Jonna nodded and tucked into his own food as well.  The taste was meaty, though there wasn't much stringy meat in the broth.  What little meat there was, tasted quite good.  Also the vegetables had a buttery nutty taste to them that made the meat a little more mellow.  Jonna again paused and assured Wahida that there were no corrupting influences in her food.<br/><br/>After the meal he sat back and began to tell Wahida of what he'd heard from other travelers.  Some set themselves up in remote caves, some out in the open.  Some made camps near the lake, where there was easy access to water and the pinkberries and duo-nuts which also grew near the waters edge.  While the berries and nuts weren't safe from corruption, they were much safer than most other things about, short of food grown by Kleine's farmers of course.<br/><br/>But one interesting thing he did mention was that several decades ago, when he was a child, one adventurer had garnered quite  abit of power.  A man that he only knew of as 'Raven' had walked the demon wastes.  Far to the east, in the dangerous hills there, he'd built a small fortress, a tower really.  Since Raven's dissappearance, the tower had fallen to ruins and was now inhabited by beasts.  But if someone strong enough, or with enough help, could clear out the ruins, it wouldn't be hard to make the tower into a fairly liveable home again.  One that would be much safer from wandering demons than any camp or cave.  But he again stressed how difficult such an undertaking would be, and said that even if Wahida was thinking of doing such a thing, she'd better be well prepared first.<br/><br/>He also mentioned the pepper ranch, a farm run by beast men, where many adventurers said that there was saftey to those willing to trade their bodies for a little security.  There was also the alchemist, Rathazul, who took up on the west side of the lake, and the Merfolk who lived in the lake itself, but traded with people at a tiny outpost on the north end.  But he also warned that they didn't accept new people unless they brought a 'gift' for intruding on their territory.  Other than that Jonna didn't know much about the local lands.