[Ironworks] A Craft Observed (Marcus)

[Hadrian]

Hadrian's first few blows with the hammer were tentative; he was not used to swinging around heavy instruments. The little hammers he used to open up djed pathways in his enchantments were delicate, finely crafted things. The djed of the axehead did respond to the vibrations caused by each blow of the hammer. It was interesting, and something he would have to study further. Everything seemed to be going well at first. He was already sweating from the heat of the forges, and he found that it actually felt good to exert himself a bit. He did notice Marcus' aura blur a bit, which he generally saw in people who were distracted or falling asleep, so he was determined not to take up too much more of his time. There was no use in wearing out a welcome. Besides, if Marcus was such a willing teacher, perhaps he knew a thing or two about crafting smaller things, which Hadrian might be more likely to master. It was only then that he heard the shouting and stopped, falling out of sync with Marcus, to turn and search out the cause of the ruckus.

[Marcus Braeden]

OOCAlright i am going to continue on.

Marcus laughed, "Heh don't worry about all that noise. Just a few other smiths yelling at each other. It happens all the time in here, id be worried if it didn't happen really."

Marcus began to examine the axehead that Hadrian had been hitting. He looked at it from all different angles. He stroked his hand against the axehead to feel the texture. He also brushed his finger against the blade just to get a feeling of how sharp it was. After about a minute of observation Marcus reached a conclusion.

"Well you won't win any prizes for craftsmanship, however you managed to not break it which is pretty good, considering the condition is was in before. We still wont be able to use it for anything but you didn't do too bad, especially for a newcomer like yourself." Marcus explained. "So now that i have shown you my craft, what exactly do you do? If you don't mind me asking" Marcus grinned.

[Hadrian]

When he was sure and assured that there was nothing amiss -- the last thing he wanted was a crisis when he was in a place that he was unused to. He wouldn't know what to do in that sort of situation. While Marcus turned a critical eye on his work, he nodded at his estimation. Not knowing at all what he was doing, it probably was a good sign that he hadn't broken anything or killed anyone. It was just the practice of repetition, as the graphomancer had taught him when learning calligraphy and glyphing from Qalaya's favorite. "Hopefully they can melt down the metal for some other purpose," he said, not liking waste. Though over five centuries had passed since the apocalypse, it was still a good idea to make efficient use of everything because the industrial might of the pre-Valterrian empires no longer existed except in memory and fantasy. "Oh, me?" he asked as if the topic were distasteful. Even though Syliras had had its resident magecrafter, he was still leery of talking about himself outside of the ivory tower of Zeltiva's university. Most likely this was due to the fact that his family continued to disapprove despite the fact that it made him happy. "I recently graduated from the University of Zeltiva. Anthropology and, er, magecrafting. So, you see, I was watching all of you at your craft because I feel like at some point I should be able to do the magic and the crafting. As it stands, I only work the enchantments."

[Marcus Braeden]

Marcus picked up the axehead an examined it again, "Yeah, we will find some sort of use for it. If worse comes to worse we will just smelt it down again and try again" Marcus said, tossing the axehead aside.

When Hadrian mentioned magecrafting Marcus' ears perked up. Marcus had heard of it before, as have many other people in the land, but he had never seen the results of it, nor had he met anyone that was capable of such a feat. The things Marcus had heard usually involved the difficulty of the craft and the danger of the craft. Marcus had heard of quite a few tales of people who had gotten themselves killed working the trade. The risk of death was the only thing that kept Marcus from asking Hadrian for a demonstration.

"Wow, i am pretty impressed that you are taking up such a feat as magecrafting, isn't that stuff dangerous?" Marcus was obviously bewildered by the fact magecrafting was still being practiced after the Valterrian.

