The assault on Salty Pier

[Anastasia]

What lies ahead of you is a golden palace, a keep of airy gold and woven stone, braided like hair. Great stone braids and walls of gold soar together, forming a palace closer to a tower, rising high and higher yet into the sky, towards the endless light of Chronias above. Delicate towers of stone and gold weave amid one another, twisting about and around, ever higher and every further, the occasional walkway between towers glimpsed.

A vast, arching gate leads within, manned by celestial soldiers.

[Nephrite]

"I keep feeling inadequate whenever I see these sorts of things. Maybe one day." Moore says, laughing a small amount as he proceeds forward towards the gates.

He raises a hand in greeting. "Hello! I'm Moore, this is Jetina. We're here to see Lady Raquiel, is she available?"

[Anastasia]

Jetina lingers, watching and taking it all in with wide eyes. "How would you even build this? Magic?"

The guards are trumpet archons, dressed in beautiful armor and bowing. "Duke Moore, you are invited. Enter."

Jetina hums at this, "No offense, but isn't guard duty below a trumpet archon?"

"This is a position of great honor," The archon replies, skin green and with matching hair. "As well as little difficulty, making it an honored posting as well as a rest from more vigorous duties."

[Nephrite]

"Magic and time." Moore agrees.

He nods to the trumpet archon and offers a bow himself. "Thank you."

He will proceed ahead!

[Anastasia]

Within is a small courtyard. Here are stables as well as various stairways going up into the palace and towers, winding around and around, like strands of hair braided about.

"Sir, ma'am."

A dwarf is here - a bit on the tall side for a dwarf, clean shaven and wearing plain, well spun clothes. He favors soft, baby blue and his hair is midnight black. "Duke Moore of Lunia in particular and the Lady Jetina of Raziel. I am Crodas, a servant of Moradin currently serving under Authority Raquiel." His voice carries easily without being strong, just projected well.

[Nephrite]

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Crodas. Do you mind if I ask how you came to be serving here?" He asks, stopping a few feet in from of him regardless.

[Anastasia]

"Exchange programs," Crodas says, a dour look. "It is a tremendous opportunity, and in exchange we are taught secrets of rebirth."

[Nephrite]

Moore nods. "That makes a lot of sense. I'm glad to see paths cross like that. Do you mind pointing me in the direction for Raquiel?" Moore asks. It seems like this one may not want to chat endlessly with them.

[Anastasia]

"Can both of you fly," the dwarf asks right back.

[Nephrite]

"We can." Moore says.

[Anastasia]

Thus the dwarf manifests angelic wings of glistening light, taking to the air and ascending. Jetina begins to follow, "Exchange programs, huh?"

[Nephrite]

"It makes a lot of sense. There's interconnections in a lot of ideas, so I'm surprised it's been this long since we've seen anything official." Moore says.

[Anastasia]

"Yeah, and we show her smiths how to smith better than a 6 year old goblin still sucking on his momma's teats," Crodas adds in, "Cooperation, that's the lesson."

[Nephrite]

Moore laughs at that as they fly along. "It's always good to improve when you work together. Two's better than one and so on, if you ask me."

[Anastasia]

On and on you fly, higher and higher. Amid the towers, coming to one in the center. Here an archway leads in, "Here," he says, "You'll find the path here."

Transitional post to get us moving again.