Meesei grinned back at Janius. "Oh, no, I got the feeling that he was being quite intentionally vague. He wants this to be a surprise. But, I agree with Ahnasha's assessment. He would not have requested [i]all[/i] of us if it did not pertain to all of us. He did only take the title of forgemaster a few months ago, so perhaps he is wanting to impress? To forge us his mastercraft works." 

Even out in the hallways, it was quite obvious they were nearing the smithy. They had gone through great effort to make sure the place was well-ventilated, but that did not stop the heat from the many forges from filling the relatively tight space. Anyone who could sweat was probably doing so by the time they were in the smithy. At this point, the forges were in use almost constantly through the day and night, thanks to the blacksmiths that had been brought in from other clans to assist with invasion preparations. Dwemer metal from all around the cavern was constantly being salvaged, melted down, and forged into new weapons and armor for their warriors. Their armories were practically overflowing, with still more equipment on the way. 

The largest smithy was a long room with a tall ceiling, yet still managed to feel as crowded as it was hot. Forges and smelters lined the walls all the way to the end of the chamber. They were built in the Nordic style, but their design had been modified to connect to the Dwemer steam pipes that ran along the walls. The rest of the room felt like a sort of ordered chaos, at least to an outsider. Meesei could not spot any obvious order to the carts of Dwemer scraps moving to and from the smelters, tables of scattered tools, and piles of coal, but clearly, the blacksmiths themselves had their own systems they were familiar with. 

It did not take long after Meesei's pack stepped into the smithy for the forgemaster himself to greet them. He had more than likely been waiting on them. Interestingly, the blacksmiths of the clan were almost more competitive than the warriors. The title of forgemaster had changed hands several times through the years, and it seemed like every few months there was another challenge among them to test their craftsmanship. Such competition was certainly suitable for servants of Hircine, but Meesei had a feeling that the situation would not likely be too different even if they were not lycans. The current forgemaster was a Nord man named Valgar Blue-Shield, who, on first glance, seemed to fit every description of a "typical Nord blacksmith" that one could make. He was a tall, rough-looking man who seemed to live with a permanent coat of soot on his hands. He was bald, but with a beard thick enough to be mistaken for a bird's nest. 

"Champion, it's an honor to have you in my forge." Valgar greeted, respectfully bowing his head towards Meesei. Though, he had to practically shout thanks to the clanging of metal from the forges nearby. 

"Indeed, and it is an honor to have such dedicated people here working to equip our warriors." Meesei replied. "I would ask for a more in-depth tour of your forge since the most recent renovations, but I am afraid my pack does not have a great deal of time to spare in times like this." 

The forgemaster gave a quick nod. "Of course. Though I promise, you will not regret taking the time to see me. Still, I will try not to take up any more of your time than necessary. Champion, if you could please follow me, I have something that you will be quite interested to see. If your pack could please wait here, I promise it will not take long to...show you. Then, you will see why I have called you all here." 

Meesei agreed and followed the forgemaster into one of the adjacent rooms, leaving the rest of the pack with just a short time to speculate.