The Three Heirs

Facility Event: Flames of Reflection

Episode 1

The Three Heirs

Next Quest

The Golden Anvil

Summary

This is the tale of the Halidom's blacksmith sisters: Ramona, Renee, and Rena. As the prince readies for war with the Empire, he pays a visit to their workshop. Indignant over the Empire's atrocities, they accept his request for aid and move to the Halidom.

Dialogue

A few months ago... (You helped me realize something important... I can overcome any limitation so long as my sisters are at my side!) Arise, O flame! Burn hot and hotter still! Burn with the fire of a thousand suns! This is the story of how the Halidom's hardworking blacksmith sisters first met the prince. Hoping to locate an exceptional blacksmith to shore up the military might of the Halidom, the prince visited an old associate of Ranzal's. So we hang a right...then a left...aaand... boom! There's ol' Mr. Bear himself. I've never seen a workshop with a giant bear statue at the front before. Yeah, my man Regis is a bit of an oddball, but there ain't a better smith around. He kicked all kinds'a butt durin' the last Golden Anvil competition. Er, the Golden Anvil? What's that? It's a big ol' competition held by the blacksmith's guild. Folks from all over submit their best weapons, then the guild picks the one it thinks is a masterwork. Ol' Regis took home the top prize last time without breakin' a sweat. If we swing his steel, the Empire don't stand a chance! If he's half the man you claim he is, I can't wait to meet him. Knock knock! Where ya at, Regis?! Ho there, friend! What can I do you for? Need a new weapon forged? Maybe repairs on an old one? No matter the job what needs doin', we'll get 'er done right! You must be Regis's daughter! It's, uh...Ramona, yeah? In the flesh. I take it you know Dad? Yeah, he did me a solid or three back in the day. Where is the old fart, anyway?! Oh. I'm...sorry. Don't sweat it—ya weren't but knee-high to a grasshopper back then, so ain't no surprise ya don't remember me. No, that's not what I meant. Dad is... He's... Heeeeey, is that a customer? Welcome! Bwaa ha ha! Well, if it ain't little Renee! Look how big ya went and got, squirt! Wait, you know my name? Then this... Yesssss! It's finally MY TIME! Uh, I ain't followin'. No, Renee. These are friends of Dad. Wait, Dad's friends are coming here and asking for me by NAME?! BEST. DAY. EVEEEEER! This means I've finally reached his level of blacksmith skill—or maybe even that I've EXCEEDED it! What ARE you going on about, Renee? ...Oh, goodness! I didn't know that we had customers in the shop! Guess what, Rena? These guys are SPECIFICALLY asking for me! No they ain't, ya dope—they're askin' for DAD! They don't know what happened! You two ARE aware that we have customers in the store, yes? So let's maybe use our inside voices, mmm? ...Sorry. Ooof. That scoldin' sounded gentle, but I felt it all the way over here. Right then! Now that we have some quiet, how might we help you gentlemen? Well, we were hoping that Regis might be willing to craft some weapons for us. Hey, where IS Regis, anyway? Hidin' in the back? ...... Eh? Why so glum, chums? Dad is... He's gone. What?! He got sick a little while ago. We tried everything, but... Well, in the end, there was nothing anyone could do. Damn. I'm sorry as hell to hear that. Er, but does that mean the workshop...? Oh, the workshop's fine. Dad passed his skills down to us, so we're more than capable of meetin' your weaponry needs. Well, this ain't quite what I had in mind when we came down here. How ya wanna handle it, Euden? Let's have them craft a sword for us. If we like the work, we'll go from there. I was hopin' you'd say somethin' like that! We're eager to show Dad's old customers that his skills ain't died out with him. Bwa ha ha! Kid, I like yer moxie. Give us the best sword ya got! Mmm... We're still running a little cool. Arise, O flame! ...Yep! That's the ticket, all right! It's pretty impressive how precisely she can control the temperature of a flame. Yeah, she's got a real knack for fire mana. Her old man was the same—it's how he first made his name in the smithin' biz. Looks like he made sure to pass all them abilities and techniques down to his kids. We're prepped and ready whenever you are, Sis! Then let's do this... Haaaah! So one of them holds the weapon in place while the other swings the hammer? It's smart. None of 'em are as big as ol' Regis was, so this lets 'em really put some muscle into it. I wasn't sure how she'd swing a hammer with them spindly little arms, but looks like they got a system all worked out. We're ready here, Renee! IT'S BUCKET TIME! Hee hee! Not a crack in sight! I really AM a super-genius when it comes to cooling. Okay, Rena, you're up. Okay, steel! Time to drink your mana! What's happening now, Ranzal? While they put on the final touches— sharpenin' and polishin' and whatnot— they also pump the weapon full'a mana. That was a Regis special, too. Then we wipe it clean aaaand...done! Okay, gents, here you go: One perfect sword, as requested. Oh wow... This sword is... Well, it's incredible. I don't have another word for it. The balance is just sublime. Yeah, we put a lot of thought into that aspect. But you like the rest of it too? Bwaaa ha ha ha! You gals are every bit the pros your dad was, I tell ya what. With them outfittin' us, we'll wipe the floor with the Empire! Wait, hold on. You guys are fightin' the Empire? The DYRENELL Empire? Um, yeah. We are. Here's the story... The prince explains the situation and his reasoning to the blacksmithing trio... ...Huh. So now you got the Empire hot on your heels, eh? I dunno, guys. What do you think? I mean, this prince and his huge buddy don't seem like BAD guys or whatever... But if we agree to help him, the Empire is totally gonna come after our shop. My sister makes a fair point, Prince. While we all support your mission in theory, we have to think of our own future and safety as well. I understand—and I won't force you to do anything you aren't comfortable with. But if you DO want to work with us, I've been wanting to build a smithy inside our castle for some time now. Perhaps that could work for both of us. Wait. You'd BUILD us a smithy? Of course. I want to protect those who lend their skills to our cause. In that case, we accept! Hell, all three of us are tired of turnin' blind eyes to the crap the Empire pulls around here. I'd love to see our weapons used to bring about peace instead of war. PLUS, being the official blacksmith of a castle is like earning a giant promotion! But what will we do with THIS shop? It belonged to our father, so we can't very well just let it rot into oblivion. Well, why don't we pack it up and move it to the Halidom? A fine idea! Oh, and I assume we can take Arctos along as well? Er, is that another sister? Hee hee! No, silly! Arctos is our bear! ...That big monument in the front? Our father named him and was very protective of him. Beats me why though. Well, far be it from me to abandon Arctos. Daughters and bears alike are all welcome in our castle!