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Snow poured all around the frigid northern forest, blanketing the ground in a thin layer of white. Adam Blaccat's heavy footprints made a small crunch as he moved, his ears pivoting automatically to make out any sound that may be nearby. He found a location that seemed safe, gathered some fire wood, and set his equipment down to rest. Nonetheless, he kept his great sword on his back in case of any bandits or wild animals, it's blade faintly glowing with an ice enchantment.
"This smoke might bring in some attention..." He thought aloud, stroking his gray tinted maw. "However, not all attention is unwanted, I believe. It's been a while since I've had a good conversation..."

Even amidst the freezing breeze that weaved through the pine trees like a vengeful spirit, Randle's chest burned ever hot. Silver eyes fixated on the wisp of smoke that drifted above the treetops, he wandered on through the woodlands, pulling his thick woolen coat closer to his body with a hard-knuckled fist. This wasn't the first time he'd found himself in a place like this, though he definitely prayed it'd be the last. ⠀⠀⠀"Oughta have a good reason for choosin' to hunker down all the way over here, Duke," Randle muttered under his breath, squinting through the hot steam that escaped his lips, "a real good reason.." As things stood right now, the entire city of Thornfalle considered Duke Archmond IV to be a dead man. Taken from his home in the darkest hour of the night, he hadn't been seen or heard of for the past four seasons, and after only two of those, his people had given up on him. The local Priesthood had seized control of the city ever since then, and despite their obnoxiously strict doctrine, not a soul in Thornfalle had made an effort to bring back or even look for the kidnapped Duke. No one, except the anonymous and fat-pocketed client that'd sent Randle a desperate letter, pleading for him to head into the northern forests and look for Archmond IV there. Not an explanation behind the clue, nor a name or sender address. ⠀⠀⠀Now, normally, Randle would've shelved such a missive. The affairs of the rich were usually not within his playing field, and often times those sort of gigs came with ugly strings and hidden motives attached. However, rent had increased and the hysteria around Magick had too, so being the starving artist that he was, he'd taken the bait. And here he was: boots soaked, body glowing, eyes dazzled by the layers of snow upon snow upon snow. It didn't get any better than this. ⠀⠀⠀After a while, he approached what appeared to be the source of the woodsmoke. A middle-aged feline warrior sat by his campfire, a large blue-studded greatsword hanging from his turned back. Like Randle's, his ears seemed to turning towards every sound; no doubt that this black-furred gentleman had heard him coming. Friend, or foe? Only one way to find out. ⠀⠀⠀"Good afternoon to you, too," Randle said as he walked into view, crouching down by the fire with his large hands stuck out towards it. "Surely ya don't mind if I.. 'warm up' around here, eh?" The doubleness of that phrase likely wouldn't even escaped the dimly-witted. The slender streams of steam that'd escaped from his nostrils and the stitches in his artificial hide slowly dissipated as his body adjusted to the warmth of the fire. The heat that once radiated off of him like a coal in a waterskin disappeared, and instead made way for a prickling, icy sensation to those that would come near. "So, what is it that ya hunt up here? Great game, or simply the sights and serenity?"

As the stranger approached, Adam's ears twitched, and his eyes and head turned towards the other man's direction. Adam looked the man up and down, his eyes narrowed in judgment, trying to determine if the man is friend or foe. A cougar, it seemed, tall, with no fur and deep black sclera. His lack of fur meant he likely wasn't from around where Adam lived. He seemed to realize the man's artificial, rather gross appearance, but seemed almost relieved at that. Despite the man's visual similarities to Adam's main enemy, no one looking so monstrous would be someone so low in rank that he wouldn't recognize them.
With that brief, slightly uncomfortable pause to judge his safety, Adam widened his eyes and smiled, trying to look more friendly.
"Ah! Good afternoon, sir." Adam said politely, giving the man a wave. "Of course you may warm up here, friend."
Adam laid back a little, trying to seem more casual and relaxed in his pose. Despite this, he kept a paw near a hidden dagger in his armor, just in case the man struck.
Adam paused as he was asked the man's question, thinking over what to answer with.
"I'm here on royal business, not for hunting of game or sights." He said, gesturing to the royal symbol on his chest plate. "I am afraid I am unable to disclose what exactly that business is. I hope you understand."
Adam looked the man over once more.
"I could ask the same to you." He said with a small chuckle. "It's not often you see a man with no fur walking around in a frozen tundra, now is it?"

