Online:Ludovic Laumont

Ludovic Laumont is a Breton NPC hireling that sends you blacksmithing materials via the in-game mail, after the second hireling, Aksel Rockbiter, has sent all his letters to you. He is a smith at the Four Irons Smeltery who teaches two apprentices, Urbek and Farrokh.

Correspondence

Ludovic Laumont Correspondence
Number	Author	Message
201	Ludovic Laumont	Well met, good smith! I am forge master Ludovic Laumont of the most reputable and renowned Four Irons Smeltery. It is my great honor to provide the finest in materials to artisans such as yourself. Included is your inaugural shipment. May it serve you well.
202	Ludovic Laumont	The reputation of the Four Irons is most certainly what brought us your business, but I assure you that it wasn't established overnight. Twelve generations of exacting Laumont business is what has forged our legacy into a household name. Again I bring you that quality today.
203	Ludovic Laumont	Pay no attention to stories that the Laumont line emerged from a union between man and flame atronach, or that our children are born from a furnace. We Bretons are prone to flights of fancy and exhibit a natural flare for embellishment.
204	Ludovic Laumont	The Laumont talent for metalwork in all its forms didn't materialize from some divine spark. It was hammered into our blood by decades of tradition and refinement, perfected by the hands and hammers of my ancestors so that I might share it with the world.
205	Ludovic Laumont	Did I mention Four Irons is a learning institution? It's true! In addition to passing our technique on to our inherently talented kin, we educate hard working apprentices the world over in the art of metallurgy.
206	Ludovic Laumont	Why we are expecting a new apprentice coming all the way from Orsinium to learn the Laumont's family trademark artistry. I'm quite excited at the opportunity to impart the burgeoning society of theOrcs with the benefit of some Breton culture.
207	Ludovic Laumont	Excuse the brevity. Our guest will arrive tomorrow and preparations must be made. All orders will continue as scheduled.
208	Ludovic Laumont	The adjustment period for the new arrival might be longer than I would normally expect. The boy hasn't said a word since he arrived, though he responds to my direction. Truth be told I wouldn't have thought this hulking brute the same age as my own son had I not been told so before meeting him. His arm is thick as my waist.
209	Ludovic Laumont	Well, young Urbek is settling in. We have intended to board him with the other apprentices, but his cot collapsed and he's expressed a preference for the basement. By which I mean he grunted in annoyance and stretched out on the stone floor. He seems comfortable enough.
210	Ludovic Laumont	It seems the Orcs of clan Tumnosh are practiced stone breakers and miners. That might explain why the lad they sent me resembles an ox. I have given him a tour of our marvelous metal works and the rich history of the Laumont family that he will be carrying on, but the boy actually yawned. I feel like I'm wasting my breath!
211	Ludovic Laumont	I am hesitant to put Urbek to work in the forge, even to work the bellows. If you've had any experience dealing with Orcs, the advice would be appreciated. For the moment, I've shown him to our mine and asked him to dig ore.
212	Ludovic Laumont	Sheor's blood, that Orc boy can dig. I've got a heap of fresh minerals nearly my own height. You can thank him for assuring you see a steady supply for the foreseeable future. I think he'd still be going if he hadn't mangled every pickaxe in our stores.
213	Ludovic Laumont	Now that Urbek can appreciate where the ore comes from, I think it's time he sees how we transform it into a usable form. He's going to bring up a load from the mine to work with. With any luck he'll be smelting metal suitable of the Laumont seal.
214	Ludovic Laumont	I beg your greatest pardons if this delivery was delayed. Urbek drug the entire mine cart up to the smeltery and nearly buried us. It's not in my nature to shout at a learning mind, thank the gods, because I don't think I'd survive angering the boy.
215	Ludovic Laumont	At least the boy can clear a mess as fast as he can make one. The smeltery is clear of debris again. Today's lesson won't be anything fancy, but the basics of melting points and mold casting are essential whether you're working with simple copper or something as rare as Ebony.
216	Ludovic Laumont	Every apprentice reaches a point where they think they know better than the master, some laborious step seems a waste of time so they take the short cut. I didn't expect Urbek to reach that point so soon. He's begun hammering the ore on my anvil. He'll see reason soon enough.
217	Ludovic Laumont	He cracked the anvil. I'm so mad I could spit. Forgive me. Here's your order.
218	Ludovic Laumont	My great-great-great-grandfather forged the blades of five dynasties on that anvil, and his great-great-great-grandfather before him cast it right into the foundation of this site. It is the bedrock of this establishment. Now defaced by a great fissure, I'll likely have to replace it entirely!
