Hi there! I’m on probation in Arizona for a felony drug conviction back in February 2023. I am trying to transfer from Maricopa to Pima County, if that’s relevant. I was sentenced to three years probation, but my plea deal said I could cut that time in half if I completed a treatment program. I tried several locations in Phoenix at this program called Terros Health, and attended meetings for about two months at one of them. However, the treatment environment was extremely disappointing and not conducive to healing and for the sake of my own mental health, I had to stop going. Then my life got busy, and suddenly it was time for testing. I was then tested for six months and tested clean the whole way. I even had a surprise UA several months after that, which was clean, and that was about a month ago. I am still very much sober but I am running out of time to complete an entire program, many of which want you to attend meetings multiple times a week, which I am way too busy for. I asked my last PO if there was another option, and she said that all I would need to do was complete a treatment assessment at one of these facilities, and if they determine that I am not at risk of going back to illicit drug use, I can present that finding to the court and have them consider it.
So my question is: Does anyone know anything more about this process? What does a typical treatment assessment entail, and what should I do if they still determine me to be at risk in spite of probably nine months of sobriety beginning in July with my UA testing (minus a relapse)? I don’t even know my Date of Last Use. I had a relapse in December for a few days, and one usage in February, but nothing since, and my interest in going back has been completely diminishing over time, with me now being too damn busy trying to keep my life afloat to even think about it. I just need this to work because being on probation has actually been getting in the way of me getting my life together moreso than it has actually “rehabilitated” me. I want this dark chapter of my life to be over and I don’t want to sit in a circle to talk about myself as an addict twice a week when that doesn’t even accurately reflect the problems I’m facing.

AthFest Outdoor Stage and Club Crawl Lineup

AthFest Educates announces its full lineup for the 26^th annual AthFest Music & Arts Festival, presented by Wicked Weed Brewing. The annual fundraising festival in downtown Athens takes place June 21^st – 23^rd and includes performances on three outdoor stages, plus AthFest Club Crawl Shows at 12 local music venues. All proceeds from the festival benefit AthFest Educates, a local nonprofit that supports high-quality music and arts education for K-12 youth in Athens.
The free outdoor stages will have performances from 5pm Friday until 11pm, from noon Saturday until 10:15pm, and from 12:30pm Sunday until 8:30pm. Club Crawl shows take place on Friday and Saturday nights. Club Crawl Passes get attendees into all Club Crawl shows both nights (capacity and age restrictions apply) and are for sale at AthFest.com. A limited number of VIP Weekend Passes are also available. VIP passes include access to all Club Crawl Shows, access to the VIP-only Mainstage viewing area, festival t-shirt, commemorative mug, and limited complimentary beverages.
In addition to live music all weekend long, the festival area includes beer trucks, vendors, food trucks, and a juried Artist Market. AthFest’s KidsFest is a mini-festival within a festival with its own KidsFest stage, sponsored by Clarke County School District, with performances by and for young people. There will also be a free KidsFest dance party at the Georgia Theatre on Saturday, June 22^nd from 1-3pm with DJ Mahogany. The popular KidsFest also includes free activities for young people as well as ticketed rides and inflatables.
The festival kicks off Friday, June 21^st on the Wicked Weed Mainstage with performances by: Organically Programmed, Cardynal + the Flock, Nicholas Mallis and the Borealis, The Asymptomatics, and Heffner. The Hospitality South Hull Street Stage will host Neat Freak, Goodhost, Forrest Isn’t Dead, Triplicate, and a Silent Disco with Booty Boyz.
On Saturday June 22^nd the Wicked Weed Mainstage kicks off at noon with Swing Theory, The Original Screw Tops, Peach Ice Cream Bluegrass, Empress Mokah, Freeman Leverett, Ansley Stewart Band, Farin, Sajaad, Wonderland Rangers, Jameson Tank, and Hotel Fiction. Over on the Hospitality South Hull Street Stage you’ll find the Nuci’s Space Athens Business Rocks Winners - JOMAnimals, Pickled Holler, Andrew Brantley, El ChupaSKAbra, T.W.I.N., Frank the Eagle, Lung, Father Werewolf, Feather Trade, and the Kilkenny Cats.
Sunday June 23^rd, the Wicked Weed Mainstage will host IAMTIKICA & The TLC Band, The Royal Velvet, Avery Deakins Band, The Ain’t Sisters, Boulevards, Bloodkin, and Reverend Tribble & The Deacons. The Hospitality South Hull Street Stage will have Julie Nyunt, Infinite Favors, Brendan Abernathy, Ant Da Ripper, Tony B, Scott Low & the Blue Bouillon, and Heart of Pine.
The lineup for the Georgia Theatre Friday night is Gabriella Delliponti, hallpass, and Wim Tapley & The Cannons. Saturday night at the Georgia Theatre is Maps & Atlases, Maserati, and Pylon Reenactment Society.
The iconic 40 Watt Club will host sets by Cannon Rogers, Cicada Rhythm, and Susto on Friday night, and Here Be Monsters, Left Front Tire, Burns Like Fire, and Phantom Dan with both a band and DJ set on Saturday night.
At Live Wire Athens on Friday night the lineup includes Cam & His Dam Jam Band, Bird Dog Jubilee, and Alien Funk Academy. On Saturday, ATHFactor & Volumes present DJ ChiefRocka, Loyalty is Timeless, Slugga2X, Chiki Flow & Domino, Sho, Tyl3r Davis, and Lil Darius on the inside stage, while outdoors will host the Nightshade Family DJs, featuring ONIT, KNOW, Karezza, & a special Silent Disco at midnight with the Nightshade Family Residents.
Hendershot’s hosts Anni Leeth and Kenosha Kid Friday night and sets by Little Mae, Women in STEM, Option Paralysis, and Evergreen Saturday night.
Friday night at Flicker Theatre will feature Little Gold, All Gods, and Lo Talker and Saturday night sees sets from Dim Watts, Buice, Schmuk, and Commune.
The lineup at Ciné on Friday night kicks off with Shehehe, followed by NAW, 69 Dudes!!!, Hunger Anthem, and The Bunnies. Saturday night, Shadebeast presents Lungburner, Dead Vibes Ensemble, Husk, and Nihilus.
At The Foundry Friday night, we’ll have Betsy Franck, Josh Joplin, and Kyshona. Saturday, Volume.com presents The Shut-Ups, David Barbe Plus, Armistead’s Armi, and Sneakers (featuring members of Let’s Active & The dB’s).
At The Globe Friday night Classic City Rotary + Vic Chesnutt Awards Present Woody Garrison, William Tonks, Clay Leverett with John Neff, and 2024 Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year Awards Finalist Mannequin Party; on Saturday night it’s The Bones of St. Michael and The New Orleans Jazz Stompers.
Paloma Park will host Smokey Jones and The 3 Dollar Pistols and Kobanova Friday night, and Florence Cardigan, The Ocho, and Recess Party Saturday night in their outdoor Beer Garden.
At Nowhere Bar, Indecent Artistry presents Hiding Places, Honeypuppy, Coma Therapy, and Wieuca on Friday night. Saturday Night, presented by Normaltown and Strolling Bones Records, features Rose Hotel, Elijah Johnston, and The Pink Stones.
New to the Club Crawl this year, The Roadhouse will host Oxystar, Ancient Infant, and Everyday Dogs on Friday Night, and Saturday sets include Couch Cult, Swear Jar, and Fishbug.
Also new to the Club Crawl, Clarke’s Collective will feature DJ Kountry Boy, Nony1, DJ Sublime, and Motorhead 2x Friday and, on Saturday night, The Downstairs, Handholder, and Sleeper Cell.
The full schedule is coming soon to the festival’s website AthFest.com.

