The fact that it's a humid rather than dry cold makes it more pleasant, since it means he doesn't get sniffly. The fact that the biome here isn't actively hostile to human life is really reigniting his love for the outdoors. 

If most Mimkhuun men are like this, he should plan his visit earlier. But sadly, that most likely is not the case.

"Yes, I would be honored to." Conrad will follow the man to his group. "And you are?" he asks. 

The man bows his head in greeting as he leads Conrad. "I am zogel Gejanst Shoron Hikluzun, or just Shoron."

He gestures to a tall, freckled woman with long red hair tied into a braid who is occupying the princess's attention with conversation in mimkhuun. "She is poetic Recognizant Gajnnaav Jiurin, though she usually goes by Naveen."

He gestures to last member of their group, another man, though shorter and much more wiry than Shoron or Bavel, clean shaven and with darker brown hair, almost black, compared to Shoron's. "He is sir Ipiziillu Mhaalton of the kingsmen, who goes by Ipiziillu, or Ipi if he is about to do great violence."

Ipiziillu gives Conrad a wave and cheeky smile. "Dweer!"

He bows in the same manner. "Conrad Ferrer, echoic Recognizant. I am pleased to meet you, Shoron, and you as well, Ipizillu." He waves back.

"May I know what the purpose of your visit here is? I came here because I met the princess's bodyguard, Bavel, by coincidence. Oh, and zogel Shoron, what title is zogel? My mimkhuun is not very good."

'Ipi' if he is about to go great violence? He wonders whether he can see if any of them are visibly bearing arms. He has his own heirloom dagger and gauntlet strapped to his belt.

"Yes, you made quite an impression on the priest already. We're here to accompany princess Hilgrunzrikki on her...vacation, I believe would be the word. She recently completed her schooling and her father has given her allowance to travel abroad as a reward. Oh, a zogel is like a prince, but for a duke rather than a king. There is no good dalmercian word for it, to my knowledge. My elder brother is the duke Gejanst."

Naveen appears to be unarmed, while Shoron has a short sword in a scabard at his hip and a long, relatively thin metal tube ending in a wooden stock strapped to his back, a bit like an arquebus but slimmer. Ipiziillu has another similar pseudo-arquebus on his back, and two much smaller ones in holsters on his hips.

A duke's son, he gets it. Also, hooray: he finally knows what the princess's name is.

Hm. He's unsure what to make of the tube like thing on Shoron's back. It looks vaguely like the firearms people use in Alkenstar, but he knows little about those, because they're so secretive about it. It could also be some sort of casting focus? Looking at Ipizillu, he thinks it's more likely they're firearms. They don't seem to have the...aesthetic of casting foci. At least, Golarion casting foci like wands, staves, and rods. It could simply be Mimkhuun weapon inscription design being different from Dalenmercian civilian inscription design. 

He kind of can't believe how many new people he's meeting right now. He's not the sort to network. That's Damian's thing. But Lord Echo's domain is connection and communication – he can hardly shirk his responsibility to connect and communicate in this opportune moment. It would be very heretical.

What are good questions to ask? All the questions he wants to ask are all the ones that could be...fraught: questions about the Great War, Dalenmercia's nobility, their weapons...ah. It's not always that you can substitute Intelligence for Splendor, but here he can carefully reframe a question so it doesn't set off alarms.

"The priest, Bavel, knelt to me when I told him I was an echoic Recognizant – I asked him whether he was one when I met him at the store, because I had never seen anyone like him before. He said that Recognizants were held in high esteem, although in Dalenmercia people don't treat Recognizants differently, at least socially. What is special about Mimkhu'ish and Recognizants? I am not well-traveled, and so I am largely ignorant of Mimkhuun culture – my sincere apologies."

"It is seen as somewhat uncouth to physically stand above your social superiors, amongst the mimkhuun people. Usually this is just a matter of bowing to them in greeting or sitting if your superior is sitting, but the priest is very assiduous in his adherence to this principle, due to his great size." Shoron shrugs. "He is also a remarkably gentle person, and I think he does not like to impose on people he likes or respects."

