Re: Magic to aid farming in space

I certainly think Bral exists because of its water supply, but then IMC Bral
is still one of Selune's Tears in Realmspace.  Your point of ancient
metropolises is correct, and amply demonstrates why port cities were the only ones that
could afford a larger population than their own hinterlands supported.  Keep
in mind that many ancient cities were supported thusly, though.  As early as
1700, England was importing nearly 50% of its food supply, and individual
cities long before that.  Venice was incapable of supporting itself with its own
hinterlands, and the Terra Firma was adopted for supply benefits even more than
defensive room to fall back on.  The only non-port towns and cities larger
than 10,000 in Europe in the year 1400 were cities along the Rhine and other
rivers in Germany and the Low Countries, or along the Po or other rivers in Italy,
so they were still river ports, and note that they were still not as large as
the coastal ports.