“The shop is called The Long Tongs, a local shortening of its former name, Long Tongs and Ironwork. The name came from the founders' habit of using unusually extended tongs for working large wagon fittings, though no one remembers the full phrase anymore. The building stands where a cooperage once operated, and the old circular drain beneath the floor still carries away quenching water. Every finished weapon is tapped once against the anvil before being displayed. Goro Kett claims this lets the metal remember its shape. He is a broad-shouldered human smith with a clipped, angular manner, a scorched left eyebrow, and a habit of counting under his breath while inspecting edges. He employs Omi, a soft-spoken half-elf apprentice who keeps the sales counter and sleeps in the loft. The shop smells of coal smoke, wet leather, hot iron, and the faint medicinal bite of pine salve. Customers enter through a cramped front room lined with tools and common arms, while the forge and quenching trough occupy the rear. A chain runs beneath the counter to a hidden alarm bell, and a heavy iron grate can be released over the front doorway from the workbench. Most custom work takes three to ten days, and Goro refuses to sell unfinished blades to anyone who cannot explain what they intend to use them for.”