Anyone can
pound a piece of iron, just as anyone can put paint on canvas or apply a chisel to marble. Going through the
motions is easy enough, but becoming a Blacksmith is a path which should not be
taken lightly. Being a Blacksmith is more than a grunt job, more than gates and door fittings and
shoeing beasts of burden. A Blacksmith is an artist in every aspect of their
life, their call requires dedication, sacrifice, education. Art is a selfish
profession that takes a heavy tithe from the artist, and in a world oozing
chaos one needs to be careful when they open the doors to their soul.
Desylinn is
shifting constantly on the sands of chaos and Blacksmiths have elected
themselves the official steady anchor of order. Their training includes mining,
artistry, metallurgy, and of course, Smithing. They go through rigorous self mastery and weapon training and are not allowed to
make anything they do not know how to use. Most monasteries have their adepts
choose a path which allows employment in various industries like farming,
construction or the military.
Five monasteries make up the Blacksmiths Quarter in
Hub: the Anvil, Might, Muse, Forge, and Hammer. These monasteries are united under their banner as
Smiths, but this unity is a strained peace at best.
The Anvil
are children of the earth and pay homage to Ariga, the Goddess of Earth, as the
earth is the original anvil. They believe they are stewards of her home and they
take responsibility for her balance and care. Mining is only done as needed
with as small a footprint possible. The sanctity of environmental habitats
always take precedence over ore collection. Blacksmiths of the Anvil are
selective in what they make, ensuring their art does no harm. They do make
weapons, but as tools of peace and justice. If their art is used in the harm of
life or environment, it is their responsibility to correct that imbalance.
The Might
are introspective. All creation stems from the Blacksmith, therefore it is the
responsibility of the Blacksmith to master Self. The anvil, hammer, and forge
are all extensions of the Blacksmith and inspiration is also found within.
Smiths of the Might strive to help others master themselves and embark on
service missions. Staunch pacifists and philosophers, they act as mediators by the
other guilds. If something they create causes imbalance, they take it
personally, since the art is an extension of their self. If part of yourself is
causing a disruption then you are imbalanced.
The Muse
are the inspirational center of the
Blacksmiths. If you have metal, heat and a hammer, you have art. The Muse' believe the mind is a playground to be explored,
messed up, taken to the limit and then beyond because it is through shattering conceived rules and laws that new boundaries can be defined and order achieved.
The only governing law of the Muse is to create.
The Forge
Blacksmiths seek to master life, as Daras, the Goddess of Death is the master
of all life. Given this focus their main production and training is in weaponry.
They are extremely focused on the end user of their product. They have no inner
conflict if something they created has caused pain, since that is what it was
created for. The forge is an unforgiving, yet even-handed mistress, destroying
all imperfections to bring a beautiful order from chaos. The Forge, as a monastery, maintains detached neutrality from
politics, but will usually lean toward the flow of gold.
The monks
of the Hammer are academics first and Blacksmiths second. Knowledge is power;
where and how hard the hammer is swung determines the success or failure of creation.
The Hammer will sacrifice everything to attain knowledge, even their own
health. They specialize
in unique, hard to create items, seeking the secrets of forging and soulbinding
which lead to the downfall of the Elves.
The Might
and Anvil keep close ties, and the two can tolerate the Muse. While the Forge
cares little of other Blacksmiths, the one thing these four monasteries agree on is their
overwhelming distrust of the Hammer. As a Blacksmith loyalties lie first with
the monastery, second with other Blacksmiths and third with others, including
family, friends or country. The Might and Hammer will take on vows of celibacy, but others take spouses and rear
families if the time permits. Those who do so early in their career rarely rise
to prominence.
The Blacksmith Quarter is fiercely defensive of it's
members. If someone messes with a Blacksmith, they catch heat from the entire
Quarter, even if that Blacksmith is from the Hammer. They work well with the
Merchant and Music guilds, oft times providing militia or weapons for caravans
and events. Blacksmiths hold a strong distaste for the Mage's Guild and
currently have pulled all Smiths from their District. Their relationship with
the Workman's Guild is as complex as their leadership, so the Blacksmiths
tolerate them on a person-by-person basis. However, during the First Shenanigan
the Blacksmiths did not actively partake in the riots, but did suspend
operations, holding protest in support of the Workman's Guild.
Titles vary between monasteries, but the general hierarchy
starts with a Master Blacksmith as head and a Master Artisan as their second.
Other titles or positions include Master Forge, usually reserved for dragon
members of repute, Weapons Master, and Bosun, who is in charge of handing out
work assignments to students and overseeing commercial production.
Despite their inner squabbles Blacksmiths are staunch
pragmatists and understand the need for unity, if only the outward appearance
of unity. A few endeavors the monasteries maintain cooperatively, namely the
Master Council, Artisan Council, Militia, Bosun Council, and the Billows.
The governing body of the Guild is the Master Council, who
meet when something affects the Quarter as a whole: political matters, riots,
an attack on Hub, etc. They have a volunteer militia comprised of an equal
number of Smiths from each monastery and governed by the monastery Weapons
Masters who take turns as Watch Commanders. Any Blacksmith derelict in their
duty, causing trouble in other districts, or practicing their trade without
Guild permission are dealt with swiftly and severely.
Any guild
needing the specialized
skills of a Blacksmith must send a request, a work order, to the Quarter job
bank. These orders are bid on by the Bosun Council
who send bid details back to the requesting guild, parchments being void of any
monastery identification. The requesting Guild chooses, and a monastery Smith is
sent out to accomplish the job. The Guild operates a cooperative shop for mass
production jobs, headed by the Artisan Council.
You never see a non-sanctioned shop set up. On the off
chance one springs up, the upstart is replaced quietly with a legitimate
Blacksmith who works the shop for a week or two while the upstart smith is away
for 'personal reasons' then just as quietly closes the shop, redirecting business
to the nearest sanctioned Smith.
Blacksmiths are rarely poached as they have decent working
relationships with the Merchants and Musicians and are willing to work with
them. Lone laborers and foremen from the Workman's will try bullying tactics,
but they have little bite for all their barking. The real threat comes from the
Mage's Guild since the Blacksmiths have severed ties. If a member goes missing,
Mage disappearances increase until their brother or sister is returned.
However, there are times when Blacksmiths will leave their order for one reason
or another and voluntarily join the Mage Guild ranks, working the forge in
secret. When this happens a Billows is created. The Billows is a five member
team comprised of the top student from each monastery who hunt down the
offending apostate and remove both forearms and punish those harboring them.
They will also destroy any projects the apostate was working on.
The Blacksmiths have proven themselves as artists, shrewd
capitalists, fierce fighters, and a multi-faceted Guild. Their ability to work
together toward the common goal of Order and fierce inter-guild loyalty makes
it possible to rebuff any attempts on their Quarter and profession. They are
honorable men and women, who believe in being honor bound to their word. Even
if they aren't very decent words, you can always rely on them to deliver and follow through.
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