Re: Dealing with Mermen : questions about aluminium

From: jeffkyer <jakyer_at_ScC3-FliHDKpMppxFdDUF4pjf0cPgvdP4xjiyvQO_DAY5F3wvDuM1ffOusYHx1EL01-NN>
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:53:34 -0000

> Aluminum can logically be found anywhere the sea gods were defeated (killed) during the Godtime and left their bones behind. (This is also why you find it on land). IIRC, at least a couple of sources have stories (or maps) about the Thunder Brothers reclaiming lands from the sea to the southwest of Dragon Pass, so I suspect that Wenelia is actually a good place to find aluminum. There is also a mine in Erigia, I think, although that's a bit far from Wenelia.
>

There are several shores and former shores in Wenelia where this is the case. Petrified Sea near Jadnor would be an excellent place to start. Who knows? Maybe the fellows at Ft Digger might have some ideas. The seas washed up and broke around the mountains along the coast, never quite drowning them.

Again, you are probably looking at luxury goods as well - adornments and the like. Gold is always a good trade item. Imperishable and easily worked. Certain woods, perhaps. Maybe they like the way certain items make the water around them taste? (read smell).

> In the real world, aluminum was very hard to mine (or refine) until modern times. Quicksilver is refined from cinnabar, I believe, and has been mined since ancient times.
>

Yes, aluminum was extremely valuable until the late 19th century. Far more so than gold or platinum. Napoleon III was famous for having an entire enough aluminum dinnerware for a state dinner. Quicksilver, on the other hand, was known to the Babylonians and Egyptians and extracted readily from cinnabar and realgar. A large model of China in Emperor Qin's tomb has rivers which were made from quicksilver. He was buried in 3rd century BCE.            

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