There Once Was A Tree

[Alija]

1st Winter 515

Alija held the lead for Rosco, who trod slowly by her feet. The dog was never the lively little thing Trump was, who bobbed around her. Thegans struggled with the lead, darting about the place. He laughed; she laughed. A winter breeze wrapped around them, both glad for the warm scarf wrapped around them. Walks like these were pleasant, Alija glad for the slight break between work. She felt it in her back as she walked, just slightly, and in her arms after long days of working. It was beautiful, but tough, demanding.

Thegans smiled at her, turning off their usual path. "Hey, something to show you." They moved inwards, not out. Heading away from the docks, he winded through smaller streets. Friendly faces shone out, greeting them as they walked past. They hurried up small alleyways paved with steps, then across large plazas, people milling around with friends and colleagues.

They finally reached a large stone bridge, crossing a narrow part of the Aperture. Both common citizens and monks knelt along the sides, praying to the Gods, or perhaps to the Aperture itself. This place felt alive, more alive than the rest of the city. Something significant gave it an important atmosphere. Maybe it was the bridge itself, the Aperture, or the people praying on it.

Thegans waved towards them, then to the stone beneath them. She hadn't even noticed that they had come to a stop at the very centre of the bridge. "The Rib of Nyka. We should come here at twilight. Then, the monks throw offerings into the crack. The procedure is fascinating to watch."

Although he had been there longer, Thegans had started to grow bored of the Aperture. He had been many places that had strange and mystical surroundings, or so he said. Seen many things worse. This long crevice that the Nykans feared and worshipped was stupid, he had once said. They were too superstitious.

It was true that perhaps they were more superstitious, especially compared to the Zeltivans she knew, but she respected their fear. It was hers too. Too many unexplained occurrences, not to mention the feel of the city. It was alive, more than it should be. Fuelled by whatever lay in the Aperture, perhaps.

But it seemed that the bridge wasn't what Thegans wished to show her, moving further into the city. Across the bridge, and into the Celestial Quarter.

[Alija]

They hurried through it, past the long line of people waiting to get to the Celestial Palace and
into a quieter area. A small plaza sat there, with one small group of monks in the corner, discussing among themselves. Buildings stood a dusty red around them, a small balcony overlooking the square. A window was open in another house, soft singing floating out. None of that was what held Alija's attention.

It was the large tree that stood in the centre, what seemed like an oak tree, stretching far with bare branches, the leaves gone in winter. She was certain that with its leaves, it would look more mighty, but even now, the old and wizened tree seemed impressive. It was pale, with a flat and smooth trunk covered in knots and imperfections gained from age. Around it, a wrought iron fence, openings at each side. A cobblestone path led to the roots, with laats and mizas built in the cobbles. It glinted in the winter sun, a truly impressive sight.

As she looked further, she noticed the other paths were slightly different. One had gems in it, the other had knives stuck in the soil and the third lined with wheat. Money, gems, blades and wheat. The four celestials, the four groups of monks, the four quarters. Whatever this tree was, it was built honouring that.

The monks in the corner moved on, replaced by a young woman. She held a parcel in her hand, hurrying past the wheat stalks to the branches of the tree. Carefully, she hung it on the branch, flipping a label over before nodding her head in respect. She left quickly, only the noise of footsteps following her.

She wasn't the only one that left. Thegans turned, not wanting to disturb the peace with his speech, as they walked, he explained. "It's the Gift Tree. When people wish to thank or please an Alvina, they hang a gift on the branches. The woman we saw hung it in the section with wheat - she wishes to honour Skerr, for some reason or another. The gifts are collected at the end of the season, never heard of again. It's such a strange tradition, but the tree, it really is splendid."

"I want to do that." Thegans almost laughed at what she said, but Alija was serious. "I want to. I want to make something beautiful, as a gift."

"You could give it to me, or your father?"

"No. I want to make something for the Celestials. But I will need your help." Thegans nodded, agreeing. Even he saw the fun in making something for them.

[Alija]

First things first was a design. Alija and Thegans sat in the office, book before them and quill in hand. She wanted to make something for Xannos, the Celestial whose quarter she resided in. A large chest, in particular, from steel. She would purchase a good lock for it, but the rest would be her own work. She wanted to make it beautiful, both a work of art and a useful possession.

But how beautiful could it be?

Thegans drew out an idea, a large chest with a curved roof. He had large hinges on both side, on the front to secure. "As a basis."

