A Piece of History

**Date Started:** September 12, 2021
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Next Role-Play:**
**Users Involved:** ComicMaster619, Nearó, Guy, Tabor gorilla, KontonMan
**Setting:** Iceberg
**Characters Involved**: Sergia Ricciardo, Mack Malloy, Artemisia Merisi, Unnamed Adventurer, Unnamed Dark Mage

## Frozen In Time

A storm broke out in the middle of a barren landscape, blanketed by nothing but snow and ice as far as the eye could see as the distance howl of wolves and a wide assortment of beasts moved in the white veil. The heavy fall of snow made visibility absolutely impossible, making whatever shapes that lurked behind the maelstrom blend into unidentifiable shades. Any bastion of human life was all but gone, the view painting a clear picture that this was indeed the final frontier for both mages and humans alike, the wasteland of ice loitered with all manner of creatures who were unfortunate to endure her harsh treatment of guests, now nothing more than lifeless husks of frozen blocks adorning the empty terrain. To break the monotonous visage was a large edifice out in the farthest reaches of tundra, accompanied by the faintest light past the storm.

At the base of what looked like ruins, laid a large encampment, with numerous marks and symbols belonging to various different groups loitering the complex, each of differing time periods, hinting that this was not the first excursion to the this site over the years. The researchers this time around where accompanied by mages, the one running this excursion being an older gentleman, Julius Auger, around his sixties, accompanied by one of the largest voyages made in recent time, consisting of a large troupe of archeologists, construction workers, knights.

"N-Not a s-s-single shred of daylight in months," one of the archeologists bellowed, shaking in place all the while covered in nothing but the thickest fur coat and numerous blankets the guild could provide, the boiling kettle quickly freezing over the moment the building's door open, the temperature standing at −19 °F and falling, making conventional commodities an impossibility, having to rely on magical devices, but even then their usefulness was nearing its end.

"P-Professor Auger, we might have to cut our losses, we didn't account for the weather," another responded, the man trying to in vain to keep himself warm around a Lacrima, the temperature drop making it impossible to maintain candle light or fire reliably with the lowering temperature.

"Nonsense, we stand at the cusp of a breakthrough boy, don't tell me you're getting cold feet now of all times," the professor countered, "how can we hope to make our mark in history, better yet, to uncover it, if we aren't prepared to meet the expectations required to see this through." Drawing up a map, it unveiled that the site was only roughly 16% fully surfaced from underneath the snow, a feat that had taken them nearly a year to accomplish, haven gone through resources at such an unnatural pace due in part to the erratic weather patterns, their functionality ceasing due to the extreme cold wearing down on the machinery and the people operating them, leaving them to waste away in the icy tundra with all the other relics of previous excursions.

"Sir, we have to be realistic about this, not taking into account that our budget is in the red, we barely have any supplies to last us through winter as it is. If your rushing kill us, we might as well just stand naked outside and save us the trouble of starving to death." With moral low, and nearly a year of work with very little to show, professor Auger was weighing in his options, a large growl boomed past the storm raging outside, stomping and rustling in the snow becoming louder and louder as time passed before a thunderous thrash against one of the camps buildings shook the establishment. From the storm alone, the creature stood out as nothing but a black shade, hidden behind the snowstorm as it thrashed around their camp.

"BREACH! BREACH AT THE NORTH EAST ENTRANCE OF CAMP!"

Before anyone could react, the large shock from the building falling from the large beast shook the southern most side of the mountain, starting a chain reaction, the snow near the top beginning to snowfall across the rocky mountainside, starting off small before picking up speed into a full blown avalanche. As a mass of snow and rock came swiftly tumbling down from mountainside, the researchers couldn't decide a worser fate: freeze outside with nothing but monsters to accompany them or stay buried underneath the rubble of solid ice.

"Back inside, NOW!" Professor Auger screamed.

With whatever workers present, everyone rushed back to the camp's main building, the avalanche crashing violently to the side of the building, burying everything that stood topside underneath a ruble of rock and snow. With nothing but dead silence, the only noise heard throughout the whole valley was the violent whipping from the cold wind carrying the sound of scraping metal in the air, the rest of expedition team safe for now, but with little to no options left to continue their expedition now, save for a different kind of help laying outside the country.

