Science City in Fantasy World WIP

[Firas724]

Hello,

Hi I would like some help and ideas in a world I am trying to build for a story I am making.

I have been writing about a world which consists of lots of races and magical creatures. Aether is the source of a mage's power. Different races have different capacities to magic with elfs being able to tap into the most aether. Humans on the other hand have a much more limited potential.

Almost all human cities are basic fantasy = Castles, forts and you know streamline fantasy cities.
However, due to the limited aether potential humans have, One city has turned to science and technology instead. The center of the city is a complex called the "Pillars of knowledge" (WIP btw).These pillars are basically white futuristic towers where most of the technological innovations take place.

IN most of my world, there is some sort of "steampunk" technology at max (ex. matchlock muskets and zeppelins), not too advanced or alien to the fantasy feel. However in the city I was thinking of fully armored knights with lazer lances. I don't know if that would be really odd in my fantasy world.

Any Ideas and opinions on this would be much appreciated.

 

[Queshire]

Well, I'm sure that the readers would accept it, but personally stuff like that push my willing suspension of disbelief just a bit too much.

Holding a monopoly on information isn't easy. Once someone knows that something can be done they can start trying to work out how to do it themselves, and even if they were an isolationist state... Well, historically those really haven't been good for scientific advancement.

 

[Firas724]

Well I had something like this in mind http://68.media.tumblr.com/1ed4474bea0c9cbcffe780fb1a1df9f8/tumblr_o45ls2RGEC1qhttpto6_1280.jpg

Not exactly that, but something similar, not too advanced.

But I see what you mean, and that is the problem that I had thinking about it. The contrast in technology is too large to be believable. I thought about omitting this idea and just stick to steampunk tech being the peak of technological advancement. What do you think about that?

 

[CupofJoe]

I pretty much agree with Queshire.
Named technology mean that at least some of your readers will know what it takes to build them. If you have a "laser" then you have a fairly wide technology base needed to make one.
At any level of advanced technology I think you might have to come up with a very good reason why one group of humans has that level of technology and others don't and why they don't share what they have or go on a world conquering rampage?
I know that advanced forms of glass and steel were very closely guarded national secrets for a long while.
Then there could be secret societies along the lines of the Masons that supposedly kept the geometry of big building close to their chests for a long time.

 

[Firas724]

I thought about changing the technology used by this city to a country instead which focused more on technological advanced. Technological advancement as in mechanical steam machines. The machines uses simple mechanical gears and steam power as well as aether that is provided by aether-containing gemstones. This combination brings about many different marvelous inventions.

also I thought about why is this country is so far ahead. The elfen nations see that aether is much superior to the technology that the humans rely upon. Dwarfs love building megastructures and experimental weapons,thus have technology, but mostly it revolves around architecture and weapon manufacturing. Orcs are attached to the old ways. Goblins however create things to compensate for their fragile stature but they are not coordinated enough to create technological marvels.

This is the plan I had for the mainstream races, I also have other races in my world that each have their own background but I want to know what do you think about the set up I have.

 

[scribbler]

I think the problem you will run into is why didn't this technologically superior country overrun the rest of the countries. There is no way you can defend yourself against laser lances with victorian era weapons. I'm not sure if the anachronism breaks the suspension of disbelief. It would be a blast to write, so you might just want to go ahead and see where it takes you.

 

[staiger95]

Two avenues of thought come to mind: First, you might have an ancient and now deceased civilization that was technologically superior which may have left remnants of their tech (in whatever manner). The repair and/or maintenance of these tech pieces, as well as their power sources, would be a zealously guarded secret naturally. A second possibility considers having a far superior and elite race or society which only permits certain technologies to be developed or utilized by other cultures before stepping in a squashing anything they deem unacceptable to the balance. If you need laser lances to progress the story, then laser lances it is; just find a plausible explanation to satisfy the over-thinkers.

 

[valiant12]

I think the problem you will run into is why didn't this technologically superior country overrun the rest of the countries. There is no way you can defend yourself against laser lances with victorian era weapons. I'm not sure if the anachronism breaks the suspension of disbelief. It would be a blast to write, so you might just want to go ahead and see where it takes you.

Maybe they aren't very warlike.
Or the laser lances suck. If the lances are a shorth range weapon like traditional lances, they won't be very effective against guns.
Advance tech require a lot of specific resources. If the science city couldn't acquire enough crucial resources they won't be able to equip a large army or influence the politics of the world.

 

[Nomadica]

Holding a monopoly on information isn't easy. Once someone knows that something can be done they can start trying to work out how to do it themselves, and even if they were an isolationist state... Well, historically those really haven't been good for scientific advancement.

It depends on how unadvanced the other societies are. if you gave an AR 15 to some tribe in South America, how long do you think it would take for them to replicate it?

 

[Antaus]

When you're dealing with the whole science/magic dichotomy there's something you have to realize, they're not different. But how could science and magic not be different? Simple, when a magical process if fully understood, it becomes science, even if it doesn't involve electricity or circuits. Magic is most often a label applied to a process that isn't fully understood.

Take this basic example for instance. Say somebody from the distant future traveled back in time to the stone age and had a laser pistol. The cave men would see it as magic and likely think the person from the future a powerful wizard. On the other hand to the person from the future, it's just a tool that's not too hard to build with the right equipment.

Another aspect to think about is how technology and magic would develop side by side. Maybe there are Aether batteries that power normal tech?

You'd also have to consider the difference in knowledge, how it's applied in each respect, and how fiercely this knowledge is guarded.