--Peter Metcalfe:
<<
I think Dynastic crisis are more prevalent than Brithini population
explosions. At the Dawn the 13th house ruled. Now they are up to
21. And I'll also quibble on "few" refugees. IMO Vormain does have
a steady dribble of refugees over the years. It's the flood of
refugees that concerns everybody...
>>
I agree with this, but would like to ask about the effect of the
Closing/Opening on Vormain. Presumably this was a blessing to the xenophobic
Vorumai when it frst hit the islands and a curse when foreigners once again
visited the islands. The capacity of refugees from Vormain to escape the
islands is surely dependant on Open Oceans. How did this xenophobic people
learn Dormal's secrets? Could it have taken 40 years? Or at least several
decades for large numbers of people to get the idea that it might be worth
risking everything they know for a trip to somewhere that is a) hated b)
unknown and c) no one they know has ever returned from.
Before the closing it is my guess that relations with the major sea power of
the time would not have been rosy: Waertagi, Jrusteli, Golden Mokato. They
have no reason to allow refugees from Vormain to leave and consequently there
were also few oppurtunities for Vorumai to leave their islands. Only now, in
the Third Age, where sea power is fragmented and no one nation controls
surface shipping, can the Vorumai escape their cruel islands.
All IMO. Any ideas on this?
Keith