Treskan Wieske, Minister of Trade
Treskan sets down his hammer on the edge of the forge. He wipes his hand across his forehead removing a film of sweat from his brow. With his left hand, he grips a pair of tongs around a newly formed long sword. The workmanship is extraordinary. The blade folded over and over to perfection. Treskan drops the sword into a barrel of water. The shock of heat meeting water sends a long hiss across the room.
Turning with a smile on his face, Treskan asks, "So, you want to be a blacksmith?" With a slight pause, he continues, "It will not be easy, my friend. Let me tell you my story..."
I went to Delucia to learn my trade. It was ideal for a miner and smith. The surrounding mountains were lush with ore and it was kept safe by town guards. Day after day, I would go through the same routine. I mined until my hands were sore, and then I mined some more. Ore was difficult to smelt into ingots at first. Sometimes I would trek back with 200 stones of ore without being able to make a single ingot. But I kept at it.
After mining the mountains, I would work the metal into weapons while chatting with the local blacksmiths. Nothing was more pleasant than seeing a familiar face in the smith shop. We would compare tips on mining and blacksmithing. One blacksmith that I seemed to meet with quite often was named Zan. We were of comparable skill levels, and would encourage each other�s training.
Before long, I was well known in Delucia. Adventurers would ask for me to mend their wounded gear. Miners would ask for me to buy their ingots. Blacksmiths would ask for me to make them shovels or picks. I became popular and trusted as a merchant. I started to find colored ore in the mountains, and not too long later was able to work these metals at the forge.
Although I enjoyed the work in the Smith shop, mining often was difficult. I would stop and talk to the sheepherders and tailors to ease the monotony. One such tailor, named Angel Rai, caught my attention. As I worked in the mountains, she would work in the meadows, sewing hides. She always was cheerful and spoke of Queen Shieba often.
When I mastered my trade, Angel and Zan were among the firsts to congratulate me. Queen Shieba allowed me to sell wares in her store. And soon after, riches upon riches appeared in my bank.
....."So, do you still wish to become a miner and blacksmith?" Treskan began to examine his hopeful student. Worry and doubt was creeping into the student�s eyes. Treskan added, "Don�t be discouraged. Blacksmithing is hard work. I lie not. But it is a rewarding trade, beyond your wildest imaginations. I have riches in both gold and friends."