Nomont: Forging The Warhammer

[22:49] Asura Nomont had retired back to the depths of Achyon's underbelly. The residential ward, but more specifically, the former abode of the late Commander Augustus Vorenii.
When approaching the front door, those following in tandem would take note of armed guards posted by the door.

They lacked the typical Achyonite garb, clearly more privatized in nature. These were members of the Iron Legion -- A fashioned force of nonmagus warriors, equipped with blue steel battlesuits with tyrium plating along the exterior. Within their chest plates were sapphire encrusted bulges gleaming of light -- the Nomont Mana-batteries, fueling their suits of orichalcum leylines to prevent the material of the armor from simply siphoning their lifeforce away. What finished their attire, was not just their stoic demeanor, but their weaponry. Steel bases, with tyrium-augments, such as their blades, touched with the lavender metal, or the maces at their waists, studded with tyrium for non-lethal encounters.

Only two at the front door, which led to a rather casual bedroom... But the constant grinding of mechanized saws getting to work in the backroom badgered the ears of those whom followed Asura. Once the door was opened by one of the many assistants for the underground facility, what those in tow would realize would be the refitted backroom. No longer an extra residential area, but rather? A workshop taking the place of a factory he'd never have.

Along the left wall, prototypes of battlesuits of olde:

The Antimagus Assault Force Battlesuit of the Magus Defense Force --
Steel-based, lightly coated with tyrium with copper leylines to power cartridges grafted to the shoulder and thighplates.

The Nomont Battlesuit, MK II --
Bluesteel with fully tyrium platelets along the torso and thigh areas to protect against the vast regions spells had a frequency of striking. The mana-batteries were engraved within the suit with only a slight buldge; the same battlesuits many had been wearing earlier as guards.

Then, there was...
The Nomont Battlesuit MK III: The Magebuster Armor.
It was titanic by comparison to the previous two battlesuits; scaling up to about 7'8''. Unlike the previous two, it took to an adamantite-base. The areas were tyrium would be applied had a slightly darker variant -- Clearly, an attempt at Cold Iron, but regardless, it was much larger, requiring a pilot versus a wearer. Seemingly mechanized, yet slightly too small to be considered a fully fledged mech. The battery within this one was much larger, but mostly within the suit, showcased only through the gleaming spot along the chestplate's surface.

The rest of the room was a hive of activity, with employees already at work at another project. A single glance would reveal the project at hand -- A new battlesuit, one much smaller than the MK III, but heavier than the MK II. A smaller, mechanized battlesuit, designed to house a single person at hardly over 6 feet in height. Though, the armor was not what they were here for.

"Men, today -- We turn our endeavors towards weapons design." He claimed. It wouldn't be the first time.
"Though, rather than a staff, we will focus on something more... Physical."

Thus, he beckoned towards some of his assistants to provide him with papers, and the designs immediately went underway.

What, was the proper means of taking down a magi? Surely, the work he witnessed of Artas quality was impressive -- threateningly so. However, he could manage to create something, more damaging, couldn't 't he? A weapon, that could use magus capability against themselves, as he had studied for so many years prior.
However, something that damaging had to be...

Big.
Heavy.
Capable of holding much potential. The first thing that came to mind, was tyrium.
Surely, it was the antimagus choice, which made it less than savory for magi abroad. However? It also worked well against other magi, meaning it could certainly work to one's own benefit if fashioned appropriately.

The mana-furnaces were already being fired up, and personnel readied themselves with their proper attire.
What came to Asura's mind, was not a lithe blade, but a blunt... Mace? No, it had to be grander. A weapon that could double as a tool -- A hammer. A great hammer...
The Antimagus Warhammer
(Asura Nomont)
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[23:10] Clack. Clack. Clack.

The sound of mythril boots clicking against the floor rang gently through the workshop- echoing off the walls in its lonely embrace. The Vorso was approaching- walking through the door. A nod was given to the Armed guards that stood posted by the entrance. Fair protection- clearly equipped with only the best that could be offered.

