Every two weeks, Baker Street Holmes tells the story of Urbal gro-Dushnikh, an orc who just wants to be a blacksmith, even though it seems Skyrim has other plans. You can follow his journey through these journal entries with new entries every two weeks. Enjoy!
Flashback Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six
29th of Last Seed, 201
After I got some sleep yesterday, I went to Calcelmo. He’s eccentric, completely obsessed with the dwarves and the dwarven ruins, but that just means he’s got access to some of the few samples of Dwarven Steel not lost to the mountains. Despite what he told Ghorza, he insisted I take care of a large spider in the antechamber before he would give me a keep to the actual site. He neglected to mention the spider was nearly the size of a dragon and that none of his research assistance had come back. I didn’t find all of them, but clearly none of them were Orcs because that spider may have been huge, but it was a wimp.
He granted me entrance and come to find out the place is swarming with Falmer. Every Orc can fight but I am not so blinded by battlelust that I would take on four warriors and a mage alone. I killed off stragglers and loners, grabbing any sample of Dwarven steel that I could as I went if I thought I could smelt it down. When I had plenty, I got out of there and fast. I am not a maid, Calcelmo can clean up his own messes.
He had also granted me permission to visit his museum and while I could not spare much time, I did take chance to go in and look at the armor designs they used, later making my own, though probably not quite the same quality as their work since I am quite new to this material, but solid enough all the same.
I right this by the light of the forge as the sun has long since set. Ghorza set me to an unusual first task making bows rather than knives and told me to work as late in to the night as I felt I could. She said if my work was satisfactorily, she’d tell me in the morning why I’m doing bows. I have ten now. I wonder it that’s enough… I’ll make a few more before I go to bed.
Urbal gro-Dushnikh
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30 of Last Seed, 201
I spoke to Ghorza this morning and she was pleased about the bows I’d made. She explained that she’s had me work with leather, wood, iron, steel, and now Dwarven steel. I’ve made everything from helmets which must be solid and never dent to bow which must be supple and still not break. Then she taught me of Orichalcum, an ore that Orcs have used for centuries to forge their greatest armor, and how to smelt it properly and how to forge it. She says I’m not ready quite yet to work in it, and that it is quite rare, but that this is the last thing she has that she can teach me.
I am no longer an apprentice smith. I am a journeyman. Rather than study under one accomplished smith, trapped in a single city, I am to travel and see different places and different styles of artisanry. Of course it also means leaving Markarth, which has been my second home for years now. Ghorza says she knows of an excellent smith in Riften, Balimund, who uses fire salts to make a stronger fire. I guess I’m going to be crossing Skyrim in the next few days. Farewell, Markarth. I’ll return someday. I promise.
Urbal gro-Dushnikh.
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