More Heavy Metal

From: Joerg Baumgartner <joe_at_toppoint.de>
Date: Fri, 12 Jul 96 18:05 MET DST



Sandy Petersen
> Joerg, there is nothing in the rules that even hints at the
>possibility of alloys, with the sole exception that tin and copper
>can be combined into bronze.

Well, in RQ3 there is the caste of Brass Mostali, who are described as alloyists, in the same AH box as the metal rules. And RQ2 said that every coin was alloyed.

I really don't see the existance of impure metals as a card house. RQ2 was quite definite on their existance, and the absence of impure metals would be something very noteworthy, IMO.

>Adulterated
>metals, alloys such as electrum, even minor things like steel are
>conspicuous by their absence.

Except that Greg used the term "steel" in various Lunar unit names (and descriptions), and that the creation of new metals from varying compositions of known metals (and other ores) is the domain of the Brass Mostali and their imitators (likely including Third Eye Blue and Gustbran).

>Obviously the norm in Glorantha is for metals to be pure.

I don't know. Of course, we can redefine "pure" as "being of the correct composition", chemical elements being unknown in Glorantha. This would still allow forged (watered down) coins (less likely for gold, but quite easy for silver).

>It's possible on Earth to find a pure node of
>copper, gold, or silver.

While the trace analyst in me screams no, I agree that there are finds of metal-form copper, gold, silver, mercury, and nickel-iron. These didn't play a great role in introducing metal as a generally used working material (except for gold). What did the trick was malachite (copper carbonate, a greenish stone which yields copper slack already when thrown/left in a campfire).

>The same is true in Glorantha, only more
>so. Typically, Gloranthan metals appear as pure veins, except for
>iron.

The best finds definitely are pure "veins", created in God-Time or from mythic resonance. These will be the ground and/or corroded bones of deities and lesser divine entities which have died en masse in the Gods War.

(Side question: wouldn't Praxian smiths regularly visit the Copper Sands for new working material rather than trade sacred beasts with sedentary half-men? The comment that the Barbarians in the Wastes "do not even smelt Bronze" might have something to do with the somewhat ready supply of copper. And herd beast dung may not be the best melting fuel, either...)

>>Take for example the coinage. Wouldn't you think that a Wheel
>>would make a superior surface for light spells?
> Yes. Of course. Why is that a problem?

The RQ2 rules (although all wheels might qualify as enchanted Gold).

> Gold doesn't need to be enchanted to have its special light
>power.

Elder Secrets tells us otherwise (p.34 Secrets Book):

"When enchanted, it glows softly in the dark and doubles the effectiveness of light-producing spells cast on it."

(I don't think that coined wheels glow in the dark, though - this would make them too easy to detect for any thieves...)

>Is it pure gold? Nominally so. Where does it imply otherwise?

In the RQ2 rules, again, stating "Note that all coins are alloyed, as are gold and silver ornaments." (p.5)

>Even its weight and value were figured by comparing pure
>gold to pure silver.

As were the melting points (number of d6 multiplied by 100 degrees celsius), all of these in the generic rules book, pertaining to Alternate Earth and other less magical environments. Are the rulesbook values true for Glorantha in all respects, or do we have some freedom of re-interpretation there?

I am still uncertain about the weight and colour of transformed sa-metal (transformed quicksilver, aka lo-metal or aluminum). Is it red, or rather sea coloured? Does it have the same ENC as bronze (ES Secrets Book, p.34) or is it lighter than bronze (boxed text p.35)?

And how instrumental was the Lunar Empire in distributing silver coinage (as stated in RQ2)? Wouldn't the Jrusteli have had something similar?



Michael Raaterova

> The Master Smiths (of the Wayland kind) are more likely shacked up in some
> strange place where only the worthy may enter...

More likely the strange places which yield the best ores, coal, or other ressources. At least the Frankish smiths who produced the longswords so sought after by the (embargoed) Vikings did use such places.

They were supported by their customers, of course, though more likely they sent their apprentices with a wagonload of metal implements to the market and had them return with the provisions than receiving wandering traders.


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