Dragaera

Gene testing

Mon May 2 09:58:28 PDT 2005

> It doesn't appear that the Dragaerans have much understanding of chemistry
> from what we have seen so far in the books.  But if that is so, how the
> heck
> can they do genetic scans without that understanding?

Keep in mind that what Aliera refers to as "genetics" and what we think of
as "genetics" are not neccesarily the same thing. Aliera's science has a
metaphysical/spiritual side to it that our science of genetics doesn't have.
Aliera is able to not only place a subject's House/race but also his family
line, something that real-world genetics can do only by compiling a massive
database of genetic markers and searching for recurring patterns. We use
computers and chemistry. She uses divination and sorcery. The "things" being
looked at by each science may be similar and even related but they aren't
identical.

For instance, only one or two family lines are able to create amorphia.
Vlad, an Easterner with next-to-nothing genetically in common with Aliera by
our standards, is still genetically an e'Kieron soul by Aliera's standards
and because of that he is able to conjure up amorphia as well as any
Dragaeran of that family line is able to. 

Things get interesting here. We don't know how much of Aliera's science is
chromosomal and how much is metaphysical. We don't know how an e'Kieron soul
passes on the ability to create amorphia to its offspring. What if that
offspring's soul is, itself, a reincarnated soul of another family line?
Does it acquire e'Kieron traits at the birth of its new life? Does it retain
the traits of its previous (or initial) incarnation? Is the soul imprinted
with the amorphia-creation ability by the chromosomal pattern of it's body
or does it acquire the ability in some other fashion? If an e'Keiron soul
reincarnated as a Tekla, would that soul retain it's amorphia creation
abilities? Perhaps the Lords of Judgement handle the problem by insuring
that souls with particular desirable traits are always reincarnated within
the family lines that support those traits.

Does Vlad posess the ability because, being an Easterner, the normal "wipe
the slate" that would happen in a Dragaeran didn't take place? If that's the
case, what does that mean for Vlad Norathar? Will Junior also inherit an
e'Kieron soul and find himself with the ability to create amorphia or will
he be 100% Easterner and not carry any influence from his father's soul? 

In the end, we don't know enough about the metaphysical underpinnings of the
universe to say what will happen or, getting back on topic, just what
"genetics" means to a sorceress in comparison to what it means to a Terran
scientist.