Codex Elsana Guide¶
PRACTICAL-LY SILLY GUIDE: LOCKSMITHING
By
Elsana Enarius
Grand Master Locksmith
Member of the Guild of Locksmiths
Retainer to House Belenus
Auxilii, Healer, and Outdoors Hobbyist
Dedication
I dedicate this guide to the Library of Iridine, in
hopes that all who seek information on Locksmithing will
find it an enjoyable introduction.
And to Lec, because he is my best friend.
And to Raidian, because she inspired me to write it
through her tireless efforts getting the library drive going.
And because shes one of the truest and most interesting
people you will ever find in Iridine. Know her. Love her.
-Elsana
Introduction
Have you ever dreamt of doing something more with
your life? Does the subtle call of duty ring in your ears like
an army of Gadaene dancers, whose anklets and bracelets
and hair beads tinkle pleasantly over the sounds of a
heavily-wined group of festival-goers? Do you find your
hands are always fidgeting, that your dreams are heavy-
laden with the sounds of clicking horses feet on
cobblestones, long-beaked birds pecking upon the walls of
your insula, the satisfying clank of swords sparring in the
distant Colosseum?
How did you know, miss Elsana? Those are exactly
the things my mind does, you exclaim to the page as you
read over this fine piece of soul-delving literature!
Well, no illegal magics were required to know the
feelings you hold, because I have felt those things as well.
Consider briefly the life of a much-needed asset to the great
world of Midlight, in which brigands and brutes constantly
face harsh life lessons stricken upon them by the combatant
hands of Iridines fine, noble residents. Many of the goods
that have been stolen from us may yet be returned, as most
of those brigands fall carrying chests and coffers. Imagine
the life of a locksmith, whose efforts are never wasted.
Locksmithing is somewhat versatile, in that it can be a
lifetime profession or a hobby. As a profession, the skill
allows an adventurous non-combatant the ability to offer
assistance to some hunting parties. To those who are less
adventurous, locksmiths are a much-needed and highly-
appreciated commodity in the city of Iridine and its
surrounding areas. To all those combatant folk, there is no
need to explain why picking up the craft as a hobby would
be to your benefit.
Does clicking coffers all day sound like a bore to you?
Or do you find yourself wanting more? There are many
trainers, including the world-renowned and ever-busy
Apula from Riverside Locks, who can teach you about
anything you could want to know until you are outstanding!
Speaking from personal experience, I find that the forging
aspect of smith work is quite satisfying, not to mention, if
you are forgetful like& someone I know& (not me at
all&)& it saves a fair amount of coin in the long-run.
So think about it! Consider it! Laugh about it, cry about
it (happy tears!), and cuddle up to the thought of it as you
sip your morning tea, the voices of desperation flooding
your head as residents trudge home with sacks upon sacks
of work that YOU, you the future of Iridines locksmiths,
could be assisting them with!
Now, heres a treat for you! Here is my guide to forging
YOU& into a Grand Master Locksmith!!
Starting Out
You will want to visit Apulas shop, located just a few
paces north of the Bronze Lane marker point (the constable
there stares, so youll want to walk quickly, unless thats
the sort of thing you like), through a door to the west. There
is an enormous practice board with locks of all shapes and
sizes, from all different parts of Midlight, bolted onto the
wall. You can practice unlocking that until your hands
bleed, OR&
&You can call upon the Guild of Locksmiths! If you have
an interest in becoming a recruit of ours, we can set you up
with a nice silver lockpick, and usually we have nice
coffers which are easier to unlock, and they are lockable,
jammable, and unjammable as well. Those you can take
anywhere, and make excellent fire wood when you get cold
at --- when youre a Grand Master, of course.
Your interests as far as what you want to learn may vary
greatly, so it is best to seek out another locksmith and ask
them if you are unsure of the best order to learn your sub-
skills in.
Picking Coffers and Chests!
Coffers are generally easier to open than chests. The locks
are simpler, as you will see when you look at them. Try
these first. The best thing while starting out is to offer
your services to any and all who will let you try on their
collections, but be aware of your own skill level. If you
find that a coffer or chest is too badly jammed, and you
cant study it well enough to try with a greater chance of
success, move on! Dont be ashamed, some are very tricky.
If you jam them up too badly, a master smith may even
have difficulty, and that leads to mean-faced clients. Im
making a mean face to show you, can you see?? Yeah, you
dont want that!
Steps!
Before You Start: Keep all of the coffers and chests on the
ground or in a sack you are carrying. It can get confusing if
you or your client tries to pick them up while you are
working.
Step One: Unjam it! Remember, if its too hard, ignore it!
Its motivation to keep perfecting your skill.
Step Two: Unlock it! This is easier, and there is no risk of
jamming it up while you try. Keep trying!
