Warhammer Fantasy:Steel and gunpowder

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Nachexen-Wellentag 3 IC 2488

Securing a stable supply of animal fat was undoubtedly a priority if I wanted soap production to remain consistent and profitable. Observing the circumstances, I quickly realized I had to find a way to source fat without disrupting the flow of my other activities or available resources.

The family cows weren't a viable option for constant fat supply, as they were only slaughtered when necessary for personal consumption. Slaughtering more of them for this endeavor could destabilize my own food supply and its byproducts. Pigs, however, were a much more viable alternative. They were common animals, easy to raise and maintain, and their slaughter wasn't a big issue since they were literally bred for that purpose.

I could place a herald in the village, offering to buy all the animal fat the peasants could provide. That would encourage the locals to seize the opportunity and sell their fat. I could also incentivize local hunters to increase their game quotas by granting them more permits beyond the standard allowance.

Moreover, having a steady fat supply would give me greater control over soap production, which was crucial for scaling the operation. Over time, I could organize the business more efficiently, hire more workers, and perhaps even expand production to export soap to other regions.

When I started noticing movement near the bridge, my eyes focused on a large group of people working under the guard's supervision.

With the arrival of several young blacksmiths ready to work, construction of the iron smelting furnace began immediately. Although the ground needed preparation, most of the smiths wasted no time and started dividing tasks based on their skills. While some excavated and leveled the land, others began selecting the appropriate stones for the furnace base.

The more experienced smiths, who had learned from older craftsmen or tradition, began arranging the stones and preparing the refractory clay to bind them. This clay was crucial, as it needed to withstand extremely high temperatures without crumbling. The blacksmiths worked in coordination, forming the furnace base with a solid layer of stones, then binding them with the clay.

The process advanced quickly, thanks to the large number of smiths working in different areas simultaneously. While some dug and prepared the ground, others were already building up the furnace walls, using the stone and clay mix to raise the structure. The speed of construction surprised me—thanks to the efficiency of the continuous shifts, with no long breaks, the furnace took shape much faster than anticipated.

I approached the group of smiths, surprised by their numbers. I had expected maybe ten or twenty, but there were almost fifty.

It wasn't long before the young blacksmith—who had been tirelessly working on the furnace—left his task and came to me with hands covered in clay and a look of satisfaction, though tinged with urgency.

"My lord… I brought as many as I could. I think I can still get more, but we wanted to get started right away," he said, wiping his nose and breathing heavily.

"There are still more?" I asked, astonished at the number of smiths he had already gathered. I was genuinely impressed by how quickly he had mobilized so many.

"Well…" he said, looking at the ground, a bit nervous, "many of the ones I brought are smiths who left the forge years ago. The local smith only hires the best—or those he can afford to pay. The rest, without work, offer their services on the street in exchange for food or leave town to try their luck in bigger cities. In the worst cases, they return to their families' farms and become peasants. That's how I found them. I think I can still bring more, if that's not a problem," he added, glancing shyly at the others working nearby.

"No… honestly, it's not. I have more iron ore than they could process, so I'll likely need many more hands, seasoned and experienced. This is going to hit my finances hard, but I need this to succeed. Do you think it's the same in other towns?" I asked, thoughtful as I watched the ongoing work.

"Yes, my lord… I believe if things are similar to here, then there must be many smiths who've given up or returned to their families' fields. Others must have gone to the big cities. It's likely the situation is the same elsewhere," the young blacksmith replied, looking at the other workers with a hint of sadness.

"It's good to know. And to think those skilled hands might be wasted in the fields… Fine, if I need one hundred blacksmiths working, how many of these furnaces could we build?" I asked, watching the others organize and prepare more materials.

"We could build about fifty furnaces, my lord. Iron can be forged in the ones we have, but to make high-quality iron, we need something more complex. Unfortunately, I don't have the knowledge to help you build something of that scale. A furnace like those in Nuln would be needed to smelt the ore properly," the young man explained seriously.

"And what about steel? Can you make steel with these furnaces?" I asked, genuinely curious. My mind had already opened to the possibilities of processing steel instead of just iron.

"It's feasible, my lord… though very difficult. You need to keep the furnace hot using bellows, then throw in crushed iron ore, making sure it mixes as closely as possible with red-hot charcoal. Then it must be stirred constantly so the iron bits start to fuse. Once a big enough mass of metal forms, it must be removed and hammered to eliminate impurities. This process must be repeated many times to turn iron into steel," the young blacksmith said, almost reverently describing the complexity of the process.

