My recollection was that summary was roughly that each lineage of smiths would have their own sources and gathering methods, which they probably keep secret. After all, you are gathering the bones of gods, you don't want just anybody dis-respecting them! Although the general locations probably aren't entirely secret (someone has to have found it in the first place, people know roughly where the smith goes every year, there is a spot you keep visitors away from, etc), the details of exactly where and how it is gathered is probably closely held.
Most likely most clans have some sort of source, and certainly every tribe would--as you say, dragon pass must be pretty bone, err, bronze rich.
Depending on the source it might be as easy as digging through a few feet of forest floor humus, as arduous as raking a bog for nuggets, or as dangerous as working in a small tunnel. However few if any operations would be full time, and most would be performed by the clan bonesmith and his apprentices. There may be a few exceptions where many clans in a tribe have few or no bronze resources, so one clan with a very good supply has a 'smith' who is mostly a full time gatherer.
Because bronze is quite readily available, I'd think there would be no real reason for the more complicated mining options.
Bringing it back to stormsteads, most likely Swenstead doesn't have a full time bronzesmith. The clan would have one down in the main stead for sure. He might come to Swenstead occasionally, but most likely major works travel to him. One of his apprentices may spend a season a year or so at Swenstead to do general repairs (and gain some experience operating on his own). Aside from that, probably several of the Orlanth Allfather initiates have good enough handyman skills and magic (got to love "bless tools") to cobble together other fixes.
This doesn't present any particular reason that the metal source should be close to Swenstead. Off the cuff, I'd either have nuggets gathered in the low land steads (picked out of the river? raked from a boggy bit?) or else gather near one of the other upland steads. Swenstead is already 'special' because of the daimone of the river, we should probably spread the 'special' around to the rest of the steads too.
-Bryan
--- "palashee <mickrowe.ygmv_at_McH1yXj1yzhAQg9iy1bK-Snr9b3En47mqHiL9dY_eKtFaD1fJIJYloYfRq4AtqQwMYoBD8cReni_9IkzGL_gyLIhOwVg.yahoo.invalid>"
<mickrowe.ygmv_at_McH1yXj1yzhAQg9iy1bK-Snr9b3En47mqHiL9dY_eKtFaD1fJIJYloYfRq4AtqQwMYoBD8cReni_9IkzGL_gyLIhOwVg.yahoo.invalid> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Where would the stead get its metals from
> I see dragon pass being metal rich, all the bones of those dead gods.
>
> Do all sartarite clans mine their own ore on their own tula?
>
> If they do what type of mine would it be - quarry/drift/shaft/bell
> shaped? and how do the mostali react
>
> I've joined this group late, so i don't know if this has been
> discussed at all, though when i searched the messages I didn't find
> anything.
>
> Cheers,
> mick
>
>
>
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