What happened. What's missing. Yes, these are good questions. If only her Universal Weapon would allow her to see so small a crime. Well, it had, but not enough to follow a trail.
"Gili has rivals, other smiths. They do not like her much. This was not a fact I was aware of, for it has been 'calm as tits' lately. These are her words. However it is no longer calm. Last night, after we closed down the forge for the night, people came into the forge. She believes it is people under the employ of these other smiths. Many things were tossed and made messy. Gili will be spending the day righting things and restoring what is damaged. Or working to replace it. Even those commissions we had finished or nearly so will need made anew. But..."
And this was the sad part. It hurt her deeply, even though it should not.
"My touchmark stamp is gone. It was stolen from the forge. My tools as well, I can forge new ones. All smiths forge their own tools from the tools of first their master, then from old tools. I can and will work to replace those, but my touchmark stamp is more important."
All smiths marked their work, and while Gili felt that an apprentice needed to work up to the point where they would be allowed to make and use a mark, Lauri had attained that level. And she'd only just attained hers.
"We keep the touchmarks in a safe, well, Gili keeps hers there, different sizes depending on what piece she is finishing, and other ones for stamping numbers or dates onto things for commissions if requested. Or names. But mine? We had just finished it last night. It is a delicate process, made harder for me because of the size of my hands compared to the stamp head. I can make another of course, but..."
But it was a symbol. A mark that she was finally considered worthy of marking her own pieces for sale, rather than just imprinting her letters on smaller works she made for friends.
"They stole my touchmark. And I hoped you could help me find it. I know it won't be easy, because a scentbeast could not track the scent of metal alone. Or even metal and soot. But I found something dropped by one of the thieves. Could that be enough?"
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"Gili has rivals, other smiths. They do not like her much. This was not a fact I was aware of, for it has been 'calm as tits' lately. These are her words. However it is no longer calm. Last night, after we closed down the forge for the night, people came into the forge. She believes it is people under the employ of these other smiths. Many things were tossed and made messy. Gili will be spending the day righting things and restoring what is damaged. Or working to replace it. Even those commissions we had finished or nearly so will need made anew. But..."
And this was the sad part. It hurt her deeply, even though it should not.
"My touchmark stamp is gone. It was stolen from the forge. My tools as well, I can forge new ones. All smiths forge their own tools from the tools of first their master, then from old tools. I can and will work to replace those, but my touchmark stamp is more important."
All smiths marked their work, and while Gili felt that an apprentice needed to work up to the point where they would be allowed to make and use a mark, Lauri had attained that level. And she'd only just attained hers.
"We keep the touchmarks in a safe, well, Gili keeps hers there, different sizes depending on what piece she is finishing, and other ones for stamping numbers or dates onto things for commissions if requested. Or names. But mine? We had just finished it last night. It is a delicate process, made harder for me because of the size of my hands compared to the stamp head. I can make another of course, but..."
But it was a symbol. A mark that she was finally considered worthy of marking her own pieces for sale, rather than just imprinting her letters on smaller works she made for friends.
"They stole my touchmark. And I hoped you could help me find it. I know it won't be easy, because a scentbeast could not track the scent of metal alone. Or even metal and soot. But I found something dropped by one of the thieves. Could that be enough?"