With the successful completion of the Kiln Project, Kael had secured the barony's thermal and fuel stability. The system was now operating at maximum efficiency for its current technological level, generating a reliable, high-volume tradable commodity. The next crucial bottleneck was tool fabrication and maintenance. While Hektor's efforts using the imported high-grade coastal iron had produced superior scythes and axles, the work was still conducted in a rudimentary, open forge—inefficient, vulnerable to weather, and incapable of the scale required for total technological overhaul. Kael's plan required the systematic replacement of every soft-iron tool, fastener, and fitting in the barony with high-grade, durable metal, transitioning the barony from an age of decay to an age of permanence.
Kael initiated the construction of the Iron Works, a dedicated, permanent structure designed for standardized, high-volume production. The location was critical: adjacent to the new Kiln and Drying Facility. This placement was a deliberate logistical decision, ensuring that the necessary heat and cured briquette fuel could be transferred directly with minimal labor expenditure. The entire Core labor group, supported by the skilled Contingent workers freed from foraging duties, was mobilized for the construction.
The structure itself was an exercise in functional architecture. It was built with thick, double walls of refractory brick—the same durable material used for the kiln lining—to contain the intense heat and noise of the forging process and prevent structural failure. Kael insisted on a high, vented roof designed with a chimney stack, utilizing principles of passive ventilation to draw the soot and heat away from the forging floor, improving worker safety and metallurgical quality control. . This was an alien concept to the workers, who were accustomed to the smoke-filled, hazardous conditions of traditional village smithies.
Hektor, the blacksmith, was elevated to the role of Master Forgemaster and was tasked with managing the technical specifications. Kael's blueprints focused on creating two distinct, dedicated forging stations. The first station was for Rough Work—the preliminary hammering and shaping of the raw coastal ore into manageable bars and billets. The second station, positioned near a specialized water trough, was for Precision Tempering and Standardization.
The key to Kael's industrial vision was standardization. He ordered Hektor to cease all custom fabrication. Instead, Hektor was to focus on producing a limited catalog of high-demand, universal parts: standardized nails, fasteners, axles, hinges, and, most importantly, scythe blades of an identical, mathematically defined curvature and length. Kael provided Hektor with a series of fixed wooden jigs and gauges—tools used to ensure every output was identical.
"Every scythe blade must weigh precisely the same amount," Kael instructed, referencing the log books. "Every nail must fit the same pre-drilled hole. Standardization reduces waste, simplifies repair, and makes the logistical management of spare parts predictable." This concept of interchangeable parts was radically foreign to the feudal system, where every item was uniquely crafted and repaired. Standardization was not about artistry; it was about ensuring that if a wheel broke in the field, a replacement axle could be sourced from inventory and fitted instantly, preventing the loss of vital working hours.
The construction of the Iron Works took several weeks, but the impact was immediate. Once operational, the controlled environment allowed Hektor to achieve and maintain far higher and more consistent temperatures than ever before, dramatically improving the quality of the steel temper. The improved thermal control reduced the rate of tool failure and extended the operational lifespan of every item produced, representing a vast, long-term saving in labor and material replacement cost. Kael audited the initial output, comparing the density and durability of the new, standardized scythe blades against the previous customized ones, logging a measurable 40% increase in average operational hours before requiring maintenance.
The establishment of the Iron Works created a new, permanent hierarchy within the barony: the Industrial Core. This small group of highly skilled, numerate workers—apprentices to Hektor—was responsible for maintaining the machinery, logging the briquette fuel consumption, and ensuring the precision of the output gauges. They were paid a marginally higher ration, reflecting the higher value Kael placed on specialized technical skill over raw physical labor.
Kael began using the excess capacity of the Iron Works to produce specialized, non-military equipment designed purely for increasing resource access. He ordered the production of specialized mining picks and wheelbarrow components for deeper excavation into the riverbed, aiming to secure a permanent, local source of high-purity clay for future refractory needs. The goal was to eliminate reliance on the distant, limited pockets of river silt, ensuring the sustainability of the Kiln Project and paving the way for eventual pottery and construction material production.
The Iron Works was the physical manifestation of the barony's commitment to self-sufficiency and superior engineering. It demonstrated that Kael was investing his limited capital into tools of production, not consumption or vanity. Ashfall was no longer a desperate collection of survivors; it was a small, disciplined industrial engine, focused entirely on converting technical discipline into material security and economic stability.