Morning in the Crane city of Toshi Ranbo wo Shien Shite Reigisaho is normally a loud, boisterous, busy affair.  Now, with the Lion siege becoming imminent, it is simply busy.  Samurai and ashigaru rush from building to building to wall, determined that everything be in readiness before the need to do so becomes frantic.  Through all this, a single well groomed and tattooed ronin walks with a purpose completely unrelated to the Lion, the Crane, or, in fact, most of Rokugan.

 It feels impossibly, almost wickedly good to be well rested and clean once more, Kedo not having had leisure or luxury for true sleep since the night spent finalising plans for the Daidoji defence of the city with tactical masters and officers of twice his age and experience who spent most of the time staring at him with their jaws hanging and trying to translate that one moment of perfect clarity into written orders.

 The fact that he might never know such a moment again is the only thing that marrs the morning for the mystically inclined bushi.

 But there are other moments to be sought, and for now Kedo goes in search of them beginning not at the forge of the once-Crab whom he has reason to hope will lend him some slight credence once he has fough at the side of his children, but at the workshop of one of those smiths his daughter named as worthy of respectful consideration.

 Politely, but aware that it is likely a futile endeavour, Kedo approaches the workshop of Kakita Maru.

Kakita Maru's workshop is a large, single story building.  From within, Kedo can hear the pounding of hammers on steel, voices shouting out orders, and the rattle of ore being poured and smelted.  Within is a scene of chaos, smiths and apprentices alike running, carrying, and hammering.  Upon closer study, however, only one person is crafting a blade--the others are smelting ore, pouring metal into molds, or crafting steel bars.  The older woman with graying hair and deep set wrinkles that cannot hide her elegant beauty is laboring with intense concentration on a no-dachi, oblivious to the chaos that surrounds her, an eye of calm in the midst of a storm.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:11, Mon 23 Nov 2009.

 So it is to be a smith, drawing order and harmony from the natural seeming-chaos of the untamed elements... The painstakingly well-groomed ronin drifts through the outskirts of the industrious work and stands well back from the forge to watch - knowing that were there secrets to be employed then he would never have been permitted this close, but nonetheless enjoying the use of technique for its own sake, the economy of motion and the perfection of hammer-strikes upon glowing metal, waiting his time before he chooses to speak.

 After all, one does not interrupt a craftsman at their work.

"Who are you?" one of the bustling apprentices asks the only mildly out of place ronin, "never mind, just go over there and start resmelting those bars.  What wit the Doji, the Daidoji, the Kakita, and even the blessed Asahina demanding iron for their forges, we barely have enough time to do our own work."

 The gray-clad Bushi seems about to answer before the apprentice brusquely moves straight on into instructions that completely disregard status and station in favour of the need for more hands at the forge and for the first time since his arrival in the city of Toshi Ranbo, Kedo undergoes several falls with temptation and loses, offering a simple bow and turning to move as requested rather than correcting the misapprehension that a glance at the swords hanging on the lowest rung of the visitors rack by the door (since a forge is in many respects a shrine of its sort) would have corrected.

 Competently and with the silent joy of a man who has come, much to his surprise to care very much indeed for the song of steel, the Ronin begins to work, carefully selecting such bars as show signs of best matching one anothers strengths and weaknesses to smelt together, laying aside some of the very finest for the final pour.

Distantly, through the haze of his concentration, Kedo hears Kakita Maru call impatiently for more steel.  As the ronin continues to blend alloys, he notices one of the apprentices take some of the cooled bars that he has poured to Kakita Maru.

"Who blended this, Matsumoto," Maru snaps, examining the bars before beginning the process of reheating them, "it couldn't have been you, it's far better than your usual sub-standard work."

"Th-the n-n-new apprentice, Maru-s-s-sensei," the apprentice stammers, pointing, "over there, b-b-by the f-f-forge..."

"New apprentice?  I haven't taken any new apprentices," she snarls, "who is that?  You!  Ronin!  Come here!"

