Faction The Great Forge of Mandalore - Summer, 902 ABY [ME]

[Veyla Krinn]

Veyla listened as Anvil explained, her attention moving between the three hammers as their purposes were described. The terminology was different from what she had grown up using, but the meaning beneath it was familiar. Every smith eventually accumulated tools that could accomplish similar things, yet there was always one that found its way into the hand more often than the others. She glanced toward the medium hammer when Anvil called it a Favored and nodded. "I understand. I've got a hammer like that in my forge. Nothing particularly special about it to anyone else, but I've used it long enough that I'd notice immediately if it wasn't where I left it."

Anvil's explanation of the Hunt required more consideration. Veyla had misunderstood her earlier, but she thought she understood now. The Hunt and the Forge were not places Anvil called home. They were pieces of who she was, companions she carried wherever she went. "I think I understand what you meant now." Veyla glanced toward the fire as they waited for the metal to regain its working heat. "I hope you find that place here. Somewhere you can return to when you're finished with both." She knew enough about being far from the place one had once called home not to treat the search for another as something small.

At the question of whether she hunted, Veyla smiled faintly. "Now and then." She had tracked prey before and knew how to move through wilderness with a hunter's patience, but it had never occupied the same place in her life that Anvil described. "I enjoy a good hunt, and there have been times when I've hunted because there was something that needed finding or killing. But I wouldn't say it's part of me in quite the way it seems to be part of you."

Her eyes settled briefly on the metal within the flames before returning to Anvil. "Making probably comes closer for me. My parents put tools in my hands when I was young, and I've been coming back to a forge ever since. I've spent years away from one when work took me elsewhere, but eventually I always end up making something again." Veyla's smile warmed slightly as she looked around the restored Great Forge. "So perhaps your Hunt is something like my Forge. Not home, exactly, but something we'd both feel the absence of if it were gone."

Anvil

 

[Sylor]

Mia Monroe Vaux Gred​

Discipline, it was one of the greatest assets a Mandalorian could have. In truth that came with any soldier, unit, anyone who was in war. If you didn't have even the slightest notion of discipline, ranks could fall apart. An edge in battle could be lost, and that wasn't just listening to your superior. It was more with how the battle gripped you.

“Sylor,” she greeted with an incline of her head. “This Vaux of clan Gred, sister to their Alor.” she gave a nod towards the recruits he had moved away from. “How are we looking?”

"Vaux, it is an honor to meet you." Sylor voiced, as gave a quick nod, showing his support altogether.

He looked to the warmaster and back to the recruits he stepped away from. Sylor took a deep breath, and began to speak. "I suppose we should be grateful that they are all firing in the same direction." A small smirk crept on his face, alas the jest had passed. "They willl be fine, continued guidance and support. They will be ready in due time."

"And here?" Sylor inquired, looking at those she was working with. While he knew he didn't have any cause, whatsoever to be concerned or to question things on her end. Still, the updates were nice, and to see where he could help.

 

[Dral-Kar'ta Saandyr]

THE GREAT FORGE OF MANDALORE
​

Objective III, The Hall of Ancestors

Ship: The Bes'hurok (Iron Rock) Armed Adviso

Armor: Protector-type Beskar'gam

Primary Weapon: A-180 Modular Blaster

Secondary Weapons: Briletto PPK, Stun Baton,

Blade: Tal'Alor Beskad
Sidekick: Ta-2P0 (Tappo)

Tags: Siv Kryze , Open

---

​

This was turning into an interesting chance meeting. Since his Clan's return to join the new united Mandalore he had been certain that he wanted this new state to prosper and regain what the Mandalorians had lost but he did not always know what to do or how to do it. The feelings of doubt and uncertainty clashing with ambition and optimism. In the few short exchanges he and Siv have had, he perceived a similar want and struggle.

He nodded his head in understanding.

"Honoring those who have come before us does not mean accepting them or following them blindly. I agree that we do not have to repeated everything that our forefathers did. One can honor those before us yet still recognize the errors that were made. In battle the most successful general can still make a mistake and the greatest commander lose a battle. That does not make them any less worthy of admiration."

Another echo of his own mindset came as Siv indicated that he understood that knowing when to bend was as important as standing firm. He chuckled.

"My great grandfather used to say 'There is no use complaining about the air in Sundari when there is nothing else to breathe.'

His offer of cooperation was accepted. Maridun was an underpopulated planet rich in resources. With the planetshift it was now positioned to be an integral part of the Mandalorian economy. Dral-Kar'ta wished to see Maridun prosper and grow along with a resurgent Mandalorian Empire.

"When Mandalore fell, like so many others, what was left of my clan fled and dispersed across the galaxy. In time we found a haven on Kiffu. We were accepted and were able to rebuild, my own Grandmother was a Kiffar Priestess of clan Vos. It was a good life but it was not home. When Mand'alor the Iron united the Clans we returned and staked Maridun as our new Clanlands. It is not Mandalore but it is Mandalorian and it is our home now. We want the same thing whether it be for Concordia or Maridun so I think it would be beneficial for both our Clans and worlds to work together.

It must be strange to be able to see Mandalore from your home and I suppose most travelers see only Mandalore and discount its moon."

Dral-kar'ta paused as he thought. Would it be worth the risk of reaching out? But then, as if Siv understood his hesitation he himself reached out his hand. Dral-kar'ta looked at the outstretched hand and then up to the face and eyes behind it with a brief hesitation. Siv might be able to tell that this action was important and more than a simple handshake to his companion. Dral-kar'ta deliberately took of his glove and took Siv's outstretched hand in an embrace.

Immediately Siv could detect an alteration in the force. As was common the force tended to flow through all living things like a gentle breeze but as soon as their hands touched there was something akin to a gust of wind and he felt the force flowing through him into Dral-Kar'ta who seemed to also react to the sensation. It did not feel like an attack but it was a strange feeling and he could not be sure what was happening.

 

[Anvil]

"Then, perhaps, there is much I could learn from you," Anvil replied. It sounded as though Veyla might have more experience with the hammer. It wasn't the fundamentals, but prudent decisions made in the heat of the moment or application of existing techniques in novel ways. Always more to learn. Anvil still learned new ways to slaughter adversaries in the field despite already being well-seasoned. There'd certainly be even more to learn with a hammer. "If you would honor me."

After a moment, Anvil's eyes turned from the Great Forge around them back to Veyla. "I could learn much of Mandalorian Steel still. A difficult, but useful ore. I understand why Forges such as this were made." They likely kept great quantity heated so the metal remain in a liquid state. It took considerable heat or energy to get it there in the first place. Forging it required different techniques than many other metals as well. Slight, but important alterations. If it cooled too much it would take too long to soften for further shaping. Anvil didn't find that a problem; she found it welcome challenge to manage.

Perhaps, when Anvil learned more or found someone willing, she would incorporate the steel into a new suit of armor. One lighter than yet just as dense as that of the Imperium. It would not hurt to be more agile in tighter quarters and it seemed so much of the Outsiders' battle tactics involved such spaces.

It was curious how they did not wear imposing armor. Anvil knew the lay person could understand a Storm Trooper's helmet, but these Sith Masks... Anvil didn't understand it. Did the Dark Siders not wish to terrifying their opponents and their charges? Their armor -- if they had any -- was ill-suited to the task. Warriors of the Imperium would near wear so little or be so discrete.

"In return, I would offer my services in a fashion to you." They'd have to 'negotiate' what the exchange was, but that would come naturally in time. Anvil wasn't too worried about that. So long as the Mandalorians weren't those supporting the Rebels back home, anyway.

Veyla Krinn

 

[Veyla Krinn]

Veyla looked toward Anvil at the request, a faint smile appearing as she shook her head. "I think we'd both be doing some learning." She had spent enough years at a forge to be confident in what she knew, but confidence had never convinced her that there was nothing left to discover. If anything, experience had taught her how many different ways there were to accomplish the same task. "You already know your way around a hammer. I might do some things differently, but different doesn't necessarily mean better. You learned your craft somewhere very different from where I learned mine. I'd be interested in seeing what you were taught too."

Her attention shifted toward the metal as it reached working temperature again. Veyla drew it from the heat and brought it back to the anvil between them, settling naturally into the rhythm they had begun establishing. "So yes, I'd be happy to work with you again. We can trade techniques, compare what works, and probably argue over which hammer should be used at least once." There was a hint of amusement in the last remark as she glanced toward the three Anvil had laid out earlier. Whatever differences existed between their cultures, the forge gave them common ground without either woman needing to pretend those differences weren't there.

The mention of Mandalorian steel drew a thoughtful nod. Beskar was familiar to Veyla in a way it could not yet be to Anvil, but she understood why the metal fascinated another smith. "Beskar takes patience, and it doesn't forgive every mistake, but once you understand how it behaves, there's very little else like it." She wasn't about to pretend she knew everything there was to know about working it, either. There were smiths who had spent lifetimes specializing in techniques Veyla had only touched upon. "I can share what I know. There are smiths here who would know considerably more than I do, particularly when it comes to armor, but I've worked with it enough to help you understand the material rather than fight against it."

Anvil's offer in return earned another smile. Veyla didn't immediately try to put a value on it or decide what service she might ask of the woman. "Then we'll call it an exchange." She adjusted her hold on the metal before setting her hammer for the next series of strikes. "You show me some of what the Fire taught you, I'll show you some of what my forges taught me, and we'll both leave knowing something we didn't before." For Veyla, that seemed considerably more worthwhile than deciding which of them had earned the right to call herself the teacher.

Anvil

 

[Anvil]

Anvil blinked. Differently? The Mandalorians did have some tools different from those back home, it was true. Perhaps they could share how those unique tools could be used to improve their crafting. It could prove quite useful once she tried to make a new suit of armor.

A slow, but steady nod followed Veyla Krinn 's acceptance and invitation to work together. "I would be honored." It had been some time since Anvil had felt... anticipation. Something to look forward to had been set before her, and she felt a genuine desire to explore it.

Steady, measured strikes of the hammer were exchanged between them as they spoke. Anvil often didn't speak while working the metal, but this opportunity to learn more and find a place among these warriors was worth violating taboo just a little. The Stars would understand.

As for beskar, she could believe Veyla's claim of its unique properties. There was no beskar in the Imperium. If there were the Emperor's personal Guard would have been adorned in such blessed metal. Though Anvil wouldn't dare think less of the Emperor's splendor because He lacked beskar. Obviously, the Imperium was not the only source of life in the galaxy as they'd been taught, and their worlds did not have everything that might exist. Though, Anvil didn't feel what they lacked left them lesser. They were simply... different, as the Admiral put it.

"I would welcome your teachings." Even if she wasn't a Master of the metal, a better understanding might help other Smiths to open up and discuss it. No one was going to discuss advanced applications with someone that knew 'nothing' about a material. One step at a time. One mission at a time. "Perhaps, if you feel it acceptable, I might even visit your Forge." Anvil could help work a few items, or offer her services as a warrior to express her appreciation for Veyla's open hand.

"Would you join me for a drink when we finish drawing out the blade?" It was, after all, very thirsty work with the heat of the forge just shy of setting the air ablaze.

 

[Mia Monroe]

Tags: Sylor Vaux Gred

Mia smirked as Vaux moved, dangling the chance for one of the recruits to prove themselves against her. Uncertainty rippled through them, before ego and pride got the better of one, a young zabrak, easily a head taller than Vaux who clearly couldn’t resist the chance to show off.

“Well,” she muttered in response to Sylor, “they are about to learn about ego the hard way.”

Then she shrugged. “They are green, we can pump them full of training but until we get them into the field we will not know for sure, some of the show promise, others less so. But they will learn, one way or another.”

She tilted her head thoughtful for a moment as she watched the zabrak step forward, the rest of the class stepping back, exchanging quiet bets behind him. “We should run an expedition in an environment we have some control over. Enough risk to apply the pressure we need without any of them being in any real danger of severe injury.”

 

[Rynna]

Korda Veydran​

HALL OF THE ANCESTORS

Rynna managed a sheepish smile, she wasn’t afraid the words would bite her, more that she would fumble so horribly over them that she might accidently cause someone offense. Still it was reassuring to know that being perfect wasn’t the goal, so long as she believed in the words she was saying. At least, that was the message she took away as he studied the medallion.

Everyone remembers the warriors. Rynna’s eyes moved over the room at these words, it certainly felt like that, weapons and armour dominated the hall, but perhaps it was just that it was easier to see those things.Her gaze moved back to Korda, gently taking the medallion back, running her thumb gently over the skull again.

The question of Domarian’s made her lower her gaze, she didn’t have an answer. Perhaps she thought that they were meant to be lesser? Honestly she wasn’t entirely sure. She lifted her gaze as Korda lowered himself, his red eyes now level with hers as he spoke, the lesson settling over her like a blanket of comfort, though her gaze dropped when movement revealed a small snake, its tongue flicking to taste the air.

Her lips parted in surprise, before a smile followed and she lifted her eyes back to him. It unsettled her that battle was where it all came together. She wasn’t entirely sure that was where she belonged, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a place for her here. She had time, she was learning.

“Its nice to be reminded that I don’t have to have all the answers, that what I’m doing is enough for now.”

Her hand closed around the medallion and she let it fall to her side taking a small breath, determination settling over her features. If there was anywhere to learn the stories it would be here. She turned back to Korda, offering him a little bow of her head.

“Thank you for sharing your wisdom Korda of Clan Veydran.” she smiled “I think I am going to go and see the forge.”

 

[Tessa Monroe]

Adelle Bastiel​

The face Adelle pulled made Tessa shift, moving from teasing friend to the one who listened almost instantly. She knew enough fo adelle by now that understanding when she wanted to play and when she genuinely needed a friend was almost easy. Her head tilted as she waited for the Ambassador to find her words.

A grin split her face. “The zealot?” she said, affectionately, “Yeah I’ve heard of her.” The Warpriests devotion to Kad Ha’rangir aside, it did make Tessa wonder what an earth she had to do with forging. Granted the woman had made many of her own weapons but from the way Adelle was behaving , it was bigger than that.

“What of her?”

​

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Tessa Monroe

Adelle huffed a laugh. “Yeah, her. Long story short, Alor Ca’tra taught me the basics but I asked Prime to teach me how to forge a weapon I could… sense.”

“I’ve always fought with a lightsaber,” she explained. “Y’know, the whole Jedi thing. You attune to the crystal, meditate, blah blah blah. The lightsaber feels like an extension of me. There’s nothing like that with beskads. No matter what I do, or how hard I train, I feel clumsy and stupid with them.”

She cracked the knuckles on one hand then the other. The time training on the Ark and watching the Warpriest work in the forges felt like a lifetime ago. “Prime showed me how to... to give them a soul but every time I try and make one, they break. The one in the Verd’goten was the first.”

Her hand traced over the tools on the workbench without disturbing them, eyes following. She didn’t want to voice her worry, her concern, even to Tess. The strange feeling that just saying it might make it true had a grip on her.

“So I’m trying to figure out why.”