"Davdi Silverrock" <davdisil at gmail.com> Sent by: dragaera-bounces at dragaera.info 06/21/06 04:49 PM To "Dragaera List" <dragaera at dragaera.info> cc Subject Adron and the Dragon Council >Perhaps there might have been sufficient question over Aliera's >legitimacy as a proper Dragon, shortly after she was born, to cast a >shadow over Adron. There's a bit of a kerfluffle as the Dragon >Council tries to cope with this completely unprecedented situation. >Even if Adron testifies under the Orb; even if the genescans all check >out; even if Verra gives direct testimony to the Council as to >Aliera's provenance; the situation is so unusual that it becomes >desireable to find someone a little less controversial to be Heir. >Thus, the e'Lanya line is chosen instead. Given the way Dragaerans view gods, I just don't see Aliera's parentage as being that big of a deal. It's not like her mother was a Dzur, or a Tiassa, or (god forbid) a Teckla. I find it much more likely that Adron would have been replaced as heir for one of the following reasons: 1. He was too ambitious. (He had a lean and hungry look about him.) 2. He was too successful. (His Breath of Fire Battalion was an incredibly potent military force, many may have feared he would try to stage a coup and make the cycle change "early".) 3. Tortaalik felt threatened by him. (The emperor, even one as inept as Tortaalik, does have considerable pull with the leaders of the other Houses) 4. The Dragon Council was scared by Adron's experimentations with Elder Sorcery. (It was outlawed for a reason, after all.) It's worth noting that pretty much all of these fears are well founded ones... Aliera talks in /Yendi/ about the reasons for why the Dragon Council choose the e'Lanya line to be heirs during Tortaalik's reign... But she is deliberately vague on the subject of their motivations, since non-Dragons (Vlad and Cawti) are present during the discussion. >However, some indeterminate period of time later, K'laiyer's politics >turn out to be unacceptable to Sethra Junior. When she discusses it >with her friends the SiG and Baritt, several options for discrediting >K'laiyer might have been discussed, but the whole "legitimacy casting >a shadow over the parent" from the Aliera issue might well have >inspired them to take the course of action they did. Interesting idea. However, I can't believe that there was really any other plan than to have Norathar's parents murdered, under cover of a battle with Sethra. Whatever "discrediting" was done was simply to rouse the e'Lanyas to get angry enough to attack Dzur Mountain. >An uglier possibility is that Adron, holding himself insulted by >having Aliera's legitimacy questioned, was more involved with the >choice of accusations against K'laiyer and Miera than the text of >/Yendi/ makes it appear. This sort of mean-spirited, spiteful revenge >would make Adron a rather petty (and evil) person, but I think it >could be argued that the escalating conflict between Adron and >Tortaalik leading up to the Disaster was an exercise in mutual >pettiness. This is entirely consistent with events... Just don't let Aliera hear you talking this way. ;-) >At any rate, after K'laiyer & wife are safely dead, Aliera would >therefore have been provisionally accepted for long enough (a few >centuries, perhaps?) that she would have been a very attractive young >woman that the Council had had time to become accustomed to, and there >would thus have been no objection to making Adron the Heir again. Perhaps. But if this was even an issue, why couldn't they have just found another Dragonlord without a "bastard" child at all? Say, Rollondar e'Drien? Or Barrit? >Of course, the internal politics of the Dragon Council will never be >revealed, so it is rather useless to speculate. But nevertheless. "Useless" is a term that is only applicable if it's a subject you don't enjoy discussing, in which case, why are you even here? :-) Majikjon /Uh, Boss? There's a short Dragonlord with blonde hair and a Great Weapon here to talk to you about some of the things you said in that message./