Is that to Go?

[Hikami]

Company: Himself | Thoughts: Not sure what to do with this thing | Mood: Curious
19th of Frost, Year 120, A.o.S
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Hyo was never really the type to use dragonshards, as he rather use his magic and his skill with a spear, so he wasn't certain when or how to use the damn thing. Even with those skills, however, he was certain that having it would do him better than without. He wanted to get an idea as to what he could use it for, so he began asking around the city.

It seemed he would need to find a Runeforger, a mage that was also a blacksmith. It was explained to him that these mages could use that dragonshard of his to make an item out of it. He couldn't really call himself a mage if he didn't at least have one magic item in his arsenal, so he set out to find a runeforger.

He heard of a place that was run by a notable Runeforger, learning that the prince of Kalzasi owned the place or was a patron of it or something like that. A man like that would surely someone good to have in his corner, so Hyo had begun thinking of ways to win the runeforger's favor if only to help him gain influence in the city.

He followed the directions on where to find the place, as it was within the Jeweled Arches, no doubt a place that was booming with business. Approaching the bustling market area, he stood and looked the area over. The last thing he wanted was to have gotten lost from the direction given. Making sure he was on the right track, he walked the length of the market and made his way to the forge.

Along the way, he couldn't stop imagining what fun things he could do with the item that could be made from the dragonshard, and the cool ways he could use it in battle. There really were no words to express how excited he felt as he raced through the Jeweled Arches to the smith.

Finally, he made it to the shop and came through the door, a smile beaming upon his face and the dragonshard in hand. This was the first time he had been in a place like this admiring the weapons and other things that were on display.

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"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Talon]

19 Frost 120 Steel

Talon stood over the runeforge as he carefully lowered the skin of the kenboku into its depths. The misty tendrils of aetheric essence that gently drifted up from the primordial liquid that swirled within it were something that he learned long ago not to breathe in. Around his face was a cloth to help shield him from inhaling the fumes. In some instances, they could cause a burning, they could just smell bad or in one particularly embarrassing incident the sensory experiences that he had accidentally breathed in had been so overwhelmingly pleasurable it had led to an...accident. Nevertheless, Talon had learned that it was always best to cover one’s face when dealing with an open runeforge. With a pair of tongs he lowered the piece of flesh into the liquid, watching as it began the slow process of crystallizing before eventually it would join the mix of all the other components that he had stewing.

“Does that always happen?” His apprentice, Velkan, was staring wide-eyed at the phenomenon. He was rapt with fascination as he observed it. Talon chuckled. He released the piece of flesh and then stepped back, closing the forge so that the breakdown process could continue safely. He set his tongs on their rack and then removed the cloth mask from his face.

“Not always. It depends upon the complexity of the component. The more powerful or complex the component’s structure or makeup, the long it takes to breakdown into its base aetheric state. My runeforge is of higher quality but I suspect it will need to be outfitted more appropriately to be able to handle some of the more advanced projects we have planned.” Talon gently pulled Velkan back from the forge before he accidentally burned himself. The young Avialae started and blinked.

“Oh. Too close?” Talon shook his head.

“No, but I do not want you to hurt yourself. The forge tends to get temperamental whenever it begins breaking down a new component. That is true for all forges no matter how advanced. We do our best to guard against random aether spikes but even the strongest wards can fail.” Talon glanced around his workshop. He would need to upgrade the protections put in place when he outfitted his spaces with a stronger runeforge. That would be quite an overhaul but it would be worth it whenever he decided to take on some of the even greater projects that were spinning around his mind.

“How are your inks coming along?” Velkan beamed as Talon posed this question to him. They had spent the past week or so going over the steps of how to properly prepared Spellwright’s Ink. Delegating the creation of some of the more common forms to Velkan had alleviated Talon’s need to oversee every step of the process. He was pleased with how quickly the young man was taking to the craft. He had not been kidding when he said that he was a quick study.

“I just completed my first frost ink, Shinsei! Though...I did get a little bit of frostbite on my fingers.” He rubbed his hands together. The skin looked to be fine if a bit pinker than normal. Talon nodded.

