Smithing Proficiency

You feel like you're truly starting to get a hang of smithing. Keldryn, the smith who took you on as an apprentice, is coming around to your work. Originally, when you took over three weeks to turn out a good nail, he was worried about your progress and not shy about remarking at the low pace of your learning. But now, nine weeks into your training, you've competed your first sword and Keldryn seems pleased. The gruff dwarf doesn't offer much in the way of praise short of a affirming shake of his head and a pat on the back, but you can tell you've made an impression. Your training is almost complete.  

Day by Day

Day 1: Your clothes smell of burnt oak and blood as you heap them in the corner to deal with later, collapsing into your bed in the Bungalo. Exhausted from the battle, slumber finds you swiftly, but you are plagued by dreams. The forest burning around you, the pressure of what you have done and the burden you have taken up weighing on you. Burning white eyes watching you from the shadows. You sleep fitfully.   Day 2: You spend much the day standing in line at the Port Authority, listening to the merchants around you complain about the lockdown. There are whispers it will be lifted soon, but in the meantime local traders are complaining that they can't move any of their goods and foreign traders complain they can't leave for their next destination. You overhear a trader from Handelberg complain that his horses will eat him out of any profit if they remain locked down in this city, with the price of grain inflating during this unprecedented time.   But when it is your turn, you are ultimately able to sell your goods with little issue, though the clerk does balk at the sheer amount of gems you sell. Aisha stopped by with a stick of cave fisher croquettes at lunch, knowing you would still be in line, although you told her you were sure you wouldn't be more than an hour. Say what you will about the lines at the Port Authority, the market outside has some incredible street food.   Day 3: Mountains and Monsters continues to thrill. Playing with your friends gives you a moment to breathe, takes you back to the beginning of your time in the Vanguard. Forging a friendship with Charles, meeting Callisto, romancing Aisha, escorting merchants through mountains and forests. Simpler times.   Day 5: Aisha takes you through a walk through the Skyport market stalls, looking for lunch. You both find something called a panino from a street vender; meat, cheese, and fried vegetables wrapped in a flour tortilla and toasted in a hot press. It's divine. You enjoy a walk together as you eat it, exploring Waystop Park, the borough's greenspace, as you eat your lunch, catching up by playing a game where you try to guess what inconsequential changes the future will bring and she tells you if your guess is hot or cold.   Day 6: Something that you have learned while taking lessons from Aengus is that, while undoubtedly the best musician of Andali, he isn't a great teacher. He talks a lot about the "feeling" and the "vibe" of the music, and "connecting" with your instrument. These phrases may make sense to him, a seasoned performer, but to someone who is learning from the start, these phrases are meaningless and you would love some clarity on how fingerings work.   Day 8: Sneaking around the Port Authority once more, you attend your appointment with Gregory Puck, who seems to get some sort of childlike glee from renaming the property. A prank truly worthy of this bureaucrat.   Day 10: Everything smells so bad following that fight. The dragon's blood reeks of ozone, which does not become more pleasant as it bakes in the sun.   Day 11: Tyra, if was even possible, has become even more impressive in the fighting pits. Their new abilities as the Summer Knight and the armor that Doromir crafted make them a sure bet at the Mezzanine. Though, watching the crowd, you can see there are some toughs who are beginning to take issue with their continued success, many of which are branded with that bear claw tattoo of the first champion who Tyra defeated. Perhaps something to watch for.   Day 13: Jules is starting to get very good at cards; you can't tell if he's cheating or not. You suspect that arcane core inside him has picked up on how to count cards. So you can't call that cheating, it is after all the first step you yourself took to becoming a proficient cardplayer yourself.   Day 14: Fabian and his crew of designers really outdid themselves on the library. Removing all the vestiges of Hesse, they filled the library with dark walnut wood paneling and deep forest green and midnight blue tones. At the center of the room, a floating chandelier styled after the Soul Collective shines a quiet silvery light over the space, casting shafts of light dancing across the shelves. A nook in the corner features an illusory window that overlooks the city.   You must admit, the Unabridged Atlas of Arcane Observations in Astronomy is a little bit over your head. You feel a touch out of your depth as it goes into detail on Harmonic Spheres and the Astral Sea that they drift on. Your head swims by talk of Astral Sea Coordinates, Nexus nebulae, and protophysics pockets. After a while, you develop a pressure behind your eyes as a tension headache takes hold and you grab a bottle from the Wine Hole to relieve the stress. For the hundredth time over, you curse your curse, and miss your time with the Mercurial Mind.   Day 18: You and Aisha go to Broder's for dinner, an establishment known for it's views over Aurelia and the Northern Forest. Unfortunately, with the lockdown in place, the balcony is sealed and monitored by agents of the Port Authority, but nonetheless you both enjoy a break from the highly salted foods of the Hollow Mountain; Broder's caters to the traveling merchant class, specializing in dishes from across the Seven Nations. Thinking on it, this is likely the first time either of you have had something green in months.   Though the gates to the Bay of Fjell are sealed, the two of you have never let that stop you before. Winding through narrow bypasses and climbing out a rocky crag in the mountain, directed by one of Tyra's connections from the fighting pits, you are able to find your way to the external docks to watch the sun set, the brisk spring air washing over you as you the sun paints the mountains in shades of red and blue until it dips below the horizon, leaving you with a waxing Aurora above you.   Day 20: You get most of the crew out with you, hitting the Conference Room and the Porter Authority in Skyport, then working your way down to the Mezzanine to grab a pint and pick up Tyra after their fights, then you return to Highborough, stopping in Finnegan's, which you notice is for sale after the Drunken Monkey Incident. The group concludes the night back at the Bungalo, or the Sildurflame Estate, and Jules gets a little too drunk at the house bar. Everyone carouses well into the night.   Day 21: Hangover.