Some speculative thinking: An absolutely crucial point of the "(crossbreed) bastardy" smear against Norathar e'Lanya was that at no point would anyone besides the conspirators ever perform the gene-scan on her. Sethra the Younger had performed the first gene-scan, the Sorceress in Green (posing as an Athyra) performed the second scan before the Dragon council. And yet, Sethra Lavode was *there* when they found the infant Norathar after K'Laiyer's armies were defeated. There she was, and there was the infant. Rather than performing the scan herself, when it was quite possible for her to do so, just to be *sure* that there was no error... she had her apprentice do it. Her apprentice, who had found the "problem" in the first place, and even if Sethra Lavode didn't suspect Sethra the Younger's *motives*, she ought to at least have had the slight suspicion of her *competence* to perform this final, condemning gene-scan herself. Or just perform one herself *after* Sethra the Younger said, "Yup, she's still definitely a bastard." But she didn't. Now, we ask ourselves, whyever not? Is it a particularly difficult thing to do? It doesn't *sound* like it, especially since this *is* Sethra Lavode we're talking about. One possibility that occurred to me is that it might be that the gene-scan spell requires that the one performing it have a "clean" genetic profile, something that might provide yet another hint that Sethra Lavode is a cross-breed. However, another thought that occurred to me is that some spells - particularly ones that involve intimate interaction with another living being - are not possible for Sethra Lavode to perform without having some very unfortunate side-effects due to her current life-state. Or, to put it a little more bluntly, Sethra Lavode didn't gene-scan baby Norathar because she didn't want for Norathar's life-force to be drained into herself. After having this notion, I also found myself wondering if Sethra Lavode had ever performed any other spells that affect the body intimately. Has she ever healed anyone? Has she ever revivified anyone? I seem to recall that she has not; whenever anything of that nature needed doing, she would leave it to Aliera or Morrolan to perform. Although perhaps I have misremembered, so I ask the list in case anyone can recall a counterexample.