Quote Originally Posted by ThirdChild_ZKI View Post
The Sharlayans - at least outside of Astromancy - don't seem like a particularly magic-focused culture, but a learning/scholarly one (not to be confused with all things Scholar-related).
Don't seem like a particularly magic focused culture? Have you -been- inside the Great Gubal Library? Or the Anti-Tower? Minfilia herself stated that the only reason the Garleans never invaded Old Sharlayan is because they fear the Sharlayan's magical might. In the Warring Triad series, Urianger sets up a barrier that would take any mage over 20 hours to unmake, with its only weakness being those with the Echo.

Sharlayan likely could've existed alongside the likes of Amdapor and Mhach and held its own. Its -the- magical nation of the modern age (as far as we're aware).