escordvi | AUGUST CATCH-ALL

Who: Darin Altway and You!
Status: OPEN
Where: The Starmetal Forge and around Eltrut and Nogard depending on the quest!
What: The Starmetal Forge Grand Opening and MANTA Board quests!
Warnings: None!

-STARMETAL FORGE GRAND OPENING-

[It took longer than he would have liked but after months of hard work, he's finally managed to do it. He'd saved up enough money and made enough connections to rent out and properly refurbish a big enough workshop then applied for his formal business license. And now, finally, after all of that and months of preparation, he can finally say:]

Welcome to The Starmetal Forge! Whatever your wish may be, with this hammer, I'll forge it into reality!

[The workshop isn't massive. It's actually rather modest, but Darin's invested all of his time into preparing for this day. The forge is fired up and he has two very meticulously organized and cleaned workstations ready to go with pristine tools. There's plenty of space for people to come and watch him work and even a sizeable storeroom for more rare materials; including the small horde of elemental gems he'd recovered from the Abyss.]

[But the crown jewel of this endeavor is the sign above the door. A sign bearing his personal emblem; a shooting star whose tail curls into a perfect circle with the handle of a smith's hammer coming from the comet itself, as if the star was the hammer's head. It's an emblem he'd kept ever since he took up the hammer. One he'd hoped would adorn his own forge some day. And now, the day has finally arrived.]

[He'd placed a MANTA board request specifically for this month. Anyone with any rare materials and wish for new items or equipment could bring it to him and all he'd charge is a small labor fee. He can't wait to see what people bring in!]

[When you come to check the place out, he's already tinkering with something or other. But you'll catch his attention soon enough and he lifts his head, smiling.]

Hey, welcome to The Starmetal Forge! Name's Darin Altway, Master Smith and Forgemaster! What brings you in today?

-GEMSTONE RESEARCH-

[With an abundant supply of Gemstones at hand, Darin has already been tinkering with ideas. But first, he needs to see just how powerful these stones are and if their various elemental effects can be combined.]

[Darin has had in mind a variation of a grappling hook for some time now. Something that can be fired with some sort of propulsion mechanism and retracted with a small motor. But he'd like to incorporate some of the gemstones as a way of magnetizing the grapnel. Something that will allow him to grip metal surfaces as well as wooden or stone.]

[So he's in the testing area, working on a glove with an elemental gem of wind and lightning slotted into the back of the hand to see if he can create some sort of magical, magnetic effect. This surely won't end poorly for anyone who wants to look over his shoulder.]

-TRAILING DAWN-

[Darin doesn't spend as much time on Nogard as he should. Honestly, being a Corsair never really sat right with him, but it was better than being a Paladin. Just another instance of never seeming to fit anywhere specifically. But since he's on Nogard doing some testing of his gear, he's decided to take some time and wander the beaches like he used to do back home in Kenmore.]

[When he finds the large, deepwater fish dead on the beach, Darin finds himself kneeling and examining them.]

What the hell are these doing way up here...? Deepwater fish don't usually wash up on shore...

The hell is going on...?

(OOC: I am open to other threads and quests so feel free to ping me on Discord at bitterbearface or Plurk (

bitterbearface)if you'd like to do something else!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Sherlock might not have come opening day or even opening week because he's not one for such events, but he does arrive. He has a sketch of a microscope, both outside and a cutaway version to show the internal components. They aren't blueprints, but they do a good job of capturing the functions of the tool. ]

Mr. Altway, are you in?

Yeah, I'm over here!

[Darin waves from one of the two workbenches in the modest forge where he seems to have built a small pile of elemental gemstones, which he's currently slotting into a device with three slots. As of now, only one slot is occupied by an emerald.]

How's it going??

[ Ah, there he is. Sherlock enters the forge proper, and he's a little surprised at the pile of gemstones. Those aren't the materials he expected to find in a forge. Yet, this isn't a normal forge either.

