The Father's Forge

In the first age, all was dark, and the Jewel was unbalanced;
The land itself cracked under the strain, and fire surged across the sky;
Warriors wearing the hides of beasts, wielded the bones against one another;
Until one wielded fire himself, and brought the warriors to heel.

With fire, the first tribe conquered the second, and so became a third;
The tribe grew, defeating and encompassing new tribes, and new ideas;
From them came the first smith, who used stone to hammer gold;
Fierte looked on this, and was pleased, and took the tribe as his own.

Years had passed, and the sky no longer burned as when the tribe first formed;
But the scars on the land had not healed, and the rocks were still there;
Fierte looked on his people and chose the son of the first smith to find the rocks;
And he became the first to work with fire and metal together, and fulfill the promise of the tribe.

— The Word of Fierte

Purpose

The Father's Forge is the tale of Fierte's interactions with smiths, and the making of Fierte's Steel. It both gives the history of the followers of the Father, and the key to creating his steel.

Document Structure

Publication Status

Some excerpts of the Forge are repeated in other teachings of Fierte, but the secrets of Fierte's Steel are only in the copies held in temples to Fierte.

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The Father's Forge

Preparing the Ingots

The first step in creating Fierte's Steel is to properly prepare the ingots. This requires all of the metals necessary for the Steel, plus a high temperature resistant brick or clay enclosure. A master of the art can bypass creating ingots and fashion the desired product directly, but if not performed exactly, it will result in a brittle product, not worthy of the name.

The correct metals are assembled, and then pulverized into as fine of a powder as it is possible to create. Particulates as large as a grain of sand are far too big to work properly - ideally, individual grains cannot be seen with the naked eye. The best way to achieve this is through the use of strong acids to dissolve the metals, then precipitation to leave fine powders of even size. The correct acid varies based on the metal being used, although in the case of meteor rocks in the proper ratio, aqua regia is the best choice. Crush the initial ore into as small of particles as is reasonable, as this will result in faster dissolution and less waste. The ore should be left in the acid until the reaction ceases, usually after no more bubbling is present. To ensure the most metal recovery, the acid is heated to near boiling and the ore is left in the acid overnight. Once dissolution is complete, the powder must be precipitated out of the acid. When working with individual metals, the method varies, but from aqua regia with meteor rock, it requires the compound of sodium and sulfur. Assistance from an alchemist may be required, b ut ensure that they are a consecrated follower of Fierte.

If precipitation cannot be used, then heating and pulverizing is the next best choice. The ore should be crushed and mixed with charcoal. It is then heated in a furnace until it the carbon and oxygen are reduced, and the metal becomes sponge like. The sponge like metal can then be crushed and separated from non-metallic material, and sieved to get the finest powder.

Once the powder has been formed, the metal must be mixed in the correct ratio. The mixing must be thorough enough to ensure homogeneity, because pockets of unmixed metal will ruin the ingot. The mixed powder is then placed in a heat resistant vessel, such as a clay form. The form should be smooth and fired, so that the metal does not stick to the vessel. Once the vessel is filled and sealed, it is time to perform the first heating process.

The temperature required is well beyond what most forges can reach. The correct method is to place the forms in a kiln, with finely ground coal as the heat source. The bellows must be loaded with the secretions of a rust monster such that every stroke of the bellows will add a pinch of the powdered secretions. This will intensify the fire, achieving the necessary temperature to fuse the ingot. When the form has been in the fire, at full temperature, for 10 minutes, the temperature should be brought down slowly. This is done by initially removing the secretions, but continuing to pump the bellows. The speed of the bellows pumping should be reduced over the next ten minutes, and then ceased. The amount of powdered coal fed to the fire is then reduced over another ten minutes, then the fire allowed to die. The forms are left in the kiln until it has cooled to the touch, then removed and the forms are broken. The ingot should be dark grey with medium reflectivity.

Working the Steel

With the ingots formed, the steel can now be worked into the desired shape. The metal must be heated to at least cherry red, but no farther than a dull orange, in order to be worked. The steel will become more dense as it is worked, and the flexibility of the metal will become apparent. It should be quite malleable, and easy to work. If it is not, then either the heat is too low, or there was a problem with the initial ingot. When the general shape is achieved, the metal should be quenched in a heated oil quench, before being returned to the forge for further shaping. When the item is complete, it is quenched in heated, saturated salt water. The quench must be done quickly, so that the metal no longer shows color from the heat, but is still hot enough to burn. The item can be returned to the quench for a few seconds every half minute, until it has reached a stage where it is still hot to the touch, but not enough to do serious damage.

At this point, the steel must be immediately annealed. If not, the metal will remain brittle on the inside and will fail in a bend test. The ideal method of annealing is magic based, and clerics of Fierte are able to channel the divine will to raise the temperature of the object to the perfect annealing temperature almost instantly. If this is not available, it should be heated to just below the first indication of color. In either case, it must be held at the annealing temperature for one minute, then allowed to air cool back to room temperature.

Testing the Steel

When the steel is complete, it should be tested to ensure it has worked properly. For a blade, this involves holding one end of the blade in place, through a vise or driving it into a stump. The blade is then bent as far as possible. It should be able to get almost perpendicular to the line of the tip. The blade is then released, and it should spring back straight. Any deviation from straightness, and it is not worthy of the name. For a piece of armor, the curve should be able to be pressed flat, and spring back to the original curve. Again, any deviation from the original shape means the metal is not Fierte's Steel.

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Type

Text, Religious

Medium

Metal

Authors

• Fierte