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You're assuming that 'boats' is one of the words Karsa doesn't know, but I happen to believe one of them is as well. It makes sense, especially if the Teblor have no memory of seafaring (or maybe even seeing the ocean). They obviously had to cross a sea at some point, and it is likely they 'originated' somewhere else other than Genabackis. I concede all of that. However, that could merely be another process of ensuring isolation, by severing the contact they would make with the outside world through the sea.
It seems to me that they were living around the Hudd Sea in the far north of Genabackis, since there is a Toblai Tundra and a Tarthen Range in the area. When the three Teblor reach the place where Calm is imprisoned, Delum Thord spouts off a legend about the 'Spirit Wars':
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'Pieces,' Karsa agreed. 'The Spirit Wars were two, perhaps three invasions, and had little to do with the Teblor. Foreign gods and demons. Their battles shook the mountains, and then but one force remained—'
'In those tales,' Delum interjected, 'are the only mention of Icarium. Karsa Orlong, it may be that the T'lan Imass - spoken of in that elder's cave - belonged to the Spirit Wars, and that they were the victors, who then left never to return. It may be that it was the Spirit Wars that shattered our people.'
Bairoth's gaze remained on the slab. Now he spoke. 'The demon must be freed.'
Both Karsa and Delum turned to him, struck silent by the pronouncement.
'Say nothing,' Bairoth continued, 'until I have finished. The Forkassal was said to have come to the place of the Spirit Wars, seeking to make peace between the contestants. That is one of the torn pieces of the tale. For the demon's effort it was destroyed. That is another piece. Icarium too sought to end the war, but he arrived too late, and the victors knew they could not defeat him so they did not even try. A third piece. Delum Thord, the words in the cave also spoke of Icarium, yes?'
'They did, Bairoth Gild. Icarium gave the Teblor the Laws that ensured our survival.'
Now, the Spirit Wars are almost certainly a moniker for the Tiste invasions. We know that one of them, the big one by Silchas and Scabandari, occurred on Lether, but didn't seem to have world-spanning implications. Either there's something we're missing, or it may refer to one of the other invasions, perhaps by Rake (and Andarist?). What seems odd to me is that there is mention of the T'lan Imass slaughtering the Toblakai living there, and a Tiste invasion contributing to the shattering of their civilisation (at least on Genabackis). There is mention of 'indiscriminate slaughter', so it does not seem that the Toblakai were their particular targets, just simply there at the time...argh! It's too confusing.
Anyway, my point was that I don't think the Laws of Isolation were the impetus for a grand migration a la prehistoric man out of Africa, but that the Toblakai in northern Genabackis were decimated by the events mentioned above and were forced to go into total isolation to save themselves, and this did not affect the Toblakai living elsewhere. The Barghast have Toblakai blood, and they continued their ancestors' seafaring ways. The Toblakai traveled with the Edur on the seas, IIRC, so certainly had a civilisation beyond the Tiste invasions.
This post has been edited by MTS: 16 October 2010 - 02:37 AM