Flint-and-Steel

Flint-and-Steel
"Who is the fuel, and who is the flame?"
Origin	Flesh and Stone
Titles	Flint-and-Steel The Pyre-Spark
Names	Vahan the Bright Zarir, the Fire of Victory
Aspects
Date of arrival	c. 480 B.C.E.
Owner(s)	Will, A Poor Lunatic

Flint-and-Steel (The Pyre-Spark) is the nineteenth Hour of the Second Fansus, represented by the Sun. Once a Name of a long-forgotten Hour, it is the Hour of obsessions that consume, of mad genius, and of self-destruction. Its aspects are Forge, Moth, and Lantern.

History

Flint-and-Steel rose from Flesh and Stone. Flint-and-Steel rose as the Old Place fell. Flint-and-Steel rises from the ashes of the past. When the Other Place fell, Flint-and-Steel almost perished. It survived in a comatose state, surviving on the dimmest sparks of Glory until, one day, the Mother Bear reignited the Glory and the Pyre-Spark awoke.

Flint-and-Steel was especially active in Persia, inspiring Ahura Mazda and patronising the Achaemenids and especially the Arsacids during the War of the Ancients. Its influence brought technological advancement to the Parthians - superior metallurgy, automatons, steam power... But much was lost to the war and the influence of the Rotted Ox.

Appearance

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Principles

It is known to the adepts of Forge that for an artisan to achieve their greatest work they must destroy their most precious tool. Flint-and-Steel embodies this, its touch burning away tool and craftsman alike to bring forth works of unmatched genius. Its obsession and madness invokes Moth, which yearns for the hint of the Glory's Lantern-light that is the Pyre-Spark. It drives men to madness, and so is both revered and feared in equal measure by adepts.

Worship

Cult

The main cult of the Flint-and-Steel in the Histories is The Order of the Eternal Flame, centered in Persia. The Order is a Zoroastrian-influenced society made up of scientists, artisans, engineers, and artists, all of whom have dedicated themselves to finding the boundaries of their talent and going beyond.

Mark

"I am the strike and the spark. The world is my kindling, and we shall reforge it in fire." These are the Marks of Refinement. To obtain them one must devote themselves to their craft to the expense of all else.

1. Notion: Genius - I could create such wonders...
2. Dedication: Genius - I have dedicated myself to achieving the pinnacle of the artisan's craft.
3. Ascension: Genius - The Pyre-Spark has settled in my mind and it burns with new ideas. I know this to be the Third Mark.
4. Ascension: Genius - The Fourth Mark is the fire in my words and in my eyes, and my skin is fever-hot like a furnace.
5. Ascension: Genius - My flesh has begun to burn away, and it is replaced with something so much more than what it was. I have turned my attention to the world as something to be shaped. This is the Fifth Mark.
6. Ascension: Genius - The Sixth Mark is when I have no use for tools and blazing furnaces. The strength of my will and my hands is enough to reforge the world.
7. The Phoenix's Pyre - I have passed near to the blazing heights of the Glory, and there the last of my old self was set aflame. I have risen from my own ashes, and now I am a thing of fire fueled by what I was. My touch burns away the old and leaves only the new. I will walk the world and the House, and my works will bring both closer to the Glory. I will not grow old. I will change and change and change until, one day, maybe one day soon, I become something wonderous.

Names

Vahan the Bright

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Zarir, the Fire of Victory

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Long

The Flint-and-Steel's Long are often called Phoenixes. They appear as blazing infernos with a person at their heart, and they are reputed to be peerless craftsmen with no fixed abode, wandering and learning and creating. They are alchemists, smiths, and artists all.

Locations

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Relationships

• The Storm-Tossed: "What do you seek, Traveller? Do we yearn for the same place? Do we both yearn for the Glory's light?"
• The Spirarch: "Why are you so afraid, Spirarch? What scares you so? You have forgotten what it means to be Forge."
• The Perennial: "Not so bad, half the time anyway."
• The Faceless King: "How sad. Let us see how your torment may be ended!"
• The Hunter: "Perfection in one sphere! But why restrict yourself to only the hunt?"
• The Masquerade: "You are a confusing one aren't you? Maybe you can help me shape the minds of humanity."
• The Bright Tapestry: "We share the same goal. What a pity it is that cloth is so flammable!"
• The Die-Cutter: "Chance and fate. An irregularity, but the unexpected can be a boon."
• The Mother Bear: "Stagnancy hidden behind goodwill! You must be removed, for you will not change. I am sorry for that, oh Protector of All."
• The Maw Consuming: "... Why do you look at me like that?"
• The Succulent Glow: "I am not food. Consume me, and I will show you why I am called the Pyre-Spark."
• The Knife's Edge: "I like you."
• The Princess Prominent: "If I give you toys and let you nap by my flames will you rerain from knocking over my tools? Yes? We have a deal then."
• The Ultimate Emperor: "I have no idea where you came from, but if you interrupt my work there shall be trouble."
• The Ferric Brand: "Reshape the flesh, yes yes, but why stop there? Reprogram the mind! Reforge the soul!"
• The Partisan: "My masterwork! My pride and joy! We'll show them some time, don't worry."
• The Monument: "You're not so bad. The future is nothing without the past. Just don't get in my way."
• The Cub: "Why are you so attached to the Law?"
• The Ink: "What a nice chap he is. Pity his work is so flammable, or I would visit more often."
• Our Lady Betrayed: "... I really hope I never piss you off."
• The Fool Unrepentant: "What."
• The Worm Funktastic: "Doot... Doot? What does that even mean. Regardless, I like your style."
• The Half-Turned: "No, stop that."
• The Rotted Ox: "Get out before I kill you."
• The Morning Star: "You. Remove yourself from the Glory please."
• Our Lady's Resolve: "Thank you."
• The More-Opened: "Stop putting holes in my work."
• The Unending Worm: "Quest for the Glory, not a dumb tree."
• The Thorned Courier: "Always chattering in my ear when I'm trying to work. I need to invent voice mail some time."
• The Trickster Princes: "Freedom is good, but do you have to make everything into a joke?"