[F17-SP] Let Me Give You A Hand <<Challenge of Olympus: Blacksmith>>

[Rencesvals 0]

"Which one are you from, then?"  Ren grabbed a nearby rag and wiped his face to clear the soot and sweat of a day's work from his face.  It was a futile exercise as the cloth was just a dirty as the rest of him, but it certainly smeared everything around for a nice, even consistency.  He'd been expecting a letter or some form of visitor for some time.  It hadn't quite taken as long for Demeter to get her invites out, but this might also explain why hers looked like incomplete form letters.

"From Zeus himself, my lord!"  The Satyr was a bit overzealous with his delivery.  Given the sheer extent of the bedazzling on his absurdly purple jacket and the fact that he'd apparently dyed his fur to match, it wasn't overly surprising.  

"Uh-huh."  Ren wasn't having it.  Business was driving some sensibility into that naive head of his, and excessive promises that under-delivered were all too commonplace of late.  "And just Ren is fine.  You can skip the flowery prose."  The messengers horns and stature drooped in response, feeling modestly slighted for their delivery.  He must love his job.

***

Rencesvals | HP: 180/180 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 8 | ACC: 2 | LD: 6

Uses/Consumes:
Gelato - ID 212841-04 | LD 3

Spoiler

Rencesvals
Level: 9
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 180/180
EN: 36/36

Stats:
Damage: 8
Mitigation: 8
Accuracy: 2
Loot Dice: 3+3

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Joyful Tribulations | ACC 2
Armor: Black Regalia | -
Misc: Music Box | LD 3

Skills:
Straight Sword R5
Heavy Armor R1
Fighting Spirit

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potions x2

Rank 5 Forager w/ Demeter's Tool

 

 

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

"Nevertheless, Zeus, the very king of the gods himself, demands your presence and attendance to face the trials of Olympus at once!"  Ren nodded even as he was already setting away his tools and materials, swapping out gear in preparation for the journey.  The page was still blabbering away when Ren lifted the proffered letter from his fingertips to scan its contents.  

"Okay, good, blacksmithing as expected.  No special requirements, except.  What's this about reporting to Hephaestus?  It makes sense, but why not just issue the invitation in the forge-god's name?"  He knew his mythology quite well, and anything he'd missed in class had inevitably been filled in by Vindalia.  She was a classics student, after all.  Not much chance of dodging of Greek antiquity with one of those around.

"Erm..."  The satyr actually looked unnerved by the question, causing Ren to pause and capture him with a quizzical look.  "Well, they don't really let Hephaestus do much of anything himself."

"Isn't he supposed to be injured, or physically challenged or something?  I don't recall all of the specifics."  No specific response was forthcoming, as the messenger struggled with how best to word his answer without breaching any of Olympus' many, MANY protocols.  "Don't hurt yourself.  Just lead the way and we'll figure the rest out."  An audible gasp of relief escaped from his would-be escort.

***

ID 212998 | Gathering LD 10+6=21 | CD 5+1=7 | Find 2 material, 1,000 col

Total:
0 Demonic Shards
2 Materials
1,000 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

"Are we not heading for the ferryman's dock?"  Ren's sense of direction was still as fallible as ever, but he'd overheard some other candidates heading towards another gate upon their arrival in Athenaia.  The ones carrying fishing poles had sealed his assumptions.

"No, this particular invitation leads to Olympus itself.  We must go to Hephaestus as he is not...easily movable."  Large groups of toga-wearing individuals were visible lounging in alcoves and covered stoa all along the city's major plazas and connecting boulevards.  Ren wondered how accurately this society mirrored its inspiration.  Were there slaves here?  Servants could be seen everywhere milling around, but the less palatable elements of ancient times looked to have been glossed over.  That wasn't necessarily a good thing.  It just meant that the game designers had kept the picturesque components and swept the true cost under the rug.

"Is the journey long?  Last time I had a time limit and barely made it."

