Do we already have the building blocks of an interstellar economy?

[+Oltux72 he/him]

Currently interstellar commerce is done with caravans. That limits your speed and cargo capacity to what a lifeless beast of burden can provide. Yet ordinary technology and magotech works in the Cognitive realm. I see no reason why you couldn't take the parts of a Malwish airship through a perpendicularity, build a base on the other side and assemble them there. Their range and speed suffice to take them at least to the next subastrals from Scadrial. It would still take days to weeks, but it would be orders of magnitude faster and comfortable than caravans.

It seems to me that the Cosmere is on the verge of a major jump in interconnectivity no matter what happens. In fact the rockets the Scadrians already were working on could provide the next jump. A suborbital hop could bring a few people from Scadrial to another world in mere hours.
The knowledge is also out there. If you set off a strategic nuke (or its equivalent) on somebody's door step they will wonder where it came from and what else is out there.

However, in contrast to Earth's intercontinental trade, there is no equivalent of ships for cheap trade in bulk goods. The economics will look different. If you want a suit of awakened material on Scadrial, you can have it, if you are very rich. But no shipment of grain or ores in the quantities even the 19th century saw on Earth. A bit like the Earth in 1930 if the only means of travel were the Hindenburg.

[Quantus he/him]

I foresee interplanetary Oathgates becoming a thing before too long (on the scale of the whole cosmere tale).  Definitely from Roshar once the spren Connection issue is solved, and at least Aondor is probably capably of something similar eventually.  But they take a lot of Investiture, so you'd need an abundant and renewing source.  

[Lord Ruler Sylphrena He/Him]

On 12/12/2024 at 8:28 AM, Quantus said:

I foresee interplanetary Oathgates becoming a thing before too long (on the scale of the whole cosmere tale).  Definitely from Roshar once the spren Connection issue is solved, and at least Aondor is probably capably of something similar eventually.  But they take a lot of Investiture, so you'd need an abundant and renewing source.  

Oathgates and Spaceships will definitely be critical to interplanetary travel. I think improved versions of Ships like the Fourth Bridge or the stuff the Malwish might become just as important and could be a big export to planets that don't have efficient planetary travel. Aon Dor teleportation is definitely interesting to think about but might be situational due to the geographically bound nature of the magic.

[Quantus he/him]

1 hour ago, Lord Ruler Sylphrena said:

Oathgates and Spaceships will definitely be critical to interplanetary travel. I think improved versions of Ships like the Fourth Bridge or the stuff the Malwish might become just as important and could be a big export to planets that don't have efficient planetary travel. Aon Dor teleportation is definitely interesting to think about but might be situational due to the geographically bound nature of the magic.

AonDor in particular of all the Selish magics loans itself really well to permanent and/or architectural magical constructs, and we know from WOB that establishing a Connection through the Spiritual Realm can bridge that limitation which AonDor can do with the right Aonic spell.  So if we're specifically talking about recreating an Oathgate system, it might fall right into AonDor's wheelhouse to have Architectural Gates on various planets with an Urithiru-style central Hub on Sel to anchor the network and transmit Dor out to the satellite Gate Platforms via programmed Spiritual connection Aons.