Rico-
Rico stands at the forge, slightly inclining his head to acknowledge his
audience, but not taking his eyes off of the red hot piece he is working
on. Raising his booming voice above all the clamour of the forge, he
calls for all ears on him.

"Y'know, the stains on this apron don't come from shining swords all
day. I'm a Forger, and what I do all day is craft steel into useful
forms."

"In it's most basic form, forging is an art born of hard work. It takes
endurance to swing this hammer all day in front of this furnace, whose
heat knows no equal."

"First you have to stoke your fire, get it hot enough to make the metal
malleable and workable. Yer forge has a few main parts; you have your
Tuyere which allows you to force air into the fire, helps it to breathe
and stay hot you know. You use your bellows to force air into the tuyere,
pumping it up and down and you sure feel the heat from the flames and your
effort. There's also the firepot or hearth, this is a section where the
burning fuel can be contained, away from the tuyere opening."

Rico's hammer rings as he brings it down repeatedly onto a red hot piece
of steel.

"Depending what yer working with or what yer making, depends on how
hot the forge needs to be, there's real art in getting the right temperature.
That's only the first battle, once your metal is heated you start working it.
Hammering here and there, using different hammers and swings to shape it
into what you want. You want your item to be well balanced, especially if it's
a sword or weapon ready to be used in battle."

"When yer working on a hot piece, it takes a firm and careful
hand to handle it. To fail when using yer tongs means property damage,
and that's the least that could happen."

After a few swings, he uses his tongs to carefully plunge the newly
formed blade into a bucket of water. Reaching behind his back, Rico
pulls out a clean towel and wipes the dark sweat off of his brow.

"Yer anvil is yer friend, it's the main workspace when yer hammering away,
and trust me, you do a lot of that there hammering. Whether yer using the horn,
step, face or even the pritchel or hardy hole on yer anvil, you'll find a use for
all of them."

"Everyone thinks it's all just the hammer and the forge, it's a lot more than that
I tell yer. You got yer chisel, fuller, and yer hardy too. They all play a
part in yer forging.Yer slack tub too, that's the bucket of water, brine, or oil
that you plung yer finished work to, cools it down, gets it read. Boy can that thing
get an smell if you don't change it."


"And never, never forget to have a clean towel handy. You may have all
the endurance and bodily toughness in the world, but nobody likes sooty
sweat in their eyes."

Rico hangs the towel on the straps of his apron.


"Obviously, the Theran guard needs their Broadswords and Armour, and I
strive to make many, day in and day out, so that they have the very
best. It is my job, and it is my passion."

Rico pulls out broad roll of leather. Untying the strap and unrolling
the pack shows a multitude of tools for woodworking, engineering,
climbing, and many things which are obviously tools of some craft you
know nothing of.

"But before you go thinking that it's all arms and armour, bear in mind
that I make many other useful things. There are a variety of tools that
need to be properly crafted, weighted, and tested before use, and it's
my job to make sure that they're made and available to the public."

"After all, how could you forge without a hammer? Where will you hang
your cookware if I don't make the hooks? For that matter, who shoes the
horses, or chains down their cargo? The blacksmiths do, that's who."

"The world around you is full of worked metal, and someone had to have
worked it, so remember that, and thank your smithy often for making your
life more structurally manageable."

Rico rolls up the pack, satisfied that he made his point, and he takes
his newly forged Broadsword from the water bucket, flinging water into
the burning forge with a flourish and a sizzle. As he continues, he
carefully probes the weapon of its quality.

"Now then, back to the Arms and Armour. I said that I strive to make
many, but do you realize just how many I make? The amount is staggering,
but do you see suits and blades all over the place? When you've made as
much equipment as I have, you start to get an eye for which ones are
really good, and the rest just becomes extra steel. That comes with
practice, diligence, and the self discipline necessary to make many
pieces when you may only need one. My advice? Make sure you look
carefully at a piece before deciding how good it is. When making
something, anything, make many, and keep them all until your whole order
is done, then, when you compare everything you made, you have a good
range for comparison. The really good ones will always stand out. "

"Remember, the most valuable commodity to a Forger is their time. Ours
is a time consuming craft, so remember that each time you have work
pending. You're going to be staying in the same place longer than you
usually do, hammering away, swing after swing. Many go mindless,
mechanically finishing their task. This can be fine, but always be
careful, and never underestimate how long your project will take you."

Rico, satisfied with his work, places the sword in a barrel with many
others.


"In conclusion: We Forgers are the workers of metal. Through our time
consuming work, the stuff of the Earth is made into useful items. Should
this be your craft, take pride in it, and strive to make the best
equipment in Sapience."

Rico nods to himself, meeting your gaze once more before turning back to
the forge and starting on a new blade. Soon, a ringing noise drowns out
any potential questions, the smith having gotten back to work.