> This is possible, but necessarily slow. The counter example is
>the trollish smith. This fellow is a sorceror who uses spells to make the
>metal mallible.
Actually, the troll smith uses the magics of either brute force or fire to make the metal malleable most of the time. Remember that to trolls fire is some kind of Death magic...
>The mermen would work out something along this line if
>they needed to work metals alot, or continuously.
I don't think anything like this is necessary for mermen. Their preferred metal is sa-metal/lo-metal (using the Bertalor of Fromalwal nomenclature), which has two different states, one liquid and another one solid which can be transformed into one another via a successful use of metal craft.
I hesitate to use the earth parallel names quicksilver and aluminum, because I don't believe that either metal has much in common with the Gloranthan stuff. The closest equivalent between the twain is that from aluminum amalgam (i.e. quicksilver alloy) the quicksilver can be evaporized under extreme absence of any oxidating agents (including elemental nitrogen) leaving aluminum behind. Due to freak changes in oxidation potentials in amalgams, it might even be possible for a medieval alchemist/metallurgist to produce aluminum amalgam from the ore (bauxite, frex). If anybody is interested, I could mail them my bit on "hard amalgams" I posted here a couple of times (whenever metals showed up in the topics...).
I really doubt that Gloranthan sa-metal vapours cause brain damage and silvery teeth from prolonged exposure, or that lo-metal sprinkled with bits of sa-metal will quickly rot away (as does aluminum foil contaminated with even microscopic amounts of mercury salts; try it once, and watch the corundum crystals grow out of the foil, it looks good). And most importantly: lo-metal scraped to shiny surface in contact with water won't be oxydized under heavy gas (hydrogen) and heat production.
However, we might draw upon the real world behaviour for methods to craft sa-metal and lo-metal. For instance, in order to remold lo-metal (i.e. to transform it partially or totally into sa-metal), you would have to expose it to liquid sa-metal.
Sa-metal is closely tied to the Movement Rune (in God Learner terms as well as in mundane and magical behaviour), and it can cause all other metals except death-metal (ur-metal, aka "iron") to dissolve and transform if applied in vast excess (real world mercury forms amalgams with all of the metals known to the ancients except iron...). This still allows the Gloranthan metallurgist/alloyist/alchemist to use "quicksilver" in gold-making and other metallic transmutations, fake or magical (and therefore real).
BTW, I adhere to the ancient decree that in Glorantha new metals can be made by alloying Rune Metals, even though all the accompanying "Burtae" (younger gods of mixed elemental and/or Power Rune origin) philosophy of the God Learners seems to be obsolete. This also allows for special items like (sorry, Tolkien-haters) the Sword of Turin Turambar in the Silmarillion, made from a new dark metal devised by a master smith.
>If the metalworking
>is only an occasional requirement/luxury, then waiting for the Waertegi
>to drop by is probably easier.
On the few occasions that the mermen need to have metal implements made of other metals repaired or made, they still can contact human or Waertagi allies or use powerful magic.
Still, quite a few tools or implements made by metal by the land-people will use different materials among the mer-people. From what I know about Waertagi city ships, I suppose that the hide and bones of sea-dragons (sort of gigantic plesiosaurs with some magical abilities, possibly in the league of Trachodons/large magisaurs) will provide the base materials for numerous implements.
End of Glorantha Digest V3 #161
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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