And it was as such, that even across this frozen tundra there was a party of mages making their way towards the excavation camp to meet with this Head Researcher and his band of archeologists. With a winter chill biting down at ones very marrow, it was clear to anyone here that this harsh land would most certainly be home to only the toughest of beings and savage of men... But the journey had only just begun and the quest had been accepted by each and everyone of them after all.

Trespassing along these band of adventurers was that of a female mage standing at the very center of the group, clad in a tan coat with black fur and gloves, with whose face was currently being obscured by a black balaclava and a pair winter googles. Hiding what would otherwise be a woman with short blue and purple eyes. Walking amongst the snow with a traveler's bag across her shoulder with the help of a piece of rope, Sergia Ricciardo peered from one shoulder to the other to spot the people around her. Seemingly double checking to see if none of them had strayed off the path and been lost to the snow, there weren't that many of them after all and the winter breeze sure didn't seem to give them much foresight.

Another of the adventurers was a rather average sized figure that was completely clothed in Eskimo-like clothing, with a large hairy hood pulled over their head and a black skull like mask over their face, complete with green lens to shield their eyes. Their brown mitt covered hands held both a sheathed katana in its scabbard in one hand and a hand held lantern in the other, a blue flame danced within the confines of its glass and metal casing as the lantern swung from side to side. Whoever this person was had been a mystery to the group since their inception, as they seemed to have appeared to them in the get up they were in now, and even their voice had been severely distorted by some possible magic in their attire. Their eyes were dead set on the path ahead of them, with seemingly little care for the others as they trudged on ahead of the group. Every step of theirs had left heavy imprints into the snow they moved through, as a sense of determination could be sensed with every print they left in the ground.

"Move faster, you lot. The quicker we get there, the quicker we can get back to our lives," The figure called back with a demanding groan, "Gods, how I miss the Fiore sun."

A large grey hoodie with black fur trimmings, large boots to break through the snow and insulated pants adorned a figure as they followed the others. Fingerless gloves in spite of the freezing cold that rested against the hilts of the two blades by his waist. Peeking beneath the hood were tufts of crimson hair, hot breath turning to mist as it met the sheer cold of the region. His eyes continued to move around, scanning them and their surroundings consistently. As if he was waiting for something to jump them from nowhere.

“No one wants to move faster than the one with the lamp.” Mack Malloy clawed at the frost collecting on his fingertips. “Do we know how much farther we’ve got to go?”

"I don't know, but my toes are praying it won't be long now." Commented a figure advancing a few paces from Mack. "Besides the freezing cold, I can't see a damn thing here. *Cazzo*!"

Artemisia Merisi ended her phrase with an Italian swearing. Like everyone else, she wore dark, heavy clothing that almost completely obscured her features. A large wool-lined hood covered her head, while her face was protected from the snow by a balaclava and a heathen of snow goggles. Her outfit was a winter coat filled with layers of fur, which yes protected her from the cold, but bulked her up so much that she looked like one of those silly mascots that worked in amusement parks.

"*It was a nell business to accept this mission. A pretty shitty deal...*"

The figure thought of a hundred thousand expletives with every step in which the boots dipped almost a foot into the snow. More precisely, every time. The icy atmosphere reminded her of the days of the last months, in which those fools of her Guildmates forced to take morning baths in the chilly waters of the Trasimeno Lake.

"Come on, Come on don't stop!" The woman waved her arms toward the stragglers, almost shouting so that her voice would not be overpowered by the howling of the blizzard.

"If any of you feel too tired to continue, remember to give the nod we agreed upon at the cabin. I will activate my Tattoo Magic to infuse your weary bones with a little warmth!"

Before the mission began, while they were still at the cabin, Artemisia had tattooed a fire mark on the entire scouting team, which would infuse heat into their limbs. This would cost the woman some magical power, so Artemisia was brutally clear: either they would ask her to use this power in case of extreme need, or she would pummel the cold out of their bodies with her fists.

As the the mages made their way to the camp, a dark figure stood atop the northern side of the valley, looking down at the encampment that was their destination, accompanied by a large group of shadows as growls and hissing rose slightly above the storm, red eyes flashing past the snow that painted what looked like a vast army of monsters. The figure laughed, gripping what looked like a sword as he stroked his beard, "so, more pests have come swarming in, doesn't matter, it wouldn't be any fun if it was too easy." Taking out an item from his coat, a swarm of creatures came to the stranger's call from out of nowhere, mumbling to the monsters before splitting off from the main group, heading to the direction the mage was pointing to.

