Philip Hart <philiph at slac.stanford.edu> Sent by: dragaera-bounces at dragaera.info 06/15/06 11:00 AM To dragaera at dragaera.info cc Subject Re: Multi-jointed fingers >On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 Jon_Lincicum at stream.com wrote: > >> Morrolan knows. Vlad knows. Sethra knows. Zerika (through the Orb) >> undoubtably knows. >> >> The biggest cincher here is that Paarfi, apparently, knows. > >No, this may tell us nothing at all. > >> (And has written about it (well, around the edges of it, anyway) in >> historical fiction that is freely available to the masses by Vlad's >> time.) > >This I think is entirely unclear and likely wrong. Paarfi describes Adron's reaction to learning that he has just had a daughter (Aliera) in such a way that it makes you think he knows the reasons for why Adron would react this way (and thus, that he knows the fact that Aliera is Verra's daughter). Is Paarfi bluffing? Is he merely describing Adron's reaction based on historical accounts of Khaavren, Mica, or others who were present at "The Painted Sign Inn" when this event transpired? This is entirely possible, I will admit. Or maybe he knew the whole thing, which is how he was able to describe this interaction as accurately as he did? This is what I meant by Paarfi "writing around the edges of it". Is it conclusive proof of what he knows? By no means. But, being a "historian", I think it likely he would have researched the reasons for this reaction from Adron. Does that mean he actually learned anything? Again, not for certain. But he certainly avoids contradicting the possibility, or offering any alternative explanation for Aliera's parentage. Of course, if Paarfi is actually Sethra, then "he" almost certainly knows, eh? Aliera doesn't really try to make any secret of the fact, however. (If so, why reveal such information in front of Vlad? Or Aibynn?) Or was it your point that /The Phoenix Guards/ was not available by Vlad's time? (In that Vlad was born in 221, and TPG is not published by Paarfi until 309?) This I will certainly conceede, and substitute the phrase "Vlad's approximate time". Majikjon