Closed A Weighty Subject (Alija)

Shopping for diving weights

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Center of scholarly knowledge and shipwrighting, Zeltiva is a port city unlike any other in Mizahar. [Lore]

A Weighty Subject (Alija)

Postby Pulren Marsh on June 21st, 2015, 4:28 am

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Pulren was glad that he was dealing with a professional. He didn't expect any less from the Scholar, with its reputation, but it was still a good feeling to get something done with little fuss. They had come to an arrangement that was agreeable. He listened to her instructions as he picked up his shield, satisfied with the weight of it. His trident came next and it was apparent that she was ready to begin.

"Sounds like a plan. I appreciate your business. See you later, then." He cocked his head in a nod of respect to the blacksmith and made his way out to the streets of his city. The brief reprieve from his duties had been pleasant and he also felt excited about the idea of having some of his goals met. Of course, it would cost him, but most things worth anything usually did.
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Pulren Marsh
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A Weighty Subject (Alija)

Postby Alija on June 21st, 2015, 8:59 pm

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Alija watched Pulren leave before hurrying into the forge. She had a lot of work to do, and she had to do it quickly.

"Don, I want you to make ten flat lead plates, about five pounds each. They'll be used as weights, something about adding them to a shirt. Just do what you can, and hope for the best!" she smiled at him quickly, directing him towards the anvil he was standing besides. The young man nodded, starting to weigh out pieces of metal and shove them to one side to be heated before being flattened.

Alija assigned herself the job of making the anchor. She picked out a large lump of lead, placing it on one side of a scale and adding weights to the other. The lump was just a little bit heavier, but Alija left it. It was better to have a little more than needed, to make room for waste material and errors. Besides, an anchor a couple of pounds heavier than asked wouldn't make too much of a difference. It wasn't like she would charge him more for it.

She shoved the metal into the fire, watching as it started to glow. As it did, she planned out how to make it. She didn't know whether it would be easier to make the ring first or last. She decided on last. All she wold need to remember would be to leave some extra metal to form it, which wouldn't prove to be too much of a problem.

After satisfied with the temperature of the lead, she pulled it out with the tongs, placing it onto the anvil. Her hammer quickly smashed down, making the first mark. One by one came the blows, leveling out each face of the pyramid. She twisted the metal slowly, working on all faces but the one that would have the ring. She drew them out with quick taps and harder flattening blows, tapering them into a point before widening it, taking away from the length and adding to the width. Slowly, the shape started to show, although a little too conical.

That was easily fixed. With the section she wanted flat against the anvil face, she pushed the metal down to form a flat face. The blacksmith would alternate between each of the three faces, working until the edges had started to become more clear.

Alija continued working on them until the shape was definite and each of the sides well formed. In fact, she had even managed to make the strip beside the edges slightly thicker than the area in the center, giving it a more decorative look and forcing that metal up toward the top where it would be used to form the ring.

That was the hardest part. After bells of long hard hammering to form three of the pyramid's sides, she began to work on the fourth. This on was a little different, the edges already defined. Instead of distributing the metal between the other sides, she had to pound it towards the center,upsetting the metal to form a large bump, which she drew out to be a rather thin sticking out circle.

Using a punch, the blacksmith started to push a hole in the circle, pushing the lead to the edge while thinning out the middle. She flipped it round and repeated on the other side, slowly making the dent bigger and bigger before only a thin section separated the two depressions. With several final blows, she broke through, all the metal having slowly moved to the edges.

After that all she had to do was smooth the edges of the ring so the rope wouldn't get caught. It was a difficult process as the hole in the ring wasn't big enough to accommodate for the hammer, but she managed to do so rather well, the ring becoming smooth and curved.

Satisfied with the day's work, she brought it out and stuck it under the counter to wait for Pulren's return. Donovan joined her soon afterward, carrying ten seemingly heavy lead weight with him, each rather thin and flat, plate like as she had expected. Hopefully, it would be what Pulren had hoped for. If not, Alija just hoped that he would take them anyway.
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Alija
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A Weighty Subject (Alija)

Postby Pulren Marsh on June 26th, 2015, 6:47 am

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Returning to his patrol route, Pulren made his way back toward the docks. He made sure to stay close to the water's edge, his eyes set on the general area where he would set the anchor and rope. The Trial rock was much too far. He stopped and looked out over the choppy tides, guessing at a spot that was equidistant from both pier and solid land on the other side. He rubbed at the bristly stubble on his chin as he tried to imagine some kind of platform that he could add. He knew he would need some kind of float, a buoy of sorts. The metal work was reasonable, but how much would a buoy and platform set him back? Could he even set up such a thing without clearing it with the harbormaster?

A sigh escaped Pulren's lips and he shook all of the bureaucracy from his head, picking up his weapons and moving on. He had several bells to patrol before he had to worry about returning. During his circuit, he made a point to come through and stop at his cottage. Opening the door, the only thing disturbed were the little eddies of dust. He knew that he would have to approach the topic of security before too long, however. As he was no longer with the Guard, the invisible protection of the name was gone. It would be a matter of time before thieves began poking around. It would be a real shame for him to catch someone stealing from him. Maybe even more shame for their families.

