In the Caliphate of Azithan, known to its neighbors as the Necromancer Kingdom ...
It has been asked what the Necromancers do about the flying dragons in the kingdom one over. More or less, the question is: What's so special about the necromancers such that they can stand up to other fantastical empires?
This question has stuck with me, and I think I know the answer: infrastructure development.
That is, the Caliphate has an almost modern approach to infrastructure. They build roads and waterways and bridges and temples and cities and granaries. With the worst labor done by Lifeless, the people are free to either pray, or to work higher on the value chain.
Here's the big secret: If you pray three times a week and receive a minimum income, you are still contributing to GDP. That is: The act of prayer generates more magic energy than is needed to support a person.
That excess -- the Caliphate's surplus -- is reinvested almost entirely in improving the inside of the Caliphate. This allows for the building of cities to produce goods higher on the value chain, staffed by people freely working who know they can quit and still receive their minimum basic income.
And that's how the Caliphate manages to win: When it does meet its neighbors, it has a useful and productive population of free people, who will fight and lead armies of Lifeless to protect that life.
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Probably also has a superior education system (i.e., any actual system at all, probably temple-related). Necromancy, after all, is an intensive process that requires an academic education to support the arcane education. In order to ensure that they have a sufficient number of necromancers to support the society's structure, they need to identify a large number of candidates with the potential, so most (especially urban) children would be involved with a basic education so they could be tested for aptitude.
ReplyDeleteJohn W. Sheldon It is an unexpected pleasure to hear from the other Sheldon!
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. Within the Caliphate, necromancer is more of a science than an art. There are some broad categories of learning:
1: Illiterate & Innumerate. Have to be helped through changes to the Prayer service.
2: Literate & Numerate, such that they can understand written changes to the Prayer service. Among those who do not work, this is the norm. That is, most people in the caliphate are sufficiently literate and numerate to be able to understand changes in the prayer service.
3: Literate & Numerate & Theolate. The lay ministers need these skills. Among those who work, this is the norm.
4: Priests: Can create Lifeless reliant upon the prayers of others.
5: Wizard: Can create Lifeless without prayers.
That means most people can write & count! You are correct, that is a huge asset.
Additionally, the Caliphate has standards on physical fitness, as this impacts the quality of Lifeless your body will generate. I've no idea what those levels are, but suffice it to say if you can run a marathon and hold a blade and lift fifty pounds, there's a lot more your Lifeless will be capable of.
These two probably combine, too. While it is considered anathema in the Caliphate to have a Lifeless that has both mind and body .... I've always had the feeling there's a demilich somewhere laughing at the necromancers that unknowingly feed it spiritual energy.