> > It occurred to me that a great deal is made of bloodlines--specifically, the > liquid that is physically running through a person's veins. I'm sure we all > know what god's blood in a mortal does, and further we seem to know that the > E'Kieron bloodline has the ability to control amorphia. > > Now, when Aliera says bloodline, does she actually mean *blood*line, or some > sort of spiritual inheritance thing that Vlad might find interesting? > > If it is the bloodline, and here comes the spoiler, > > > > > > > > > > > Who is Vlad's mother? I think we can assume (although not necessarily) that > Vlad's ancestor did not interbreed with some Fenarians, although he very > well could have, due to his outcast nature. The question here becomes, how > far did his bitterness and disenchantment go? Far enough to overcome what > can be assumed to be Noble predisposition on a racial level? We know he can > go against other Dragaerans, even family, to look after his own, but was he > motivated primarily by a self-preservatory instinct or by spite? > As I recall, at the time of Dolivar there was no Noble predisposition, since there were no Houses, noble or not, only tribes, and as the leader of the outcasts (i.e. the Jhereg) I doubt Dolivar would have had much of the disposition > If spite, is it general enough to include all of Dragaerans, in an ironic, > and totally SKZBian ironic reversal, consider Vlad's father's opinions on > which race is "superior"? > > Or was Vlad's father necessarily like he was in order to inspire the > characteristic hate of Dragaerans and their empire in Vlad, which apparently > resonates with Dolivar? > > On the other hand, if it does involve the physical blood, perhaps we should > look at Vlad's *mother*. If a father had a fetish with dragaerans, is it > all that unlikely that he would pursue a dragaeran mate? Can they > interbreed? Was that why Noish-pa was so concerned for Vlad being taught > about the Fenarian methods and lifestyles? > I believe it is pretty clearly stated that Easterners and Dragaerans can not interbreed. However, it could turn out that through mystical or other unexplained methods he is the metaphoric "crossbreed" of fantasy cliche. Personally I like the idea that Vlad's mum is Verra. That would explain why Vlad's father was so vauge about his mother, futher support his ability to summon amorphia (divine blood's got to be good for something), his ability to leave the Paths of the Dead (ending the confusion about why the Drageraen soul in Vlad could leave the Paths), and explain the much more personal way in which Verra and Devera treat Vlad (sure Verra is harsh, but Vlad has gotten away with dressing down Verra at least once, and has one heck of a lot of more contact with her than we see with any other character). > Of course, if it's some mystical metaphysical connection that allows Vlad to > create amorphia, then this all becomes a matter of mere curiousity. > > Jon >