Kael took note of their armor, and their weapons. Far better than any other standardized soldier you would see on the battlefield- they were equipped to fight actual magi's. It was a show of power, intelligence, and confidence in their tech as well as their soldiers.

All the qualities a leader would have.

An assistant led him through the corridor to another door. And as they opened it, Kael's eyes would widen slightly. A full workshop beneath the City, bustling with Asura's assistants- busy at work. Not letting the Vorso's presence disturb their work at all.

Sienna hues flicked to the battle suit- almost too similar to Benedicts mecha. Perhaps they had been working on a project together? Yet, split, and continued to work in similar ways. Though it wasn't his place to ask a personal question- nor was it the reason why he was here.

He didn't even need to ask, it seemed. As the great Warhammer was presented right before him. Hands clasped behind his back in a comfortable position, and he joined the Nomont by their side. All the while keeping their gaze on the weapon.

"Hm... Quite the beast."
(Kael Vorso Jr.)
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[23:13] "Surely. I'm certain you will fare just fine, of course." Asura claimed, eyes kept to the designs.

With drawings taking shape, he conceptualized a weapon entirely forged of the tyrium element. Surely, it would be heavy, but it would be effective. Along the head of the weapon, welts with pits that burrowed well into the weapon, lined with copper. While copper was surely not the most effective conductor of mana? It certainly got the job done, as witnessed with the Antimagus Assault Force Battlesuits. Thus, allowing it to pry what excess mana wasn't immediately sponged up by the tyrium material to store it within the head, allowing for dispersion with the following impact.

The hammer and handle had to be crafted separately, before being forcibly adhered and fastened to one another.
Which meant the hammerhead could be focused on first, with drilled holed along the hammer faces.
With measured drills, one could follow up with drills along the base of the head, allowing for leylines to be fed well into the handle.

Thus, with plans swiftly scribed upon, it was time to get to work.

The Handle
The mold was hardly much of an issue for the craft, for it was treated with just the same mold used for the tyrium batons prepped for his men. An entire weapon's mold, to be filled with tyrium, rather than steel. Thus, as the ores were loaded up into an adamantite reservoir with thick leather gloves with much care? Those amongst the numbers stirred up with murmurs of concern. Surely, this may've been much -- even for them. Despite their extensive usage of the material? Nothing like this had ever been considered outright beyond a weaponized arm prosthetic.

It's draw to minutes... Nay, closer to an hour, but in time? The ore would take to the heat...
Melt into a molten red, before it could be properly poured into its molding. Tongs and thick attire from the Nomont Forgemasters were equipped to slowly extract the reservoir from the mana-furnace, careful not to spill the molten antimagus material.
An additional set of tongs were equipped to hold the molding still: an elongated cup, when taking to an uneducated perspective.
The saffron syrup slunk into the mold, gleaming from the pit it sunk into and taking to a vibrant shine.

Asura himself only looked on in silence, reserving his arms for his back for an impromptu stance reminiscent of parade rest -- observing his work remotely. With a spectator? He took to the role of indulging them in his work.
"I'm unsure if you've watched smiths at work... I've committed to this practice for decades, and have perfected the craft of running a tight ship. I may lack the powers of a magi in this domain, but it has not stopped me from bringing about grand designs."

The filled mold was pried up with tongs, and slowly lowered into a nearby bucketfilled with quenching fluid. It hissed and gurgled bubbles and smoke to cloak at the ceiling. Rapidly cooling -- the relinquished product would be a luke-warm mold filled with tyrium. Placed upon the anvil? A hammer was unveiled to slam away at the mold, slowly cracking at its integrity, splitting it open as it once was. No longer the one piece it clamped together to become, but two halves, formerly locked together by the cooled tyrium within.
Now? All that remained was the rough tyrium handle, forged of a baton mold.

Such meant that it'd be thick enough to act as a blunt weapon entirely on its own -- though, it was only the beginning.
One oddity was the rather large hole towards the top, where it appeared flattened, cut off where the mold ended.
(Asura Nomont)
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[23:29] Kael watched with awe... To see a non-magi do all of this? It was truly inspiring.

