Oh, and a final bit of speculation: In _The Phoenix Guards_, Khaavren makes good use of the aid of an Easterner (whose name I can't dredge up) who happens to be a librarian in the Imperial Palace. This is somewhat interesting in that the rest of the librarians in the more prestigious libraries (and record-keepers throughout Dragaera in general) tend to be Athyra. Given that we are talking about the Palace here and moreover one that's been recently run by an Athyra administration, I find it curious that any non-Athyra, let alone an Easterner would be found running a library there. Even if the library in question was so back-water that no self-respecting Athyralord would want to be assigned to it, it would seem like the House would find someone to run it if only as a punishment. It's a matter of House pride. I may be exaggerating the case here. Still, one has to wonder why a non-Dragaeran would be assigned to the post even if it had, for some reason, to go to a non-Athyra. A random Easterner is about the last person you would expect to find holding down a "day job" at the Imperial Palace, particularly one that deals in preserving and interpreting information about the Empire. If it isn't already obvious, I'm wondering if what we see here is a hitherto unknown example of an Easterner being accepted into a Dragaeran Noble House. Paarfi doesn't mention it, but why should he? It's not germane to the story and it would probably offend his sensibilities in any case. If you WERE a member of whatever passes for a ruling council in House Athyra and you had to deal with the embarassment of having an Easterner pass whatever tests there are that allow one to become a member of the House, then what better way to bury the problem than to stick him in a library that's been all but forgotten about by anyone who matters? It explains why our Easterner librarian is in the Palace in the first place and why he is able to gain access to the records that ultimately allow him to tell Khaavren where "Lady Fricorith" is staying. 100% speculation but it feels "right".