How to Make a Sword (Open)

[Moto Ichiro]

Ichiro had read 3 or 4 scrolls about the subject and had seen some of what the small Doji was doing yesterday. Now it was time to put it all together.

He took his raw material and started to heat it up until it was glowing brightly and then he began to hammer it into its basic block, it was more about control than power but you had to be strong to do it. The heat was intense and sapped hos strength with its oppressiveness.

But when it was all said and done it was do able and this first session was going well.

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D4 Horse str/weaponsmithing vp +1k1 tn 25: 6d10o10k5 30

[Mai]

Mai wandered in. She bows to the Moto. "Hello again, Moto-san. What are you up to?"

[Moto Ichiro]

Ichiro continued pounding the metal into its rough shape it was solid repetative work, when the metal cooled too much he put it back in the fire, he read trying to shape the metal when it cooled caused stress on it and could make it crack.

He looked up when the mantis girl entered and nodded "Hello Mai-san I am forging a Scimitar. The small Crane girl said she did not think I could do it. I am here to prove her wrong." he said while the metal was in the fire heating up again he worked the billows to power the flame. He wore no shirt in the forge, it was too hot for that and he was covered in a sheen of sweat as he worked his defined muscles moving as he worked the billows and then hammered the steel.

[Mai]

Mai watches in fascination. "What is a scimitar?" Mai did fail the gaijin portion of the Lore test.

[Moto Ichiro]

Ichiro thought for a moment "its a sword like a katana, but shaped differently. Bigger. Longer. Starts smaller and gets bigger and curves. Hard to explain if you've never seen one. Happy to show you when its finished."

[Kakita Kazuko]

Not caring much for cleaning - mud and water will be tracked in due to the thunderstorm outside anyway, so what's the point? - Kazuko takes refuge in the toasty forge. She's also curious to see what's currently being made. Based off of all the hammering that's going on, it sounds like something metal, perhaps a weapon of some sort? It's hard to imagine anything else anyway.

She bows to the Moto and the Mantis girl, taking a look at the piece of metal that's currently being abused. Huh, she didn't think that the Moto could craft things. He seemed like a bit of a thick headed brute to her if she was to be honest. Well, this is a good chance to get to know them better, and hammering in the heads of enemies isn't that different from hammering a piece of metal she supposes..?

"Hello, what is it that you are making?"

[Moto Ichiro]

Ichiro nodded at the newcomer "Hello. I am making a scimitar. a kind of sword." The large Moto boy said gruffly with a few final beats of the hammer before setting it to cool. "Enough work for today."

[Mai]

Mai bows to the Crane. "Hello. I'm Mai from the Mantis." She turns back to the Unicorn. "Is it useful from horseback?"

[Moto Ichiro]

He nodded "Yes, longer blade makes it easier to hit people while galloping by. It is the weapon of the Ujik people that later became the Moto." he said while he began to clean up around the forge putting tools back where they belong and allowing the forge to begin cooling.

[Mai]

"Why not us a no-dachi?" Mai's questioning was genuinely curious. She showed no concern about the Moto making a gaijin weapon itself.

[Moto Ichiro]

"Because it is the weapon of our ancestors. Also No dachi is too big, requires more samurai to use two hands. Even if you can use it with one hand its more unwieldy. The scimitar is a balance." He explains plainly as he finishes up.

[Kakita Kazuko]

Mai bows to the Crane. "Hello. I'm Mai from the Mantis." She turns back to the Unicorn. "Is it useful from horseback?"

Kazuko bows back, listening intently to their conversation as she warms up. Although the weapon that the Moto is making used to be gaijin, as long as it is used by the empire today then there should be nothing wrong with it. A weapon is a weapon after all, but she still thinks that the katana reigns supreme.

"I am Kakita Kazuko, nice to meet you. How do you get horses to not flee from battle? It seems it would be tough to train them to do that, no?"

[Moto Ichiro]

"Unicorn steeds are bred for courage and power and speed. They also are raised among the sounds of battle. Clanging of weapons, shouting of samurai training. They get used to it as they grow up in it."

[Mai]

Well, that would make sense. "Have the Moto brought any other types of weapons with from before they were part of the Unicorn?" Mai was curious. Being a Mantis, gaijin stuff interested her greatly.

[Moto Ichiro]

"Weapons? Not really. We brought our gods with us. The Lords of Death who now are servants of Emma-O as his Kings. originally they were the 10 gods of the Moto people. I still worship them primarily." He responded to her question

[Mai]

"Do you worship Emma-O too or just the Lords of Death?" Mai may have failed the Gaijin portion of the test, but she will learn more if she can.

[Moto Ichiro]

"I worship the kings of Emma-O, otherwise I pay the respect required to the other fortunes but I do not worship them the same way."