When they came down to meet the noise, they all found the source was... that was the one, weren't they? The one in the memory of the mace, its maker. Kaimana's eyes widened as she took in the visage of the creature, far more accurate to her-- not her own memory. Far more accurate to that memory than the one similar depicted in the mural. Was it the same creature, or was it the one in the mural, or was it neither...?

Questions came in flurries at the masked-- masked? The newfound creature before them. Too many questions for Kaimana to fit her own in. Yet again, Levi's answer made her proud. Tahi's question was interesting... Kaimana could definitely see the resemblances. And that deer... a small child, had rarely spoken it seemed. They were very close to the stranger. Kaimana resolved to keep her eyes on them. Then James, protective papa bird that he was, flared his big gay wings up to protect Kaimana and Comet. It brought a small smirk to her face. He asked about the mural.

Answers came back, and Kaimana felt sympathetic for the shrouded figure. Indeed, they seemed kind, like the one from the mace's memory. And they appeared to be working on another object of fine craft. The connection to the Collector was interesting... this creature seemed kind and helpful, whereas the Collector seemed... mildly nefarious. Kaimana, to this day, still could not think of a good reason to be asking for entire claws or tails.

The story of the mural... it was not exactly the cycle Kaimana had imagined. She had thought it to be one of multiple lives as well as multiple deaths, for both parties: a tragic tale of this smithy getting defeated with their own gift by different people. Maybe that was just Kaimana's mind being dramatically morose, although the actual story didn't seem any more positive. In fact, the actual story made her wonder if the threat to this smithy still lingered here... On a side note, Kaimana felt a little silly for not realizing the sword and the red figure had been the same in every part of the mural, so she probably should have guessed it was just one culprit.

Enchantments were intriguing. James's friend seemed very interested in knowing more about them. That one was a thinker, much like Kaimana, but more presumptuous than she. The jaguar was still unsure about whether or not this masked figure -- if they were actually masked -- was the same creature she'd seen in the mace's memory. And she had now seen both faces quite clearly. Comet wanted to know about what happened next, as if she were being told a bedtime story rather than a historical (and possibly still ongoing) event. Levi wanted more details, something related to the very question she had asked about the mural earlier. And that little deer... what was it doing, so close to the heat? Then there was yet another deer -- a whole trio, she had realized far too late. This one wondered if the cycle ended.

Kaimana tried to follow the smallest deer's lead, approaching the slab upon which this new stranger had been working. She would not get too close, simply sit to the side of the somewhere to feel the same heat the deer was feeling without intruding on their space. "I thank you for your story, stranger. And I wonder about your name. It would be good to have something to call you." Kaimana sat in silence for a beat more before continuing. "Informational. Puzzling. I am now wondering... if this story of yours is still happening now, and how you even know it? Unless you made it up." Who knew, maybe this creature here was the maker and breaker of the mural, and this was all an elaborate scheme. Maybe a convoluted joke. Maybe a way of getting a bunch of random strangers all in one space.

Now why would anyone want to do that...?

"It is very warm here," Kaimana commented, mainly to herself. She wondered why the little deer seemed to like it.

Text. "Speech." Thoughts.

@Himmel

Electrum had woven himself into the workshop at the back of the group- his small quest for another small thing to add to the nest causing him to miss everyone's first comments, but happily, not miss the story told by the Blacksmith.

He greets Haven with a rumble, almost a purr, stretching up to boop her snout with his, but he remains on the ground- wanting to look at this... oddly familiar creature. As the story is completed, Electrum feels almost... ashamed? Seeing a horrible future in the mindset he's had his whole life, a preference for power and grace, and he looks up at Haven as he stews on his small self-discovery, blatantly concerned and sad.

"I'm sorry that happened ..." the lapis dragon eventually mutters, his voice flat and melancholy, and he peers intently at the masked figure in the forgelight. "That tale of yours sounds like history, something horrible more than anything. A warning. Both for those of us who wish for power, and those who are kind enough to provide it in innocence. A horrible price and a destruction of one of the few things that bind us tighter than magic."

At others asking for a name for this stranger, though, he nods, and then offers his own along with something... new, for him. For anyone other than Haven, I mean. "My name is Electrum, if you would like to call me that. Is there anything we can do to help you? To keep something like that weapon and suffering from happening again?"

I need to stop this. We need to keep that cycle from continuing, if possible... or even just find and destroy the weapon.

I can't let this involve Haven, or our future.

Or anyone else.

