Hmm, that is a very interesting thing. Given the Dras biome, what are your thoughts on the Dras' ability to build mass amounts of weapons for their soldiers?

Seeing how the to'resk also live in wetlands like the Dras, do you think they would also have some access to bog iron? maybe not as much as Dras but probably.

I like the analysis! Some food for thought: where would the swamp get charcoal? Maybe fast-growing marshy trees like alder and willow, coppiced or pollarded for renewable growth?

Elyrian jet may not be the same as terrestrial jet. Some allusions to its usages in lore lead me to suspect that it is stronger, and thus perhaps not derived from wood.

My thoughts:

1) Assuming that there were enough people searching the bogs for the ore, the blacksmith could churn out weapons and armor at a reasonable rate. The Saxons relied on bog iron, and they never had any issues with armaments.

2) Wetlands are known for deeper, flowing bodies of water. The bog iron needs sediment and heat, brought on by the marshes still waters and thousands of years worth of pressure. The To'resk will most likely have something other than bog ore in their lands.

3) For charcoal, groves of willow trees grown for the express purpose of charcoal production wouldn't be too far a guess. It really depends on what the game mechanics put us through to make charcoal.

Realistically, we would need time for such production, but time will tell.

4) If it is stronger, than the Dras will certainly have an advantage in materials that can be used.

Excellent information. Sounds like more work for the tailors in the area, having to keep up the repair on those work clothes.

With those workers in game having to constantly be looking down at the water and the ground, they may need to work in crews so that there can be eyes up watch guards for predators or other persons with bad intentions.

Predators, for certain.

Persons with bad intentions? Maybe.

Elyria will be sparsely populated by Earth's standards, and a team of three or more "miners" traversing the bog should prove more than enough to deter any kind of overt robbery, especially since the ore is heavy, cumbersome, and worth little save to a blacksmith.

That being said, hiring a guard to watch the cart wouldn't be a bad idea.

Edit: Since the larger communities will have field workers in droves, bandits will be less likely to bother them. It'll be the smaller communities that may need to beef up security.

Why wouldnt persons with bad intentions attack a bog iron gathering group? I would imagine outlaw groups will be rather desperate to find ways to arm themselves as they begin to make a bad name for themselves.

That bog iron will be a high value item even if it is heavy and somewhat difficult to transport.

I agree though that as a general rule, numbers will matter. A bog iron resource area near a small settlement may require the Duke or Duchess to make a Barony contract with that settlement in order to cover some of the costs of protecting that value resource.

Local wildlife will be a threat to miners in the countryside, as will "lifestyle deviants" (i.e., griefers).

Miners might make charcoal and smelt the ore into some form of iron in the field. The charcoal would come from local trees, while both the charcoal ovens and the smelters or bloomeries would be constructed from local clay or earth. This is economical because it minimizes the effort to transport ore and wood to a permanent location. It depends on exactly how and to what extent CoE will abstract the production processes.

If bog iron deposits are like those on earth, each site will not yield a lot of ore, but it will be high quality, and there might be many small sites in an area. Moreover, if the deposits are like those on earth, they might generate over time or regenerate, because IIRC they are produced by bacterial action on iron salts dissolved in water.

Wow, never knew about bog iron - thanks!