Snappy pops and crackles emerged from the bonfire as the snow-touched wood burned up into smoke, filling the brief and vaguely tense silence that followed Randle's appearance at the swordman's campsite. Now positioned across from him, he was finally able to get a better look at the man. He was tall and blue-eyed, with a ragged scar running across one of them. Feline, clearly, though not of a race that Randle was particularly familiar with- that wouldn't be the first time, now that he'd wandered so far from home. The man's equipment told him far more than his gray-tipped face, however: beneath his dark blue fur cloak, he wore a dense black armor that looked to be of quite a professional make, adorned with silver crescents on his chest and gauntlets. Interesting. A man of the forest, or a brigand for that matter, could only dream of possessing a suit like that. ⠀⠀⠀At that moment, the man's watchfulness made way for a friendly smile, and an answer to his question. Classified royal business, eh? At least that meant that there were still some dynasties out there that cared for subtlety. This also made Randle realize that he really should've thought this impulsive jump onto a case through, as he had no idea what other factions governed this area. Thornfalle was a more-or-less independent city-state led by a bloodline of Dukes, which likely meant that everything else in the region fell under the juristiction of whatever kingdom it was that this blue-eyed warrior belonged to. ⠀⠀⠀"Few things I respect more than a man loyal to his cause," Randle chuffed, "so ya won't catch me prying." That said, this would be a solid opportunity to inquire a bit more about the political situation of the frozen wasteland that he'd so eagerly and blindly stumbled into. ⠀⠀⠀As expected, he had his question returned to him. Randle noted that there was a strange calmness when it came to how the stranger looked at him. Sure, he appeared to be unarmed, and had already put up a passive and innocuous persona, but on top of that the man seemed hardly fazed by his unnerving appearance. Would that mean that they were familiar with constructs, or, if he was being awfully optimistic, Husks in this area? Goddess knew, but it surely was a nice break from the gasps and disgusted looks he usually got. ⠀⠀⠀"Oh, not my first choice, I'll tell ya that much." He watched as a snowflake drifted towards the licking flames. "Just business for me, too. Less confidential than what you're likely workin' with, though it seemed to be hitting a heartstring back from where I was sent." There was a reason why Thornfalle was being so secretive and difficult about the disappearance of their Duke, and so complacent in accepting the reign of the Priesthood. Randle had yet to decipher this reason, but it went without saying that retrieving the Duke('s body) would only be the beginning of whatever mess he'd gotten himself into. "Speaking of which.." Something stirred in his chest cavity. Either his Hellfire was restless over the sudden rise in temperature, or what little animal senses had been programmed into him had detected a presence nearby. He decided to ignore it for now. ⠀⠀⠀"Presumin' you're more familiar with these woods than I am, I was wondering.." His ear unvoluntarily pricked back, focused on a sound that he didn't even fully hear. The feeling that something or someone was looking at them became more intense. "Where would one go if they didn't wanna be found?"

Adam tilted his head at the man's question.
"Not want to be found, eh?" Adam asked.
He thought for a moment, before shaking his head.
"I have fought many a battle here, but never explored it all too closely." He said. "This land's cold is simply just too violent, even for thicker haired folk like me, and all the more mysterious and magical, if ancient tales and songs are to be believed."
He leaned back a little, looking up at the sky above, seemingly in thought.
"Whether it be the violent cold or the many tales of curses and evil forces patrolling these frigid wastes, no one comes here. Theoretically, you could simply find the most wild looking place you can, where trees are thickest and travel is hardest, and no one would ever bother you again." He said. "Granted, you'd have to find some way to not freeze to death."
Adam paused for a short while thinking some more, before turning back to the man.
"But why would you not want to be found?" He asked. "This is rather far from any cities or towns, so it'd be hard to go back anytime soon if you did set up base here. And further, you seem on the older side. Do you not have a family back where you reside? A few cubs of your own? Someone to return back to? I find it hard to believe there is no one you want to be found by."
He looked the man up and down again.
"Even someone so..." He began, hesitating. "... Unique in appearance such as yourself can be loved by someone, whether it be a love romantic or as a simple friend or ally. Is that not the case?"
Adam then narrowed his eyes.
"Or perhaps you're on the run from something that outweighs that." He began, slowly reaching for that dagger. "You wouldn't happen to be a criminal, would you? Or perhaps someone escaping from a military?"
Then, Adam's ears twitched. He heard something, felt someone's presence.
Adam turned from the cougar and looked to where he heard the sound. He moved his hand from the dagger and reached his right hand onto his back, unsheathing his sword and pointing it in the direction. Even in the snow, cold mist can be seen coming off of the blade, as if it's somehow even colder than the surrounding area. Meanwhile, in his left hand, a flash of blue light can be seen as a staff appears in it, an ornate metal rod tipped with a bright blue gem, similar to his blade.
"Who goes there?" He asked in an intimidating voice. He's not too trustful of the cougar, but someone who watches from afar without making themselves known could be anyone, and possibly a bigger threat than some runaway criminal.
"Show yourself. Now." Adam demanded.

