Solo Feathers Aplenty

[Sloane]

61st of Winter, 516 AV

For the first time in many day's, Sloane felt well. Early that morning Hana had helped her to bathe and wash her hair, her clothes properly clean for the first time in far too long. She'd even braided the walahks hair for her, the knots and twists tight and intricate, in true Drykas style. Yet, even the pleasant start to the day couldn't save her mood when she arrived at the Duskstep Pavilion to see a fresh pile of narrow wood planks waiting to be made into arrows. Sloane heaved a heavy groan of frustration at the sight. She'd spent the entire day before making dozens upon dozens of arrows as well, and she was well and truly tired of it.

Sighing, Sloane dumped her bag down next to the workbench, following it more gently with the two bows she carried; one her own, and the other Hansel's. Thankfully, she had his bow to repair as well, that would at least bring some relief to the crippling boredom that crafting arrows caused. It was a necessary evil, but that didn't make Sloane appreciate it anymore. Turning, Sloane made her way into the businesses main tent, ducking through the flap and blinking slowly for a moment as her eye's adjusted to the sudden change in light. When her eye's had finally adjusted she glanced around, catching sight of Cobb who was smirking at her from the other side of the tent. "Will you be gettin' visitors again today, Slo?" Sloane scoffed and rolled her eye's at him, hands going to her hips, knocking against the dagger that hung there. "Not you business." She retorted, understanding enough of his Pavi to get the message, and just enough to reply in kind.

Cobb smirk simply deepened, and he wandered of, chuckling to himself. Shaking her head, Sloane went about her business, moving from one bucket of arrows to the next, checking what was running low and needed to be replenished. When she was satisfied she knew what was needed, Sloane gathered the supplies and tools she needed and left the tent, returning to her work bench. She set about checking over the narrow planks that had been left for her. They were each about an inche thick, and just over a foot and a half in length. It looked like spruce, the wood a yellow colour and a weight, neither too light or two heavy. If they had been to heavy or light it would affect the potential level of penetration it may gain when it was fired.

Sloane examined the grain and the rings in the wood, paying careful attention to the slightest of details of the wood. The grain ran straight along the length of the wood, which was perfect, as it would make it easier in the crafting purpose. The rings in the wood were to her satisfaction as well, the growth rings set tightly together. The tighter the rings were, the stronger the arrow would be, with less chance of the head of the arrow breaking. Each shaft still had it's edges, and she would need to break them and carve them down before they would even truly resemble arrows.

Retrieving a block plane, Sloane pulled the first shaft towards her, using one hand to hold it up on an edge and setting the plane down on top of it. She held the piece of wood steady with a knuckle as she drew the plane down, the angled blade shearing a thin layer of wood from the shaft, already softening its edge. It was fiddly work, and a pain to keep the shaft balanced on an edge as she worked, and so as soon as the first side hand been softened a moderate deal she flipped it, now facing the bottom side up. It was far easier to work this way, as she could concentrate less of keeping the shaft balanced on a thin edge, and dedicate more of her attention to rounding the wood. She made a mental note to either find of make a 'v' block later, and was slightly annoyed she hadn't thought of it sooner. A 'v' block would have made the job a huge deal simpler, as it would perfectly fit square shaped objects at an angle, saving her from constantly chafing her knuckles whenever her hand slipped.

Common ~ Pavi ~ Thoughts

[Sloane]

Rounding the shafts was an easy, if boring, job, and Sloane worked quickly, taking the edges off of each of the shafts in the small pile before her. Once she'd broken the edges she slowed, working far slower and with a great deal of care as she perfected each arrow, holding them up every few strokes and inspecting them with a practiced eye, ensuring that each side was perfectly rounded before turning to the next. It was the longest part of the first step, and by the time each shaft had been rounded, Sloane's eye's ached, her fingers stiff and cramped from holding the same position for so long.

Setting the prospective arrows down, Sloane made her way back to the supply area, and set about gathering bone arrowheads, feathers, a resin-glue, string and an array of carving knives. Back at her work-bench, Sloane set her gear down carefully, arranging each item before her in easy reaching distance, in the order that they would be used. She didn't recommence her work immediately, and instead took a small stroll around the outdoor area and through the Duskstep's tent, stretching and flexing her fingers in an attempt to be rid of the painfully tight sensation. There was no point in continuing the job if she was going to be unable to hold the arrows properly, and so Sloane took her time with this, watching Cobb speak with and instruct customers in the mean time.