Step Three: If the client doesnt care, collect the stubborn
containers and bring them to me so that I can add them to
my burn pile. It gets cold at the Dancing Cat during the
rainy season.
Forging!
Want to forge a key or lockpick?! Great!! Its my
favorite. Heres how you do it.
Steps!
Step One: Get your tools! You need wax, clay, a crucible,
tongs, and sometimes firewood. You can ask an outdoors
person for help collecting this if you do, in fact, need it.
Step Two: Take the item you want to duplicate, and warm
some wax around it. This may take several tries, because
the wax can be stubborn. I promise, it gets very easy with
lots of practice!
Step Three: Offer the item back to its owner, and then
scoop out some clay. This particular clay is quite stubborn,
so dont get it on your clothes if you can help it. It stains.
THEN! Work the clay around the wax imprint you have
created. This will create a nice little encased clay box of
sorts. If you have a knife, you can label this mold should
you or the client wish it.
Step Four: Grab your tongs! In the furnace room across
from Apulas, light the second furnace, as this one creates a
smaller flame. Heat the clay over that second furnace until
it dries. This can get really hot, so I advise wearing gloves.
Step Five: Extinguish the second furnace and light the first
one. Drop your tongs and the mold, making sure to keep it
in plain sight of any clients present. Then! Grab your
crucible and slag, and place the slag into the crucible. Pick
your tongs back up and heat the crucible over the lit
furnace. You will be able to tell when the metal is ready to
use, because it will be a bright-orange liquid.
Step Six: Forge the tool with the crucible and mold you
dropped. Make sure it is the only mold on the ground
before forging it, just to be sure youre not making the
wrong one.
Step Seven: Extinguish the furnace and pick up the mold.
At this point you can either offer it to the owner, or
crack it into dust. If you simply discard it, be aware
that some scummy rat hunter may pick it up at the dumps!
THIS CAN BECOME A PROBLEM. Just a warning.
And thats it! Its really quite simple once you get
the imprint and mold creation down to an art.
Also note that if you forget any steps at any point,
there is a beautifully-written sign in the furnace room!
...Read on to learn about the Guild of Locksmiths!
The Guild of Locksmiths
I mentioned briefly the Guild of Locksmiths in the first
part of this book. We are a diverse crew of smiths who work
tirelessly to improve our skill, and offer our services to
the Iridine community. We have a special headquarters which
members have access to, which has a private furnace room,
tools, and at the time of me writing this, we hope to have a
garden built sometime in the near future!
We charge residents a standard fee for our services, and in
exchange, the grand-master smiths will train its members to
an equal level. Other aspiring locksmiths who do not join
are only entitled to free lessons to a practiced level by
our members. Many locksmiths join for that reason, and then
find they rather enjoy their place among us.
More information can be obtained by finding a GoL
member. Were around most of the time, so all you have to
do is think for us!
Hunting as a Locksmith
Going on hunting trips with combatant residents can prove
very profitable to a professional locksmith! Not to mention,
it is fun if you like walking through DANGER, and it can
even inspire you to learn new things! Like healing, to help
the wounded warriors (and yourself)! Like hunting lore to
collect high quality skins from fallen creatures! Like
outdoor basics to build shelter for your exhausted
comrades! The inspiration is ENDLESS!
Here are some tips if you decide to leave the city of
Iridine in search of locksmith adventures!
- Always travel in a group.
- Have the person most capable of combat
guarding protect you for the whole adventure. Stick
close to this person so that you remain guarded! If you
lose them, be sure to ask them not to forget they should
be guarding you.
- If you go to the Brigand Treehouse, the best
places to stay are at the base of the tree (but dont
move, or the archer might see you!) or in the center
room, guarded by your trusty guard-man/woman-
person. You can offer to collect the chests and coffers
from unconscious brigands and other equally filthy
men, and unlock them as you get them. Keeping the
sacks is good, too, so your companions or you (if
youre very fast) can organize their acquired loot.
- If you venture to the Ravines in Monlon, there is
a room that usually has a mattress which is safe to stay
in. If youre a very clean person, you might consider
bringing a blanket along as the mattress is rather filthy.
Also note that the hoards there use chests with more
advanced lock mechanisms, so they are sometimes
more difficult to get open.
- Dont be afraid to charge them a little more for
the danger and travel factors. Not to mention, you are
saving them the hassle of bringing back the heavy
chests, and you can all camp out for a while, thus
increasing their hunting and loot-collecting efficiency!
Just be sure to ask them ahead of time if your new fee is
acceptable.
So there you have it, my little guide to some of the
possibilities that await locksmiths in Iridine. The skill
has introduced me to everyone and everything that I
currently do, and my experiences both inside and
outside of the City have forged conversations and
friendships I never otherwise could have had.
Also, the first five people to come to me after reading
this book who ask me for an excellent quality silver
lockpick may have one for free!
Now go dance around, grab that tea, and ponder away!