Though he hadn't half the idea of what was going on at the moment, he still watched with excitement and paid attention. As each ore was smelted together, leylines were forged into it's frame. And the base was designed- it was truly magnificent.

"I see that. It's spectacular, watching this all unfold before me.. I've only watched magi smiths work- never a non-magi. It's a different experience, for sure."

It took a lot more skill to be able to craft a weapon for a magi- with no magic or mana. It was totally understandable for them to give up out of frustration- though this man did not. He proved he had the integrity and drive within himself to push on.

Such was probably gained from years of work...
(Kael Vorso Jr.)
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[23:35] Asura personally approached it to give the handle-piece a look over, before answering their passed glances with a nod: Approval to move on to the next stage.

The Head
Such was a much more difficult process, for nothing they had previously forged had taken the shape of a hammer aside from smaller molds intended to forge more tools. This, required them to forge a new mold, one that would have to be of adamantite. Small devices were unveiled from chests, appearing to be blowtorches of a sort -- a technology capable of producing plasma-flame, by transmuting harvested mana-crystals.

"Now, while the designs are set in stone, I can assure you... I am no metal mage. That, and I need to accumulate enough heat to not only melt tyrium, but not too much as to melt the molds I work with. That means I need to assure I have a proper mold for... Well, the head." Asura narrated, "Which is why, my men are already at-work, forging the verymold itself... Adamantite is very resilient to magic, and even moreso to heat... Which is why we'll be using our mana-torches for this." The man took to some silence as his men got to work, seemingly failing to heat the metal much.

"It may... Take a while. Personally, I'd suggest taking a walk or something of the sort. This sort of thing tends to require shifts." Certainly, the man did not jest, for minutes... Turned to hours, and the employees heating the metal did exchange shifts to assure utmost attention and minimal heat loss. Whether the Vorso decided to hang around the area or head back home to carry out daily duties and return the following day was entirely up to them.

What Asura himself did, remained somewhat of a mystery, taking to his entrepreneurial duties across Achyon, before returning to lie both in wait for the mold to be properly quenched and let to rest. Whether Vorso even showed up for the next day of work on the project, didn't seem to badger the Nomont in the slightest. All that mattered, was that the product was finished.

"What does it look like?" He asked aloud, in full expectation of a status report -- and with an assistant approaching him outright? He would not be disappointed.

''Sir, the mold has been finished.'' started one of the forgemasters.

''We took up the incentive to start working on some small devices to allow us to dig into the tyrium material once its been shaped and tempered as well.'' claimed the other forgemaster, drawing a smile across Asura's face, turning over to look for Kael in expectation of his presence. Had he bothered to show up? The Nomont would present them with a smile upon their face.
"As you can see? My men never disappoint, even with the minimum provided to us." He gestured over to their stone anvil, and rather minimalistic equipment, save for their own company designed tools. "We, make do. The impossible, becomes possible."
A minor brag, but one he felt as though he had rightfully earned, before turning back to the forgemasters.

"Beautiful. Now, back to it... We have other projects to tend to after this."

''Already on it, sir.'' answered the first forgemaster, referring attention over to the working mana-furnace. Within its gargantuan and enclosed pyre? Was the same adamantite reservoir, filled with more tyrium closing in on its molten saffron shine. It was opened, pelting the visage of the soot-covered smiths, demanding their careful handling with leathered gloves and tongs.

The same process would be committed to, to... A large mold that resembled a big, empty box. That was all it was: An adamantite box, being filled with molten tyrium. As a result, it'd be much heavier than the mold. In fact? It'd take an additional few employees assuming the forgemaster role, simply to pry it upright by its handles and slowly lug it over towards the quenching barrel.

As it was dunked in, the fluid bubbled, hissed, boiled and overflowed to splash across the floor. Some of it would evaporate, but otherwise? Simply drain past their thickened boots, as they watched over the overspilling barrel in wait.
A simply backpedal from Asura was all that was warranted, as though to silently insinuate a displeasurable result should the fluid touch their boots... Or feet for that matter.

