>Me> [I expressed skepticism that the Loskalmi would get their iron
> > through recylcing]
>I offered recycling as the available method during the Syndics' Ban.
And since the Loskalmi come out with more iron during the Ban that is the reason why I am skeptical about recycling.
>I stand to my scepticism that human alchemy in Loskalm during
>the Ban was able to equip the entire army with iron.
Why?
>I'd rather have the Loskalmi use 90 years of saved wealth (during
>the Ban) and almost 40 years of opened sea trade to get their
>army equipped from trade with the Castle Coast, after starting
>out with a bronze-clad army.
Loskalm is undergoing a period of development *during* the Ban. The latest style of armor that they are wearing is armour in the Altinae style (compare the Loskalmi knight pic in the Glorantha: Intro p76 with the Altinae Warrior in Anaxial's Roster p190 - bearing out the Rokari suspicion in G:I p238 that Siglat's dream was his childhood memories of Altinela). The Loskalmi are building massive magical palaces to bless the Lords Temporal that dwell within them. Even the Genertela Book (p19) describes the Loskalmi as replacing the old castles with palaces, schools and libraries.
One simply can't save wealth under such conditions. And once again, why do you assume that the Castle Coasters are the major source of Loskalmi iron? Elder Secrets doesn't say anything like this.
> > Throughout most of history, I would assume that Loskalm received
> > its iron from the Tastolar uplands where the Third Eye Blue came
> > from.
>I fail to see evidence of the trading communities which would jump up
>along this route (think Dawson City and Anchorage).
There is such a thing as the Ban which still envelops the Third Eye Blue homeland. Given this, the lack of trading communities is not surprising.
> > Secondly Syranthir came to Peloria with the Third Eye Blue
> > cult who are known to make iron. Hence I assume Peloria's
> > bronze age is due to the abundance of brass rather than the
> > lack of knowledge about iron.
>The Lunar Empire has one notable unit (Steel Swords) known for
>massive use of iron.
Donald Oddy has already pointed out the origin of the Steel Swords. In addition, the steel swords are an improved version over simple iron.
Other regiments with Iron in their titles are the Legion of Iron Boots and the Paradisal Iron Beaks. Another unit which is known to be equipped with Iron is the Hell Sisters. Rune Lords of the Seven Mothers receive a free iron helmet, breastplate and greaves plus an iron bound-shield and two iron weapons (Cult Compendium p97). The Tarshite Kingslayers "wear only the best iron chain" (UW#1 p23).
The only reason why there aren't more iron-using regiments is that the top-line regiments prefer silver, which is called moon-iron at one point.
> > And what's to stop the Loskalmi from being geniuses and
> > discovering ways of making iron through alchemical processes?
>Gloranthan nature. YGMV, but none of the sources I have seen
>imply that any human ever discovered the ways of making iron
>other than stealing from the Mostali.
There is no source that says humans cannot mine iron. There is a source (ILH-1) which describes a source of iron that the humans can obtain without having to go through dwarves and it doesn't mention this as noteworthy.
>HeroQuest rules state that metallic iron is the result of Mostali
>alchemy, not metallurgy.
So Iron can't be mined or smelted? That's contrary to what's known about iron from other sources.
>Peter proposes that the Third Eye Blue people are only one
>of several groups who discovered or stole the secrets of making
>iron (from suitable ore).
Wrong. I rebutted your claim that the Third Eye Blue are the only ones to steal the secret of making iron from the dwarves and pointed out that a) they were listed as *an* example of theft from the dwarves and b) that other people could have learned the secret of making iron from them. In addition, DW#24 shortly after mentioning the Third Eye Blue says"Despite these [dwarven reprisals], working iron and alchemy are quite common now [...]".
>The TEB paid for this by being prosecuted by the Mostali and
>exiled into the Gloranthan parallel of Kiruna,
The TEB were not exiled to the uplands of Tastolar, that is where they originally came from (The Genertela Book "The highlands of [Tastolar] from whence the Third Eye Blue first came, are still cut off by the Ban" p20).
>or as subjects of
>powerful magicians (like Gringle) or potentates able to protect
>them from Mostali prosecution.
Gringle isn't a powerful magician and the dwarves have given up on the secret of taking iron away from the humans. Their persecution was in a mythic age and since that time, the dwarves have done no noteworthy actions against the humans.
>If the Loskalmi have a wide-spread iron production industry,
>the Kingdom of War will have to stand in the queue for the
>Nidan assault on this industry to be finished.
Why would Nida be worried about Loskalmi iron? All the humans are going to kill each other real soon now according to the plan.
--Peter Metcalfe
End of Glorantha Digest, Vol 11, Issue 41
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