Flashback [The Ironworks] Fields could Fail without Iron

[Ethan Ironhorse]

25th of Spring, 512 A.V. If someone had to say what one of Syliras' biggest industries were, armor and metalwork would definitely have to The Ironworks and the sheer amount of metal products produced there. Since Ros Vizerian also owns the The Lykolav Iron Mine, one of the largest in Mizahar, it also seems fitting that it was named for his mother who discovered it ages past. Now, fully supplied by its own prime source of iron, the Ironworks is the single largest forge in the region or even neighboring regions (outside of Kalea). The Ironworks was a normal result of the needs of the Syliran Knights, who demand a huge amount of armor, barding, and weaponry to keep at their task of re-establishing civilization in a world gone mad with disaster. However, the Ironworks aren't just about weapons and armor. Syliras has a great deal of agriculture and requires farm implements, iron for the outside of wagon wheels, and all sorts of fixtures, fasteners, and things like nails for building - rasps for farriers, horseshoes, and even bits for bridles. The Ironworks makes all of this and more. With the capacity for ten forges going at one, The Ironworks employs over fifty full time workers, most highly skilled. Ethan entered the Iron works like any other day looking at his queue of things to do. It seemed that a farmer out in the field had broken his drag chain, used in tearing up stumps or dragging large trees back to a mill or storeroom. Ethan took up a pair of tongs off their rack and placed the iron bar stock into the forge. Slowly the iron began to heat up as Ethan worked the bellows. His arms moved up and down, muscles moving in a rhythmic place. Whoosh, the air entered the forge making the coals glow bright red, and flames shooting up around the metal. The like a wheezing old man as the bellows expanded sucking in more air. The sound seemed to relax Ethan, conjuring images of his grandfather as he would chase Ethan around the room. Quickly Ethan’s arm went up, and whoosh went the bellows as air was brought in. Pulling on the bar, air left the bellows and heat from the increasing flame blasted his face. The iron began to have a soft glow about its end, the color orange centered about the flame quickly turned to blue and eventually into black as the bar progressed from the flame. The flames slowly began to die down, like a hand retreating from the gentle caress of the iron. Whoosh, once again Ethan’s arm shot up allowing the heavy weighted top to collapse the leather and force the air into the forge. Slowly the iron bar stock turned bright yellow orange and Ethan picked up the tongs. The tongs grasped the glowing iron bar and lifted the bar to the anvil. In his right hand was the hammer, as it came crushing down upon the iron bar. The sweet tang of metal sounded throughout the forge. Sparks flew as flakes of metal began to peel of the bar from the force, and Ethan lifted the hammer once again, seeing the dent that his blow had brought. Where his hammer struck the metal had cooled, leaving an orange glow instead of the bright yellow it once held. Ethan once again brought down his hammer to hear the strike of the metal echo, thinning the bar stock down to size. Each stroke was brought the energy back up Ethan’s arm creating a humming roar of energy in him. Ethan’s only respite from the energy was when the bar became too cold and he would have to place the piece back in the forge to heat it up. Finally, after bells of work, Ethan had a round bar stock; it was nearly thrice the length of his forearm and thick as his finger. He had been able to replace the tongs with his hand as the bar had lengthen, allowing him to heat up only the part he wanted to shape. Now as he allowed the forge to heat up the end, Ethan found an iron wedge with a long post. Ethan began to thread the post down into one of the holes of the anvil. He would be able to use the wedge to cut the round bar stock to size and create a link. Ethan checked the length of the chain links and measured them using a long string made of leather to get the length right. After taking the measurement, Ethan grabbed the round bar stock which he had placed back in the forge and brought the heated end down onto the wedge. Slowly he shifted the bar stock till he had the correct length, and then he once again brought down his hammer. The bar stock jumped in his hands from the force of his blow. As Ethan brought up the hammer, he gave the round bar stock a turn. Each time the hammer came down a small wedge was forged into the metal. The bar stock began to from a blunted wedge into the middle of it. Ethan worked the iron stock, until it had cooled, the taper had shrunken to a fourth of its size. Ethan then took pliers off the rack and began working the metal back and forth. It was hard work moving the iron back and forth. The metal was rapidly cooling on the inside, and yet Ethan needed to create a fatigue line in the metal. Slowly, the metal began to give more and more as Ethan worked it back and forth. Ethan saw the crack start to form in the wedge line and as he twisted back and forth a break in the round bar finally occurred as the piece broke into two. Feeling relief Ethan put the smaller round bar into to the forge to heat up as he placed the newly formed bar stock into the trade bin for Ros to sale later.

