Forging the Future
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
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#1
Long Night may have delayed their plans, but it didn't put a stop to them. Jigano waited outside the tea house he and Caiside had shared their first drink at on a drizzly mid-morning in early Flowerbirth, watching the Long Night cleanup of the mercantile district as people bustled about, gathering up debris and repairing shutters and tattered awnings. A few, more enterprising than most, or perhaps simply lucky enough to have missed the ravages of Long Night's monsters, were already hanging banners from windows or arranging flower wreaths on their doors.

He had set the meeting with the smith at last, and while he had a heavy bag at his side there was an equally important component of the visit still missing. A certain red-haired, blue-eyed ex-demigod who just happened to also be a smith was supposed to accompany him today, to discover if the old master craftsman might be willing to work with him. If not as an apprentice, then perhaps as a leaser of his forge space, so Caiside could begin supporting himself with work from his own hands.

Whether or not the two men decided they could tolerate each other, the bard had another request for the old man's skills, hopeful that with the passage of the cold winter weather the man's arthritis would ease up a little, too. He wouldn't know until he asked, however, and he couldn't ask until Caiside arrived and he could lead his friend to the forge, hopeful that Flowerbirth might herald new beginnings for all of them.
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#2
Flowerbirth had brought a surprising change to the settlement. Instead of the cold, dreary place Caiside had been thrust into initially, the streets seemed to be awash with life. Despite the mess left over from Longnight, people were out in full force, cleaning and hanging flowers and banners. It would almost be nice, if it didn’t remind of the festivities he was missing in his own home. He had never been so aware of time passing, not to mention the dozen other worries that hounded himon a daily basis. What if time didn’t even pass the same between their two realms? What if he had already missed his only chance to be recognized?

As he approached the tea house, Caiside pushed the dark thoughts swirling around his mind away, smiling wide when he saw Jigano. Hopefully after today he could spend his time doing something productive. He had even chosen his clothes carefully from the meagre selection he had with him, his outfit far more conservative and his hair up in tight, intricate braids, ready to work.

”I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.” Caiside called, lifting his hand in a short greeting. He had seen firsthand how deadly Longnight could be, and was glad to see the other man seemed unharmed. More so than even he was, with his face still healing from the handful of cuts he’d been left with after his brief foray into the darkness. ”Should we get going?” It looked as if Jigano also had business to attend to, judging by the bag at his hip, and Caiside suddenly felt a png of guilt for being late.
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
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#3
Jigano looked up at the sound of a familiar voice rising over the sounds of industry in the settlement. ”Not for too long,” the bard agreed with a smile, but the smile faltered to concern at the signs of damage to Caiside’s handsome face. His own was, indeed, unmarked, but his cheeks were hollower and there were shadows in his eyes that hadn’t been there before Long Night. He carried himself with a weariness he couldn’t entirely hide, but some of that fell away as he stepped forward to meet his friend, raising a hand to indicate the healing scabs.

”Yes, of course, but tell me – what happened to you? I had heard you’d dislocated your shoulder during Long Night but the person who told me didn’t know how. Did you go out in the dark?” Though he was concerned, Caiside had obviously survived, so Jigano’s worry was already somewhat assuaged. He hefted the heavy sack with its clinking contents and began to walk, leading the way through the lightly drizzling rain towards the destination, which wasn’t so far away.
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#4
Now that he was closer, Caiside could see that Jigano might be less injured than he was, he had not been left unscathed by Longnight. It was a grim start to what was supposed to be an exciting day, to say the least. Even the weather seemed to be against them, a hazy shade of rain colouring the sky.

At the mention of his shoulder, Caiside stretches the mentioned arm, twisting it a little and wincing when it still ached. ”I did, for good reason.” Caiside wanted to establish early that he hadn’t ignored the warnings just for fun. ”The luxere were leaving, there was an injured youngling alone. They needed help, and we provided it.” He considered leaving it at that, but can he couldn’t disrepecct the dead like that. ”I was lucky to get not get as injured as I did. Not everyone was so lucky. I was told the woman we lost was the same one who ran the infirmary.”