[Hadrian]

"All magic is dangerous," he agreed, nodding, "and that is why I practice it with all due caution." Of course, Hadrian was also well-versed in history so if Marcus had asked about the wisdom of practicing magic after the Valterrian, he would have pointed out that it was better not to meddle in high politics and the love affairs of gods if he was worried about another cataclysm, but Marcus did not so Hadrian didn't even know the depths of his concern. It didn't matter, really. Most people were frightened of magic. "But I have to work on things that have already been crafted, just adding magic to them. If I can learn to actually craft things the way you and other artisans do... If I can do that as well as my own craft, then it will be more indelibly and closely tied to the fabric of the item in question. They're just tools, though, in the end. And so is magic. Dangerous because it is powerful, but that is why I practice so much. Just the same, I wouldn't want someone untrained to be waving a sword around me, you know?" He tried to smile, but most people seemed to find something about him off-putting or creepy. This frequently depressed him, but he tried to brush it aside as unimportant.

[Marcus Braeden]

Marcus nodded in agreement, "Yeah, someone with a weapon who is in experienced can be even more dangerous then someone who is trained properly...especially to himself" Marcus chuckled. "I am not too inexperienced with a weapon such as a sword, but i am no expert, thats for sure. You probably had some sort of teacher over in Zeltiva, what little experience i have with a sword is self taught from simply practicing with them. I have to admit that only making these things can get boring after a while, and you find yourself wanting to have a few swings with them as well. So sometimes i just picked up a sword and practiced some maneuvers" Marcus dragged on.

Marcus had to admit to himself that something about Hadrian was a little bit awkward, it was just the way his body language was and how he talked. Something was unsettling but Marcus tried to just ignore it. Hadrian was probably just someone who spent a little bit too much time with his head buried in a book rather than in a place like the Rearing Stallion.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian nodded to Marcus. "So I'm going to try my hand at a few crafts and see if I have any sort of inborn talent for any of them, because then that's one sort of thing I can craft and magecraft without any help. I don't mind collaborating, but I don't like to depend on other people for everything. Not if I can help it, you know? Perhaps I should spend some time learning handicrafts in Avanthal or smithing in Sultros..." These things he considered aloud. Travel had been a part of his life since he was young, and as he was aware of the dangers, he had always been able to avoid most of them so far. If he was going to learn a thing, it might as well be from the best. Hence magic in Zeltiva and Sahova. And the other things that followed. If he thought he could persuade a Drykas to teach him Webbing, he would follow one back to Endrykas, but renegade web mages were few and far between. He had already met one; that was probably his quota for life. "Well, I've probably taken up enough of your time. Thanks for the lesson." To balance that equation, he might have offered some sort of lesson in magic, but they had already discussed how dangerous it could be even with the proper training. Hadrian wasn't about to hand someone a scroll with an exploding sigil on it.

[Marcus Braeden]

Marcus nodded, "Yeah, i can understand wanting to be independent, if your too dependent then it's only a matter of time until someone lets you down and all of a sudden your screwed. If you feel weaponsmithing isn't your forte then all i can say is keep looking. I personally wouldn't go up too Avanthal, the cold sucks" Marcus smiled. "Well i wish i could have given you a better lesson, but i just have a large order to fill. But if your still around sometime or your ever in Syliras again, feel free to stop by, maybe i will be a little more free, and i can give you a more indepth lesson. You say you went to school in Zeltiva correct? Maybe if i am ever in town i will look you up and maybe i can see some of this magic you practice." Marcus turned around to get back to work on the spear heads but quickly he turned around as Hadrian was on his way out, "Oh and good luck with your magecrafting endeavors" Marcus yelled, catching the attention of atleast half of the smiths in the Ironworks.

Marcus continued on, shaping and tempering his spearheads.

[Leviathan]

Thread Award! Hadrian Exp +4 Observation, +1 Persuasion, +2 Auristics, +1 Blacksmithing, +1 Storytelling Lore A Healthy Introduction, Lore of Blacksmithing (Basic) Marcus Exp +2 Weaponsmithing, +3 Teaching, +1 Daydreaming, +1 Interrogation Lore A Healthy Introduction, Being a Tour Guide (Ironworks, Syliras), Lore of Magecrafting (Basic) Additional Comments Sorry it took me about a billion years to get to this. As always, you can message me with any questions, comments, or concerns that you may have. Good job, nice thread, keep up the good work.