*SPOILERS* Envoy to Earth discussion.

[Ronald Dukarski]

Oh yeah sure, use story-centric logic. Still... 2000 years?

[RyanM]

Why not? We've been told fields on stone last a decade or two depending on the builder, fields on metal last a handful of years, and fields on wood maybe a 2-5 years. We've also been told that magical devices are extremely expensive. That means that magic is constantly having to be replaced, but only the super wealthy nobles can afford to see it through. Even then, they only outfit their elite forces.

I would hazard a guess that many magical creations are on a commission basis so few could get a copy. If a primary builder is being tied up making copies of their own work, then they're not creating new and innovative works. Too, maybe the builders are wise enough not to do too much innovation for fear of throwing the economy and job markets out of whack, something Tor has likely done. Why have potters if they can create magical dishes? Seamstresses and tailors if everyone has magical clothing? Farmers and cooks if you can magically create food? so on and so forth?

[Ronald Dukarski]

Of course you're right, as a matter of fact, Count Lairdgren, Green, set it up that way originally. So you do have a point. Still... 2000 years?

[David]

It was education, or perhaps even brainwashing. The books make that quite clear. Building is too hard. Building classes were limited to certain numbers and even in those classes they taught you can't make copies without a template, it was too difficult otherwise. Even the builders were brainwashed with those limitations.

It was all part of building a new society after humanity almost destroyed the world. Everyone in Tor's family can now build something to destroy the world, and a few others besides. This is what they were trying to prevent by limiting building. If everyone could build, eventually you'd find that one crazy genius that wants to blow stuff up instead of making things better. Austra got to keep tech, but they were curtailed to prevent abusing the planets resources, but also no nuclear weapons.

In the end, that's what it comes down to. Building was limited to stop another 'end of the world' event. As a way to safeguard humanity etc...

The endless food and items are all good things, and teaching building in other lands is good as well to improve standards of living without stressing natural resources, but the truth is humans are always as good at destroying as they are at building up.

That is my theory why it took two thousand years.

[Ronald Dukarski]

But think about it: some wizard sitting in his bathroom calls out-"Martha, damn it, bring another roll in here, now! Wait a minute, magic toilet paper, of course, I'll get right on it!" See, really kind of dense, blind to reality. That's my point.

[David]

You're forgetting the ceiling that was brainwashed into them. Before Tor started building new things in an hour it took months of planning to make a build. Even the best builders were only doing two a year. Also making more than one copy at once was unheard of until Tor did it. Remember, a lot about building is belief it can be done. Would you waste months to make TP?

[RyanM]

I would add a couple more wrinkles:
1) Was it really 2000 years? I don't recall a definitive timeline between when Green fully realized how to work magic, then able to understand it enough to teach it, and then have it brought to schools for others to teach it. I would place the real timeline for mainstream magic at maybe 500 years.

2) From what we know, most builders are very solitary. How many died of dehydration, starvation, or general exposure while trying to work a complicated build? It would only take 3 days before death by dehydration set in. How long would it have taken before someone realized what was actually going on and didn't just think "Magic is dangerous, the magic killed them."

[Ronald Dukarski]

Okay guys, I surrender. They (the wizards before Tor) were probably brainwashed or conditioned to believe magic was difficult and dangerous. Green' s warning to Tor was always: don't use too much magic, it'll break the world. So you're right. Had to be that way. But I still think they were less than imaginative or inventive. A bunch of dummies.

[David]

I agree it is odd no builder before Tor broke the glass ceiling. Perhaps they did, and green killed them to enforce the imposed rules of society. He was in charge of the assassins guild after all.

[RyanM]

Well, no builder before Tor was an Ancient (other than Green who limited himself on purpose). That has to play some kind of role.