Blacksmith
In Barriban the term blacksmith does not refer to ordinary metal workers that you can find in any reasonably sized town. Blacksmiths are a type of mage, some of the most renowned and most sought after people in Barriban. Using a mix of regular metal forging and secret spells they can make any metal do whatever they desire. Items forged by them contain spells and magic that can do extraordinary things. Their prices for such items are of course high but there is never enough supply to meet the demand from mages and warriors.
Career
Qualifications
Naturally all blacksmiths must have strong bodies with great strength and stamina but they must also have a good memory, as all of their skills and spells are passed down orally from master to apprentice. A good head for business is also useful.
Career Progression
There are five ranks to blacksmithing.
Appreciate
Exactly what it sounds like. Anyone with some knowledge of metal working can become a blacksmith’s apprentice regardless of age or background. It is during the apprenticeship that the master first assess if their student is suitable for the lifetime commitment of blacksmithing and then imparting to them their knowledge and skills over years, even decades of training.
Blacksmith
Someone who has successfully passed their apprenticeship and can make basic magic items. They are capable of forging items with special properties such as armour that is resistant to heat or blades that will never dull. They can create what are called Passive magic items, items that have a passive magic ability.
Blacksmith Master
The next step up. Masters can make Active magic items, items that have magic spells imbued in them that can be activated at the wielder’s will. It is at this rank that a blacksmith can take an apprentice of his own. An experienced Master can also make Generational items, items that can only be used be the decedents of the first owner.
Blacksmith Grandmaster
Grandmasters can make Soul Bound items. A Soul Bound item is (as the name suggests) bound to the to the soul of its owner, meaning that no one but the owner or the owner’s reincarnated self can use the item. By binding with the infinite power of the human soul the magic imbued in the item becomes many, many times stronger, although the trade off is that it can’t be passed down to one’s descendants since it is bound to a single soul.
Iron Lord
The rank of Iron Lord can only be reached by a Warlock, since to qualify for this rank one needs to be able to insert the Origin Laws of the universe into an item to make a Law item, something only someone on the edge of Godhood can comprehend. Someone possessing a Law item can easily rule a country on their own and someone who can make a Law item is considered to be at the peak of mortal craftsmanship.
Appreciate
Exactly what it sounds like. Anyone with some knowledge of metal working can become a blacksmith’s apprentice regardless of age or background. It is during the apprenticeship that the master first assess if their student is suitable for the lifetime commitment of blacksmithing and then imparting to them their knowledge and skills over years, even decades of training.
Blacksmith
Someone who has successfully passed their apprenticeship and can make basic magic items. They are capable of forging items with special properties such as armour that is resistant to heat or blades that will never dull. They can create what are called Passive magic items, items that have a passive magic ability.
Blacksmith Master
The next step up. Masters can make Active magic items, items that have magic spells imbued in them that can be activated at the wielder’s will. It is at this rank that a blacksmith can take an apprentice of his own. An experienced Master can also make Generational items, items that can only be used be the decedents of the first owner.
Blacksmith Grandmaster
Grandmasters can make Soul Bound items. A Soul Bound item is (as the name suggests) bound to the to the soul of its owner, meaning that no one but the owner or the owner’s reincarnated self can use the item. By binding with the infinite power of the human soul the magic imbued in the item becomes many, many times stronger, although the trade off is that it can’t be passed down to one’s descendants since it is bound to a single soul.
Iron Lord
The rank of Iron Lord can only be reached by a Warlock, since to qualify for this rank one needs to be able to insert the Origin Laws of the universe into an item to make a Law item, something only someone on the edge of Godhood can comprehend. Someone possessing a Law item can easily rule a country on their own and someone who can make a Law item is considered to be at the peak of mortal craftsmanship.
Payment & Reimbursement
Magic items are always in demand at all levels of society from kings and knights to farmers and shepherds. As there is always a demand, the people who make the items will always be in business. Selling a single Generational item to a rich clan could easily make enough money to retire on. Blacksmiths can also expect a regular and quite generous paycheque when in the employee of a military.
Other Benefits
With how in demand they are, blacksmiths are rarely disrespected. Masters are held in such high esteem that a king would never expect a bow from them. The Blacksmiths Guild also have a unique art that can increase the user’s cultivation by forging, very useful when that’s your livelihood.
Perception
Demographics
The sort of of people that can become blacksmiths is entirely dependent on the Masters who chose them. There is no exact criteria or quota that Masters must adhere to when taking apprentices, so all blacksmiths are people who just caught the eye of their Master. This means that there is no discrepancy in the number of people from each race, gender or other denomination. The only thing that all blacksmiths definitely have in common is that they can swing a hammer.
Operations
Tools
There is a proverb among blacksmiths that goes, “With a hammer and a forge, you can forge the world.” The meaning of the proverb is that all a good blacksmith needs is heat to melt metal and a hammer to shape it and he can forge anything. Obviously the proverb is hyperbolic, but blacksmiths truly don’t need many tools, as the use of magic can do many of the things that a regular metal forger would need many tools for. Despite this, most blacksmiths have a very well equipped forge with tools for every job. They may also have a few magic tomes as reference books for special jobs.
Materials
Obviously blacksmiths mostly work in metal but they will sometimes work with other materials if they have the skill. Only the magics of a Grandmaster blacksmith can fully utilise the incredible power in Dragon scales and make them into armour worthy of Warlocks.
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