"Where would one go if they didn't wanna be found?"

For a yukinko, apparently deep into the snow. The white, rotund creature stood at a human's shin-height, where its small size made it easy to frolic further into the woods. This looked effortless compared to the sprinting Sali had to do to keep up, a trail of footprints and a lashing tail behind him. An arrow tipped with a light purple fog was nocked into his shortbow as he sought out a place to take aim.

Hunting was not his forte - that was his sister's, along with her odd hunter-scholar friend. It was also Sali's colleague's, who had since parted ways with him as they sought out the seedkin after their little 'herd' broke up. The fortunate part was that Sali could, at least, boast competence with the bow as a weapon. Alas, seedkin worked in strange ways compared to Spoken.

Unless seedkin Spoken existed? They surely had to. An interesting concept, indeed. . .

For now, the creature was undeterred by the smoke tower in the near-distance. Sali, on the other hand, was wary to linger too close to potential hostiles. Combat was but a tedious gamble with his and others' lives. If intelligent conversation could come first, like any Malqir, he'd prefer it.

Alas, seedkin worked in strange ways compared to Spoken. Despite Sali's gasp and the whistle of a sleep arrow sailing towards the yukinko, it had vanished into the snow too quickly to be convinced to otherwise. The gasp turned into an expletive spat in Old Auri, a sharp fang showing in its would-be captor's sneer. That had turned into a sigh, a hot cloud of breath reminding him of the smoke close by - close enough that he could begin to make out the orange glow of fire.

Turning away was absolutely an option for him. As was freezing in the middle of nowhere for his colleague to find him depleted of rest and warmth. The thought of seeing his smug face bothered him almost as much as falling ill, so with a sharp inhale, he relented. An arrow was nocked loosely into his bow, which turned away and downwards for a non-aggressive stance, but not one without defensiveness. Thus, he set forth.

His pace slowed, first in response to the trails of footprints, and secondly, to the sound of voices. His horns caught two masculine tones, which he eventually learned belonged to two feline-looking Spoken once he set foot near the fire. If they were Hrothgar, they were easily a pair of the strangest-looking ones he'd seen. Of course, he defaulted to the thought that it must be some Western nonsense.

Whoever the felinoid called out to, he'd assumed it was either for himself or the other trail of footprints in the snow. In his concerned stare, which flickered frequently to the unsheathed sword, he'd almost forgotten himself. His back straightened to make his five-fulm-six frame seem taller.

"I know I'm intruding, so I apologize," he said as his greeting. "I'm wondering if someone I know stopped this way. I can leave you two be if that's what you'd prefer."

He spoke in short sentences, plainly and quickly. That was how you went about negotiations in the Azim Steppe, lest you get stabbed first.

