On Thu, 30 Sep 2004, Scott Schultz wrote: > [...] > Given that Tekla make up the bulk of the population and that most are only > slightly educated and thus unable to teleport themselves, you'd think that > you'd have a ready audience waiting for a technological labor-saving > solution to the transportation (or any other) problem. > > Of course, this may simply say that the only people who have the leisure to > invent something like an internal combustion engine are the middle-upper > class that have no need of it and so don't waste engergy on it. So, in a > round about way, the original argument stands. *heh* A reasonable argument but not applicable during Teckla Republics (or in the East, or Greenaere). The _Guns, Germs, and Steel_ view is probably that a lack of serious competition to the unified Empire (along with the better-developed sorcery tech) covers the first part - compare China's slower (integrating over all history) development than the West. The East one might claim gets overrun by Dragaeran armies or manipulated by the Cycle/gods too much. But the islands should have tech by my lights (modulo indirect manipulation by the gods a la Phoenix).