This is the first part of the trilogy "HERBIA - NOW AND THEN" and continues the adventures of four people. The World of Herbia that began with "Stone Skippers" and continued with "Ranger Ruse", "Weaver Woe" and "Piper Ploy" returns now with the conclusion to the stories that began decades ago. The epic tale of "HERBIA - NOW AND THEN" reveals the artifacts of a past world uncovered by the clever people of the Guilds, and hints at the legacy hidden in the wastes of the North. This first part "HERBIA MAPS AND RUMORS" narrates how four friends uncover a mystery and then a hidden arsenal of the North Kingdom of Aquilo. It is the story of the Duchy of Now and Counties of Th'enn as they prepare for a war with Ivy they've expected for six years ('turns' in the narrative). More puzzles are discovered when a wider plan of the vanished North Kingdom is found in the arsenal. Where are the North Kings? Will the Empire of Ivy invade? Certainty turns to doubt as peril seeps into the land. Open the world of mystery and walk with the people of the Duchy and Counties as they discover the vanished past. Enter the World of Herbia.