"Show me just how well you can dance." The figure clammed, taking his leave, disappearing into the wind, heading straight for the ruins.

With what little remained of the camp, guards were posted to all entrances leading in and out of their base, using the broken down machinery as cover from the storm raging outside, most knights holding onto small lacrima for warmth, their attention being caught upon witnessing someone heading their way, being directly centered on the dark figures traversing through the snow. Wringing an alarm, the brigade at the base came racing to the entrance, spears and weapons drawn to the strangers, "STOP! IDENTIFY YOURSELVES!" The soldiers looked exhausted, some bearing injuries and scars freshly made, barely managing to hold them together with little more than flimsy bandages that flapped in the cold winter air and desperation to live to survive this excursion.

An old man with gray hair limped his way past the battalion of knight, wearing a full leather fur coat with various lacrimas imbedded along the sleeves and vest for worth. Carrying himself with nothing but a cane, his wrinkled features were only exacerbated by the cold and shaking, being more than 60 years old, the professor smashed his cane against one of the soldiers legs, breaking off a layer of frost while simultaneously alerting them not to attack.

"Stupid brats! Do they look like monsters," the old man exclaimed, banging against the spear with his cane as the knight lowered his weapon, the rest quickly following suit, "pardon the intrusion, damn fools, you can understand that they are, for lack of a better word, impoverished to say the least." Parting the way for the professor and the mages that had arrived, the older gentleman led them straight to the main building based at the center of their facility, their surroundings consisting of roughly cobbled together tents created from broken vehicles and frozen equipment loitered the compound, with what buildings still stood being buried underneath snow, with several knights and researchers excavating them, the irony not lost on the professor's face.

Reaching a large building, it was a several story long tower, the only one with running electricity throughout the camp. Letting the party of three in, they were greeted by a large bustle of researchers, each running around performing their own tasks. Loitered with nothing but old maps, books, and a screen made from magic, the mages were took to a large room at the center, the head researcher removing his hood to properly greet their hired hands. "My name is Dr. Julius Auger, I am the head and foremost authority on the excavation sight you have arrived." Activating Archive, a large map unveiled the ruins and the entire area where they started their construction.

"We were stationed here more than a year ago investigating ruins left behind to what we date to be several hundred years ago, and have steadily uncovered the structure, which brings us to our current conundrum." Flashing to the next image, the picture depicted a map with a large lake located at the center, "the entrance leading to the site's structure is buried underneath a large natural reservoir of water that forms the lake during the summer, the only time of year where sunlight is visible for only a few days."

"As it stands, the lake standing in between us and the entrance has frozen over, creating several miles of solid ice that we've been unable to get past due to several discrepancies taking place." Pointing over to the infirmary, numerous knights and researchers stood injured with what appears to be bite marks and slashes from appears to be from an unnatural lifeform that one would expect to encounter here in the tundra.

"I don't know how, but there have been several sighting of magic creatures not commonly indigenous to this region, assaulting us the last couple weeks, accompanied by some dark mage which we have yet to identify, and I imagine is the one responsible with bringing them here with some unknown method." The next image depicted a blurry figure wielding what looks like a sword from the bright sheen depicted in the image, accompanied by herd of creatures.

"The gist of it is this: we need you to explore the inner most chamber of the ruins in our stead, clearing the way for our party to investigate and creating a safe passage. From what we've seen you can expect traps protecting the various chambers as you make your way in. If you are successful, 20% of the proceeds we receive from our finding will be distributed among your party, as well as a singular item of interest you find inside. Any questions?"

"Is the Magic Council informed of this discovery? I'm sure that they would be more than willing to help uncover what lies within, as well as provide a handful of Rune Knights to aid in this dig?" The unknown adventurer asked as they held the lantern low to their side.

Leaning down to grab hold of one of the scattered books before perusing its content, yet even at a quick glance it was clear that these people were meticulously detailed about their work. Sergia kept her ears perked for the conversation at hand, peering over occasionally at the map and the other material presented by the professor until the stranger spoke up.

"If that was the case, wouldn't they have sent some personnel already?"