***
ID 212999 | Gathering LD 15+6=21 | CD 12+1=13 | Find 1 demonic shard, 4 material, 3,000 col

Total:
1 Demonic Shards
6 Materials
4,000 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

A familiar buff spawned in his interface confirming his status as have the Favour of Olympus.  The many faces of Charon controlled passage at the docks.  Other guardians must perform a similar function to ward off unwanted visitors from Olympus itself.

"No, nothing like that," replied his guide, snacking on some meat-laden skewer he'd picked up as they passed through a street market.  Ren wondered how he'd possibly missed it, but decided it was easier to just let it drop.  "And it's not really like Hephaestus is going anywhere."  Derogatory disdain in his escort's voice riled Ren's hackles.  

"Wait a moment.  First you were fawning all over delivering Zeus' message and now you're just dismissing Hephaestus? Doesn't that seem career limiting to you?"  Ire at the double standard was clear in his tone.

"You need to understand that the lame god's status at Olympus is essentially non-existent.  No one jumps to his commands, not that he ever bothers trying to issue any.  No one has any reason to heed him or fear any threats he might issue.  Zeus, on the other hand?"  A crackle of distant thunder made his point for him, as signaled by the skyward tip of his skewer.

***
ID 213000 | Gathering LD 1+6=7 | CD 5+1=6 | Find 0 material, 0 col

Total:
1 Demonic Shards
6 Materials
4,000 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

"It's really just through Hera's good graces that these messages get out at all.  Plus, blacksmiths still need training, or so we're told."  Another kebab was prodded Ren's way as a peace offering.  Taken aback by the casual dismissal of a supposed deity, he had to catch up a few steps to claim it and signal his thanks.  "We all know that it's cruel and unfair, but no one is crazy enough to stick themselves in the line of fire for Zeus' mockery.  Even in jest, that tends to be lethal."

"Wasn't Hephaestus' only crime that he was born ugly or something?"  The satyr shrugged.

"Something like that.  And they tossed him off the mountain for it, which only made things worse.  You need to prepare for that.  He's in a really bad way, and some prospects fail their test just by saying the wrong thing or looking at him the wrong way."

***
ID 213001 | Gathering LD 20+6=26 | CD 7+1=8 | Find 3 material, 2,500 col

Total:
1 Demonic Shards
9 Materials
6,500 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

"What's your name, anyway?  You never told me."  They'd already cleared the city walls and were crossing a steep valley on their way towards a range of distant peaks.  Everything around here was arid and mountainous.  Ren had already spotted a series of marble nodes, as well as a few for copper and tin.  Bronze would be readily available at local smithies.  

"Mauz, and thanks for asking," came the cheerful response.  "Most people never bother.  They just want to do their quest and get on with whatever else is on their agenda for the day."  Pausing, he places a hairy hand on Ren's shoulder.  "Look, you seem like a decent person.  Don't expect a lot of fairness up ahead.  Athenaia may pride itself on its democracy, but Olympus doesn't work that way."

"Ren," he replied, "but I suspect that you would already need to have known that."  The fey smirked and resumed their trek across the scrublands.

***
ID 213002 | Gathering LD 16+6=22 | CD 2+1=3 | Find 1 material, 0 col

Total:
1 Demonic Shards
10 Materials
6,500 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

The foot of Mount Olympus was wreathed in banks of thick fog that fit the common portrayal of its pristine structures as sitting atop the clouds.  Shadows of massive shapes could be seen prowling in the mists, some humanoid and others decidedly not.  

"So how do we get up there?"  There was no visible path or trail leading up the mountain's sheer cliffs.  It looked, quite appropriately, like some impenetrable fortress looming larger than life over the rest of the mortal realm.

