Dragonwilds:Mittens

Template:Infobox NPC Mittens was a cat that supposebly owned blacksmith Dragonwilds:Gothren Actillian in Dragonwilds:Bramblemead. He lived in Gothren's forge and played a crucial role in developing Dragonwilds:blurite weaponry.Template:CiteJournal

History

Mittens took up residence in Bramblemead, within Gothren's forge and dedicated himself to helping his "pet" master blacksmithing. Recognizing that his human companion needed assistance maintaining consistent forge conditions, Mittens learned to maintain optimal forge temperatures by rhythmically jumping on the bellows at precise intervals, something Gothren seemed to enjoy. He studied the timing required for proper blade cooling and developed a system of strategically timed alarms, toppling carefully selected items to create "glorious" clattering sounds that kept Gothren on schedule.Template:CiteJournal When Gothren began working with blurite, Mittens found himself confronting unfamiliar territory. He remained painfully aware of his human pet's limited imagination and could see little practical value to the metal. However, the striking blue hue appealed to Mittens' feline sensibilities, and he perceived untapped potential in blurite's construction properties. Through precisely timed meowing and the strategic destruction of reagents at key moments, Mittens gradually guided Gothren toward engineering a blurite crossbow design of superior quality, worthy of his cherished pet.Template:CiteJournal Mittens later pioneered the creation of blurite crossbow bolts through similar methods. While Gothren continued relying on familiar iron and bronze for ammunition, Mittens recognized greater potential in the strange blue metal. He systematically sabotaged the sand molds Gothren crafted to forge blurite bars, ruining them so they produced long thin strips instead. The process proved more laborious than anticipated, requiring Mittens to destroy more molds than anticipated before Gothren finally understood that blurite bolts should match their namesake crossbow. Mittens cared more about the aesthetic of blurite bolts than their effectiveness; For a cat, appearance remained everything.Template:CiteJournal

Following certain incidents involving cats and crossbow limbs, a superstition developed in Bramblemead that it was bad luck to house cats and crossbows together. The supposed reasoning ranged from practical concerns about feline safety to increasingly absurd fears, including the notion that cats might somehow develop opposable thumbs and weaponize crossbows against their owners.Template:CiteJournal Not all cats faced the same fate. Mittens, unlike most of his Bramblemead contemporaries, lived comfortably in his blacksmith's forge and never learned to fear crossbows.Template:CiteJournal