On March 31st Philip Hart wrote: "If I'm right that there is one emperor/reign, being Heir is a ceremonial position, and lineage questions are fairly pointless as the house will next reign many generations in the future. If so, I'd guess a new line would be chosen for balance, as a sop, etc. Note that K might well know the Heir but not know who was the Heir (perhaps esp. after 17**2 years) if the position doesn't amount to much." Doesn't every House always have an Heir, regardless of whether they are next in the cycle or not? If so, this supports the lean toward Heir being a more ceremonial than actual position, although I'm sure the position came with certain rights and responsibilities even when not in contention for the throne. Shawn