EDIT:  I think it's clearer who's who, right?
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:47, Wed 09 Dec 2009.

 Pssst, Ref. Kakita Maru's cross-dressing mid-post again.

 ---

 And of course Kedo answers in good time - though it is the good time of a smith rather than of a mere Ronin before an honoured Clan Samurai, time that is spent delicately and smoothly transfering the care of the steel pour before him to the apprentice nearby who seems to Kedo to be most in harmony with their task - not necessarily the most skilled, for they would no doubt have better things to do, but the one who seems to match the requirements most completely.

 The moment the transfer is accomplished however he turns and arrives at a practised compromise between the dead run of lower responding to higher and the careful step of a merely mortal man in the presence of large quantities of cherry-red metal, completing his journey with a graceful bow judged to a degree of respect if anything as great as that earlier offered to mere generals and lords.

 "How may I serve Kakita-san?" the gray-clad wanderer inquires politely.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:36, Tue 08 Dec 2009.

"Did you blend these, Ronin?" the Kakita smith demands.

 Kedo's hand flows out smoothly to indicate one of the apprentices bustling about the business of the forge, though by way of explanation rather than any attempt to deflect blame, "The honourable apprentice requested that I do so, mistaking me, I believe for one who was intended to aid in the work of the forge. It..." his expression at this point does turn subtly apologetic, as though confessing to a minor sin, "It has been some time since I had the privilage of working with metal, and I am afraid that I unworthily gave into the temptation to do so without correcting his misapprehension."

"Hrm," Maru grunts, "and why did you come here in the first place?"

 "Truthfully?" he asks, as much to buy a moment in which to arrange his thoughts as out of any real intention of answering in any other way - Kedo is generally of the opinion that while a good lie may be able to get around the world while the truth is still putting its boots on, at least it's worth the truth making the journey - and then answers after a few heartbeats, honestly and from the heart, for despite his having been set upon his present path by chance rather than intent, it has come to have no small value for him.

 "I have some small hope that one day I shall be worthy to touch the sleeve of steel." he answers, gazing back at the Crane with the slight dip in his posture that's indicative of respect, "When one speaks of steel, the Kakita are often mentioned, and when one speaks of steel in Toshi Ranbo... The name of Kakita Maru is sometimes voiced. It seemed to me therefore that there would be some wisdom in seeking to simply witness her at her forge, and perhaps speak with her for a time, if she would permit such indulgence."

"HA!  So a Mirumoto comes to a Kakita to learn about steel," Kakita Maru barks, "don't bother to deny it, Ronin, the mountain has left its mark on you--and I'm not talking about all of those tattoos that you have.

"Well then, Ronin, if you want to watch and talk about steel, it's only fair that I see your skills beforehand," she sneers, handing Kedo the bars that he had blended, "prepare these for the folding process.  Eventually, it will be the blade of a nagamaki, feel free to use the tools of your choice."

OOC:  make a Willpower/Weaponsmith check, base DC 10; I'm only guessing that willpower is the right trait to use, and you'll probably want to take a raise or two to improve the quality of the item ^_^

you are totally getting extra xp for this--I'm spending a lot of time researching ancient Japanese forging techniques, it's fun ^_^

 "Merely because steel's road began upon the mountain does not mean that it did not gain from every mile it has travelled, and every hand through which it has passed." replies Kedo smoothly, both managing to retain Dragonish humility and encapsulate it around the subtle reminder of just who it was that invented the process of making a blade in case he should be mistaken for a complete patsy (which is rather unlikely at best) before offering a respectful bow and extending his hands to accept the metal in question, which he weighs in hand and by eye afresh, as though measuring them for the form they will one day take and setting aside several of the blocks which do not have the... feel he's searching for.