Turning over to look at the man in charge before the figure with the configured voice could reply. "Better yet, has the good professor here had any luck figuring out what we're expecting to find over there? Or what civilization it belonged to at all?"

Coughing, the professor took a moment to mull over their questions, trying to find answer that would satisfy both of their questions without revealing too much of their business in the ruins. After all, it was a private operation that he wasn't at liberty to divulge, but felt that if he withheld too much information, it would alienate, or at worst, ill-prepare the group to whatever they may face. "To answer both of you, yes and yes. The knights you saw stationed at the entrance and the infirmary were the very same knights the council had sent over, but as you can see, they've pushed well past what some regard as 'useful'," the professor chimed in a rather callous tone.

Twirling his cane, the professor didn't want to unveil everything at once, replying to the stranger's second question with a rather vague answer. "The mere fact that we found it in the first place is reward enough, what lies inside is of little relevance aside from whatever traps might be waiting for you. As the civilization, that remains to be seen," he replied, dodging the questions.

"To recap:" Artemisia added, enumerating the dangers to be faced on tip of her fingers. "We have dark mages, death traps, and perhaps an ancient civilization that in all likelihood loves intruders as much as the aristocrats of Bellum love art that is not strictly made for hagiographic or propaganda purposes. Quite a bargain, I must admit..."

The tall girl let out a whistle, then planted herself in front of the scientist. The balaclava and glasses hid her face enough to prevent the professor from understanding her true intentions, at least until she lifted him by the fur rimmed collar of his winterly coat, to an height well above her head. The light of the archive magic still hovering behind the lens of the googles, revealing a glimmer of disgust within her eyes.

“Now, dr. Auger, I don’t like your shit one bit. I don’t like how you treat those wounded soldiers: people who fought tooth and nail to defend your sorry ass deserve at least a bit of gratitude. Moreover, I don’t like the way you’re addressing us. You sound like we are all just a bunch of filthy mutts which you can order around with a bunch of kibble, only to be sent to the wolf’s den.”

Artemisia pulled the man close to her chin, where he could her her whisper, the fist holding his collar clenched with anger.

“Well, this bitch got a good nose, and I smell fishy stuff and horseshit from a mile. But you’re lucky I also smell treasures and bad guys to pummel, and I love those two things very much. So, I promise I’ll play to your whistle for the time being and do the proper job I will be paid for. With the condition that if something goes wrong and I discover you knew about it, I will use your blood and guts as tempera for my next pictorial masterpiece.”

Artemisia let go, letting her arm fall along with Dr. Augur, who landed on his back like a big sack of potatoes.

“*Capisci*?”

The mysterious adventurer sighed loudly before joining Dr. Augur's side, staring down at Artemisia from behind the mask they wore. "Please excuse the unprofessional conduct of our companion here, Dr. Augur. I fear that some of us lack the manners necessary for when meeting the client of a job," The adventurer apologised with a stern voice.

“Humph.” Artemisia responded with a sneer, arms crossed below the line of the bust, which the heavy clothes masked rather well.

”He should learn how to be nicer with his coworkers too, if that matters. I don’t see any point in being nice to a client if threats people like dog shit. This asshole pays for good results, and good results he will have in spades, nothing more, nothing less.”

Artemisia panned his head sideways to emphasize the point.

”Good manners are not included in the package unless reciprocated.”

"Summary being here that the ones before us didn't cut it and we don't have much to go on." Closing the book in her hands of whose pages would virbrate the sound of a loud thud throughout the room, turning to the others as signs of magic would fade from the woman's visors. Suggesting that even her pair of googles was equipped with the same magic usually imbued into the likes of Gale-Force Reading Glasses.

"Manners or not, I don't think any one of us wishes to stay here for any longer than necessary. So unless if any of us got another thing coming, I suggest we get going. No?"

Before he could get off the floor, a loud explosion could be heard outside the building they were in, the shockwave shaking the interior something fierce, some debris and parts of the ceiling falling on the hard wood floor as the inhabitants scurried for safety. From the his position, the professor lead the mages outside the room leading to the entrance, accompanied by a troop of knights. Before he could so much as open the door, screaming and the bloody gurgling of what could be described as fluids splashing across the steel-barred walls reverberated from behind the only defense between them and what stood outside. Weather the visitors could make it out or not, breathing and rasping could be heard from the outside, alerting its presence to whoever was smart enough to recognize the danger it posed, almost as if to warn anyone stupid enough to leave the safety of the building for the threat of guaranteed death out in the storm, the ragged breathing elevating itself from the pained groans and screams of the knights outside the encampment.

