Skyrim: Faal Thur

Upon arriving at the forge, Brom greeted Eorlund Gray-Mane and began explaining his plan.

"I want you to teach me how to forge ebony armor and sky forge steel. Then I'm going to make an alloy of the two metals and forge a set of armor and weapons, for both me and my friend Erin here."

"You want me to teach you the secrets of forging sky-forged steel? No, I will not let just anyone learn such an important secret."

"I figured that would be the case, that is why I'm offering you a trade. I will tell you where the two pieces of Wuthrad are. In return, you will teach me your craft until I have mastered it."

"How do I know if the pieces are even there? Besides, it is highly unlikely you would find them before the extensive network of adventurers we have searching for them."

"If they are not there, I will pay triple the price for the lessons and material used. Plus, I will supply you with monthly shipments of gold for your jewelry."

"Hmmm, you put a lot on the line. Fine, if what you say is true, then tell me and we can begin."

"Good, I knew you would be reasonable. The fragments are in Driftshade Refuge, this is the Silver Hand's main hideout. As your mortal enemies, this should be twice as rewarding for the Companions."

"I'll send the inner circle after them when we are done here, get comfortable. You are about to learn the finest smithing techniques and how to properly use the Sky Forge."

It only took Brom four hours to learn the techniques, but mastery was a long way off. Now only able to craft crude ebony and Sky Forge steel armor and weapons, Brom decided to change plans.

"Okay, I know the basics, but I do not have the skill nor the experience to be as proficient as you. So, I want you to forge me and Erin's armor and weapons. I have the plans right here, and I will enchant them while you forge."

"Enchant while I forge? How are you going to do that without getting in my way? Or using one of those tables?"

"I'm going to enchant them with the Thu'um. Using a simple spell, that directs the words of a user I think I'll be able to direct words of power into my weapons and armor. I have not tried this out yet though."

"Hmmm, fine. This is not part of our initial deal, but since you learned so quick and showed admiration for the craft. I will forge your arms. Although, I still do not see how you can enchant with the Thu'um as it has such a large cooldown."

"Thank you, and leave that part to me. Now let's begin."

With that Eorlund Began making the alloy, when it was ready to be its own material, Brom used his first enchanting Shout.

"MUL KUN HEVNO"

The words were Shouted while Brom used a simple focusing spell and this worked. The alloy was now imbued with strength, light, and hardness. This should make the armor and weapons far more effective than normal.

"By the gods! You actually Shouted. And the metal, it seems to radiate power. You actually did it."

"Focus Eorlund! We only have one shot at this."

"Alright, now let me start forging. This will be a quality to rival the gods themselves"

Smiling like little kid in a candy store Eorlund began making Brom's new longsword. When it was done, he enchanted this with a shout too.

"KINZON MUL NAH"

This shout imbued his sword with a sharp, strong, fury. Next was his armor, this too he enchanted with his Thu'um.

" MUL FUS SPAAN"

This one imbued his armor with protection from force and magic. Brom signaled Eorlund to stop before he made the other set.

"Why are we stopping? Did you decide against armor for your friend?"

Brom simply pointed to his throat, then spit out blood.

"Ah, I see. Well, when will you be able to continue?"

Brom held up one finger.

"One hour?"

Brom shook his head.

"One day?"

Nodding Brom smiled. Then he reached for his equipment but was stopped by Eorlund.

"I'll hold onto this and polish it up. At least until the fragments are brought back."

Brom merely nodded his head and motioned Erin to follow. He led the way to the Bannered Mare where he pointed at the bartender, then the stairs. Nodding her head, Erin walked towards the counter and paid for a room.

The night, thankfully, was uneventful for Brom as using the Thu'um that much had taken a lot out of him. Laying there, he finally found the will to get up and woke Erin up as well. Heading downstairs the two ate breakfast before heading to the forge. This time, Brom drank an Ultimate potion that refilled all of his health, stamina, and magica so he was completely refreshed in order to not mess up.

"Alright, I'm ready to begin when you are Eorlund"

"Good, I'll show you your armor while we are waiting on the alloy to heat up."