"Of course. It is not impossible for nonmagi to do as magi do. However, it was not something a magi would typically enable a nonmagi to do."

Once the mold was removed, the final steps would come to fruition.

"Tell me, Kael? A little bit about yourself... I like to make it a habit to know my customers. Something... Anything... What drives you?"
(Asura Nomont)
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[23:57] "Hm... Well, if it's what you suggest.."

Waving, his frame vanished into a shadowy smoke. Though with this, he could only emerge from the darkness within a short distance. And that so happened to be right above ground- where he would head home to gain some rest! Continuing onto the next day...

Darkness began to form in one spot inside the workshop, and beside Asura... Kael emerged once more. Freshly rested and awaiting his weapon along with the one who put the plans together to make it. "Oho..! I agree. Anything is possible- dedication is all that's needed to achieve it."

"Ah... My drive?" Sienna hues lock onto the man beside him. "It's to simply be better than my father ever was. Focusing on being the perfect soldier. Completely and undeniable loyalty to the city and Empire, strong, well suited for combat. As well as to follow any and all orders without complaint."

Much like the dream of a synth, that Nidaz most likely had in mind. "Though I'm not completely unemotional as you can see. I strive to someday hold the name 'commander' as my own, and lead the city to victory. It's a long path, but one I'm riling to risk my life for."

There were many secrets about his father as well, that needed to be found out.. But that story was for another time- and his gaze returned to the project at hand.

(Kael Vorso Jr.)
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[00:08] The quenched mold was pried out of the barrel with mild difficulty, and plopped on to the stone anvil with impunity. Next, came the hard part... Liberating it from the mold. A mold designed to survive extreme temperatures -- however, given the heating and quenching, one could only hope that the difference in material might've complicated its integrity.
Surely, it was designed with intentional weakspots, but adamantite... Was still adamantite.
One of the most magic-resistant...
Durable...
And heavy, metals of all Esshar.

So heavy and durable, it simply was considered useless by most across the land aside from construction of heavy buildings or prisons. However, Asura could find plenty use for it, where magi simply did not apply.

CLINK.

CLINK.

CLINK.

CLINK!

A split along the center! Alas, there was visibly progress.

''Perhaps, we can use one of the drills to pierce through the material a bit faster?'' an assistant suggested, only to be swiftly shut down by another assistant.

''Are you nuts? This is adamantite. Even with another adamantite drill-head, we run the risk of it going dull. Then we lose our ability to carve as cleanly into the tyrium.''
The logic seemingly made sense, though even Asura seemed to raise a brow at it. No words were spared at the matter though, he had confidence in his men.

A few more slams with a hammer, and the mold had cracked open, revealing the sweet tyrium prize within. The hammerhead was forged with little issue. The oddity that matched the handle, would be a hole that spanned entirely through by the base. A mere glance at it and the handle made it clear it was intended to be merged at such a point. However, the question could be immediately proposed:
What was intended to hold it all together?

"A limb, is only as strong as its joints." Asura claimed aloud, for a tyrium-based weapon, one of the best materials to be used to act as a wedge for the hammer, would be a material that seemingly ignored the affects of mana in most encounters. Most constructs of it demonstrated over the last two days were designed with intentional flaws and weaknesses as to allow them to fall apart when imposed upon, relinquishing the mold products. The wedge would lack such a fatal flaw.

Interestingly enough, such was already set aside, forged when the mold was being prepared, and identifiable by the adamantite-striped copper core it held between its adamantite sects.

"Thus, the joint will be of one of the most stubborn metals the land has to offer, with a conductable material within to allow for easier prying of mana, brief storage, and..." The words seemed to only narrowing manage escape, "Redistribution."

The whine of drills gnawing into the flat surface of the hammerhead's faces kneaded at open ears. Truly an unsavory sound, but that of progress...
The finished product was nearly at hand, which meant Asura could retire his attention to other instances -- The battlesuits along the wall. They even seemed intent on tearing Kael's attention away from the work as to allow his people to prepare the hammerhead for copper-filling.

