araceli crown creation

Katrin says, "Well! I have my know-how. Which is PRICELESS."

Katrin says, "And then I got somethin' else too."

What they arrive to is a safe refuge, a hideout.

An abode hidden in the corner of the world, with the workshop and living quarters- while it boasted no exceeding riches and no extravagant appearance, it was more than sufficient for them to work the metal of any kind - as well as ensure there's enough material to create the crown.

Still, the remark about her know-how interests him; soon enough, he speaks out.

"Your know-how?"

"What exactly does it include, then?"

Of course he asks. But without delay, the forges are already made up and running- their flames enhanced by the intricate runework that feeds powerful mana into the flames, to ensure that they could actually smelt the metal.

Let alone the likes of arcanium.

"And.."

"Have you prepared the draft, or will we have to improvise and adapt?"
(Ambrose Roche)

Though her attire might suggest otherwise, her general bearing, the dust of the road on her shoes, and that je ne sais quoi about her speaks to the fact that such humble furnishings are A-Okay with her. As is squirreling away to a dark corner somewhere.

"I got experience, Prince Ambrose," she says with a grin, the same she sports more often than not that showcases her absurdly, atrociously gold-capped canine teeth. "Ya seen the Lord Ivanovich's weapon? I made that. Among a couple other treasures that are lurkin' around."

The artificer wordlessly offers her own fire magic. Pumping that forge up just a bit.

"I do got a draft, you're in luck! And a lil' somethin' to add."

First she draws out a rolled up sheaf of parchment, unfurling it to reveal a rough sketched diagram of a most regal crown.

Then after it, with a wet, squelching thump, comes a wrapped package.

"And I got a lil' somethin' the other day. Think we can drain it. Might do a treat in what we're doin' here." If he peels back the paper, there is an entire, bloody, human liver there.
(Katrin)

Katrin drops Lorekeeper's Kidney.

Katrin exclaims, "I wandered up on a Vanir ritual. Or somethin' like that!"

Katrin says, "They had this spare, so I bought it off of 'em."



Lorekeeper's Kidney [HEAD]
"A Kidney, freshly harvested from Ragnhild, Lorekeeper of the Vanir! {Subscribers}"
Boost: +2power
[EXALTED MAGIC GLYPH]

Katrin says, "Somethin' somethin', waste not want not..."

"Experience is good."

As much as he had his own experiences with artificing, naturally, his own was somewhat limited in comparison - given the fact that he was still rather young, and had no chance to practice nearly as much of it.

Though..

While the forges begin to run hot, the arcanium is finally loaded inside- assuming that she's had a draft of her own, which she just confirms anyway, he speaks out.

"What was your draft?"

"I was thinking of creating the basis made out of orchilacum and mithril - and then have the arcanium serve as a protective casing." Essentially making good use of the arcanium they have.

"Besides, that would make it receptive towards runecrafting, which may empower Queen Araceli even further."

As a Queen, she'd naturally need that - even if she often stays in the backline and allows others to do the fighting. What if she's ever attacked?

Butupon being presented the kidney, he squints once, twice...

"--Why?"

"I assume what you're trying to refer to is blood forging, correct?"
(Ambrose Roche)

"It is. I ain't stay in one place to get my name known in a city. But the work I do? It's good." And she leaves those words, and her work, to speak for themselves.

"Hm! I didn't have the liver until recently. So the design's more just that. I like the way ya think, though. A sturdy base alloy on the interior, and an arcanium plating." The artificer nods, drawing a few things over her schematic.

He makes his query and she looks up from where she scribbles, pausing to smile wide and grisly.

"I sure do. I'm somethin' of a dab hand at it, ya see. Ya want to make the base? I can make the plating metal. With that bit of arcanium ya got and what I can squeeze outta' this kidney.

How's that sound to ya?"
(Katrin)

Naturally, the base alloy would be required to ensure that the basis of the crown would not crumble easily. While they could always simply try and invest more arcanium in the crown, and make it out of pure arcanium…

That seemed rather wasteful, at best.

