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.
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.
