Verbobonc Fortifies Hommlet

Bandit activity on the Hommlet-Verbobonc road begins to creep up after years of peace. The Viscount of Verbobonc, briefed on Thrommel’s kidnapping and now seeing local indicators, decides to fortify Hommlet as a forward observation point. He sends Burne and Rufus — two successful adventurers who had defeated bandits in his service and slain a green dragon in the Kron Hills — to build a tower and a fortified position. Construction begins. Around the same time, Elmo, son of the Hommlet militia captain and a young ranger, is approached by the Viscount and activated as an embedded intelligence asset. Elmo’s drunk farmer persona is built on real local roots. He and Jaroo recognize each other as fellow nature-aligned operators and develop a quiet cooperation.