Blaeringr

"What the - ?!" he appears to be completely caught off guard that Flick is able to speak. His facade seems to be starting to crumble, as he tries to recover. "I'm a bit shaken up. Honest mistakes happen to all of us." Despite mostly recovering, he can't help giving Flick some serious side eye as he speaks. "My bad, I'll just be on my way." But he's not trying to make his way back to the main road to get help again - he's trying to get around Khaine and horse to make for the farm with the burning silo.

"Now, now, no need to get unpleasant" he's looking around nervously as the riders move to flank him. "Farmers got hobbies too. I was Orin in this last year's production of MoonlitA tale of werewolf romance and politics. It was a hita" A few more beads of sweat. "If you don't want to follow and help some folk in peril, that's fine - I'll just move on and look for help in town."

"Oh that, now?" he replies smoothly to Chalia, "Barn. Silo. Just making sure to not complicate things for city folk and aliensAn unusually controversial choice of word for elves and other non-humans. Especially for one with elf neighbors.. Who knows how nuanced your grasp of our language is." A bead of sweat forms on his forehead. "Good thinking drawing your blade. They might still be about."

"I saw the smoke and came to check it out.." he answers Khaine. "Already gone by then. They'd alread taken the Paddens and their children by the time I got there. I'm no detective or bounty hunter, so I went looking for help." As he leads them to the smoke a little ways off, to the scene of the crime, the adventurers begin to spot clues already on the way there. Chalia notices Architecture lore: as they get closer, she spots the source of the smoke: a burning silo, not a barn. Farmers don't usually mix up those two types of building as a matter of pride. Flick notices Cartography lore: A couple times on the way there, he gets confused about which sideroad or lane to take to his own neighbor's place. Kek notices How great it is that people around here look out for their neighbors! Khaine notices Farming lore: as they approach the Paddens' farm, he notices the condition of the fields. Grass, clover and wildflowers grow wild here, long grass that has not seen plough or grazing for at least a year, probably more. This farm hasn't been farmed for a couple years at least. Maybell notices Theater lore: this man is a good liar. Maybell isn't able to catch anything specific he says to be a lie, but his gestures, his poise, his well timed intonations...this man has theatric training, or something similar. She doesn't know for a fact he his lying, but she is certain this man would be quite good at it if he were.

"Not on the farm, no." he answers Flick. "They're all gone. Taken from their home. I don't know where."

Don't let that stop you. I scan or take pictures of my hand made/drawn setups all the time for PbP on this site. I'm personally all about finding ways to insert hand drawn stuff into this digital medium. It adds a great touch, I think. here's a dungeon map the entrance to a dungeon take pictures of home tabletop too I think the idea of play by mail sounds great too, and regret missing out on trying that when I was younger. You could even do it without the mail. Like if you have local friends who want to play but don't have the time or schedules for it, just hand them the paper and go for it.

"It's b-bandits!" he says, voice shaken. "They've attacked my neighbors on the Paddens' farm just down the next dirt road here. Good folk who've worked the land for years. I think they were targeted because they're elfs! Been happening more and more lately. They took them and set their barn on fire." He points ahead, and to the right, east away from the main road, and there is indeed a plume of smoke coming from that direction. "Hippana Herself sent you, surely! I was heading to town to call for help when I saw you! You can save the Paddens from them bandits if you're quick. I'll show you the way to their farm. Come on!" He's turning, looking back, trying to lead the adventurers toward the smoke and the farm that way.

