I just finished /The Paths of the Dead/, and I'm catching up on all of the posts with spoilers. :) Jot Powers (>) wrote: > SPOILER Space.... > Is the similarity between the names of Orlan and Loraan coincidental? > It seems that they are really close, and both were involved in the > staff with Aliera's soul. However, Orlaan (aka Grita) is supposedly > a half breed (Tsalmoth & Lyron?) whereas Loraan was an Athyra. Grita's parents were, if my memory serves me correctly, Tsalmoth and Dzur. Her father Greycat/Garland, obviously, was the Tsalmoth. For her mother, it's not so clear. Since I first read /FHYA/, I've assumed she was Sennya, the Dzur Heir, since Greycat alludes to having some control over her, that she will do as he says. This is muddled a little by Paarfi twice stating that Ibronka is Sennya's only child, but he may mean she is her only legitimate child, or that she believes Grita is dead. I must admit, I was quite intrigued by Orlaan searching for a soul that she intended to put in a staff, and was struck by the similarity of the names. When I first read the passage, I thought she was Sethra in disguise! So why would Grita care about Aliera so much that she would trace her from Dragaera City? I will be quite interested to read the rest of this story. I'm amazed that Steven has denied the relationship between Loraan and Orlaan (Loraan as a character would be interesting to see further developed), and I think it's a pity that this line of speculation has been so thoroughly debunked. :) How could Orlaan (or any half-breed) become Loraan? Perhaps there are ways to join House Athyra in the same way that you can join House Dzur, and being as good as she is at sorcery during the Interregnum might be one criterion for membership. Or, like the Sorceress in Green, could the Interregnum have made House so unimportant that if she looked like an Athyra, everyone would simply assume she was an Athyra? Also, could Loraan have been a woman who appeared to be a man? These are silly speculations, to be sure, but they are enjoyable ones.