On Tue, 30 Dec 2003, David Silberstein wrote: > >Speaking of Vallista, I find myself wondering just how inventive >they are. This ties in to the whole notion of technology on >Dragaera possibly being limited by the intervention of the gods, >or by demons, or by the Orb, or by the Jenoine or *something*. >After 200,000 years, they've just barely invented bows & arrows? > >Are Vallista who are too creative (or are too creative in certain >areas, such as military applications of chemistry or basic mechanics) >just disappeared? > Another thought about Vallista: Perhaps it is the Vallista Council who are the final arbiters of what technologies may be used in the Empire (and they are presumably backed by the laws of the Empire), and all Vallista are presumably bound to abide by their decisions. So perhaps the Vallista know about bows, and maybe even gunpowder, and have know of such things for many Cycles now - but they make sure that no-one *uses* it. Fornia may have been due to suffer penalties for using bows in his campaign, but perhaps the penalty would have been light enough (for such fairly simple tech) that he figured it was worth the risk. The question arises about how they might prevent such inventions from arising in the East, but perhaps there are Vallista agents of the Empire who keep an eye on technologies outside the Empire, and are licensed to destroy anything too advanced or being used in a way they don't like, along with the hapless inventors. Or perhaps the inventors are conscripted into House Vallista, and kidnapped into the Empire, where they may work on inventions under the Vallista Council's strict supervision, thereby increasing the Vallista's knowledgebase while being under their control.