Walking over to the nearby rock table, Eorlund lifted up Brom's armor. The armor was an ebony tri-weave with Sky Forged steel plating that interlocked and overlapped over Brom's most important parts. The ebony tri-weave was flexible, but more importantly, absorbed momentum really well. The sky forged steel plating was hard but not brittle, and the interlocked pattern allowed it to flex a bit before stopping. This combination of unique metals allowed solid protection and great mobility, a feat not seen during this time. Eorlund had taken the liberty of adding golden accents to the plating and even four daedric like horns. Brom did not care too much about the horns, but it provided a nice menacing aesthetic.

"Now it might still need some size adjustments, but we will get to that later."

Setting down the armor, he got back to forging. This time he was making Erin's bow. Brom imbued this bow with his Thu'um the same way as before.

"BO FUS LAH"

Brom imbued this bow with flight, force, and magic. Finally, it was Erin's armor's turn.

"VONUN SPAAN KORAAV"

Brom had her armor imbued with better protection, stealth, and perception. He was not sure how the perception would turn out but hoped it would improve her archery.

After this, all of their equipment was done, and only needed to be assembled, polished, and adjusted for a perfect fit. Eorlund spent the rest of the evening on this task and a few hours before dusk he was finished. Since he only had to shout twice, Brom was still able to speak.

"Great job Eorlund, I think this is your finest work yet."

"I would have to agree, while these designs were interesting they were certainly a new challenge and I was happy to give it my best."

"Good, do you know when the Companions are due to return from the Silver Hand hideout?"

"Two days from now,"

"Alright, we will be back in three, in case they got delayed."

With that Brom and Erin said farewell to Eorlund and headed to the inn. They rested there the night and then headed to the stables on the outside of the city where their horses were left. The others had already gone back to The Mine.

"Well, time to go and see what mess we have to clean up."

"Do you really think something went wrong? We were only gone a day."

"If something can go wrong, it will. It is best to prepare for the worst. If you are right, you are ready for it, and if you are wrong you won't be disappointed."

Spitting out random quotes he had read over the years, made Brom sound much wiser than he really was. The two rode back to The Mine in relative quiet. Upon arriving they were recognized and let in. Brom was looking around, but he could not see anything wrong. People were working like they were supposed to be, and not bodies were laying on the ground. Not getting his hopes up quite yet, he entered the mine itself.

Going through the tunnels and into the main chamber, his eyes lit with pride. There was assembly line working and making jewelry. Everything was running smoothly and he sighed.

"This, this I could get used to."

"What?" Erin looked at him sideways.

Extending his hand, he pointed at everything.

"All of this, I made it. I was able to turn a bunch of savages into a workforce and turn an old iron mine into a gold factory."

"Oh… I see"

Glancing at her and seeing the confusion in her eyes, Brom scolded her.

"What did I tell you about lying, even small ones can lead to big mistakes"

"Sorry!"

Erin shied a step away from him. Softening his gaze, Brom said.

"Come on, let's go to bed. Tomorrow we will do some final touches on this place and see what kind of profit it will produce now that the initial costs are covered."

The pair headed to bed and slept. Waking up in the morning Brom made his rounds around The Mine. He wrote down a list of repairs and upgrades, then handed them to Taruk to take care of. With that out of the way, he had the rest of the afternoon off.

With no immediate threat or task, he felt lost. Ever since he came to this world he always had a task, something to do. Now that he was without one, even if only for a day, he was not sure what to do. Deciding that training was always an option, he brought Erin to the ring.

"Today, you are going to learn how to fight with your bow, in close range."

"Okay, but how do I do that?"

"Well, figure it out."

Brom spent the next three hours charging Erin and swinging wildly at her with the practice weapons. At first, she only managed to wack him once before she died. After an hour she could dodge a bit, land a few blows but would still die. Once their three hours were up, she was able to dodge most attacks and even get off fast shots while dodging.

"Impressive, you learn fast."

"Not fast enough, you still manage to beat me every time"

"Just remember that I always win."

"…"

"Anyways, your final test for today. Survive for 5 minutes against my assault."

"Okay, I can do that."

"Oh, and I won't be holding back this time."

Erin's face paled and she gripped her bow and pre-nocked an arrow. She got in her ready stance and nodded. Brom smiled and pulled out an hourglass.

"If you are still standing when all of the sand leaves the top, you win."

He flipped it over and before the first grain even hit the bottom, he was already half-way to her.