"There's a hidden path."  Reaching into a brown leather satchel wrapped around his chest, he pulled out a large crystalline sphere about the size of a five-pin bowling ball.  It starting glowing the moment he took it out.  "There's a catch, you see.  You need one of these attuned glow stones to even see the path, but if you don't have an invitation it will draw every guardian in the region to your position.  Simple, but effective."

***

ID 213003 | Gathering LD 6+6=12 | CD 7+1=8 | Find 3 material, 2,500 col

Total:
1 Demonic Shards
13 Materials
9,000 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

Walking among the fog titans was a breathtaking and terrifying experience hardly suitable for the fainthearted.  Ren wondered at least once or twice whether some giant appendage was about to come swinging their way to step on or otherwise flatten them with pulverizing power.  Mauz, meanwhile, knew where to go and called out warnings about the broken terrain well enough in advance that Ren was able to navigate around the perils.  A few would have sent him careening off the mountainside where the final impact would have been no better than running afoul of the gods' guardians.

"Not exactly welcoming, is it?"  That the mists made the rock slick and slippery only seemed additionally cruel.  

"The gods value their privacy, my friend.  Best to remember what you see here and spread the word, less you or other ambitious kin seek to attempt the journey without their blessing."  He looked down several hundred feet at the jagged white rocks below.  "It doesn't usually end well."

***

ID 213004 | Gathering LD 14+6=20 | CD 8+1=9 | Find 3 material, 2,500 col

Total:
1 Demonic Shards
16 Materials
11,500 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

The recklessness and danger of their trek only grew as they reached closer to the peak.  Much like the acropolis in Athenaia, visible below, the upper portions of Olympus had been stepped and leveled to make room for the broad assortments of temples and other structures that filled every available square inch of space.  Some buildings even looked like they were stacked one on top of the other, just to accentuate the effect.  From what Ren knew of Greek architecture and iconography, it had been mimicked here, but subtle details changed.  You couldn't quite tell whether it was deliberate or if the game designers hadn't quite done enough homework.  Probably, it was some combination of the two.  Getting just enough wrong can be an art, reaching plausibility without the challenges of attempting perfection where a single flaw can ruin the whole.  Mauz veered left towards a cave mouth just shy of the peak.

"Aren't we headed up there?"  Ren asked, confused.

"No.  Remember what I told you.  Hephaestus is cast out.  His presence would mar the beauty and perfection of the gods' perfect palaces.  He gets to stay here instead."

***

ID 213005 | Gathering LD 18+6=24 | CD 11+1=12 | Find 1 demonic shard, 4 material, 3,000 col

Total:
2 Demonic Shards
20 Materials
14,500 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

The satyr noted his companion's hesitation.

"There is nothing to... okay, well, there is relatively little to fear," he corrected, trying to assuage Ren's perceived concerns.

"What?  No, that's not the issue.  How do I address someone who's been treated so badly by his peers?"  Thinking back to the dynamics between his own friends group, there was no true outsider.  Everyone had always been encouraged to participate and belong.  It was what had made the social circle work, at least to the extent that it did.  Things weren't always perfect, but people worked out their issues and found workarounds when there were disagreements, for the sake of the whole.

"Hephaestus has gotten on hell of a raw deal.  I wouldn't blame him in the slightest for being angry, and I suspect that pity would likewise only set him off.  So what does he want for himself?  How does he want to be treated?"

***

ID 213006 | Gathering LD 5+6=11 | CD 3+1=4 | Find 1 material, 0 col

Total:
2 Demonic Shards
21 Materials
14,500 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

"Who knows the thoughts and dreams of a god, Ren?  Especially a broken one.  My task is merely to serve as messenger and escort."  Mauz' limitations as an NPC were starting to show.  This level of compassion and understanding was beyond him.  As much as Cardinal's creations had developed nuance and a growing sense of believable identity in the time since the game began, it was still just a sophisticated veneer.  This challenge, too, was just another facet of the same system.

"Alright," Ren decided.  "Let's go in.  I think I have an idea."

Shrugging, Mauz grabbed a torch from among several dozen left in the bucket by the cave mouth.  A nearby brazier full of flame provided fuel and fire to help them find their way.  After so much time climbing the slick cliffs of the mountainside, it felt odd to be delving downward again into its depths.  Ren grabbed his own torch as additional precaution.  Getting stuck in the dark down here could be a challenge of its own.

***

ID 213007 | Gathering LD 18+6=24 | CD 12+1=13 | Find 1 demonic shard, 4 material, 3,0000 col

Total:
3 Demonic Shards
25 Materials
17,500 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

Time lost all meaning as they descended into the labyrinthine tangle of tunnels beneath the mons.  Fortunately, Mauz appeared to know where he was going.  Ren would have been lost after the first turn, and was already distracting himself by studying the surrounding geology. Notably, patterns and increasing density of mineral ore were growing as they descended.  It as like tracing a network of metal veins gradually back to their heart and source.

"This is remarkable," Ren observed aloud.

"Oh, you noticed!  Good for you.  Not everyone picks up on that.  No one really knows the cause, but legend has it that Hephaestus' blood seeped through the mountain after he was brought here, wounded from being cast down.  They say it congealed and spread, connecting him to the whole of Olympus, despite his confinement to these caverns."

"Have you ever confirmed it?  I don't see any evidence of extraction.  Has anyone ever tried to mine these veins?"

"Some have done it, according to rumour.  I wasn't here and so can't confirm the results.  Maybe you can just ask him about , since we've arrived."

***

ID 213008 | Gathering LD 8+6=14 | CD 7+1=8 | Find 3 material, 2,500 col

Total:
3 Demonic Shards
28 Materials
20,000 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

"My lord Hephaestus!" Mauz has slipped back into exaggerated pageantry.  "I present you with the candidate summoned at Zeus' request for your evaluation: Rencesvals.  May he prove worthy of your craft."  Ren's eyes were still adjusting to the glow about the chamber, orange and red in hue and stemming from a dozen pools and workstations filled with molten lava.  The heat struck like a hammer as soon as they had entered the space.  It was both hellish and magnificent all at once.  Every corner of the broad, oppressive cavern was filled to the brim with tools, half-finished works, equipment and raw materials of every imaginable kind.  "Good luck, friend," Mauz said, patting him on the shoulder, then wandering back out the way they came.

"Wait, you're leaving?!"  Ren's true concern was that he'd never find his way back out of here.  

"I'll be just outside.  Be yourself.  Speak with him.  Do that thing you do with people.  You'll be fine."

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

***

ID 213009 | Gathering LD 7+6=13 | CD 9+1=10 | Find 4 material, 3,000 col

Total:
3 Demonic Shards
32 Materials
23,000 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

Composing himself, Ren took the advice and stepped forward into the god's workshop, marveling at the fine quality and detailed works on display.

"Magnificent..." he mumbled to himself.  There was no sign of any occupant, so he permitted himself to wander over to one of several forges and explore.  This one was dedicated primarily to smelting, based on the surrounding ores and neat stacks of metal ingots in dozens of varieties.  Quite a few were alloys of other metals, produced to the most refined states that he had ever witnessed.  "Is that orichalcum?  It would make sense by the golden colour, but no one ever known its exact nature or composition."

A low rumble echoed from the far side of the chamber.

"Few would even know how to recognize such a metal.  Who are you, Rencesvals, to have garnered such knowledge?"  Ren's head swiveled to the source as soon as he heard the sound.  Then he saw it, or rather 'him'.  Hephaestus, the Lame God, was little more than a ruined lump of flesh pressed into an improvised throne against the cavern wall.  There was a head, but its features were so swollen and distorted that you could barely discern where eyes, nose and mouth might be based on the breaks and folds of overlapping flaps of skin.  His body was no better, as a large mass of flesh pressed into the rigid confines of the chair, like play dough pushed into a plastic mold.  His arms and legs were barely apparent and bent at such odd angles to make it questionable as to whether any might even function.  Ren did not recoil, but his heart ached at the sight of it and that any creature could be forced to endure such a thing.  