She nodded, adding swooping feet to the drawing. Then she added a clover like drawing at the front, detailing arches and curls in the metal. Slowly, the chest was filled out, detailed and beautiful. When it was made from metal, it would shine, or so she hoped. Happy with the design, she added a few measurements, trying to picture it in her head. She could get Thegans to get all the large pieces of metal ready, if she had the right sizes.

She could make it 7 inches wide, 5 deep, 7 high. A small lockbox, perfect for coins and other precious things. That would mean the front, back and base could all be the same. Jotting this down, she considered the lid. It would be difficult to make. If she made the ends have a circular section, she would be able to make the led out of one sheet, simply moving the ends down to sit on top. That would work. The sizing would be tricky, though. Maybe 11 inches wide, and 8 long as well? Would that give a big enough curve?

Deciding to try it out, the blacksmith measure off five inches of paper, then ripped a sheet out. She curved it, fitting it over. 8 inches would work, with the half circles on the ends needing to pretty much dead on. Hopefully, the fact the lid would fit over would get rid of any problems.

Then she needed to plan the hinges. 10 inches for the front and back would work, to leave extra material to work with, and 14 across the lid, with extra for each side. That didn't need to be thick though, only about an inch. She sketched out each piece, adding the ends as well. What else? Four long but thin rods for the legs. Excess metal for decorations, but that didn't need to be cut for precision.

Passing the book over to Thegans, she smiled. "Thanks so much for offering to prepare all this metal for me!"

He smiled back, sighing. When he was ready, work.

[Alija]

timingAfter this, the timing goes dodgy. She'll work on it as much as possible each day, but I'm just focusing on the actual work.

He had it all ready for her quickly. Alija smiled, trying to plan out how to start. Perhaps the most basic part of the box was the best place. She would weld the sides onto the base, that would work. First, she brushed over with a wire brush, getting rid of the scale and dirt that had built up as Thegans had cut it. It scratched the surface, but that wasn't much of a problem. Alija would address that later, when she finished it. She brought it into the fire, clutching the tongs tight as she let it heat. The fire was burning nicely, but Thegans kept coming to work on the bellows, taking the role of her assistant. Definitely not a problem.

Shaping fairly thin sheets for welding seemed almost pointless to do. The metal was just the right thickness to make a sturdy box - she didn't want to change that with her work. But traditions ran hard, Alija taking the hammer in one hand as the red hot metal was placed on the anvil. She tilted it, hammering flat on the face to make a chiselled end. Using the flat face of the hammer, she could simply draw the metal out into a point. She repeated this with the base, heating both once more. Brushing them clean and adding flux, she welded the two together at a slight angle, planning to bend it out a little more after the weld was done.

Once she was certain it had welded well, Alija placed the base on the anvil, using the edge to straighten the other edge up. It moved well, morphing the metal at the corner a little. That was annoying, but now it was done, she didn't know how to repair it. The best thing to do was move onto the other side and hope she didn't do it again.

Alija hammered out the other piece in the same fashion, letting it glow red until she placed the two together forcing flux out and forcing both together. They shifted into place, the metal hugging together tightly when she removed it from the fire. With sharp taps, it was brought together even more, heated again to secure the join.

This time, she let it fully cool before heating to add the bend. Once again using the edge of the anvil, she pulled the metal over, this time with a much better finish. Of course, now she realised that welding the ends on would be very hard, if not impossible to fit them in. Alija thought about it, considering the possibilities. If she made a slit, she could slip the metal in and then weld like that.

Smiling with her idea, she started undoing her work, this time placing the bend on the face of the anvil so she could bring the metal down onto it. Once it was flat, she put it back in the fire, letting it heat as she took a chisel from the side.

"Thegans!" she called, bringing the metal back out. As he came, she handed him the tongs, gesturing for him to hold the metal still. Working carefully, she started at one end, only an inch from the edge. She placed the chisel in position, then tapped it lightly, carefully not to hit her fingers. The chisel would slip in and make a slit. She shoved it down a little, repeating. As the metal was pushed out, some entered the previous punch, so Alija stood there moving the chisel left and right seemingly forever until there was a clear straight slit all the way down the three welded pieces.

She repeated for the other side, working hard. Once she had finished that, she began to bend the again, this time using the force of pulling with tongs as well as her hammer. Soon enough, it was just like before, except for the slits near the ends for the ends to go in.

[Alija]

She then cleaned the ends, and the slits, brushing off the metal flakes that had built up. She pushed the ends into the slits, where they sat securely. Still, she didn't trust just that, and cleaned again, preparing for welding. This welding was a lot harder. She struggled with the chest, just about managing to heat where the metal joined to a hot enough temperature for the metal to soften and secure. She left it to the side, ready to begin work on the lid.