“Excellent! We will be moving on the creation of tools next week. If you intend to oversee your own forge one day, it is vital that you understand the steps that go into creating your own.” As he finished that sentence, Pyrra made her way down into the workspace.

“There is a customer here who requires your specific attention, my prince.” Talon nodded. He gave Velkan’s shoulder a squeeze before moving to follow Pyrra up the stairs to the main floor of the Skyforge.

He was an Avialae and his wings were of the more uncommon variety. The wings of a bat extended from his back which was not a common sight in the streets or skies of Kalzasi. There were certain connotations associated with those who possessed the wings of a bat but Talon did his best not to pre-judge the man for it. If he was in his shop, he would be treated like any other visitor, with respect unless or until he proved undeserving of that respect.

“Welcome to the Skyforge, Sir. I am Talon. This is my shop. How may I assist you?” He gave a nod to Pyrra as she went to tend to other customers. He offered the man a smile as he awaited both his introduction and his request.

[Hikami]

Company: Talon | Thoughts: What is everyone looking at? | Mood: Annoyed, Surprise
19th of Frost, Year 120, A.o.S
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As Hyoga looked around looked around he noticed something. He never addressed it when he arrived here in the city. He found that many of the people were staring at him. For him, there was really no denying the feeling of eyes on him wherever he went, as the city itself seemed to have been interested in him. In any case, he was in a pleasant place. Though he was rather annoyed from the stares.

You think they hadn't seen a man with wings before, especially in a city filled with winged males for miles. Well the more he thought about it, the more he started looking at where they were looking. Their eyes, their eyes were fixated on something, and the more he looked, the more he started to put it together. A brow raised as he confirmed they were looking at his wings. But why, what was it about his wings that caused them to stare with that disgusted look on their faces?

before he could address them, a voice spoke, and the voice was familiar to him. He hadn't heard that voice in quite some time. But what was he doing in this place? In any case, the Kathar looked toward the male who called to him, immediately recognizing the man before him. It was that Avialae from the Warren adventure, and when he first arrived in the area.

"Hey it's you, from the Monolith in the Warrens!" he said with a big smile on his face, then something that was told to him finally clicking. Was this guy the prince that owns this forge? Hyo had fought alongside the prince of the city twice now and never knew it.

"I can't believe that this whole time I was fighting along royalty and didn't notice." he chuckled, scratching the back of his head, his informality in speaking with Talon causing some of the patrons to get a bit angry. Seeing this Hyo tried to rectify their anger, bowing a bit in front of the royal. "It is an honor to reaquaint myself with you your highness. I am Hyoga Yoko if you don't remember me."

He hoped that would appease them, as that's all they would receive from him. "I came here hoping you could help me out with something. I got this dragonshard from a job earlier this season and was wondering if you could make something out of it?" he inquired, pulling the glowing gem from his pocket.

Coming a bit closer he leaned in to whisper to the forge master. "Quick question though, is there a reason why everyone is giving me such dirty looks? Have they not seen wings like mine before?" he asked, looking confused as to why he was getting dirty looks from the other customers.

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"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Talon]

As soon as he spoke, Talon recognized him. The memory of the events that had transpired in the depths of the Warrens the season prior were still etched into his mind. He smiled brightly as all suspicion of this man was banished. Twice now, Hyoga had come to his aide without hesitation. He felt a sliver of guilt as he realized he had already begun to judge the man which he should have known better than to do. After all, was not the Companion of his Soul a Kathar? Had Aoren not proven himself a man of honor, courage, selflessness and skill time and time again? Talon smiled brightly at Hyoga in the hopes that it would make him feel more welcome.

“I do not like to bring attention to my lineage where it make no sense to do so. The Deeps of the Warrens make mortals of us all. What are princes or paupers in such a place? Nothing but another soul trying to survive.” Talon stared at the dragonshard that Hyoga brought out. He reached for it with a spark of excitement in his eyes as he beheld the magical crystal. His grey eyes lifted however as the broad warrior leaned in closer to pose his question. Talon glanced around and the smile faded from his features. He quirked a brow, meeting the gaze of some of the other patrons. He spoke clearly and somewhat pointedly as he answered Hyoga’s question.