***

ID 213010 | Gathering LD 8+6=14 | CD 2+1=3 | Find 1 material, 0 col

Total:
3 Demonic Shards
32 Materials
23,000 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

"No one special.  Just the son of a man with great appreciation for the treasures of the earth and friend to others with a love of history.  Does that mean I was correct?"

Another low grumble, though Ren couldn't tell whether it implied approval or disappointment.

"You are correct," came the reply.  He could see the fleshy mass pumping rhythmically - breathing.  The lumpy thing that was its head turned and twisted, perhaps to better listen or try to line whatever sight it might possess upon him.  "Now, tell me why Zeus has summoned you to my derelict workshop.  What tortures has my brother in store for me today?"  There was the other shoe.  Zeus was sending the best in Aincrad here to prod and poke Hephaestus for his lore, but offering his brother nothing other than to watch an endless stream of craftsmen successors.

So, that's the game, is it?

"I honestly don't know, but perhaps I can offer something different that those that have been sent to you before?"  Ren's eyes scanned the room in search of something that was notably missing.  "I'm guessing that you might currently struggle to use or control the tools we both clearly care so much about.  What if I could help you learn to use them again?"

***

ID 213011 | Gathering LD 18+6=24 | CD 9+1=10 | Find 1 demonic shard, 4 material, 3,000 col

Total:
4 Demonic Shards
36 Materials
26,000 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

A deep, wheezing laughter came from the divine mass.  

"Interesting, but that's not usually how this works.  I'm supposed to give you some sort of impossible task to perform, then set you on your merry way with my blessing, should you somehow manage to achieve it."

"Then might I make a suggestion: give me a challenge that restores your ability to use your forge and smithy."  More pensive wheezing followed.

"Huh... not technically against the rules.  And Zeus was always about using technicalities to his own benefit.  I don't see what we couldn't do the same."  A quiver of anticipation and daring rippled through Hephaestus.  "Alright, Rencesvals, I'll play along.  Craft me the means to ply my trade again and you shall have that which you seek."  A heavy portcullis slammed to the ground barring the tunnel through which Ren had entered.  "Fail, and we will have all the time in the world to get to know each other."  He wheezed again before speaking in a softer, more conciliatory tone.  "Sorry, child.  None of this was my idea, including making this place a prison for either of us.  But we must each play the hand dealt to us by fate."

Ren just smiled.

"Rightly so.  And if my ears did not deceive me, I thought I heard water from that direction, yes?"

***

ID 213012 | Gathering LD 2+6=8 | CD 10+1=11 | Find 0 material, 0 col

Total:
4 Demonic Shards
36 Materials
26,000 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

Ren wasn't sure how long it took.  In another world, someone might have made a video montage of the whole thing set to a motivational soundtrack with lots of percussion and lens flares.  He'd already come up with a plan the moment he walked into the workshop and noticed that absence of a key element to the trade: water.  What could easily have been dismissed as the pumping of bellows turned out to be a series of small waterfalls cascading through a secondary cavern nearby.  Even Olympus needed a drain.  Setting himself to work, Ren gathered his wits and stamina to set about the most ambitious project he had ever even considered: to build Hephaestus his own steam plant, combined with pneumatic and hydraulic controls.

The problem was that Ren wasn't an engineer.  He'd lived his whole life around them, but had to rely entirely on half-remembered side conversations and basically build up a brand new knowledge base from scratch.  Gradually, Hephaestus himself grew interested in his experiments and began to make suggestions.  He also revealed a magical cornucopia provided to him by Demeter to keep him fed and offered Ren its sustenance to keep him going.  They worked together in growing cooperation and passion for their task that Ren soon felt like he had become the god's hands himself, intending to provide him with the very same.  