"As for where the principle comes from, hm...I wouldn't say that Mimkhu'ish is special, exactly. I mean, it is very special in the sense of being the first kingdom and homeland of the mhiinurlut, but not in granting respect to the Recognizant. You and Naveen and all the others inherently possess the same greater stature that we nobles do. It was recognized in you by the winds, rather than inherited by blood, but it is still the same. As I understand it that's where the dalmercian word Recognizant comes from."

He pauses for a moment, recollecting. "The nobles of Dalenmercia, before they were overthrown, had begun to disenfranchise their Recognizants, or attempted to. I couldn't tell you why, but I believe it played a great part of how they were overthrown, and evidently the local Recognizants and commonfolk have found some brotherhood through this struggle."

Aww. That's...kind of cute actually.

He's going to guess, though he won't say it out loud, that the nobility-like status granted to Recognizants isn't inheritable. Otherwise the number of the noble classes would inflate, unless there was some way for the number of nobles to be reduced. That seems like it would be a touchy topic, which is why he's just going to think that. Is withholding things from others heretical? Lord Echo wants connection and communication. Probably not, though. He's been doing a lot of concealing already.

That's very stupid. You obviously need to pay the military, and pay the military first. Recognizants aren't soldiers per se, but they do have magic, and that has lots of power.

He should probably come up with a better backstory for himself. And pre-empt it, so that he can control the narrative. Hm, what to say...

"I was, er, am, a scholar, or something of the sort, and I think part of the reason Lord Echo brought me here has to do with the strong influence He has on the area – Swarthwalls, I mean. I visited the echoic research facility here earlier and am looking to help there. Do you know of places in Mimku'ish that are similar, in expressing strong spontaneous echoic phenomena? Actually, what's the state of anemonomastic research in your country?"

"Ah, there are many, though fewer if you exclude the more common ones such as kashwalamet and lavelolat. There's Mhijunnuus of course, the royal palace. There's Shishintuin, which is where Ipiziillu's people are from. There's Poordwazalo I suppose, though I haven't checked whether it's just echoic or metabolic. Maa'olokart might also count, though I think I've heard priests say recently that it appears to actually be man-made, somehow. I suppose through some kind of enormous stone-shaping metabolic ritual."

"The priesthoods are the primary institution of anemonomastic research, and rather premier as I understand it, on the international stage. Mimkhu'ish has always been at the forefront of it, naturally given that it is where humanity's connection to the winds was founded."

"Sincere apologies, I'm unfamiliar with kashwalamet and lavelolat. The words, I mean," he adds after a pause. Hopefully that conceals his ignorance better. 

"I am keen to know more about the phenomena in Shishintuin and Maa'olokart, if you would indulge me."

Mmm. Sounds like propaganda. He doesn't know enough about this world to know for sure, though. Given that they have Bavels and Dalenmercia doesn't, it's not implausible. He'll change the topic slightly.

"Speaking of the priesthood, does Mimkhu'ish have a state religion? Or is the church a separate entity from the state – are there other countries with the same church?"

Shoron raises a hand in placation."Translating literally, they are something like 'looking ponds' and 'song caves' in dalmercian, I believe. I don't know what the vernacular term for them is, though. They are a particular kind of still pond whose surface reflects a different location, and a kind of cave which tends to 'speak' or 'sing' in reply to human voices near it. They're both common in and around Mimkhu'ish, so it's not uncommon for other lands to call them by our names."

"The specifics of Shishintuin's nature are a secret, unfortunately, protected by a royal charter. I'm given to understand that it lends itself to secrecy, though. Maa'olokart's phenomenon is fairly complicated, but I suppose you could call it a sort of repository of memories? If you wander between the blocks supposedly you can stumble into the memories of previous visitors. There's a bit of a hobbyist society for it, and the priesthood recently established a committee to look more into whether it can be exploited."

