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Peleps Dekna's Iron Foundry

by DariusSolluman

"An iron floor? What kind of idiot installs an iron floor?"

- Pouncing Jaguar, upon first entering the Foundry

"The Captain of the Seven Hills Mercenaries sent a note, thanking you for the quality of your steel- he said the war couldn't have been won without it."

- Summerhot, Dekna's son and assistant.

Peleps Dekna's Iron Foundry is perhaps one of the more famous such iron factories in Nexus. This is so for a variety of reasons.

First, it is the home of Peleps Dekna, one of the Dragon-Blooded. A Chosen of Fire from a lesser branch of the family, Dekna decided to strike out on his own and make his fortune outside of the safe boundaries of the Realm. As a Child of Hesiesh, he had a natural talent working with blazingly hot materials, as well as a natural and solid grasp of the basics of business and finance from his time in the Spiral Academy. Under his Exalted leadership, his Iron Foundry has grown rapidly.

Second, it is a huge employer. Well over four hundred men work full time in the Factory itself - this isn't counting those who provide the raw ore, the warehouse guards who watch the bars of finished stock, or the urchins that hang about to get half-penny message jobs. Peleps Dekna is a major player in the Nighthammer economy - and if he withdrew back to the Realm, it would create troubling amounts of chaos.

Third, because it is equipped to process not just iron, but virtually any mineral - including all five of the Magical Materials. Although nothing besides Jade has ever crossed through the Inner Forge's doors, Dekna likes to stay prepared. The daiklaive Crashing Summer's Thunder, vital in putting down the Blue Hurricane's rebels three years ago, was crafted entirely at Dekna's shop.

Fourth, and perhaps most famously, it was the site of the death of the Anathema Honorable Mospid. The Unclean had broken into the Foundry, as the Dragons had foreseen - and Immaculate Monks lay in wait, with Dekna's blessing. Dumping over a ton of liquid iron on the demon, they coated the stone floors of the building, burning the monster alive so that nothing remained and no escape was possible. Their own magics preserved the rest of the building - and Dekna has kept the iron floor, as one of the more unique features and drawing points of his establishment.

Dekna's Iron Foundry is one of the chief exporters of iron stock to the Realm - and orders have more than tripled since the death of Honorable Mospid. Ah, it is good when faith is rewarded ....

Summerhot is a relatively new addition - Dekna adopted him as a five year old boy nearly a decade ago, and his competence at managing the practical running of the factory is phenominal.

Rumors

• Honorable Mospid isn't dead - and Dekna knows it. Either she had been forewarned about the ambush and prepared some magic to escape, or was never there in the first place. Or, according to some, her hungry ghost rises from the very floor of the foundry at night.
• Dekna is not a simple businessman from the Realm - he is an exile, banished for some crime against the Scarlet Empress or the Immaculate Order.

Secret

• Summerhot isn't exactly Dekna's child. Not exactly. He's ... well, Dekna isn't entirely sure what. Although he looks human enough, he always feels like he has a fever. And beneath his skin is not muscle and blood, but a complex arrangement of fine orichalcum cables, jade bones, starmetal nerves and moonsilver blood - revealed during the Summerhot's youth, after a bad tumble from a house. Dekna keeps the Magical Materials handy not for customers, but to care for his adopted son. The Emissary asked Dekna to keep him safe, without specifying what from or why him - but it's best not to ask these questions.

Magics of Peleps Deknas

Ocean Dancing Step
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One Scene
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Athletics: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Flawless Balance Discipline (from Aspect Book: Fire)

Drawing on the lessons of the Flawless Balance Discipline, this Charm lets the Exalt charge the soles of their feet with Essence. It grants all the effects of the Flawless Balance Discipline, but additionally allows the Exalt to walk upon any liquid surface- from the ocean's heaving waves, to the liquid magma of a volcano. However, the Ocean Dancing Step provides no environmental protection- walking on lava will still scorch, and walking on an ice tossed ocean will still chill.

Purifying Touch of (Element)
Cost: 10 motes per item
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Crafts: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Flaw-Finding Examination

By using this Charm, the Exalt literally scours away the weaknesses of a physical item. This manifests slightly differently, depending on which element is performing the scouring, and has slightly different effects, but a few points of commonality are certain. First, that the Purifying Touch has no effect on even the most shoddily constructed of finished products, as removing the impurities from such would lead to an overall weakening of the item- even a cracked brick may help keep a wall up. Second, the Purifying Touch ever find any of the Magical Materials impure in and of themselves. Third, the Charm is meant to be used in conjuction with the crafting processes, cleansing the raw materials before they are shaped. Such raw material is always considered exceptional, for purposes of crafting equipment or artifacts. A single Touch will purify enough enough materials to make weapons or armor with a Resources value equal to the Exalt using the Touch.
A Dragonblooded may learn only the Purifying Touch of their Element.

Air: Material scoured by Air is buffeted briefly by ice cold winds, the air blowing through the material and carrying away the impurities as smoke. This reduces the weight of the item or any item made of Wind-purified stock; weapons add 1 to their Rate, while Armor reduces it's Mobility penelty by 1.
Earth: Material scoured by Earth is covered is a suddenly manfiest brilliant white sand. This sand scratches and polishes against the material for a brief moment, growing blacker and dimmer from absorbing the impurities of the item. This leaves them stronger than they would have been before; weapons add 1 to Defense, while Armor increases it's Bashing and Lethal soak by 1 each.
Fire: Material scoured by Fire heats to white hot in a moment, and then cools to cherry red. The rest of the cooling process follows as normal; the impurities manifest as a black residue on the surface of the materials. Such items feel almost alive, energized- jumping to be used. Weapons made from Fire-touched materiall adds 2 to it's Speed, while Armor adds +1 to the difficulty of striking the character.
Water: Material scoured by Water is briefly surrounded by a ball of living water. This liquid trembles for a moment, and the impurities are drawn forth, spreading out like black clouds of ink. A weapon touched by Water is unnaturally difficult to guard against, adding 1 to it's accuracy; armor touched by Water is more comfortable in any climate, and reduces the Fatigue by 1.
Wood: Material scoured by wood seems almost alive for a moment- blades of grass and flowers of Essence spring from it, only to wilt and die as the impurities are removed, fading in less than a second. Weapons touched by Wood know the cycle of life and death; the increase their Damage by 1. Armor so touched is one of the more subtle qualities- it adds 3 dice to the bearer's rolls to resist wounds becoming infected and to stop bleeding.

Comment

A nice entry, overall. It just needs links, rumours and a secret. ^_^ - (being picky) Moxiane

Definite potential here; I want to know more! A minor, pedantic note, though -- is Dekna a Chosen of Earth or a Chosen of Fire? He's mentioned first as Earth, then as Fire, in the first paragraph. -- AntiVehicleRocket

As above, you need to create two links, add a couple rumors, and have a secret. Please follow the form of the Nexus Project. - MelWong

Sorry about that- updated to the right format.

Thanks. Also... very nice. I like it a lot - especially Summerhot. - Moxiane