Using the horn, Alija curved the metal around that, forming the curve she had always planned for. Then, she held the lid at an angle to the face of the anvil, hammering to add a bend two inches into the lid. The metal folded over itself, so she placed the folded over section flat against the anvil, drawing the part where the metal had doubled over out to make a nicer curve at right angles to the actual lid. She flipped the lid over, experiencing the same problem as she made the lid bend and stick over. Sighing, the smith drew it out again, deciding to make the section decorative as well.

She took a chisel, using it to make slits in the section that hung over, before using a hammer to widen them, upsetting the metal to make decorative triangles in the overhanging section. Where the metal had built up, she drew it back round, making the triangles rounded. Wedging the hammer in the triangles, she managed to shape them correctly. With the other side, she had to be more careful, trying to match it identically. Every so often, she would flip it over to compare her work and make minor adjustments. With Alija's precision, it took longer than necessary, but looked perfect at the end. In her eyes anyway.

Next came the hinges. Alija had little experience in making these, but questioned her father of the subject. He had given her a brief overview on what to do, but refused to come down and help her. Too paranoid, she had thought silently in her head. It wasn't like she had asked him to come to the shop, or outside. It was so long after the business with her aunt, it wasn't like in the forge he would be spotted. But the woman said nothing. Her father's business was his. She knew that there was danger, and the man was scared. He had helped her so much - she couldn't expect everything.

She took the straps prepared, marking a line for the slit. Heating it to a cherry red, she used a chisel to cut the slit. Then, she swapped over to a thin fuller to spread the slits and make the end softer. She hooked the slit as well as she could over the horn, hammering round before alternating to draw out the hook on the anvil face.

The smith wiped her brow, gently hammering everywhere on the hinge and chamfering the edges with the chisel and small cuts. Then, she bevelled the end with a file, grinding it to a half right angle. Her father had recommended it. She didn't know why. Something to do with helping the roll close in on itself. Hopefully that would explain itself later on.

Hanging the end of the hinge over the anvil, she tapped it, then moved out again. This technique rolled the metal, a little larger than she wanted so she could shrink it later. On the face, she continued to roll it, flipping it over and hammering almost horizontal, so she didn't squash it. At about half-way, she inserted a rod, using that as a guide to the size of the roll. She hung it over the edge again, using glancing blows on the lower side of the roll.

The edge didn't roll in properly, so she asked her father. Doing as he had instructed, she placed it in a clamp. Using a dull chisel, she hammered it in, tucking the bevelled edge into it. Now the bevelling made sense. If the edge was flat, it wouldn't fit in neatly.

[Alija]

The next step was to make the holes for the nails. Alija herself had come up with a clever trick for this. To make the positions of the holes the same each time, she took a piece of scrap metal, punching three holes in it in the places she wanted. Then she could place it over the hinges and use it as a guide.

That was exactly what she did. Positioning the scrap metal, she punched marks, not too deep, into the hinge, before removing it with the correct distribution of holes ready. Now she made them all the way through, flipping over half-way through to make the holes even.

Now, instead of cutting the roll so it would fit with another hinge, she made the other hinges straight away. The process was the same, except that by the time she reached the fourth, she didn't even use the rod to help shape it. The job got easier each time, and she was surprised that she hadn't made any hinges before. They were so easy when you got started!

Once she was done, she marked lines on the rolls and started to saw them, holding them in a vice as she did so. Then, once she had cut deep enough, Alija heated the hinges and used some tongs to pull open the part she wanted to remove. She did this with a chisel, cutting clean through the pieces. Filing them to make the cut smoother, she removed tiny pieces of metal.

The drift was what was going to hold it all together. She took a rod and heated it to yellow, holding it vertically above the anvil face and hammering hard down. This upset the middle and Alija tapered the ends out. Heating to orange, she quenched it in water. Then she heated the hinge pieces, added the drift and drove it through.

Finishing up with a wire brush to remove scale, she placed each hinge to the side for later.

[Alija]

Now that she had the hinges, she could work on attaching the lid to the box. However, she figured that it would be a lot easier to add the decorative pieces and the lock before hand. Not that she was making a lock. Alija called Thegans again, who came down a little annoyed. "What this time?" he asked, sighing. Alija shrugged a little, wiping her sooty hands on the apron as she came nearer.

"I need the best lock and key you can find. Get a locksmith to start on it now, okay?"[b] she ordered, turning back around with his nod. Smiling, she found some more scrap metal, heating it. She looked over at Thegans, [b]"What are you still doing here?" she teased, shifting the burning coal around. He sighed, turning on his heels.