Shoron waves his hand uncertainly. "Mhiinlizuj is the highest priest as well as the king, formally at least, but the fact that I am a noble does not mean that I'm a priest. Some nobles do become priests, but one's priestly duties come before one's familial duties, in the eyes of the law at least, so it is rare. There are some priests who follow Mhiinlizuj's leadership in foreign lands, especially among the petty kingdoms further north, whose people are cousin to us, but aside from that it's rare. Other nations are not fond of their people having any divided loyalties, especially in the wake of the Great War, of course."

The kashwalamet "looking ponds" sound very similar to scrying! He doesn't say that, but his face reflects his heightened interest for a moment before returning to polite curiosity. It doesn't seem like you can control which location the pool looks at, though. The lavelolat "song caves" don't have any Golarion analog. He supposes it's similar to Ghost Sound? But he doesn't – didn't – specialize in illusion magic.

Thinking about those a little more, he does actually know the Dalenmercian words for these: 'scrying pools' and 'ortmunths' – he wasn't able to make the connection because they were in Mimkhu'ish. 

He's honestly kind of very averse to interacting with any sort of weird mental reading or writing effects, what with...Cheliax...but... "Is there any sort of restriction as to who can enter Maa'alokart? I would like to be able to commune more deeply with Lord Echo, and making pilgrimage there and walking between the blocks might permit Him to give me insight as to what exactly he wants me to do."

"I see. Of course," he says. He would really like to learn more about the Great War and how that changes things politically, but like, not knowing about a war that encompassed the entire world would out him as a very strange and very foreign person. He will nod and give the impression that this is obvious to him.

"They're fairly open. People with secret knowledge need to make sure that it's protected from the effect, but other than that I expect you'd be free to give it a try. Tashkveen, the city where Maa'olokart is located, is something of a tourism destination, so it's not hard to travel to. Though, hm..." Shoron looks to Bavel for a moment, then back to Conrad. "Echo-cultists have given the priesthood some trouble there in recent times, especially among the block-exploring community, so it might be beneficial to keep the specific motivation for your visit to yourself."

Echo-cultists? Okay, he's definitely not going to mention his plans to meet some of them soon, then.

"How does one protect secret knowledge from the effect? And I'm glad to hear that. I may visit once I've helped the Swarthwall researchers and gotten paid for it. 

Echo-cultists? Some people at the facility here mentioned things about them, but not any specifics. Would they give me any trouble? Or cause trouble in general? What do they want?"

Shoron shrugs. "An echoic inscription, or maybe a ritual? It's not something I've ever needed to know the specifics of. Ipiziillu might know more, the Mhaaltons' secrets are much more...volatile?"

"Embokh laskankeela." Ipiziillu replies with a somewhat flippant tone.

Shoron sighs. "I don't think I'm up for translating on foot. Maybe after we've sat down and had some refreshments. As for whether the echo-cultists in Tashkveen would give you trouble, I don't know? I haven't ever actually been there or dealt with them personally, and the only things I've read in my bulletin was that they've grown much louder in their rejection of doctrine and that enforcement was being increased. As long you don't talk about why you're there and avoid getting into any arguments over theology I imagine you will be fine."

"Thank you regardless. 

I'm actually unfamiliar with your religious doctrine – could you elaborate on which specific parts they reject? And are cultists of other winds too, or is it specific to the echoic? Here in Dalenmercia it seems that the people treat the winds as though they were the mundane winds of weather, without will or desire. I'm capable of defending myself in the case of altercations but of course I would prefer that there not be any in the first place, it might cause a scandal." Oh god, dealing with scandals. He almost wants to go back to the Worldwound where his job consisted of smashing demons with spell and sword. Except he kind of failed and that and died because of it so...maybe it's time for a change in career. He needs to embody Lord Echo's principles better.

