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.Next he had heard from a delegation of the Fletchers Guild with a list ofcomplaints, chief of which was a strongly worded query as to why the new RoyalArmy of Hos-Hostigos wasn't using any archers.When he had suggested that theyconsider joining the Gunsmiths Guild, they'd reacted in horror, as if he'dasked them all to undergo a voluntary orchidectomy!Finally, to put a cherry atop his day, Rylla had insisted that Hos-Hostigosneeded a Throne, and not just any throne, but one with a 'name.' After all,all the Great Kingdom thrones had their own names:Hos-Harphax had the Iron Throne; Hos-Zygros the Ivory Throne; Hos-Ktemnos thePage 56ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlGolden Throne;Hos-Bletha the Silver Throne which made sense since it was originally anoff-shoot of Hos-Ktemnos.Hos-Agrys, the richest of the Five Kingdoms, had the Throne of Light, a jewelencrusted throne.Rylla had insisted it was only proper that Hos-Hostigos haveone, too.And, as to be expected, everyone and his brother in the Great Hall had his ownsuggestion: Xentos came up with the Throne of Dralm Kalvan overruled that, tooreligious and bound to makeHos-Hostigos more enemies from the priesthoods of the other True Gods.Harmakros came up with theGranite Throne, which he thought was a strong name but Rylla nixed it."It's astone!" Someone in jest had suggested the Wooden Throne which almost got himtarred and feathered! Skranga came up with the Throne of Steel, and almost gotinto a fight with Sarrask who thought it would make them look like vassals tothe Iron Throne.Finally, Rylla came up with the Fireseed Throne; a name even he found uniquelyappropriate and had given it his blessings.Furthermore, she was going todesign and commission the throne herself as a present to their Great King!Afterwards, to celebrate, casks of ale and winter wine were brought into theHall and opened.Kalvan sat as his desk trying to ignore his wine headache.He had the only"desk" in the Hos-Hostigos(although Skranga claimed to have seen one in Hos-Zygros) and he'd had to makeit himself because no one in the Fitters and Joiners Guild would beresponsible for such an abomination.Furniture-making, like so many othercrafts he'd once taken for granted, had a long way to go here-and-now.Theonly 'real'furniture were tables, chests, cupboards, stools, benches and contraptionsthat looked like a old-fashioned upright wardrobes for holding clothes.Valuables were kept in chests, such as the implements that passed forsilverware here-and-now, tinderboxes and candleholders.Chairs were new andall the rage, but hardly found outside palaces and the homes of the wealthy.Kalvan would have given a couple of cavalry regiments for a Lazy-Boy armchairwith a footrest!Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlThe top of Kalvan's desk was made from the bole of an oak tree that had beenyoung when Leif Ericson sailed to Vinland, and it was covered with scrolls,maps and parchments weighted down by one of the new rifled pistols he'ddesigned for his own use.The workmanship of the pistol was magnificent:mother-of-pearl inlay in dark walnut wood, worked and etched silver facingsand an ivory butt with a carved representation of Galzar Wolfhead.It musthave taken a master gunsmith and his apprentices all of three or four monthsto handcraft it for the King.Three or four months in which the craftsmancould have turned out a dozen utilitarian pistols, or even five or sixmuskets.With the immediate crisis over, everyone well, almost everyone seemed to wantto return to the old ways of Before Kalvan.Output at the rifle shop haddropped from fifteen rifles a day to six.Part of the slowdown was due to theharsh weather, but what was really happening was simple economics; the gunshopcould turn out five smoothbores for each rifled musket it produced.Despitethe fact that theRoyal Treasury was paying them five times as much for each rifle, every timethey thought their GreatKing wasn't watching, they went and stepped up production of smoothbores.Theonly reason they were still making at least six rifles a day was becauseKalvan had threatened to mount a few of their heads on the palisade ofTarr-Hostigos if production dropped any lower.Page 57ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlCannon production had dropped to almost nothing because they'd run out ofbrass.Last month, he'd had them melt down every brass chamberpot andornamental vase, brass utensil and brass coin inHostigos Town and the outlying towns and villages.Result: one cast-brasssixteen-pounder, three eight-pounders and one six-pounder.Note: find local source of copper [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]