The blue-eyed stranger's reply confirmed earlier suspicions: he was more than a mere armed brigand. Speaking of battle as he did, combined with his sophisticated gear set and the rather chivalrous attempt at prying into Randle's personal affairs, he felt it logical to consider the stranger a man-at-arms, be it knight or mercenary. His actual answer matched what the letter of his anonymous client had said as well. The northern woodlands were treacherous no-man's-land that had become the frozen tomb for many a soul, which simultaneously made it into quite the charming hideout. Whether that was a choice by Duke Archmond IV or his presumed captors, he was yet to find out. ⠀⠀⠀"Heh, sure appreciate the sentiment," Randle chortled, trying to keep the talk of romantic partners and cubs away like one would a mangy dog, "though I'm the one doing the searching, actually. Man of my make would know better than choose a hiding spot that disagrees with me so." He did appreciate the warrior's effort at trying to make him feel an equal, but the matter of the fact was that a life of love and cubs was not meant for someone like him. Not that he grieved this fact often. Despite bearing the soul and gravely growl of an older man, Randle'd only walked the earth for about twenty years, during all of which his life as a lone private eye had suited him just fine. ⠀⠀⠀Movement behind the nearby trees. ⠀⠀⠀The stranger immediately whipped into action as if powered by springs, unsheathing his greatsword while summoning a staff in his remaining hand. Randle's eyes narrowed, his jaw tight. Apparently his fireside host possessed magical abilities, narrowing down his designation even further. No doubt an arcane warrior would be highly valued by his kingdom. Defintely an unthinkable concept where he came from. ⠀⠀⠀Another stranger stepped into view, an individual of average height of a humanoid stock, it seemed, save for his horns, scales, and tail. His warm, dark complexion contrasted the snowy haze around them with similar intensity to the dual-wielding warrior that stood before him. Randle stuck to the crouch, remaining in a knelt crouch that he could spring up from if needed. The horned man was armed with a bow, which, surprisingly, tended to be more of a threat to Randle than any large sword or axe. Based on his tone of voice and body language, though, he didn't seem awfully eager to kickstart a massacre. ⠀⠀⠀"Just caught us by surprise, is all," Randle said, hoping to diffuse the tension between the knight and the bowman. "Was just inquiring about that myself. Wouldn't pass up the opportunity to help out a fellow.. searcher." He glanced up, hoping to meet his fellow feline's eyes. Battle-hardened as he might be, this was no time to paint the snow red. "Reckon that'd be a whole lot easier if we all put our weapons away, though."

Adam Blaccat looked at the two newcomers with wide eyes. He slowly lowered his blade as his maw fell open.
"By the stars..." He muttered. "What in the world are you two?"
He's never seen anything like them. Furless animals like the man he was just speaking to, sure, but nothing like these two. Their bodies had no maw, and were seemingly almost perfectly clean shaven. Despite this, they had long hairs descending from their scalps.
He turned to the cougar and whispered to him, too shocked to answer his questions. "Do you... Happen to see the same things I do? What... What are these creatures? How can you be so relaxed?"
He seemed almost scared, as if two unknown monsters approached him instead of people. He began to back up, not exactly trusting them.

((Character has been adjusted to the appropriate time period of the setting))

Unbeknownst to the party was a anthropomorphic avian of some sort, likely a crane. Her mage garbs were somewhat gothic in design and she wore a tricorne with edges so sharp you could get a cut from them.

She watched Adam silently this whole time. Pretty interestin' conversation, she told herself. However, her slight fear of social interactions made it difficult to apprpach others. She was on a mission, but taking a break by a campfire would not be harmful to it.

So, when she did bother to walk over, she tripped, an audible crunching of twigs and dried leaves could be heard nearby and a few loudly exclaimed expletives.

"Oh for..." She froze

They likely spotted her. Stealth was not her forte at all.

"H-hello there...!" She managed to say before going "BUGAWK!" much like how a chicken would... despite being a crane.

She immediately started to transform, here beak shortening, her feathers disappearing until she took the form of a young human woman with long white hair that had black streaks on the sides and red ones on one of her bangs.

"I-I'm a mage at Virtu Academy, studying sorcery and teaching freshmen or something. I wasn't trying to intrude or anything, I was just bored! Y'know, when you get burnt out of the academic stuff, yeah? I'm just taking a walk, please don't hurt me!"

She covered her eyes whilst rapidly saying all this.

Between the pair of feline men, to the fox woman, to the crane that proceeded to un-crane, Sali stood still. His bow remained in his grasp, still unsure of the black-furred feline's opinion of him. In fact, he was far more unsure of his stance now; evidently, he had no knowledge of peoples beyond his own, less so the existence of other stars - planets, in other words - than this one. He may yet still see Sali as a threat.

At the same time, Sali blinked owlishly at the other arrivals. Mouth opening, mouth closing. Tail flickering once, the sequence then punctuated with a light groan.

"How many people are out here in these woods at the same time!?" His question came with an exasperated tone. Free of charge!