Caiside fell into a rare silence afterthat, not sure how to follow the solemn words. He focused instead on the direction they were heading, trying to memorize the path for the future. The silver haired man wasn’t going to be by his side every time if things went well today.
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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#5
The wince didn't go unnoticed, and sympathy flickered in blue eyes for the injury. Seeing his friends hurt made him desperately wish he had his healing magic back, more than anything else he had lost. Wishing hadn't made it happen so far, though, so he focused on Caiside's response instead, lips quirking into a wry ghost of a grin at the assurance that it had been for 'a good reason.' "Ah... I heard about that from Sam," he murmured, not bothering to hide his own wince, or the quiet pain in his voice for what came after. "The woman is... was... Isla. She was a good friend of mine, and a fellow loreseeker. I..." He had known about it since Long Night, but the complicated, confusing pain of having her brought back, but changed beyond recognition, made it difficult to find any sort of closure or healing, like a scab that kept getting torn off every time he visited the infirmary to help Vervain.

"If you could find the place again I... I would greatly appreciate it, if you would lead me there. I think... I would like to leave a small memorial there. Perhaps plant a few of the trees and healing herbs we had found together..."

He offered his friend a wan smile, but let the silence stretch between them. The grey weather felt oddly fitting for their talk, and he led the rest of the way in silence. It was, luckily, not far. The smith's forge was built of sturdy, inflammable stone, and it had weathered Long Night intact and in better shape than most of the buildings around it. Jigano nodded to the shop before knocking courteously on the door before leading the way inside, dropping his heavy bag of raw materials with open relief to clink upon the floor.

"Mastersmith?" he called out, respect mingling with hope in his voice. "Are you in? I've brought Caiside to meet you - and another commission as well, if you'll take it."


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#6
"Yar, jus' a second." Came a disgruntled voice from the back of the shop. True to his word, within a matter of moments the man appeared, wiping grimy hands on a cloth that might once have been white, but was now the indistinct colour of time and use. His wizened and grumpy face immediately turned into a gnarled and toothy grin upon seeing the bard. "Ahh, tis you. And ye' bring me the youngin' you spoke of." He said with a cackle that quickly turned into a series of coughs.

The herbs that Jigano had brought had done wonders for his joints and the fluid buildup in his lungs. But he was still an old, old man, and not even magical herbs could undo a lifetime of memories and moments.
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#7
"I should be able to find it, and I would be honoured to take you there." Caiside confirmed quickly, wanting to do what he could to ease the pain his words had brought. He had not intended to remind Jigano of the death of a friend, he had simply not wanted to glaze over it as if it hadn't happened.

The silence that stretched between them was blissfully short, Caiside smelling the forge before the stone building came into sight. His lips quirked up into an excited smile, but he let Jigano take the lead, watching him knock before following the blue-eyed bard inside. Caiside's stride slowed to a crawl once inside the shop though, his eye drawn this way and that, taking in everything he could. It was almost surprising how reinvigorated being in the shop made him.

The weighty thud of Jigano's bag on the ground drew Caiside back to the bard's side, his hands smoothing down his front to ensure he looked presentable. If the gruff, thickly accented voice that called out surprised him at all, Caiside hid it well, and did the same when the man himself actually stepped out. He had to remind himself what Jigano had told him about the races here on their first meeting, despite appearances this man was human.

Worry touched his face as the man erupted into a coughing fit, his eyes turning to Jigano for some kind of guidance for what to do. There were bounds here he was unsure of, that he didn't want to overstep too early.
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
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Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#8
"Soon, then," the bard murmured - a request humbly made, and a grateful acceptance of Caiside's offer. The once-demigod's company would be welcome on such a pilgrimage, understanding the solemnity of the gesture and the healing that could come from such a memorial. The silence that fell between them was filled with heavy thoughts, but oddly enough it wasn't a mournful one. There was simply much to think about, and the trip was short enough that it didn't become awkward.

