>Dunno - the title might have been valid for heirs of his body (assuming >that means immediate heirs) or might be otherwise defeasible. Vlad had >access to the Orb before his father was killed, because the latter had >hired a sorcerer to teach him, hence Vlad was already a citizen and not >an inheritor of that status. I'm having a bit of trouble parsing the above statements. It appears that you're suggesting that Vlad was a citizen because his father had someone teach him sorcery. The title came later. That isn't the case. If it was, then any Easterner could become a citizen without ever joining a House. Vlad's father bought the title. The title came with a link to the Orb for Taltos Sr. and all of his descendants. Maybe even for Noish-pa too, if he wanted it; who knows? At any rate, that link is what made it possible for Vlad to be a sorceror. The lessons were just a chance to learn HOW to do it. Without citizenship and the link to the Orb that goes with it, the only way you'll accomplish sorcery is by being an Elder Sorceror. >Perhaps an Imperial title is heritable. Probably.