Starshadw at aol.com wrote: > > In a message dated 9/5/2002 8:08:30 AM Mountain Daylight Time, scs at di.org > writes: > > > There are various reasons why one group might have an advantage over > > the other. The Dragaerans have sorcery and incredibly deep generalship > > via people like Sethra Lavode -- not to mention the experience from a > > 3000-year lifespan. > > > > The Easterners have much higher fertility rates and reach adulthood > > much more quickly, and thus can beat down the Dragaerans by sheer > > repeated weight of numbers. > > > > I think we have to be careful of falling into the trap of assuming that > Dragaerans are superior to Easterners (which seems to be the big assumption). > The very fact that they have not been able to subjugate the East is proof > that the two groups are on a far more equitable standing than is typically > supposed. I don't think it is merely a difference in numbers. It seems that the prevailing situation is a stalemate. Sorcery pretty much allows Dragaerans to counter Eastern witchcraft, and while Dragaerans live longer, Easterners mature faster and breed more, etc. It is suggested in several of the books that during the Interregnum, the balance shifted in the Easterners' favor; Dragaerans were not able to counter the plagues and other nastiness the Eastern witches caused. I think another factor towards creating this stalemate is the reverse of the Elde/Greenaere alliance we saw in Phoenix: if the Dragaeran empire could focus all of its attention to exterminating the Easterners, it would *probably* be successful, unless Elde or Greenaere decide to take advantage of the situation to attack the Empire. Any internal crises, such as the Teckla/Easterner rebellion, would also cause the Empire to lose focus. Also, I believe that if the Empire makes it clear it plans to exterminate every Easterner, it would cause the disparate Eastern nations to unite. I think the combined might of the Eastern nations could possibly lay the Empire low. I don't know how many Easterners there are, though. I can imagine that there would be extreme dissent >from certain quarters if the Empire were to undertake such a thing (Morrolan, Sethra Lavode, and Khaavren come to mind). Jose -- Jose Marquez jhereg69 at earthlink.net