On 30 Dec 2002, Jag wrote: #On Sat, 2002-12-28 at 07:02, Mark Tiller wrote: #> And if I may be permitted a speculation, it may be [#1 -- see below. MAM] #> that the Jhereg IS the remnants of the other 14 tribes, [i.e., those of the original 31 that didn't survive to be incorporated into the Empire and the Cycle] [#2] #> presumably after a number of generations of interbreeding #> they would have developed some genetic homogenity. # #Aliera more or less says exactly that at one point. I'm currently AFB*, but IIRC, when Vlad asks how a "mishmosh" of tribes could have a distinctive genetic pattern, Aliera says something equivalent to what I have labeled as Mark T's point #2; but I don't recall anything in that conversation that bears on point #1. I think the interpretation of the textev here may hinge on the exact wording, so I'm not going to say any more on this till I or someone else comes up with the quotation. * AFB = away from books -- Mark A. Mandel http://world.std.com/~mam/Cracks-and-Shards/ a Steven Brust Dragaera fan website