> [I expressed skepticism that the Loskalmi would get their iron through
> recylcing]
I offered recycling as the available method during the Syndics' Ban. Post-Closing prior to the Ban, it would have to be TEB, Ralian traders (unlikely) or Nidan Decamony. TEB in northern Fronela might have found a secondary deposit of iron, Nida may have its own (as Peter suggests) or offer it in trade via Bad Deal.
I stand to my scepticism that human alchemy in Loskalm during the Ban was able to equip the entire army with iron. 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.
> 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).
> 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. (1000 scimitars equals about 3 metric tons of iron!) That's about the extent of metal production the TEB are capable of in the Empire (with cult leaders and nobility keeping similar amounts out of circulation).
>>Seshnela lies on the seam between Danmalastan and the Theist World. >>Magnetic Mountain was slightly west of the seam between Danmalastan and >>"Bamatela". The Pentan mountains are roughly on the seam between Theist >>Peloria and Mystic East.
> Except that a) the Von Hills are not in Pent and b) the four
> worlds hypothesis in the form that you describe it has a big
> problem in that the Greatlands have always been Animistic.
So what? Make it the theist/animist border then.
Iron for Separation.
> 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. HeroQuest rules state that metallic iron is the result of Mostali alchemy, not metallurgy.
I won't nitpick further about Nidan iron. IMG that's no major original source of iron because the Decamony has subdued the Iron Mountain dwarves and gets their iron from there, through dwarf tunnels.
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). The TEB paid for this by being prosecuted by the Mostali and exiled into the Gloranthan parallel of Kiruna, or as subjects of powerful magicians (like Gringle) or potentates able to protect them from Mostali prosecution. 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. (Unless you want to blame the KoW on the Nidan Decamony.)
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