B & D Anvil ~Blacksmith~

[Anne]

Behind the Thane's residence on Circle Drive, one might have heard in the past a clamor of clanging hammers indicating the smithy location. Several young Halflings would have been running hither and thither sweeping this or moving that. A muscled Dwarf might have been shaping ingots into metal parts. Now though the place seemed derelict. But if you looked carefully you may just catch a glimpse of someone in the shadows watching you...

Hanging in several locations were the once nicley made wooden planks that listed the prices of the items sold in the forge. Now the signs hung forlornly from there hooks lising the items once sold in the forge.

The Weapon List

Axes
Battle Axe 90 Crowns
Hand Axe 45 Crowns
Throwing Axe 75 Crowns
Two handed Axe 140 Crowns
Pick 95 Crowns

Blunt Weapons
Mace 70 Crowns
Maul 90 Crowns
Chain Flail 95 Crowns
Flail 80 Crowns
Morningstar 100 Crowns
Warhammer 90 Crowns

Pole Arms
Bardiche 150 Crowns
Brandistock 150 Crowns
Awl Pike 105 Crowns
Bill 115 Crowns
Glaive 110 Crowns
Halberd 95 Crowns
Military Fork 750 Crowns
Spetum 80 Crowns
Voulge 80 Crowns
Trident 140 Crowns

Miscellaneous
Caltrops(in leather pouches of 20) 15 Crowns
Chain (10 feet) 50 Crowns
Throwing Darts 5 Crowns each

Daggers, Knives
Parrying dagger 35 Crowns
Stiletto 45 Crowns
Dagger 25 Crowns
Throwing Dagger 28 Crowns
Knife 15 Crowns

Spears
Short Spear 90 Crowns
Long Spear 110 Crowns

Swords
Bastard sword 90 Crowns
Broad sword 200 Crowns
Claymore 190 Crowns
Falcion 100 Crown
Long Sword 150 Crowns
Rapier 95 Crown
Sabre 90 Crown
Scimitar 110 Crown
Short Sword 80 Crowns
Two handed sword 150 Crowns

Armor
Chain- 360 Crowns for a Full Suit
Chain Leggings 95 Crowns
Chain Shirt 115 Crowns
Chain Sleeves 60 Crowns
Chain over Leather Shoes- 50 Crowns
Chain Gloves- 50 Crowns
Chain Hood- 75 Crowns
Full plate mail 800 Crowns
Light plate mail 500 Crowns
Ring mail 200 Crowns
Splint mail 180 Crowns
Brigandine 300 Crowns
Ornate Armor 2000 crowns

Shields
Buckler 40 Crowns
Small 50 Crowns
Medium 65 Crowns
Large 80 Crowns

Barding for the Average Horse
Scale 450 Crowns
Brigandine 700 Crowns
Chainmail 500 Crowns
Plate 1200 Crowns
Splint 700 Crowns

Notes to be considered ~
We do customizations, but buyer beware!
All our listed items are made of regular steel!
Silver and Gold items are available
All crowns are paid upfront that means no lay aways or deposits!

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

There were sounds of activity coming from the back rooms. Now and then there was the sound of a hammer working hot metal against an anvil. At least as far as the noise was concerned the Smithy was on it's way to getting back to normal. However, the shelves and hooks that once held fine weapons were empty of such items. On the other side of the room there were tools and household items on display. The selection seemed adequate for households and farms, though there was a scant supply of them.

When one enters that area a robust Dwarf with red hair and a red beard is working hard at making the space more presentable. He nods at any customer who enters but he keeps on with cleaning and putting things in order. Now and then he does glance at any customers who remain.

[Drogean]

Mid-brightening of
The first brightening in the second cycle of
Kalendryas, in the Autumn of
Era XI Post-Fractum, The Reign of
Audrey De'lylles in Centripax.

The Elf cut through the entrance to the forge, his steps hitting the floor like stone - hard, heavy, unstoppable.

He moved straight at the red-bearded Dwarf who nodded at him. From under his green cloak there was the sound - that musical metallic sound any metalsmith would know - of Elven mail accentuating every step. He had no weapon, nor did his clothing bulge in a way which suggested he might have had any, but there was an air about him that said he was not here for weapons... or that he would need none.

He wore his hood up, and the shadow it cast over his face cut over his features, shading his forehead and giving emphasis to the look in his eyes. It was a look that sent dogs and most men scurrying, a particularly Dwarven look, one the redhead could recognize.

It was exactly the look of a Dwarf bearing a grudge.

He stopped in front of the Dwarf, just close enough to be threatening. In his right hand he held a scrolled leaf of papyrus, which he unfurled. It made a loud snap, the sound of sails catching wind, when he opened it fully. At a glance the words "The Herald" could be seen. He passed it to the Dwarf.

"Bring me the Dwarf who wrote this." Not 'bring me to him' but 'bring him to me.' His words sounded like they came from a mouth with gritted teeth, and his last sss seethed off his tongue. "Tell him His Grace, Drogean of Natura, awaits his appearance."

