Oh look, another monologue... (Private)

It was a couple days after being promoted to Jounin. Kotetsu was still getting used to the new rank, and the responsibilities that came with it. There wasn’t much he could do right now, what with his arm in a sling, still healing from being broken during the fight. That meant missions would be a no-go, which was fine, since he could use a bit of a break. While Kotetsu had been waiting for his broken arm to properly heal, he had been working out a side project of sorts. Ever since that experiment gone wrong, he’d acquired a fascination with blacksmithing and the basic mechanics that he’d seen here and there in the village. A good portion of Kotetsu’s time was spent in the library, reading up on smithing. There was plenty to read about, since the theory came from all over the continent. Different methods to building a forge, the various techniques to create different types of alloys. Different ways to make a blade, the best materials for the creation. The information was almost endless. Kotetsu would need to read over everything in order to get his plan in motion. Kotetsu wanted to start a business. A blacksmith business. He primarily wanted to forge weapons and armour. There was so many other things he could make too, with the main goal to improve the village as a whole. It would be a massive undertaking, requiring a large investment of time, ryo, and manpower. It would be worth it in the end, it always did. The current smiths in Hoshi did well for themselves. Kotetsu did not want to take away from their business, but it could very well happen because of the work he wanted to undertake. ‘Perhaps I should approach them to see if they would be interested in working together…’ He thought to himself. He would have opportunities to speak with them since he would need to gain some practical experience, and it’s not like there were public forges where anyone could just go and practice on their own time. It would be slow learning for the ice-using Jounin, since the art of blacksmithing normally requires two hands, so Kotetsu would have to make do with watching as the different smiths he would visit showed him how it’s done. They would also show him little things that they picked up in order to make things easier or more efficient. ‘It definitely seems like the smiths here all look out for each other…’ Kotetsu thought to himself with a smile. ‘There may be hope for this village after all…’

WC: 432

Kotetsu’s first lessons primarily revolved around setting up a forge and getting the fire lit. There was a log of work that went into building a proper forge, since there needed to be proper airflow and a way to prevent the fire and airways to get clogged with ash. It just so happened that one of the smiths was cleaning and resetting his forge, so Kotetsu was able to get a firsthand view on what a proper forge looked like. All of the smiths used some form of coal/charcoal as the fuel for their fires. The burning process created a substantial amount of ash over time, so the troughs had to be cleaned out every so often. As Kotetsu was helping to clear out the ash from the forge, he got to see what he would need for a coal forge. At least one main access point for air, more would be ideal for larger forges. He would also need a similar method of removing ash from the fire. Most use a pit of some kind that lays lower than the air pathways. The forge would also need access points for him to control the amount of fuel being laid on the fire, as well as another opening where he can do the actual forging. Those openings would vary depending on the size of the actual forge and the type of work that would be done with it. ‘I wonder if it would be possible to link multiple forges to the same ash trough and airflow channels…’ Kotetsu thought to himself as they continued to clean out the forge. It was a very long process, taking most of the day. It was worthwhile for the young Jounin as it gave him valuable insight into the start of his new venture. It also gave him a newfound respect for the smiths in the village. The amount of work they have to put into their forge just to be able to ply their craft.

Once the force was properly cleaned out, the smith showed Kotetsu how to lay the coal in the forge and how to light it, developing the coal to control the heart of the fire to direct its heat based on what you want to forge. That was the most important part, as without the right flame, you can't heat the metal. 'And you can't forge anything without hot metal...' Kotetsu thought to himself during the explanation. It all depended on what you were working on, and how you wanted to make it, as many different weapons had their own specifics on how they're made. Different types of metals required different heating and forging steps. Different types of weapons required different things. Even different forms of the same weapons didn't always have the same steps involved. There was a lot to keep in mind, but Kotetsu was up for the challenge.