"Good. I'll give you the gold needed for the remaining forty-four furnaces. Adjust your plans—we're taking a risk with this venture. Find every apprentice you can and bring them to work with me. I'll send heralds to my other villages to recruit more hands," I ordered firmly, deciding this investment would be crucial for the future of my lands.

"When will it be ready?" I asked, already preparing to leave and continue with my other tasks.

"Three days, my lord. First we need to prepare the ground and wait for the clay to harden before we can continue building the furnace... In three days, we could be producing iron, my lord... but, what kind of production do you want?" the young blacksmith replied with a calculating look, as if he were already assessing the materials needed to fulfill my request.

"Axes. Woodcutter axes. I intend to cut down the nearby forests to gather large quantities of timber for construction, so I first need proper tools — and then I'll look for the workers," I answered, thinking of the massive task ahead. Every step had to be carefully calculated.

"I see... It's feasible, my lord. We'll need handles, of course. You'll have to speak to the local carpenter about that — or we could find people with experience. There are many who know the basics, but if you want something of quality..." said Kurt, watching as the other workers followed his lead, striking and organizing tools.

"I'll do just that... I'll speak to the local carpenter. But I'll also need to make sure they're ready. I need more than just the basics, so I'll look for experienced workers who can handle a larger project," I said, already thinking about how to optimize the available resources for my ambitious venture.

"And your name, young blacksmith?" I asked suddenly, realizing I still didn't know how to call him — and I didn't want to overlook such a basic detail in this sort of arrangement.

"Kurt, my lord," the blacksmith said with a slight smile, seemingly pleased with the attention I was giving him. His face, still stained with soot and mud, showed a trace of pride for the work he was doing.

"Good, Kurt. I'll send the rest of the gold once I return to the castle. I'll also send a few guards to protect this place until things are more organized. It will take time, but I believe we'll be able to set up a proper smithy that can meet my future tool demands," I replied, spurring my horse as I turned to leave.

Kurt nodded confidently, watching me ride away.

As the day went on, activity in the village continued in an orderly fashion, though the weight of responsibility remained firmly on my shoulders. To prevent further complications, I decided to leave a second herald in the village. I instructed him to announce that, starting the next day, those with carpentry skills should present themselves for work — mostly to craft tool handles. This included axes, picks, shovels, hoes... whatever was needed. I only required a small group, no more than ten people, to take charge of this first stage of production.

The wood cut by the local lumberjacks would be processed into handles, while the blacksmiths forged the heads of the tools, joining the wedge and sharpening the blade on a whetstone. With this system, in a matter of days, we'd have the first tools ready to hand out to new lumberjacks, who could then begin their work. Thus, a second production line would soon emerge. If everything went according to plan, the new lumberjacks would start working, which would allow me to expand production and explore other industries.

For now, however, all of this remained an expense. Today alone I had spent around one hundred and seventy gold crowns, and although that seemed like a lot, the potential profit it could yield if everything went well would far exceed that initial cost. If iron tools were produced efficiently, I could sell them — or even sell the processed iron directly, which would offer a good profit margin.

In the afternoon, I decided to relax by training with a wooden sword in the castle yard. I hadn't forgotten the importance of training — especially because, as a ruler, being able to fight was crucial. In many cases, martial skill is the difference between a ruler who endures and one who dies quickly in battle. And while many focused on knightly tactics, I had learned to train differently.

My training was based on close-quarters combat techniques I had learned during my years in the Foreign Legion. In real combat, the one who controlled the fight wasn't always the best armed — well, unless they had a blessed magic sword that could pierce steel — but rather the one who knew how to use their environment and movement to their advantage. My strategy, therefore, focused on bringing the enemy down quickly. Fighting in armor was difficult, and if I couldn't break through my opponent's defenses, I had to be agile enough to throw them to the ground and stab them while they were helpless.

In my mind, Judo became a key ally in that kind of combat. Holds and takedowns were essential, and Taekwondo also served as a useful tool to strike vulnerable points — knees, thighs — quickly weakening the enemy and putting them at a disadvantage.

So, my training didn't just involve swordsmanship, but also perfecting my movements and control over my body. Every kick, every turn, every step was designed to leave the opponent without options — to always take the advantage without losing control. As I trained, sweat drenched my face, but concentration kept me focused. I was more prepared than ever for the challenges ahead.

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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.

Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.

I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.

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