The Farrier

Some say an army marches on its stomach. But an army of horses marches very poorly indeed without proper hoof care, or if not professionally shod. An expert in this field is a prized asset in any army, caravan, or covenant. The Farrier is an important professional, needed wherever horses are in use. He is more craftsman than animal wrangler. While regular stable boys and groomsmen take care of the day-to-day tending and the hard labor of fetching water and mucking out the stables, the Farrier has more specialized skills. His primary area of expertise is caring for horses' hooves and fitting horseshoes, as well as general equine veterinary skills. The village blacksmith might have wrought the shoe, and could shoe the horse, if need be. But the Farrier can adapt, modify, and fit it optimally. Where many horses need care, a specialized Farrier is of great value. Some people even attribute to a good Farrier supernatural abilities; this may or may not be the case.

A wholly mundane Farrier could be the usual misfit or tragic figure, a person having lost everything or fallen to the bottom rung of society. Alternatively, he could be a person who has made enemies of nobles or been shunned by the craft guild. Such a character could easily be lured by a secure, free, and comfortable position at a well-off covenant.

A supernaturally aligned Farrier could either be shunned by society in general and by the Church in particular, or be harassed or sought after by magi, hedge wizards, or supernatural beings. And as such, only a covenant with a fair Aegis of the Hearth offers any real sanctuary. Depending on the supernatural abilities of the Farrier, covenants and magi could be anything from mildly to very interested. Small, mundane enhancements of quality, or even magical abilities, are great boons to the riders of a covenant turb. And this is nothing to the advantages a Mercer House could gain for their Redcaps.

The following notes provide guidance on creating a Farrier.

SUGGESTED VIRTUES AND FLAWS

Virtues might include: Animal Ken, Craft Guild Training*, Mythic Farrier*, Puissant (Craft: Farrier)

Flaws might include: Curse of Slander*, Imagined Folk Tradition Vulnerability*, Independent Craftsman, Necessary (Realm) for (Ability), Vulnerable to Folk Tradition

* See Chapter 6, New Virtues and Flaws

Craftsman seems the logical choice, although Wanderer or Outcast is appropriate for a newcomer or a troubled individual, or Covenfolk for a long-term employee.

Suggested abilities are: Animal Handling, Craft: Farrier, Craft: Blacksmith, Bargain.

This is the professional skill of hoof care and shoeing horses. It differs from Animal Handling by focusing on horses, and by expanding the knowledge of serious care of hooves, teeth and legs. It is also more craft-oriented, as it includes the skills needed to modify and adapt horseshoes made by a blacksmith. It may be used instead of Animal Handling or Medicine to cure equine disease; the farrier has a +1 bonus to resolve it, increasing to +3 if it concerns the feet, compared to somebody using Animal Handling. Many farriers also have Craft: Blacksmith, expanding their expertise to making horseshoes from raw iron as well as other ironworking skills.

Note that the rules from City & Guild for craft quality (page 67) allow for the farrier to make high quality horseshoes. A Craft Total of 12 makes Superior items, giving a +1 bonus for a single feature. This could cover only some of the typical Riding specialties: speed, sureness of foot, trample damage, jumping skill, etc.. Horseshoes cannot by mundane means affect other specialties, like ease of control or endurance, but a Mythic Farrier could work magic into the shoes. A Craft total of 15 or more makes Excellent items, giving a bonus to all uses of a single Ability of +1 or more, limited to [Craft Ability]/3.

Training packages include: Athletic or Social Childhood. Craftsman, Farmer, or perhaps Animal Trainer. Covenfolk or Trainer for an experienced specialist.

The Craftsman package should use Craft: Farrier for Craft Type A, and Animal Handling or Craft: Blacksmith for Craft B.

These suggested Abilities can be used for any Farrier.

ABILITIES AT AGE 15 (APPRENTICE): Animal Handling 1 (horses), Area Lore 2 (local), Awareness 3 (animals), Bargain 3 (equine), Brawl 2 (grappling), Carouse 1 (stories), Craft: Farrier 4 (shoes), Native Language 5 (peasants), Organization Lore: Farriers' Guild 2 (regulations), Ride 3 (jumping).

