On 3/15/06, Philip Hart <philiph at slac.stanford.edu> wrote: > > > On Wed, 15 Mar 2006 Jon_Lincicum at stream.com wrote: > > > The length of a Reign is typically such that succession > > only happens once or twice in a Dragaeran's lifespan. > > I get a reign to average about 700 years (200k/(17*17)), so four seems > more like what I'd expect given a lifespan of 3k. Indeed; on a recent re-read of TPG, I noted, in the sketch of G'aereth's life, that he was instrumental in assisting in the change of the Cycle from the Teckla Republic to the Jhegaala Reign, moved up through the ranks during that reign and into the Athyra Reign, and of course, was in the Phoenix Guards throughout Tortaalik's Reign. At no point was it suggested that these reigns were unusually short. Tentative notion (in support of ~700 year reigns): Despite Vlad saying that the min is 17^2 and the max is 17^3, perhaps most reigns are between 2*17^2 (578) and 3*17^2 (867) years. We don't know exactly when Zerika passed the Orb to Norathar, but it does not seem to have been after ruling for much more than 300 years or so (perhaps just long enough to "round out" the length of the Phoenix Reign to 867). All that being said, I have a ugly sneaking suspicion that Teckla reigns are forced to an end as soon as 289 years have passed: "OK, you've had you turn, you peasant rabble. Now get lost!"