***

ID 213013 | Gathering LD 16+6=22 | CD 8+1=9 | Find 3 material, 2,500 col

Total:
4 Demonic Shards
39 Materials
28,500 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

The newly minted boiler system churned and bubbled as heat within generated the life-giving vapours that soon filled the network of pipes and valves now sprawled all over the room and connected to every key workstation.  Pneumatic and hydraulic controls all linked back to a central core adapted for use by the god's unique physiology.  They were ready for their test.

"I'm sorry, Hephaestus."  The god burbled his confusion.  "I'd hoped to find a way to repair your body, but that's a skill beyond my understanding and familiarity.  This is all I could think of to try to help you reach for what you'd lost.  It's clunky and cumbersome, probably fraught with future maintenance issues, but it was the best I could come up with."

The mass quivered and laughed in its own unusual and slightly disturbing way.  Ren had strangely become accustomed to it.  

"My boy, you have given me a taste of the passion for my craft that I thought I would never feel again.  Even if this were to fail, Ren, you've given me a gift that cannot be taken lightly, and did so freely from your own heart.  You have my thanks for it, and my blessing.  Now, if just to sate my curiosity, let's see what happens when we flip these switches..."

***

ID 213014 | Gathering LD 18+6=24 | CD 6+1=7 | Find 3 material, 2,500 col

Total:
4 Demonic Shards
42 Materials
31,000 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

Mauz came running in, expecting to find some morbid, tragic scene of failure when the portcullis finally lifted.  Seeing Ren standing over the god, a brand new hammer in his hands and thanking Hephaestus for his friendship and tutelage had not been in the realm of possibilities floating through his mind.   The workshop itself have been completely remodeled with countless new devices, pipes and wires spread in a web-like lattice from the lame god's throne to every nook and cranny.

"It's a steampunk thing," Ren offered, without any further explanation as he grabbed a fresh lantern from atop a nearby crate and made towards the exit.  "Come on Mauz.  It's been way longer than I planned, and I could really use a bath and cold drink under the sun."

The satyr just stood, stunned, watching as the lump of broken flesh before jiggled and danced giddily.  Olympus' most miserable god had somehow and impossibly been made happy.

***

ID 213015 | Gathering LD 17+6=23 | CD 5+1=6 | Find 2 material, 1,000 col

Total:
4 Demonic Shards
44 Materials
32,000 Col

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals

[Rencesvals 0]

"I still don't know how you did it."  Mauz has peppered Ren with questions for the entire duration of their descent and return to Athenaia, struggling to comprehend what he'd seen.

"You're looking for the wrong solution, Mauz.  Everyone who sees him sees only broken and discarded misery.  I chose to see potential." Biting down upon a crisp, fresh apple from the market, Ren savored its sweet, cool juicy nectar.  "Hephaestus isn't a broken god, you see?  He's the unshaped, unrefined material from which all craftmanship is born.  It is his nature to invent and make anew.  God of the Forge?  Definitely.  But he's also a source of divine inspiration and passion - something to help restore, re-invigorate and make new.  We could all use some more of that around here."

Mauz stood dumbfounded as he watched the player mount the dais and call out his destination. This had been a trial unlike any other that he could recall, yet he felt better about himself for having been a part of it.  Who knew that you could help reforge people, just by lending them a hand?

***

ID 213016 | Gathering LD 10+6=16 | CD 10+1=11 | Find 4 material, 3,000 col

Total:
4 Demonic Shards
48 Materials
35,000 Col

Thread Summary:

879 EXP (Word Count [3791/10*1*1] + Quest [500])
35,400 col (1 page [400] + Gathering [35,000])
Demonic Shards: 4 (Gathering [4])
Materials: 48 (Gathered [48])
Hephaestus' Hammer | Crafting Tool | Meticulous: +1 CD when using Blacksmith skill.

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rencesvals