ABILITIES AT AGE 25 (JOURNEYMAN): Animal Handling 3 (horses), Area Lore 2 (local), Awareness 3 (animals), Bargain 3 (equine), Brawl 2 (grappling), Carouse 3 (stories), Craft: Blacksmith 3 (15) (horseshoes), Craft: Farrier 5 (15) (shoes), Native Language 5 (peasants), Organization Lore: Farriers' Guild 2 (regulations), Ride 3 (jumping), Swim 2 (diving).

ABILITIES AT AGE 40 (MASTER): Animal Handling 5 (horses), Area Lore 4 (local), Awareness 4 (animals), Bargain 3 (equine), Brawl 3 (grappling), Carouse 3 (stories), Craft (Blacksmith) 5 (horseshoes), Craft: Farrier 6 (shoes), Guile 4 (fraud), Native Language 5 (peasants), Organization Lore: Farriers' Guild 3 (regulations), Ride 3 (jumping), Swim 2 (diving).

These story seeds feature a Farrier as a central character.

The covenant's scouts report that an ongoing, armed conflict is not only escalating, but the enemy is getting the upper hand. The turb is losing the battle due to the swiftness and responsiveness of the enemy's cavalry. Rumor has it that an excellent farrier moved to the neighboring village just last year, but strange things are said about him. Whether or not he is evil incarnate, he is said to possess almost supernatural abilities. The magi want to enlist his help, voluntarily or not. But he is not so easily coerced, and further study reveals that he is in fact in the employment of the enemy. Thus, his recruitment becomes doubly important; not only can he improve the covenant's cavalry, his services will also be denied to the enemy. But beware, as he is easily spooked and may bolt and all but disappear. Retracing his past steps shows that he moves yearly, and always ends up with a poor reputation. Do the magi really want such a troublemaker in their midst?

In the course of an adventure, a group of magi and their retinue come across a somewhat strange noble court, in the middle of the wilderness. The archetypical courtiers and retainers found there, as well as the flawless castle, quickly reveal out the fay. But it is too late, the characters are already caught up in a faerie story of court intrigue, romance and tragic dueling. Regrettably, the court is inhabited by dark faeries, who are sore losers indeed. Some of the lower-ranking fay even stoop to cheating, a thing immediately punished by the lord, but the setbacks to the player characters' situation remain. Eventually, one of the court servants turns out to be a faerie-touched human, serving as stable master. He has been held prisoner, but tolerated it, while learning from the faerie smith. But now he is fed up, and wants to leave. He offers to help the characters to steal the fastest faerie horses, and hamper the lord's hunting party. However, the ensuing hunt is tricky, since the dark forest is still to a certain degree controlled by the faerie lord.

A PAWN SAVED IS A PAWN OWNED

A maga is tasked with setting up a Mercer house at her covenant, in order to secure the best possible mounts for the Redcaps. The orders are clear, the task is rushed along, but the resources are lagging. The covenant lacks a great deal of the resources due to other pressing matters or vis shortages. However, the covenant has a Mythic Farrier in its service, and the maga sees great opportunities. Significantly, a lot of what she thought she needed magic and vis for can be done by this simple craftsman. Can he be convinced to do with his skills what might have needed Hermetic magic?

Using the Farrier concept as a companion gives even more reason to play with the supernatural side of it. The increased range of Virtues possible allows Mythic Farrier to be expanded with a second form, or even replaced by the Touched by [Realm] Major Virtue in order to avoid some of the restrictions of the Minor version (City & Guild, page 71). Furthermore, Puissant (Ability), Affinities, Increased, or Great Characteristic can boost the potential Craft Totals considerably. Various Social Status Virtues from City & Guild could improve the Farrier's place in society and his workshop, and possibly give him the benefits of assistants. But the main idea is making him a character worth playing and bringing along on adventures, instead of having him just hammer away in his shop. Investing in the Arcane Lore Virtue would make him a fine choice to bring along when investigating exotic locales for minerals — for him to use in his horseshoes — or for supernaturally aligned riding beasts.