Chapitre 11: A New God Of The Forge In DC 5
(Third Person POV): The Island Of Lemnos
An unassuming island in the Aegean Sea yet home to the God Of The Forge, and if one were to approach the sea around the island, some would notice the sea bubbling from the heat emanating from the forge. The island itself remains utterly ordinary, with some villages present if only to accept new blacksmiths and serve as an outpost for any nefarious forces.
A month has passed since the new Olympian Hephaestus arrived, and to say he has been busy would be an understatement as every day, the noise created by the forge would last for days on end, but let it be known that Hepheastsus is considerate and made it so barely any noise escapes his forge. He totally did this because he wanted to and not because the other blacksmiths threatened to take away his forging privileges if he kept making noise in the middle of the night.
But moving on the volcano, the view remains untouched as Hephaestus keeps the power of that lava-spewing mountain at bay with his presence. As the sound of hammers hitting metal echoes through the inside of the volcano, we find the god building various things, from weapons to armor and even accessories that would make modern jewelry seem lacking in design.
One would think that only having the ability to forge would be boring. Still, if one were to look at the face of the forge god, it would seem that he was living his best life, which he is as through the weeks he has been forging each of his designs, becoming better and better with each new iteration. The only caveat of this is that Thetis and her sister often have to drag Hephaestus from the forge in order to interact with others.
Speaking of which, "Thetis unhand me! I need to finish this new weapon!." The woman then sighs, saying, "Russ, you need to get out more. Both Eurynome and I are worried as you are seemingly prepping for war. I believe that no one is looking for you after a month, yet you seem incensed. What possesses you to improve so quickly?"
Hephaestus then stands up and says, "I am not in a hurry. I am simply preparing. One must constantly improve their craft, and besides, I go outside very often." The sea goddess then placed her fingers on her forehead, saying, "I understand your need to improve, but both Eury and I are worried as you need to interact with others lest you seem like an outcast."
Hephaestus relents, simply staring at one another as he says, "Alright, I see your point, but I am not exactly flush with coin nor skillful in sailing. So what do you recommend?" The woman then forms a thinking gesture, saying, "Well, seeing that you want to have an objective, how about this? I want you to go to the village and help until the sun sets. If you can do this, I will not complain about your forging obsession."
As if the universe agrees with Thetis, Hephaestus stops as he grows a smile on his face. He hugs the woman and says, "What an amazing idea. I completely agree, so I shall return at night, so do not wait up for me."
(Successful Roll: 200 CP Remaining)
The woman was confused by the gesture while also slightly blushing as she felt the god's form against her own. Still, before the blacksmith could notice, he was already gone leaving the woman somewhat confused but also annoyed with Thetis muttering under her breath, "Damn you, Hephaestus making me feel this with your looks and skill. I need to find Eury so I can annoy her."
So Thetis then leaves the volcano forge with Hephaestus smiling like a madman because of the perk he received from the celestial forge. But for now, he heads to the village to see if there is anything to do and if he can borrow a door to use. He could make one but was too busy forging to have the time.
But the god's laziness aside, he soon arrives at the village to find the market brimming with a decent amount of people as a decent number of traders and blacksmiths call this island their home and, as such, form a sort of symbiotic relationship with the traders making money off of the works of the blacksmiths on the island and the blacksmiths gaining fame and wealth as they receive a percentage of the profits.
While all of them are good blacksmiths in their own right, Hephaestus then decides to join them, so using the supplies he has on hand, he makes a small stall at the market and decides to sell his weapons, nothing special, just some swords and daggers along with some armor. While it is of amazing quality, it holds no specific benefit, as while he did want to sell weapons, he did not want to sell weapons of mass destruction, at least not yet.
While Hephaestus May understand that he is in the DC Universe, it doesn't mean that he can't bring aspects of other universes into his reality. Besides, with the Celestial Forge, he'll eventually be able to create realities himself. To this day, deep in his heart, one of his goals is to recreate some of the noble phantasms from the Fate universe, like EA The Sword Of Rupture or weapons from Kingdom Hearts, specifically the Keyblades.