“They forget that you are my guest.” His words carried clearly through the space of the main floor, prompting several people to quickly look away in embarrassment. Reaching out, Talon touched Hyoga’s shoulder with a friendly smile.

“Come. We will go to my workshop. I am certain that my apprentice will be thrilled to be able to meet you.” With that, Talon guided Hyoga toward the lower level of the shop where stood his personal workshop. Workbenches lined the walls. Each of them a table outfitted with a slab of aetherite crystal. Into the surface was carved symbols that Talon had hand etched himself. The weaving of so many carefully built webs of pictography in order to keep the work of runeforging going uninterrupted. He had lost track of how many times he had drawn and carved the exact symbols on his artifacts as he constructed them. Their purpose was simple, to stabilize, enhance and allow the continuation of the runeforging process in a safe environment.

His apprentice, Velkan, was tinkering with what looked to be a crystal of his own. He was staring at it from behind a polished lens of glass while carefully tapping at the back of a small chisel, etching symbols into the surface. As Talon entered the workshop, he looked up with a smile. That smile dimmed slightly as his eyes came to settle upon Hyoga. Immediate Velkan looked to the warrior’s wings and there was a slight look of concern on his face before Talon cleared his throat.

“Velkan. This is Hyoga. He is a fine warrior who has defended both me and Kalzasi with bravery. He is here to seek help with a dragonshard.” Velkan hopped up and walked up to the bat winged Avialae with a smile.

“Well met, Sir. I am Velkan, the Shinsei’s apprentice. Apologies, we do not see many Kathar in the streets of Kalzasi. Aoren aside.”

[Hikami]

Company: Talon | Thoughts: What is everyone looking at? | Mood: Annoyed, Surprise
19th of Frost, Year 120, A.o.S
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A smile beamed onto Hyo's face when Talon finally recognized him. It was good to be remembered by a warrior Hyo found intriguing. He was modest too, humble to not allow his prestigious heritage to turn him into a rude bastard. Hyo could appreciate when someone was humble despite their station in life.

His words rang true as the most harrowing of challenges can remind anyone no matter their caliber that death looms even for them. Hyo tried to be humble even when others made it hard for him to do so. Talon did however manage to bring a smile to his face by scolding those around, putting him in their place as it seemed. Hyo never really noticed it but it was hard to miss in such fine quarters.

It made him realize just how alone in this city he was, and that the people here were against him. He began to wonder if everyone was like this. What was so discouraging about being a Kathar that would cause people to act in such a way. Hyo never set out to harm anyone, not unless it was in self-defense or he was paid to do so. And even then it would depend on what the person did.

He couldn't quite wrap his mind around it, he was used to living in the city where people judged you. Coming from a village where everyone looked out for each other, this was truly a culture shock for him. Talon however was a refreshing example that not everyone was as judgemental as these peons. With a hand on his shoulder, Hyo smiled back at the Avialae, nodding as the two ventured into the workshop.

Hyo's eyes lit up like a child in a confections shop as he had never seen anything like this before. He wasn't well acquainted with runeforging but from the looks of things, it seemed cool enough. His eyes fell on the apprentice, and he could see the same look like the others back in the shop area of the forge. He seemed to have judge Hyo too, if only for a moment. His look was one you gave someone when you were worried, but Talon reassured him of Hyo's bravery and it seemed to change Velkin's attitude.

Hyoga smiled as the apprentice greeted him, bowing to the smaller male as he knelt to shake his hand. "It nice nice to meet you Velkin." standing he looked around, taking it all in. "I have never been inside one of these places before, so this is all rather interesting to me."

it was an honest opinion as he had never truly seen this type of magic at work, but he was at least aware that it was indeed magic, and that alone interested him.

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"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Talon]

Talon watched the interaction between Velkan and Hyoga. He was glad that his apprentice set aside his initial prejudices and welcomed the man into their workshop.

“If it interests you, Hyoga, you are welcome to watch the work that we do here. Much of everything we do is to perform simple reinforcements to the weapons and armor for the Sky Guard.” Talon gestured to a rack of swords that was currently being finished and prepared for shipment to Mistreach Keep. The valorous men and women who protected Kalzasi were patroned by Talon’s family. He took it as a point of pride that they chose to come to his establishment over some of the other forges in the city. Because he was deeply familiar with their work, the Warren March of his youth and his own exploring as an adult giving him firsthand knowledge, Talon spared no detail in refining that which protected the city’s soldiers.

Velkan smiled at Hyoga, stepping aside with a bow as he gestured toward the interior of the workshop. The space possessed a high ceiling, which was to be expected given that it was the workshop of an Avialae. The workbenches and stations were spaced out enough so as to allow at least five or six people to be working simultaneously without bumping into one another. At different walls, there was a workbench set up. One of them looked to be the station of a tailor. Spools of prismatic looking thread shimmered as pieces of unfinished cloth rest upon the tabletops. Another station looked to be that of a jeweler, with various gemstones, bracelets and even a few amulets resting on jewelry stands. Another station looked to be designed for woodcarving and yet another for leatherworking. At the far end of the chamber stood a forge. It was covered in runic markings. The anvil in front of it was comprised of black iron and glittering violet-blue aetherite gemstone.

The forge rest at the center of an elaborate circle of runes, marking that seemed to extend outward from it to follow paths along the walls and over the floors of the entire shop.

“Would you please assist Pyrra, Velkan?” The young Avialae bowed once more and made his way up to the main floor of the Skyforge. Talon beckoned Hyoga over to the workbench where rest the various pieces of jewelry.

“I must ask you, Hyoga, what exactly are you wanting to achieve? There are many things I am capable of forging for you.”

[Hikami]

Company: Talon | Thoughts: What is everyone looking at? | Mood: Annoyed, Surprise
19th of Frost, Year 120, A.o.S
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"I would love that, though I don't think I would be any good if I were to try my hand at this myself. Growing up I was never really shown any other magic except ones used for combat. You can take the Kathar out of the Imperium, but you can never take the Imperium out of the Kathar, at least that's what my mother use to say." he said in response to Talon gesture.

Hearing Talon explain that he basically kept the city guard well equipped and reinforced told Hyo that the prince had to be greatly skilled in this form of magic in order to do so. It must help to have an apprentice to help in picking up the slack with such demanding workloads, and Hyo could only admire that level of dedication the craft, just like his own dedication to his magics.

Each workbench held a different style of crafting, which to Hyo was fascinating to him. Though prone to combative magics, he was still curious about other magics as a whole and how they worked. It was interesting to see items and weapons being made by magical means, something he knew was possible from what his mother use to talk about, but never seeing it up close in person.

Hyo noticed as Talon had sent his apprentice away, leaving them two within the forge. That made him both comfortable and nervous. He was glad that it was Talon, someone who Hyoga equated to being kind and a person Hyo could possibly let his walls down against. However he was still the prince of the city and it was imperative that Hyo make sure not to overstep his bounds, less he add more to the scrutiny he has encoured already.

"Are you sure its ok to be alone with the Kathar. I would hate for you people to spread rumors or cause you trouble with your fellow nobles because of my presence." he asked as Talon beckoned him to approach, jokingly though there was a slight tinge of fear in those words. Last thing he wanted was for his or Talon's honor or reputation to be stained.

Approaching where Talon had been standing, Hyo though about what he wanted. "I don't honestly know. I know its not enough to make a weapon out of. So maybe a piece of jewelry like the ones here." he mused, looking over the pieces of jewelry before him. Among the ones displayed he saw a ring that reminded him of the one his mother use to were.

"How about a ring, is that enough to make a ring or should I delve into the warrens for more?" he inquired, looking to the crowned prince with curious and hopeful eyes.

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"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Talon]

Talon studied Hyoga for a moment as he spoke on the Gelerian Imperium. Every story he had heard of the place told him that it was not a land that was friendly toward Avialae. They were relegated as little more than slaves, conscripted to serve the bloody interests of an empire hellbent on conquering everything in its path. His thoughts drifted to his bondmate, the mental scars that Aoren still bore from all of his years living in the Imperium sometimes weighed on him so heavily he was paralyzed with nightmarish flashbacks. During those moments, Talon had to push through to his bondmate with all of his mental might in order to break him from his episode. He would then typically spend the rest of the day holding his bondmate close and soothing old aches that mere words could not heal.

