Even I have to pay the bills

Shang Li · Post by **Shang Li** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 4:25 am

Now that i am not at home for 16 hours + a day, and i have cut back on "consultations" in favor of being a bit more proactive in dealing with nasties, i have a new way to pay the bills on my dojo/shrine.

Custom crafted Swords and charms.
for a modest fee you may place an order for a finely crafted japanese blade. (takes 6 months to make one so place orders now)

Also For a modest fee i can make and send joss charms. (you cover materiels if you can activate them - a modest fee pre- activated)

KonThaak · Post by **KonThaak** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 8:45 pm

Sounds great! I think I'll pay for a pair of katana now, and ask you to hang onto them for a while for me, or put them in a safe place. I'd like for my son to be able to get his hands on some made by a master.

As for the charm... I have to admit, I'm not terribly well-informed about joss charms... What are they, and what do they do?

Kolya · Post by **Kolya** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 9:32 pm

KonThaak wrote:Sounds great! I think I'll pay for a pair of katana now, and ask you to hang onto them for a while for me, or put them in a safe place. I'd like for my son to be able to get his hands on some made by a master.

As for the charm... I have to admit, I'm not terribly well-informed about joss charms... What are they, and what do they do?

I am also not informed. I know someone who will take a blade or two as well. Hell, I might even take one just to have as decoration. I do much better work with guns.

Bert_the_Turtle · Post by **Bert_the_Turtle** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 9:38 pm

The best thing about blades is that they don't take ammunition. That's why I carry 1 or 2 (or 3) knives instead of a few more extra clips. If I can't get the job done with what I carry now then a few extra probably aren't going to help greatly but I can wield knives til either they break or my body does.

Shadowstalker · Post by **Shadowstalker** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 9:52 pm

I would be willing to put in an order for both and I am willing to wait till you have time.

Shang Li · Post by **Shang Li** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 2:08 am

Joss charms are similar to your scrolls. the main differences are 1. you burn a joss to release the ritual within. 2. anyone with a fire source can use a joss. 3. most joss deals directly with spirits.

i have KT down for 2 blades (mid summer for both if they are "typical" blades, about 6 months each if they are ready to awaken)
Koyla - 1 or 2 blades? (katana, wakazashi, or tanto?)
Shadow send me the delivery address and i will send a supply of joss (4 each, with instructions) for bringing luck, warding off evil spirits, and calling the protection of the ancestor spirits to ones home, as well as 8 each of the more "field ready" charms (just light them and try not to burn yourself) the ability to see chi and magic, banishment (very lesser), vanish (carefull this one has guncotton as one of the ingredients for the paper) phantom noises, and phantom lights. the gold slip shaped like a dragon scale with the kanji of light and balance is to be placed against the skin - glued in place with 1 drop of blood - this will provide a small amount of protection till the sun crosses the horizon (think of this one as a very low quality back up armor)

Razor · Post by **Razor** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 2:17 am

Shang Li, I might need to make use of those Joss'.... Also, I would like to see some examples along with appraisals of your blades. I have a master weaponsmith (a pair of them actually) that are about to make me a katana, wakisashi, tanto, odachi and a longsword. The whole set should appraise somewhere around 2 million dollars US. Thankfully I know them, and will have a hand in their forging so I damn near am getting them for free.

Shang Li · Post by **Shang Li** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 8:18 am

My blades are not made to be of "value" they are made to be used. As i am not a famous smith my blades probly don't have much monetary value. they are afterall only worked bars of steel with wooden pieces. As a testimonial (not worth much) I can and will attest that the blades a craft are made in the old ways and the pair that I use has never failed me against any foe (vampire, were, demon, anything that has a body).

Ron Caliburn · Post by **Ron Caliburn** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 11:14 am

What do you have for dreams that just won't go away?

Razor · Post by **Razor** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 11:23 am

Oh, I didn't mean to imply they weren't meant for use. These blades test somewhere upwards of 60-62 on the Rockwell hardness scale, and are being crafted for battle. They will be made from high quality tempered steel hand forged using the Knowledge as well as a few other methods. The handle is going to have compressed quartz in it so as to store energy within as well as conduct it. (Hopefully I can get it to compress enough to actually produce electricity. Compressed quartz is infact an extremely good conductor. My friends are going to run an experiment to see if under further compression if it will not only conduct, but produce electricity.) The blade will also be filled with several kinds of powdered gems which can and will be used like power stones. The list includes saphire, onyx, obsidian, and possibly diamond dust to go along the edge. Furthermore, the blades will also be inscribed with the proper Kanji and such to up their cutting power and give them to affect more of the supernatural. I will also be having them blessed by a few different holy men just to add on that last little bit of insurance.

