Tosra & The Auction, day 19

Flintlock.

Once again I check the drawings and test the prototype flint lock mechanism. Why do I even do that? I know them by heart now. But I will leave both to a blacksmith to show what I want done, and the prototype must work well. My work is far from pretty and it takes time to do everything with hand tools, and the brass spring is not good enough, but it seems to work and I got the measurements right. It was a good idea to make this prototype for several reasons, not atleast since it made me realize that the moisture protection needs to be thought of. I'm not sure what I can do more than try to reduce play, tighter tollerances, make it harder for water to following edges in with drip diversion, divert water from running along the barrel, and so on. Maybe it is possible to seal the flintlock in loaded state with some grease or wax, and make an impregnated leather protection over the mechanism if it really rains? I will avoid hunting when the weather sucks, as hunting is for pleasure more than any vital need for food, and it is not pleasant to be cold, wet and tired. But stupid to not make this the best I can and try to weatherproof it, and the flintlocks might be used in combat which happens in most weathers and be roughly handled, so it needs to be durable too and oiled to prevent rusting. Maybe it is a good idea to make the pan itself in more corrosion-resistant brass? There must have been some reason why it was sometimes used in flintlock weapons, and the only thing I guess is corrosion, or that the blackpowder 'eats' iron more than brass.

I'm not actually that interested in hunting as entertainment, more in how good and useful the weapons will be and how good a shooter I can become with something made here, but I will not deny that fresh meat is nice, and eventually I need more leisure activities.

I have not yet decided if I should explain to the blacksmith that it is actually intended for a weapon. The elves are not stupid and he might guess it, even if he won't understand how it really works. But I need to find a blacksmith willing to try. I have many lumps of crucible steel, and I will first visit Master bladesmith Olafr who made the swords, knives and parts for my Boomstick, to see if he can and is willing to make flintlocks and barrels for a few flintlock weapons, and if he can make a mirrored flintlock mechanism as well. I really want two or three double-barreled shotguns in my future in over-under configuration, and I intend to let the guards have two when we are not hunting. Hopefully Olafr can also shape or make one or two rifled barrels for rifles. I have made sketches of a simple mechanism for barrel drilling, as I can't see hammering steel around a template to work. Odds are it will just make the form and the barrel become one.

I take the time to make a simple brass model of a modern folding knife that can be one-handed opened by unfolding the blade with the thumb, and then automatically lock in open position with a metal piece that springs up at the rear edge. Carrying a knife in my belt feels so annoying, and requires one to have a belt, which a lot of dresses don't. Hence why they carry stuff hanging down the front, which is even more annoying. Iselin agree, and loves her pockets, so a folding knife with a clip for the edge of the pocket can be a good solution. She loves my multi-tools, but it is far more complex to do, and most tools have low use here. A small pair of scissors, awl and a file with a flat prybar/screwdriver tip would be useful, but a knife blade is the most important tool. Maybe a larger folding knife could have a few simpler fold-out tools?

Alith shown me that she has taken the opportunity to use some oil to spruce up her wooden dildos while thoroughly informing me how much better it is, and I agree, because it seals the pores of the surface and holds the wood together, and we have a moment together when I 'inspects' how much better it is for her. Alith doesn't love to give oral sex, which I of course respect, but she doesn't mind getting it, which I am happy to give. And I am happy to give more than that. We both know that Iselin, Ciara and Kari have given me permission to have sex with other women, but I still feel like I should have some qualms for fucking Alith, but I don't.

I guess I also should feel some strange honor in that Alith got two condoms of her own from Liv last time we were in Skiringsalr, but doesn't want us to use them. The condoms are for if she wants to be with another man. Even with an IUD she doesn't trust other men to be careful, and as most men and women, she doesn't like using condoms. Everyone is a little worried that I won't be able to do my sambos pregnant, but Alith tries to see it from the positive side, and enjoy needling me about not trusting in my own sejd. Still, she agree that we should be careful. She doesn't seem to be interested in either a relationship or a child, with me or anyone else.

Its interesting how Alith goes from being my guard and being proper and calling me Lord, especially if others are nearby, to suddenly calling me Robert and not being proper when we're in private or have an intimate moment, and then switch again to be my guard and call me lord as nothing happened if others are nearby. I guess it is a way for her to separate guard duty and private time, but it can be a bit jaring how quickly she change.

I think Alith's changed a lot since we met, but I don't really understand her even though she is often near me, and always comes along if I leave the mansion. We can be friends who walk and talk, especially if it is just the two of us or she gives me training with weapons, but more than the others she takes her guard duty to me very personal, and only Gunhild comes close. I think it really took a toll on Aliths sense of duty and self-esteem that I almost died twice, and she has not been able to prevent it. Especially the last time when I was drugged and she was there beside me when it happened and after.

