The Week of Steel Shaping

Steel Shaping is a yearly celebration of weapon & armour smithing by the Dwarves in the Frankish Empire. Many of the families & clans have a good number of such smiths and to have a member praised in full view of the others like this is a great honour.

History

Since the early days of the Frankish Empire, there has been the need for weapons & armour, especially since there is a standing militia in many of their towns & cities. The Dwarves that have been subsumed by or affiliated with them has led to the Dwarves forging some of the best items they could make. Drawing on centuries of expertise they have crafted some of the finest equipment they could make.
After a number of years the Dwarves approached the Frankish Nobles asking if they could hold a week long trial & celebration of their work. The nobles were only too happy as long as the Empire could still carry on as normal during this period. So since that initial period, the Dwarves would select the best of the best of each of the clans and send them to a city (randomly chosen every year) to compete against one another.
During this week the Dwarves would have many trials to see how good their methods are, and party like only Dwarves could. This usually involves feasting, drinking, duels (armed & unarmed), and entertainment from Dwarven Bards. A group of Dwarven clerics are always present too, making religious observances too to the respective deities, especially those of the forge and war. The clerics also acts as judges too.
The penultimate day the judging takes place and the new Smith of Steel Shaping takes place. This follows with 24 hours of feasting and merriment. So far the Ludger clan has had one member hold the title for the last 15 years.

Execution

At the start of the Week of Steel Shaping, the Dwarves set up a feasting area within reach of a friendly bar. At the same time, smithies & forges are lit and stocked with general tools. The highest grade of steel that's been sourced is piled somewhere safe nearby. A large fire is lit in the central area of this and when lit marks the start of the celebrations.
A cleric leads the mass in a celebration of shaping steel, and proceeds to mark each contestant with a Dwarven rune on their forehead with ash from the fire. As soon as this is done the smiths race to their respective forges and start working. Drawing on the steel reserves they start to design & prepare the metal until happy with the basics of it. All the time prayers, singing & dancing take place. Some drinking takes place too. This carries on until the 5th day where the Dwarves start to finish off and mount their weapons or assemble the armour pieces.
On the 6th day, the smiths finish off the final touches & hand over their finished pieces. There the clerics go through testing and examining each piece. By 9pm they are ready to announce the winner. Assembling the smiths and the clans they announce the winner and mark them with a tattoo over their heart (or add to an existing one) to show the fire of the forge beats in their chest. They are also given the title of Smith of Steel Shaping at this point, and given the remaining steel to use.
All that is left is drinking, feasting and partying until 9am the following morning. Until 9pm that night business is conducted, a large gathering is assembled to put the fire & forges out with the clerics leading them in prayer, and the clans leave.

Components and tools

The following is generally used:

• a smith or forge
• smiths tools
• high grade steel
• a large fire
• feasting tables & food preparation area
• various barrels of alcohol
• designated fighting ring

Participants

Dwarven smiths of the highest status take part along with any second or a trainee (one only). At least three clerics, all Dwarves and following any deity they tie in with war and the forge, primarily the latter. They act as the arbiters, and lead the religious aspects. The elders of the clans who aren't competing act as a security irrespective of age or gender. They also help with planning the celebration.

Observance

They have the event every year where possible in a city within Frankish territory, and is drawn randomly to avoid any bias where possible. It is regularly held the week after the Summer Equinox from the end of Midsummer. This has replaced some of the old ways that they follow and avoids the gaze of the Roman Catholic Church in case they decide that it is an excuse for excess consumption.

"The Ludger clan is still holding the honour of winning the title of Smith of Steel Shaping after 15 years. Won it a couple of times myself but that was early on in the streak. Someone else from another clan will win sometime soon I'm sure. The skills of others are always improving as well as ours, and the more that take up & learn can only benefit the clans overall. Mark my words there will be another."
Childrec Ludger speaking to a Count shortly before the start of the Week of Steel Shaping.

Related Organizations

• Franks