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

A heavy footed individual entered the forge. Kyonos figured that there was no way that clumsy oaf would ever be able to sneak up on anyone. Then he discerned that this was an Elf. How did he get past the guards at the gate? Somehow he managed to sneak into the city. That is probably what the hood was all about, but the guards still should have recognized what he was and prevented him from entering the city. The Dwarf's thoughts were interupted when the Elf tried to cast an intimidating look at him. This was almost funny, an Elf trying to intimidate a Dwarf. Particularly in a city that did not take kindly to the presence of Elves. Kyonos had noticed the sound of mail when the Elf walked in. Armor made of Dwarven steel would not be that noisy. That was one of the problems with buying inferior armor.

Then the Elf passed a copy of the Herald to Kyonos, it was the current issue.

Then the Elf got to be demanding, as if he was as good as anybody else. He said, "Bring me the Dwarf who wrote this." He seemed to speak with a lisp. Then he added, "Tell him His Grace, Drogean of Natura, awaits his appearance." The Dwarf was getting to be irritated. He was not accustomed to an Elf speaking to him as an equal, much less make demands. Kyonos replied to the Elf, "Just whose grace is this person Drogean? If he wants to see who wrote this, he ought to come himself and not send an Elf. But if this Drogean is an Elf, tell him not to bother coming here. We don't take kindly to your sort. Now why you just get your butt out of here so I can get back to work?"

[Drogean]

"His Grace is here, and he assures you it is not a bother to come to Zerdargia." Drogean pulled back his hood, not that the Dwarf would recognize his face, and said, "Rather, it is my pleasure. I am Drogean, and even if you be not the one who wrote the article, I shall chew my way through you first." By 'chew' he meant talk, or at least probably. The way this Elf said it left the question up for debate.

He eased off from his earlier, more hostile intimidation - why an Elf, in the middle of Zerdargia no less, would act that way would likely cause the more survival-minded members of the Dwarven race to worry, if not at least wonder. This particular Dwarf was clearly a student of the same school of ancient grudgebearers as the one who had penned the Herald article, if not the very same one in the flesh. Drogean let a brief malicious smile pass over his face. It was more fangs than teeth. His words now were too sweet to be anything but mocking.

"You'll have to excuse me, I am a great many things, and sometimes I forget. What is my sort, master Dwarf?"

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

The Dwarf was a bit puzzled by the Elf's manner of expressing himself. Why can't Elves talk like everybody else does? Fortunately there is not much call to talk to them. One of the reasons he left Paxia was that there were too many Elves coming into the Forge. It got to be irritating.

As usual, Kyonos got straight to the point. "If you are Drogean why were talking as if Drogean was somebody else"? He will never understand why those kind often talk in riddles. It makes more sense to just say something instead of beating around the bush. Then the Elf got to put on airs by the way he asked the question. There was also a derisive look on his face. Once again the Dwarf's dander was raised. He enunciated his reply very slowly, as if talking to a child and not a very bright one at that. "Well, I can't say that I blame you for forgetting the things you are. Were I you, I'd try to forget too. Your sort cannot learn much but you act as if you know a lot. I am the one who wrote the article in the Herald. Did you come all the way from Natura just to find out what I looked like? Well, now that you saw me, you might as well start back to where those other Elves are tip-toeing through the tulips."

[Drogean]

The elf laughed a short, tight, derisive laugh. He shook his head, and put on a different smile. "You are long of beard but short of memory, Dwarf. "

Drogean took a step back. For one he couldn't really see the Dwarf from where he had been standing, not much more than the length of two boots between them. Looming as he had been wasn't likely to cow the Dwarf -- if anything even could -- since to a Dwarf being taller wasn't nearly as important as it was in Elven culture. For Dwarves, more respect came from being more stout and sturdy, or so Drogean imagined.

After all, nearly anything is taller than a Dwarf, he thought.

He nearly laughed at that thought, but instead let it out as sniff, a sniff that said "Elven arrogance" more eloquently than Drogean's words could have done. Drogean took two further steps back, and studied the Dwarf -- or at least looked like he was studying the Dwarf. Then he wheeled about, and began his monologue, pacing the room as he did so.

"How I act is directly related to how much I know, and you must know very little indeed if you think I know nothing. If I did not reveal everything to you, it was only because I waited for the right moment, rather than blabbering out about everything at the beginning like a Dwarf. Now in waiting, I have given you time to explain yourself, and found your words lacking. What I see is this: you bear the same grudge as your father, and his father before him, and his father before him, who in turn had to carry the grudge given to him by his father before him. You can call it racial memory or what ever you like. Perhaps you even know what the grudge you bear Elves is about, and if that is the case, consider yourself an educated Dwarf. It should also make what I am about to explain to you easier. Now listen."

Drogean stopped pacing, he had made it back and forth across the room three times, with slow steps but a long stride. "When Zerdargia called for aid, we rushed to your side. The Druids and Rangers of Natura, the greater number of them being Elves, were at the battle, alongside the Elves of the Provincial Legion, and in the Phoenix Knights. These Elves fought, and died, for Zerdargia and Centripax." Drogean stiffened, and his face became darker, more red. "And here you," he pointed an accusing finger at the Dwarf, "you try to wipe away the memory of these defenders of Zerdargia for a.. a grudge, a memory that was never yours? For what, Dwarf? Tell me what."