But the god of the forge calms himself as such things are for the future, and right now, it seems he has attracted his first customer. The god then looks at the man as he inspects the weapons, and upon a couple of minutes of viewing, he asks, "Are these your creations?" Hephaestus, working under the name Kostas, then nods as the customer asks, "Impressive. How much for this sword blacksmith?"
Examining the sword, the man placed it down as Hephaestus responded and said, "I would say 30 Drachmea, but since you are my first customer, I will lower it to 25 Drachmea."
(Apologies if this seems too low or too high; I am basing this off the fact that an entire set of armor and weaponry would cost a regular Soldier two farms or 200 Drachmea.)
The man then narrows his eyes as he says, "If you lower it to 15, we have a deal." Hephaestus scoffs as he says, "For a toothpick, yes, it would be, but these blades are of the highest quality. The lowest I will go is twenty."
The man then seems annoyed as he responds by saying, "I already own a blade, and it seems twice as better as yours and four times as ornate." The man then shows Hephaestus his sword, and while it is lined with various letters and some gold, its overall quality would not last a day or even an hour in battle.
Hephaestus, being a bit cheeky, says to the man, "All right then, if your sword is so much more superior, then take a swing at the one you are trying to buy.
If it breaks, then you lose nothing, but if yours breaks, you buy the sword. Seems fair, no?" The man then smirked confidently as he took out his ornate xiphos, and after Hephaestus placed the blade on a stand with the pommel and pointed it at opposite ends, the man took a swing at the blade.
The crowd, seeing what is going on, observes the Merchant taking a swing, and as the blow lands, the Merchant's sword breaks in half while Hephaestus's sword remains pristine.
As the Merchant looks at his broken blade in shock, he sighs, turns to Hephaestus, and says, "Well, a deal is a deal. Here are your twenty drachmas." the man takes the sword and is surprised at the lower weight and asks the blacksmith "This blade seems perfect in my hand how are you able to manage this?"
Hephaestus then simply replies by saying, "A sword is more than just a weapon, my friend. It is something that remains by your side regardless of betrayal or success. A warrior's weapon is their life. Keep it safe and keep it pristine, and it shall serve you greater than any servant." The man then nods and says, "Well, blacksmith, my name is Oros, a merchant from Crete, and I hope you will consider selling me more of these."
Hephaestus then simply says, "Of course, and my name is Kostas, resident of this island. Feel free to return and buy more weaponry. And I can assure you that Iron Hands will always sell quality weapons." The man then chuckles as he says, "An interesting name.
I assume you came up with that on the spot?" Hephaestus then says nothing as he returns to his stall, where more merchants have formed a line to buy his wares with Heapeastus ready to sell.
(Successful Roll: 200 CP Remaining)
(Third Person POV: Mount Olympus)
The home of the Greek gods was as beautiful as it was imposing, with the very city inserted into the mountain and the material looking similar to white marble but far stronger than that as it was made to house gods, after all. But not all was well in the heights of the gods as a storm was brewing over the main palace home of Zeus and his "wife" Hera, and yelling could be heard for miles.
"Where is the boy Hera? I know you had created one. A method to undermine me, I assume? I am not blind, my queen. I felt the presence of two divines in your palace, so out with it, woman!" A man with white hair and what seems like glowing blue eyes yells.
"The child is dead! He was a failure, just like the first, a reminder of my own failure, so I got rid of him. Besides, a god can barely step out of Olympus without your paranoia, making it seem like treason. Regardless, your fears are unfounded. The child is dead." A woman says as she looks to the horizon with her robes looking fashioned from the stars themselves.
"You lie! Just like always. I know what you have done to Leto, and while she is pregnant, we had done so before our marriage, so your punishment is unfounded." Zeus says as he grabs his wife and lifts her up into the air by her neck.
(For context, Zeus has been married to Hera but did get the Titaness Leto pregnant before the marriage, and the timeline is a bit of a mess, so assume that Zeus and Hera got married only a couple of years ago after Zeus ate Metis and had Ares with Hera. Leto only got pregnant recently.)
Hera only smirks as she says, choking, "While I cannot punish you for your infidelity, I can punish your whores so do it. Hurt me, make me bleed. It is not even the worst pain you have inflicted since we got married. But regardless of what you do to me for every bastard child, I will bring upon their parents and their families untold pain." Zeus then glares at her and throws her into the wall as Hera laughs.
