Steve (In a roundabout way): > > > ... I, who had some importance in the tribe [of Dragons]... > > > --Sethra Lavode, _Issola_, p. 41 (Hardcover). Me: > > > It would appear, at least at the time of the Empire's founding, that > > > Sethra Lavode is or was considered a Dragon. What that means to the > > > current estimation of her House is up to the PTI (Power That Is, i.e. > > > Steve). Phil Hart: > > I disagree - she's still important to House Dragon, but that doesn't make > > her a Dragon. She's sui generis - maybe she's a Dragon and a Dzur, maybe > > whatever - which _is_ up to SKZB. David Dyer-Bennet: > She does say "...important in the tribe". That's not quite IMHO a > claim that she's a dragon, but it's closer than "important to", > anyway. While I concur with the implied '[of Dragons]', it might be significant to note that -nowhere- in that conversation is the tribe that is meant -actually-indicated-. Steve, perhaps wisely, leaves it as an exercise for the reader. I also concur with David's homing in on the critical word usage: 'in', and not 'to'. Sethra, so far as I can tell, does not use her words imprecisely; she is also speaking from a position of personal experience, and a significant experience as well -- how she was associated with the Tribes. I do disagree with David's suggestion that saying 'in the tribe' does not mean she was a dragon; considering the tribes at that time, you were either a member because you had that blood and lived up to it, or you were an outcast and Dolivar was going to collect you some time soon for a good talking-to about an idea he has. Again, I don't have 'Jhereg' handy, and I don't recall precisely where else they discuss the tribes and the origins of the Empire, but I think that though subtle, the above is pretty definitive as to how Sethra was considered at the Empire's start... Thomas Crain