Once the muscles in her hands had relaxed, Sloane made her way back to her work, pleased to see that no one had touched her carefully laid out supplies while she'd been gone. The arrows she would be making were only cheap, basic arrows, generally used for those still learning to use and hunt with a bow, or perhaps for smaller, lighter prey. Sloane couldn't even begin to count how many of these arrows she'd made in her life, and though she knew they were one of the most common used and were sold in the largest quantities, she couldn't help but think that they were the most boring thing that she could make.

Picking up her smallest carving knife, Sloane pulled forward the supplies that would make the first of the arrows, picking a piece of wood and an arrow tip and laying them in the middle of the table. It was important that she carved out a notch from the shaft for the arrow head to sit snugly. Ideally the glue was just a fail safe, and the arrowhead should fit so tightly that the glue wasn't really needed. She set to work, holding the arrow shaft in her left hand as she carefully began to gouge a narrow slit from the center, gradually deepening the split. She'd pause periodically, and swap her knife for the arrow head, sliding it into place in order to gauge how much more she'd need to carve.

After a few moments of silent carving and testing, Sloane was finally satisfied that her slit was deep enough, and she set the knife aside, dragging the jar of glue closer and taking up a brush. She coated the arrowhead in glue and slid it into place, holding it securely for a few long, boring moments as the glue dried, gazing off into the distance as she waited. After a moment she wiggled the arrowhead very gently, and was satisfied to see that it had set well enough to hold itself in place. Next, she reached for the string, and pulled a length free to begin wrapping it around the notch and the base of the bone arrowhead.

She looped the string around a half dozen times, ensuring that it was kept tight, but not so tight that it ended up breaking the bond of the glue and dislodging the arrow head. Tying it off, Sloane then went ahead to coat the string in glue as well, to ensure that the string would maintain as much strength as possible, for as long as possible. Holding it up, she turned it back and forth, eye's sharp and attentive as she examined the arrow head for any mistakes. Once she was satisfied that there were none, she set it aside in the sun, careful to lay the arrow in a way that avoided putting any pressure on the drying head.

Common ~ Pavi ~ Thoughts

[Sloane]

Sloane moved on to the next arrow, picking up a shaft and holding it up, her eye casting down it's length. Once she was satisfied that it was as straight as a, well, arrow, she moved on, retrieving her carving knife from the small pile of wood shavings that had begun to cover the table top. She worked slightly faster now, falling into a familiar rhythm as she worked, dust and chips of wood raining down onto the table with each movement of her knife. Occasionally she would slip, and the devilishly sharp blade would veer off course, but so long as she missed her fingers and didn't damage the shaft, Sloane would keep up her pace, eager to get the task finished, though she knew that it would take up the majority of her day. A small pile was accumulating on her left, a much needed display of her slow progress.

She picked out the next shaft and sighted it, her brows furrowing in irritation as she noticed the gentle curve in the lower few inches of the glorified stick. How she'd missed it when she'd broken down the corners she wasn't sure, and huffing in irritation, Sloane tested the flex of the wood between her hands. A crooked arrow was as good as kindling, as not even the greatest of all archers would be able to shoot it with any accuracy, and so it was simply a matter of fixing the shaft of scraping it all together. Holding the arrow tightly she applied pressure to the bend with the heel of her palm to straighten it and held it for a few moments before she released it. It was still crooked, and after spitting a few frustrated swears, Sloane tried again, with little progress. There were many ways to straighten an arrow however, and so she stood, marching away from her small work station, determination written clearly over her face.

A small fire was set at the back of the tent, the flames low but still alight. Sloane crouched next to it, holding the arrow over the low flames with a hand either side of the bend. She was careful to keep the flames from touching the shaft, and let the heat warm the wood as she applied pressure, slowly bending it back into a straight line. Her hands were almost unbearably hot, but Sloane bore it, keeping at it until the shaft was straight. She kept the pressure on the wood as she stood, removing it from the heat of the flames as she waited for it to cool, a relieved sigh escaping her as a cool breeze picked up, both soothing her hands and helping to cool to wood quicker.

