On Tue, 14 Jan 2003, Alexx S Kay wrote: > > Just because firearms may have been invented at some point in the Dragaeran > > past does not mean that they are at all common, or even existant, any > > longer. Dragaeran history is long enough that lots of information can be > > lost. > > To the left, between Lyorn compulsiveness, and the (as you mention below) > documented survival of incredibly ancient documents, I'm dubious that any > technology that existed long enough to be widespread could possibly be lost. > ["Lost" in terms of "completely forgotten". I can easily conceive of certain > kinds of industrial infrastructure being allowed to fall out of use.] Remember Loftis and "breaking the stick" from the 5-7th cycles. I assert that to build a cannon requires metallurgical skills which a sword-based military would not allow to lapse, a knowledge of gunpowder, and a source of saltpetre or some extremely basic chemistry that would anyway be familiar to those with the above metallurgical skills. To build a pipe bomb (useful to assassins, I should think) wouldn't even require the metallurgical skills. - Philip