Dragaera

Morrolan at Blood River

David Silberstein davids at Kithrup.COM
Fri Aug 27 08:50:40 PDT 2004

Note that the following contains a huge spoiler for /Sethra
Lavode/.  Indeed, it builds on the pararectal idea first expanded
upon in the post archived here (which also contains spoilers,
obviously): 

   http://dragaera.info/mailinglists/archive.cgi?1:mss:14154

So it might be pararectal *squared* (pararectangular?).






In /Taltos/, before Morrolan & Vlad actually make their descent
over the Falls and into the Paths, Morrolan becomes distracted by
the statue of a dzur, obviously representing House Dzur.  When Vlad
comes over to wonder why Morrolan is so fascinated by it, Morrolan
explains that it is where those members of House Dzur are put in
the River to go over the Falls.  Vlad, still not getting why this
holds so much interest for Morrolan, asks if he knows anyone who
came this way.  Morrolan replies "Sethra", and refuses to elaborate
when Vlad says, somewhat confused, that he thought she was a
Dragon. 

Up until now, speculation about this scene has tended to revolve
around (a) the possibility that Sethra is of mixed Houses, but that
since she's Sethra, and indeed *predates* the Houses, no-one makes
an issue of it, or (b) Sethra was made an honorary Dzur by House
Dzur by virtue of having defeated 17, and probably far more than
17, Dzur Heroes, and when she was killed the first time (before
coming back as undead), she was honored as a Dzur Hero might well
be (perhaps by the Dzur who killed her?  Who can say?). 

Yet one has to wonder:  Would Sethra have divulged the events
surrounding her death to anyone?  She is, after all, a very private
individual, and does not seem to be disposed to confiding deeply
private matters even to her friends.  Of course, it is possible
that Morrolan learned of Sethra's death from someone else.  His
refusal to elaborate might suggest that he realized that he had
been slightly indiscreet and that Sethra would probably prefer that
such matters not be discussed. 

However, I was thinking about that scene in the context of my
earlier idea, namely, that Morrolan bears Tazendra's staff, and has
access to Tazendra's memories.  So what he might have been about to
say was "Sethra had a friend and student named Tazendra Lavode, who
was given to the Falls here", but then realized that this was a
matter that *he* did not want to discuss at all with this Easterner
and Jhereg that he only barely knew, and cut himself off, and
stopped talking about it.

Vlad, of course, would have no idea as to this backstory.