An intermediate age before the Space Age [DISCUSS]

[+Oltux72 he/him]

I will state the thesis in the beginning:
The Cosmere will not strictly go from isolated worlds only linked by secretive caravans directly to the space age. There will be an intermediate age where the worlds with perpendicularities are linked by airships in Shadesmar.

It seems to me that there is a common misconception that the space age in the cosmere will proceed along two lines through Shadesmar and through normal space concurrently.
I don't think that that is right. On the contrary the existance of Shadesmar will delay conventional space travel. Why strap yourself into a rocket just to go to orbit, if walking through Shadesmar can take you to other inhabitated worlds? The obvious solution is to make travel through Shadesmar better rather than built spaceships.

I would propose that the initial development of true FTL will come as a Scadrian response to Rosharan Elsecalling.

When will this intermediate age begin? Now. I predict that Ghostbloods will be set a few decades after its beginning. Island of the Emberdark is set at its end towards a transition to FTL.

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

Chances are. we're already in that stage since before The Lost Metal, probably even before Era 2, we just haven't seen it.

The Malwish both have had Airships and control over the Scadrian Perpendicularity for a long time, long enough for there to be Malwish Descendants in Silverlight, like Iyatil and her brother.

It'd be even easier to use Airships in Shadesmar since there isn't any tangible weather to mess with their ships as they're lightened.

[+Oltux72 he/him]

1 hour ago, JustQuestin2004 said:

Chances are. we're already in that stage since before The Lost Metal, probably even before Era 2, we just haven't seen it.

The Malwish both have had Airships and control over the Scadrian Perpendicularity for a long time, long enough for there to be Malwish Descendants in Silverlight, like Iyatil and her brother.

It'd be even easier to use Airships in Shadesmar since there isn't any tangible weather to mess with their ships as they're lightened.

But the caravans were still running in Rhythm of War yet the Malwish had airship technology for at least a century by that time. How sure are we that the Malwish are alreday controlling Scadrial's perpendicularity in the time of The Lost Metal ?

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

45 minutes ago, Oltux72 said:

But the caravans were still running in Rhythm of War yet the Malwish had airship technology for at least a century by that time. How sure are we that the Malwish are alreday controlling Scadrial's perpendicularity in the time of The Lost Metal ?

Because that's what Twinsoul said in TLM, that Scadrial's Perpendicularity is "far to the south and carefully controlled" in Chapter 50.

As for the caravans, I'm pretty sure those are from Nalthis, they sell stuff like the painting given to the Returned in Hallandren. The Ghostbloods even call out the Nalthians as fools for trying to make trade through the Perpendicularity. Also in TLM.

The Malwish probably just don't trade in the Rosharan Subastral, or atleast don't bring in their stealable tech to a world that has several Cosmere-aware groups, maybe because it's too risky due to a large population of sentient beings living in the Subastral that aren't terribly fond of humans, maybe because the Sovereign has some say in the Malwish's off-world policies and has told them not to go to Roshar in order to prevent any local Rosharans from learning much about Scadrians and perhaps linking them with the Ghostbloods that are there. Who knows?

[+Oltux72 he/him]

1 hour ago, JustQuestin2004 said:

Because that's what Twinsoul said in TLM, that Scadrial's Perpendicularity is "far to the south and carefully controlled" in Chapter 50.

Yes, but he does not say controlled by whom. By logic it has to be somebody who lets the Ghostbloods pass, but that need not be the Malwish. For all we know Harmony has put a company of mercenaries or Koloss there. Or the Ghostbloods control it themselves.

1 hour ago, JustQuestin2004 said:

As for the caravans, I'm pretty sure those are from Nalthis, they sell stuff like the painting given to the Returned in Hallandren. The Ghostbloods even call out the Nalthians as fools for trying to make trade through the Perpendicularity. Also in TLM.

Yet those caravans have been running for a long time. I suppose once you own lifeless draft animals or porters, the running costs are low.

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

11 minutes ago, Oltux72 said:

Yes, but he does not say controlled by whom. By logic it has to be somebody who lets the Ghostbloods pass, but that need not be the Malwish. For all we know Harmony has put a company of mercenaries or Koloss there. Or the Ghostbloods control it themselves.

I mean, realistically, there really isn't a better option than the Malwish. They are now the rulers of the Southern Continent, they have access to Harmonium, which likely comes from Harmony's Perpendicularity, like how Atium came from Ruin's. They have the most advanced technology and understanding of Cosmere Realmatics, they have 'descendants' in Silverlight, which implies that generations of Southerners have been there and even lived there.

The pieces all fit, I'm just saying.

16 minutes ago, Oltux72 said:

Yet those caravans have been running for a long time. I suppose once you own lifeless draft animals or porters, the running costs are low.

Oh yeah, that would make transportation a breeze, or even just Awakening the wheels of your carriage to spin when you want them to. No, Lifeless carriage pullers would be more Breath efficient.