(urth) First Exodus theory revised

[Andrew Mason]

Antonio Pedro Marquez wrote:

>>
>> I don't think this is so. Marl, the servant of a black mechanic, is
>> not paid, but this is clearly seen as improper, and its only because
>> his employer has interfered with his mind that he's able to get away
>> with it. Even taluses are paid; although they are effectively slaves,
>> people have to go through some hoops to make the arrangement legal. No
>> doubt it's different in other cities, but in other cities bios can be
>> slaves as well.
>
> But do we have evidence of how it was when the Whorl set sail, and if so,
> what does it point to?

I don't think we do - but is there a reason to think it was different
from Silk's time? If Pas had meant the chems to be slaves, why would
that have changed?

By the way, what do people make of Sard, the pawnbroker? I believe
'sard' can mean a fish, but the most common meaning, which Wolfe must
have been aware of, is a gem. Is this a chem running his own business?
I don't think anything that's said actually rules this out - we are
only told that _most_ civilian chems are servants.