 That done he moves aside to a quiet corner of the forge and settles himself, taking a little time to centre an image in his mind, picturing which of the soft and hard steels will become which part of the blade, occasionally reaching out to touch or weight one or another of the ingots in order to keep them clear in his mind's eye, though never with bare skin - always with the edge of his sleeve.
 The final step in what is obviously a hasty procedure in which many of the traditional corners the Ronin would prefer to indulge in have been cut is to formally bow before the small shrine that every good forge places in a spot of honour to thank the Fortunes for their gifts of wisdom to men - and only then does Kedo feel able to turn to mundane matters of tools and forges.

 He begins simply enough, selecting not the finest of either but rather those that will put least strain upon the vital work now in progress, understanding that harmony is more important than the decoration upon a hammer-handle, arranging matters so that as each stage of the forging to come occurs he will be able to slip between the work of others in a dance as profound and finely judged as any he has flowed through with bared blades.

 From there the heating begins, bringing the softest and most pliable steel to a fine glow and beating it out, using several twined bars to provide the necessary mass for what will be the spine of the weapon, extending and folding them back to purify them with a pause between each reheating for a short prayer, scraps of old songs - some childish, some profound and each addressed to the spirit that will sleep in the steel to come - murmured over a process that is increasingly one that occupies him to the exclusion of all other concerns.

 Unmeasured time passes in this manner before he's free to select the very hardest steel from those bars provided him, giving it the still-warm bars one last caress before fierce-heated and sharp-cooling them, leaving them shattered upon the anvil to provide the fragments which will be forge-welded by countless hammer blows over several hours, united into a single block that will be folded and hammered out again for a full dozen folds and half as many again - a nicely symmetrical number that contributes to the finest steel, but without pressing past the point where it becomes meaningless repetition.

 At the end of yet more hours, five bars of steel - one soft and flexible to form the spine, two of medium temper and hardness that will flank the first and the final pair of the keenest, fiercest and most unyielding metal that will one day lead and follow the cut wait to be united and though tired, the Bushi sets to work with a will to unite them - not without yet further prayer and meditation however, each step guided as much by the touch of insight as that of conscious thought and reason, the weakness in his limbs more than offset by the joy in his heart as every action, every step along the way sings with its rightness, with the perfection of every hammer-stroke and the song of steel that rises about him until the heat of the forge and the touch of harsh eyes are but a distant memory belonging to another life, and only the steel is real, is true.

 The Dragon comes down from the mountain... and in time, with love and with care... Earth and fire and give birth to a blade sung in Air and quenched in water. Simple, mortal steel forged for Mans hand. A blade called simply 'Lesson'.


 ---

 This takes ages - but basically by the end of the process, I imagine that Kedo will have no void left. He'll only spend one, but he pours himself into things he makes - the rest will just be expended on prayer, meditation and simple purity. Oh, and it's Intelligence for craft skills.

 07:34, Today: Kedo rolled 74 using 10d10, dropping the 5 lowest rolls, rerolling max with rolls of 9,(10+10+1)21,2,(10+3)13,4,7,(10+10+2)22,4,5,9. Making a blade with... five raises?.

 Okay. My target was 35 (because I get a free raise for being good) giving me six to make an excellent quality polearm blade. So I pass by... 39, or three full raises and one off a fourth.
 It should also be noted that at 60, I passed into the realms of a Legendary blade, for which I got two raises.
 I think there are also some raises to be had from the fact that I'm using one of the finest three forges in a major Crane city...

 I think I'm going to go and burn some incense for the dice roller. ^_^
This message was last edited by the player at 06:18, Sun 13 Dec 2009.

As Kedo emerges from his steel induced trance, he notices the apprentices and journeymen of Kakita Maru's forge leaving and closing the doors behind them.  When his awareness fully returns to his surroundings, he sees Kakita Maru waiting for him patiently.

"A few months ago, I heard rumors about a ronin, walking the path of steel, who was bound to craft a blade the equal of Kakita and Kaiu," she says, eying the newly crafted weapon, "I wondered if that was the same ronin whom I'd been hearing so much about here in the city.

"I suppose I have my answer now."

 The final hiss of cooling metal sends up a cloud of steam from the last in a series of baths of oil or water depending upon the needs of the forging, and at last Kedo is able to hold up the unpolished, unsharpened length of bare blade - which even in its raw and unfinished state has something of the mountain about it, breathless simplicity and purity, grace even in stillness.

 The sun has risen and descended outside without him having even realised it, and both hunger and thirst gnaw faintly at the back of his mind, but his eyes shine nonetheless as he turns towards his host and bows deeply, respectfully... "And I have learned much in your forge, for which I shall always be grateful, Kakita Maru-san. I may have set my feet upon a foolhardy path, but beneath this roof I believe I have touched the sleeve of steel as it passed by." he replies, taking a measure of cloth and using it to cradle the weapon before he turns and offers it to her across both hands.

"You have done more than touch the sleeve of steel today," Kakita Maru bows, accepting the finished blade, "the path which you have chosen is a long one, and no less arduous than the frost locked winter passes of the mountain.  Few will appreciate what you have accomplished, and fewer still will truly recognize the perfection of your creation.

"This blade will stand in our shrine to the Fortunes as a reminder that a fine blade may have a humble sheath," the Kakita smith bows again, before offering a well worn, oft-used pair of tongs, "these are the tongs which I used to craft my first blade, and the ones which I used to forge my finest blades since."

 "The purpose of a blade is to cut... but it may do so to preconceptions as well as flesh. I would be honoured and past honoured to think that Lesson will rest in this place until the day comes for it to be carried forth." replies the Ronin with simple grace, giving over the unfinished but exquisite blade without more than a hint of regret - and that more for the passing of the experience that saw it take form than for the loss of the weapon itself, which after all was only his to channel, not to possess.

 His response to the offering in return is equally formal and polite, a weakness in his powers - that inability to truly conceal his depths with a courtiers flair - revealing just how touched he is by the extended tool even as he walks through the first refusal, "I worked not in hope of reward Kakita-Maru-san, but for the simple joy of doing so, and greater joy I have found here than I had ever dreamed I would find the first day I took up the hammer."

 One more refusal and a gracious acceptance will follow in due course - there is no way that Kedo would offer the least offence to a smith such as Kakita Maru in her own forge.

"Your name is fast becoming known and respected among the Crane," Kakita Maru replies, offering the tongs again, "and, as the Empire generally defers to the Crane in such matters, I expect it will grow far beyond that.  I am old enough to know the heights to which I may aspire and selfish enough to want my name immortalized in some small way, even if it is only in a footnote of your legend."

 And that's how you completely disarm and disorder the lean, apparently brilliant Ronin. For a long moment he simply stands there with his jaw flapping in the breeze as he tries to come up with some sort of reply that isn't 'that's ridiculous' - which would go a long way towards undoing any of the good he might have done here.

 He self-consciously closes his mouth and then tries to come at the problem from another angle, but has no sooner tried to speak a second time before he's aware that there's a distinct flush run up the side of his tattoed neck and across his cheeks, so he simply bows for a few moments and bludgeons his serenity into line, gathering his reserves and marshelling his forces to stand straight once more and reply, "I am but a simple traveller from the mountains who foolishly wishes to know something of steel that he may seek his hearts desire. Were I as worthy as you suggest I would not be enslaved to that desire." with both rueful honesty and a certain measure of self-perception.

 He's always known that his... purpose... was fundamentally unworthy for the purity of what he seeks, but from the day he first came upon it to this there has never been a moment in which he doubted his commitment to it. To her.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:47, Wed 23 Dec 2009.

"The kami use us for their own purposes, regardless of what we think are our motivations--look at Toturi, he would not now be Emperor if that had been his desire.  The kami of steel are no less manipulative in their choice of mortals.  Besides," Kakita Maru shrugs, offering the tongs again, "Kakita himself traveled the length and breadth of the Empire for the love of a woman, who can say that your quest is any less worthy?"