He listened to all before responding to any. And when they were finished, he responded to them each in the order they had spoken: first, to Comet. "When the Champion of this story finally fell in battle, he was honored as a hero. A tomb, a statue, raised in his honor. But the enchanter was, at last, freed." A nod, then, to Tahi-shei, encouraging. "Yes! Like a bauble. But there are many magics that can be woven into objects in other ways. But you are right: it is a cautionary tale. Should you choose the path of the enchanter, your life may no longer be your own... And once enchanted, the item's magic cannot be removed. Not through any way that I know," he added, thoughtful. "But then, I am only the Blacksmith." To Leviathan he said, "I both made, and broke, the mural. Its parts were placed as a puzzle to find those... interested. They with... magic to find the pieces. Patience to put it together. it is... a lesson."

He listened to Aran, and offered a little nod. "He very nearly did kill him, a few times. And such repeated use... it takes its toll. When one returns to the stone, again and again, there are... consequences." The other question had already been answered, and so he looked next to Kaimana. "Thank you for hearing it. I am known as the Blacksmith. That will do. The story was real, and the story is... over, though truly good stories never end." A pause, and he added, "It is warm here. This is my Workshop." A gentle gesture indicated the open forge behind him. "But it is hotter beneath, in the great Forges that lie below Leo."

It was Electrum that he looked to last. "Hello... Electrum. You have names," he observed, thoughtful. "There is something we can both do. Your kind are spreading, and flourishing. This magic will be discovered, sooner or later. I will teach you, but you must promise to be responsible in its use, and to teach others with the greatest caution. To remember my lesson. That tale is only one possible consequence of careless crafting," he warned.

"Bring me an item that you would see enchanted. And bring me magic... Something you would like it to do. And those who can imbue it with their magic, I will aid, and you will learn the power of Enchantment. Responsible... Enchantment. -And one of you... may keep the item," he added, with a bow. "That is another... of my gifts to you."

The Gembound have been given the following tasks.

First, they must obtain some item that they would like enchanted. Second, a Gembound with a compatible Magic spell must be available to aid the enchanting process. (This may take further information from the Blacksmith, or they may guess if they prefer). This item will then be Enchanted, and granted to one of the Gembound. The group must decide who will keep the item. They may take one to two posting rounds to learn more and/or decide upon/locate an item and enchantment.

Third, any Gembound present for the item's enchantment in the final posting round may donate 500 magicka to the process to permanently learn the Enchantment skill. The skill will be claimed for that 500 magicka cost in Update Me at the end of this thread for participants who choose to do so.

Any Gembound may join in and have overheard the Blacksmith at any time.

@Tahi-shei @Aran @Comet @Oka @Himmel @James @Kaimana @Leviathan @Haven @Electrum

"I have Fungal magic," he offered, and then a beat later, "but if the Collector wasn't lying to me about its costs, well, then maybe we should avoid using that." He didn't want to see anyone else suffer his own sins. Then, he added, "My name is Tahi-shei, Tahi-shei Deimos -- however, just Tahi is sufficient."

He looked to the Blacksmith again, curious. "What sort of magic is good for enchanting with?" And, perhaps later he would ask if there was a good way to remove curses -- however, again, he did not yet have his crown because of the magic of liquid time. (Maybe he would even try to pawn off a cursed item to the Collector, though that would be more likely to incur something of a bounty on his head.)

James listened, and through listening, he learned. This person could make the weapons and armor the Collector sold. But... perhaps such things could be made without such horrible drawbacks. Maybe... just maybe.

He perked up and immediately cursed. Comet already gave away the mace, so that wasn't valid anymore. If only there was something else. The necklace probably couldn't be enchanted, so that was also out. What items were there?

He looked around, trying to see if anything could trigger an idea. But alas, nothing.

"Could someone enchant themselves?", he asked instead, ears perked up.

Haven was mostly quiet, only hopping down to snuggle into Electrum's side, purring away. Thought the moment an item was suggested to be enchanted, she perked up.

"I'VE GOT A SWORD HILT!!", she shrieked, and slapped her paws over her mouth, "Oh I'm so sorry- so sorry."

She flushed and wiggled uncomfortably, embarrassed, "Ahem... I've um, got a sword hilt. It's not much, but if there was another piece added, then it could become a real sword! There were some crystals outside- maybe those could be shaped? The heat below could be hot enough to form something sword-like."

She shuffled and looked down, head craning as she pressed into Electrum, hiding her face.