Sweat began to trickle down the old man's face, the tension adding on to his already aged expression, making it appear that he had ages an additional 20 years from the stress alone. Grabbing the handle, he let the door fling open, unveiling such a grueling display of barbarity playing out in front of the knights and the mages hired to handle just such an occasion, the expression of horror painting the faces of the council's warriors and researchers much to the spectacle and amusement of the beasts, eating what remained of encampment's defenses as their attentional turned squarely on their new quarry.

Before a single beast could fly off the handle, a large snap echoed past the snow storm, proceeded by clapping in an eccentric manner, a shadow passing through the snow as the form unveiled itself in the camp light, reveling an older gentleman, clad in armor with a kingly design and a sword around his waist. "Oh gross. Shit, they got it everywhere, and in the places you wouldn't think it'd get to, ick," the stranger uttered, flicking a piece of a knight off his shoulder as he proceeded to greet the arrival of the mages.

"I'm sure you can understand how hard it is to look for decent food, you know, with everything frozen n'stuff, and since I'm leading the charge, I kinda' gotta' throw the guy right next to me to keep the chain-o'-command going, just nasty, NASTY stuff really," he said in a rather flamboyant manner, his tone starkly contrasting his appearance and age, not in a manner that seemed out of character, but as if another voice spoke from his lips entirely. The dark wizard threw something out into the cold, spawning large hordes of wolves numbering in the dozen from seemingly out of thin air, quickly surrounding the base, waiting for the mage to give the signal.

As more magical creatures began to arrive from under the woodwork, the sheer diversity and contrasting nature they had with the frozen tundra's aesthetic only proved the professor's point further, that they were brought from other regions against their will, evidenced by the fact that some of them began to freeze to death, and others gazed crazily at their next meal that it almost seemed unnatural, the look in their eye exhibiting such erratic behavior that it was clear something was done to them to alter their behavior to such a degree as to drive them to the brink of sheer lunacy. Salivating and growling, the pack was here in full, the dark mage grimacing as he began to pet one of the wolves, taking note of the several new faces since he started his crusade.

"Hmm? the old man I know, but new players too, this is just perfect!" he yelled, petting the wolf as the dark mage applied more pressure to his hand from the sudden excitement, to the point of crushing the wolf underneath at the sudden increase in force, killing it instantly, his mouth agape, almost surprised at the delicacy these creatures had. "Oh man, you'd think they'd make them more durable than this, oh well." Grabbing the dead wolf, he lunged it across the side of the building near the entrance, "I like to think of myself as a reasonable man, ya' know, real go better right? My business is with the old man and the that pile of rocks over there. You bail now, you'd be doing me and yourselves a huge favor by not making ME turn YOU into THAT," pointing to the littered remains of the animal battered at the side of the building.

The professor was beyond mortified, so much that he backed himself behind the hired mages, gripping in his hands a journal listing all of their most recent discoveries amassed over the course of the expedition, and what he could discern as the true purpose of excursion, a secret that he discovered concerning to what was buried under the dead city, something he was more than willing to sacrifice others to keep to himself. "You can't let him take me! I can't! I-I won't give it to him! Do what you were hired to do, get past the mage and the ice, here, and get me inside," handing them a communication lacrima, the old man fled into the building, "we'll be in contact, NOW GO!"

"Lame," snapping his fingers, all the wolves burst out from the pack, all leaping in desperation to eat whatever they could from the cabin of scholars and knights, intent on doing away with everyone all at once. Breaking off into several groups, they each circled around the building, leaping into windows and whatever openings they could squeeze through, as the bulk of the force came rushing head first for the mages hired to explore the ruins.

A tanned cloak with blackened fur came into view for the other members of the party as Sergia ran past them at took her to the front lines, one hand reaching behind her back and down towards her belt whilst the other were placed upon her chest — from whose touch seemed to spark a blinding source of bright light as the beasts came closed in. "Gate of the Maid, Open," the mage whispered from underneath her breath as a new figure clad in a long, black and white dress with an apron at its front, a ruffled headpiece and a pair of glasses emerged from the illuminating light. The figure already had her arm reaching back even as she appeared, something which her summoner in that black, mouth-covered balaclava had also mimicked with the exception of the jagged knuckleduster now held in her hand. The two of them swung forward and struck out against the beast furthest ahead of the pack. Hitting it dead on its head with enough force that one could think they'd wanted to split the earth, from which even between the raging wind and maniacal sounds of the surrounding monsters, the sound of cracking bones echoed in the air as they sent the beast flying back.

