Re: A sense of smelt

From: bryan_thx <bethexton_at_h-wR6A-dkG9TTdtOe32jKdrkiHULfyVzLT47nFGGyFfsBAHXNRDDP2c2dGg1Bn773X>
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:59:21 -0000

>
> Jorganos:
>  
> > There is a huge copper deposit in the Wastes, finely ground metallic copper.
>  
> And yet they don't use to to make anything. I think that the reasons are:
> 1. Their fires are not hot enough.
> 2. They have bone-smithing magic that they use to make weapons that are as good a the copper weapons they could otherwise create.

And, given that this is Glorantha--they don't have a native smithing cult that gives the magic to smelt copper. Magic in Glorantha tends to run pretty close to physics in our world sometimes, but I'm still guessing that there are cultures who smelt copper without access to the really proper fires or equipment....but obviously the magic is easier with the right equipment.

(In my personal take on the Blood Over Gold Setting, the native smithing magic comes from spirits. The difficulty of working metal with the native equipment is high enough that they generally have to release the spirit to add its rating to their own, making worked bronze very rare and expensive....until the trader princes returned and brought in foreign work and cults. This close to wiped out these tradional bone-smiths)