Hephaestus

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Entry #1: Summary of recent events. March 4th, 1190 B.C. approx.

Dear Journal

I am the great Hephaestus, god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes and son of the highly renowned Zeus and his fair wife Hera. I have decided to take up the quill and write out my thoughts on paper. I was pleased to see Thetis, my old friend today. She told the perils of @Achilles, her son, in the Trojan War. Out of friendship, I volunteered to make a suit of armour great enough for the mighty immortal @Achilles. I had difficulty looking upon it for it shone so brightly it even partially blinded even a lame god like me.

Just the other day I got mother to weave a great tapestry of my Great Forge so that the sight of my works may be preserved for man to wonder for all time. I got Hermes to deliver it to Argos, and it shall be hung in the banquet hall. I am sure the mortals shall look upon it and see Mother's great weaving, and appreciate suck a wonderful gift from the gods.

Prometheus came in today and tried to steal a handful of embers to give to man. Fortunately, I caught him and turned him in to my father, the almighty Zeus. He bade me to bind him as punishment for such acts. I cannot blame him, for man is his most proud creation. He, after all, handmade the first humans using clay and gems after being ordered by Zeus himself. I guess the employer of a man is also his demise when dealing with the will of Zeus.

I feel strangely depressed by the Trojan War. Normally I do not bother with the petty affairs of man, the constant slaughter. To make things worse, Ares comes in and constantly bades me repair his scimitar and armour. He also tells the tales of war and how the warriors Odysseus, @Paris, Agamemnon, Aias and great King Hector. Many of his tales are long and I bade him to become a minstrel for so good is his gift of tongues.

Well, I must go now. My quill slowly runs out of ink as I dwindle aimlessly. Besides, I am in the midst of planing a new great blade; one easily hidden in a vambrace. Goodbye.



Entry #2: My musings within the forge. March 9th through 23rd,1190 B.C. approx.

...I have further refined the metallurgic process, allowing for the production of a suit of armor the likes of which the world has never seen... ...It is possessed of great strength, yet so light as to allow complete freedom... ...I alternate between wonder and fear. Here I have crafted something that will surely change the face of warfare, making those who wear it nigh invincible... Perhaps it was a mistake to create these pieces. I think it best to erase the formulae. What if it were to fall in the hands of our enemies? The risk is too great...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... I guess even the greatest of Gods among men develop the pains that dwindle from physical labor. I sit here in my forge forced to smith for the gods; making great treasures for which man continuously attempts to plunder and replicate; and they have always failed.

I tried to ensure my wife's loyalty Aphrodite by making her the most beautiful necklace ever visioned. All the gods wondered at it's beauty and it's craftsmanship. I made it using the unique godly element created by the metallurgic process I have worked for so long to create. I know that she does not wish to be my wife, but the will of Zeus enslaves all who he speaks of to an unfaltering everlasting duty...

...I tested the strength of the element by crafting "The Apple" as I call it, named after it's appearance. I torment it and it won't bend nor break nor melt... ...It stresses me much to think what mortals will do if they discover the formulae. Only those who have the greatest of devotion of prayer exclusively to my shrine will unlock the secrets. Only those blacksmiths with the purest souls and the clearest minds will become enlightened...



...A man dressed in torn clothes ascended Mount Olympus... ...He spoke Italian claimed to be a mystic and asked to see The Apple so that hey may enchant it. I bade him tell me what he would do witch such an artifact. He said not but told me he would make me King of the Gods. I told him I wanted my father to keep his reign as King. He then, with extreme agility and fleetness of foot, ran away with The Apple in a silken pouch on his waist... ...I rallied my great steed Damascus and called to Helios, the all seeing sun and threw up a device I concocted recently which allows two to talk instantly from great distances. As I rode down the steep snowy slopes, I bade him guide me to the thief and call Hermes; the fleetest foot of all, to help me track him down... ...Hermes came to my side and I also gave him one of the devices so that we may plot from great distances. ..

 We spent days chasing him down. He had great mystical power. Every time we got close to him he would vanish into a cloud of smoke.

We finally trapped him in the cone of Vesuvius. I knew he was Immortal and he could only be killed with a special poison or with a blade of silver. Pretending I was not aware of his Immortality, I took out a great maul of Volcano's Fire and armor to go with it. He took out an Enchanted Sultan's Knife, and The Apple.

"Let us duel, and whoever wins shall win the power from this great artifact. I thank you again for supplying me with this Apple; for it has proven surprisingly lethal". "Nay, for I shall accept your duel, but I scorn you for stealing from me, the great Hephaestus. Despite the ache in my bones from the labors I endure, I am a very skilled with a maul. I swear that you shall see the wrath of Zeus for stealing from his son". ...We began to duel on the obsidian of Vesuvius, magma seeping through cracks and exploding in small viscous bubbles... ...We had been fighting for some time now. I had delivered many blows and countered many swings that would have been lethal to any mortal who dared to oppose me. But he also was agile and dodged or countered almost every attack with his Sultan's Knife. I had a device which I knew would be lethal to any Immortal. It was a secret development I called a hidden blade. It is concealed within a vambrace on the left arm made of the unique element. It has a spring system allowing it to pop out instantly... ...He swung his knife at me and I countered it with my maul in my right arm, knocking his blade to the side. I reached my left arm out and flicked my wrist; activating the spring system. The hidden blade sprung out and the silver blade pierced his robes. He fell to his knees, a blank look in his eyes. He fell and lay limp and lifeless on the ground. "One more Immortal down; one more Scourge of Zeus removed"...



...I picked up The Apple. At once I felt an evil power flow through my veins. I knew that something of this caliber could render anything it's commander wanted. By any means necessary. I knew mortals would kill entire civilizations for such power. I knew such power was indestructible, but it could be hidden with extreme difficulty. I knew of a place named Britannia, a remote island where "The Apple" will be secure. I know that this place is near the end of Helios' route, so I bade him hide it there...

...I continue to experiment with various improvements for the Hidden Blade. The blade should be hollowed according to the specifications listed herein to allow the administration of poison to an enemy. Deviation may create fractures within the metal, causing the blade to weaken and possibly break... One may cultivate extracts from various plants found throughout the region. More exotic species can sometimes be obtained from traders and travelers, but their properties are less documented and require further examination. Traditional alchemical implements can be used to distill the poison. Care should be used as certain poisons can be absorbed through exposed skin. Many are those mortal alchemists who have lost their lives to carelessness...



Entry #3: Daily life. March 25th, 1190 B.C. approx.

Thetis came to see me today. Ever since she saved my life after I was exiled from Olympus, we have been the best of friends. We talked and she told me more of the tales of war. About how the renowned @Odysseus is plotting to make a giant wooden horse. I know not why he would go to such trouble until Thetis explained the plot that @Odysseus had concocted. Such intelligence and wit from a mortal I have never seen before. Though, they have no good smiths left in their party so their craftsmanshit will be poor. Nay, if only I could be there and create such a godly spectacle! Oh well, I am condemned to my forge until I finish my greatest Hidden Blade improvement yet. If I succeed, it will be able to launch small projectiles!

Well, I found that after all these days that writing down my thoughts has let me see the flaws in myself. I guess this is one of the many pieces of advice Thetis gave me. I hope one of...

//(The rest of the journal looks as if it has been heavily exposed to the elements and any remnants of ink are completely illegible)//