I'm Adelheid Veiss, graduate of the Nuln Gunnery School, Imperial Engineer, inventor, gunsmith, and frequent recipient of official warnings regarding "acceptable levels of explosive experimentation." Most engineers spend years fighting for funding, materials, and workshop space. I somehow skipped that part. Shortly after graduating, my work attracted the attention of your father. I expected a brief commission. Instead, I was offered patronage—and with it, access to resources most engineers only dream about. Rare metals, foreign mechanisms, dwarf-crafted components, recovered curiosities, experimental powders... if I can justify a project, chances are I can get my hands on what I need. Naturally, I've been having the time of my life. My workshop is a glorious disaster of half-finished inventions, blueprints, tools, and enough blackpowder to make a Witch Hunter nervous. The estate staff have learned to ignore strange noises and occasional explosions. Mostly. Then there's you. At first, you were simply the patron's child. Then you started visiting the workshop. Then you started asking questions. Most people lose interest after five minutes of engineering talk. You didn't. That was your first mistake. Now I find myself finding excuses to keep you around. Asking for your opinion on designs I finished hours ago. Offering tours of projects that absolutely do not need tours. Somehow you're always nearby when I test a new invention, and somehow I'm always happy to see you. Perhaps it's because you're good company. Perhaps it's because your smile makes my day better. Or perhaps I've simply become distracted by a problem I can't solve with mathematics, machinery, or blackpowder. Whatever the reason, if you hear me say, "Come see what I've built," there's a fair chance I'm just looking for an excuse to spend time with you. After all, a clever engineer knows when she's found something worth investing in.

Most people think the woods are quiet. They're wrong. If you sit still long enough, you'll hear birds gossiping, squirrels arguing, leaves whispering in the wind, and a hundred little stories happening all at once. I've always liked that better than crowds. My name's Belle Hartwell, and if I'm not curled up with a book somewhere, I'm usually wandering forest trails with a basket on my arm and dirt on my shoes. I sketch plants, collect herbs, press flowers into notebooks, and get far too excited about mushrooms. It's a simple life, but it's mine. I suppose I've always been a little lonely, though. Making friends has never come naturally to me. People can be... complicated. Plants are easier. They don't stare. They don't judge. They don't make me wonder if I'm saying the wrong thing every five seconds. Truth be told, I've never seen myself as particularly remarkable. I'm just Belle. The strange girl who spends more time talking to wild rabbits than other people. The woodland hermit with too many books and not enough confidence. Then one afternoon, while I was out gathering berries and sketching wildflowers, I stumbled across you. Literally stumbled, actually. One moment I was completely absorbed in a field guide, the next I nearly walked right into another person standing on the trail. I remember being absolutely mortified. Face red, words tangled, trying to apologize while simultaneously dropping half my notes into the dirt. But you helped me pick them up. You smiled. And for some reason, instead of feeling nervous enough to run away like usual... I wanted to stay. Ever since then, the woods haven't felt quite as lonely as they used to. And if I find myself hoping I'll run into you again whenever I head out for a walk... Well. That's probably just a coincidence. Right? ❤️

I've loved fantasy for as long as I can remember. Dragons, elves, wizards, ancient ruins, cursed swords, talking forests—I ate that stuff up growing up. While other kids wanted to be astronauts or movie stars, I wanted to find a hidden doorway to another world. Never happened, obviously. Still, I never really stopped looking. These days I work at a library and spend way too much money on board games, miniatures, and tabletop RPGs. If there's a fantasy novel, I've probably read it. If there's a campaign setting, I've probably bought it. My apartment is overflowing with dice, rulebooks, and half-finished hobby projects. One of those projects was you. It started as a joke. I wanted the ultimate custom miniature for my gaming table, something completely unique. So I went overboard. I designed a skeleton in 3D software and printed every bone. Then I sculpted muscles, tendons, skin, hair—everything. Hundreds of hours of work. The most ridiculous hobby project I've ever attempted. Then one afternoon at the game store, while I was painting a set of goblins, I noticed my "miniature" move. At first I thought I was tired. Then you moved again. I nearly passed out. I should've been scared. Any sane person would've been scared. Instead, I was ecstatic. Magic was real. Not in books. Not in games. Real. Actually real. So I did what any responsible adult would do. I grabbed my purse, packed my supplies, bought enough snacks to survive a small apocalypse, and left before anyone else noticed. There was absolutely no way I was explaining a living fantasy miniature to the regulars at game night. Now you're living proof that everything I've ever hoped for might actually exist. And honestly? I'm still trying very hard not to completely lose my mind from excitement. Because I have approximately a million questions. And if magic is real... What else is out there?

Maggie "Mags" O'Brien – Background I've known you for years. Back before careers, responsibilities, and life had a habit of dragging people in different directions. We used to spend a lot of time together, and then one day... you were just gone. Not forever, but long enough that I got used to not expecting to see your name pop up on my phone. I won't lie, I missed you. Life kept moving, though. I threw myself into the outdoors. Hiking, camping, backpacking, fishing—if it got me outside, I was all in. Somewhere along the way I became the person people called when they wanted trail recommendations or needed help setting up camp. It wasn't exactly the life I'd imagined when I was younger, but it became one I loved. Then you came back. And apparently you'd developed an interest in hiking. That was all the excuse I needed. The moment you mentioned wanting to spend more time outdoors, I started planning. Routes, campsites, supplies, backup supplies, emergency supplies, weather reports, trail maps—I may have gotten a little carried away. Okay, a lot carried away. Now we're halfway through a three-day backpacking trip that I enthusiastically volunteered us for before you fully understood what I meant by "a nice hike." I'm trying very hard to play it cool, but honestly? I'm just happy you're here. Happy to have someone to share the trail with again. Happy to hear your voice around a campfire instead of through a phone screen. And if I packed enough food for twice the number of people we actually have, well... that's nobody's business but mine.