Terraced farms – aha! Basic agricultural economics! Ok, so Norvos is more self-sufficient in foodstuffs.The Norvoshi have a big territory – at least 600 miles east to west, and around 800 miles north to south!.So the rich and the priests live above where all the commerce and fun goes on, and then anyone who comes up or goes down is a sinner.
No wonder the Dothraki don’t fuck with Norvos, it sounds like a bastard to try to besiege. I should have expected Norvos was a religious colony, it makes so much sense! Lys, Myr, and Pentos, with Norvos and Qohor somewhere in the middle, with mostly just slave soldiers and a free working population. Which would make it Braavos, Pentos, and Lorath vs. they don’t mention it, but given their weakness and proximity to Braavos, I’m guessing no slaves. And they got replaced by a council of magisters made up of the elite – although we still don’t know whether magister is about wealth, noble blood, or general status. so you have three Princes, one elected by the landed interest, one elected by the commercial interest, and one by the commons. Interesting system of politics, which we knew nothing of before:. And then they got fat and greedy, and the theocracy fell. Third eye mystics, pacifists, and strict egalitarians: “all life was sacred and eternal…men and women were equal that lords and peasants, rich and poor, slave and master, man and beast were all alike, all equally worthy, all creatures of god.” And they believe that abnegation of the self is necessary for unity with the godhead, so that’s where the Lorathi dialect comes in. And then the worshipers of Boash, the Blind God show up. So settled by Ibbenese, then the Andals whup on the Ibbenese, then the Andals mess with the Norvoshi, then the Andals get burnt out by the Valyrians – which explains why the Andals started heading west in a hurry. Are these Deep Ones or victims of the Deep Ones? Or more akin to the Hyboreans of Robert E. The Mazemakers – here’s where stuff gets crazy. No wonder they’re so damn poor, they don’t have any manufacturing to provide some serious value-added. So Lorath exports fish, walrus tusks, sealskins, and whale oil. Well, this was an unexpected revelation, but intriguing. So Mantarys, Volon Therys, Oros, Tyria, Draconys, Elyria, Mhysa Faer, Rhyos, and Aquos Dhaen are all as big or bigger than Gulltown/White Harbor/Lannisport…man, Essos is even more urbanized than I’d thought. Please note: manufactured goods and luxury items go west, raw materials go east. Lorath’s coin seems like it would cost more to mint than it’s worth. Coins: Braavos’ coin doesn’t seem right. I really want to read Colloquo Votar’s Jade Compendium. Interesting that the Citadel doesn’t have any parallel institutions in the East, or sends people out to study Esssos. Time to see what’s left of my Laboratory of Politics series! And after a rather frantic week, we’re almost done…
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