Question Game: Post Agricultural Fantasy Setting.

[weby]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Why the appearance of food still considered miraculous when finished goods are routinely magically created?

Because the food is being produced without any effort from anyone beyond setting up the table. The finished goods require effort by mages and helpers to conjure.

Why do magical gates only work for long distances?

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by weby

Why do magical gates only work for long distances?

People and objects are literally sucked through the gate. If the gates are too close together, then it is possible that the destination gate could activate the other gate and create an endless cyclone that would devastate everything nearby. This has happened before.

How far apart can gates be?

[Emerald Cat]

Originally Posted by TGLS

How far apart can gates be?

In principle, the gates have infinite range. However, they must be initialized simultaneously (with TL-appropriate precision) by parties at both ends. Therefore, gates can be as far apart as you can send and coordinate your mages.

Question: Are gates mono- or bi-directional?

[(E)]

Originally Posted by Emerald Cat

Question: Are gates mono- or bi-directional?

While the gates are theoretically bi-directional traffic management means that they function more like 19th century railways with complicated schedules about when a gate can be used in either direction. Collisions are messy.

Question: What plants and animals are still farmed?

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by (E)

While the gates are theoretically bi-directional traffic management means that they function more like 19th century railways with complicated schedules about when a gate can be used in either direction. Collisions are messy.

Question: What plants and animals are still farmed?

Horses are still used for short distance transport and haulage. Dogs are also bred for many purposes. Most breeds of cattle are extinct, except for the Tyran Longhorn, which is still bred for the annual bulldancing competitons.

Question: Are there still artisans or craftsmen of any sort? If so, what?

[weby]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

Question: Are there still artisans or craftsmen of any sort? If so, what?

Lots, but they mostly work by modifying conjured things, as the mass basic conjured things come in only few forms for efficiency, so anyone who wants something different needs to either modify things themselves or buy something modified by someone else.

What is the typical food alike?

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by weby

Lots, but they mostly work by modifying conjured things, as the mass basic conjured things come in only few forms for efficiency, so anyone who wants something different needs to either modify things themselves or buy something modified by someone else.

What is the typical food alike?

It comes in the form of a large loaf of spongy, bread-like substance which, by itself, provides all a person's nutritional needs. Nicer homes get a wider variety of styles, and those loaves may have what appear to be fruits, vegetables and/or proteins "baked" into them.

Generally speaking, while the loaves are all anybody really needs, they're rather bland, so a fair market exists in nicer neighborhoods for people who wish to dine out on foods that survived the destruction of the cereals, or supplement the basic foodstuff with spices, sauces or side-dishes.

Given that large herbivores (except those valued for work, such as horses) likely didn't survive the destruction of the cereal crops, what are the main sources of animal proteins used to supplement the loaves?

[(E)]

With the reduction in farmed land the wilderness now encroaches on cities. Hunters do a thriving trade providing both cheap and exotic protein to the more urban populations.
Question: Is there any evidence that this new diet is having any unusual effects on the people who consume it?

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by (E)

Question: Is there any evidence that this new diet is having any unusual effects on the people who consume it?

In principle no, but with the sudden shift from subsistence to plenty in the last 3 centuries, incidence of high Body Mass Index (i.e. over 25) are on the rise from practically none to a significant portion of the population. Cultures are struggling to adapt to a world where overweight people form a significant minority. Some are overreacting with alternative diets that avoid eating the bread-like substance, like the Ascetics (only once a day) and the Huntists (only food they helped collect personally).

Question: What is the bread-like substance called? (it needs a name)

[sir_pudding]

Manna of course.

What happened to the Empire after the dissappearance of the Golden Emperor?