Green eyes flit between the forming crowd with a light furrow of his brows. Perhaps gauging any sort of threat level. Then, immediately trying to prevent a fuss from being stirred, the lavender cloud of his arrowhead faded away. The arrow itself was returned to its quiver.

"I am Sali of the Malqir, a tribe of the Xaela. Those are my people. I understand you have not seen mine, in the same sense that I have not seen either of yours." His gaze shifted between the two men, then to his sides. "And as I have not seen these ones either. . ."

The last sentence came with a questioning lilt.

Before he knew it, two more strangers entered the scene, both women of a part-animal part-humanoid makeup. The first one appeared to be more anthro at first, but soon dropped her crane-like disguise when she realized she'd wandered into their field of view. Randle and the knight had hardly dealt with the horned archer by the time she walked up and opened her mouth. Soon after, said archer motioned in the direction of yet another newcomer, who Randle could only catch a glimpse off before she dashed out of sight. Humanoid, but with vulpine traits. Her scent gave him more clues than the two second blip in which she'd been visible. Why so shy, eh? Did the lot of them look that imposing? ⠀⠀⠀"Got a couple of these where I'm from," Randle said to the knight in a hushed tone, not letting either of the two humanoids escape his silver gaze, "humanoids, come in all shapes and sizes. Never seen 'em with quite that many tricks up their sleeves, though.." That was not the truth entirely, but despite finding a vague sense of brotherhood over their shared feline natures, Randle was in no mood at all to discuss lost friends with a warrior he otherwise knew nothing about. ⠀⠀⠀Shortly after, the archer introduced himself as 'Sali of the Malqir'. Well, that cleared the air a little. It was rather strange to him that in such a desolate and presumably hard-to-traverse environment such as the northern taigas, so many strangers would just happen to walk into each other as they did. However, the sheer randomness of the company he was in, combined with what appeared to be genuine curiosity and shock from all parties involved, allowed him to believe that there was no plot or foul play at hand here. This wasn't an ambush or trap. Just an instance of the weavers of fate getting a quirky knot in their threads. ⠀⠀⠀"Pleasure's all mine, Sali. Name's Randle." He gave the archer a well-meaning nod, though stayed in his crouched position by the fire. As the heat crept into his skin, his body temperature decreased even further. Snowflakes that fell on him stuck in place, covering his large paws in a thin layer of frost. "Goes for all of you, by the way-" He glanced in the direction of the hiding vulpine woman, before turning his attention to the crane lady. "Don't sweat it, it's just a bit.. odd to come across so many folks at once in a place that isn't supposed to attract many." As he finished speaking, Randle finally climbed back to his feet, flinching at the discomfort that his old, slightly frosted spine brought him. Had he been real, he reckoned that would've ached real bad. Making sure to let his footsteps and movements be known to the knight, he walked up to his side, almost as a way of reassuring him that despite their funky looks, these humanoids weren't anymore dangerous than any anthro.

With smooth movements, the bow returned to its home across Sali's torso. The shaft, coated in pale varnish, sat next to the quiver while the string was in front.

"The meeting is a pleasure. The circumstances could be better, but. . ." He glanced behind himself, then to the fire. A potentially wary gesture. "Hunters can't always be choosers, be it prey or friends."

His chin tilted downwards as he looked towards the feline with darker fur. His eyes remained leveled on him - or as best he could, considering that he was much larger than Sali. As such, Sali flexed his fingers outward, making a motion to indicate that he was disarmed.

"I am no brigand or sellsword," he said. "Though, I don't blame any of you for not believing I'm a botanist. Our task is to venture into harsh places like these for knowledge. When creatures of our star had been spotted here, we were bid to capture them."

His lips pursed with a twitch of his tail following.

"The Flora Preservation Society has an agreement with this territory for this task." A beat passed. "Unless they do not, and I'm a trespasser."

His gaze could be caught lingering on the emblem the black-furred feline wore, then moving towards the crane-woman. It had seemed the fox-woman, now known as Mori, had finally emerged as well. A brow rose her way.

"I'd hope no argument occurred to make me one. Or occurs now. . . but I think I made my point." His arms crossed, moving so he could face the group. "And I made myself known. Any Virtu Academy or vulpine peoples are unheard of to me. At least, for the second, not outside of legend." He couldn't hide his silent observation of Mori's firearms very well.

