• Location: Industrial Ring, Firetown
• Address: SE Industrial Ring Road 4
• Surroundings: Adjacent to Santoro Forge

Ortega Smithy, founded in 2628 by Sofia Ortega, was the smallest and most pragmatic of the “Forge Quarter” workshops. Known for shoeing animals and forging simple but reliable farm tools, it catered mainly to settlers and traders moving through Firetown.

• Construction Material: Volcanic stone base, wooden roof reinforced with copper sheets.
• Gates & Shutters: Wide gate to allow livestock entry.
• Windows: Small slits for smoke ventilation.
• Power Source: Smaller lava furnace, adequate for basic tool work.
• Lighting: Oil lamps and torchlight.
• Water Supply: Barrel-fed cistern.

• Forge Hearth (1): Small-scale lava furnace.
• Anvil (1): Main working station.
• Stall Corner: Area for livestock shoeing.
• Tool Rack: Shovels, plows, and hoes on display.
• Rest Nook: Simple wooden bench and clay mugs.

• Master Blacksmith: Sofia Ortega, specialist in practical goods.
• Journeyman (1): Assisted in shoeing and tool production.
• Apprentices (2): Basic training and delivery errands.
• Stablehand (1): Helped manage animals brought to the smithy.

The Ortega Smithy is plain but lively, filled with the sounds of animals being shod and settlers chatting while waiting. Sofia Ortega is known for her direct, no-nonsense attitude, offering customers both efficiency and fair pricing. The forge has a modest, communal feel, often acting as a meeting place for farmers exchanging stories and advice while their tools are repaired or their animals cared for.

• Operating Hours: 07:00 – 15:00.
• Courier Connection: Few deliveries — mostly local settlers bringing their own goods.
• Client Rhythm: Farmers, traders, and livestock owners formed the bulk of the clientele.

• Commission farming tools or shoe animals.
• Negotiate bulk orders for settlers heading into the wild.
• Befriend Sofia Ortega, gaining a reliable ally in the settlement.

• Smuggle stolen goods through livestock shipments.
• Pay off Sofia’s apprentices to look the other way on black-market orders.
• Hide contraband inside hollowed plowshares or tool handles.

The forges of Firetown present excellent opportunities for intrigue, as their close clustering in the Industrial Ring made them both competitive rivals and vulnerable targets for outside influence.

• The Cartel’s Grip – An anonymous client from Hope hires the party to investigate whether at least Vasquez Forge and Bernado Metalworks are cooperating with the Cartel. Rumors suggest the smiths are working under duress: some coerced by violent intimidation, others ensnared in predatory loans. The party’s task is to infiltrate the workshops and gather proof of Cartel activity. Evidence may include the uncovering of falsified ledgers showing repayments to the Cartel through copper goods or the production of contraband items. Dungeon Masters can heighten tension by introducing rival apprentices who suspect foul play, Cartel enforcers watching the workshops, or hidden storerooms concealing illicit goods. The party must decide whether to return the evidence to their employer, hand it to the authorities, or cut their own deal with the Cartel …

• Beta Age
• Ralar Region
• Firetown
• (Federal) Copper Mine
• (Federal) Copper Plant
• Federal Blacksmith Manufactory (successor, Gamma Age)