While Zeus can hurt Hera, he cannot do anything permanent. While as the ruler of Olympus, he could make these Gods mortal, it would only last for a short amount of time, and they would be rejuvenated into their original form if they died, so such a punishment would only be for a couple of years at most. So Zeus simply leaves as Hera shakily stands up and, after knowing Zeus has left, returns to her chambers.
Staring at the bed that was once full of warmth, she sees it now destroyed, and while she knows that this cycle will continue, the pain she will deal with Zeus's conquests will be enough.
Yet the pain still remains. This day, she wonders why Zeus seeks out more women. Is it for their beauty, their position, or their personality? For many days and nights, she has pondered these questions.
But in her mind, she cannot understand what Zeus sees in those filthy mortals. She could take the form of anyone, the King of God's desires, and could be the greatest of wives if only he was loyal. At some point, she blames this as a punishment to herself for marrying her sibling. On other days, she can never truly understand where such a playboy attitude came from.
Hera then uses her divine senses to contact the beast that she has found in her travels, Python, a beast of Gaea, and as she feels her mind connect to Python's, she asks, "Have you managed to gain Leto's scent yet, creature?" The beast simply hisses but says, "I have Queen Of Olympusss, but do I have your word that Zeusss will not interfere?"
The queen scoffs as she says, "Place a beautiful woman in his eyes, and he will be distracted for days. Even now, I can feel him looking for his next conquest, so now is the time. Find Leto and harm her so greatly that her unborn children die. And based on how pregnant she is, you only have about nine days, so be quick about it, beast."
Hera then cuts the connection and awaits news of the loss of Leto's children. And since Zeus will kill Python, her involvement will have no evidence, so Zeus will return distraught, and for a while, she will heal him emotionally. Even Hera knows this is a temporary measure, but even if Zeus is only loyal for a couple of centuries, the plans are enough.
But as Hera goes to observe her followers, she looks to another room meant for another yet just as quickly turns away from it. The past should stay in the past, after all, and there is no one to fill that room anymore.
Perks Gained:
Mundane Supply World (The Celestial Foundry) (100CP):
This item gives you access to all the materials that one could get on Earth but with one caveat: you'll have to find and harvest them yourself. Your warehouse gains a portal that is linked to an artificial plane of existence that is of infinite size in all directions, where humanity or sapience of any kind never developed. You can find an unlimited number of any resources given enough time, but they are spread around as would naturally occur in nature, meaning you have to move often when you exhaust the local supply.
Resources are always located in environments where you would find them on Earth, and when you travel to this world, you are able to choose which environment you arrive in or return to any prior location you have been before. Environments have realistic distances between them, so if you need something found in several biodomes, you need to return to your warehouse or use a fast transport of some kind.
Every time you gain a perk that requires access to a new raw material, this raw material appears in the most native form in this supply world and has to be collected as it normally would be. If your material is only found inside stars, you better be ready to get a rocket to go collect it somehow.
Her Majesty's Majesty (Fate/Legends - Empire of Antiquity) (100CP):
They say that every hero of these times was a marvel to look upon. The statues that remain from these years in modern times give that impression, and should you eventually have one made of you, it won't fall short. Whether it's being beautiful or handsome, you stand out like a shining jewel, even among heroes.
Many can't help but gasp once they see your visage, and it'll smooth out plenty of problems for you, not the least is finding a suitable partner. Your beauty will also affect the things that you make and rule over, even something as large as Rome itself, but this effect slowly takes hold over time.
While a sword you wield may slowly become more ornate and fine over days of use, an empire might need years to be fully affected, but it and all its people will be shining by the end. You can have this stop at a certain level, whether that's to keep some parts of your empire ugly or just to stop everyone from becoming self-obsessed snobs who never stop looking in mirrors.
Family Jewels (Elder Scrolls Online) (100CP)
You're a certified jeweler, well versed in things like stone cutting and gem polishing, and working with precious metals like copper and gold in a non-martial sense. You can definitely handle any metal up to Rank III (silver), and your knowledge of gemology and the symbolic nature of precious stones could earn you critical acclaim if you continue to hone your skills.
Total Banked CP: 200 (Started with 200 and got a hundred each roll.)
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone