Notice: Spoilers Below I am at work so please forgive any inaccuracies I may have in my statements as I do not have any of the books in front of me to ensure accuracy. I am more or less “winging” my statements from memory. >Here is the simple answer... If you read I believe Phoenix there is > >description of a black stone in the prisons... Yep... Black Phoenix > >stone, it prevents Psionic communication so I believe that should >answer >your question. (and it makes sense that it would be in the >prisons) Agreed black and gold phoenix stone makes more sense than anything else. >I feel that had Ardon wanted to get in touch with his daughter he >could >have, phoenix stone or no phoenix stone. He was after all the >preminent >sourcerer of his era and an adept at per-empire magic. Yes, but what difference does this really make? If I recall in Vlad’s era (which is further along with sorcery than Adron’s era), in Orca Vlad writes to "Kiera" instead of communicating with her psionically because the black stone would block his communication. Furthermore, toward the end of the book he tells "her" to get Savn and the old lady out of there, I am thinking he doesn’t say "get us all out of here" because the gold stone is still around his neck and this renders it impossible. Then, in Issola, when Vlad asks Lady Teldra how she found him she tells Vlad that she had to go through one of M’s windows in the tower, with the help of Sethra (wasn’t it? Again, I don't have the books so this may not be accurate). What she doesn’t say is "I was able to get here because Sethra is an extremely powerful sorcerer and was able to track you whether you wanted to be found or not and then she (or I) teleported [me] here" >And my basis is that the imperial prison in Adrihlanka(sp?) is not the > >same building and if it was not built post Ardons disastor was at >least >heavily rebuilt. I doubt very much that they could move the >capital >without some serious remodelling of the facilities. Still, "IF" they did have it in the first prisons why wouldn’t they use it in the "new" prisons. As I see it, if you have something that worked during the existence of the first prisons why wouldn’t you use it for the second. To use a cliche, "If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it." As I see it the black and gold phoenix stones would be in the prisons for more than esthetic reasons. >Of course I could be completely wrong I just don't think we have >enough >evidence to make a conclusive argument on either side. OF COURSE! But then we couldn’t have fun speculating... we don’t really know anything, but the speculating part is loads of fun and keeps us from doing the work we should be doing. >I think it is more likely she couldn't than didn't try. Right, why wouldn’t she at least tell him even if under a different guise than what her actual reasons for being there were. Perhaps tell him not the whole truth or subdue the actuality so her daddy wouldn’t get mad at her yet still would help her our of prison. >Also, something that quite a few people seem to be forgetting is that > >Aliera knew she was going to be arrested. When Khaavren came to arrest > >her, she simply asked him what took so long. There was plenty of time (a >matter of hours) during which she knew she would be arrested and >could >have easily spoken with Adron then if she'd wished, no matter >what stones >are or aren't in the prison. Oh, excellent point. Well this just puts my paragraph above to shame doesn’t it. >Indeed, perhaps gold phoenix stone is used as well. After all, if there >isn't anything, what is to prevent a sufficiently competent sorcerer from >simply breaking out? Their Honour? > > >If you're going to rely on their honor, why even have bars, locks and > >guards? Not only this, but one also has to take the “less than honorable” houses into account, why would they stay put if they can care less about honor? >Also there is no mention of stones set into the wall in the TPG scene > >where Katana e'M'archala and Tazenrda are painting on the wall. >However >that is not conclusive as A) Aliera may have been in a special >cell and B) >absence of description does not mean something isn't >there. On the other >hand Parfi does like to go into quite a lot of >detail:) Emmm, as I stated above, because I’m at work I don’t have the books in hand to ensure accuracy, but if I recall correctly, (and I am probably wrong in actuality), in Phoenix does M. say he picked up the black phoenix stone off the ground of the cells, rather than he removed it from the wall? If it is simply placed on the ground in the second prisons how can we be certain it wouldn’t be the same for the first, perhaps it makes more sense to them. (i.e. Maybe the more people the more phoenix stone required, and having it on the ground allows them to add as needed. – And, before anyone says "I never saw any mention of this (more people/more stone idea) in any book", there is of course, no evidence or facts to support this idea, I more or less was writing as reason why it would "make more sense" to put it on the ground instead of in the walls.) _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail