Hommlet

Hommlet is a hamlet-sized village located southeast of the town of Verbobonc, on the fringe of the territory controlled by the noble Lord the Viscount of Verbobonc. 
The village was founded roads in the area brought a sufficient number of travelers and merchant wagons to attract tradesmen and artisans to serve those passing through. Originally just a farm or two, a resthouse, and a smithy, the resthouse became a thriving inn, and a wheel and wainwright settled in the thorp. More farmers and herdsmen followed, for grain was needed for the passing animals, and meat was in demand for the innfolk. 
Prosperity was great, for the lord of the district was mild and taxed but little. Trade was good, and the land was untroubled by war, outlaws, or ravaging beasts. The area was free, beautiful, and bountiful too much so, in the eyes of some. 
But then, a year ago, the bandits began to ride the roads again, not frequently, but to some effect. To the good folk of Hommlet, this seemed all too familiar, so they sent word to the Viscount that wicked forces might still lurk thereabouts. This information has been spread throughout the countryside, and the news has attracted outsiders to the village once again. Who and what these men are, no one can be quite sure. All claim to be bent on slaying monsters and bringing peace and security to Hommlet; but deeds speak more loudly than words, and lies cloak the true purposes of the malevolent.

Guilds and Factions

A village divided predominantly by its religious differences, the main factions in Hommlet are the Druid of the Grove and those villagers who keep to the Old Faith; the Church of St. Cuthbert and the newer villagers who have converted to that faith; the agents of the Viscount; and the agents of the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Though relations between the Druid and the Church are very strained, they are not yet, and never have been, in open hostility, partially due to the mediation of the Viscount's men. Both religious orders work with the agents of the Viscount to combat the agents of Elemental Evil, though they are struggling to locate them, let alone stop them.

Tourism

Hommlet's prosperity, for better or for worse, has been tied to the Temple of Elemental Evil for the better portion of a decade. Though the small village once attracted many adventurers searching for treasure in the wake of the defeat of the Temple of Elemental Evil, after a time adventurers stopped coming to the area. It seemed that no monsters were left to slay and no evil existed here to be stamped out. The villagers heaved a collective sigh; some pained at the loss of income, but others relieved by the return to the normal life.

Geography

Hommlet is very centrally located, having been founded along one of the major trade routes of the region. To the north is the mighty Velverdyva River, along whose south bank runs the Low Road. Many days' travel to the east, on the shores of the Lake of Unknown Depths (Nyr Dyv), is the great walled city of Dyvers. The village of Sobanwych lies about halfway along the route. Below that to the southeast and east are miles and miles of forest (the Gnarley), beyond which is the Wild Coast, Woolly Bay, and the Sea of Gearnat. The road forks south beyond the little community, one branch meandering off towards the Wild Coast, the other rolling through the lower Kron Hills to the village of Ostverk and then eventually turning southwards again into the elven kingdom of Celene. The western route leads into the very heart of the gnomish highlands, passing through Greenway Valley about a day's travel distant and going onwards to the Lortmil Mountains far beyond.

An idyllic village in the heart of the Flaeness, Hommlet is a town at a crossroads.

Type

Village