Forest in the World of Greyhawk DND Campaign

-
Image
Mounted Borderer Fort in the Gnarley Deep in the Gnarley Forest , standing as the last line of defense between civilization and chaos , Falls Keep is a key outpost of the Mounted Borderers . Strategically positioned near the village of Twilight Falls , this motte-and-bailey stronghold watches over the Forest Road , a vital trade route that connects Dyvers, the Wild Coast, and the Viscounty of Verbobonc . For Dungeon Masters running the Temple of Elemental Evil , Falls Keep is an essential location that brings in political intrigue, frontier law enforcement, and rising tensions between factions . Whether your players seek military aid, uncover dark plots, or test their combat prowess against roving bandits and orc raiders, this fortress serves as a gateway to adventure. 🏰 The History & Purpose of Falls Keep Built in the early 570s CY , Falls Keep was one of several military outposts constructed following the Battle of Emridy Meadows (569 CY) . Its mission? To pacify the law...
Read more

Humans of Greyhawk: Diversity in the Flanaess for your DND Temple of Elemental Evil campaign

-
Image
  Greetings, Dungeon Masters! It’s 3orcs here, and today, we’re diving into a cornerstone of the World of Greyhawk —the rich diversity of its human populations. One of the most striking aspects of this campaign setting is the fact that “human” isn’t just a singular race but a tapestry of cultures, languages, and traditions woven together across the Flanaess .  If you’re preparing to run the legendary T1 Village of Hommlet or the sprawling Temple of Elemental Evil , understanding the distinctiveness of Greyhawk’s human races will add depth and immersion to your campaign. Let’s explore what makes the humans of Greyhawk a vibrant and essential part of this world! The Races of Humans in Greyhawk Unlike other settings that lump humans together, Greyhawk celebrates the distinctiveness of its six major human groups: Baklunish Appearance: Golden to olive skin, dark hair, and almond-shaped eyes. Cultural Vibe: Exotic mysticism and a deep spiritual connection to their pantheon. Regio...
Read more