[Ethan Ironhorse]

Ethan pulled out the round bar from the forge with tongs, and placed it near the horn of the anvil. Slowly he began pounding in a curve into the metal about three fourths up its length. Ethan swings were fully body, unlike the ones he had done shaping the bar, for he wanted to bend the entire bar not create small dents in the metal. Through the strokes of his hammer bar quickly began to form into a hook, and then Ethan moved to his hammer lower making sure that the straight length of the bar kept its form. Moving back to the forge Ethan heated up the unfinished link again and again, he was covered in sweat and grime as he watched the link heat up. Once both bends had been made Ethan stopped, handling the chains he threaded the links onto the one he was crafting. First, he placed the harness link onto the chain, the cool metal leaving a blue streak across the orange metal. Afterward, he placed the second link that contained the rest of the chain on the link. He was force to move his tongs on the piece, but once done he quickly hammered the link closed. As Ethan finished he picked up the chain link and went over to a quench barrel. Slowly he felt the heated link into the barrel feeling steam coming up about his body. Ethan waited till the hiss of water and feel of heat wasn’t present. Pulling the chain out of the barrel water dripped down the front of his apron, slowly Ethan coiled the chain in his hands feeling the heavy weight. When he got to the hook, he grabbed it with one hand as he lifted the harness ring for the horses over his shoulder. He had spent his morning making the iron link. Going over to the shop side of the ironworks Ethan dropped off the chain to let Ros and the clerk know he was done. Ethan took a piece of chalk and lined through the broken link job. Just below the broken link was a request for several garden hoes and on another line one for several axe heads. Feeling that he would do the garden hoes another day, Ethan put a check mark next to the axe heads telling Ros that he would perform the task.

[Ethan Ironhorse]

Ethan went to the stockroom and requested two steel quarter bar stock so that he could make four axe heads. Picking up the ten pound bars, one in each hand, Ethan went back over to his forge feeling the humdrum of his existence. Every day, he came to the forge and worked, the only time he joined others at the bar was once every ten days or so. Ethan was feeling like if he didn’t change soon, he would be trapped behind the forge like his father and brother. Yet what choice did he have, as a farrier he was needed and fashioning farmer tools was a decent job. Placing the quarter bar stock into the flames with his tongs, Ethan began to wonder if maybe there was a better job out there. Something that would use his mind, something that would have in interact with traders more… something that would help people, like a philter. Ethan began to feed the forge fire, making the steel bars heat up. As the bars of steel began to reach uniform yellow Ethan picked up a hammer and tongs. The hammers that Ethan had choose were a wide face with a heavy head. Quickly, he began pounding the bar in half with a wedge that had been setup. Each quarter bar was ten pounds and a steel axe head should never be more than five for working. As each bar dropped into two, Ethan took the time to make each one into a thinner rectangle. As the first bar of steel began to flatten out Ethan formed a wedge in the middle of the bar. Quickly he folded the metal back on top of itself, and they began beating it again, this time the metal seemed less soft, and he had to put more muscle into hammering it back down. By the third fold, Ethan was grunting from the force he had to put into each blow realizing that only heating it back up would allow the work to continue. Ethan continued the folding process making the metal in the bar have several layers with different grain structures. The heating up and cooling was tempering the steel making each layer stronger as a whole. The sound of the metal began to change as layers and tempering of the steel occurred. When Ethan had started the bar had a low pitch to it, now the range of it had tighten to a high ring. As Ethan recognized the strengthening of the metal by the sound it made, he place the bar back in the forge. Throughout the afternoon Ethan had been moving back and forth between bars while waiting for the others to heat up. Ethan prepared to make the final fold of each bar. Taking out an Iron rod shaped like an axe handle, Ethan would fold the steel over the metal axe hand while it was hot as the metal cooled the head would fall off from shrinking in overall length. Ethan began hammering bar into a rectangle. Working with the edge of the anvil Ethan began to bend the bar. As the bar bent far enough so that Ethan could switch from tongs to the axe handle, he completed the fold all over hitting the two ends together till they became one. Once done, Ethan pulled out the iron axe handle as the bar cooled and placed it off to the side. As each piece was folded with the shaped hole, Ethan prepared himself in making the axe head blade. Most people believed that an edge was formed when the blacksmith made the cutting instrument. The truth was that a cutting edge had to be ground into the metal with the use of a wetstone. So Ethan turned the steel folded and tempered bar over his anvil. Working with the tongs he made one side square so that a farmer could use the backside like a giant hammer. It misshapen the axe handle hole, but the hole was there for the carver to cut the wood and place it in, not so that the blacksmith could create the perfect axe every time. Slowly the blade began to take shape as Ethan pulled the other side of the bar into a triangle. He made sure to make the point think enough so that it had strength to chop a tree, but thin enough to that the head could be sharped for several years without losing its angle. After finishing the axe heads, Ethan quenched the steel and went to the grinding stone. Showers of sparks went from the grinding of the head and he moved the head back and forth. Ros had setup the system so that everyone got paid a basic wage per day, but if someone could complete jobs quickly then they could get a bit of a bonus once per season. Of course that meant the senior apprentices and journeymen received easier tasks or ones less time consuming with better pay off. Yet that was life and Ethan started to think if he couldn’t somehow get out of it.