Jigano's eyes warmed at seeing the old smith again, the proud old man neither hale nor hearty, but at least a bit better than he had been before the bard had journeyed to find the efas herb and made sure the smith and his wife had plenty of wood to chase away the Deepfrost and Long Night cold.

"I did, mastersmith," Jigano said, offering the old man a bow of respect - both for his age and his skill. He glanced up, concerned at the coughing however, and shared a worried glance with Caiside as they waited for the fit to subside. "Are you and your lady... do you need more of the medicine? Or is there something I - we - could do to help? Especially if you wanted to see how Caiside might do in helping out with the forge chores, so you can see how he might fit in with you?" Now, more than ever, he needed to walk a fine line of assuaging the old craftsman's pride while still finding a way to bring him in a bit of help so he didn't push himself too hard. And finding a place for Caiside to earn his way and settle in to the rhythms of the town seemed an elegant solution - if the two men could find a way to work together.


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#9
"Nawp." He said through the last of his croaks. Blowing his nose into a hanky he'd produced, he blew with more air than his lungs seemed capable of holding, and then stuffed the soiled rag into a pocket. "Had one of 'em natural healer types grind it up real fine, like. Think it'll last us a while now." Whether or not they truly had enough rations was hard to say, but the old man had his pride after all, and in his mind he and the youngin' with the long hair weren't quite even yet.

With a grunt, the old man limped forward a few steps, dragging one of his feet against the floor boards as he went. Reaching into yet another pocket, he produced some aged and cracked spectacles covered in dust. Nevertheless, he plopped them onto his nose and stared up at Caiside with magnified and cataract-covered eyes. "Cat got yer tongue?" He barked, before turning to Jigano. "He one of 'em muties?"
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#10
Caiside offered a smile when the aged smith looked up at him, his lips tightening the slightest bit at the comment. ”I assure you I’m quite capable.” His tone light, and his voice smooth. The man was old, and Caiside had suffered through worse injustices than being called something he wasn’t. ”I’ve heard of your skill from Jigano. It would be an honour to assist you, in whatever way you deem fit. I think you’ll find me quite capable.” He wanted to show the few pieces of jewelry he had on him that were made by his own hand, but they seemed the type of thing the only man would scoff at as frivolous.

The old smith was a type Caiside knew well. Skilled, but brusque, and old fashioned. He was almost reminiscent of Caiside’s first master, when he’d been young and just learning the skills of the forge. Back then, Caiside hadn’t know how to properly deal with people like him, and had earned more than his share of pin for it, but now, he was confident he could work with the man. It did help that they wouldn’t be living under the same roof though.
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
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#11
"I'm glad," Jigano said, completely sincerely. The herbs had been difficult to get, and who knew what fresh dangers the Labyrinth would hold in Flowerbirth, with the explosion of life renewing the hedges? Not to mention the squirrels...

And the less said about the mating habits of boggarts, the better.

Having seen the ritual with the spectacles before, Jigano just waited with patience, though amusement crinkled the corners of his eyes as he slanted a glance to see how Caiside was taking things. The old man's brusque ways had taken him by surprise at first, too, but at least the red-haired ex-demigod at his side had been given fair warning of what to expect.

At the gruff question he grinned, but only gestured to Caiside, letting his friend answer for himself.

When he'd finished the bard nodded, and hefted the bag he'd brought, which clinked heavily with unmistakeable sound of metal on metal. "Perhaps he can help with the bellows and fire as a trial run? I have a few more small items to commission from you, and a couple of simple masks as well," he requested, humble in the face of the craftmaster's skill, but cheerful with how things were going. "I was hoping I could pay in ingots this time - there should be plenty left over from the materials I've brought, for your own projects or other people's requests."


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#12
"Eh! He speaks!" The old man grunted, but the twinkle in his eye indicated that he was both pleased and amused.

