>Imagine survivors of the ice age with access to late Bronze age
>technology, traditions of irrigation farming, and a degree of medical
>care comparable to that of the Caliphate of Cordoba in the 10th century
>(thanks to the magic).
I don't think the medical care available to the average Orlanthi is all that great. And Barntar plows are by no means 'irrigation farming'.
>Dawn Genertelan population may have been in the order of a half a
>million west of the Shan Shan mountains.
Again this is far too low IMO. The Heortlings are not Neolithic farmers and so it is not reasonable to assume neolithic population distributions for them.
>Kralorela is said to have survived the Darkness almost intact - while I
>think this is exaggerated, I have no problem assigning Kralorela and
>Teshnos with larger starting populations.
I'm willing to assume the population of Kralorela at the Dawn was something like 1/10th of its current population or 1 million.
>The Theyalan missionaries brought about a population expansion of an
>enormous degree with their teachings of Lightbringer magics and customs
>- - including healing (CA), agriculture (Orlanth&Ernalda, aldryami
>support!), knowledge about technology (LM, dwarf contacts) and trade
>(Issaries). They also brought back valuable knowledge from the people
>they encountered.
The Lightbringer secrets would only make their magics more powerful and not grant any of the other benefits that you mention.
In particular, Chalana Arroy would not have much impact on overall population. Healers are very rare then as now and would contribute buggerall to the welfare of the common farmer.
The Barntar cult and cattle are good things to have, but they are not unique to the Heortlings AFAIK. The Aldryami support is minimal as their magics are suited to growing trees and wild forms of vegetation. They are unsuited for adaption to human cultivation.
The Lhankor Mhy Sages would still be illiterate bumpkins dressed in sheepskins and strongly devoted to reciting lineages. I strongly doubt that any technology the dwarves have can improve the plight of the average farmer to any meaningful degree.
>Assuming a constant growth rate of 3%, you can start out with 20000
>people in Kethaela and Kerofinela at the Dawn and arrive at 10 millions
>around 200 ST, or 0.64 millions around 115 ST (when the peace of the
>Theyalans began to fall apart, and growth rate is reduced).
I seriously doubt that such a population explosion would have occured. You have the population increasing sixteenfold in less than a hundred years. This would create a huge strain on all aspects of Orlanthi society.
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