[Ethan Ironhorse]

Ethan woke up in his room feeling stiff and sore. His stuff hay mattress was starting to break down and Ethan could begin to smell the first signs of mold. Sitting up in the dark room, Ethan looked over at the fireplace and simmering pot of stew. Morning and night the pot was Ethan’s only real steady meal. The stew was a constant and predictable meal, Ethan had learned it from his parents simply put in meat once a seven to fourteen days, while vegetables and roots would keep the stew semi flavorful. Of course, once every forty days or so one had to empty the pot out and clean it. Ethan pulled off the blanket and walked over to the fireplace naked. The constant fire helped keep the draft from the room, but Ethan couldn’t afford to have the fire roaring day and night. Ethan placed enough wood on the fire to keep it going till he got back from work. The pile of ash was slightly disturbed by the placement of wood and as the ash fall over some of course carried its upward on the heated draft. The heated coals underneath were dusted off and began sharing it warmth with the wood. Within half a chime the wood would catch on fire and start the process again. Ethan poured the water from the pitcher in the wash basin; carefully he took a scrub cloth and gave himself a short scrub. Looking around the room, he began to realize that tomorrow he was going to have to do chores. Dishes needed to be scrubbed clean, the stew pot needed to be empty, the bedding needed to be replaced, and even his clothes could use a good scrubbing. No, he would have to talk to Ros and let him know that tomorrow he wouldn’t come in. At times like this Ethan thought about a having a wife. Part of him knew it was because he wanted to enjoy a day off of horses and the forge and not have to do the multiple chores around the house. Yet when he thought back to his own father and mother, they shared the work because they were a team not because one was subservient to the other. He knew that love allowed them to share the work and that they had agreed to what jobs each would take. On the other hand regular night time fun would be nice too. Still, Ethan had reservations about marriage, the responsibility of being part of a couple, not thinking selfishly about himself. The fear and extra expense of another person, he was already hovering at the edge of poverty. Along with all that there was the fear of choosing someone that wouldn’t or couldn’t be an equal partner. Ethan admitted that there were plenty of pretty girls, but pretty only helped when he was looking at her. He needed to talked and share his thoughts with her, and that required more than just a pretty face. Ethan scooped up a large helping of stew in a dirty bowl and sat down to eat. The gravy had thinned and overall the meat and vegetables had become bland and gummy. Ethan realized that after tonight it was time to clean out the pot. Ethan entered the Ironwork he sought out the most senior smith to let him and Ros know that he wouldn’t be in tomorrow. After a while he realized that only Ros in his office was here, so Ethan went over to him and had a simple conversation letting him know that tomorrow he would be off. To Ros it wasn’t a big deal, he paid the apprentices by the work they did not by the time they were here, but at least the respect of knowing Ethan wouldn’t be here was given. Slowly Ethan emptied the ash trap from the forge and began shoveling fresh coals into it. The fire began to spread anew with the fuel, orange flames began to spread, licking each new coal with flames and then slowly turning the black into white ash. Ethan once again began to work with the bellows hearing the breathing of them. Ethan checked the board for orders and saw that he had been slated for half a dozen garden hoes. Ethan began to place