As soon as their strike hit its mark, both women took a jump back from where they stood with Sergia calling out as they did: "Force them back or get us out here, don't just stand there!" She was yelling, obviously, but not in the way that it'd seem that she was desperate, no. It was akin to an order. Yes. One of them might as well start calling some shots if they ever wanted to function as a group, especially now.

The masked adventurer simply reached for the handle of their sword as the wolves approached them, a single steady breath echoed behind the mask as they looked downwards. From the back of the group, they had a good view of what approached them, as well as have the rest handle to full charge. However, those that decided to move differently from the rest of the pack found themselves confronted by the fully clothed eskimo. It seemed to be a matter of looking appetising to the beasts, as the adventurer allowed the wolves to surrounded them, waiting and watching. It was only when a a few of them had came their way was their presence responded with a single slash of the blade that the adventurer delivered by quickly drawing their sword from its sheath. Its sound was sharp and recognisable, like a bullet that had been launched from within the chamber of a gun. An unnerving silence between the wolves and the adventurer lasted for seconds thereafter, though time to them felt like years.

"Forgive me. Embrace the pain of a hundred years," The adventurer muttered to themselves.

Almost immediately after, hundreds of glowing streaks of light appeared around the wolves and on their bodies, as if slashed into the air and the flesh with a divine blade. The slashes on the bodies glowed bright as if the sun lied within the wounds, with what appeared to be feint smoke that arose. Each wolf let out a painful whelp before dropping to the ground, with the smallest sound of a sizzle obscured by the battle going on around them. The slashes on the bodies moved with them as they descended to the ground, but the ones in the air hovered in place, unmovable by anything as they slowly disappeared into nothingness, their glow also slowly faded as did the ones of the wolves.

"I wonder how that boy could do anything with all this snow going on about," The adventurer thought out loud to themselves.

Artemisia gritted her teeth and wrinkled her forehead, packing icy blasts of air into her lungs through her own nose. Her whole swaddled body seemed to tremble with a quiver that was not that of a cold, slender woman, but of a raging banshee. She trembled so hard that all her power spread across the room like a bonfire flame blown by the wind, making the chamber shake to her own rhythm. The face so distorted by fury remained fixed on the masked man, now flanked by rows of dismembered and slaughtered wolves.

"A coward using magic on poor animals to accomplish his own dirty work... you know, working for such an overbearing and boorish patron had almost demotivated me, but the idea of kicking the ass of a little shit of your caliber makes my blood boil with passion again!" The woman almost roared at the man, pointing her index finger at him.

The temperature around her body seemed to rise, generating jets of steam that embraced her figure like a flint. Even the skin that emerged in the crevice between the gloves and the jacket had a stone-like coloring, a dark gray that sent violet reflections, making it almost similar to silver if seen under a certain light. Artemisia folded her arm and cocked her fist, stretching her elbow as far as she could. Her feet moved almost on their own, propelling her in the direction of her target in order to engage him in a melee.

The woman moved remarkably fast: her figure seemed to disappear and reappear at the man's side rather than make a simple leap, a move that would have surprised many people, even warriors of a certain caliber. A shockwave echoing in the place where it had started underlined the power of such a movement, spreading as it passed large clouds of steam as it finished the few windows that were remaining somewhat in one piece. She was about to collide with the man, her face was on the verge of being in the right radius to have the woman's knuckles planted deep in his skull, except that she stopped just an instant before, extending her arm in all its length against the void.

From her fist came a burst of pure atmospheric pressure that split all the air in front of her in half for several meters. Two vapor flaps opened at each side, leaving the passage to a projectile resembling a cannonball of compressed air, carved in the shape of a fist, large enough to surmount the entire height of the man by at least a palm. As she launched the shot, the woman let out a battle cry with all the breath in her throat.

"Take that, *figlio di una grandissima baldracca*! **Pugno del Fabbro**!"