One could always improve further on it - after all, arcanium is rather light, so is orchilacum and mithril; besides, these two metals are rather receptive to runework, which could mean that further enhancements are possible.

"Alright."

"I'll do the base alloy, then - and make an outline shape for the crown."

"You can do the arcanium plating for it."

Naturally, she'd have to adapt to the alloy shape, but.. it's not too long before he adds further - on top of the remark about the blood forging.

"While you do the blood forging.."

"I'll do my park with runework enhancements, and see which runes I could weave into the structure."

With that said, it was time for work. Both mithril and orchilacum, in fairly generous amounts, was already loaded into the forges- smelting the metal along the way with the mana enhanced fires, until the metal was more than enough to work with.

Though, the shape of the crown isn't something that could easily come about.

While such artificing tends to be done according to the forms and templates, the only template he could use is that of a standard crown; pouring out liquid metal into one of such forms, the metal is cooled slightly until it becomes just solid enough, and yet hot enough, to be bent and worked into different shapes.

A long, and detailed process of work with smaller hammer comes next.

To work out the finer details, to ensure that it would not crumble together; naturally, the part of completion here would be ensuring that it holds together appropriately, as well as ensuring that the alloy smoothly goes together - offering the beginnings of the crown a pleasant gold and silver coloration in betwixt lines.

It's not the work that could be finished quickly.
As such, Ambrose toils, working out every single piece of detail.

"You can begin with the casing."

"This shape should be enough for you already, but I'll finish it up too."

Of course - the base wasn't entirely done, not yet.
(Ambrose Roche)

"Sounds like a good division of labor, pal, yeah," she remarks, still wearing that leering grin, like it's stuck on her face.

Pure arcanium would be a waste for how rare the metal was. This way they could get a fine mix of form and function with the base alloy and the plating going hand-in-hand.

And the prince has already begun melting the arcanium, perfect. Katrin takes up the liver, also taking a rusty knife from among her equally rusty tools, and slices it open lengthwise. Blood oozes into the crucible. And, as if what was in the Vanir organ wasn't enough, she takes the same knife to prick her thumb, offering a drop of her own. The secret spice.

The infused arcanium hisses and spits as it all combines, bubbling and roiling as if angered.

"So! Ya seem young. Been at this long, Ambrose? Tell me 'bout your work."

No reason not to make idle banter. Even as she pours out the mixed metal into a mold to cool. Before it can completely cool she lifts it from the mold with a pair of tongs, takes up a small hammer, and begins hammering it out thin.

Then, once drawn out, it was all the easier to begin plating it over the portions of the crown the prince has offered.

"What drew ya to this kinda' thing?"

(Katrin)

Little by little,
piece by piece.

The smaller details of the crown, as well as exact positions to outfit any runework and make it fitting for the head that would wear it are all worked out by the meticulous work of the small hammer; it is akin to working on the jewellery, where each and every single detail mattered a lot.

There was no room for error - and as such, before moving onto next phases, he double-checks everything to make sure that it fits together, and that it is symmetrical.

"I am young, yes." It's no secret with how he looks. As for his work?

"I've been mostly pre-occupied with work that is inclined to be of Apropriyan culture." Naturally, that's where he comes from. Though, as much as the finer details are already made, and steadily does he begin preparing the fitting runework for it..

He blinks once. What drew him?

"--I was a servant." Where exactly he came from, or what's the point of his origin, or why Queen Araceli chose to name him a Prince - he does not say.

That's another story.

"I picked it up because I wanted to survive." Despite what seems like a rather heavy topic, he seems poised, focused on his work- an odd mixture of noble, educated mannerisms about Ambrose - even as he toils at the forge.

There's no doubt that he's been disciplined, a lot.
Harshly.

"Being a captured servant to the Midnight Aristocracy is rough. You either make yourself useful, or you die." A pause.

"I think I've been at this for almost a decade by now. I started early."

