605 CY
During the reign of
King Podrick
Prior to the fall of
Verbobonc in 600 CY
City of Verbabonc Under rule of Viscount Wilfred
589 CY
Across the western central
Flanaess, the Velverdyva River flowed down from the distant Yatil Mountains, across the Plains of Ferrond (and forming a natural border between the Kingdom of
Furyondy and the Archvlericy of Veluna) and finally emptying out in the Nyr Dyv – the Lake of Unknown Depths – by the City of Greyhawk. But along that winding route, the Velverdyva flowed right past 500 square miles of farmland nestled in between the Iron Forest (to the west), the Iron Hills (to the south), and
the Gnarley Forest (to the east) – and this was the Viscounty of
Verbobonc.
The City of
Verbobonc was a busy river port, with traffic of barges and cogs and even the occasional caravel coming and going most any day. The city had grown up, literally, around the river, with quarters on either side of its banks. The river was spanned by three low bridges with breakaway sections that could be lifted out by cranes if anything taller than a barge wished to sail through (and after paying a toll to the River Warden’s Office). Security was tight along the river, but not sternly so, with the inspections requiring more patience than anything else. The river fronts were manned by the River Warden’s Dock Guild, but guarded by men-at-arms of both the First Army of the Church and the Viscount’s Standing Army. Visitors had some of the laws explained to them, usually by someone with a crushed hat and a cudgel in his hand (signifying the Order of Saint Cuthbert) including keeping bows unstrung, bladed weapons sheathed or otherwise hidden, not to openly worship an evil deity, and never killing someone of a social class higher than yours.
Verbobonc was a walled city, with a worked granite curtain 15’ high and 8’ thick surrounding it. The north side of the city had three gates leading out and the south end had but one gate. Also, a breach in the north curtain wall had long since been filled in by the Olven Wall -- a tangle of thick forestry said to be more impassable than the real wall. The wall's defenses seemed modest, perhaps even a token effort, which was perhaps not surprising given the city had probably never once been invaded in its history. Engraved over each outer gate to the city – and there were three – was the city’s motto, “Earth and stone, man and gnome.” Inside the city, surrounding the only grassy hill in sight, was a second curtain wall, a solid granite wall the same height and width as the outer one. Up close, this inner wall was revealed to be highly decorative, with bas relief carvings of gnomish warriors all over it and sayings in what was surely the gnomish language carved under them. It was clearly much older than the other wall.
The city's inner wall was occupied by a castle next to a cathedral. Both buildings looked new, or had undergone extensive renovation, to reflect the new gothic style. The castle was the Viscount's castle and the cathedral was known as the Temple of the Heavenly Virtues, and their twin presence here reflected the balance of power between the nobility and the clerical class in
Verbobonc. The bells of the cathedral rang, up to three at a time, at every hour on the hour.
The city was tightly packed, its population having outgrown the outer wall and spilled out of it. Easily 1224,000 people must have called
Verbobonc home, with at least 23,000 more living in the outskirts surrounding it. The streets of the Inner City tended to be narrow and curvy, with the longest being Tarry Road that encircled over half of the city. Tarry Road, Way Down Road, and Hegoaldean Road -- muddy ruts in the best of times -- sported the majority of the larger businesses. Only the Viscount’s Road was cobblestone.
One of the reasons the city had filled up so fast was that so much of it had been set aside for gardens and parks. The city was divided into six quarters, but with no visible borders between them; only residents knew the distinctions between the quarters.
The architecture consists primarily of timbered row houses; starched white buildings with brown, green, burgundy or navy timbers. Domes, pillars, arches, and sweeping wide stairways are common features.