219	Ludovic Laumont	I realized that in taking you into my confidence with this dilemma, it may reflect poorly on our business relationship. The Four Irons maintains several other working anvils, so there will be no delays in our ongoing service to you, good smith.
220	Ludovic Laumont	You needn't linger on any questions of the quality of the services you've paid for. Let me just say that after centuries of daily labor, my ancestral anvil had never once required repair and this should only underscore the exceptional circumstances under which Four Irons produced goods could fail.
221	Ludovic Laumont	In fact, the Laumont family can attest that its workmanship has endured many generations, through times of war and peace alike. Why, it's said that the black blade of the Iron Son cut down ten thousand warriors during his reign. Who did that ancient lord of Camlorn entrust to work the rarest iron in Tamriel? The Laumonts, that's who.
222	Ludovic Laumont	That reminds me, the Four Irons Smeltery is supremely qualified to handle all forms of metal, both known and unknown to Man and Mer alike. Such work is prohibitively costly. Why risk it with inferior workmanship when our expertise is always at your service, good smith?
223	Ludovic Laumont	I can only assume the components provided by the Four Irons have served beyond your greatest expectations. We remain humbly at your service.
224	Ludovic Laumont	Urbek has finally been convinced of the merits of smelting and heating the metal before beating it into shape. He raw forged a blade he was quite proud of until he shattered it on one of my shields. When I regained feeling in my arm I showed him how to work out the impurities. Progress at last.
225	Ludovic Laumont	Are all Orcs so single-mindedly fixated on the physicality of action? This boy has almost no concept of subtlety or finesse. If an act is not punctuated with the percussion of violence, it seems to hold no value. I thought he might explode at any moment when I made him carefully pour our last batch of ingots into their molds. He still has to scour the first batch off the walls and floor.
226	Ludovic Laumont	Urbek has reached a competency that it [sic] suitable to see honest work. He may be ready to show you his own handiwork soon enough. Rest assured that nothing will be permitted to reach your forge without first being inspected and measured up to the standards of the Laumont family name.
227	Ludovic Laumont	I had intended for Urbek to include his own professional correspondence with his first work, as establishing a healthy rapport with their customers is a vital skill for a craftsman, but he has great difficulty with writing. No stylus or paper has been forged that can survive his penmanship.
228	Ludovic Laumont	The Laumont family recognizes the value of passion in learning, so Urbek is currently working on a personal project. I've included these components from our stores, which I'm certain you will find more than satisfactory.
229	Ludovic Laumont	Urbek is cleverer than he appears. He's been hammering out metal sheets with letters on them, no doubt to refine his metal work and his literacy at the same time. The Laumont genius must be rubbing off at last.
233	Ludovic Laumont	Apologies, good smith. When Urbek said he was finally writing you, I did not realize he was literally beating his rude concept of language into sheet metal. I assure you that this additional weight was not counted against your component orders. You are welcome to melt them down and put them to better use, of course.
234	Ludovic Laumont	Urbek hasn't said a word to me since I forbade him from using our stock for his literary studies, not that he was talkative in the first place. Perhaps I was too hard on him.
235	Ludovic Laumont	After some careful consideration, I've proposed a compromise to Urbek which he has found agreeable. He may continue his unique transcript methods provided he provides his own materials. If his correspondence becomes burdensome to you, don't hesitate to contact me on the matter.
241	Ludovic Laumont	Eight grant me patience. Urbek just ruined a perfectly good breastplate. Carved the whole thing to ribbons like some feast fowl. Ludicrous as it might sound, steel may be too delicate a metal for his engraving lessons.
246	Ludovic Laumont	These engraving exercises have had an unexpected side effect. I believe Urbek is finally learning to appreciate the results of taking a lighter touch and is attempting more conventional writing again. When I saw him blackened as he was I thought he'd been stoking the fires by hand again, but it was ink that his hands were covered in.
250	Ludovic Laumont	You know I found Urbek reading yesterday? He must be making good progress with his composition. I'm glad I saw the value in encouraging his education. It's not like he'd ever have these opportunities in his homeland, so we must make the most of his time here.
251	Ludovic Laumont	When I described the Four Irons as a learning institution to you, good smith, I had only meant to infer that it was a place where aspiring metal workers could learn their craft from the best, but Urbek has proven that we can do more. We can instill culture and elevate our neighbors from their crude lot. I've never been more proud to be a Laumont.
252	Ludovic Laumont	No doubt you have studied the art of the forge for some time now, good smith, but don't think that a Four Irons education is merely for apprentices. There are many journeymen and masters who grace us with the intent of exchanging techniques. I assure you that the value of such tutelage is well worth the price.
