The cottage door opens, and Gravam Yarb steps inside without his hammer, tongs, or apron. He carries a sword wrapped in dark oilcloth and a folded message sealed with rough red wax.
Gravam Yarb
I took this from a rider stopped on the northern road. He was carrying it toward Anuncagra, but the blade made me ask questions before I let him continue.
Tomas closes his account book and rises from the table. Mara remains near the hearth, while the wrapped sword rests between the ledgers concerning Athel Vey’s commission.
Gravam Yarb
The message names Lord Edran Vey, a claimant from the old Vey northern house. It says his right is tied to the authority surrounding Athel Vey’s commission.
Gravam unwraps the sword. A narrow silver line runs beneath the guard, and three black notches mark the pommel, matching signs preserved in the family papers and northern routing records.
Gravam Yarb
I know these markings. They belonged to the Vey retainers before the northern commission was divided. If this claimant is genuine, the matter can reach Karosh, the baron, and our family name here in Anuncagra.
Tomas
Then the message and the sword should be compared with the warrant wording, seal sequence, and date. We should establish what is proven before anyone answers the claimant.
“He may claim the authority father but we have the proof that it was Lord Ivar of Karosh himself who did it, melt the sword with mine and reforge me a sword i can wield one or two handed with these gems i have in the hilt and cross guard, wrap them in brown leather and make the blade a gorgeous steely silver using the metals from that one to create black wave patterns.”
FAILURE (Good Craft (Blacksmith), rolled -2)
Nilsar Yarb
He may claim Athel Vey’s authority, Father, but our proof names Ivar Sorn of Karosh. Melt both swords together. I want one blade, usable in either hand, with these gems set in the hilt and crossguard, brown leather around the grip, a bright silver finish, and black waves from the old metal.
Gravam carries his sword to the forge and sets it beside Nilsar’s Longsword without placing either in Nilsar’s hands. Tomas keeps the warrant papers open beside the gems and tools.
The furnace swallows both blades. Gravam works the bellows while Nilsar guides the tongs and hammer, drawing the softened metal into a long, balanced form and setting the gems into the prepared hilt.
Tomas
The silver line and three notches are breaking apart in the heat. If the pattern fails, the sword may no longer preserve the Vey retainers’ mark.
Nilsar folds the metal again, but the quench runs unevenly. The blade emerges bright and handsome, its black waves visible along the steel, yet a fine crack opens beneath one gem and the edge will not hold.
The intended weapon is a near miss, not a sound fighting blade. A narrow section of the old silver line survives as a separate strip, carrying two clear black notches that can serve as proof.
Gravam Yarb
The sword will not bear use, son. But this strip can be shown beside the family papers. It proves the old mark survived the joining, and it may reveal the proper steel and temper for a future blade.
Nilsar Yarb
The old mark survived, but the blade is unsafe.
Gravam quenches the flawed blade and lays it aside for scrap, while the marked strip cools beside the warrant. The gems remain set, but the weapon cannot yet serve as Nilsar’s sword.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reforge Nilsar's longsword into Damascus steel
“Spend time in the cottage working by the fire with my father to reforge my blade even stronger as Mara keeps the house clean”
SUCCESS (Good Craft (Blacksmith), rolled -1)
Gravam clears the forge while Nilsar lays the flawed blade, the surviving marked strip, and his Longsword beside the coals. Mara quietly sweeps ash and keeps the cottage orderly around them.
Nilsar uses his Skilled Craftsman eye to judge the old metal, then works the bellows and tongs with Gravam. Together they draw the flawed steel out, fold it, and build a thicker core around the Longsword’s sound length.
Gravam controls the heat while Nilsar hammers each fold true. Mara wipes soot from the table, stacks the tools, and carries fresh water from the barrel without interrupting their rhythm.
Nilsar Yarb
The old mark can survive as evidence, but the blade must become sound.
The surviving strip is cut into a reinforcing spine rather than lost to scrap. Nilsar sets the gems firmly, draws the bright steel clean, and leaves the black waves visible along the fuller.
At the final quench, Gravam steadies the blade while Nilsar lowers it evenly. The metal rings clear afterward: stronger than before, balanced for either hand, and safe to wield.
The reforging succeeds, but it consumes the cottage’s finest charcoal and the last usable silver stock. Gravam oils the finished weapon, while Mara cleans the forge floor and sets the renewed Longsword within reach.
Quest Complete
Reforge Nilsar's longsword into Damascus steel
+ New Item Acquired
Damascus Longsword