Gathering the correct number of mizas in a sack, he closed everything up, securing the latch on the window. he needed a lock and a damned good one at that. With characters like Saris roaming around, it might be the only thing protecting his hard earned money. He would not hesitate to bleed a petcher over his gold, sad as it may seem to think of such a thing. He finished his rounds of patrolling before too long and returned home a second time to leave his weapons and uniform behind. A quick change into civilian clothes and he was off to collect what he had ordered. Heavy with the fare of progress, he was about halfway back when he realized he didn't have a cart or conveyance to wheel the goods back. He found himself standing in the street, pondering the situation.

Shrugging it off, he chose to just go on and collect the stuff and worry about humping it back on his own time. Entering the Scholar once more, he stepped up to the counter and sat the heavy sack of rimmed stones on the counter with a discernible sound. The kind of sound that all profiteers enjoyed.
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Pulren Marsh
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A Weighty Subject (Alija)

Postby Alija on June 27th, 2015, 9:36 pm

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Pulren came on time, placing a large bag of coins on the counter. Alija took them quickly, pulling it across towards her and taking a peek inside. It seemed rude to count out the coins, expecially since there were so many, but a quick look would help her determine if the payment was right.

It wasn't that she doubted Pulren. After all, he was one of the polite, civilized portion of the citizens, and from previous actions it didn't seem as if he would try to cheat her. Still, Alija would need to count the coins out sooner or later, in case he missed some. Tracking him down after that shouldn't prove too much of a problem, if he did happen to have miscounted.

Almost forgetting the reason for his payment, Alija was about to thank him for it and leave, before she spotted the metal waiting patiently below the counter. Heaving it out, she placed it beside the bag of coins, now two bags on the counter. The sack the metal was in was large and little grimy from coal dust, but Alija had decided to give it to Pulren to help him transport his goods, if he hadn't organised something else instead.

"Your order, all here. If there are any problems, feel free to say. If not, I hope they serve you well, and that you come again soon!" she politely said, just waiting for Pulren to leave. When he did, they would be able to call the day over.
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A Weighty Subject (Alija)

Postby Pulren Marsh on June 28th, 2015, 9:56 am

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He was glad that she didn't pick through his mizas and hand count them. It would be a bit of an insult to do so to a Guard, considering they would be the very ones who would investigate and deal with someone who didn't pay. Money for goods. It was what the whole of trade in Zeltiva was based on, outside of barter. He inspected the plates, lifting one in his palm and nodding with satisfaction. They would be perfect for aiding him in diving. The anchor also was just as he had envisioned it. Part of his plan was complete.

"Thank you for the quick and fine service. I'll be sure to return when I need more implements. Thank you." He tied the sack up into a knot at the top, carrying it in his left hand while taking the anchor by its ring in his right. It was a heavy load, but he needed to carry it back home and just doing it was the most effective and efficient way. He nodded in thanks one more time as he headed out, making his way back to his home. Pulren's mind was lost in the sea, knowing he would soon be diving again.

Ledger :
- 50 GM for weights and anchor
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Pulren Marsh
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A Weighty Subject (Alija)

Postby Sayana on December 4th, 2015, 11:24 pm

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Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request. If there's anything I may have missed, please PM me and I'll be happy to look into it.


 
Pulren
Skills
  • Planning: 5
  • Intelligence: 1
  • Rhetoric: 4
  • Drawing: 1
  • Mathematics: 2
  • Teaching: 1
  • Negotiation: 2
  • Land Navigation: 2
  • Observation: 1
Lores
  • Location: Armed Scholar
  • Teaching: Using a sketch to explain an idea
  • Drawing: Sketching simple geometric shapes
  • Planning for a dive
  • Alija: Blacksmith at the Armed Scholar
Comments
Note: 90 pounds is a lot to casually carry off, especially if you're walking all the way home. I like that you mentioned a cart, but realistically he probably would have actually needed to use a cart of sorts. In real life I've seen job applications that have a requirement of "must be able to lift 100 pounds" since not anyone can do that.

Additionally, I couldn't quite tell if Pulren was active during Fall 515. If he was, please update your seasonal expenses. If not, it would be helpful to leave a note of sorts to help future graders. Thanks.


 
Alija
Skills
  • Observation: 3
  • Rhetoric: 5
  • Intelligence: 2
  • Negotiation: 3
  • Planning: 2
  • Interrogation: 1
  • Mathematics: 3
  • Leadership: 1
  • Blacksmithing: 1
Lores
  • Rhetoric: Reciting a short script from memory
  • Pulren: Member of the Wave Guard
  • Mathematics: Simple addition and division
  • Business: Setting a price based on the cost of raw goods
  • Blacksmithing: Punching a hole to form a ring
Comments
Note: 40 pounds of lead is a lot to be moving around so easily. It was particularly noticeable when she simply used her tongs to take out the 40 pounds of glowing hot lead out from the forge. And without sufficient bodybuilding skills, it's not something easily shrugged off. Just be mindful of that next time.

Additionally, if you haven't updated your seasonal expenses for Fall 515, please do so.

Comments: Nice thread overall. I liked how the two of you worked together to create a couple uncommon items but with reasonable pricing. The only thing that felt really off was how easily the two characters handled the heavy weights, since they were of a significant mass.

Your Grader,

Sayana
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