Part 4
Gary Johnson, Grumpy Old Dude With a Gun
The Divine Crisis Management Group Headquarters, Baltimore, MD
Gary walked down the hall with the distinctive gait of a senior enlisted. He'd never actually been a senior enlisted. He'd messed up his career prospects in the Army long before he got that opportunity. But he'd been a trigger-puller for a long time, and he had a lot more practical experience than most senior enlisted. He'd earned that walk, many times over.
The Group employees made way for him. Even those who didn't immediately recognize him could tell they should stay out of his way. He was the only one in the building wearing jeans and a flannel shirt, and that told anyone seeing him that he was senior enough to get away with dress code violations.
He found the ops center and opened the door. Stepping through, he entered a beehive of activity. Uniformed techs ran hither and thither, carrying reports and coordinating their efforts.
"What's going on?" he demanded loudly. A couple of techs turned to him, but a familiar face stepped out from behind a pair.
"We are preparing to defend against an attack by one or more of the gods," Julie said, her voice still carrying traces of the harshness the attack had wrought. Gary didn't care, however. He shouldered aside a couple of techs and wrapped her in a bear hug, picking her up off the ground.
Julie squeaked, then laughed. "You are as bad as Liam!" she protested. Gary put her down and grinned at her.
"Sorry, It's jes so durned good t'see ya back on yer feet an' takin' charge."
Julie's smile turned a little uncertain. "I would say that it is good to be back, but I am afraid the situation..."
"Yeah..." Gary agreed, his grin fading away. "This about that confluence falling through?"
"It is," Julie answered. "Right now, we have no specific intel about an attack, but Intel Division, as well as multiple individuals from Security and R&D have raised concerns about the possibility. With so many different perspectives all coming to the same conclusion..."
"Ayup," Gary agreed. "Be stupid not t'be ready fer something so obvious."
"I am not really here to take charge," she admitted with a sigh. "Just to get the ball rolling, as it were." Julie put a hand on Gary's shoulder. "I know it is asking a lot of you, especially with all you have been through. But I know of nobody else who can do this as well as you."
"Don't you fret none," Gary assured her, taking her hand off his shoulder and patting it gently. "You jes focus on getting through all you've been through yerself. I appreciate the assist, an' I got it from 'ere."
He leaned forward and planted a kiss on her hair, eliciting a smile. "Thank you," she said quietly.
"Afore ya go, take me in yer office an' read me in on all ya done, though," Gary continued. Julie nodded and then inclined her head in the direction of her office. Gary followed along, closing the door behind him.
They sat down and Julie walked him through all the steps she'd taken so far. Consolidating the security forces, re-arming and regrouping Black Team, from their deployments leading and assisting other security assets, recalling wizards from their secondments to the Feds, and ramping up the purchasing of supplies and tools.
"Are th'vendors really able to honor these orders?" Gary asked. "Errything got shut down for a couple o'months there."
"Do you remember the pandemic in twenty-twenty?" Julie asked. Gary nodded.
"Ayup, but that was twenty years ago, an' thur ain't too much th'hole economy can do to prepare fer somethin' like this."
"Yes, but our lawyers remembered it. It has been a standard clause in our vendor contracts that they must maintain enough stock for six months of purchases on hand at all times. Not all of the vendors have met that requirement, and that will come up the next time we evaluate our purchases, but most have. Much of the country will be experiencing shortages of many things very soon. Medical supplies, food and fuel, mainly. But not the Group."
"Awwright," Gary rumbled, rubbing his beard. "So we're flush on supplies, or soon will be?"
"I would not say that," Julie said with a sad shake of her head. "But we have enough. For now."
"That'll hav'ta do," Gary said. Julie nodded.
----
Sookie, Still Sad
Sookie's Apartment, Midtown Manhattan, NY
"Do you want some coffee?" Sookie asked as she took the large pot off the brewer and poured herself a cup.
"Yes, please," Linda replied. Sookie walked the cup in her hands over to where the other woman sat and put it down in front of her. She didn't look up, her eyes on the floor, or whatever was in her hands at all times. Even though the muscular woman wore nothing but a sports bra and bicycle shorts over bright purple sneakers, Sookie couldn't muster up enough lust to ogle her.
Linda picked it up and sipped at it without adding any cream or sugar as Sookie made a second cup. She eyed the sugar and cream. French vanilla flavored. Her favorite. She thought about filling the cup to her usual proportions, normally characterized as 'taking a little coffee with her cream and sugar', but then sighed and added more coffee to the cup, instead. She sipped at it black, the bitterness suiting her feelings.
She sat down across from Linda and they drank in silence for a moment.
"You should come to the range with me today," Linda said after a few moments.
"What range?" Sookie asked, still sipping tastelessly at her coffee.
"The gun range," Linda said.
"I already know how to shoot," Sookie replied.
"I know, but there's bays there. We can rent one."
"I don't know what that means," Sookie said.
Linda sighed, then grinned and shook her head.
"Shootin' and scootin', Sooks. We can fit you into some battle rattle and teach you to actually fight, not just to shoot."
"I know how to fight," Sookie said. Linda sighed again and put her mug down, leaning forward.
"You know how to swing your giant pussy mace, yeah. And you know how to shoot a gun. But you've said it yourself, you're a lover, not a fighter. There's a lot more to fighting than just knowing how to hurt someone with a weapon."
"Like what?" Sookie asked, her voice still as dead as the zombified organ in her chest.
"Like dealing with trauma and fear so that it doesn't affect your performance," Linda said. Sookie finally looked up to see that Linda was giving her a hard, even look. When she spoke, her own voice was flat and emotionless.
"I held my best friend's hand as he died. Has Director Johnson ever told you about when his husband died? He held him in his arms, watched the life flow out of him, and then had to get up and go do his job the moment that the love of his life breathed his last breath."
Sookie's heart pounded in her chest. She might have welcomed the sensation at any other time. Now, each beat seemed to bring with it a flash of Eric's face, twisted in hatred and disgust as he turned on her. But the reason her heart beat like that was the promise implicit in Linda's words. That maybe, she could learn to handle this pain.
"Okay," she said quietly.
"You want to do it?" Linda asked, leaning forward. Sookie nodded.
"Yeah," she said.
Linda grinned. "You know what we have to do first, though, right?" Sookie shook her head.
"No, what?"
Linda's grin widened. "We gotta go shopping."
"For what?"
"For your battle rattle. We gotta kit you out, first."
"Can't I just borrow some Group-" Sookie cut herself off as Linda shook her head.
"No way. That's fine in an emergency, but if you're gonna fight, you're gonna want your own kit. Trust me."
"Okay, so where do we go?"
"Nowhere in New York, that's for sure. You can teleport, right?"
"Umm," Sookie said. She could planewalk, which was similar. She could move them to a place in the Spirit World that was connected to two different places in the material world, then back across the border, just in a different direction. It wasn't as safe as teleporting, but it was functionally very similar.
"More or less," she said. Linda nodded.
"Good, because there's a place in Colorado I know. Big, outdoor store, but with a focus on tactical stuff. They've got a huge selection and best of all, it's partnered with the Pink Pistols."
"What's that mean?"
Linda grinned again and leaned forward. "It means they're fucking fabulous."
----
Kathy Evenson, Professional
In her room in an inn, somewhere in the Seventh World
Kathy opened her eyes and immediately checked the room with her magical senses. She was alone, which would normally be a relief, but was slightly concerning now.
Kells had been snoring next to her when she fell asleep last night. A sardonic smirk twisted her lips as she wondered if she'd been ghosted. Dicked and ditched, the way she usually heard it.
She sat up and immediately noticed that she had been tucked in tightly under a pair of blankets, one thin and smooth, the other thick and warm. She remembered falling asleep with the blankets bunched up at the foot of the bed, letting Kells' body heat keep her warm through the chilly night. Before she could begin to puzzle it all out, the door opened.
"Yer up," Kells said, carrying a tray full of cut sausages, cheese and bread, with a pair of tankards on it.
"I brought ye somewhat t'break yer fast," he went on, placing the tray down and picking up one of the tankards. He took a long drink from it and sighed.
"I figured you'd taken off," Kathy said, picking up a piece of cheese and popping it into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed before continuing.
"I know the live of a caravaner isn't easy or lazy," she said. Kells nodded.
"Aye, but I've a feeling about ye," he said. He sat on the edge of the bed and flashed her a smile that was a little too charming for her tastes. Kathy laughed.
"Kells, that was fun, but that's all it was. I'm not looking for-"
Kells cut her off with a laugh.
"Aye, yer a cute one, all right. Don'tche worry none about me heart, Miss. I've a tight leash on it, even iffen it might be the wanderin' sort. I've no illusions about what passed between us last eve, and no particular plans to make anywhat out o'it more'n it were."
Kathy nodded. "Good. Then why did you stick around?"
"Chits," he said. She eyed him for a second, and he shrugged helplessly.
"Life may be about more'n money, but the money's a necessity, nonetheless. I know yer flush with it. I can tell by yer clothes an'th'way ye had the tavern keeper at yer beck an' call last eve. I know ye've got yer own quest t'attend to, an' I rightly suspect that it's a dangerous sort o' quest. So ye'll be needing allies. Fighters. As it so happens, caravaning is the type o'work that makes a man into a good fighter. An' I pride meself on being a good ally."
Kathy chuckled and picked up the other tankard. It was some sort of mead; crisp, cold and sweet, but with a subtle bite of alcohol to it. Which meant merely that it was safe to drink, really. She took a long drink, then began picking at the tray with more vigor.
"So you want me to hire you and your men to protect me," she said. Kells nodded. "Aye."
"What if I said I'd be traveling with the Searchers?" she asked.
"All th'more reason t'hire me," he said with casual confidence. "Them folks're many things, an' handy in a fight is damn sure one o'em, but allies? I think yer smarter'n that, miss."
Kathy nodded. She was, indeed. Just because she knew a version of their parents didn't mean she could trust them. They had their own goals, she knew, and while she might support them, they didn't exactly line up with hers.
"How much would it cost me?" she asked.
"A hunnerd chits a day," Kells said. Kathy whistled. Based on the prices she'd encountered, that was a princely sum.
"Call it two thousand for a month," he offered a second later. She thought about it.
She had the chits. Or rather, she knew where she could get them. Each one was about a half-inch on the side, which gave her a few dozen from each cover. Nobody seemed to care how roughly they were cut, either, meaning she could eyeball it. An hours work would yield the sum he asked for a month.
"Is that for just you?" she asked. Kells laughed.
"Nae, miss. I'm a pricey man, but not that pricey. That's fer me an' six o'me men."
"Who will pay you and your men's expenses?" Kathy asked.
"As fer food an water, camp supplies an'th'like, we'll handle that. Tolls an' such will be out o' yer purse, though."
Kathy thought about it, and realized that she liked the deal. With an hour's work, she could have seven experienced fighters watching out for her. Given the dangers of most of the worlds other than Earth, that would be a very useful thing. And she could bring them with her across worlds, so long as she brought them back at the end.
"What about death benefits?" she asked. Kells shrugged. "Not normally somewhat we ask fer," he said. "But ten chits, plus the balance o'their pay fer any man what falls would go over quite well."
"I can do that," she said. "The whole offer, I mean."
Kells grinned and spat on his palm, then held it out. Kathy winced, then laughed at her own reaction. She spat on her palm and shook his hand. After a few pumps, he failed to let go.
"Everything okay?" she asked, glancing down at their hands and then back up.
"Aye, miss," he said, grinning. "Was jes wonderin' iffen ye'd like t'celebrate the start of a beautiful business, is all."
Kathy grinned at him.
Part 6

