On 12/13/05, Howard Brazee <howard at brazee.net> wrote: > We know that there weren't always 17 houses Hm. Barlen implies that there *were* always 17 Houses - but the number of groups of Dragaerans (tribes) was larger at first. We don't know for sure what happened to the supernumerary tribes. Were they were absorbed into the Jhereg, or left to colonize the islands (because they were miffed at being excluded from the Cycle and the Empire?), or maybe killed off in some civil war, or maybe a little of all of the above? Sethra presumably knows, but didn't mention it when she infodumped to Vlad. > - I think the cycle was created by the gods to stabilize things. The gods appear to be implying that the Cycle somehow keeps out the Jenoine, but that's just by Paarfi's report, whatever *that's* worth.