Forgestarting

Hereby, I hand to ye, the firestarter for me forge. Now I can rest, knowin' a capable young lad like ye'll handle the shop. Go on, bring yer old smithy master yer first contract as Forgeowner.

— A really old Magicsmith

A Symbol for Posession

Forgestarting is the act of lighting up the forge from ones Magicsmith master. Since the forge is the most valuable part of a Magicsmith, trusting another person with handling it is very rarely seen. Forgestarting is commonly used as a tradition and symbol of handing over ownership of ones workshop to their apprentice/next in line.

The Act of Forgestarting

Lighting up a Magicsmiths forge is not as easy as just throwing some minor incantation at the coal and igniting it. Magiforges are only lit by their creator by default. Only once a Magicsmith wholeheartedly transfers ownership to another person, with the addition of said person casting a custom spell, thought of by the original Magicsmith, will the forge light up. Some Magicsmiths use material, verbal or sematic components alongside the spell.

Historical Origin

While today, Forgestarting has become a tradition, thought of as carrying on what Magicsmiths have done for hundreds of years, in the past, there was a real necessity for Forgestarting. Old royal families would have personal Magicsmiths, which lived like high nobles under their house, often being mentors for direct royal decendants. They taught the princes and pricesses the art of Magicsmithing, often after getting treated greatly, handing over their workshop voluntarily to their apprentices. To keep the anvil and workshop safe from invaders and petty competitors, a seal was invented with which a protective barrier was raised around the forge. This seal can only be broken by those in posession of the sealing-spell, which is taught by word of mouth, and was never written down anywhere. To prevent any unwanted blackmailing, the Magicsmiths often taught their apprentices the spells once they wanted to retire, giving over the entire workshop to their young ones.

Magiforge by Midjourney

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