I coded GLAD, SAD, MAD, and AFAID.... but it wouldn't get MAD, so I worked around it by using a character model, and it worked... but, now it is going nuts... any idea what is going on?
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I am an F-1 Student from India and I have come here to do my master's in Baltimore.
Me and my friend (females) have signed a lease for 12months and we didn't know that we have to pay for the whole 12months if we break the lease. We thought like they are gonna take our security deposit and let us go but it's was a shock to us when we found out that we cant just break the lease and go. Yes, we are stupid and we are new here and we were rushed into it to find a house soon as our classes were starting.
The area was really unsafe, too much mugging, gunshot sounds, strong weed smell in the apartment.
The main issue for us was safety and health, we were passively smoking weed in that building. We mentioned this a lot of times but the landlord didn't care all this happened when weed wasn't legal here. It was too much, sometimes there would be like 10-15 people in the corridor smoking joints, no kidding.
We lived there till February and we broke the lease in March 23, we had the lease till July 23, we told them that we are gonna break the lease and they clarified it to use that we are responsible if we can't find any other tenants.
Cut to today, I got a dispute notice from the debt collecto that i owe them $3450.
We are still students, we dont have jobs, all alone with no help from anyone, its really hard to fend for ourselves and we can afford this additional bills.
I have no clue what to do about this not aware of how things work here. 😭😭😭
Is there any possibility that I can get it off of me?
Please let me know any details about this, any free legal help?
Please help 😔 I am desperate.

I don't know much about bikes, but my brother left behind an awesome carbon fiber road bike that I used for everything; work, commuting to school, leisure, and so much more... man, that thing was awesome. I felt like it was almost an extension of me, and the last piece of my brother I had. Unfortunately, it was stolen. The thief cut right through the Krytonite lock. I listed it as stolen on bike index and that other site, and filed a police report, but I'm not hopeful. I've been depressed about it, but I need to move on at some point, and I think buying a new bike will help me with that.
My budget is $500, and though I know I won't get anything nearly as good as what I had before (it cost at least $1500, from what I knew), I need something for the time being. I was wondering if anyone might be able to help me identify which of the following classifieds listings are good choices.
These first few are listed within my budget:

• 6061 Black label V2 Army green bicycle for $450

https://i.imgur.com/WKPMcKH.jpeg

• Nishiki Maricopa Road bike for $250

https://i.imgur.com/fYVFxOX.jpeg
Kestrel 200 SCi SS Conversion - Carbon Fiber Bicycle for $410. Listing says "Carbon fiber bicycle that was setup on Shimano 600 system, but I was always on the largest gear so I switched to single speed. Frame; Kestrel 200 SCi [carbon fiber monocoque] Can integrate multi-speed with built in feeds. Horizontal/Vertical options for bev holder Seat/Post; Nitto 66 w/Royal Selle(not sure on model) Handlebar; Unknown brand aluminum bull bar Fork; Carbon Fiber Profile Julie BRC Brakes; Campagnolo Veloce dual-pivot w/ Bontrager brake levers Crankset/Pedal; Bike Drive double crankset?? Springs are adjustable, 200% more torque Pedals are Shimano clip-ons Wheels/Tires; Quick release Shimano wheels with gatorskins in front and some german tire in the back Single Speed; DMR STS Chain Tensioner Origin SS Hub Conversion Kit Specs;Felt Z6 Carbon Road bike 58cm Weight - ~18.5lbs Size - Medium - 54.5CM TT Free goodies; - Shimano 600 multispeed set if you want - your gears back - Tire liners + tire tubes - Cygolite Metro front and Hotshot rear lights - Few other things"
https://i.imgur.com/N1PJfLw.jpeg
And now here are some postings that are listed outside of my budget but that I might be able to negotiate lower, if you guys think it'd be reasonable to do so:

• Scott CR1 PRO Carbon Ultegra Superlight road bike for $695

https://i.imgur.com/cAjWtFZ.jpeg

• Kestrel 2010 Full Carbon Ultegra racing road bike for $725

https://i.imgur.com/D40P0Ux.jpeg

• Scattante Sport Carbon men’s bicycle for $750

https://i.imgur.com/63OXzt9.jpeg

• Felt Z6 Carbon Road bike 58cm for $870

https://i.imgur.com/oV3oODs.jpeg

• Specialized Roubaix Comp 58cm Carbon Frame for $990

https://i.imgur.com/dgjNZEZ.jpeg
Thanks for reading this far. I truly and sincerely appreciate any help, folks. I'm learning, but I'm still kind of clueless about this stuff. I just loved to ride my bike.

