A mismatched crew indeed. Well, that was what the old mage summoned, and that is what he got at any rate. He sensed others, late to arrive, but not far away. No matter. They would come or they wouldn't. There were already more than enough individuals for the task.

The first person spoke. 'Old Mage'. Well, it was a name. The rest of the question was simple and well presented. He would grace that with a... relatively straight answer.

"Well, to tell you that, perhaps I should say what I once did." The old mage leaned forwards and placed an elbow on his leg. "My task for the past... ten... twenty... fifty... oh, never mind, long time-" he rested his head atop that elbow- "Was handling problems. Little things, larger things, all the things you don't hear about very often. The mage who burns down a city, the mage who tries to take a kingdom for himself, the child with ridiculous magic from birth, a demon popping out of nowhere, all that - that was my job to handle. You don't hear about it very often, because it is handled. Now I'm old. Now someone needs to take that job, and I figure, who better than a capable crowd of beings such as yourselves. You'll do at least."

The next question was also predictable. That one, alas, he did not have a straight answer for. "What am I. Ah..." the mage leaned back and toyed with his bony chin. "You know, I've asked myself that for a few years now. I'm not quite sure. But I can say, at an early point in time, I was very mortal. I knew magic, certainly, but very mortal. What I am now, well, that's a tricky question. Who I am, that is up to you. I have many names, none that you would know. It is expedient to have several names in this business. I have my mage name, the name I give to demons, the names I give to some mages, names for dimwitted villagers, and a few names for more practical purposes than speaking. But, you can call me Kune. It's as good a name as any..."

The answer probably gave more questions than anything else, but the mage gave a small nod, satisfied that he said that much. Then he thought. "Is it cold in here? I can't tell. Tell me if this seems off." The mage flicked his finger, casting several red sparks up into the air, where they quickly expanded into small red mists that vanished in the air. Moments later, the temperature went up several degrees. "Mmm, that might do it."

He watched the others in the room, seeing what there was to work with. One with a whiff of demon, one who seemed to have a few... health problems. It was interesting to him for watch those interactions as they happened. Especially amusing was the fact that the plague bearer was taken as the leader in one case. He didn't lift a finger to correct that impression.