This was by far one of his biggest undertakings as a craftsman, but now as he was putting together the final touches boy was he proud of it. Getting the multiple large, heavy pieces of the large table down to Auster had been quite the task on its own, but with Kehai's help it had been manageable. He was certainly going to owe her a vacation and a half after helping him pull the heavy cart all the way down to the Hallow's castle. Once they had all of the pieces into the room where Artorias wanted the table assembled, he sent Keahi off to relax in the gardens while he started piecing it together. He had at least thought ahead enough to make the four ornate, carved, metal legs of the base easy to slide together with the four supporting beams that connected them, sliding the pins through holes in each piece to lock them together.

"Artorias, could you lend me a paw with getting the table top on?" he questioned as he glanced back over his shoulder at the Aegis, offering him a bit of a grin. The two of them were able to lift the three pieces of the stone table top into place, completing carved map that spread across the surface once piece at a time. "Thanks for the assist! Almost done," he told him before he ducked under the table, giving the same connecting pins treatment to the metal edge around the bottom of the table, securing it to its base. "There we go!" Slipping out from under the table, he stood back and grinned, looking at it for the first time in it's fully built form since he took it apart to transport it. "Boy am I glad none of those stone pieces broke on the way down. Carving all of that out again would have been a pain in the ass."

"Ruga"

Since his visit to the Armada to commission his piece de resistance of the completed Hearthstone, Artorias had been anxiously awaiting the delivery of the finished product like an overeager child waiting at the mailbox for a package. So when Ruga’s call came out to him from the border one autumn day, it was all the Aegis could do to keep from bounding out of the castle to greet the Armadan craftsman. Seeing the large carts being hauled by oxen its tarp coverings almost made him bark with glee like a happy puppy. He happily welcomed Riga and Keahi into the Hallows while he helped to unload the carts of their wares, stunned and impressed at the sheer size of the table the artisan had crafted for him. The table was huge! It took a couple of trips for the two dire wolves to haul the pieces of the table through the corridors to the Council Chambers, but once they had everything in place, the building process could begin.

Artorias was more than happy to offer Ruga a paw getting his table set up. "Of course! Thank you so much for putting so much care into getting it here!" Hefting the large stone slabs that made up the top of the table and setting them onto the bulky hardwood legs, Artorias marveled at the sight before him. The dark stone tabletop was intricately carved to look exactly like a detailed topographical map of Boreas and Auster, even better than he had imagined it. Ruga had spared no expense making this masterpiece of craftsmanship for him! Once the table was assembled in its permanent home, the azure brute slowly circled it, marveling at its detail and beauty as he ran a paw along the smooth edges of the black stone. "I’m glad as well, for your sanity if nothing else. Everything looks amazing, Ruga! Thank you for your impeccable work." Peering closer down at the detail in the dark stone, Artorias realized his one great concern was indeed going to be a problem he'd need to address somehow. "Ah, I was right about the stone being difficult to see some of the finer details. I'll have to find a way to work around that."

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

Ruga couldn't keep the proud grin off of his features while Artorias circled and inspected the table he had commissioned. It really did fill out the space beautifully and it made Ruga wonder if he should branch out his wares from just weapons, armor, and jewelry more often. This had opened his eyes to a whole range of possibilities and got him excited to create again which was almost enough payment in of itself for the massive project. While the Aegis was examining the table, he mentioned the difficulty of seeing the finer details in the tables surface and Ruga grinned even wider, if that was even possible. "Ah! Not to worry. I haven't even gotten to show you the best part yet!" he reassured his long time client and got back to his paws to move over to a few other pieces that were still sitting off to the side with the pile of canvas tarps and hides that had been pulled off of the table's individual pieces.

Picking up the long metal trays and placing them on the wheeled contraptions he had come up with, he assembled the final pieces and rolled them over to the table's edge. After a bit of unpacking and arrangement, the trays were filled with candles which he then lit and rolled under the carved, stone surface. The light the many candles gave off peered through the areas of the stone where it had been carved down into a thin sheet, bringing the table to life and bringing out the finer details that Artorias had been concerned about. The rivers and boundaries between territories now glowed with a warm, orange hue. With an excited grin, he looked back over to Artorias, gesturing toward the table with a flourish. "How's that for a table for the Lord of Cinder, huh?"

"Ruga"

As if anticipating his every thought and concern, Ruga reassured Artorias that he had even more to show him. Curiosity peaked, the Aegis watched from where he stood while the Armadan craftsman finished assembling a rolling tray of sorts that he then filled with candles, lit, and wheeled into a slot perfectly beneath the table. All at once, the orange candlelight began to glow through the etching of the table, illuminating the map from below in a vivid fiery glow. The lands, once only visible as topography, were now brightly contrasted against the dark stone table, the territories easily distinguished and landmarks defined. Artorias' amber eyes grew wider as did the smile on his face as he marveled at the amazing workmanship laid before him. Ruga had really outdone himself this time and the Aegis had definitely gotten his money's worth!

Artorias couldn't help but give an incredulous laugh and a shake of his head as he examined the map and table, running his paws across the illuminated map, marveling at the ingenuity and how none of the heat managed to seep through the stone. It was perfect—absolutely perfect! "If there is any other wolf who claims they're the greatest craftsman in the world, they are surely a liar," Artorias remarked with a proud grin. The alpha made his way around the table to clap a giant paw on Ruga's shoulder. "Thank you, my friend! You've once more outdone yourself with this masterpiece! I can assure you, it will be seen and appreciated by many." Although Artorias had already paid the smith for his work, such quality felt surely deserving of a generous tip! "Please, come with me. I want to offer you some of the finest wines our private stock for such incredible work."

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