Hi all, I am going to my first big ren faire in July and have only gone to my local faires til now. The state I am from is very religious and has a death grasp on liquor and booze, so much so that that our main ren faire is dry. I have seen a lot of people with a mug strapped to a loop in their belts as a part of their look, and was wondering what the etiquette is/would it be a good item to bring with/purchase at a ren faire? Do most vendors allow you to use your own mugs? Any other info and tips welcome :) TIA

Hi everyone! I am an exchange student at UCF and have to leave to go back to the U.K. in later May! 🇬🇧 I am subleasing my 4x4 room at The Verge starting from the 1st June 2024-25th July 2025. Rent will be $1009 ($1014 if you sign up later) per month and only have to pay for gas and electricity (around $40-$50 per month) Internet and water bills are included! I ❗️WILL PAY THE FRIST MONTH OF RENT FOR YOU EXCLUDING BILLS!❗️
This ad is for potential FEMALE roommates ONLY and is pet friendly! 🐶This would be a great place for you to stay if you like a clean and chill environment as that’s what my roommates value! The Verge is very close to UCF so you won’t have to worry about taking long journeys to and from school.
Amenities at The Verge include: * A resort-style pool * 24 hour gym * Pickle ball court * Volleyball court * Basketball court * A communal and study area * Parking * Free UCF Shuttle * Fully furnished apartment * Free events at The Verge (Waffle Wednesday, Book clubs, arts and crafts) * And many more!
❗️As a Bonus ❗️ I wouldn’t be able to take everything home with me to England and therefore will give you the following for free:

• Bath Towels x2
• A compete bed set (pillows, comforter, fitted sheets, ect)
• 4 extra blankets
• Lots of hanger
• Shower curtain
• Shower Mat
• Toilet brush
• Many mugs
• A frying pan
• A Plate

The staff here at the verge are quick to respond and are very helpful and friendly! 😁
THIS ROOM WILL BE PROFESSIONALLY CLEANED WHEN I LEAVE AND YOU ARW READY TO MOVE IN
If interested get back to me soon and DM me for more information!

Hello everyone!
I barely use my FX504 now, as I hate the hinges issue and how it looks after half a bottle of Loctite. In July 2023 I decided to change its old WD M2-SATA 240GB drive to an AData M2-PCIe 500GB drive. I don't think I've used it for more than 100 hours, but on Saturday I decided to install Diablo 4 to see how it runs on GeForce 1050Ti + i7.
Install went smoothly, 40-60MB/s downloads. Press Play - Diablo 4 starts, screen freezes at the first load, then BSOD with "DPC Watchdog Violation error".
"No worries, I'll check the logs after rebooting". But worries. Stuck at ASUS logo at boot. F1, F2, F8-12, Delete, Escape - nothing works. "Ah, it was time to reinstall Windows anyway". Plug in the flash drive, boot from it, only detects the mechanical 1TB drive. I switch the AData with the old WD drive, works like a charm, but slower.
I popped the hood of another laptop, plugged the AData in it, no BIOS/boot. And of course I don't have an USB M2 PCIe enclosure, "the M2 SATA one will suffice". Yayn't.
I'm sending it back to the seller tomorrow, 99% will get a new one or refund. Any recommendations for a decent budget NVMe 500GB drive? No need for super-fancy stuff as the laptop will most likely go back onto a shelf for a good while.
I know it's dumb to fix it and not use it, but it drives me nuts knowing it doesn't work. I even changed its cracked display when one of the cats decided my empty beer mug will be a good lid counterweight if pushed off a shelf.

I posted this in a somewhat buried response in another thread and thought I would surface it as it's on post since it is pretty long.
Here's why I never recommend Phoenix. Let me tell you why after living there for 16 years.
Obviously it's unbearably hot. I don't think this can be emphasized enough for someone who has never visited—especially for someone who's never visited in the summer. You might think it's hot where you live, and sure they say it's a dry heat—but you know when it sucks to feel a dry heat? At 10PM. 100F at 10PM. 98 at midnight. Try waking up at 5AM for jog before work and it's still 92F. And it's like that for nearly 4 months—part of May, all of June, all of July all of August and part of September. In May and September the mornings are much less harsh but by 10:30 or so you are dealing with 102 or so.
Outdoor rec really, really, really sucks. let me tell you why—and it's not just because of the heat. First, the landscape kinda sucks—especially in Phoenix proper because it has all been paved for housing and strip malls. Getting to the outer edges of Maricopa county you get some interesting landscapes but it's still quite monochromatic. Around those slightly more diverse landscapes on the edges of Maricopa County, there are trails! yeah! for biking and hiking. The problem is there aren't that many interesting places to go for this so when you do go there are like, a billion people there. You end up parking a half mile from the trailhead on the side of the road because the trailhead lot and the overflow lot are full. Then you are dealing with people everywhere. And maybe it's because of the concentration of people in these places but I've never seen so many people be so disrespectful of nature. People walking down trails blasting their music on a speaker, people littering, graffiti on rocks, I even saw a wild horse that had been shot and killed and left in the Salt River. The resevoirs and swimming holes are the same way tons of people and some of them often disrespectful. And all of this is impacted by the limited opportunity people have to actually enjoy these few outdoor recreation places because there simply aren't that many times in a year when it makes sense to do it. First you rule out mid May through mid September. Off the table because the desert will kill you. Then you look at spring and fall. Well, you really only have weekends now because there's not enough daylight to do things after work this time of year. So you have a metro area of 4 million people recreating in a small number of recreation areas with a small number of hours to work with—weekends from October to April basically.
Do you like shopping and dining in big boxes? I hope so. Because that's all they got. True, there are pockets of Phoenix with some interesting restaurants—Chris Bianco's places (I prefer Pomo personally), FRC restaurants and a few others. Also there are some really good taco shops (but oddly like, no good family style Mexican food anywhere which is super weird for a place with such a long and vibrant history of hispanic culture) in the South and East of Phoenix. But those gems, again like the metros recreation areas are so overrun and busy that they lose some appeal. But otherwise, you are looking at chain restaurant after chain restaurant everywhere you go. When I lived there I got used to the predictability of Chipotle or Pei Wei. But when I moved away I so enjoyed finding locally owned restaurants that have more interesting menu's, better service and friendlier employees.
Staying in all summer sucks. People talk about SAD in the PNW, well it happens in Phoenix too, just backwards. Maybe it doesn't affect as many people but it really sucks to not be able to be outside for more than a walk from an air conditioned building to a 150F car interior that is going to take a few minutes to get down to a habitable temp.
Have you seen the Arizona GOP lately? Typically politics of a place doesn't matter to me, but if you live in heavy red corners of Maricopa county it's going to matter. The shit your kids will start saying because all of their friends at school are raised in the homes with politically radical parents will be surprising. It also effects you when your local community chooses or chooses not to enforce safety measures that are designed to protect you. This was most apparent during the pandemic when at my church congregants would not mask despite what the church leaders asked and what the state recommended and at some times required. But this can also expand to how laws are enforced or not enforced by local cops and to whom they choose to enforce certain laws. This was a unique problem to pockets of Maricopa county when I lived there.
The one thing I really loved about Phoenix, is the Latino culture there. There are some really great neighborhoods with thriving latino populations that are unique and creatively inspiring.
EDIT: Many are pointing out the differences between central Pheonix and pockets of Tempe to the rest of the metro area—it's a good point. My points about politics and shopping/eating don't apply there as much but are still present. Everywhere else from Surprise to Queen Creek from Maricopa to Anthem it's pretty much what you get 85-90% of the time.

