13097/Meanwhile, back at The Forge...

Meanwhile, back at The Forge...
Date of Scene:	17 October 2022
Location:	The Forge
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Colborn, Roland Livingston

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Colborn has posed:
    Custom jobs pay more than bulk rate items. But it's not like Colborn needs the income for rent. He has reserves of a rather staggering amount. EVen so, he just loves the act of shaping metal into usable forms. It is truly amazing how you can be working a hunk of steel, and after a few hammer strokes, you suddenly see the shape you only saw in your mind's eye previously.

    Today's project is a simple one. Someone paid handsomely for him to construct a replica of a cinematic Musketeer's Rapier. He's had the blade done for some time, but now he's working on the guard, and the elaborately curved parts of said guard. IN the back, his hammer rings out while the front room is mostly empty....

Roland Livingston has posed:
Something of a weapon snob, Roland has done a little research to find himself a smith that makes all manner of implements of destruction. And the guy's only in Queens, how fortunate!

The bell over the door dings as the Englishman enters the shop. There's a brief look around before Livingston starts exploring a bit, looking over the items on display with the eye of one intimately familiar with equipment on display. The sound of the hammer striking in the forge gets a smile out of him, the sound seeming to please the young fellow even as he ends up looking over the various blades on display. His head nods slightly as he examines the shop's wares, as if approving of what he sees there.

He's patient, not calling out to whoever might be working in back. There's plenty to look at to keep him busy in the meantime.

Colborn has posed:
    The old timey bell makes Colborn lift a brow. His head comes up, and then he sets the hammer aside. He was shaping the knuckle-bow and didn't really need a lot of heat for that.

    Which means that he doesn't really need to worry about the mild steel losing tempering or whatnot.

    But the sliding door separating front room from back room slides open. It's a fairly heavy fire-door truth be told, and the dark haired, dark bearded man lifts both brows as he reaches to hang his heavy leather apron on a nearby hook.

    "Welcome to The Forge." He wipes hands on his jeans and steps over towards the displays. "I don't get a lot of customers on a Sunday evening." His voice has the hint of what could only be a pseudo Germanic accent. Scandinavian maybe? "So what brings you out on such a fine night?"

Roland Livingston has posed:
"Good evening," Roland tells the smith after his greeting. A smile appears, "I've only just heard about your work here and decided that I'd like to see your weapons." His own accent is quite definitely English of the upper crust variety. "Thus far what you have on display looks quite nice."

The Englishman goes on, "I'm a practitioner of the martial arts, you see. I'm always in the market for a good, serviceable weapon and I very much wanted to see what yours are like."

Colborn has posed:
    "Most martial artists are not interested in weapons of a lethal quality. For the most part, they want bludgeoning or disarming weapons." offers Colborn. "Unless they feel that they have a need for something deadly."

    As he was speaking, he was casting his eyes over some of the display items. But then he turns and regards Roland, "Do you feel a need for something deadly then?" he asks, the left corner of his mouth lifting upwards just a little bit. "Or is it for show? A show piece is something different than a battle ready weapon."

Roland Livingston has posed:
"I'm not most martial artists," Roland replies with a grin. "Any weapons I purchase should be functional. And the bladed ones should be sharp."

"I expect to have to cut through flesh and bone and may need to turn aside other blades with my own," the Englishman explains. "I tend to favor longswords, often an Oakeshott Type XVIII, but I don't use those exclusively." He pauses for a moment, then says, "Depending on the quality of the weapons you can provide I may need to order at least a couple of different designs."

Colborn has posed:
    "So, you prefer a single blade, hand and a half or just two handed. Mostly for thrusting, but also the occasional slashing attack." says Colborn as he turns to regard the displays once more.

    "Either way, for a true wielder, nothing 'off the shelf' will be good enough. You need a weapon crafted for your grip, your movements, your reach..." A pause, "And perhaps a second, smaller weapon for work in close. A long dagger, or short sword. Something like a Xiphos would be ideal for that."

Roland Livingston has posed:
"Hand and a half is ideal," Roland says with a nod, cracking another smile. Then he nods a couple of times, "True. My favorite weapons, those I choose to use when I need them to work perfectly, are custom crafted. Aside from an old warhammer I'm enamored of." There's a little chuckle at that. "And a side weapon in the form of a short sword would be perfect! One never knows when one will be in confined spaces or when one's primary weapon will be lost or damaged."

Apparently he approves of the smith as he heads his way, "I'm Roland Livingston, by the way. Very pleased to make your acquaintance."

Colborn has posed:
    "Colborn Gustafson." replies the smith. "Would you prefer to inspect the forge itself? Perhaps help me to come up with a specific design for your personal weapon?"

    Colborn gestures behind him to the fire door. "After all, if you are paying for it, then you get the ultimate approval on every aspect of it. The guard, its width. Whether or not you want the first portion of the blade to be dulled for gripping, or sharp."

    He shrugs and adds, "Plus any cosmetic design requests. I am open to any and all input from any customer."

Roland Livingston has posed:
"Excellent, Mr. Gustafson, I would indeed like to see your work area," Roland says happily. "I'm not much for a lot of cosmetics on my weapons, though if it doesn't interfere with function then I suppose I can make an exception for a finely crafted sword. Or two."

"I am vain enough to say that I'd like the side weapon to match the primary to some degree," the Englishman comments. "Are you a swordsman yourself, perchance? I imagine you've got to be fairly handy with a blade, if even just to make sure you apply proper cutting techniques when testing them out."

Colborn has posed:
    Nodding his head, Colborn shrugs, "I have practiced enough with them to be able to test them for customers. One must know how the weight affects the swing, where the balance point is. But if I make a sword for someone who is not me, then it is balanced for them, not me. Which.." he steps into the back room and gestures to what amounts to a storage container filled with racks upon racks of bladed weapons, ".. is why most of those are forged for my movements and balance points. After all, practice is how any craftsman improves his skills, yes?" he asks as he turns to face Roland. "You will find that I use many of the older techniques. I -do- own a kerosene forge, but I almost never use it. Only in a pinch. I tend to work with crucible steel and a coal fired forge." he says as he steps out of the way to give Roland a look at it.

Roland Livingston has posed:
Roland looks over the forge and nods approvingly, "Excellent set up you've got here. You're a busy man indeed, it seems." He takes in everything in the room, his eyes fixing on a weapon here, a tool there. "I must say, I am impressed."

"I only wish I'd known about the Forge sooner," the young man says. "Your work looks excellent and you seem to know what you're talking about. I'm quite excited to see what we can together." There's a little chuckle, "Is there any sort of sword that you yourself prefer? I notice a great many different designs here. Wonderful variety."

Colborn has posed:
    "Ironically, my preference is -also- the Longsword." admits Colborn, "But I must admit that I am generally happy to use and wield just about any weapon made from metal. Sword, mace, dagger. But yes... I do love a hand and a half sword."

    "But perhaps we should take some measurements and I can get working on a project for you."