As for the question, Sherlock doesn't know how to answer that. He hasn't had a good time of it lately, and he doesn't want to to bring it up. Having an existential identity crisis is better left compartmentalized and shoved back into the mind attic. ]

I brought some sketches of a microscope. I thought you would like to take a look at them to see if it's something you can do.

[Darin sets his tools down excitedly.]

Oh that's right! I'd totally forgotten about the microscope! I've been so fixated on these gems! [He hops over his own work bench enthusiastically, waving Sherlock in.]

Come in, come in! Show me what you've got!

[ Sherlock sets the sketches on whatever clear spot is available and won't disturb anything Altway is working on. ]

There is no rush if you've more important commissions. I have the mask you gave me safely stored.

[ The sample has changed to its current state and is unlikely to change further. Studying the sample is more a proof of concept than any hard, specific data. Those kind of samples would be in the hands of Prof. Turo. ]

Regardless, do you think these sketches give you a clear enough idea of what is involved, or do I need to break it down further?

[Darin strolls over and leans over the sketches, rubbing his chin as he examines them.]

Huh...it looks like it relies on some specially made lenses. But the housing for it seems simple enough.

I can talk some of the craftsmen here and see if they can make the lenses. Aside from that, it looks like a precision tool. I should be able to make it.

It is a precision tool, and I would not travel around with it. I would bring samples to it rather than subject it to field use.

[ It's already going to be a challenge to construct. Sherlock doesn't want to think about what it might take to repair such a thing. ]

This would allow us to see in greater detail the physical world at least. Magical substances likely need another tool entirely, though I could not say what that would look like.

Huh...you know, I can't help but wonder if there's a way to empower a lens to see mana as well.

[Darin takes a moment to scribble the thought down.]

Something to look into later.

Regardless, this seems straight forward enough. Do you need it by any specific date?

[ Even something that could detect the presence of magic or mana would be helpful. ]

I have no current investigation that needs a microscope, so there is no date. How much do you expect this will cost, and how much do you need right away?

[ He's assuming that the getting the lenses made has to cost something on its own since he has to source it elsewhere. ]

Oh, don't worry about the money. You can pay me when I'm done. I don't really charge much, just for materials and enough for general upkeep.

I didn't become a blacksmith to make money. Which...I know seems weird coming from a guy who just opened up his own business.

Nonsense.

[ He gestures with his hand as if he's flinging the idea away. ]

You deserve to be paid for the work you do as do the people you work with to create the microscope.

Hey, I didn't say I wouldn't accept payment, just that it's something we can work out when it's done. I've never made a microscope before so I'd want to make sure it does the job before you start hucking coin at me.

[Darin laughs, patting the air to placate Sherlock.]

Whatever you think the work is worth will be fine. I'm honestly more interested in how it's used after.

[ He can only shake his head to that. ]

If you are willing to front the costs for that on your own, I suppose there is no convincing you.

[ Hopefully, Altway won't be out money when he works with the artisans making the lenses. If everything goes well, he'll be able to recuperate the costs because Sherlock will pay him. If there are problems... perhaps Altway will come to him before then instead of digging himself into a hole. ]

Now you've got it!

[Darin pulls out some paperwork from one of the drawers on his workbench and begins noting down materials as well as some questions to prod the craftsmen who will be making the lenses with.]

Honestly, I'm pretty excited to do this. I've never worked on anything like this and I'm always on the look out for something new and interesting to keep me entertained.

[ There is no stubbornness like that belonging to a shounen protagonist. (Not that Sherlock knows what a shounen protagonist is.) He could try to make his point further, but it's more effort than Sherlock wants to spend. ]

Here, let me write down my username in case you need to contact to me about it.

[ Just in case Darin didn't make the connection that S.H. 'astudyinviolet' is Sherlock when they were talking about magic earlier. ]

AUGUST CATCH-ALL | OPEN TO ALL

Starmetal Forge

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