Drag and Drop Towns: Frost Bay
Coming up with all the locations and inhabitants of settlements can be very time consuming as a dm. That is why I came up with ‘Drag and Drop Towns’. These places can be inserted wholesale into any campaign or you can pick and choose what you want to include, for example you might just need a couple of taverns to help complete your town, or a general goods store for adventurers low on supplies. Feel free to adapt this location to your campaign as needed, for example changing NPC details or the system of governance. I have endeavoured to make it as user-friendly as possible and have included a map to show the layout of the town. If there is a shop, I include both its owner and inventory, if there is a temple, I provide a list of services with costs. It is compatible with Fifth Edition and suggestions for stat blocks are included for all NPCs. Finally, there are a couple of quest hooks for the area if your adventurers want to hang around or make some money.
Frost Bay
Frost Bay is a prosperous town located on a frigid coastline. It has a bustling harbour serving both local fisher people and merchants from further afield. The settlement is known for the barges it builds in its dockyard, which are perfect for both coastal travel and using the river to head to inland cities. In addition to the boatbuilding, the town has a strong fishing community and there is also a thriving timber and logging trade located about a day’s journey away. The town is divided into two areas, ‘The Warren’ located closer to the harbour, full of narrow, jumbled lanes, and ‘The Broads’, named due to the wider, more organised streets. This is the administrative and commercial heart of the town.
Notable Locations
~THE WARREN~
The Warren is the area of town including the large warehouse along the harbour front and the smaller streets behind them. It gets its name from the fact that there was no town planning when Frost Bay was originally founded, and thus the oldest streets are often narrow, numerous, and tending to run into dead ends. Houses tend to be built of logs and irregular in shape.
1. Dock Master’s Office: Positioned prominently along the docks, this wooden cabin is the nerve centre for all shipping to and from Frost Bay. All boats mooring in the harbour must report to the dock master, Ravea Avern (female, half elf, weather beaten skin and with steaks of silver running through her dark hair, use the Bandit Captain stat block) to pay the fees (1-15GP per day, depending on the size of the vessel and whether it is commercial or not).
2. Townsguard Quarters: The town’s barracks are protected by a spiked wooden wall and provide sleeping and resting quarters for those members who require it. It also contains a small training yard and the clashing of metal and wood can be heard from several streets away. In total, there are around 100 guards employed by the town, split into night and day shifts. The Guard Captain, Gus Yeowell (male, human, tall and solidly built with a serious expression on his face at all times, veteran) has his office in the Town Hall (see below). Guards your players might encounter include: Leigh, Neale, Anselm, Ronnie, Juli, Eva, Selma.
3. Colwills (fishmongers): Located on the ground floor of a large warehouse in a prime dockside position, the town’s Fisher’s Guild sell their catch from here. It is run by the head of the guild, Anna Colwill (female, human, a large lady with a dominating presence, commoner). The catch of the day is sold by weight, 2-5cp for a small fish or a fillet or 8cps for a larger whole fish. Salmon and dabs are the most common fish for the area.
4. Truscottes (general goods store): Tucked away a few roads back from the seafront, this store sells basic equipment from the ‘Players Handbook’ worth less than 2gp and hunting traps. There are 1d4+1 of each item available in stock. It is run by Ula Kass (female, gnome, wears small, round glasses on the end of her nose and sits perched on a high stool behind the counter, commoner).
5. The Jaunty Seagull (tavern): A fairly low-end tavern frequented by sailors and dockworkers. The walls are decorated with a variety of flotsam and jetsam, including interesting shaped wood, crates used as shelving and netting at the windows. Speciality dish is a chunky meat rillettes served with pickled cabbage (4cp). Otherwise bread and cheese is also served (3cp). A mug of dark, bitter ale costs 3cp and small, sparsely furnished rooms can be booked for 1sp per person per night. The tavern is run by Daniel and Ellissa Wroe (human, harried looking but very friendly. Daniel walks with a slight limp and is often in the kitchen whilst Elissa wears a spotless, embroidered apron and is front of house. Both use the commoner stat block). Diggory (human, male, elderly, retired dock worker, commoner) is a regular at the bar.
6. Muscles (blacksmiths): The sound of metallic clanking and banging can be heard from several streets away and a plume of smoke rises from the store. Looking in from the outside, you can see bellows pumping and hammers rising and falling, all without any helping hands. Burgell “Muscles” Dunben (male, gnome, scrawny with wild ginger hair, use the mage stat block), the owner of the establishment, has used his inventive, artificer knowledge to mechanise the process of creating armour and weapons. He sells medium armour and metal melee weapons (1d6+2 daggers, 1d4+1 handaxes, 1d4+1 light hammers, one mace, 1d4 sickles, 1d4+1 spears, 1d4 short swords, one long sword) and has one heavy crossbow (all at Players Handbook prices). Burgell is willing to make custom mundane weapons, but that would cost extra and involve time (3 days for a simple item, up to a month for something more complex).
7. Hodgson’s (blacksmiths): Located at the edge of the Warren, Hodgson’s is the local blacksmith serving the townsfolk. It sells simple metal items like nails, horseshoes and other household goods. It is run by Kurt Hodgson (male, human, big black beard that he ties behind his neck when he is working, commoner but with a strength of 15) and his husband Milo Leaftread (male, halfling, chubby with permanently red cheeks, commoner).
8. Busby’s (butchers): Located by the river, this butchers sells meat to the Warren (3-7cp for basic cuts of beef and pork, 4cp for a whole rabbit). Run by Ronat Busby (female, dwarf, white blond hair cropped short, commoner).
9. Shrine to the Sea Domain God (e.g. Poseidon or Njord): Small wooden shrine depicting a huge wave. There are multiple offerings left at its base including coins (2d20+5 cp, 1d6 sp), dried seaweed, seaglass and shells.
10. Kraken Boatworks: An artificial dock area where boats are built. The area smells of fresh wood shavings and barges with logs are constantly arriving. The builders produce both sailing boats for the open sea (3000gp for a small fishing vessel up to 10,000gp for a larger cargo boat) and barges for river and coastal travel (7500-10,000gp).
~THE BROADS~
This area of the town is set back from the harbour, but the poshest buildings tend to be riverside. The administrative centre of the town is here, as are the larger shops. The majority of the residential roads are also included in this section, though the houses get smaller the further from the river you go. Streets are wide and paved with stone, whilst the houses tend to be timber framed.
11. The Famous Little Store (antiques): This shop is located in the main shopping district, its glass window displays an artfully arranged selection of “antiques” from upholstered chairs, bronze statues and boxes full of old fashioned brooches and necklaces. It sells random non-magic trinkets and junk from 5cp (a small ceramic statue) to 75gp (questionable artwork). A DC18 charisma (persuasion) check will reveal that the shop also has one pair of Eyes of Minute Seeing in stock for 350gp. The store is run by Tomas Dunn (male, human, middle aged, balding and always looks bored, commoner).
12. The Mermaid’s Modesty (tavern): A hanging wooden sign of a mermaid clutching some shells in rather convenient locations proclaims this tavern. It is lively with seating areas both inside and outside and a long bar running the length of the room. Their speciality dish is meatballs cooked in a creamy, mushroom sauce for 2sp, but they also sell a basic meat stew with dumplings and carrots for 1sp. You can be served a pitcher of a dry, white wine or a heavy red wine for 2sp or a mug of pale ale for 5cp. Rooms are available at 7sp per person per night and includes breakfast of porridge served with jam. The tavern is run by a pair of tieflings, Honour (female with gazelle horns and dark green hair, commoner) and Hektor (male with rams horns, red skin and hair, commoner). On busy nights they are assisted by a couple of waiters: Leah and Toby. The Mermaid’s Modesty is actually a front for smugglers (or any other criminal organisation), a passive perception score of 14 or higher will allow the player to notice that occasionally people go to the bar and then get led through the door behind it. A DC18 wisdom (perception) check will reveal that they seem to be saying “The seagulls are looking healthy today” to one of the tieflings behind the bar.
