As a PC, how to introduce an enlightenment

Elegan/tg/entlmen, I would like to advance the tech level of the setting *without* being accused of meta gaming.

A friend of mine is the GM in a setting where humans, once the slaves of elves and other magical races, fought a war of liberation as the result of a diety giving them direct knowlege of how to counter thier magic through "anti-magic." This divine's revelation to mankind also spawned a state religion that makes magic illegal in the human controlled nation state. The principal doctrine of this religion eschews magic because it's origins come from making pacts with very nasty demons, but people may also inherit magical abilities. Magic is seen overall as "cop out", path of least resistance, selling your soul to gain power and soforth. The catch here is that not everyone who has magic made said pact, but they are treated as heretics and burned regardless.

My character is a former member of the military arm of that state religion. The tenets of the religion promote ingenuousness, but the politics and misinterpretation of the doctrines prevent any real technology from advancing due to being seen as heretical (ie; if I were to invent a clock, it would be decried as magic).

How would I go about basically puling a Galileo /DaVinci/Copernicus in this game without using too much out of character knowledge? I have thought of attempting some sort of reformation from within, since most of the adherents of the paladin's order are genuinely of good intention, if not a little ignorant.

(final note: alchemy is 50/50, with half of it being considered "medicine" and the other half being seen as nasty heresy that needs urgent purging.)

>I would like to advance the tech level of the setting *without* being accused of meta gaming.
so talk to the gm about it

first post only required post

You don't. Kick door fight orc, son, kick door fight orc.

It's not that simple. I have talked to him about it to some extent, but I want it to appear as organic as possible,

>hey GM, i'd like to invent a steam train
>how would your character come up with that idea, there's nothing really like that in existence. It's also very complex.
>here, just let me roll for it.
>that seems a bit far-fetched...I'm gonna say no.

...

Well you don't fucking invent a steam train.

Invent a hot-air balloon.

Then think about how it can be used.

Then think about how hot air can be used without the balloon, and invent an engine.

Improve upon the engine until it's small enough to be put on a cart.
Anyway, actually improving the tech level is a really really long and tedious process, which has very little in common with adventuring.

Ask your GM. Ask the group. If the group isn't happy by the prospect of sitting on their asses while you spend years in research, drop it.

I'm not trying to develop pulse rifles or anything, just maybe have a character who is a reformer of a society coming down off their magic addiction.

Characters like that are better as NPCs. Adventuring doesn't really leave time for research, invention and testing.

I ws thinking of simply coming up with the designes for simple medival machines and then farming out the crafting to local craftsmen.

>hey blacksmith make these parts
>what are these, they don't look like swords or horseshoes.
>I pay gold, don't ask questions.
>k