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

If Kyonos needed a reminder of why he disliked Elves ad avoided them whenever possible, here it was. First of all the Elf was trying to intimidate him. .............wrong move. Even more than most Dwarves, Kyonos regarded such an attitude as a challenge. It was a challenge that he met many times and would not cower to any being, especially an Elf. Then came the condenscending remarks, this was typical of an Elf. The Dwarf waited for all that talk to end, he even listened to it. He wondered if the Elf was trying to make himself liked or feared. Maybe both but neither was going to happen.

The Dwarf seemed to get more confused by what the Elf was saying as time went on. As was his wont, the Dwarf spoke his mind. "What does all this have to do with the article in the Herald? Dwarven steel is better that Elven steel. Since this is a Dwarf city, Dwarves get a price break. Since I do not want to encourage trade with Elves, they are charged more. All that is simple enough for even an Elf to understand."

[Drogean]

Drogean sighed. The Dwarf, of course, would take this to be a rather clear "you-don't-get-it-at-all" sigh. In truth, Drogean really didn't think of the Dwarf, it was an inward sigh. A part of him, an old part, wanted to argue with the Dwarf simply because that was How It Was Meant To Be. Another part wanted to reason with the Dwarf, hard as that may be, and if not turn him, at least.. alter his outlook.

And the last part, a part that had until now been smothered under by the other two, wanted to throw up his hands and leave. Drogean still wasn't sure which route would lead to the best end for him. But it was yet too soon to give up.

"That you want to discourage trade with Elves is obvious, Dwarf. I didn't need to come to Zerdargia to know that. I'm sure I don't need to tell a smith Dwarven steel is only heavier, not better. You are however truly mistaken when you call this a 'Dwarven' city. True, a preponderance of Dwarves do live here, but it does not belong to Dwarves alone. It belongs to Centripax and the Empire, and those who paid for it in blood and more when the Undead came. It was their duty, their obligation. Now you have the duty to remember those who died for your city, the humans and Katta and Dwarves, and the Elves among them. They fought together as one then, and I know it is too much to ask that we live together as one now, but still I must say: retract the price increase for Elves. It is all I ask."

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

Drogean was behaving like an Elf. What more could he expect. After all, an Elf will always be an Elf. It was ridiculous to say that Dwarven steel was just heavier than Elven steel, not better. Then to insinuate that Kyonos knew this all along was ludicrous. This pompous Elf was coming close to calling Kyonos a liar. Then he tops it off by saying that Zerdargia is not a Dwarven city. Adding to that, the Elf insinuated that Katta, Humans and Elves had a right to live here. After all, Kyonos left Paxia because there were too many Elves around. When he moved he chose Zerdargia because it was a Dwarven city. Some Elf saying that it was not so, did not mean anything. He wondered how much truth there was to what Drogean said about other races helping the Dwarves. They were probably trying to undermine the Dwarves' efforts to win the war. Being a person of few words, Kyonos did not choose to refute all the erronious statements. Instead he said simply, "Zerdargia is for Dwarves. Elves don't belong here. The premium charges to Elves will stay because I don't like doing business with your kind."

The Dwarf added, "I think you have said enough".

[Drogean]

"And I think trying to persuade you of anything is like trying to persuade a rock not to sink. I wish you the best of luck, but I think you will need more than that to succeed "

It was enough for Drogean to know that in times of strive, the citizens of hte Empire, Elves and Dwarves both, would help one another -- Dwarves had given Elves shelter after the ravages of Alsan's Forge, Naturans had marched to face the undead threat without hesitation. The Dwarven grudge, which this Dwarf probably couldn't trace, was lost in those times. Perhaps one day it would be dropped all together.

Even still, Drogean rediscovered the long-forgotten pleasure of arguing with a Dwarf, even if this one proved to be as immobile as the mountains themselves.

"Of course, what kind of Elf would come to a Dwarven forge to begin with?" Drogean said merrily as he ducked through the doorway and out to his stallion, Shaun'Dach.

[Kyonos Weatherstone]

The conversation with the Elf was becoming tedious, but then what else should be expected. Kyonos was not prone to having much conversation with anyone, not even another Dwarf, much less with an Elf. That was one of the annoying characteristics about Elves. They not only talk too much but the things that they talk about do not make much sense. Now this Elf thought that he should have been able to change the way that Kyonos thinks. At least now he seems to know better.

"You are right, it would be easier to persuade a rock not to sink than to persuade me to abandon what I know to be right. Dwarves do not need luck to succeed. We succeed because because we work hard to do what is right.

Not being able to let Drogean's last comment to go unanswered, Kyonos responded, "What kind of Elf would come to a Dwarven Forge to begin with? Either one who knows where to buy the best or one who does not know his proper place in a Dwarven community."

As the Elf ducked through the doorway, the Dwarf got back to work.