13. Spencer Thorn Book Shop (book shop and stationers): A small store with shelves upon shelves of books, scrolls and other tomes. It sells parchment (1sp a sheet) and ink (10gp for a bottle), books on local history (15-30gp), maps of the nearby area (10gp), and a small selection of fiction (5gp – mainly mystery stories following the adventures of a dwarf detective named Inspector Dew). The shop is run by Spencer Thorn (male, half-orc, elderly and walks with a cane, commoner) who can be found in the store sitting on a comfy chair with his nose in a book. He is willing to purchase any interesting books adventurers have found on their travels, with a particular interest in historical and geographical tomes.
14. The Town Hall: The largest building in the town. The ground floor contains the office of the Guard Captain, Gus Yeowell and a notice board for local jobs and opportunities, while the upper floors contain the council workers and chambers. The town council is composed by a representative from the Crown (or any other ruling body), and the heads of the Fishers’, Boat Builders’, and Merchants’ guilds. Currently on the council are Oghda Greenbarrow (Crown representative, female, dwarf, slim and uses a wheelchair to get around longer distances, noble), Anna Colwill (Fishers’, see above), Drake Copper (Merchants’, male, human, ambitious, noble) and Heledrial Vostnaer (Boat Builders’’, non binary, elf, long brown hair tied in elaborate braids and a soft, whispering voice, commoner).
15. The Crab Shack (tavern): The most expensive and high class tavern in the town. The tavern specialises in seafood and their dish of the day is locally caught, fresh fish served with sautéed potatoes and samphire (9sp). They are also famous for their crab cakes (5sp). Fine wine costs 10gp a bottle, cold light ales are available for 1sp and they also offer after dinner glasses of cognac for 5sp a glass. Rooms are light and airy, with many offering delightful views of the river and town hall. They can be booked for 2gp per person per night. The tavern is run by Cristin and Gotleib Wohne (male, humans; one is skinny and tall, the other shorter and more rotund. Both have pale skin and blonde hair. Commoner). They are helped by a number of waiters: Felix, Fenella, Reuben and Karla.
16. The Trading Post (general goods store): This store sells good from the Player’s Handbook up to 10gp in value. It is run by Gertrude Mann (female, human, curly red hair, commoner).
17. Polmorla Bakery (bakery): Considered the best bakery in the town, you can buy fresh bread and cakes during the morning and early afternoon from here. Their speciality is a green braided loaf made with dried seaweed (5cp). The bakery is run by Arriel Dunbar (female, half elf, dark skin and close cropped hair, commoner).
18. Nanny Wendy’s Fudge Shop (confectionary shop): Here you can buy a small bag of fudge for 2cp and a large bag for 5cp. It is small, smells strongly of sugar, and is run by Nanny Wendy herself (female, human, elderly with curly white hair, she wears several hand-knitted shawls around her shoulders even though the shop is warm, commoner).
19. Bleujen’s Jewellers (jewellery and components): A store located very close to the town hall. Its large windows are full of beautiful jewellery arranged on dark blue velvet cloths. Inside you can buy all sorts of jewellery and some of the specialist components for magic (for example, gem stones or gold figures etc.). It is run by Elloquin Bleujen (male, elf, serious and snobby with a very posh accent, noble).
20. Furs and Finery (clothing store): This store sells good quality clothing, including items suitable for adventuring. Warm cloaks can be purchased for 7gp (with a fur lining increases the price to 15gp) and other fancy clothing can be bought for 4-6gp. Two sets of padded armour are also available to purchase (5gp each). The store is run by Paeris Ralothana (non binary, gnome, long silver hair, commoner).
21. Lansdowne Stables (stables and livery): Located on the main road leading inland from the town, the stables provide both horses for sale and stalls for horses to be kept in overnight. They have 1d4+2 riding horses (80gp) and 1d6+3 draft horses (60gp) available at any time. They can also provide the riding equipment for a mount (saddle, bit, bridle, etc. for 12gp), a wagon (35gp) and saddlebags (4gp). Horses can be stabled with them for 3sp per night per horse (including food and exercise). The stables are run by Sascha Waldmann (female, human, has a chipped front tooth, commoner).
22. Temple of the Life/ Light Domain God: This light and airy temple is located on a bustling town square and is made from a carved, pale wood. There are lots of windows to let in light and it seems as though the whole place glows with an inner radience. Several acolytes are always in attendance and during the daylight hours the head priest, Pengenna (female, elf, looks to be in her late middle age though her strawberry blonde hair contains no silver or white, priest). Non-magical medical care can be provided for 2sp a day, or 1gp per day if major care is needed. Cure wounds can be cast up to third level by Pengenna at 25gp per level and a cast of lesser restoration will cost 50gp. In addition, adventurers can purchase flasks of holy water for 25gp (1d4+1 available), incense up to the total cost of 10gp and amulets of the god’s symbol for 3gp.
23. Temple to the Orde Justice Domain God: In a prime position close to the Town Hall and the River, is a temple dedicated to the law, order and justice deity. Its angular stone front almost seems to be looking at the Town Hall, as though the god is keeping a close eye on what the councillors are doing. The head priest is Ranmir Gralleln (male, dwarf, deep red hair and beard with silver hair rings throughout, priest). Cure wounds can be cast up to third level by Ranmir at 25gp per level and a cast of lesser restoration will cost 50gp.
24. Shrine to the Nature Domain God: This small shrine is located alongside the river. It is comprised of a tall carved piece of wood depicting nature in all its various guises. There are often offerings to be found at the site, usually small trinkets, candles, incense and coins (1d20+4 copper and 1d4-1 silver). The site is looked after by Phoenicia Damasco (female, halfling, very skinny and nervous, druid).
25. Cemetery and Shrine to the Death Domain God: On the edge of the town, next to the forest, is the cemetery that serves Frost Bay. The majority of the graves are marked by small wooden tokens, though a couple have larger stone monuments above them. At the entrance to the site is the house of the undertaker and acolyte to the death domain god, Alex Norton (male, human, tall and gangly with a shock of dark hair, acolyte). One of the rooms of his house, accessible from the outside, serves as a shrine to the god and is always lit up by hundreds of candles.
Quest Hooks
SOMETHING FISHY GOING ON
Fisher folk have started to refuse to go to one of the prime crab fishing locations along the coast. As a result, the Crab Shack is no longer able to produce and sell its famous crab cakes. Desperate not to lose such a client (and other profits), Anna Colwill (see above) is looking to hire a band of adventurers to investigate what is going on. The fisher folk have reported sightings of ‘sea monsters’ and no longer go anywhere near the location. She is willing to pay 25gp per adventurer if they can provide proof that the problem is now over.
DISAPPEARANCES IN THE WARREN
Diggory (see above), a regular at the Jaunty Seagull, will tell anyone who enters the tavern that his friend, Konrad Gerhart, has gone missing. He insists that there have been other disappearances in the Warren too, but that that town’s guards are not doing anything about it. (Diggory has also placed hastily scrawled posters on the Town Hall notice board saying much the same). He does not have much money for a reward himself, only 10gp, but is sure that if evidence of wrongdoing is bought to the guards then they would also provide monetary recompense. On the second day after the characters receive this quest (or two days after they enter town) another citizen is reported missing, this time Kristina Ettlinger, the eldest daughter of a wealthy family. Can any adventurers solve this mystery and find what has happened to these people? (Coming soon as a Rogue Crow Adventure).

