> Gold dwarfs have lots of uses for gold.
> 1) As everyone knows, gold when properly treated will glow.
> It thus serves as a non-diminishing source of light. In areas that
> it is inconvenient to use the usual dwarf light source (little
> channels or bowls containing flowing lava -- literally, lava lamps),
> gold is very handy.
Like in areas where whatever they use as gunpowder is stored. Do you
think it is possible to split the "sky-metal" gold into the two
components of fire, light and heat? Some alchemical process, perhaps.
Ah! That is how you make the gold glow - you remove the "hot" gold.
Then you get the "light" gold.
May it be that the process which makes gold glow is "reanimating" it
- - most of the stone (and its subelements, the metals) in Glorantha,
at least on the surface, is "dead", and when you "Enchant Metal", you
"resurrect" it? Of course, the inferior processes used by non-dwarves
to resurrect metals (Those Divine Enchant (metal) spells in Elder
Secrets) is rather like "zombification"- it is not True Life.
(point 2, an excellent one, deleted)
> 3) Gold does not corrode because of its moral purity. If
> you need a metal to endure in a hostile environment, gold, once
> again, is useful.
Hm. Which metals do corrode in Glorantha, and how? Does iron rust,
for instance? As I get it, iron is the most easily corrodible (?)
metal on Earth (of the earthly equivalents to the rune-metals
mentioned in Elder Secrets). If this is the same in Glorantha, it
would mean that the Octamonists can use the "moral impurity" of iron
as an argumant against the Iron Dwarves...
(point 4 a good one, as well, but deleted)
> 5) As everyone knows, gold is the best metal to use in
> making machines to edify or teach, because it stimulates the mind.
The main purpose of the Gold caste, in other words. Though I also
tend to think of them as information specialists in general
(librarians etc). Do they have any computer-equivalents? Goldwire
matrices storing the minds of knowledgable dwarves? (so that their
knowledge does not disappear when their mental energies are dissolved
into the "energy fields of Ty Kora Tek"). I imagine gold dwarves may
communicate by scribbling comments on plates of gold, which are
carried by nimble nilmergs (of the E-class) to the intended
recipient(s). They then scribble their comments alongside those of
the sender and send them back. This continues until the nilmerg
cannot carry more gold plates (gold IS heavy) which causes it to
stop, or, as the gold foremen say "the system breaks down". (Some
nilmergs, obviously because of Individualist propaganda, decide that
certain plates are more important than others and take only as many
as they can carry, but most nilmergs panic when they are subjected
to a situation that was not in their programming, and do nothing).
Rival dwarven factions send special gremlins to disrupt these
communication, and the situation is even more chaotic (literally!)
due to the presence of krashtkids, so-called "bugs" in dwarven slang,
who eat the nilmergs AND the gold plates.
Erik Sieurin