Smithing

It’s hard to know now which culture first developed Forge Magic-- the art of temporarily binding magic into a blade or a suit of armor. One can, however, reliably say that if you want a weapon or armor made, and made well, with magic that will last, you gather as much coin as you can, you go to the Tharici, and you hope it is enough. The greatest of the master smiths keep their names a secret, but two names are whispered as being among their ranks: armorsmith Ionela Galca and weaponsmith Tomescu Vlas.

Early in the morning or late at night, a visitor to a Tharici camp will hear the sound of hammer and tongs, and of the smiths’ voices raised in song. These songs keep the time of their hammer-strikes, and pass the long hours of work. If one knew how to listen to them, one might even learn a little history or lore of the arcane.

This practice of Forge Magic particularly angers the Imperial Society of Smiths. The Tharici compete for the same customers, often undercutting the guild’s prices. They possess secrets of the forge that the guild claims as their domain. The Imperial Society of Smiths handles this by putting pressure on lords who would allow caravans to stay on their lands, and by spreading unsavory rumors about the Tharici.