While Prince Aero is pacing his bedroom floor, a young man three thousand miles to the Northwest is beginning his day. Kobi, a nineteen-year-old squire to the knight Ser Hiroshi the Raging Tiger stands on the Lesser Heroes Peak of the Iron Mountain.
Former squire would be more accurate.
Kobi’s father, a blacksmith for the western defense of the Golden Coast worked out a deal with the Raging Tiger to take his son as a squire in exchange for some free smith work. His father wanted him to rise above the station of a blacksmith. Being a squire to a great knight would be a huge steppingstone out of the forge.
The problem Kobi had was being a squire was not what he expected. Aside from the constant verbal abuse from the Raging Tiger, he also had to participate in the work of the knight. Ser Hiroshi’s work mainly consisted of theft, assault, rape and murder. Not exactly the knight his father expected.
After only three months on the job, Kobi ran away in the middle of the night from the Tiger Knight.
His shame prevented him from returning to his father. Kobi knew in his heart that his father wouldn’t understand.
The problem was Kobi had nowhere to go.
Afraid for his life he ran to the only other place he could think of, the Iron Mountain.
As a boy, his father would tell him stories of the Great Forge of Odimus on top of the Heroes Peak that crafted weapons for the greatest heroes in kingdom history. The place where master blacksmiths would forge weapons and turn them over to the magicians to be imbued with magic. The place where all the heroic magic laced weapons of the old age were made.
Of course, the forge was shut down near the end of the Great War. King Paul had the magicians and smiths thrown off the peak and the two hundred feet high steps were destroyed cutting off the forge from the world. It has sat dormant ever since.
Technically, the Great Forge is not a forbidden site, without access to the site no one thought to list. The place has been lost in time since the Great War.
Knights continued their pilgrimage to the mountain, nonetheless. At the highest peak reachable which became known as the Lesser Heroes Peak, knights gather material to make their own sword. The peak is littered with spots of carved out the iron mountain side.
Upon arriving on the peak, Kobi spent hours reading the names of the great knights who had collected iron as each knight scribed their own name above their collection spot. Ser Peter the Big Bear, Ser Alaric, Ser X’Ian, Ser John the Strong, Ser Vulcan, Ser Manderlin the Old Man, Prince Aero…
He stood where they stood, and he felt empty.
Kobi, the son of a blacksmith yearned to see the mystic forge. Boldly, he committed to reach the peak. So, he began carving footholds up the peak. For weeks, he has worked from dawn to dusk building a way. Just before dark the previous night, he completed his makeshift ladder.
This morning as the first sun rises from the south to meet the yellow “gold-kissed” face, Kobi begins his climb. His grip is strong, and his steps are true. He finishes his climb in under and hour.
He steps onto the real Heroes Peak, the first man to do so in around a thousand years.
The top of the peak is freezing! The blizzard conditions slow him, he isn’t sure of his footing. He takes each step gingerly. Whiteout conditions make the topside treacherous.
Finally, he presses against a solid wall. Kobi runs his hands along it as he inches himself down it.
His fingertips run across a gap in the wall. He has found some sort of door. It’s frozen shut. He pulls out his knife and uses it as an icepick. He cuts through until he feels the door loosening. A couple strong kicks to the center of the door causes the ice to give up its grip.
Kobi pulls his torch out from his backpack, steps inside to hide from the wind and lights it.
Immediately Kobi steps into the Great Forge. He is awestruck!
He notices how massive the place is, he estimates that at least fifty smiths could work comfortably in the space. The actual forge catches his eye.
Kobi approaches the largest forge he has ever seen and is amazed. He takes a few minutes to take it all in. He estimates that the forge could heat the entire Frost Stone Castle in the heart of the harshest winter.
His fathers’ stories didn’t do the forge justice. His father underestimated by at least half the size. The problem with legends is that they typically get exaggerated greatly. Kobi is surprised to finally see something that lives up to legend, and this one exceeds by a long-shot.
Kobi sits on a nearby bench and just looks over the massive thing in disbelief. For several minutes, he takes the place in.
As Kobi scans the object, he sees a huge pile of wood piled high against the forge. The freeze must have preserved it.
Afraid of freezing, he throws logs into the forge and lights them. The forge proves large enough to light the entire room.
Looking around the well-lit room for the first time, he takes it all in. If only his father could see this. If only…
Molds to every kind of weapon imaginable line the walls.
Long swords, short swords, curved swords, battle axes, war hammers ect…
Could these molds be the ones used for the Gilbert Knight’s war hammers? Or Aaron’s axe? Could one of the sword molds be the mold for the Royal Blade?
Wonder has struck Kobi’s mind, as he surveys the molds he is like a child receiving a new toy.
He notices that he has everything he needs to forge a weapon already in place. So Kobi looks through the molds again and selects a bastard sword mold. He takes it over to the forge and prepares to put his skills to use. His apprenticeship with his father was about to pay off.
Kobi spends the next several hours heating and cooling his blade, hammering and folding steel. Every so often he would throw logs into the fire to stoke the forge. In his focus he failed to notice each time he returned to do so the logs would be replaced. Finally after several hours he does take note.
The place is magic. His father was right.
Kobi works through the night as the blizzard conditions are too harsh to descend in the dark. He completes his sword in the early morning hours.
A beautiful hand and a half!
The rumors of the iron on the Heroes Peak were true as well. The iron has different color qualities, as it is stronger steel. Kobi’s blade has a green tint to it.
Not wanting to damage anything in the ancient forge, he decides to step outside and take a few swings in the blizzard.
He is shocked to find that the snow and the frigid conditions are gone. Instead he is greeted by spring-like conditions and green grass.
A small orchard is on the peak as well.
Kobi collects a few pieces of fruit and enjoys breakfast in the morning sun.
Kobi practices swinging his new green hued sword for several minutes and collects his thoughts.
Perhaps he should stay. He has everything he needs on the Peak.
If the forge is running, then the conditions on the peak are nearly paradise a special magic he surmises. Why would he leave? Where would he go after all?
The forge is home… for now.
Kobi returns inside and selects another sword mold. If forging weapons on the peak is a must, then he will do it with pride.
Relics of the Old Age 