>1) I got the impression that, if she hadn't died, Teldra might have >begun an affair with Vlad. There's no way to know at this point, but I'd disagree. The key to understanding Teldra and her relationships is Vlad's comment that she "genuinely liked people". As an Issola she would naturally deal with everyone according to their station and their personality. The story in Issola is simply one that thrusts Vlad and Teldra together socially in a way that they would otherwise never have come together. As two of the "support troops" who are there to assist the big guns like Morrolan, Sethra and Verra it's not surprising that they'd develop a special cameraderie. I think it's a mistake to project that out into a romance, though. I can guess that if Vlad was interested in a cross-species romance that Lady Teldra could easily have been the object of his affection, but he's never shown any interest in that. In fact, he expressed a disinterest in the past, claiming that he'd tried a Dragearan "tag" on occasion out of curiosity but hadn't enjoyed the experience. For her part, Lady Teldra would likely have considered a cross-species romance to be rather improper and certainly potentially damaging to her position in Morollan's household. The Empress succeeds at having an Easterner lover because she's the Empress and she can get away with a bit of scandal. Someone in Teldra's position could not afford to be quite so liberal. Also, keep in mind that while God Slayer is imbued with some of Teldra's personality, it's NOT Teldra (despite Vlad's insistence on calling it Lady Teldra). Teldra is vaporized. When Vlad speaks about the Great Weapons "loving" their owners he's only peripherally talking about feelings that Lady Teldra herself might have had. Sethra implies that God Slayer will "awaken" at some point and show some personality of its own. That's the point where we'll know for sure how much of the original Lady Teldra has been imbued into God Slayer and maybe have a clue as to what Teldra might or might not have felt about Vlad. >2) I think that Sethra has been training Vlad to become a Lavode. She >mentioned in the story that she and the empress both believe that >disbanding that order was a mistake. I suppose it's a possibility. He's certainly qualified for it at this point. As far as that goes, most of Vlad's Dragaeran acquaintances seem to end up acting as "proxy Lavodes". You could make an argument that Sethra has already reformed the Lavodes but just hasn't put the governmental stamp of approval on them. Of course, she may have her own reasons for doing things that way. The scandal of the previous Lavodes aside, Morollan, Aliera, et al have their own ambitions and goals. If Sethra was to say "I'm reforming the Lavodes, would you join?" I'd think that the reaction from most of the principals of the Vladiad would be "I'm honored, but I'm working on being Warlord/Court Wizard/Lord of Chutney/etc..." As things sit now, she's got nearly the same organization, skillsets and power to draw upon without any of the hassles of being an officially recognized body. Whether Morrolan, Aliera and others understand that they are "unofficial Lavodes" is an open question and one that they probably wouldn't think much about without some reason to do so. In any case, it's certainly no coincidence that Sethra has managed to surround herself with friends who all wield Great Weapons. >Sorry if I'm covering familiar ground but I'm new to the list. This list is a pretty friendly place and generally pretty amenable to discussing things that have been discussed before. Welcome aboard.