WC: 483
TWC: 915

He had been learning a lot from the other artisans in the village on the topic of building a forge. That was the most important first step. You could be the best smith in the world, but if your workspace was sub-par, it would only serve to hinder and lessen the craft. Kotetsu had been investing all of the ryo he earned from missions in order to acquire the best quality materials, the best designers, and the best craftsmen to help him realise his dream. There was a plot in the town’s market district that had recently become vacant. It was bigger than what Kotetsu needed, but that was a good thing, because it meant he could always expand later. That meant he would need to plan out his final vision in advance, since he would not want to completely rebuild everything every time he needed to expand. That being said, the important aspects were planned out first. The forge being the area that received the most attention and most planning. Kotetsu wanted to have several different forges. Particularly because he could work on multiple projects at the same time thanks to his Shadow Clone technique. They would all be in the same general area, so they would share the same network of channels for ventilation and waste diversion.

Because Kotetsu had an extreme interest in mechanics and tinkering, he would plan out his forge to be as self-sufficient as possible. The area would also be designed in such a way to keep the forges protected from the elements, but allow for excess heat to escape from the forge rooms themselves. That heat would be used to heat water into steam, which would be sent through pipes into a turbine. The Turbine would be connected to a generator to provide power to the rest of the building, powering lights and other amenities as they were incorporated into his plans.

With the planning completed, the actual work would begin. The first thing that would be done is clearing away the existing structure since it would be in the way of excavating the ground to set up a proper basement and channels for ventilation. Of course the work would attract crowds, since people were naturally curious. Kotetsu, being a very hands-on individual, would help with the demolition of the original structure and the excavation of the entire plot. He wanted to make sure there was a solid foundation for the rest of the building. The plans involved a series of structures and several floors. He had intentions to use this as his home as well as his business. He was at the age where it would be time to have some space of his own. He technically had another home already, but he would like to have a permanent structure in Hoshi as well. It would be a significant undertaking, requiring a large amount of time to get the facilities in place to his satisfaction, but it would be well worth the effort involved.

WC: 502
TWC: 1417

Mid Topic Claim:
300 WC towards Blacksmith (1500/1500, 25% max stat discount)

Proof of Blacksmith

Here's a knocking indeed!

Approved.

Construction was moving forward slowly, which Kotetsu didn’t overly mind. It was a large undertaking that he was working on, and the results would pay off in the end. He didn’t want the construction team to rush, as those in a hurry are more prone to make mistakes. A methodical approach is what was required here, and Kotetsu would make sure that all aspects of his forge were completed as precisely as possible to ensure no issues down the road. The easiest part of the whole process was the demolition of the existing structure, which Kotetsu had immense pleasure in participating in. Excavating the ground though had taken longer than he had expected, but since it was the most crucial aspect of the construction, he didn’t mind. The channels for air and debris had been carved out first. They were made larger than necessary so that walls could be set up inside the ground to provide proper structure. The same was done for larger holes on a different part of the property. These would be the basement areas of the outbuildings and workshops that were to be built around the forges. Those were not as important, but it made the most sense to do all of the excavation at the same time. That process took a couple weeks to completely excavate the required areas and build the walls and floors inside of each hole and channel. Most of the basements-to-be were connected with hallways to allow for easier access to the entirety of the compound. With the most vital part of the construction completed, it was time to start building the actual forge itself.

The forges would be stone within stone. Each forge would be built of stone bricks, some larger than others, and housed inside a series of larger stone structures. This was the most important structure of the entire design, as without the forge, nothing could be created. While Kotetsu aimed for function primarily he did want the buildings to be aesthetically pleasing, at least for him. The stones were a dark grey, so that natural light entering from the outside would be absorbed and allow Kotetsu to better judge the colour of the metal being forged. He then sheathed the outer walls in a wood façade, made of mahogany and cherry wood. The roof was tiled in dark blue, with white accents. That was the plan at least. At the current stage, the stones were being laid, and since this was a little outside of Kotetsu’s area of expertise, he would stay out of the way of those building the structures, and spend his time dealing with merchants, setting up deals to acquire the materials he would need to fuel his forge, as well as acquire tools/equipment or the materials to make some of the tools he would need to properly run his new enterprise. With all of the work needing little supervision at this point in time, Kotetsu would head to the training ground to catch up on some much needed training.

[EXIT]

WC: 506
TWC: 1923 (300WC already claimed)

Claiming:
1500WC towards Artificer (1500/1500, 25% max stat discount), Replacing Blacksmith
123WC towards Ice Style: Arctis Tor (1099/6000, 25% max stat discount)

Proof of Arctis Tor Progress: here