A particular set of skills

Artorias was so excited to get to work on another blade he was practically thrumming with eager energy! Deimos took a moment to consider the questions he was asked, and Art hoped that he hadn’t overwhelmed the Elysian wolf already. There were many aspects that went into forging a blade from scratch and he tried to make the process as simple as possible. That didn’t seem to be the case though, as Deimos began to state the intended use of the blade—a means of self defense for Darika while she was on diplomatic ventures. She would need to be able to carry it easily with her without it being too cumbersome. Artorias nodded; a dagger definitely seemed to fit the bill for that need. "A good dagger can be even more useful than the deadliest of swords in the right applications. It’s easier for all kinds of wolves to wield too, novices and experts alike," he said in agreement with his fellow alpha, sketching out a general size for the blade on the parchment.

When it came to the style of the blade, Deimos had an interesting request. Darika was heavily influenced by her father’s Nippon heritage, and Deimos wished for her weapon to represent that heritage and tradition in it. Artorias’ eyes lit up with inspiration and his paw immediately began to sketch out the vision in his head. He had seen Hattori’s katanas up close before during the raid Ashen had led on the Hallows, so he had some familiarity with the aesthetics of her paternal family. The sketch of the blade had very hard, simple lines with a pointed tip that slanted on one side into the blade. It was essentially a smaller katana, retaining all the influence of its bigger sibling in its design. After smoothing out some of the lines on the sketch, Artorias showed it off to Deimos with a curious tilt of his head. "Something like this?" He waited for Deimos to give his input on the design before asking about the material and finish. "And what sort of metal are you thinking for the blade? Forged steel is easier and faster for me to make, and it’s god a simple and clean look to it. I can finish that with a mirror polish or a matte finish. Or if you prefer, I can forge it out of Carpathian steel. It’s significantly harder and sharper than standard steel, but will take me a season to forge properly."

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"