On Tue, 14 Jan 2003, Bob wrote: #the area. Unless I'm wrong, Dragaera is not on Earth itself, and possibly #not even in the same world, therefore either the particular area they happen #to reside in has no saltpeter This doesn't depend on natural resources, like coal or iron ore. Saltpeter forms at the bottom of dungheaps, which I think must be in plentiful supply. # or, like in Zelazny's Amber, Gunpowder does #not ignite here. That requires a different set of natural laws, which of course is a possibility. -- Mark A. Mandel http://world.std.com/~mam/Cracks-and-Shards/ a Steven Brust Dragaera fan website