Kron Hills The World of Greyhawk & The World of Greyhawk Wiki The current year for our World of Greyhawk campaign is set during 579CY. Inspired By Gary Gygax

The Kron Hills stretch eastward from the Lortmil Mountains toward the western reaches of the Gnarley Forest, forming a natural boundary between the lands of Verbobonc to the north and Celene to the south. Across this broad upland country, rounded heights give way to rocky ridges, sheltered valleys, and wooded slopes. The landscape offers a gentler face than the mountains farther west, though its winding tracks and successive ridgelines can make even a short journey demanding.

From an exposed hilltop, travelers can watch the countryside unfold in layers of pasture, woodland, and distant blue heights. Gnomes are the people most closely associated with the Kron Hills, with approximately twenty thousand inhabiting the region during the classic Greyhawk era. Human farmers and herders also occupy its fertile uplands, sharing a countryside sustained by both agriculture and the wealth beneath the earth.

For a campaign description, their settlements can be pictured as comfortable hillside communities, with stone-faced entrances, gardens, workshops, and well-maintained paths linking neighboring households. Smoke rising above a sheltered hollow might reveal a thriving village where a distant observer sees only another wooded valley. The hills’ mineral deposits make mining an important part of regional life, supporting trade alongside the produce of farms and grazing lands. Merchants have good reason to visit, and the surrounding country connects the hill communities with larger markets in Verbobonc and beyond. Around Hommlet, near the northern approaches, roads carry travelers toward Verbobonc, Dyvers, and Greyhawk, while southern routes lead toward the hills, Celene, and the Wild Coast. Such connections bring welcome business, news from distant lands, and strangers whose intentions are sometimes difficult to judge. The gnomes of the Kron Hills have a strong tradition of independence and a reputation for courage, demonstrated by their participation in the Hateful Wars.

Their communities value the right to manage their own affairs, a conviction that has complicated Verbobonc’s claims over the northern hills. Local loyalties therefore matter greatly: a visitor’s conduct toward a village, family, or trusted guide may carry more weight than an impressive title. Hospitality can be warm, but those who mistake friendliness for submission are likely to discover how firmly the hillfolk defend their homes and customs. For adventurers, the Kron Hills offer a landscape where settled life and uncertain wilderness lie close together.

Notable Settlements
• Hommlet

A useful way to portray the region is to place welcoming farms and busy mining communities along the traveled routes, with abandoned workings, overgrown ruins, and lonely ravines farther afield. A peaceful evening might bring the sound of sheep bells and conversation outside a hillside inn, while the next day’s journey leads into country where no chimney smoke breaks the horizon. This mixture of prosperity, local independence, and secluded terrain makes the hills an inviting home for companions—and a place with ample room for secrets.