To download a pdf version of this document complete with the map of locations, please click this link to my substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/roguecrowadventures/p/drag-and-drop-towns-frost-bay?r=261vd2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document . The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

I’ve wanted to kill myself since I was 13. Always said I’d never make it to 17. Was always told “your life is just beginning! Enjoy it!” I turn 29 in July and I think I’m gonna do it then. I’ve debated between hiring someone to kill me without telling them it’s me, taking every pill I have here or just piss someone off so much they murder me. I know some people that hate me so it’s possible. I just can’t do this anymore, life never got better. I was abused by my dad from 5-13, he always told me “I could kill you and no one would care” and I wish he did. I’ve suffered religious trauma from 7-21, when I was mugged at gunpoint at 22, I put my head towards the barrel of the gun and told the mugger to shoot me and I freaked him out and he took off. I had a coworker who had a kill list and I was on it and it made me happy to know that it could end but he never did it. I don’t know if I’ll ever do it, but I do know that I will not preserve the will to live in any dangerous situation.

Drag and Drop Towns: Frost Bay
Coming up with all the locations and inhabitants of settlements can be very time consuming as a dm. That is why I came up with ‘Drag and Drop Towns’. These places can be inserted wholesale into any campaign or you can pick and choose what you want to include, for example you might just need a couple of taverns to help complete your town, or a general goods store for adventurers low on supplies. Feel free to adapt this location to your campaign as needed, for example changing NPC details or the system of governance. I have endeavoured to make it as user-friendly as possible and have included a map to show the layout of the town. If there is a shop, I include both its owner and inventory, if there is a temple, I provide a list of services with costs. It is compatible with Fifth Edition and suggestions for stat blocks are included for all NPCs. Finally, there are a couple of quest hooks for the area if your adventurers want to hang around or make some money.
Frost Bay
Frost Bay is a prosperous town located on a frigid coastline. It has a bustling harbour serving both local fisher people and merchants from further afield. The settlement is known for the barges it builds in its dockyard, which are perfect for both coastal travel and using the river to head to inland cities. In addition to the boatbuilding, the town has a strong fishing community and there is also a thriving timber and logging trade located about a day’s journey away. The town is divided into two areas, ‘The Warren’ located closer to the harbour, full of narrow, jumbled lanes, and ‘The Broads’, named due to the wider, more organised streets. This is the administrative and commercial heart of the town.
Notable Locations
~THE WARREN~
The Warren is the area of town including the large warehouse along the harbour front and the smaller streets behind them. It gets its name from the fact that there was no town planning when Frost Bay was originally founded, and thus the oldest streets are often narrow, numerous, and tending to run into dead ends. Houses tend to be built of logs and irregular in shape.
1. Dock Master’s Office: Positioned prominently along the docks, this wooden cabin is the nerve centre for all shipping to and from Frost Bay. All boats mooring in the harbour must report to the dock master, Ravea Avern (female, half elf, weather beaten skin and with steaks of silver running through her dark hair, use the Bandit Captain stat block) to pay the fees (1-15GP per day, depending on the size of the vessel and whether it is commercial or not).
2. Townsguard Quarters: The town’s barracks are protected by a spiked wooden wall and provide sleeping and resting quarters for those members who require it. It also contains a small training yard and the clashing of metal and wood can be heard from several streets away. In total, there are around 100 guards employed by the town, split into night and day shifts. The Guard Captain, Gus Yeowell (male, human, tall and solidly built with a serious expression on his face at all times, veteran) has his office in the Town Hall (see below). Guards your players might encounter include: Leigh, Neale, Anselm, Ronnie, Juli, Eva, Selma.
3. Colwills (fishmongers): Located on the ground floor of a large warehouse in a prime dockside position, the town’s Fisher’s Guild sell their catch from here. It is run by the head of the guild, Anna Colwill (female, human, a large lady with a dominating presence, commoner). The catch of the day is sold by weight, 2-5cp for a small fish or a fillet or 8cps for a larger whole fish. Salmon and dabs are the most common fish for the area.
4. Truscottes (general goods store): Tucked away a few roads back from the seafront, this store sells basic equipment from the ‘Players Handbook’ worth less than 2gp and hunting traps. There are 1d4+1 of each item available in stock. It is run by Ula Kass (female, gnome, wears small, round glasses on the end of her nose and sits perched on a high stool behind the counter, commoner).
5. The Jaunty Seagull (tavern): A fairly low-end tavern frequented by sailors and dockworkers. The walls are decorated with a variety of flotsam and jetsam, including interesting shaped wood, crates used as shelving and netting at the windows. Speciality dish is a chunky meat rillettes served with pickled cabbage (4cp). Otherwise bread and cheese is also served (3cp). A mug of dark, bitter ale costs 3cp and small, sparsely furnished rooms can be booked for 1sp per person per night. The tavern is run by Daniel and Ellissa Wroe (human, harried looking but very friendly. Daniel walks with a slight limp and is often in the kitchen whilst Elissa wears a spotless, embroidered apron and is front of house. Both use the commoner stat block). Diggory (human, male, elderly, retired dock worker, commoner) is a regular at the bar.
6. Muscles (blacksmiths): The sound of metallic clanking and banging can be heard from several streets away and a plume of smoke rises from the store. Looking in from the outside, you can see bellows pumping and hammers rising and falling, all without any helping hands. Burgell “Muscles” Dunben (male, gnome, scrawny with wild ginger hair, use the mage stat block), the owner of the establishment, has used his inventive, artificer knowledge to mechanise the process of creating armour and weapons. He sells medium armour and metal melee weapons (1d6+2 daggers, 1d4+1 handaxes, 1d4+1 light hammers, one mace, 1d4 sickles, 1d4+1 spears, 1d4 short swords, one long sword) and has one heavy crossbow (all at Players Handbook prices). Burgell is willing to make custom mundane weapons, but that would cost extra and involve time (3 days for a simple item, up to a month for something more complex).
7. Hodgson’s (blacksmiths): Located at the edge of the Warren, Hodgson’s is the local blacksmith serving the townsfolk. It sells simple metal items like nails, horseshoes and other household goods. It is run by Kurt Hodgson (male, human, big black beard that he ties behind his neck when he is working, commoner but with a strength of 15) and his husband Milo Leaftread (male, halfling, chubby with permanently red cheeks, commoner).
8. Busby’s (butchers): Located by the river, this butchers sells meat to the Warren (3-7cp for basic cuts of beef and pork, 4cp for a whole rabbit). Run by Ronat Busby (female, dwarf, white blond hair cropped short, commoner).
9. Shrine to the Sea Domain God (e.g. Poseidon or Njord): Small wooden shrine depicting a huge wave. There are multiple offerings left at its base including coins (2d20+5 cp, 1d6 sp), dried seaweed, seaglass and shells.
10. Kraken Boatworks: An artificial dock area where boats are built. The area smells of fresh wood shavings and barges with logs are constantly arriving. The builders produce both sailing boats for the open sea (3000gp for a small fishing vessel up to 10,000gp for a larger cargo boat) and barges for river and coastal travel (7500-10,000gp).
~THE BROADS~
This area of the town is set back from the harbour, but the poshest buildings tend to be riverside. The administrative centre of the town is here, as are the larger shops. The majority of the residential roads are also included in this section, though the houses get smaller the further from the river you go. Streets are wide and paved with stone, whilst the houses tend to be timber framed.
11. The Famous Little Store (antiques): This shop is located in the main shopping district, its glass window displays an artfully arranged selection of “antiques” from upholstered chairs, bronze statues and boxes full of old fashioned brooches and necklaces. It sells random non-magic trinkets and junk from 5cp (a small ceramic statue) to 75gp (questionable artwork). A DC18 charisma (persuasion) check will reveal that the shop also has one pair of Eyes of Minute Seeing in stock for 350gp. The store is run by Tomas Dunn (male, human, middle aged, balding and always looks bored, commoner).
