About
My name is David Savedge and I am a blacksmith and an artist. I started smithing and metal working as a child and trained with a journeyman blacksmith at Jamestown Settlement and a master brass founder at Colonial Williamsburg. I have finally built a basic shop on my farm, Ravenstead. It's a simple shop reminiscent of the 17th century shop I worked in at Jamestown.
Ravenstead is my home and family business, with smithing becoming a bigger part of what I do to provide. This current project will help better establish the blacksmithing shop at Ravenstead.
When I'm not working on the farm or smithing, I'm thinking about games and gaming. I love classic tabletop role-playing games.
I had a blast making my last two Kickstarter Projects, Forged Iron Protection Runes: A Tabletop RPG Token and Dragon Scales: A Tabletop RPG Game of Chance
I am excited to share my new project, Scrying Dice: A tabletop RPG Runic Accessory! I wanted to bring something unique to the gaming table and the mystical arts that involved my favorite mediums: iron, copper, and brass. Let me show you a little more about each of the rewards I am offering with this project:
Scrying Dice in Brass and Copper
With this reward you will receive a single handmade BRASS or COPPER 6-sided die for casting and divination. Each die is thoughtfully handcrafted by me in my Virginia-based shop. The dice feature six individual runes from the Elder Futhark alphabet common to the early dark ages. The runes have been selected for their power and meaning. They measure 5/8” (15.875 mm) with a hand stamped 1/4” (6 mm) rune on each facet. Your dice can be used for casting spells, scrying, LARP, reenacting, theater, or gaming. You will also receive a PDF explaining the meaning of the runes and instruction for scrying.
The surface of the brass scrying dice are polished to a bright sheen, yet retain the characteristics of hand tooling. The copper dice feature a fine blue patina, with each symbol highlighted by a polished center. The patina is protected with a wax finish. The patina will become more dynamic and vibrant over time, due to natural aging. The patina process I am using is the same process I developed for my copper artwork, featured in my Etsy Store. Please feel free to browse my artwork to see larger examples of this ever-varying technique.
Runic Dice
With this reward you will receive a set of four brass or copper six-sided dice featuring the full Elder Futhark Runic Alphabet. Each die features 6 of the 24 runes, in order, to make a complete set. In this way the Runic Dice differ from the Scrying Dice. The measurements and methods of creation are the same.
You will also receive a PDF companion chart that can be used to apply the Runic Dice to any RPG or Mystical Art. The companion chart lists all of the rune symbols, names, and meanings, as well as a blank section that can be used for designing gaming accessories using the dice. The companion chart can be filled out to represent events, encounters, puzzles, traps, monsters, treasure, or story hooks. The most commonly interpreted meanings have been included, but the outcomes are up to the Game Master or Scryer.
Iron Casting Runes
With this reward you will receive 24 hand forged, one of a kind runes that comprise the Elder Futhark alphabet common to the early dark ages. Your runes will make a perfect prop for tabletop gaming, serving as markers or tokens representing spell effects, inspiration, or advantage. Use them to design game hooks or side quests in your campaigns, or scry the future. You will also receive a flaxen drawstring bag to protect and carry your runes, plus an illustrated PDF detailing the symbols, names, and meanings of your rune set.
Each rune is unique and roughly 1" (25 mm) in diameter and 1/8" (3 mm) thick. The top surface is slightly dished and deeply embossed, with a heavy, substantial feel in the hand. Just don't drop them on your Dungeon Master's glass table- this set weighs a little over two pounds!
The money I earn with this project will go towards improving my blacksmith shop and developing my Etsy Store. In terms of shop improvements, we are looking at building a larger work space here at Ravenstead. This would involve pouring a concrete slab, construction of a building, running power to the building, and the monumental task of equipping the shop with forges and other heavy equipment. It will be a long process and the first step will be site planning, surveys, and drafting of plans. If you're anything like me, you like to know the behind-the-scenes details of a project like this. I would like to share this process with you, so some of the funds from this project will go towards establishing a stronger presence on YouTube and toward developing a Patreon Page. Anything left over will go towards coal for the ever-hungry forge and other consumables such as metal files, wire brushes, and metal stock.
(c) 2018 - 2019 David Savedge
Risks and challenges
I have carefully estimated my time and available resources; i.e. coal, metal, tools, and the occasional cup of mead. I feel very confident, barring a freak accident, that I can have everyone's rewards delivered by the end of April. I have confidence in this project, so I have already begun production of the promised rewards.
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