[Gift] CRAFTING: Sturdy Armor - Khal/Zanril

The flames of the forge fumed hot into the chilly air, warping the morning light cast on the snow. The air was crip on the nose, as Khal, Zanril, and some other Reoseans flocked to Dhaoragan; a green Vayron, patterned with scales and two striking yellow eyes. The puller was setting aside tools for the others to use for the day, as they would practice smithing. The art of iron and hammers, with anvils as black at pitch from a fireplace. The forge was an open workhouse, with a building fulled to the ceiling with shelves and hooks on walls lined with tools. Two forges were placed in the area, one outdoors, and one inside. What differing purpose they served, Zanril wasn’t sure about, but she didn’t care too deeply to ask. 

“Come around and listen close,” Dhaoragan beckooned the others to him with a paw, and like a small flock, the others walked over to the workbench he was at. “Here are the tools you will need today, as we take on tempering some iron for the bracers we’re making. You’ll learn to cut leather for the straps, and shape the metal as you like it.” 

Khal eyed the tools with a half-knowing look. He wasn’t a complete novice at the task, but he couldn’t say he’d been entirely familiarized with the process. Zanril on the other hand knew none of it by heart, aside from the usual that you see in passing with blacksmiths toiling at forges. Hammer and anvil.

When the group got to pick their metals, Khal picked a chunk of metal he liked the heft of. Something sturdy for him to hammer out into shape, and hopefully make for a functional piece of protection. The old puller carried off his piece, while Zanril sorted through the pieces still. Too heavy, this one’s chipped, it was all there to be used for practice, but what determined a piece to be bad? Was the crack in the metal something you iron out, or a flaw that carries throughout the process?

Dhaoragan walked over to the Haedian, observing her favored selections. “Any of these will work fine for today. You can pick any, and we’ll iron out the imperfections when you heat the metal.” He advised, pushing some of the pieces towards her to choose from. His voice carried reassurance, like he’d comforted the many novice smith in the past. 

After picking her piece, Zanril joined Khal at a work table, where they had to use tongs to carry the metal into the furnace and heat it up red hot. With ehr hands, Zanril had the easiest time out of everyone to put the metal in and hold the tools. She watched with a smidge of smugness as the Vayrons managed the tools in various ways. Others were more comfortable with their paws, some tried to use their mouths, but Dhaoragan adviced against singing their noses. One of them, Khal, had magic at his disposal, using a translucent hand to handle the tongs and place the metal in the fire. He didn’t seem half as focused as the others, having a relaxed expression, like he was enjoying the past time of crafting. 

Next came the loudest part of the process. Hammering. Khal kept at a nice rhythm, looking over the metal as Dhaoragan instructed the thickness, keeping it hot, and movingit on the anvil. The hammer was heavy and bulky in Zanril’s hand, and she swung it with all her might to mould the metal into some kind of useable shape. It was stubborn, with her hammer bouncing off the metal, the tongs rattling uncomfortably in her hand. 

“Let the hammer’s weight help you swing it down on the metal. Consistency over power is what makes the metal bend.” Dhaoragan walked over to guide the Haedian.

“If I don’t put some power into it, how’s it supposed to get into shape?” Zanril huffed, clanging the hammer on the anvil as she put it own, the sound louder than she intended.

“Consistency,” Dhaoragan repeated, picking up the hammer and tongs from Zanril. “You keep the metal hot, and move it around the anvil. With each consistent strike from the hammer, you press the metal down evenly, without managing dents deeper or far apart from each other.” Hammering down in even rhythm, the puller made a demonstration from Zanril’s piece, with Khal and the others watching closely again as Dhaoragan taught the young Haedian the technique.

Giving back the hammer to Zanril, Dhaoragan stepped around the forge, looking over everyone’s work. “Well done, keep it up and we will move to refining the bracer’s shape next.” He smiled at everyone’s efforts, nodding along as he passed.

Khal was among the first to reach the desired thickness in his metal, and Dhaoragan began another example demonstration. It all seemed very straightforward, yet nuanced with technique and experience needed to gauge every little detail.