the quarter bar stock into the forge preparing the metal for day ahead. He went about the shop pulling down sets of tongs and hammers down. He set up the anvil with a steel round bar coming out of it. The bar was as thick as the wood shaft of a garden hoe or spade hilt, and was needed to create a cap for both. Ethan took the bar at one end and started to use the steel round bar to shape the iron cap. It was a way of punching a hole in the bar so that the shaft of the wood would slide over the hoe’s blade. Farmer’s would purchase the blades and install them on wood shafts by wedging the wood stock around the blade and swelling the wood under water. Ethan used his tongs to pick up a cap and began using the other side of the anvil to make a flat blade for the hoe. Slowly he began to beat out a flat even blade from the bar stock. As he got nearer to the curved bar he began to taper the blade into a round bar, in which he used the horn to curve the blade downward. Ethan counted to hammer the iron and rotating the different pieces in and out of the forge. The toil made for a slow day and Ethan knew that if he wanted to do all the chores around his room tomorrow, they he would need to complete the task tonight. The midday chime came and went as Ethan work, for an apprentice smith and farrier a midday meal was a luxury not a given. Even bread was not always a certainty, Ethan was however content to know that his dinner would be quite filling tonight as he would eat the last of the spent stew. By the time he finished hammer out the last hoe, he could tell it was getting late, but the job wasn’t done till he had sharpened the blades. The grindstone was on a wheel turn that spinned for some reason or another. Ethan only really knew that Ros had to have a gadgeteer or Engineer come out and fix the thing when the stone needed changing. Ethan wasn’t interested in gears and rope systems. Engineers seemed to get lots of money when they finished a job, but the work wasn’t constant and never knowing where your pay came from next scared Ethan. Ethan dumped a bucket of water across the grinning stone and set the hoes at the correct angle. Ethan’s muscled bugled as he pressed down on the hoe’s as the stone scrapped away metal. Ethan could tell that it was working as the water on the top of the stone began to get cloudy with metal. Slowly the blades became sharpen and Ethan was able to go up to the board and mark off the hoes. Looking at the grey slate, he saw that his orders had been disputed to other smiths to mark his day off, and that when he returned he would be heading out to the Outpost to shoe and care for horses. Sometimes, he honestly thought that if he just spent his time making items he would have more money than the travelling pay he got for going to the outpost. ~Fin

[Perplexity]

Riddled With Rewards Ethan Ironhorse Experience Skill XP Earned Blacksmithing + 5 EXP Weaponsmithing +2 EXP Organization + 2 EXP Drawing +1 EXP Bodybuilding +1 EXP Lores • Lore Earned • Blacksmithing: Properly Heating the Bellows • Blacksmithing: Working with Iron • Blacksmithing: Forging Iron Chain • Blacksmithing: Working with Steel • Blacksmithing: Garden Hoe • Weaponsmithing: Steel Axe • Marriage: Reservations and Beliefs Notes : You continue to impress me with the quality and detail of your work Mr. Ethan. You are most certainly due the EXP and Lores you’ve earned in this thread and if I wasn’t limited in the amount of EXP I could give you per thread I would have given you more! It is not often I see someone who goes through the actual steps of forging. I tip my hat to you good sir! The work of a blacksmith is also very physically demanding so in that regard I gave you a point in bodybuilding. Work those muscles! If you have any questions in regards to your grades feel free to PM me!