One last notion in favor of this theory, and then I'll be quiet. Perhaps. For a while. On Mon, 3 Nov 2003, David Silberstein wrote: >So I wondered: what will happen to Kâna, also called Skinter, >after he loses? We know he's going to, of course. > [snippage] > >Well, it occurs to me that his House might be sufficiently annoyed >with him that they might well eject him from it. And either the >Empire or the House might wish to punish him for his overreaching >arrogance by somehow cursing him (using sorcery or elder sorcery or >necromancy, or whatever), by causing him to become a complete >non-entity, well-nigh invisible. > In addition (or instead), they might inflict this upon Skinter as a political precaution. Consider: he styled himself as Emperor, and had several hundred thousand troops loyal to him, and controlled a fairly large area of land. Even if he himself agrees to give his parole, perhaps someone else might wish to rebel in his name, use him as a figurehead, or otherwise stir up trouble. So they do something to him which (a) makes him physically and psychically null, so that he's no longer even the least bit magnetic or charismatic; indeed, barely recognizable, and (b) makes him no longer a "real" Dragon. Who would rally to someone Houseless? How would he hold anyone's respect if they find it hard to remember that he's in the same *room*? It is better, after all, than imprisoning him for life incommunicado with an iron mask locked around his head, yet achieves largely the same goals...