Chapter 82: Arming the Giants
Saelen led the giants to the forge. The blacksmiths and apprentices immediately poured out, staring in shock at the towering figures, whispering among themselves.
"Only the foreman stays. Everyone else, stop gawking and get back to work."
Saelen frowned at the crowd. He had dealt with Chief Mag many times and knew well that giants disliked being stared at and discussed like curiosities. His voice cut through the murmurs, and the onlookers quickly dispersed, not daring to argue. Soon, the rhythmic clang of hammer on iron resumed inside the workshop.
Saelen turned to the burly middle-aged man who remained.
"You're the foreman? What's your name?"
"My name is Rosso, my lord," the man replied nervously. "I oversee this forge. Whatever you need, just give the order."
Standing under the gaze of dozens of giants, Rosso's heart pounded uneasily.
"Relax," Saelen said, noticing his fear. "As long as you don't stare at them, they're quite mild-tempered. They won't harm anyone without reason."
Rosso visibly eased and quickly averted his eyes.
"I need you to craft weapons and armor for these giants," Saelen continued. "Their size is far beyond that of ordinary men, so I've brought them here for proper measurements. Start by taking their dimensions, then begin forging immediately. I want them fully equipped as soon as possible."
He handed over a set of drawings he had prepared in advance.
The designs included massive spiked maces and large shields. The mace was to be forged entirely from steel, with its head embedded with dragonglass spikes—essential for killing White Walkers and wights.
The shield design was simpler: a large rectangular frame made from sturdy but relatively light hardwood, reinforced with layers of iron plating. Additional layers could be added if greater durability was required.
As for armor, Saelen opted for lamellar construction. The technique was already well understood, allowing the smiths and apprentices to produce it quickly. The only complication was scaling everything to fit the giants' immense proportions.
Rosso took the drawings and studied them carefully, occasionally glancing at the giants to confirm his assumptions. By the time he finished, however, his brows were still deeply furrowed.
Saelen studied Rosso's expression and couldn't help asking, "What is it? Is something wrong with the design, or are there other difficulties?"
"Speak freely. We can work it out together."
Rosso hesitated for a moment before answering honestly. "My lord, the shield is simple enough to make. But this spiked mace—at 1.7 meters in length—if it's forged entirely from steel, it will be extremely heavy. It would also consume a massive amount of steel."
"If it were just one or two, that would be manageable. But you're asking for hundreds. Even if we used all our current stock, it wouldn't be enough. And if that same steel were used for swords and spearheads, we could produce thousands. It would be far too wasteful."
Saelen listened, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Rosso continued, gaining confidence, "I suggest using hardwood as the core, then wrapping it with iron plating. The striking head can be reinforced with additional layers and embedded with dragonglass spikes."
"This way, the mace will be slightly less powerful, but still more than sufficient in battle. It will also be lighter, cheaper, easier to produce, and much faster to manufacture in large numbers. If one breaks, it can be replaced quickly."
Saelen nodded. He had indeed oversimplified things.
"Alright. Do it your way. Make a few prototypes first. Let Chief Mag test them. If they perform well, we'll proceed with mass production."
"Yes, my lord."
Encouraged, Rosso added, "My lord, maces aren't the only option. There are other weapons that could be just as effective."
He walked into the forge and soon returned with a battle axe, handing it over.
"Please take a look. The blade is made entirely of dragonglass—extremely sharp, wide, and durable. Unlike daggers or spearheads, it's less likely to break. If we scale it up for giants, its power in battle would rival that of a mace."
Saelen took the axe and gave it a few test swings. The weight felt manageable, and the edge was more than sufficient for cutting down wights. Even against armored foes, the sheer force of the blow could crush them.
"Not bad," Saelen said. "Make an enlarged version for testing. If it works well, you'll be rewarded."
"Thank you, my lord!" Rosso replied, visibly pleased.
After a moment, he spoke again, more cautiously this time. "My lord, these giants—some of them are nearly four meters tall. Crafting full lamellar armor for bodies of that size will take an enormous amount of time and labor."
"We still have other weapons to produce. I'm afraid we won't have enough manpower. The production cycle will be long, and output will be low."
Saelen waved it off. "That's not a problem. Make as many as you can. First, take precise measurements of every giant."
"I'll have the specifications sent to the forge at Winterfell. They can help with production. We'll split the workload."
He had already planned for this. Even if they could only fully equip a dozen giants, their battlefield value would rival hundreds—if not thousands—of ordinary soldiers.
Rosso let out a quiet breath of relief, then hesitated again. "My lord… could I request additional hands? With more workers, both speed and output would improve."
"No problem," Saelen said. "In a few days, I'll assign three hundred men to assist you."
He thought for a moment and added, "Divide the work. Teach them how to make dragonglass spearheads and arrowheads. Once they're trained, they'll handle that full-time. Your smiths can then focus entirely on forging giant equipment."
Saelen was already thinking of the tens of thousands of free folk in the Gift. Among them, there had to be people with experience in crafting. If not enough, he could simply recruit more.
Rosso frowned slightly. "My lord, without years of training, apprentices may not master the craft."
"That's fine," Saelen replied calmly. "The weapons don't need to be refined or beautiful. Even rough work is acceptable. I only require one thing—"
"They must be capable of piercing the bodies of White Walkers and wights."
"If you and your smiths can train them, each of you will be rewarded with a hundred gold dragons."
Rosso's hesitation vanished instantly.
"Yes, my lord! Leave it to us!"
With renewed enthusiasm, he quickly gathered a few men to begin measuring the giants. Val stepped forward as well, acting as a translator.
Saelen and Jon stood off to the side, watching the work unfold.