Was wondering how mining works in Glorantha. Metal is the bones of the gods, but only *sometimes* (and I seem to remember rarely at that) turns up in bone shape.
Who does the mining? There's no miner occupation for Sartarites in SKoH (but there is one for stickpickers).
What God do miners worship? For Olanthis is it Esolia (the body of the earth) or Ty Kora Tek (the hidden wealth of the earth)? Actually neither seems right to me. They may need propitiating, but I suspect there is a different god for miners. Almost certainly an earth god.
Where is metal found? Glorantha is magical. The distribution of metal deposits shouldn't be the same as for the RW, where it is governed by physics and geology. Maybe it's more in plains, as that's where battles between the gods were more likely to have been fought?
How deep underground is it? Is it like Bronze age mining? https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-bronze-age-mining-smelting-casting-metallurgy.html has a picture of ancient copper mine. Very narrow tunnel. I vaguely remember ancient Spanish silver mines looking the same. Or is it closer to the surface and we are almost looking at open cast mining?
Looking at Sartar, do all tribes/clans have sources of bronze/copper/tin (at least)? If not, which ones do and which ones don't? How many members of such clans are actively engaged in the mining occupation? I can't believe that Sartar imports all its metal.
This isn't just academic. Maybe your mine runs out and you have to heroquest to fix the problem (maybe finding a new deposit). If a clan doesn't have a source of metal on its lands, it's going to need to trade. That means diplomacy, bartering and shipping (caravans). All potential story sources. What happens if your partner's mine runs out? If they decide to stop trading with you? Maybe someone else is offering them a better deal. If you're digging in the earth metal might not be all you find. Darkness spirits? Krashtkid tunnels? Other buried chaos horrors?