Evren explored the reasonably sized workshop he had found. In the front he found some weapons, tools and armor made from metal, which had all but rusted out. The leather and wood had rotted away and most of it was unusable. There was a second floor to the shop that contained the living quarters of the former owner. He found no remains in or around the shop.
Most of the tools in the shop were well maintained and stored in oiled leather pouches. These tools were in excellent condition, even after years of neglect, and could be used to repair the other tools around the shop. Within the shop, aside from the tools, was a forge and a half-buried anvil which seemed to need a new base. The bellows on the forge were rotted out, so they would be something that would need to be repaired eventually.
Out back of the shop was a stone furnace with a small shed near it, which seemed to have contained wood and charcoal. It was a simple furnace with a metal door rusted shut on it, which seemed to have some vents on it to possibly control the temperature of the fire within. Evren didn’t want to spend too much time in this abandoned town, just enough to get himself set for travels.
With his new boots and clothes, Evren could get around more comfortably that previously. So, he spent some more time looking around town for some usable wood to burn, and anything else usable he could get his hands on. By the time he returned to the shop, the sun was low in the sky, but still above the horizon, thinking he had enough time before he’s plunged into darkness, he began to clean up the living quarters of the shop.
The bed was a simple wooden bed. It looked like it previously had a straw mattress on it, but time had decomposed it down to fertilizer. He decided he would work on that the next day, so he took one of the towels he found at the large house and laid it down on the floor. He laid a blanket with only a few holes in it on top of that to finish his bed. He put wood into the fireplace and lit it as the sky was beginning to darken.
He used the sewing needle and thread he found in the box, along with the scissors and a couple towels to fix the holes in the blanket. It seemed a bit thin but compared to sleeping naked under a tree it was a big improvement. He finished his day by eating the remaining bit of snake meat and loading the fireplace up with wood before curling up under his patchwork blanket.
The next morning, Evren rose with the sun. Determined to make the day a productive one, he went down to the shop and began to clean it. He used his wooden spear to make handles for some of the needed tools, and “swept” the floor with a shovel no longer than his forearm.
During this time, he found a metal ring attached to a wooden block and got a little excited. “Oh! A secret door!” he said as he cleared the dirt from around the large wooden door. When it was cleared, he pulled on the door with what he thought was enough force, but it remained closed. He slowly increased his strength, unsure of what his body was capable of, until the door finally opened with a groan of protest.
Within, Evren found a small wooden ladder leading to a crawlspace under the shop. The stone forge had a space under it that served as a hidden storage area, where a single trunk sat. Evren could barely see in this darkened space, so he dragged the trunk back towards the entrance, eventually lifting the heavy trunk out to set it on the shop floor. Evren picked up the trunk after climbing out of the hole and placed it on a table near a window.
The trunk was only locked with a metal rod through the hasp, and with the tap of a hammer, he could easily knock the rod out of place and open the trunk. Upon opening the trunk, he saw some individually wrapped packages, which he removed and inspected one at a time. The first thing he found was a bow. It was made from several layers of wood, and the string was wrapped up with it, having a slightly green metallic sheen to it.
Evren spent a few minutes stringing the bow, finding it a tough chore despite the age of the bow and string. Once it had been strung, Evren drew the bow about halfway before he stopped with a grunt. “Wow, this thing is heavy!” he said. He rolled his shoulders a few times and shook his arm before attempting to draw the bow again. This time he could draw the bow back completely, but he was still straining to hold it in place. He slowly let the string return to its relaxed state and set the bow on the table.
In the next package was a quiver and a set of ten arrows. The arrow shafts were heavier than he thought they should be, and a little on the long side. The arrowheads were of a blue metal and were a two-blade type, still very sharp. The quiver was made of hard leather with an adjustable strap and was ornately decorated. He set the quiver with arrows down near the bow and moved on to the other packages within the trunk.
The next package was bigger and heavier, and contained a set of leather armor. The armor looked strong and covered the important parts, with its color a dark rich brown. Like the quiver, it was ornately decorated, with embellishments made from a green metal. The set consisted of a chest and back plate that also provided protection for the shoulders. A set of gauntlets that reached halfway up his forearm, and leg plates to guard the thighs and knees, and a set of boot covers that covered his shins and the tops of his feet.
“Oh, this is nice.” He said as he put the armor on the table near the quiver. “I’ll have to try that out later.” He went back to the trunk and looked inside, only finding one package remaining. As he pulled that out and unwrapped it, he found a cloak inside that had a hood, and was such a dark shade of brown, it was almost black. “I guess that’s the whole set” he said as he folded the cloak and set it on the table. When he looked back inside the trunk to make sure, he found a piece of parchment in the bottom, in one of the corners. He opened the parchment to find that the words had faded to the point of unreadable. He dropped the note back into the trunk and set the trunk on the floor.
He closed the lid on the trunk, and he heard something fall inside of it. Confused he opened the trunk back up and found something wrapped in cloth and bound by a string. He picked it up, “Hmm, this feels like a knife.” He mumbled as he untied the string. Indeed, it was a knife, well specifically a dagger, made with the same blue metal as the arrowheads. It had a sheath with it, along with straps to wear it around your waist, or attach to a belt. As he examined the blade of the dagger, he sliced his thumb without realizing it. When he finally noticed the blood, he healed himself right away, and put the dagger back into it sheath. Nodding with a look of satisfaction, he reclosed the trunk and set it aside under the table where it wouldn’t be in the way and continued cleaning the shop.
When he had finished, he used some oil he found in an earthenware jar to douse the door of the furnace, hoping to loosen it. He then went back inside the shop to the front area were the armor and tools were at. He began cleaning the area as he had in the workshop. He broke down the armor and tools to their component parts, putting the metal into one pile, and the rotten and decayed parts into another. He brought the junk pile out the front door of the shop and set it in a pile to take care of later. The metal parts he brought into the workshop to dump into an empty bin.
He went upstairs to grab a towel he hadn’t cut up and which was in a reasonably decent condition. He went out back with the towel, took his shirt off and dampened it with a drink spell. He then began to wipe himself off of the dust and sweat that he had accumulated. When he finished, he went back inside to put on the armor he had found.