14th of Renewal, year 20 Morning, Carisport The mornings are still a bit chilly this time of year around Prosper Bay, but not chilly enough to slow down business. The shouts of sailors coordinating the loading and unloading of vessels can be heard from below, echoing of the cliffs. Saws and hammers in the shipyard compete with their cries for volume. Pulleys and cranks creak and groan as loads are carried up the cliff face to warehouse landing platforms that sit under large colorful banners bearing crests of various merchant companies. Tradesmen are at work on sites all around town, renovating existing buildings or building new ones. Carisport is a growing town. The newly finished Temple of the Divine - a building where people can find disciples of any path to guide them to the divine - has a large crowd out front as usual. It is common for people to have debates about politics or morality in this square, although Carisport isn't exactly known for philosophers of towering reputation. But it is still a place that often attracts curious crowds, activists, and upstarts. A weathered sea captain with a grizzled beard and a gleam in his eye strides confidently through the town's main street headed to the harbor, his crew bustling about in his wake. A mysterious fortune teller with piercing blue eyes and a voice like velvet, Madame Isolde sits in her tent at the edge of the marketplace, beckoning passersby to have their fortunes told. A scrappy young boy with a mop of unruly hair and a mischievous grin darts through the streets of the town square, his pockets bulging and jingling with concealed trinkets. A noblewoman of grace and beauty strides through the town square with elegance and poise, her finely tailored gown trailing behind her as she attends to matters of importance in the town council. Outside Quimby Quill's bookstore, in a chair against the wall next to the entrance to the shop, a middle aged chubby man with thinning russet colored hair and ink stained finger tips - presumably the owner - slumbers away peacefully. Soon the adventurers are back on the road, travelling once again. They are taking the northeast road in the direction of Newvale. Might as well stick to civilization while it lasts. They make good time on the northeast road, expecting to reach Newvale by evening (~30ish miles), and as expected pass by the occasional group of traveling merchants, farmers, and patrols. Early Afternoon, on the northeast road A man standing by the side of the road waves to the adventurers from a distance, hoping to get their attention. As they approach, he smiles a kind of weak and pathetic looking smile. "Hail, travelers!" the man, dressed like a farmer, calls out, his voice tinged with a note of desperation. "Thank the gods you've come along when you have. I'm in dire need of assistance, and you seem like the kind-hearted sort who might be willing to lend a hand."

Ya. Aside from common recipes though, give me a wishlist for uncommon, and especially for rares. With an alchemist's lab (5 gp, no need for the expanded lab) you'll be able to craft in the wagon on the road. If Kek and Maybell ride the wagon, no need for horses just for those two. In such a setup, either maybell or Kek would have to steer the horses pulling it (the two you guys bought back in Merrow) while the other rides (and crafts?) or a third person would have to steer for them.

To Maybell's question: "There are two groups of locals. Our own agents initially made contact with one of them when following up on rumors of stone ruins in the area, and only spotted hints of the other group." "The first is a tribe of bipedal sentient lizard people. They seem a fairly isolationist, but peaceful enough group. In their notes that we have, the Belltown's said they call themselves the Suuheshbi. They have a few scattered settlements in the hills in the area, in cave systems there." Marissa picks a small leatherbound notebook off a shelf and quickly flips through its pages. "The other group, we're not so sure about. Our own agents, when scouting the area a year ago, said they found occasional signs of another people, freshly discarded food, pottery, tools, and weapons unlike the Suuheshbi's, wood carvings and other markings that seemed to mark territory, but that's all. When asked about it, the Suuheshbi call them 'Leafwalkers', and usually just shrug and say the Leafwalkers keep to themselves." Lastly she points at a map on the wall in her office, "Our agents weren't the first into that area. People have wandered and explored ever outward from our little colonized region on this huge landmass, curious about what's out there. Our first maps from that region come from Newvale's own little community of alchemists. Most people think of farms and food and cozy country living when they think of Newvale, but they have quite the little community of alchemists ever looking for new and interesting reagents." Flick's knowledge Flick still has little experience outside of the Whiteclaw tribe and their territory, despite their grand aspirations for him. In his own travels, and based off of knowledge from the past 20 years of Whiteclaw scouts, they don't know a lot about the "locals" Marissa speaks of. In fact for most of the past 20 years, that area was empty. A group of lizardfolk has recently moved in from the swamps to the west of Glass Creek, although Flick hasn't met them personally. His own road to the colonies (and then up to the Deep Blood Goblins' tower) avoided their territory. And Flick hasn't heard of these "Leafwalkers" Marissa mentioned.

I don't know, but it is an item bonus. The rule I cited above says the ABP system "removes the item bonus to rolls and DCs usually provided by magic items" so it doesn't only remove the item bonuses provided by magic items, but non-magical as well.

Map with Glass Creek site location added

Campaign Map as of 14th of Renewal, year 20

Glass Creek (Campaign Map: 14th of Renewal, year 20)