>>"Our" Zerika is the first Reborn Phoenix. >Ummm... Text evidence? Actually, it's the lack of any textev stating that Zerika I was a Reborn Phoenix. From what we've been told she was sent visions, which she heeded and by doing so she created the foundation of what eventually became the Empire. >As a result of the cycle's influence, I'd say it's quite likely that the whole >Phoenix death-rebirth thing has been going on for a lot longer than the Empire >itself, and that every 17 cycles the entire bunch dies out, and we have a reborn >one. (Of which we know of only the most recent two, Zerika I and Zerika IV.) Granted things get shaky in that we don't know "when" the Halls came into being in relation to the founding of the Empire; nor do we really know if The Cycle was constructed by the Lords or if it preceded them. We don't know if The Cycle encouraged particular tribes and discouraged others or if it simply reflects the current makeup of The Empire. Still, I have some difficulty with the idea of it being a Great Cycle between the Revolt and the Migration. The Easterners ought to have overrun the world in the meantime. (Note that the Gods could have had a hand in preventing such an occurrence.) >But in any event, this all happened before the Orb, so consulting it wouldn't >tell us the answer (which was my original point, I think. I'm having trouble >remembering at this point. ;-) ) No argument there.