253	Ludovic Laumont	You should know that Urbek's more conventional studies are coming along quite well, as you've no doubt noticed in the quality of the components being delivered. He's finally beginning to acquire the trademark Laumont flourish.
258	Ludovic Laumont	Just when I think the boy is making progress, he manages to remind me that he still struggles with his backward and unsophisticated roots. Just yesterday he pulverized a cord of firewood on the anvil. I never thought I'd have to explain that one cannot forge wood, but I suppose that made it a learning experience for both of us.
259	Ludovic Laumont	I've decided to pair Urbek with another young man in my employ. I am hoping that the other lad's characteristic Redguard discipline will help mold Urbek into a more focused and dutiful student, and I'll admit it'll free me from having to keep so close an eye on our newest apprentice.
260	Ludovic Laumont	It should come as no surprise that the Four Irons Smeltery sees quite a few Redguard come through its doors, both for arms and training. Farrokhzad, being a youth of noteworthy potential, was sent to refine his talents here two years ago. He has been a model student, to the surprise of no one.
261	Ludovic Laumont	I've taken the liberty of sending some components Farrokh has worked with just so you can see what a more advanced student is capable of. His eye for quality is nearly as good as mine now, and that's why craftworkers across Tamriel send their aspiring talents to the Four Irons.
262	Ludovic Laumont	Urbek is, of course, capable of reaching that quality bar, otherwise I wouldn't have him providing you with his work. He just requires more time and oversight to achieve what comes more naturally to a student like Farrokh. It's at the Four Irons that a student like Urbek can learn to make up that deficit.
273	Ludovic Laumont	Good smith, we are amidst finishing our apprentices' evaluations for this period and the Four Irons Smeltery would welcome any opinions on your experiences with Urbek. This information would of course be confidential and only used indirectly in feedback on his performance. This is, of course, optional on your part.
279	Ludovic Laumont	Good smith, has Urbek expressed anything unusual to you in his correspondence? He has been extremely distracted at the forge and not in his usual curious manner. I've had to discipline him for nearly smashing my hand this afternoon and even that didn't seem important to him. The way the boy looks up to me, I assume there must be something afoot.
283	Ludovic Laumont	Apologies for the delay. Urbek's hasty withdrawal from his apprenticeship left me in a bind this morning as I redistributed his duties. I'll admit that this news doesn't come a complete surprise to me, but I had hoped the boy would persevere through his difficulties. Your remaining orders will be expertly fulfilled by my star pupil, Farrokh.
284	Ludovic Laumont	I'm sure Urbek was under a lot of pressure to perform, being an Orc. The Orsimer's reputation for metalwork has been embellished to the point that it's unrecognizable from reality and most certainly an impossible standard for an impressionable youth to have to aspire to.
285	Ludovic Laumont	In all likelihood Urbek was sent to us to give him some perspective, but perhaps the Laumont name was still too high a standard to approach as a novice. At least, as a novice with so many preconceived notions piled on his admittedly broad shoulders.
286	Ludovic Laumont	I would like to note for the record that despite the Four Irons' liberal admission criteria for apprentices, our graduation rate is nearly one hundred percent. In the rare cases of withdrawal it is almost certainly due to extenuating circumstances. Had Urbek chosen to remain with us, I can promise we'd have made a first rate smith out of him.
293	Ludovic Laumont	Good smith, my deepest apologies. Farrokh withdrew from his apprenticeship this morning. You didn't say anything to him that he might have misconstrued as a criticism, did you? He's always been so humble, I can't imagine he'd have taken anything you volunteered to heart. I'll supply you from our stores for the remainder of your contract.
294	Ludovic Laumont	I hate to say it, but I think Urbek was a bad influence on Farrokh. I can't think of any other reason why such a dutiful student would suddenly throw away years of hard work. One bad apple spoils the bunch. Perhaps I have been too liberal in accepting apprenticeships.
295	Ludovic Laumont	I know the Laumont name and Four Irons' reputation won't be affected by the delinquency of a very miniscule number of drop outs. It's the wasted potential that grieves me most. Farrokh would have been a master in his own right in a handful of years, and Urbek could have been the first Orc to bear the coveted Laumont trademark. Such a tragedy.
296	Ludovic Laumont	Some good has come of all this. I have repaired the ancestral anvil that Urbek damaged and left my own mark upon the Four Irons. When my great-great-grandsons tell our customers of the grand Laumont history they may speak of this with pride and a touch of amusement.
297	Ludovic Laumont	As much as I love to establish a great rapport with each of my customers, I must attend to my remaining apprentices' evaluations and, of course, the ever growing stack of applications for apprenticeships at the Four Irons. There will be good news for at least two of the aspiring smiths in the stack.