The assault on Salty Pier

[Anastasia]

"It's new, I think. Things can come here swiftly, when it is needed," Xandra remarks, "How fast do you think your fortress was made?"

[Nephrite]

"I don't think it's quite earned the name 'fortress' yet." Moore corrects with a smile. "We'll get there, though, once we need to. You're right, though, it was pretty much there in a flash."

[Anastasia]

In the back is a kitchen, where a young man stirs a pot of stew. He glances over and smiles - in the full flower of young adulthood, charming and well formed, wearing a simple tunic and hose. "Good morning," he greets all of you, "Hungry?"

[Nephrite]

Does everyone in Venya cook??

Moore merely smiles and nods. "It'd be rude to refuse a gracious host. I fear I wasn't much of a good guest the first time around, I hope you'll forgive me for that."

[Anastasia]

Xandra merely nods to you, and in a sidebar as you take a seat at a nearby table, "Cooking brings people together, a ritual that means much. A meal can bridge divides and make friends, can it not? It is a sign of hospitality, of welcoming and good graces."

[Nephrite]

"There's a lot of social factors that go into food... as well as a lot of scientific ones, too." Moore agrees. "Some people enjoy more tart flavors, whereas others enjoy sweeter ones. Knowing how to approach someone with words can be much easier if you also know what type of food they enjoy."

[Anastasia]

"That and being hungry is no fun," Jetina observes, as the three of you get comfortable.

Your host serves a savory mushroom and meat stew that smells good and looks richer, generous portions joined with bread on the side. As he serves, "So you finally came back, Moore."

[Nephrite]

"It sounds like you were expecting me eventually." Moore says with a smile. "I've been taking time to go back through the people I met when I first came through here... before I knew anything about anything to both thank them and seek out their guidance and offer my services in return. Should I always address you as 'Sun's Rise?'" He asks, while he dips some of his bread into the stew to let it soak for a moment.

[Anastasia]

"Sun's fine," The man says, tucking in. The meal's quite good - simple and hearty fare, really. Warming, restoring. "You seem to have a bit of a heavy destiny, or were around someone with a heavy destiny."

[Nephrite]

"It's entirely possible that was the case before I ended up in the Lost Realm." Moore admits. "I kind of feel like I'm like a ball of sticky glue that rolls down a hill and carries things that I encounter with it as it goes along, building and building into a larger force."

Moore clears his throat. "Do you mind if I ask what exactly it is you... do? Is part of it watching over those of us who happen to wake up here?"

[Anastasia]

"Partly," Your host says, "Mostly I simply live, what I did was a favor because I was in the right place at the right time. Naturally, it was always meant to be that way."

[Nephrite]

Moore laughs a little bit at that. "Well, in that case, I'll offer you a formal invitation in return for the favor." He clears his throat. "I am currently seeking allies for my own group to fight against the atrocities and deplorable ways of Shar. Do you have any interest in aiding a group like that?"

[Anastasia]

"Shar, huh?" The man pauses, putting down his spoon. "I dreamed of someone fighting her not long ago."

"Really?" Jetina says, perking up. "Was it anyone you know?"

[Nephrite]

"By all means, this does seem relevant." Moore agrees.

[Anastasia]

"She seemed distant," The man says, "She didn't have much emotion and I remember she had blonde hair."