Soapmaking is one of the crafting sidetrades available. Soap is used to make leather straps and can also be sold to certain shops. The location where soap is made is found outside Bandar Eban, in Arad Doman.
The craft room is 'Dusty Farmyard', found 4 rooms north and 1 room west of the ford near Bandar Eban. The teacher, 'an old woman', can be found in the rooms nearby, to the south and west.
Procedure[]
Find the old woman and mention 'soapmaking' in the same room. She will instruct you in the technique and ask you to bring her the scalp of an ancient tree.
Show the scalp to the old woman, and she will proceed to instruct you.
When you have learned the process, go to the craft room.
'Put wood fire' to begin the process.
'Put ashes barrel', when prompted to.
'Cut fat meat', when prompted to.
'Pour skin out', when prompted to.
'Mix fat and lye', when prompted to.
When the mobol is complete, remember to pick the soap up.
Walkthrough[]
Walkthrough ahead
Ramshackle Barn A shower of hay dust floats down from cracks in the hayloft floorboards above your head. Rusty farm implements line the walls and you can see small movements through knots in the floorboards underneath. The snorting and shuffling of pigs can be heard along with their all too familiar odor. You can watch the world outside through the gaps in the wooden the walls. [ obvious exits: N U D ] An old woman smiles kindly.
say soapmaking
You say 'soapmaking'
An old woman says 'But of course, I can teach you if you wish.'
An old woman taps her lips in thought.
An old woman says 'You will need a few items though. A skin with water, a bucket, a large slab of meat, and a part of a tree or bush to burn to ashes.'
An old woman says 'Bring them to me and I will teach you properly.'
An old woman says 'Don't forget to show me the limb of the tree you bring with you! Wet wood doesn't burn properly.'
show scalp woman
You show the death scalp of the ancient tree slain in Illian to an old woman.
An old woman says 'Let's see, did you bring everything I asked for?'
An old woman looks at you.
An old woman says 'Very well.'
An old woman says 'Once you have found a site with a kettle, barrel and fire you can start with soapmaking.'
An old woman says 'You can start by putting the wood in the fire to burn it to ashes.'
An old woman says 'Then you can make lye by putting the ashes into the barrel.'
An old woman says 'Once you have some lye you can cut the fat from the meat, then put the kettle over the fire.'
An old woman says 'Once the fat has melted, add water.'
An old woman says 'When you have let the fat turn hard you can scrape it off and putting it in a kettle.'
An old woman says 'Add lye and let the substance boil.'
An old woman says 'Lastly add some salt.'
Dusty Farmyard Hoof prints are embedded in the dried, cracked clay. Small tumbleweeds and tufts of plains grass fluff swirl in man-size whirlwinds across the yard. A small soddy house is to the west and the barn stands to the south. Fields of barley wave in the wind to the north. [ obvious exits: N E S W ] A black cast iron cooking pot has been left here, newly washed. A campfire burns slowly, sending smoke into the sky. A stout wooden barrel stands nearby.
put wood fire
Ok.
You drop the death scalp of the ancient tree slain in Illian.
You throw a stick onto the fire.
Kayan pokes into the fire with a stick.
The burning flames lick and envelop the wood.
Smoke rises into the sky.
The wood has been consumed by the fire.
The ashes can now be put into the barrel.
put ashes barrel
Ok.
You place a barrel onto a flat stone covered with straw.
You put ash into the barrel.
You pour water into the barrel.
A brown substance leaks through the straw onto the stone.
A channel carved into the stone allows the lye to drip into a bucket.
You can now prepare the fat by cutting it from a piece of meat.
cut fat meat
Ok.
You grab a knife.
You deftly cut the fat from the meat and put the greasy substance into a pot.
You pour water into the pot and place it over the fire.
As the flames lick at the pot the fat slowly melts.
Steam rises from the pot as the water evaporates.
A pungent odor spreads through the area. Yuck!
Liquid fat mingles with water as both are heated.
As the last of the water evaporates, liquid fat bubbles lazily in a pot.
You can now add more water by pouring your skin out.
pour skin out
Ok.
You empty a water skin into a pot of bubbling fat.
Kayan removes the pot from the fire.
Water mingles with the liquid fat.
The fat slowly hardens and starts forming a layer floating on the water.
A thick layer of hardened fat floats on top of the cold water, separated from the impurities that have sunk to the bottom.
You can now mix the fat and the lye.
mix fat and lye
Ok.
Kayan scrapes the fat from the pot and leaves it sitting for a moment.
Kayan cleans the pot thoroughly with some water.
Kayan puts the fat into the pot.
You grab a bucket and add the lye to the fat.
Kayan puts a pot over the fire again.
The lye and fat mix as they start boiling.
You can spot frothy bubbles forming in the pot.
Plop! With a small pop a bubble bursts.
Froth covers the contents of the pot fully.
Kayan removes the pot from the fire and adds some salt to the mixture.
You can now leave the soap to harden.
The soap has formed a thick hard cake in the pot.
You cut some soap from the pot and wrap it into some oilskin.
While the tree scalp is used up in the process, there are several ancient trees to be found in the surrounding area.
The slab of meat, bucket, and waterskin are not used up in the process and may be reused.
The soap object is rentable.
Occasionally the old woman will wander into your room and pick up the iron pot, bringing your soapmaking to a halt. At this point you will either have to be done for the time, or kill her and place the pot back on the ground.