Adam looked at the group with confusion in his eyes. Something is... Not right. It's night, in the middle of winter, in the coldest, farthest reaches of the north. No one should be here, unless for very, very specific reasons like himself. How could so many people, several of which being species he had never seen, have a reason to be here at the exact same time?
He felt a possible reason in his gut, one he was rather sure of at that, but he needed a bit more evidence before he could say it firmly. But... How could he gather that evidence?
He decided to sheath his sword and sit near the fire once again, staying near to the cougar for similar reasons as his.
Adam hummed, beginning to relax in his stance, although something about his expression as he looked over the group once again gave away that he had something going on in his head.
"I suppose you're right," Adam said, "these people don't seem to have much malicious intent."
He looked over to Sali, analyzing his odd, small body and dark skin. He looked like someone he'd see in the land of Malimore, with his horns and lack of fur, although seemed to dress, speak and fight like one of the Great Wood's druids.
Then, he turned to the crane. Her outfit reminded him of a group of people he's fought side by side with in the past. The God Slayers, he believes their name was, also from Malimore. A very extreme, bloodthirsty folk with very strange dress. Who wears such long, hot coats in the middle of the desert? Alas, he doesn't remember any of these strange humanoids as Randal called them in their ranks.
And lastly, the very strange appearing Mori. He had never seen such dress, and what on Earth are those weapons?
Adam looked around again as the others stated their names, considering whether to state his own, before deciding it was safe.
"I am Adam of the Blaccat family," He began. "I come from the land of Magicka, specifically the city of Academy Gate. I am a member of the Dark Moons, the elite personal military of the queen, Lunaria, and one of her most faithful knights and protectors."
He looked to Mori and raised an eyebrow.
"I can ask you the same question, Humanoid." He said. "I have never seen anything like you in my life."
Then, he got the idea to test something. Something to gain some of the evidence he needed.
"But, I'm sure you know all about us, right?" He gloated, his demeanor changing to one of proud arrogance as he closed his eyes and tilted his chin up. "I mean, we're famous all across the land. I haven't been to a place where we weren't known."
This is not how he usually acts, and he feels a little gross for doing so, but if they don't know what the Dark Moons are, he thinks he can firmly state his hypothesis.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Xaela are a subrace of reptilian humanoids called Au'ra" Kiyo informed Adam "An Azim Steppe race all the way here? Must've been a long travel, not that I have any reason to pry"

She picked a small glowing mushroom off the ground. It emitted a green light with white spots on the cap. Kiyo assumed that they knew not of the specific species she had just harvested, but her relief and excitement on the matter caused her to forget to explain what it is.

"Ah! Just the specimen I need for alchemy!" She smiled, looking at the fungus.

Then she froze again, looking at everyone. She thought that they thought she was being "eccentric", a trait she does not like to show, at least not on purpose. So, she immediately stood up and stored the mushroom away in the pocket of jer mage garb.

"Y-yeah, I come here often to collect mushroom specimens for my alchemy class, which is preeettty boring" she chuckled nervously.

She could see that the one who introduced himself as Sali and The Black cat were studying her more since she had appeared from where she was hiding. As Sali was talking she was studying The Black Cat closer. He was big, she had never seen anything quite like him before. Mori was not from this time as she travelled by here by way of a labyrinth that led her to the snowy clearing that she had set camp up near. She hadn't learned much about the surrounding kingdoms since she had arrived and had mostly kept to herself in order to keep others or any danger away. Sali says,"The meeting is a pleasure. The circumstances could be better, but. . .Hunters can't always be choosers, be it prey or friends." he moved his hands as though showing he had no other weapons within his grasp. She could tell his focus was on the Black cat as well. As he sheathed his sword she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. He introduced himself, " I am Adam of the Baccat Family," he spoke firmly, then continued "I come from the land of Magicka, specifically the city of Academy Gate. I am a member of the Dark Moons, the elite personal military of the queen, Lunaria, and one of her most faithful knights and protectors." Mori had never met a knight before, especially one that was of feline descent." He looked at MorI with an eyebrow raised the same as Sali had been looking at her, obviously wondering where she came from.

"I can ask you the same question, Humanoid." He said, after she questioned his attire "I have never seen anything like you in my life.". She was unsure of her origins, She did not understand how she had developed her fox-like features. So she paused, unsure how to answer his question, she calmly looked downward as she held her hands out and facing upward as if trying to remember herself. He followed with "But, I'm sure you know all about us, right?"