Shoron shrugs. "Like I said, I've never dealt with these particular ones before. Other echo-cults I've met with have mostly been on better terms with the priesthood and limit their disagreements to matters not covered by the law. Stereotypically I'd guess they have disagreement about some obscure case law that relates to whatever they're doing to fund their group, and being a little more imaginative...maybe one of them came back from the blocks with a memory they think contradicts some particular portion of the codex and are screaming about it from every street corner. Oh! Another classic stereotype would be that they're trying to tell people that walking through the blocks is the only 'true way' to find happiness or love or success or whatever else and that doing your job and following the priests is a trap."

"As for other winds, not really? Fictional stories sometimes have chorismic cultists as villains, but I've never heard a credible rumor that someone actually is a chorismic cultist, or a poetic or metabolic for that matter, let alone met one."

Sigh. That doesn't really answer his question, but he supposes that question was better directed at Bavel anyway, the person whose job it is to memorize scripture. 

"Thank you for the advice, I'll keep that in mind. Why do you think only Lord Echo has cultists?"

"It's the only one that talks. That's what I figure, anyway."

Such disrespectful language! – okay don't react.

"Ah, I see."

He wants to talk...weapons...or military applications of anemonomastics...but like, that's kind of a fraught topic, right.

Damian would know how to handle this – not now!

Shuffling through concepts...

"I've never seen that model before," gesturing at Ipizillu's arquebus like thing. He doesn't actually know what it's called. "Do you know it?" he asks Shoron.

"Tajnvewaranta..." Ipiziillu says with long-suffering friendship, observing the grin spreading across Shoron's face.

"Ipiziillu's longarm is a Wandelopajan Askteejat model shesha-nonna-37, though the Mhaaltons have modified their stock significantly..."

Unless Conrad stops him, Shoron will promptly launch in a long-winded explanation of the particularities of the shesha-nonna-37, including common modifications and peripherals, how it compares to other common models of rifle (which are like arquebuses but better in pretty much every way, lighter to carry, more accurate, longer ranged, easier to reload, more powerful, etc.), and from there wander from topic to topic, such as the history of Wandelopajan Askteejat (an arms manufacturer of some repute, and headquarted in Mimkhu'ish), how various different arms and vehicle manufacturers made out of the Great War, how various different developments in military technology imapcted the outcome of the war, and similar topics. Shoron, quite evidently, appears to be something of a military science and history aficionado.

If Conrad wants, he could let Shoron go at this all the way to the restaurant, since it is a pretty good opportunity to inconspicuously extract a good deal of information about recent history. Once the group actually enters the restaurant (which has distinctly rustic appearance, having a more triangular and less boxy construction in contrast to all the other buildings in the city, and with a facade of raw bark instead of lacquered planks, as if it's trying to give off the appearance of a log cabin), though, Hilgrunzrikki will grow tired of his prattling and tell him to give it a rest.

Conrad will not stop him at all! In fact, he's going to start taking notes partway through the lecture with his New and Precious Tablet.

Conrad is likewise something of a military science and history aficionado: it's just that, you know, that knowledge is from Golarion. So he's not going to talk about that. He will express genuine interest in what Shoron says, and act like a bright and eager student who just enrolled into Ostenso. But without all the trepidation. He'll let Shoron talk freely, asking questions along the way that he hopes won't betray his extreme ignorance.

What winds are involved in firearms? He's going to guess...metabolic? Not out loud, though, but he'll try to infer it from Shoron's explanations, or look out for when or whether or not he mentions the winds. 

Conrad will however talk a little about his military training, and about how he inherited his dagger (really, his greatsword, which has a Shrinking enchanment) and locking gauntlet from his family. It will seem dated compared to the unbelievable innovations that Shoron talks about – he couldn't imagine Cheliax having weapons and military technology like that. He will take the opportunity to inconspicuously extract a good deal of information about recent history.

It's kind of interesting that the place tries to appear more rustic than it is – he would have expected people to do the opposite: make it look fancier despite being cheap. 

Honestly, he could let Shoron go on, but he isn't going to countermand the princess about it.