D&D: FF - IC: The Forge of the Arcanopteryx
::The viewing area is usually empty, and has stairs leading up to the Courtesan level and down to the library. The tremendous Forge Golem stands, knee deep in molten metal, at his forge, surrounded by the various apparatus associated with his anvil, holding his enormous hammer, and waiting patiently for instructions. The viewing area is hot, and the glass hotter, and despite the barely tolerable temperature, it appears as though part of the glass is intended to retract, allowing people into the actual forge area.::
::Ignurius speaks slowly and firmly, seeming to size you up at first, and then seems to absent mindedly fetch a few tools that were within reach, and tests their weight.::
"Molten soul is the beginning of something, it's not the end. I can melt a soul, yes, and I can because it was done to me once. I am formerly Ignurius, Smithy to Xeromonius who, in his need for my skills in perpetuity, rendered my soul from my flesh and fastened it into an artificial body, which I have since modified as needed to perform my role.
Molten Soul is an irreversible process in which the mundane flesh is stripped away and the sacred soul is revealed, which is then forged into arcane steel. What happens next isn't so clear. Xeromonius had me make several of them, I followed the road of the smith and crafter, as I always had, others became warriors, others became guardians, others became Resources for crafting other things. It is both a path of self determination and of obedience. What else do you want to know?"
"Molten soul is the beginning of something, it's not the end. I can melt a soul, yes, and I can because it was done to me once. I am formerly Ignurius, Smithy to Xeromonius who, in his need for my skills in perpetuity, rendered my soul from my flesh and fastened it into an artificial body, which I have since modified as needed to perform my role.
Molten Soul is an irreversible process in which the mundane flesh is stripped away and the sacred soul is revealed, which is then forged into arcane steel. What happens next isn't so clear. Xeromonius had me make several of them, I followed the road of the smith and crafter, as I always had, others became warriors, others became guardians, others became Resources for crafting other things. It is both a path of self determination and of obedience. What else do you want to know?"
::Ignurius' face is devoid of expression, and his voice is level and without affect, but you sense that perhaps this question poked a "nerve" with him. He responds slowly as usual.::
"My family no longer had the benefit of my labors, my servitude to xeromonius became eternal, I no longer could enjoy the touch of a woman, or the taste of wine, or the subtleties of fine food. Though I had sworn obedience to Xeromonius long before my transformation, his commands became difficult to refuse. I no longer sleep. I no longer dream. I have nothing left but obedience to his commands, even long after his death, and the joys of crafting and forging.
I gave all that for this. But I gave it gladly and would do it again."
"My family no longer had the benefit of my labors, my servitude to xeromonius became eternal, I no longer could enjoy the touch of a woman, or the taste of wine, or the subtleties of fine food. Though I had sworn obedience to Xeromonius long before my transformation, his commands became difficult to refuse. I no longer sleep. I no longer dream. I have nothing left but obedience to his commands, even long after his death, and the joys of crafting and forging.
I gave all that for this. But I gave it gladly and would do it again."
"You presume too much, Dwarf, I do not wish yours nor anyone else's intervention in my so called 'servitude', I chose this knowingly, and though I am a smith, I would dare you to take my life from me. I am become more powerful than I ever had chance to be in life. I can tear your soul from your body and make shoes from it, I contain weapons and artifacts within my very corpus, my skin is armored with mithril, adamantine, and auraurum, and with this hammer I can smash even the boundaries between planes, creating artifacts of cosmic power in mere days. My eyes are replaced with a Stone of Disintigrating Vision, I wield Starglabru, a mighty hammer forged of starmetal and adamant, capable of bashing spirit from form, and yet even with this power I contain many more enchantments and items of my own design, and without eternity to perfect the crafting arts I would never have become capable of these things. Nor do I particularly care to share how to make them with one such as you. How many weeks have we spent, you and I, face to face crafting things, while I inside mock your imperfect technique and primitive understanding?
I would rather see you forged into something better than remain in that sweaty form you wear, than spend another day making primitive, simplistic enchantments. But my oath and bonds are to craft here, at the direction of those who inhabit this place. You and your friends can squat here as long as you like, but I feel that when my master returns, this tower will become an unsafe place for you, who have claimed it as their own. I wait his return from the grave, and I will do as I was commanded.
Do you have any further questions, dwarf? Do you have the nerves to become Molten? To shed your useless sweat and skin and become perfected?"
I would rather see you forged into something better than remain in that sweaty form you wear, than spend another day making primitive, simplistic enchantments. But my oath and bonds are to craft here, at the direction of those who inhabit this place. You and your friends can squat here as long as you like, but I feel that when my master returns, this tower will become an unsafe place for you, who have claimed it as their own. I wait his return from the grave, and I will do as I was commanded.
Do you have any further questions, dwarf? Do you have the nerves to become Molten? To shed your useless sweat and skin and become perfected?"
::Ignurius regards you for a moment, after his thinly veiled threats seem unheeded. He responds with a metallic echo of hope in his voice.::
"Crafters must be dedicated to their art, and must dedicate a portion of their mass towards crafting, and have much less mobility, combat ability, and defensive ability. Warriors and Guardians are two sides to the same coin. While Guardians are heavy and slow, Warriors are lighter and faster, though neither is particularly vulnerable."
"Crafters must be dedicated to their art, and must dedicate a portion of their mass towards crafting, and have much less mobility, combat ability, and defensive ability. Warriors and Guardians are two sides to the same coin. While Guardians are heavy and slow, Warriors are lighter and faster, though neither is particularly vulnerable."