'It's a pleasure to meet you all as well." she said hesitating to continue. 'I am not from these times. I stumbled across these lands when I came across a clearing in the woods, while exploring the corridors of a Labyrinth. I am unfamiliar with those who reside in this area and I have not spoken with another previous to now about your kind." She explained. She had used a red string to mark the way she had came and still had it tied to a tree near her campsite so she could return when she was finished doing what the Labyrinth brought here to do. She hadn't seen a difference in the setting of the time until she stumbled upon the campsite. Afraid that she may be trespassing on their land, she says" I have my campsite not too far a way I hope that would not be a bother to anyone from your kingdom?"

She turns back to look the way she came. She wished she had not wandered to from from the site. The girl that had transformed stated to explain that she was a reptilian Humanoid that called themselves Xaela, She then picks a small mushroom from the floor ecstatic of it's discovery. Exclaiming that it was just the specimen she needed. Mori giggled, she has to often found herself thrilled with finding elements of nature in order to work with. She was more comfortable now that she was aware of who was staying at the campsite so close to her own. " Is it ok I join you closer to the fire?" Mori says as she feels a cool breeze blow swiftly past her.

Despite the on-the-nose names, Ser Blaccat's introduction was responded to with grace. Sali put his hand to his chest and dipped his head once. It was a gesture without flourish, but with respect, carrying the same weight he'd give an Ishgardian knight. Luckily, his colleague wasn't here to disgrace the both of them.

"A pleasure, ser."

The mention of the Azim Steppe made Sali's tail flick once. It was a connection made in his own mind as well, though for him, subconsciously.

"We're not 'an' Azim Steppe race." He clarified for knowledge, but also for his own sense of dignity. "We're 'the'."

There was disdain in his voice, but it didn't seem to be for the nameless crane. In fact, it carried more tiredness to it than defensiveness. Now wouldn't have been a good time to speak of why the Au Ra were 'the' race of their homeland. So, he gave the woman a once-over as she collected the mushroom.

"But yes. The Flora Preservation Society takes me to a lot of places. If you're willing to go this far for just some mushrooms, perhaps you'd get along."

Of course, Ser Blaccat asked a question, so he had to get to it at some point. Past the crane-woman's obvious lie, he decided it was his turn.

"I'm not of a place where I've heard of your kingdom before. I understand if that confuses you." A squint of his own confusion came Mori's way. "But I can say I didn't. . . time travel? If I heard that right?"

The wind toyed with his hair and chilled his scaled cheeks. Even so, he didn't flinch, as though he was in his element.

Slowly but surely, the rest began to warm up to the idea of introducing themselves. The knight identified himself as Adam Blaccat, a member of a family that Randle felt like he should've known about, based on his tone alone. Meanwhile, the vulpine woman introduced herself as Mori, and further down the line, someone from another time. Randle narrowed his eyes at the thought, one corner of his mouth pulled into a faint smile of fascination. He had met multiple folks who considered themselves theorists of time travel, but this would mark the first time that he'd meet someone who confirmed that it was possible. Furthermore, the crane woman, who was the only one who'd refused to name herself thus far, said a word or two about Sali's species that aroused a correcting answer from him. He took pride in his species. A noble thing, if not pushed into extremism. ⠀⠀⠀"Land of Magicka, ya say?" Randle huffed, his ears and surprised eyes turning towards Adam. "Regret to say that I'm from way too far off your maps to know of them. 'Cause trust me here, I wish I would've. I presume that magicka.. well, flows freely, where you're from?" This was not the case in the Thornfalle, who maintained an uneasy trading alliance with most of the Tellian continent, and thus protected their finances beneath a thick layer of arcane taboo. "Honor to meet a noble such as yaself way out here, though, I'll tell ya that much." He wasn't one for needless flattery, but in this position, the last thing he wanted was to insult an elite warrior of a kingdom he knew next to nothing about. Even if this so-called 'Kingdom of Magicka' would be tolerant towards the arcane arts, that didn't mean they'd be tolerant to him. If anything, the essence that coursed through his veins defied all that magick stood for. ⠀⠀⠀"Now, you said you were a hunter, didn't ya?" he followed up after a time, shifting his attention to Sali. "Hope it wouldn't be wrong to assume you've got a keen eye for your surroundings, in that case. Have you seen any suggestions of there being caves or other hideouts around this place?" As entertaining as a get-together with time travellers, knights, and unusual creatures was, he was still a man with a mission, and every minute he wasted was a minute of Thornfalle falling deeper and deeper into the indoctrination and silencing of the Priesthood.