Basically between the over all quality of the blades, the materials, and the method, as well as the craftsmanship... that is what will drive them up so high.

Further note: The longsword will be made in a similar fashion, just without all the gems. It is going to be inscribed with the norse runes, detailing a few of Odin's philosiphies. It's my forger's own idea. He's made some before like that, and has never had a blade made in such a fashion yet.

I just wonder how yours would stand up, that's all. You can rest assured the blades I just described will be put to many rigorous tests before I fully trust them. However, I'm always looking for other blades. Never know when having a different blade, or one to just take around with you when you're just doing general hunting will come in handy.

KonThaak · Post by **KonThaak** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:34 pm

Razor: There's one major difference between the costly blades you're acquiring and the blades that Shang Li makes... While yours will include precious gems, crushed or otherwise, to help you combat the paranormal, his blades, as I understand the creation process, will do it with steel alone.

Japanese mastersmiths (for lack of a better term for it) bring out the spirit/ki of the steel of the blade, the wood of the hilt, and even the material used for the grip as they forge their blades, making them capable of causing harm to any corporeal beastie you might run into, without the costliness of adding all that extra (sorry, no offense, but it is) junk on it, which could hamper the effectiveness of the blade overall.

I would imagine that Master Li's blades would be effective against spirit creatures, too, but unless one can easily see what one is doing in the astral/spiritual realm, it's difficult to tell one way or the other...

EDIT: By the by, compressed quartz should produce electricity, but I don't have the numbers to say how compressed it needs to be, or how much it can produce. My father is an electronics engineer, and works with quartz a lot, so he's pretty knowledgeable.

Eric Eland · Post by **Eric Eland** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 12:08 am

Blades made by the traditional, master smiths, yes a good term, they are indeed magical in their own way. They hurt things, those you can see and those you cant, very handy to have around. No nasty thing I have had to combat yet has stood up to a master smith blade.

Razor · Post by **Razor** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 1:05 pm

Oh, I see... No, this guy has also mastered making japanese blades, and he will in fact be imbueing the katanas with Chi/Ki. Trust me, I wouldn't be having them made if he didn't. The extra 'junk' which you mentioned is only added on for certain properties I plan on giving it, such as acting as a spiritual prison for one.

The real power will be in fact what it is imbued with. Those extras are only to help in certain areas.

I wouldn't have my blades made by anything short of a master, one who's especially good with energy. Hence why I said they would be forged with the Knowledge, which is the method of japanese forgemasters. The rest of that 'junk' as you mentioned is just icing.

Shadowstalker · Post by **Shadowstalker** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 7:51 pm

I'll drop by as soon as I can I alos have some things I would offer for use in makeing my blades.

BraveSirRobin · Post by **BraveSirRobin** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 10:55 pm

you know, I have been meaning to pick up a good short sword...

of course, whether I could actually afford one depends on if my sister actually held on to my money while I was locked up or if she fell off the wagon and used it to get a fix.

Shang Li · Post by **Shang Li** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 1:28 am

razor - i am too old to be having to duel for the honor of my craft and skills. if you belive the other man is better - then he is better. as for those of you with faith in my crafting skill i thank you. (i have orders for blades for KonThaak, Koyla, Shadowstalker, and robin)

for joss orders i have to change my price to "you cover the shipping cause paper gets heavy" considering that with events happening as they are i do not feel right charging for needed services.

burn 1 of the gold joss in each corner of the building on an outer wall (banish) and then attach one of the red charms to the right hand edge of each opening in the wall (ward)

KonThaak · Post by **KonThaak** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 11:55 pm

I'll order a handful of Joss while I'm at it.

Financial situation over here is a bit sticky, so feel free to hold off on my order. I'm not in desperate need of any of them at the moment, and I hate sending out orders when I don't have the money to pay for them.

I should be able to cover everything by summer, at the latest. In the meantime, I'll letcha know when I can afford each of the items.

Thanks again.