Un: TerribleTinkerer | Text

[badnewsandshitlist]

Assuming the Fae of Auriel share the same aversion to iron as those of the Feywild from where I am from, I am offering to craft temporary weapons and tools from non-iron materials for anyone preparing for the mission. My trade lies in metalwork, with modest skill in wood and leather. Brass, bronze, bone, horn, or seasoned wood are all suitable.

Time before departure is limited, so I can only take a few commissions.

Separately, I am pursuing a personal project involving spell storage and glyphcraft. If anyone has experience in such work, I would appreciate a private exchange of ideas.

Comments

[badnewsandshitlist]

Of course. A blade does not have to draw blood to be worth the making. The same skills go into kitchen knives, carving tools, and finer instruments. What did you have in mind, Clea? Or should I be worried that your definition of not weaponry is more creative than mine?

[repaintress]

Some of my carving and sculpting tools contain iron. I need replacements. They must be capable of carving stone.

As you can tell, my request is not for weaponry.

[ 'Not weaponry' and 'not dangerous' are two different statements. Flesh is much gentler than stone. ]

I am more creative than you, but in this case, my need is mundane.

[badnewsandshitlist]

Tools for stone carving. That is a far more sophisticated request than the parade of improvised knives I was expecting once I opened my mouth. I should thank you for raising the standard, Clea.

However, there is one rather irritating complication. Anything I forge for you needs to be completely free of iron or iron alloys. Stone carving usually demands metals with far more backbone than what we have available here, so I will have to get… creative. Brass, bronze, and sure-treated composites can withstand the strain if appropriately shaped, although they will each behave slightly differently than a traditional chisel.

That is why I will need you to tell me precisely what your work requires. The stone you carve, the force you tend to use, the angles your hand favours. If I misjudge even slightly, your tool will wear down faster than your patience, and I would prefer to avoid disappointing both of us.

Consider it a puzzle. You bring the knowledge of the stone, and I will bring the metallurgy, limited to everything except what would make this simplest.

And before you worry, I might complain, I actually enjoy this more than the weapon commissions. It is nice to be asked to make something that shapes the world rather than cuts it.

So please tell me what the stone demands, and I will see what can be built without a trace of iron.

[repaintress]

An artist requires her own tools: I do not wish to depend on what our new hosts have available, but coming with my own would tell them that I am an interloper. You are correct about the scarcity of materials: I acquired my tools from one of the previous missions for this reason. They are not to the standard of which I am accustomed, but they were better than having nothing.

It would be better if you were to observe me at work. Come and watch. Feel my hand and arm as I sculpt. That is the best way to get a sense of what is needed: I do not conceptualize my process wholly in physics, and that is the knowledge that you need.

The sooner the better, as I need to practice with these tools. If I arrive and clearly know how to sculpt but not how to use the tools and metals our hosts use, it might break the ruse.

[badnewsandshitlist]

If you want tools that feel right, then seeing you work is the only valid starting point. I’m not about to guess at your technique and hope it translates into something usable.

If you’re carving now, I can come over immediately. I’ll keep out of your way, watch how you work, and try to make sense of it well enough to shape the materials we actually have.

Fair warning, though. When it comes to art, I’m primarily operating on observation and prayer. I know precision, not beauty. So if I look confused while you sculpt, it’s only because I’m trying to translate whatever magic you’re doing into something I can actually replicate.

[repaintress]

I am not. Arrive in two hours.

I will describe what I am doing, but my understanding of my process is relative, not absolute. So as you said: I have the knowledge of how the tools will be used, but not of the mathematics behind them. Most science is mathematics, is it not?

It is not magic. It is expertise.

[badnewsandshitlist]

Two hours, then. I’ll be there, and I’ll try not to look like a disappointed tutor while you work.

And as for expertise… careful with that word. Call yourself an expert around me and I’ll be tempted to start asking you insufferably detailed questions to see where the cracks appear. It is a noble title, but a dangerous one. People start expecting demonstrations.

Still, you know your craft, even if you do not describe it with the precision of a mathematician. That is fine. You show me what your hands know, and I will handle the rest.

I’ll see you shortly, expert.

[repaintress]

Believe me, your disappointment means nothing to me.

I am an expert. You can ask any questions you'd like. I know my work as thoroughly as you know yours.

You would not be the first scientist I walked away from once they annoyed me.