"Sometimes, it helps to know what sort of magic the magi customer uses to properly tailor the weapon to their unique interests." Asura claimed, beckoning a seemingly idle employee to his person. "Though, given what you shown me before? I feel as though I have this one figured out."
The employee was front and center.

"Hey, you... I need some of the magus runewriters down here now. Please, get to that." commanded the Nomont -- to which he'd see no delay in the execution of said order. Attention could be forwarded back to Kael. "So, you're a synth? I would never have guessed. I suppose Barsburgian technology truly is that good. Capable of recreating the human body with such accuracy and ease, that we can communicate... Like two... People." Surely, it may've been a digression from the matter at hand, but given his grizzled and battered visage? One could only wonder...

Why had no one bothered to serve him with such augmentations, despite the technology serving synths and other Achyonite officials? Was he simply... Not considered important enough?

The spite was kept as a silent undertone while the Nomont's attention turned back to their endeavors.
It was odd, to forge something antimagus for magus ilk... Maybe it wasn't ever intended for them. Maybe Asura was doing it because he could... Maybe, he truly believed it properly demonstrated the capacity of antimagus weaponry.

Perhaps, he didn't even know himself -- Money, was money after all.
(Asura Nomont)
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[00:08] It didn't take too long by this point -- that was the intent of stirring up small-talk. Whether or not Asura truly cared was besides the point, he simply wanted to pass the time faster, and a glance back at the workers efforts would reveal it in its incomplete glory. Perhaps, it was the hiss of the quenching fluid...
Perhaps, it would've been the metallic banging from smaller smithing hammers striking upon the hammer head to settle the warhammer-head on to the handle.

If neither, then it likely would've been the wedge being driven into the side and hammered away to lock it all into place.
It was all coming together now.

"All it needs, is a bit of polish." Two rows of men started on their way past the two, making their beeline for the weapon.
These, were the magus workers under Nomont Company employ.

"Follow my inscriptions to my exact specifications... But do not power them."
Odd?
"That right, will be left to its new owner..." A turn of his head referred to "Kael Vorso Jr."

The magus workers were still scribing away, but Asura gestured for the synth's approach to the construct. With the numbers, it was likely that by time he approached it casually, it would've been ready. Once it was, the others would simply step back to allow them to pick it up with their own two hands.

To examine it...
To feed it...
To both understand and properly wield it...
(Asura Nomont)
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[21:23] "Ah- no. I'm not a synth- my caretaker is. Growing up with one.. It's understandable how I could portray that kind of image." Almost no emotion- completely loyal to the City. Those were the things Johnny Valium had taught him over his years of growing up with the Synth.

Though after the provided answer- the Vorso fell silent. Watching all the employees and assistants get to labor- fulfilling their duties as they produced this monster of a weapon. Taking all the time necessary to perform each and ever task was important.

"Quality has potential to be art.

Art has potential to be perfection.

Perfection can be forged into reality."

It was Kael's own motto of sorts- one he followed. The only letter his father had left him- yet it contained everything he needed to know. Each word carrying it's own weight and story. The Vorso simply figured they would let in Asura on their own family saying.

A nod of his head was given- as Asura announced who the item belonged too. And steps were takin in said direction. Walking past all the machinery, all the hustle, workers, employees, specialized assistants. They had done an amazing job in preparing such a thing.

His gloves came off- and two rough hands from a well trained swordsman grabbed the hilt. Tugging it off and over his shoulder. Simply holding it for now- getting the proper feel of it. It's weight, power. Everything he could understand about it.

Then he set it back down.

"Excellent... I'll need time to train with this, it's even too powerful for me. Thank you, Asura. I'll wield this soon enough- and crush my foes that dare go against it." Setting the hammer within a pool of darkness- his own personal inventory. That sat in a space of nothingness.

"Your work won't go to waste."
(Kael Vorso Jr.)