12. The Mermaid’s Modesty (tavern): A hanging wooden sign of a mermaid clutching some shells in rather convenient locations proclaims this tavern. It is lively with seating areas both inside and outside and a long bar running the length of the room. Their speciality dish is meatballs cooked in a creamy, mushroom sauce for 2sp, but they also sell a basic meat stew with dumplings and carrots for 1sp. You can be served a pitcher of a dry, white wine or a heavy red wine for 2sp or a mug of pale ale for 5cp. Rooms are available at 7sp per person per night and includes breakfast of porridge served with jam. The tavern is run by a pair of tieflings, Honour (female with gazelle horns and dark green hair, commoner) and Hektor (male with rams horns, red skin and hair, commoner). On busy nights they are assisted by a couple of waiters: Leah and Toby. The Mermaid’s Modesty is actually a front for smugglers (or any other criminal organisation), a passive perception score of 14 or higher will allow the player to notice that occasionally people go to the bar and then get led through the door behind it. A DC18 wisdom (perception) check will reveal that they seem to be saying “The seagulls are looking healthy today” to one of the tieflings behind the bar.
13. Spencer Thorn Book Shop (book shop and stationers): A small store with shelves upon shelves of books, scrolls and other tomes. It sells parchment (1sp a sheet) and ink (10gp for a bottle), books on local history (15-30gp), maps of the nearby area (10gp), and a small selection of fiction (5gp – mainly mystery stories following the adventures of a dwarf detective named Inspector Dew). The shop is run by Spencer Thorn (male, half-orc, elderly and walks with a cane, commoner) who can be found in the store sitting on a comfy chair with his nose in a book. He is willing to purchase any interesting books adventurers have found on their travels, with a particular interest in historical and geographical tomes.
14. The Town Hall: The largest building in the town. The ground floor contains the office of the Guard Captain, Gus Yeowell and a notice board for local jobs and opportunities, while the upper floors contain the council workers and chambers. The town council is composed by a representative from the Crown (or any other ruling body), and the heads of the Fishers’, Boat Builders’, and Merchants’ guilds. Currently on the council are Oghda Greenbarrow (Crown representative, female, dwarf, slim and uses a wheelchair to get around longer distances, noble), Anna Colwill (Fishers’, see above), Drake Copper (Merchants’, male, human, ambitious, noble) and Heledrial Vostnaer (Boat Builders’’, non binary, elf, long brown hair tied in elaborate braids and a soft, whispering voice, commoner).
15. The Crab Shack (tavern): The most expensive and high class tavern in the town. The tavern specialises in seafood and their dish of the day is locally caught, fresh fish served with sautéed potatoes and samphire (9sp). They are also famous for their crab cakes (5sp). Fine wine costs 10gp a bottle, cold light ales are available for 1sp and they also offer after dinner glasses of cognac for 5sp a glass. Rooms are light and airy, with many offering delightful views of the river and town hall. They can be booked for 2gp per person per night. The tavern is run by Cristin and Gotleib Wohne (male, humans; one is skinny and tall, the other shorter and more rotund. Both have pale skin and blonde hair. Commoner). They are helped by a number of waiters: Felix, Fenella, Reuben and Karla.
16. The Trading Post (general goods store): This store sells good from the Player’s Handbook up to 10gp in value. It is run by Gertrude Mann (female, human, curly red hair, commoner).
17. Polmorla Bakery (bakery): Considered the best bakery in the town, you can buy fresh bread and cakes during the morning and early afternoon from here. Their speciality is a green braided loaf made with dried seaweed (5cp). The bakery is run by Arriel Dunbar (female, half elf, dark skin and close cropped hair, commoner).
18. Nanny Wendy’s Fudge Shop (confectionary shop): Here you can buy a small bag of fudge for 2cp and a large bag for 5cp. It is small, smells strongly of sugar, and is run by Nanny Wendy herself (female, human, elderly with curly white hair, she wears several hand-knitted shawls around her shoulders even though the shop is warm, commoner).
19. Bleujen’s Jewellers (jewellery and components): A store located very close to the town hall. Its large windows are full of beautiful jewellery arranged on dark blue velvet cloths. Inside you can buy all sorts of jewellery and some of the specialist components for magic (for example, gem stones or gold figures etc.). It is run by Elloquin Bleujen (male, elf, serious and snobby with a very posh accent, noble).
20. Furs and Finery (clothing store): This store sells good quality clothing, including items suitable for adventuring. Warm cloaks can be purchased for 7gp (with a fur lining increases the price to 15gp) and other fancy clothing can be bought for 4-6gp. Two sets of padded armour are also available to purchase (5gp each). The store is run by Paeris Ralothana (non binary, gnome, long silver hair, commoner).
21. Lansdowne Stables (stables and livery): Located on the main road leading inland from the town, the stables provide both horses for sale and stalls for horses to be kept in overnight. They have 1d4+2 riding horses (80gp) and 1d6+3 draft horses (60gp) available at any time. They can also provide the riding equipment for a mount (saddle, bit, bridle, etc. for 12gp), a wagon (35gp) and saddlebags (4gp). Horses can be stabled with them for 3sp per night per horse (including food and exercise). The stables are run by Sascha Waldmann (female, human, has a chipped front tooth, commoner).
22. Temple of the Life/ Light Domain God: This light and airy temple is located on a bustling town square and is made from a carved, pale wood. There are lots of windows to let in light and it seems as though the whole place glows with an inner radience. Several acolytes are always in attendance and during the daylight hours the head priest, Pengenna (female, elf, looks to be in her late middle age though her strawberry blonde hair contains no silver or white, priest). Non-magical medical care can be provided for 2sp a day, or 1gp per day if major care is needed. Cure wounds can be cast up to third level by Pengenna at 25gp per level and a cast of lesser restoration will cost 50gp. In addition, adventurers can purchase flasks of holy water for 25gp (1d4+1 available), incense up to the total cost of 10gp and amulets of the god’s symbol for 3gp.
23. Temple to the Orde Justice Domain God: In a prime position close to the Town Hall and the River, is a temple dedicated to the law, order and justice deity. Its angular stone front almost seems to be looking at the Town Hall, as though the god is keeping a close eye on what the councillors are doing. The head priest is Ranmir Gralleln (male, dwarf, deep red hair and beard with silver hair rings throughout, priest). Cure wounds can be cast up to third level by Ranmir at 25gp per level and a cast of lesser restoration will cost 50gp.
24. Shrine to the Nature Domain God: This small shrine is located alongside the river. It is comprised of a tall carved piece of wood depicting nature in all its various guises. There are often offerings to be found at the site, usually small trinkets, candles, incense and coins (1d20+4 copper and 1d4-1 silver). The site is looked after by Phoenicia Damasco (female, halfling, very skinny and nervous, druid).
25. Cemetery and Shrine to the Death Domain God: On the edge of the town, next to the forest, is the cemetery that serves Frost Bay. The majority of the graves are marked by small wooden tokens, though a couple have larger stone monuments above them. At the entrance to the site is the house of the undertaker and acolyte to the death domain god, Alex Norton (male, human, tall and gangly with a shock of dark hair, acolyte). One of the rooms of his house, accessible from the outside, serves as a shrine to the god and is always lit up by hundreds of candles.
Quest Hooks
SOMETHING FISHY GOING ON
Fisher folk have started to refuse to go to one of the prime crab fishing locations along the coast. As a result, the Crab Shack is no longer able to produce and sell its famous crab cakes. Desperate not to lose such a client (and other profits), Anna Colwill (see above) is looking to hire a band of adventurers to investigate what is going on. The fisher folk have reported sightings of ‘sea monsters’ and no longer go anywhere near the location. She is willing to pay 25gp per adventurer if they can provide proof that the problem is now over.
DISAPPEARANCES IN THE WARREN
Diggory (see above), a regular at the Jaunty Seagull, will tell anyone who enters the tavern that his friend, Konrad Gerhart, has gone missing. He insists that there have been other disappearances in the Warren too, but that that town’s guards are not doing anything about it. (Diggory has also placed hastily scrawled posters on the Town Hall notice board saying much the same). He does not have much money for a reward himself, only 10gp, but is sure that if evidence of wrongdoing is bought to the guards then they would also provide monetary recompense. On the second day after the characters receive this quest (or two days after they enter town) another citizen is reported missing, this time Kristina Ettlinger, the eldest daughter of a wealthy family. Can any adventurers solve this mystery and find what has happened to these people? (Coming soon as a Rogue Crow Adventure).

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This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document . The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode