We're simply splitting the xp-pool. Half has to go to talents and half to abilities. Also, since abilities are quite expensive, they are at -1 xp if you have a viable in-game reason why it should be raised (good teacher, important success etc).
Wonderful answer! Especially since the plan is to actually let the players be criminals lowered into Ravenland with the words "never look back" or somesuch ;) I was thinking of a less startling obstacle preventing alderlanders from reaching the western coast, such as high mountains and a d...
In the history of the Forbidden Lands there are many occasions when the difficulty of travel between Ravenland and Alderland is of importance. Since there are no maps of Alderland I've imagined the western coast continued southward from Ravenland into Alderland. Then it struck me... why not travel t...