> > But don't read this email unless you've read all the > > Dragaeran novels, as there are spoilers for most of them > > below. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 1. Why hasn't any action been taken against Paarfi by the > > Empire for publishing to the masses how to defeat the Orb? > > Do you really believe that it's trivially easy to summon > unimaginable amounts of sorcerous power without using the Orb > or purple stones or anything? And I'm sure it's just > coincidence that this happened at the same time Adron lost > control of his huge Elder Sorcery spell. Cariss, the woman who made this Elder Sorcery spell for Mario, is described on pg 460 as having "the round, pleasant face of a Teckla, save for the excessively dark eyebrows and large nose. She wore the grey and black of the House of Jhereg." She goes on to say, "There is no limit to the amount of power available, only to the amount one person can control. When the energy isn't doing anything, it need not be controlled." But how can SHE summon amorphia? Book of Jhereg, pg 81 - Vlad: And Morrolan doesn't have the skill to create amorphia? Poor fellow. How can he live without it? Aliera: It isn't a skill one can learn. It goes back to genes gain. So far as I know, it is only the e'Kieron line of the House of the Dragon that holds the ability. The Lord of Castle Black, pg 391 - [Morrolan] has not the bloodlines to use [Elder Sorcery] fully. So, it seems this Jhereg Sorceress had e'Kieron blood in her somewhere. I think I see your point now. Just because we've met at least four characters who could do this (Vlad, Aliera, Cariss, and Kieron (although Aliera says she doesn't think Kieron ever summoned it)), I realize now I have a skewed view of how RARE it is to be able to do this. I wonder if Sethra can summon amorphia? And surely Kieron had lots and lots of descendants, although Adron, Aliera, and Cariss are the only three I can think of off the top of my head. > > 5. Maybe you all can help me out with my mapping project. > > On page 290 of the paperback "The Paths of the Death", the > > following exchange occurs: > > > > Morrolan: ... we are bound for my ancestral homelands, a > > county called Southmoor. > > Miska: Southmoor? Well, but that is near Adrilankha, is > > it not? > > Teldra: Perhaps fifty leagues from Covered Springs, in the > > southwest corner. > > > > In the southwest corner? What the heck does that mean? Is > > this just Paarfi getting tired of saying "to the > > southwest", so he mixes it up by saying "in the southwest > > corner," using "corner" the way we might use "quadrant"? > > If not, then in the southwest corner of _what_? > > The Empire? > > Are there any other references to Covered Springs? Not that I could find, and Southmoor is in the Southeast portion of the Empire, being around 200 miles east of Adrilankha, which is on the southern coast. > > 7. Who is Sethra referring to on page 198 of "Issola": "I > > am the only Lavode left. Well, there's one other, but he > > isn't ready yet." > > First guess: VN. Of course, Sethra is trying to conceal this > person's identity, so she may have said "gya" instead of "he" > which allows other possibilities (T, SiG). Now that's a fascinating suggestion... an Easterner Lavode... It likes me. Bryan