The metalsmith

"*You are made of soft and squishy flesh and blood. You are not the person to tell me what metal can or cannot do . . . Tell me what you want, my lord. Your Majesty, tell me the dream, and then leave it to me to tell you what we can make reality.*"
―The metalsmith[[The Court of Five Thrones, Chapter 28: Solidarity]]
The **metalsmith** was a rock fae whom Gwyn ap Nudd commissioned to produce a set of armor for him during *The Court of Five Thrones*.

## Appearance

The metalsmith was 'a tall man, cobbled together from rock and stone, with eyelids that seemed to move like loose sand, and eyes chipped into a compound shape, like an insect’s. His stone eyes glittered, but no pupil expanded and contracted, and his scent was strange. His fingernails were metal, and they caused sparks to cascade off the table when he scraped them.' He had no eyebrows and he didn't show teeth whenever he smiled.

## Personality

Though the metalsmith took his craft very seriously and was confident in his abilities, he was also playful, and invited Gwyn to tell him everything that he wanted from metal, even the things that Gwyn didn't believe metal could produce.

The metalsmith lived and worked in solitude, and Gwyn considered him to be ancient and wise.

The metalsmith, like all rock fae, was a pacifist.

## Life

Gwyn located the metalsmith thanks to a network of contacts. The metalsmith was said to have 'worked with Mages and made fantastical creations of armour.' He lived within a cavern hundreds of meters underground, and did not offer Gwyn his name. Gwyn explained that he wanted armor that could withstand Gwyn's light, and discussed the armor 'he’d dreamed of when he was younger, before he was aware of the limitations of smiths. He talked of his old armour, and how he missed it, and how it was a part of him still.' When Gwyn lamented that he already *had* armor - his Glasera armor - that he wanted *back*, the metalsmith said that it would no longer fit and would need to be replaced anyway. Gwyn further explained the kind of impression he wanted to leave on others in combat.

When the metalsmith demanded Gwyn undress so the rock fae could take measurements, Gwyn hesitated, because of his shoulder injury, and explained that the armor could not suggest he was injured.

After the measurements, the metalsmith had Gwyn use his light on various ores to see which would withstand his light, which they narrowed down to three, whereon they discussed costs. The exact cost was not stated, but it was expensive, and Gwyn agreed. The metalsmith said to return in three weeks to be fitted, and if the fit was good, he would leave with the armor, along with a sword. Though the sword was not part of the arrangement, the metalsmith said he wanted to experiment with his skills, and Gwyn wouldn't need to take the sword, or pay for it, if he didn't like it.

When Gwyn returned, he was at first unimpressed with the appearance of the armor, but the metalsmith said it had illusions worked into the metal and would appear differently to other fae. The sword appeared rough-hewn as well, and Gwyn decided it must be a deliberate choice, given Gwyn's view of the metalsmith's previous work, and he allowed the metalsmith to begin fitting him with the armor. The metalsmith explained that the pauldron over Gwyn's bad shoulder was 'worked, both physically and with spells, so that when' Gwyn received a blow to that area, the force of the hit would be displaced through his upper back.

The metalsmith had Gwyn run through a drill to ensure the fit of the armor, and Gwyn was impressed by the fit. Afterward, they went to another room with a full-length mirror so that Gwyn could see how the armor looked to others. The metalsmith tapped the back of the armor twice and the appearance changed, allowing Gwyn to see that where 'there had been no helm, the back of one had appeared, hooking over the back of his head, his ears, and then from above his ears antlers branched. They were black metal also, but frosted white at the tips.' The illusion adjusted to follow Gwyn's head movements. The magic also caused his face to appear 'smudged with soot . . . blackened in some places as though he’d walked through a fire. It complemented the armour, and together he felt it gave the impression of white armour that had been charred black.' The rest of the armor 'looked far heavier, far more wicked. Now, the gauntlets also appeared frosted in white, and he could see a faint tracery of pale patterning at the edges of some of the plates.'

Gwyn noted the illusion made it appear as if the armor was even more spelled than it was, by being covered in runes. The metalsmith explained that no Mages would be able to remove these illusions from the armor itself. A Mage may be able to remove the illusions from their own perception, as well as from the perception of others, but they would have to repeatedly cast magic to do so and they couldn't affect the armor itself. When Gwyn asked about the antlers, the metalsmith explained that he was inspired by Gwyn helming the Wild Hunt, along with knowing that the An Fnwy family enjoyed stag hunts. The metalsmith also stated that it was time for them to have a horned king again, in reference to Cernunnos.

Afterward, the metalsmith teleported with Gwyn to the lee of a volcano in order to test the sword, at the metalsmith's direction. When Gwyn used his light, he was shocked that his gauntlet wasn't damaged by it. When Gwyn shot his light through the sword, the sword channeled the light for long enough that Gwyn was able to use it to cut through meters of stone before it stopped. When Gwyn's light destroyed the leather grip, they discussed Gwyn working with a metal grip instead, though Gwyn requested a second sword be made with a leather hilt for him to use in barehanded combat, to which the metalsmith agreed.

The metalsmith elaborated that while the sword would withstand repeated hits of the light, the gauntlets would only last for 5-10 years before becoming brittle and needing replacement. The metalsmith also gave him a roll of parchment detailing care of the armor, diagrams of the illusions, and other information.

## Special Abilities

### Fae Abilities

**Teleportation:** The metalsmith is able to teleport, wherein he dissolves into silt and sediment.

**Enchantment:** The ability to seed things into metal and stone, so that not even Mages can tear them free.

### Skills

The metalsmith is skilled in the creation of armor and weapons, to the point that Gwyn, upon seeing his handiwork, initially assumed it to be of Glasera make. He is known for crafting fanciful, but powerful armor loaded with magic.

## Quotations

* ‘Fire at will, Your Majesty. I cannot choose an ore, until I know which ore will cleave itself to you.’
* ‘Symbols mean something,’ the rock fae said. ‘The Seelie should remember your connection to them. The Unseelie need know that you are theirs. This will show them that you are in both worlds, and yet not quite, too. So now you can see what the others will see. If you look at the armour, you will see it for what it is. If you look in a mirror, you will see the illusions.’
* ‘Flesh creatures hardly know what is best for them, cladding themselves in things they do not understand. Now, this armour is yours. Let us return and see if you have any more questions that need answering.’

## Trivia

* The metalsmith's old master once knew someone who wielded Unseelie celestial light, and took notes. This allowed the metalsmith to create armor and a sword that could withstand Gwyn's light.
* It's possible the metalsmith is different from the metal-smith Gwyn consulted with in *Game Theory*.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own*, 30 June 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/7101860. Chapter 28: Solidarity.
2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 17 April 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/8357779. Chapter 40: Intervention.
3. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 29 September 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1939118. Chapter 15: Sounding.