"Any price?" he asked, just checking.

"Thegans, don't spend too much. But we want a good lock. A really good lock."

"You want a good lock," he joked, "See you later!"

"Go already!" She brought the red hot metal out, moving it over to the anvil. She had nothing too specific planned, nothing set in stone. Ideas, of course, but without ideas, she wouldn't be doing this. She started to make a clover, holding the metal in a vice as she added three slits, evenly spaced round. Using a fuller to make them slightly larger, she clearly separated them.

Then she drew the metal out to be more circular sections of the clover. She rounded the edge of using the face, then realised clovers weren't completely round. There was a slight dip in each section. Holding it with the tongs, it took a few light taps to add this, then a small while as she made the clover all the same thickness again.

The parts where two leaves joined were easy. Using a chisel, she marked on the lines, then upset the metal around it to form nice curves. It had to look natural, not man made. A stalk was added through a mixture of drawing and shrinking. She flipped it round, making it a bit shorter. Holding it up to the light, Alija inspected her creation. It looked nice, although did feel like it was missing something. Bringing it back to the heat, she tried various things. She added crinkles to the leaves by hitting with the edge of the hammer, she folded them with a pair of tongs, she even tried to added a shine to it by wire brushing it at a high temperature. Nothing worked, at least well.

At the end, she gave up, restoring it to what it was before as best as she could before quenching it in water, letting it to cool while she moved on to the next decoration. This was more of a swooping arch, which she hammered and drew out easily. More decorations came after that, a pile slowly building. At last, she stopped, Thegans returning with the locksmith and lock.

[Alija]

ledgerLock, amazing + Key, amazing = 225gm

Alija began to shape the pieces for welding, adding a small point to draw impurities out. The cleaning process became dull and boring, and only when she had heated it was it more interesting. This was delicate, Alija wishing she had had the initiative to mark the positions of the pieces on before she had began to weld.

Asking for Thegans' eye to help straighten it out, she positioned the first clover dead centre, hammering straight down on top of it to secure it in place. Then she added arches around, heating them to almost molten before she brought the two faces together, hammering out the flux and working the metal to create tight bonds.

Slowly, it came together, almost finished. She drew the bottom side of the hinges out, in a similar fashion, heating and brushing clean before she placed it on the lid, hammering flat down. The flux came out, Alija pushing it away with a rough brush before hammering at an angle to make the shape a little better. This was repeated for the other side, securing the lid in place on the box.

Alija awkwardly moved it over to be tempered, then left it a little more before she tried it. The hinges moved smoothly enough, although a little oiling wouldn’t hurt. The lid fit snugly on top, closing tightly. All that was missing was the lock.

She let the locksmith fit it, leaving him alone with Thegans as she went upstairs to have a little food to eat. Kial was sitting there a little bored, sketching. "You've been working forever! Are you ever going to finish?"

Alija smiled weakly, ruffling his hair. "Sorry, kid. I guess I took too much into my hands." She smiled, again, leaving like that. She felt so bad. Kial had gone through so much and been so strong. But she wasn't there for him if he needed her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father sigh, shaking his head. He moved out to entertain the little boy. He had experience. Alija was too young to be a mother. She had no experience in the matter. But she didn't try too hard either. That was her problem.

The lock was fitted when she came down, and she paid the rather high price, counting the coins slowly. With that done, she looked back to her creation. She brushed it over, removing scale and adding a slight shine. She filed down any burrs and rough edges, then the wire brush again to smooth the surface. Finding some oil, she oiled the hinge, making it move much smoother, then she waxed the whole box, making it shine with its beauty.

She tested the lock, checking it worked and when she was satisfied, moved the box into the storage room, covering it with some cloth to wait until the end of the season, when she would take it to the Gift Tree. The key hung around her neck for safe keeping.

Which Celestial would be next? Alija smiled, ready to start another project.

[Dove Brown]

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Alija

Skills

• Land Navigation 1
• Observation 1
• Drawing 1
• Planning 1
• Blacksmithing 4
• Mathematics 1

Lores

• Location: the Gift Tree
• The Gift Tree: a place to thank and please the Alvina
• The Gift Tree's paths: one for each Celestial
• Designing a beautiful chest
• Blacksmithing: welding edges together
• Blacksmithing: making a hinge

Miscellaneous

• Mizas (+/-) | -225 gm
  
• Item Purchased (+/-) | 1 x amazing lock, 1 x amazing key
  

Comments: Beautifully written. Enjoy your grades