There, the first empowering runework begins to take place- it is mix-matched with the fine Orchilacum dust, to ensure that it would feed the mana resources into the magi that would wear it. Intricate, and sophisticated in its nature, it serves as an endless connection to one's leylines.

A skilled piece of work, for someone this young.

"But... given that I manifested the talent of a magi, and proved myself useful, I ended up here."

"The skills remained."

With every inch that is covered in intricate runework, his eyes narrow, focused- with every piece of metal that is imbued by powerful mana and lasting enchantment, he remains focused.

"How's the plating going?"

He remarks, rather casual.
(Ambrose Roche)

All great things took time. The crown is no exception. Ambrose knows. Katrin knows. Together they labor to craft not only something substantial and magically potent, but beautiful.

And beauty especially takes care and calculation.

Where he finishes a part of the details on the crown, the bloodforger begins layering over the infused arcanium- no longer green, but now an iridescent red. There surely would be no crown like it on this soil.

It put her heart at a strange sense of ease. To make something unique. A little piece of herself in all her craft. And, well, now the Vanirhallan too, technically.

"Hm. Doin' works from different cultures can be gratifyin', though," she remarks, offering her unprompted opinion. "'Course. The Apropriyan is somethin' else."

A hum as he explains and she busies herself, laying leaves of the arcanium delicately over the core of the crow, pressing it into place.

"Think I know what ya mean. Can't say I've been through the same, but I get it. Plating's goin' keen. Can't say I've ever made a crown before. Pendants, gloves, armors, weapons, helped bind books...Never a crown."
(Katrin)

This didn't seem to bother him too much.

What he remembers from these years was utterly irrelevant - and perhaps, thanks to what he learned nowadays, it simply didn't really concern him at all anymore. Even now, despite saying such a thing..

It seems his expression hasn't shifted one bit.

"The crowns can be quite beautiful."

"I remember the Counts and Countesses back home. Some with an even greater aristocracy- and even though they're not exactly royal, they often fancied themselves something greater."

"They all did. But... I couldn't deny that they looked stunning with these."

A testament to such found in how the crown is coming together- with the alloys of base and the arcanium plating, it was only a matter of time until it would be entirely completed. It was all coming together...

And now, only final enhancements are needed.

"I'll double-check on the runes."

"You should do the blood forging at this point - and I'll make sure that it all comes together nicely."

"Then... I believe we're finished."
(Ambrose Roche)

"They can be. I mean. Crowns've never been my style, personally," she confesses, leafing on a few more fine layers of the arcanium over the crown.

"They sure do look pretty though, you're right."

As downright irreverent as she could be, it was no wonder the trappings of high nobility were not for her.

"But you're a prince, yeah? Figure ya can get one of your own too. Maybe with some gemstones...topaz. Or somethin' richer."

Her mind only briefly wanders as it considers the next big thing, the next project, and she puts into place the last piece of the arcanium plating.

"...Eh? Whaddya' mean?" she asks, brows lifting above the edge of her dark sunglasses.

"Already is. You're in luck. Blood's in the arcanium. Ya don't think it got that color on its own, do ya?"

Indeed, the metal had been turned a deep red, no doubt by some manner of bedevilment or craftiness on behalf of the artificer.

"Ya can double check the runes then if it pleases ya, prince."
(Katrin)

"Ah."

"Good."

Now, it was only the final pieces- with the metal already cooling off to be set into appropriate form of the crown, there was nothing else to be done other than to ensure that the runework is correct.

Each and every single one of them was checked once more, his eyes travelling across their design and the mana feed - whenever a flaw was spotted, no matter how small, it was promptly recharged once more. After all..

Any flaws are not an option here.

"It looks good to me."

"Perhaps one day I would also make my own crown, but we'll see." Though, to that end, he briefly adds.

"I believe we're finished, then."

"The crown will need some time to stabilize and absorb these runes properly, but that's a matter of waiting, rather than anything active."

A pause, to which he adds.

"Thank you for your help."
(Ambrose Roche)