"Capabable ey?" He wheezed, pulling his spectacles off his nose and extending them as if trying to magnify Caiside for a moment. Glancing towards Jigano, he looked back skeptically. "M'wife cooks noodles bigger than yer arms boy." With a thoughtful grunt, he leaned back, tucking his hands into the front of his pockets as he stuck his lip out thoughtfully, pondering over Jigano's request. "Yar if he can git a good fiyr goin' out thar I'd say we'd be in business. " Sucking his lip in, he eyed Jigano again with another twinkle in his eye.

"Now wheresit you come across those ingots? " He all but cackled, thinking that he had a pretty good idea, but wanting to be sure just the same.
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#13
The comment about his arms brought a genuine grin to Caiside’s face, as did the doubt on the old smiths face. There was nothing he loved more than being underestimated, especially at something he knew he had skill in. ”I can handle stoking the fire.” He promised, hands flexing. ”And I’ve never been hindered by my strength before.”

Caiside couldn’t help but be pleased about how this had gone. It seemed so smooth, unlike everything else in this place. This was finally something he could excel at, and impress people with.

Thw conversation turned back to Jigano, and Caiside was happy to turn his attention back to the bard. He was sure the story would be interesting, or at least interestingly told. It was one of his friends skills after all.
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
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#14
The bard was glad to see the old smith's cheer, smothering a chuckle at the comparison of Caiside's arms to noodles. The ex-demigod's arms carried about the same amount of muscles as his own, if Jigano judged them right, but that didn't mean the man was weak. Just as the bard could play instruments or wield his rapier quite handily, he had no doubt that Caiside could perform the tasks of a forge as he had in his past. If he had been lying, he would have found a way to wiggle out of this meeting, after all. The fact that he was here did much to corroborate his story.

Jigano nodded gladly at the challenge the craftsmaster accepted, and that Caiside eagerly agreed to. He should have expected that one or both men would want to know where he'd come by his raw materials, though, and his smile turned lopsided as he glanced ruefully down at the bag before back to his audience. "Luck, or perhaps fate, guided my steps," he said with a wink. "I thought there must have been more smiths, back when the ruins were still whole buildings filled with homes and shops and bustling artisans like yourself, sir. And that, while cloth and wood may have rotted over the years, metal would have survived intact, and possibly unharmed by the passage of centuries. So I brought with me a trusty bodyguard and her fierce companion and we set off into the ruins one cloudy Deepfrost morning. The buildings are mostly flattened, but," he shrugged nonchalantly, as befitted a Loreseeker, "some still have enough stones standing on their foundations to guess at their purpose. Whether homes or grander public buildings, humble storefronts or fine workshops, I led us through the shadows of the past until I found an area that looked like it had once belonged to well-off craftsmen." He nodded towards the forge and anvil in the back, a grin on his face. "My father was a smith, and I knew what your shop looked like, so from there it was just a matter of finding the outline of the chimney and the anvil's pillar. It had been a stoutly built forge, for most of two walls are still standing, but my bodyguard earned her reputation when the stone creature that had been sleeping in their shadow took offense to our presence!"

He patted his rapier, giving another rueful shrug. "This is useless against stone, alas, but my fierce friend is a mistress of fire magic, so while I distracted it and led it a merry chase she poured her strength against it to weaken it until it cracked apart beneath the weight of its own rage. At which point I was free to discover where that ancient smith's last shipment of raw metals had been stored, before the cataclysm that caused the ruins and raised the barrier." Jigano took a knee to open the bag, revealing the gleam of gold, silver, and the milky purity of platinum ingots that he had taken the time to polish before bringing them to the old smith. Two of silver, one of platinum, and one of gold lay within, and the Loreseeker pulled out one of the silver bars, rising to set it on the low counter with a bow for the smith. "I hoped this would do for payment, or at least the start of it," he said, a little more solemnly now that the time to talk business had come.


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