That was why he could only smile softly as Hyoga made his joking remark. Talon recognized it for what it was. Hyoga felt out of place. There was a part of Talon that could not fathom a life not lived free. The Synnekar were blessed by the gods in having escaped the life that had been made for them in the Imperium. He shuddered to think what his life would have been if he had been born under Imperial rule.

“My bondmate is a Kathar, Hyoga. He is a man of strength, honor and compassion. I know of no greater friend.” Talon would have said more. He felt a mix of things for Aoren. All of them good things. The man inspired him, angered him, made him laugh and even cry sometimes. He was able to be himself with Aoren in a way that he could not be with anyone else. When Hyoga drew nearer, Talon reached up and gently squeezed his shoulder.

“A ring?” Talon quirked his head before nodding. “I can fashion a ring from this. It is more than enough.”

Talon examined the dragonshard. He rolled it between his fingers as he thought on how it might be constructed.

“Are you wanting it to just contain the basic properties of the shard?”

[Hikami]

Company: Talon | Thoughts: What is everyone looking at? | Mood: Annoyed, Surprise
19th of Frost, Year 120, A.o.S
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Talon's mention of his bondmate, a Kathar no less, caused a child-like curiosity to well up in his eyes. It made him remember the other warrior he fought alongside when he first arrived in Kalzasi. He was amazed by that, and it gave him hope. Talon spoke highly of this bondmate of his, and it made Hyo smile knowing at least another Kathar was making something of themselves in this prejudiced city.

He began to wonder what his life would have been like if he was born in the city, his father joining one of the Hunter guilds or even the Sky Guard, his mother joining one of the many magical groups here too. That thought alone brought a tear of happiness to his eye, wiping it quickly as Talon inquired about the ring.

Hyo was glad that the shard he had was more than sufficient to make a ring from it. He was curious as to what Talon meant however about just the basic properties. "You can do more than just what it can normally do?" he inquired, scratching his head as he wasn't really familiar with what this all entailed. "I'm sorry Talon, this is still new to me so I'm not really sure what else you can do."

Though unfamiliar with the process and all that would go into the creation of the ring, he was definitely intrigued. If Talon could make a ring, that means other stuff could be made too, weapons, armor, and more. "I take it you can instill more than just the basic qualities of the shard in the ring?"

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"Common Speech"
"Synskrit Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Talon]

Talon looked up from the dragonshard. He just barely saw Hyoga wipe away what he could only assume was the misting that was still slightly present in his eyes. The emotion caught him a little off guard. Was kindness such a rarity for this man? He allowed Hyoga a moment to compose himself while he pretended to be inspecting the nature of the gemstone in his grasp. After a moment, he nodded.

“Then we will not complicate the matter.” Talon smiled. He closed his hand around the dragonshard and motioned for Hyoga to follow him. Talon walked up to his runeforge. Before them rose what looked like a small chimney stack. It was covered in brick, with each brick being etched with arcane writings. Talon had painstakingly compiled the entirety of the schema necessary to guide and guard the process of runeforging himself. It had been one of his first lessons and a valuable one at that. He came to stop just in front of the stack, turning to face Hyoga.

“I can fashion a ring for you made from this dragonshard. It will carry with it the magic of ice that is inherent in the aether gem. I can also put into place some basic enchantments that guide its abilities.” He gestured around them to the tools of his trade.

“The whole process should only take a few days. What do you say?” Already Talon could think of a few things that he would implement into the creation of the ring. While the dragonshard in his possession was not particularly uncommon, it was more than enough to fashion something out of. Of the many magical objects that Talon was capable of crafting, a ring was perhaps one of the simplest and most straightforward. Besides, it would perhaps give him a bit of insight into how he was going to fashion the gauntlets that he had in mind for his bondmate. The constructing of that particular project was proving to be an undertaking that was much larger than he anticipated.