She seems to see it as a personal failure and insult to her honor, and she seems focused on it not happening again. That she will earn the silver she receives as salary and the gifts I have given them. At the last quarterly payment she refused to accept the silver, so I forced her. I want her to earn enough silver for her future, to be able to have her own life, and the only way to avoid being poisoned or drugged is to just drink and eat my own food, which isn't always possible and can be perceived as an insult to the host, which, however, in some cases may be justified, or there might be concerns that a third party is trying to poison one, and will blame the host.

But to poison or injure a guest under ones own roof is to prove that you have no honor, beside being a serious crime. An invited guest should be reasonably protected, even if it is an enemy. At the same time, it is an insult to ones honor to insult or harm the host if one is a guest, or to stay there for too long. Because you live on the hosts resources, and that can directly threaten their survival in a difficult year. If a guest have been severely insulted and for some reason want to demand bloody revenge, you should leave the hosts home, and then return, even if it is only a few hours later. Still a very serious crime, but more honestly committed. The same if the host wants to kill his guest. Do it after they have left the farm and the property. Although at the outer edges of large estates can be a gray area, and social statues complicates everything.

The society is changing, but this is still a violent culture, and people settle arguments with duels and blood. It also says a lot about how important honor is here, and why Radgeirrson really fucked up. A specially invited honored highranking guest, insulted, poisoned and manliness/bloodline attacked under his own roof.

Ida tells us that it should probably be the last day for sap collection, at least for birch, as the sap is flowing slowly now even though she tried to make new holes, so we accompany her out, and I inspect her work sealing the collection holes and cuts with wooden plugs and pine tar. Wouldn't want rot or insect having a free way into the interior of the tree. I'm quite surprised that we've collected more than 45 liters of maple sap and 160 liters of birch sap. Since they have boiled down the sap gradually, it has drastically reduced the storage need, and they didn't have much other choice as birch sap started to go bad after a few days. So good call there. This made them try to make birch sap mead, which seemed to actually work, even though it is weak, so they don't really see it as the sap is wasted. I can do without jokes and puns about getting drunk on trees, or that I really is a sejdmann sharing valuable secrets.

We have all drunk a little birch sap straight from the tree, but it is just like water with a slightly sweeter and different taste and I think its an old home remedy for stomach problems. It should contain some vitamins and minerals so it is not a bad thing to drink a few decilitres per day, and it is a way to get water if there is no clean water available. Like much else, you probably just have to be careful to not drink too much. Most of the sap has been boiled down to syrup, which has become about more than three liters of birch syrup, even though they could boil it more to make it thicker.

No one is surprise I take the opporunity to do experiments to see how the sap and syrup preserve, and we fill five small bottles each with sap and syrup that we have tried to pasteurize. We have no real control over the temperature so the sap has only been heated but well before it starts to boil. It certainly kills vitamins, but sealing each vessel, we can get a feel about preservation. They will open the first sap bottle in 1 month, and then wait another month between each, except the last that will be opened in 6 months time. We label each bottle and store a paper beside them to mark data on. Experimenting like this and testing to collect data is a new experience for the staff, but they just have to learn. There will be more tests in the future.

The workshop fireplace provides light and heat, and together with an oil lantern and the headlamp hung on the wall as a work light, it is quite cozy.

My already quite full list of evening jobs have increase again, as the molds of the wooden figures that Bodil have carved are finished, and I cast table top miniatures. Each cycle to cast miniatures takes time, as I only have one mold for each and the molds are rough. So I make a set, let it cool down a bit before I take out the miniature and cool it in water. Then start over. Each cycle gives me time to clean the miniatures from casting residues and refine a few details. Its hardly anywhere close to modern finely detailed miniatures, but it is quite easy to see what it is supposed to represent and what weapon they have.

I have already written down simple rules with the values of the different characters, and I kept it simple for now, although there is a few missions to play. Dice and a couple of simple measuring rods have been made so its all casting miniatures and making terrain. Iselin and Ciara like to help shape and built simple terrain of wood, fabric, string, paper and pieces of metal. A few scrap brass pieces will act as valuable things and loot. A simple longship shape with sails, because of course there would be. Wooden blocks as a house with a bit of straw glued on top. Horizontal pieces of wood as a fence. Higher pieces of wood as wall sections. A simple bridge. By drawing on the pieces of wood with ink, it becomes clearer what it is and saves time from making something prettier. Other terrain features are green fabric wrapped around two larger flat pieces of wood to be hills. A couple of pieces of blue fabric to be a coastline or river, while a brown piece is a swamp or marshland to limit mobility. There is a few simple standing triangles for spruces to show the edge of a forest, although Ciara is making prettier spruce trees by twistering two copper wires with a lot of green yarn between them. She is so pleased over her small trees, and line them up as she finish them. Alith isn't with us tonight, but she have of course understood a bit of what I'm doing and it is something to do as she guards me in here, and her half finished wooden tower will be quite good. A lot can be made with a knife, small branchs, string and glue. To bad there isn't any quickglue.

There is no TV and crafts are something everyone does in the evenings, but tonight it is for just the three of us in my workshop. A cozy and peaceful time while we work and just enjoy each others company.