Soon enough the shaft was cool to the touch, and Sloane released the pressure she'd held, bouncing with glee to see that her trouble and seared hands had paid off. The arrow was straight, and the wood had reshaped without damage, not a split of splinter in sight. Grinning, Sloane made her way back to her workbench, a skip in her step as she worked through carving and fastening the rest of the arrow heads into place, breezing through the last few arrows with a satisfied smile. Pleased with her work, she set the arrows aside carefully, and made her way back to the main tent to wait for them to dry.

Common ~ Pavi ~ Thoughts

[Sloane]

Once some time had passed Sloane returned to her bench, a handful of feathers in hand. The feathers were from a scrub turkey, traded to the Duskstep pavilion in return for a spool of bow strings. They were in good condition from what Sloane could tell, the feathers neat and straight, with no sign of any damage or dirt. Sloane had been careful to only pick out feathers that were long and fairly stiff, with a thick quill. Settling back at the bench, Sloane set the pile down in front of her, and rustled around in her tools until she found a small, sharp knife. Pulling the first feather towards her she leant in close, working the knife through the thick bottom of the quill. Tossing the scrap of quill to the side, Sloane turned the feather to the side, and held in flat with one hand, the other drawing the knife along the length of the quill, splitting the feather in two. With that done she set the halved feather aside and retrieved the next one, repeating the steps until she had a pile of halves before her.

Setting the knife aside, Sloane picked up a feather from the pile and examined it carefully, her eye's searching the feather for any curve or cup that would affect the flight or cause a spin to the arrow. She still kept these feathers for fletching but it was important that they weren't mixed with the other feathers. If she were to fletch an arrow with two different cup of feathers it would through off the aim, making them entirely useless. Having sorted the cupped feathers from one another Sloane trimmed them once more, cutting them into smaller pieces to fit perfectly at the rear of the arrow shaft.

Sloane swept the feather scraps off of the table, and pulled a coil of sinew and an arrow towards her. She liked sinew, it was strong and sturdy, and it didn't require any type of glue or sealant, just water, as it became tacky on it's own once wet. Cutting a portion, Sloane leant to the side and dunked it in the water bucket next to her, pulling a face in mild distaste as it almost immediately started to become sticky and slick. With her free hand, Sloane held the fletch against the shaft, and wrapped the sinew once around the shaft with the other. She wrapped the sinew again, this time laying it over the end of the fletch, tying it flat against the shaft of the arrow. Another wrap of sinew, for security, and then Sloane picked up the next fletch, holding it a third of the way around the arrow shaft, and wrapped the sinew twice more across the end. The third fletch joined the others, and Sloane wrapped the remainder of the sinew around the shaft, wetting her fingers and smoothing it down once the end had been wrapped.

With one end secured, Sloane cut and wet another length of sinew to secure the other side. It was easier the second time round, as Sloane didn't have to juggle loose fletches, the shaft and the sinew all at once. Once the ends had been securely wrapped and smoothed down, Sloane wiped off her hands, reaching for her last tool, a small set of shears. Leaning over her waste bucket, Sloane very carefully trimmed the fletching down, until each feather was precisely the same length. Grinning at the finished arrow, Sloane set it aside to await the sinew to dry and shrink down, and after a brief moment to stretch out her neck and her aching fingers, she moved onto the next.

Common ~ Pavi ~ Thoughts

[J'Ak]

G R A D E


xp

Socialization +1
Observation +3
Carpentry +1
Fletching +4
Organization +1
Endurance +2


lores

Crafting arrows day-in-day-out is monotonous
The look and feel of spruce wood
Fletching: Wood weight affects arrow penetration potential
Fletching: Tighter wood rings creates a strong arrow
Carpentry: Using a block plane to shape wood
Carpentry: A V block is useful when using a block plane
Organization: Arranging tools in order they will be used
Fletching: Arrowheads should fit so securely they hold without glue
Fletching: Gluing & tying arrowheads to the shaft
Fletching: Straightening an arrow with heat
Fletching: Sinew binds when wet
Fletching: Adding & trimming feathers


NOTES

Not tedious at all, I enjoyed watching Sloane become bored with her work and gradually get into it, it made me smile. Thanks for the read, and great work with those lores!

Don't forget to deduct living expenses for Fall 517AV.


If you feel I missed anything let me know via PM!
Don't forget to edit your grade request here,