I've forgotten the context, but anyway two comments: If it's a good argument, then it's a good argument, regardless of the disputant's relationship to a Higher Authority. The House of the Teckla is, I believe, like the Jhereg a catch-all for castoffs. Wouldn't disgraced (esp. male) Athyras with a distaste for Jhereg-style capitalism end up there? Otherwise they would tend to end up in the Islands and rediscover Maxwell's laws and quantum mechanics and nuclear physics... - Philip On Tue, 14 Jan 2003 Randi128 at aol.com wrote: > on 1/9/03 at 9:31 PM Reen Brust wrote: > >I would say that only the aristocrats are_expected_to learn sorcery beyound > >the easy stuff the Orb basically does on request for anyone linked. > >I would submit that Dragaeran society as whole has such a low opinion of > >the theoretical top-end Teckla sorcerer, that most Lords don't even bother > to check >for potential. More a case of: "You'll never be good enough to be > worth the bother of >training you." than: "This knowledge must be shielded > from you lest you become a >danger". > > I concede you have an excellent point, and also that you may, or may not, > have insider information. I have to opine that after reading your reply, I am > inclined to believe that it is more likely a combination of the the two, than > either one alone. Dragaeran nobility is arrogant enough to discount the > Teckla, much to their mutual detriment, yet they are paranoid enough, to > guard against a potential threat, however small that threat may be. > > John D. Barbato, O.D. >