The Art of SMELTING

 

This craft has been around for many years.  It is a useful skill to learn; and, I suspect, will become one of great demand once forging becomes a prominent practice.  Any initiate who has passed the first level in Voln Discipline can most likely tell you a little about the craft, as they must acquire a slab of iron for offering to the Arkati Eonak.  Aghast as I am at the notion of living to struggle against the undead, I will freely offer this information and advice… You can smelt for other reasons than Voln.

For young adventures with no more than 5 trainings (I believe), it is a rewarding way to learn and develop.  While the process is time-consuming, the rewards outweigh the effort by a fair margin.  Each slab returned to the blacksmith in Wehnimer’s as result of a job should fill most minds.  First, we’ll go through the physical process of smelting, then what is required once you have the finished item… iron!

 

First off, all items required are to be found in the Kobold Mines, outside of Wehnimer’s.  I’ll not go into detail how to get there, get a map!  Lord Tsoran has done a wonderful job of compiling maps, and there is little need to reduplicate his work.  Just know that if you take the NE fork, you’ll eventually run into spider thingies… the arriving cleric coming to raise you will probably fill you in on the rest.

 

The three items you will require, all provided in the mines-area, are: Charcoal, Oil, and Iron Ore.

 

CHARCOAL:  Once entering the mine (from GO HOLE), go through the shrubs.  In this clearing you will find a pile of wood and a burner.  Continue to GET WOOD from woodpile until you have the following… Tinder, Split Log, (2) Sticks.  The more Logs you throw in, the more charcoal you’ll get.  Place the Tinder and Split Log(s) in the Burner, RUB the (2) STICKS.  Wait for the wood to burn down and cool, then grab your charcoal… (did you make more than one? grab it all…)

 

IRON ORE:  From the Mine Entrance, GO into the SHADOWS, all the way to the bottom of the shaft, and into the South Room.  There you will see a large rock workface.  SEARCH the WORKFACE until you come up with Ore.  Four is the most you can smelt at one time, and for the time involved, I’d suggest grabbing four pieces here.

 

OIL:  From the Workface, go north, up one level, and north into the Oil Room.  Simply SEARCH until you come up with a bulging flask of oil.

 

From the Oil Room, step south, then through the Doors.  You are now in the work-area.  Directly in front of you is a Crucible and Pit.  The Crucible is the large container to hold your molten ore, and the heating mechanisms to smelt it.  Once the ore has reached a certain stage of liquid, the Crucible will automatically tip and pour the ore into the Pit for cooling.  Don’t worry about these mechanics, you’ll catch on to the process.  The Steps here are… MAKE SURE NO ONE IS IN THE MIDDLE OF A JOB.  Check this room and the one to the East to be certain.  Looking IN the Crucible will tell you as well.  If you see ore and charcoal, or can’t see anything because of smoke and fumes… someone’s working.

 

Once ready:

TURN VALVE (to CLOSED)

PUT CHARCOAL IN CRUCIBLE
PUT ORE IN CRUCIBLE (up to 4)

 

Go into the East Room.

 

POUR OIL IN DRUM

 

To operate the Bellows (everything is time-sensitive beyond this point, don’t lag)…

PULL CHAIN

PULL BELLOW

 

Go West

TURN VALVE (…to OPEN)

**WHOOSH!  We got’s Fire!**

 

Go East

PULL CHAIN

PULL BELLOW
PULL CHAIN
PULL BELLOW

 

Head back west…and wait!

 

The mechanism will do the rest, or else your attempt will fail.  Usually, if you didn’t miss a step, or take too long, you should succeed.  After the mass cools, how ever many pieces of ore you smelted should be how many slab of iron are in the pit. 

 

Now, a note:  Sometimes, others will cycle the bellows a few more times.  There is nothing wrong with this, I just happen to know the method presented works nearly foolproof.  If you go to pull the chain, and nothing happens… don’t panick.  That means the bellows are already poised to blow air into the system.  Simply PULL on the BELLOWS, pull on the chain, then bellows again… then press on.  Or, if you feel like trusting to fate, pull on the bellows once and press on, your choice.  The Chain simply hoists the bellows (takes air in), pulling the Bellows feeds air into the system.  You’ll figure it out.

 

Now that you have your Slab(s) of Iron, proceed to the Blacksmith in Wehnimer’s.  ASK the BLACKMITH ABOUT a JOB.  If he’s buying, he’ll provide you with a MAP (rough to Kobold Mines).  In order to gain silver and learning, hold the ORE in one hand, and the MAP in the other… GIVE the IRON TO the BLACKSMITH.  Bingo!  Done deal.

 

One Note:  If you sell the iron to the Blacksmith, that transaction is for ALL the iron on your person at that time.  I’d suggest stashing the rest in your locker, and do business with him one piece at a time… he’ll pay you no more for taking one or all at one time.  But one piece four separate times is much more beneficial.  Try it out, I think you’ll enjoy.  ‘Specially you wagglers and peoples who don’t like ta hunt so much.  Happy Smelting!

 

~Maelkyth Loarne, esq.

Sylvan Empath