Farming

[MeTekillot]

Do you think it would be knowledge within the common commoners common knowledge that, if you take the seeds you get from a kalan's rind, or from the nuts that drop from a cunyati tree, or what-have-you. Well, do you think it's common knowledge that the seeds of these plants are what causes them to grow? I know it's ludicrously common knowledge in this day and age what seeds are for, but considering that almost all farms are privately owned and overseen by the city states or merchant houses, would the common populace know that seeds are what cause plants to flourish?

[Marauder Moe]

I'd say this is one of those things where it's OK if your character starts out knowing that, and it's OK if they don't.

I think most city commoners probably wouldn't think about it much, but if they did and asked they'd probably find, within a few degrees of relationships, someone who's grown a plant in soil before.  Also, I think the notion that life comes from similar life is readily apparent, even in Zalanthas, and thus it's not a huge mental leap to assume this extends to plants as well as people/animals.

[Bast]

Anyone that's background is from one of the farming villages around the city states would most certainly know. I doubt a the average rinther would know this...and it may elude some of the nobility  (Wasn't there a french king that tried to grow cows by planting meat?, I mean granted he was insane but...)

[My 2 sids]

Zananthasans aren't dumb!  They built an entire complex society.  Don't underestimate their ability to learn.

That said, I'd say  plant=seeds=farming=plant is about as far as most would understand.  Many already live life buying from stores if not out-right pre-made food.  Add magic to that (suddenly science doesn't need to be studied because at some point "it's magic" becomes an actual reason something happens).  And you end up with what I would say is the typical 4th grader's understanding about where food comes from.

[TheBadSeed]

I disagree completely. I think Zalanthans would have a pretty intimate knowledge of farming, more so than most modern day humans.

In modern times, our knowledge and work skills are incredibly specialized and focused. From ancient times all the way up to the industrial revolution, humans were much more multi-taskers. They had to know all the jobs of the village in order to help it survive. Planting and harvest season in smaller communities usually involved the whole populace, not just the 5% that is normal in industrialized communities.

In Zalanthas, food is scarce, water moreso, disease is rampant, and life spans are short. To keep knowledge of how to get food among just a few would ensure a communities destruction.

To give you a point of reference: http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=GenderStat&f=inID%3A111

From that: In the United States, approximately 2-3% of our populace is directly employed in agriculture. In Uganda, 70-90% of the poulace is directly employed in agriculture.

[AmandaGreathouse]

I think it would depend a little more on your location.

In places where people aren't likely to leave the walls as an average commoner (Allanak, Red Storm), I would see the vast majority in the farming villages knowing a good bit, but much less in the city proper.

In Tuluk, though, where they have things like public gardens and crops within outer walls, it would seem more likely to be more common knowledge.

In Luir's... I would think it relied more heavily on trade or hunting and gathering, given the location and the surrounding lands.

[My 2 sids]

The thing is when magick comes into play, science goes only so far.

When food and water really does appear out of thin air, suddenly there isn't much reason to really study how the world works.   Add to that, the majority of the Known is (for many) an _urban_ environment.

[AmandaGreathouse]

Hey now, if you refer to the bible.... manna anyone?

I dunno. That's not plausible in most places, and especially not with the differences in magick food and regular food, which are many and varied.

[FantasyWriter]

Hey now, if you refer to the bible.... manna anyone?

I dunno. That's not plausible in most places, and especially not with the differences in magick food and regular food, which are many and varied.

Yeah, after breaking captivity all of the Israelites suddenly branched skill_gather.... you didn't read that part, did you?

The reason God made them wonder in the same three square leagues of desert "rooms" for 40 years, was because he couldn't find the buggy line in the code and didn't want a bunch of sorcs running around an already mostly-barren wasteland.  Balance and all that.

[AmandaGreathouse]

I meant food appearing out of thin air. Not them magicking it up.

I was trying to make a joke. Meh.

But seriously, people don't generally live on magick food and water in Arm, so that's not something that ought to be affecting the majority of the vnpcs and npcs, or by extension, the pcs, in the knowledge department. And anyone who's had or been around magick food/water in game knows the differences. Which are multiple.

[Wug]

Please curb the magick discussion here.

Most farming in Zalanthas is done by slaves. Food production and agriculture is monopolized by Houses and the Templarates, and few commoners would know much about it.

[AmandaGreathouse]

I didn't mean to get into more specifics and didn't plan to, Wug. I merely meant to point out that those who have found out IC would know enough about things to know why magick is not a reason that people would lack farming knowledge on a large scale. That said, I'm out.

[FantasyWriter]

I was trying to make a joke. Meh.

Me, too.   

[Dalmeth]

Please curb the magick discussion here.

Most farming in Zalanthas is done by slaves. Food production and agriculture is monopolized by Houses and the Templarates, and few commoners would know much about it.

Well that actually makes a great deal of difference from how I usually look at the game world.  It sounds a lot like the Commoners are skilled artisans rather than the base population we generally think they are.

No wonder there are so many abuseable moneymaking schemes in game.  Easy money supports the sort of society mentioned above.

[Kaineus]

If any of you are bummed about the lack of agricultural/pastoral roleplay for your character, there are tribes/clans/houses in game with livestock and/or crops under their control. Find em for yourself!

[stark]

But I have this hoe I got in a shop, and scooped the seeds out of this squash...

[greasygemo]

The "pour" helpfile states that if you are standing or arable land, you can pour water on it and this helps food to flourish, and improves your relationship to the land yo.. So..

[Patuk]

If the secrets of sorcery were known to everyone, well..

[kayza]

Sounds like hippy crap.

[Nyr]

Please refrain from resurrecting topics that have no recent activity, especially if you're just going to post a derail.  It just gets them locked.