David said: >If the Gods release one of the dead incarnate (like Sethra), they become vampires. But Vlad wasn't dead -- and therefore didn't become a vampire. The Gods have something they want Vlad to do. And Sethra is in on it. < To the part of this, I agree. There's a *lot* the gods have wanted Vlad to do. In the first place, I think they wanted him to form House Jhereg. They wanted him to have Lady Teldra. They've got big stuff planned for our boy. Sethra in on it? Some, I'm sure. Maybe all. I dunno. I still think she stayed her hand back then because they were lovers. Maybe we'll never know. Maybe she built up the personality of Kiera for a couple of centuries just so she could be at the right place and time to befriend Vlad. (And make sure he had the blood of a goddess just handy to pull Morrolan out of the Paths.) It's been said repeatedly that Easterners do not go into the Paths. I agree with everything you said about Easterners and Dragaerans having the same souls--that's undeniable. They seem to have different processing facilities, however. There *were*, in fact, no Easterners of any description that Vlad and Morrolan encountered in the Paths. Steve has yet much explaining to do. Mia