@WrongEndoftheRainbow just cause they haven't had a need for it doesn't mean that they would not experiment. They are dwarves for gods' sake, they drink, sleep, eat, mine, and forge metals. Not necessarily in that order. Just the fact that they are living literally inside a gigantic mountain made from a dead God's corpse, which is prolly one of the most precious things in the Universe, gives them a definite edge over all other races on Galbar when it comes to metalworking. That they are behind in that field of technology is akin to squandering potential.
Also, just cause they are metal-depended doesn't mean that they should just be magically given steel when it was their choice to move into an island in the middle of the ocean... why should we reward bad decisions?
PS: Bah, do what you want, im just speaking my mind here. I am prolly the last person to speak about any developments on Galbar, seeing as i've done basically nothing there with my characters.