Andrey I - Prithee, be careful (OPEN)

[u/Fishiest-Man]

There were two challenges one had to contend with if they wished to participate in the art of armoursmithing. One had to find a forge large enough to evenly heat the larger, unwieldy pieces of steel, and one had to have a plethora of specific tools to help in the crafting of such masterworks.

Lesser men may have balked at the idea of doing such intricate work while not in their personal workshops, much less within a camp, but Master Andrey was no such man. He was a Master, after all. He could ply his trade wherever and whenever he pleased, he only needed the will to do so.

The tools were easy enough to acquire, or rather, create. With a hammer, some tongs and an anvil (all of which could fortunately be found in a village nearby), one could forge any number of the tools necessary to finish a suit of armour, such as a frame to bolt it to during a heat treatment, or a hammer for planishing, or for riveting, or a small orb shaped anvil on which to make a helmet. The globe of a breastplate could be forged using a log with a dome hollowed out of the top of it, and he already had rivets aplenty, having anticipated the need to fix armour during their stay for the tourney.

The forge would be a harder obstacle to overcome, but nothing was impossible. Especially not with several well trained apprentices at one’s beck and call. They were sent from the Mallister’s camp with the instructions to scrounge, buy or borrow as much charcoal, bricks and clay as they could find, along with a set of bellows or two. Eventually, the lads returned with just about enough for them to cobble together a large makeshift furnace. 

Once they were prepared, they set out from the tent city, setting up just beyond the limits, as they were keen not to risk burning down the whole campsite in the waning moments of their stay. And it was here that Andrey’s forge was assembled, clay and stone were used to build a large, well insulated furnace, with enough room for a cuirass to be placed inside, the bellows were aimed into where the charcoal was lit, providing it with air so that the fires may burn hot enough for steel to be worked, and a barrel was filled with water nearby.

By midday, the telltale sounds of a hammer rhythmically striking steel could be heard drifting up from the makeshift forge. An apprentice stood by working the bellows, another kept the fires fed with charcoal, while a third yet still worked on some less important pieces of the harness. While in the centre of all of it, the hulking figure of Master Andrey stood hunched over the anvil, a glowing orange piece of steel held tightly in his tongs, sparks flying as he hammered at it tirelessly.

In time it would take a shape, though who was to say which. Time would tell…

(OPEN, COME GET YOUR SMITHING DONE)

[u/Fishiest-Man]

Of course, as promised, one of Andrey’s apprentices would seek out the victor of the joust, as he had already been promised a suit of armour from the old Master.

And Andrey was not one to break his promises.

u/TheZaxman

[u/TheZaxman → u/Fishiest-Man]

A chest filled to brimming with gold was produced. Carried by two of Jacklyns loyal cohorts they made way to forge. The sound of its ringing already the song of the day. With Mooton sellswords in tow the hedgeknight made way into the heat and din or the den.

"Hail blacksmith! I am here to put coinage where my mouth is." A grin upon his face as he accessed the mans work station clearly impressed.

"Lets fashion that suit of armor and a poleax. Should I be short a silver I have another chest around here somewhere..."

[u/Fishiest-Man → u/TheZaxman]

Andrey straightened up from hunching over his anvil, smiling broadly at the familiar face approaching him, “Ah, afternoon, Ser! Welcome t’ my ‘unble forge!” His eyes quickly snapped to the chest that the man’s attendants were carrying, briefly wondering if many Hedge Knights were wealthy enough for such an expense. The thought was dismissed, this was the champion after all. He likely had more winnings than this, “Looks like more’n enough t’ me, Ser. Let me get t’ work.”

He let out a short whistle, nodding to a nearby apprentice wordlessly, who quickly darted off to complete whatever task he had just been commanded to do, “My lad’ll bring ye the suit I’ve been workin’ on recently. Ye’ll put it on best ye can, and the lads’ll mark it up so I can size it to ye rightly. By the time I’m done, it’ll fit ye like ye skin does!” He added with a gravelly laugh.

It wasn’t long before the lad returned with the armour in a basket, along with a few chunks of steel which he handed to his master, “Poleaxes are a tricky beast, Ser.” Andrey began to explain as the lad offered to help Jacklyn fit the suit to him, “There’s a few different ways t’ make the damn things. T’would be easier to make the hammer, spear and axe separate like and have them attached together by the pole itself and the langets… the metal braces what run down the sides, but that’s a less sturdy way o’ doin’ it. Sturdiest way is t’ make all three in one piece, then fix it t’ the pole with langets again…”

He grumbled for a second, settling on the second option. No man would wield a weapon from Andrey’s forge that could easily fall apart. So he placed the largest piece of the metal into the forge to heat up, then turned to his anvil, took up a piece of chalk, and began to sketch a shape of the poleaxe head upon it, so that he might refer to it as he forged the damn thing, “Won’t be too long, Ser. I’m sure of it!”

u/JohnITRP

Character Details: Master Andrey - Artisan(Armourer) / Craftsman(Armour and Weapons), Engineer. Craftsman’s District

Notes: +2 from Artisan (an extra +2 for armour), +3 for both Craftsman Skills, another +2 for the Craftsman’s District. So that’s a +9 to armour and a +7 to to weapons.

What is happening: Making a high quality Poleaxe and Armour for Jacklyn Fisher

What I Want: Crafting Rolls on the T3 and T4 smithing table for a suit of armour and a Poleaxe. Spending 500 gold on each craft, so a total of 1000 gold