(Fwd) Travelling Smiths?

From: Karin Goihl / Daniel Fahey <goihlk_at_zedat.fu-berlin.de>
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 06:40:50 +0100


Forwarded message:
From:     Self <goihlk>
To:       glorantha-digest_at_hops.wharton.upenn.edu
Subject: Travelling Smiths?
Reply-to: goihlk_at_fub46.zedat.fu-berlin.de Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 21:04:30

It is true. Nick Brooke does look surprisingly like Nick Brooke.

Paul Edson: Please read Nick's comments in Digest v3 n41. I also believe there are a number of useful and interested members of the Glorantha community who are willing to help people like you. I don't know what will come of Sandy's bold and generous offer to help copy and send stuff, but others of us are also ready and willing to see new faces, (to replace certain old ones we may not need), and we will make sure you get some neat stuff one way or another. I hope the negative comments of some don't weaken your enthusiasm. I rescently tried to find a good intro to Glorantha for our newest gamer, and decided that River of Cradles is good. Buy that. It is specific to a certain area so you don't have to find out all about Glorantha before playing.

Paul Stolar: Thanx for correcting some falsehoods about metals that were put on the digest without having been checked first.

I don't believe in travelling smiths. Why would a metal worker travel? How would a metal worker carry all that equipment and hundreds of pounds of metal around? How would that make economic sense? In a wagon? Great, now he has to take time dealing with some expensive animals to pull a wagon that also takes extra time to keep in useable condition. Added to that he doesn't have a place to grow his own vegetables like nearly every pre-industrial age person has always done. A wagon drawn by two oxen can carry only 1000 to 1200 pounds at two miles per hour for five hours a day. The oxen consume 100 pounds of food per day, and are unpredictable and dangerous. Why would a smith put himself thru this hassle? Metal workers don't have to look for work, they are sought after. I have been interested in smithing for more than twenty years and have made a few things with my anvil and forge, including some sword blades. At the moment the only RW travelling metalworkers I can think of are tinkers who just have enuf stuff to repair pots and pans. Any comments?

Joerg: What Praxian smiths? NOMAD smiths? How would that work? A relative of mine has been to Copper Sands. You wouldn't want to go there. The copper dust you'd get from Copper Sands would still have to be melted. Praxian Herd Animal dung is, however, the best fuel for fires. It is much nicer, tho, to take metal things from sartarites and sundomers. I read a RW example of some Sioux who hung around a white people's fort and were allowed to use the smithy to make arrowheads.

 VIOLENCE! Not just another Option, but a Way of Life! Daniel Fahey  


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