Adam rubbed his chin and hummed in thought.
"So, none of you have heard of me or my group then?" He said. "Not even my kingdom?
He smiled and stood. His hypothesis was proven. "Well then, I think my thoughts on what exactly is happening must have been correct. But alas, I think we need one more test."
Adam Blaccat slowly raised his staff in the air, pointing it in front of him. Suddenly, a flash of blue light erupted from the tip and a magical sigil appeared in front of him. The ground beneath him was then covered with a magical circle, about 10 feet in diameter, seemingly made of pure light. It pulsed with magical energy, gently bathing the area in blue light, faint signs and runes able to be seen within. Then, Adam unsheathed his blade and pointed it to the floor.
"Forgive me for this." He said.
He then thrust his blade into the ground, followed by an even brighter flash from the circle. Then, it rumbled, and erupted into a large explosion of pure magical energy, and the immediate surrounding area being blasted with a light likely able to be seen for miles. Snow and dirt was thrown everywhere, and the force was likely to do immense harm to anyone caught within.
... However, as the dust settled, the group would find themselves completely unharmed, not a scratch on any of them that they didn't already have before. Adam chuckled to himself before drawing his blade from the earth.
"Ah, just as I suspected." He said as he sheathed his sword. "Apologies for the scare."

When Randle's eyes landed on Sali, he met them, slit pupils focused. He turned his face to the side a bit to consider the question.

"I remember we passed a tunnel southeast of here. It bran-"

He couldn't finish before Ser Blaccat conjured some kind of leyline right off the bat. Apparently, this was his next 'test', which Sali wasn't exactly excited for. His apology did nothing to soothe him. Immediately, his calm face faded into a mix of surprise and confusion. He uncrossed his arms, first to hold them out to the sides, then the front.

"Wait-!"

An extremely violent explosion interrupted the only word he could get out. With the aftermath relaxing, snow and dust fell to reveal a transparent orange sphere around Sali's whole body. Adorned with Auri pictographs, it was otherwise untouched. Sali's arms were crossed over his head, only lowering when he realized his shield's state. The triangles that made it up shrunk and disappeared. That dispelling only gave him a better view of the destruction around them.

With wide eyes traveling from the scene to Ser Blaccat, he didn't even scowl.

". . . Did you just try to kill us?"

Adam laughed and waved a hand dismissively.
"No, no." He said. "Whether or not my theory is correct would haven't had any impact on your safety from that spell."
He took his staff back up, summoning some blue light to it's tip once again.
"Sorcery is an odd thing." He began. "It isn't anything Earthly, and seems to exist outside of space and time itself, originating in the very depths of one's mind. This is why wisdom and intelligence has impact on it's strength: the more open your mind, the more powerful sorcery your mind can handle."
He tapped his staff on the floor.
"Every sorcery cast is a sent ripple through reality, and it is able to travel through certain types of filled space, if it is powerful enough and your intent is to do so." He continued. "This includes living things, able to effortlessly rip through flesh and damage one's very mind and essence, while also being able to tell the intentions of the cast and not harm allies if a spell so happens to strike one on accident.
He summoned a magical blade around his staff and pointed it at a paw, poking the blade through himself without as much as a scratch.
"See? It doesn't hurt me, as it was merely my intention to demonstrate it's unique properties instead of actually cut through my own hand." He said as he let the blade fade away. "Since I feel no need to harm any of you, and you have no intention of harming me, it simply did nothing to any of us except blow our clothes in the wind, cover us in snow and mess up our hair. It didn't even make a crater in the floor."
"However, these unique properties also mean it acts differently when space or time is altered." He said. "That spell was meant to be a trap, with the stabbing of my blade into the ground setting the trap. If space and time were as they should be, it would have sat there until someone who is an enemy walked over it. However, instead, it detonated instantly once it was set, without damaging any of us."
He paused and allowed his words to set in. "As such, I believe something happened which has distorted time and or space in this area, resulting in these strange people and events. Typically the actions of a powerful sorcerer."
Adam sat down and sighed. "Although, I don't know why one would do so to this area."