Hommlet's Little Shop of Clay Horrors

In the Temple of Elemental Evil Gygax wrote “If [the heroes] need more seasoning before continuing to the greater challenges, you may – and should – design and develop other adventures in the area”. Thus, this entry in my series on Ultimate Greyhawk. Much like how comics and movies will reboot a franchise with a new take on an old concept, this is my personal re-imagining of the Greyhawk Campaign Setting beginning with the venerable town of Hommlet. 

The following location is numbered based on how it appears on the map of the village of Hommlet found in T1-4: The Temple of Elemental Evil. You can see the rest of the entries in the Ultimate Greyhawk sidebar of the blog.

17. Turvin's Pottery

Aldo Turvin and his wife Belinda are the local potters. They are both are in the militia as are their two sons Ari (age 18) and Bertram (age 19). They have two daughters that help around the shop), Brunhilde (age 21) and Karly (age 15).The family follows St. Cuthbert.

Nothing says "I love you" like a Clay Golem

Adventure Seed: Love and Golems

Brunhilde is a beautiful young woman and talented clay worker. She has a secret lover in Nulb named Pavel, who is a member of the Earth Temple. She is aware of his sinister nature (which she finds attractive and mysterious), but not the true depravity of the cult. Pavel, hoping to increase his prestige in the cult stole a Manual of Golems (DMG 180) in Verbobonc (Agents working for the manual’s owner will eventually arrive in Hommlet). Pavel truly is in love with Brunhilde and hopes she’ll join the cult. First, he wants her to build them a Clay Golem (MM 168) that will secure their place within the cult. Brunhilde’s parents are concerned about their daughter and the shifty fellow she’s spending so much time with. They may hire the characters to investigate. The two lovers have a workshop in an abandoned house in the woods nearby.

Adventure Seed: The Little Horrors in the Clay

Mud Mephit Infestation!

Turvin and Belinda’s daughter is not their only problem. Someone keeps coming into their workshop in the middle of the night and trashing the place. Clay pots are smashed, mud is everywhere (on the walls, floor and ceiling!). Tools are often found broken or not at all. Every night the same thing happens. The family is starting to believe the place is haunted or that maybe someone is trying to sabotage their operation. The truth is a bunch of pesky Mud Mephit’s (MM 216) have infested their workshop. The sneaky buggers hide in the clay mud and then come out at night to play. If the player’s investigate this mystery they may accidently discover Brunhilde’s secret in the adventure seed above.