[LOCKED LOCATION] The Starlight Forge

[Fox]

forge.jpg The Starlight Forge

Deep within the Temple complex which stood upon the Dwarven-Engineered Basilica known as the Temple of Blessed Hands is a Forge, hidden away artfully behind the stables, surrounded by a grove of trees to dull the scent of smoke and the sound of the hammer. Unlike other forges across Aelyria, this forge was isolated, and no one who wasn’t meant to find it ever found it… such was the enchantment upon it to protect all of its magical wares from thieves and the uninitiated. The forge was constructed of a solid pale granite, polished to a glassy smoothness, although the forge itself was cast of iron, and open to the air out the back… covered by a sturdy roof, pillared with the finest black marble so that soot-marks wouldn’t show up.

The lintel and the doorframe out the front of the forge were of the same black marble, although it bore the sign of a star etched into the marble, wreathed in circles of light… small diamonds picked out the star, which glowed in the dimmer light under the trees, even when sunlight did not strike it. Inside, the floor was also black marble, though swept clean every day, and the interior was walled with crystal-glass cases, filled with magical creations.

Upon the floor, at the door… were the words;

“Evil Dwelt Here. It Resides No More.”

Many years ago, the Starlight Forge had been built upon the grave of a wicked, vengeful spirit, who had caused no end of trouble, playing hex with the carefully wrought magics on the weaponry, ruining the steel to cause blades forged over the course of years to shatter, much to the dismay of the local Elves and Dwarves.

However, a passing troupe of Paladins and Monks had deigned to intervene; and the spirit had been banished with much effort, and the Forge sanctified into a place as holy as any Cathedral might be. It was here that the Paladins of Natura forged their blessed blades; they took for themselves the sigil of the Silver Star, and named the birthplace of their enchanted weaponry the Starlight Forge. Over the years, the Dwarven Smiths, the Elvish Steelwrights, and the Paladins had let the Forge accumulate those things that might prove dangerous in the wrong hands… Strange, sentient orbs of Summoners, balls of crystal mounted upon dainty golden stands from Seers, the magnificent sceptres of Oracles, and one suit of Mithril, lacquered with the black Obsidianate… Laurodhel, a legacy from a great Paladin Patriarch, ages ago… all were kept safe.

Here, too, the things granted to the Rangers, the Druids and the Bards were made, as well as the armour for the Paladins and the lighter stuffs that the Rangers wore into the forests. In classical Naturan style, the armour was made in the way of light-plate at the heaviest for the Paladins, and in the way of arm-guards, cuisses and segmented cuirasses for all warriors of the Orders… light-weight and allowing the greatest range and speed of movement possible. Obsidianate and Mithril were used here for those Paladins who proved themselves to be the greatest of the Clergy, after many trials through death and Aeternia against the legions of evil. They were the much-blessed, and a suit of armour had not been forged in the likes of Laurodhel for centuries… some said those days of the Paladins were gone.

The Starlight Forge created the Bulbs of the Grove for the Druids who passed their Quests to dedicate themselves strongly to the cause of Natura, delicate water-filled tiny spheres of polished crystal of the Spring, hung from collars of precious metal… gold of sun for men, silver of moon for women. Upon careful observation, however, the bulbs held a tiny speck of light at the centre, hardly the size of a grain of sand, dormant as a seed was, awaiting an owner to awaken the power within, to let it grow as mighty as an oak. For the Rangers, their bows were carved and bent here of the finest yew, polished and strengthened by magic and special oils to make them as supple as a sapling, yet their draw was deep and hard… only a Ranger who had the privilege of becoming a true Sentient of Naturan forests could attain and manage a bow.

However, to the side were the silver wolf’s head brooches, the symbol of the Silver Wolves, the Naturan Ranger faction. These brooches would be attached to their Ranger-cloaks, finely woven of the softest cashmere, enchanted with each thread to show the green of leaf, the tone of earth, the shadow under the trees, and the translucence of water. Several finished cloaks hung on pegs, awaiting their brooches to be attached… somehow, they contrived to be almost invisible against the wall, providing the Ranger who wore them with the next best thing to invisibility. Those bows in evidence were unstrung… only a Silver Wolf could compress their strength, to tame it with a sting.

Only two Paladin-weapons were in evidence… one, a wicked-looking flanged mace, designed to crush and tear… ideal for stripping a heavily-armed opponent of all his defences, and then to shatter bones and rend flesh. Each flange of the mace was pointed like an arm of a star, and faint lines etched into the mace had been packed with the dust of pale blue diamonds, giving the overall appearance of a shimmering star, fragile and as delicate as a flower, on top of the steel haft. However, this mace could cause more damage than any weapon up close for all of its beauty. Beside it lay a sword, the Paladin’s primary weapon, long and made in the style of folded steel that was usually applied to katanas… polished and honed to a razor edge down both sides of the blade, and with a dainty filigree of the same diamond-dust stars just before the crosspiece, roving up the centrepiece. Both practically exuded a sense of blessing… to be gently touched by the sword would heal even as to be cut by it would kill… and the mace could serve as a water-sprinkler to ease hurts and horror… just as it could give it.

Finally, there was a Bardic instrument… a small, golden harp, with the sigil of the Silver Treble. The shy Bards rarely ventured into Natura for any reason other than shopping or to perform at the Inn… and it was even rarer to hear a word out of their mouths that wasn’t part of a song or sonnet. While they may have taken a vow of silence with the spoken word… they more than made up for it with the music they played, and it was here that, after many years, they were allowed to have the instrument of their choice commissioned.

The Guardian of the Forge at first wasn’t very apparent… mostly because he was swathed in a large brown robe, woven of the finest silks though it might be, the dark sienna of the hooded robe had covered him so well in the relative gloom of the forge that he’d been very unremarkable to the eye. He moved forward, showing off a small face under the cowl of that robe, rather handsome in his youth perhaps, with his slanted, almond eyes, yellow-tinged skin and very exotic look… his face was drawn up into a large grin, showing off white teeth in a monkey-like smile. He was very small, yet moved with a light-footed grace that betrayed exactly what he was… a Monk. Which was a very logical choice, since the Naturan Monks, better known as the Trappists, were not allowed weapons or armour or magical items to play with… and such a Guardian would not be tempted to pilfer the riches held within.

ooc: The Starlight Forge is not a general forge. It is not open to the public; it is a Quest-Reward only, and only if you decide to become a Naturan Paladin/Druid/Monk/Bard. The rewards listed in here cannot be distributed by any other moderators except those in Natura as they are for Naturans only and only for those PC’s who decide to be loyal to either the Naturan Druids, the Silver Wolves (Rangers) the Silver Stars (Paladins), the Silver Benediction (Monks) or the Silver Treble (Bards).

Originally posted by Niobe. Slight changes made by Nimh and minor minor tweaks by me!

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