Aaus (pronounced "owwww-s") is a simple smith, labouring away in his grandfather's forge in a small town. He feels like his work is pretty good, but he's really not sure why nobles and knights and two kings (so far) keep coming to make commissions from him.
The secret is Aaus' smithy, inherited through his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and originally enchanted by a wizard's apprentice who couldn't pay for the repairs he desperately needed. Aaus' great-grandfather kindly offered the work for fee, if the young aprentice could just show him "a touch of magic". Each year since then, the apprentice, now a powerful master mage, has returned to secretly re-enchant the smithy and continue the ensorcelment that he feels most strongly connects him with the common people. The steel worked in Aaus' smithy comes out lighter, harder, and much more durable than ordinary steel (roughly equivalent to Titanium in modern society) although it lacks the mirror-shine usually preferred. The farms in his neighbourhood are well-equipped with fine ploughs and equipment that has rarely needed sharpening or repair since Aaus' great-grandfather's day. The smithy also allows him to work for longer and harder without exhaustion, an enchantment which many Dwarven master-smiths would kill for. Although Aaus' work is good, it is not master-crafted, just very durable. The orders he has had people make often include Aaus doing the basic work and then being taken to another smith for adornments and decoration. Polishing it is possible, but conceals that it is "greysteel" work, which some people prefer. Statistics: The steel worked at Aaus' forge comes out at half the regular weight, -1 to the armour check penalty (if any), and +5 to the item's Hardness. He charges only Players' Handbook prices for his work, but is often given a bonus for the quality he produces. If buying this "greysteel" from anyone else, increase the price by a minimum of 20%, but more likely up to 100%. How you can use Aaus the Greysmith in your game: - Watching a cavalcade of armoured knights and wagons streaming into a town as Aaus opens his commissions for the year would be quite a sight to see for anyone who doesn't know what is going on. - Receiving a small gift, like a single weapon or tool, made by Aaus as a reward for some task assisting his village might draw attention, as well as being extremely useful to thieves or adventurers (lightweight, not-shiny, very tough material? Yes please!). - Having someone like a master Dwarven smith try to buy or otherwise monopolize Aaus' work might lead to the wizard ceasing their enchantment of the smithy. At that point, the smithy won't accomplish anything other than well-worked steel. At that point, Aaus would be desperate to discover what he's doing wrong, and how to fix it. - Your adventurers might be stopped upon the road by a mysterious wizard, asking them to assist him as he tries to reach the forge. He explains that he is dying, and needs to bolster the enchantment before it fails forever. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 25 March 2019. Comments are closed.
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