The voices worked like white noise. Then, a shout - something about a hilt. It jarred Himmel awake and he teetered to his hooves, walking out from beside the anvil but still somewhat protected by the Blacksmith. His small voice called out next: "I have... fire magic. Maybe I could melt the hilt down, or help make something out of it?" But he didn't have strong control over all of his powers; his pyrokinesis was a latent ability he had yet to test. Still, he could be useful. Himmel was more interested in the objects rather than the enchantments anyway.

She nodded as the Blacksmith replied to her question. It was a good thing that he was dead now, and she briefly wondered how they had managed to defeat him.

"I have water magic!" Comet immediately offered, hoping that would be useful to help with enchanting. "Does that help?" She wondered if this enchanted item would have a curse, but probably not, since they were going to be the ones enchanting it, so there would be no reason for a curse to come with it. Unless that was a part of enchanting you couldn't get rid of.

Her ears swiveled to hear Haven's exclamation that she had a sword hilt. The pup thought about that for a moment. "If we are going to be enchanting something, wouldn't it be best if it were easier to carry than a sword?" reasoned Comet, "Like something you could wear, and light too, so you don't have to be burdened by carrying it in your mouth."

Her own feather waved in the wind. She would offer it, but she didn't feel comfortable with parting with it, since it was something very important to her. The best she could do was help with enchanting the item that was chosen.

The story continued, and Aran knew well enough how going into a chrysalis has consequences. He lost his sight from it, a price to pay for picking a fight with someone. Even if that someone picked a fight before he did. It was a nasty thing that didn't seem like it would ever go away - he had thought about trying to chrysalize himself again. Though... Aran did not want to kill himself on accident. He did not want to face death again, nor would he try it.

And then the blacksmith offered them something - enchantment. They would be to find certain things... The group would have to decide together, Aran wasn't sure how well that would work out with the amount of them there. Or if some of them would fight. It would be a distasteful situation if so. He would help for now, though Aran did wish to know what the others were asking of.

"I have Prokaryote magic." He decided to add to the others saying what kind of magic they had. If a spell was needed to make the item do a certain thing, it was good that each of them had different things, at least for the ones that had talked so far. "But I do know spells from other kinds."

A lot of his magic wouldn't be useful for good, except for maybe a couple of them. Most were used to bring sickness, and that being could use it like what that other item was used for in the story. It didn't sound like it would work out well.

The Blacksmith... Only a title to address the stranger by, but it's better than nothing, he supposes. The lapis dragon almost preens under the knowledge that he'd shared some new information with this mysterious stranger, and the comment about ... your kind has him blink in confusion. Gold pupils slitting down to stripes on his black and blue eyes, he focuses once again on the others in the warm workshop, and ignores the discomfort he's feeling from his scales slowly drying out in the increased heat. If only I'd taken a dip before this, he idly considers, before leaning against Haven and opening his mouth to respond to the Blacksmith.

"I can promise I will be careful with whatever knowledge you choose to share with us," he announces, for lack of a better term. "I cannot speak for anyone else but my mate and myself, but we have each other to be concerned about, and I know her to be kind and myself to be a bit... self centered." here he flushes a bit gold in embarrassment, fins flaring and ears coloring brightly and quickly, unhappy about admitting such things about himself in front of a crowd. But.

"Between her boundless enthusiasm," he continues, after her overenthusiastic offer and shriek, and a fond nudge from him and his wing folding over her, "And my eye for detail, we can find something that will suit whomever we choose to give this enchanted item to."

He now waits for everyone else to add their two cents, nodding begrudgingly in agreement that a handled weapon won't fit most of the occupants of the caves, and he hums in his chest as he considers all sorts of accessories or possible tools that they could enchant. "I can generate lightning," he finally adds, after everyone has added their additions, "and I can also see what a new gift I've received in my magic can do... I felt it arrive after I witnessed a blue ice bird rise from the depths of Pisces, along with a handful of other present Gembound."

Some more consideration, and he finally adds, "Why not simply choose something from this cave? Not your Workshop, or the Forges you spoke of, but of this environment. Like a crystal," here, he lifts his foot to show the shard he's lifted from the pile outside, and sets it down in front of himself, "Or some sort of item that can be hidden? A weapon is... decidedly not something this cave needs." He didn't mean to disagree with his mate but... he felt very strongly about his need to not become anything like the horrible champion from the Blacksmith's tale.

Is it selfish to not want that weapon, or whatever it may be, here, to keep my family safe?

Electrum tucks his head down against Haven's, and sighs against her.