A dark, atmospheric painting of a blacksmith's shop, with a 'FORGE & FLAME' sign, a suit of armor, and horseshoes on the ground.

A faded wooden sign hangs crookedly from a wrought iron bracket nailed to a post: a hammer crossed with a flaming anvil, its paint peeling but still proud. Dust from old forge ash hangs lightly in the air, and the ground underfoot is stained with centuries of soot and iron dust. You pass a stack of discarded horseshoes and a rusty suit of armor slumped against the wall, overgrown with ivy and old forge vines. The blacksmith’s shop squats like a stubborn old bull at the end of the lane. The outer walls are blackened from years of smoke and fire, but the stone beneath still holds strong. Ember-red light spills out from narrow windows, casting flickering shadows across the courtyard. The heavy front door is reinforced with dark iron bands and always slightly ajar, as if the heat inside resents being sealed in. Above it, the sign of the Forge & Flame creaks on a chain, barely held aloft by one rusted hook. See more