[mrganondorf]

There is definitely a quote from Cu'jara Cinmoi where he says what they breed for that also happens to be the biological requirements for the Few.

But Moenghus the Elder, Kellhus, Maithanet, Serwa, Kelmomas.

Fucking hell, I hope you are right about the third set being the First Apocalypse.  I am desperate to see who set the Dunyain in motion.

[Madness]

I'm more curious about the 2000 years in-between... Bakker has said that TUC is an infodump. Perhaps that includes some kind of montage history of the Dunyain.

[Wic]

I would enjoy several chapters of Akka going anthropologist on the Ishual rubble.  Perhaps even finding entry to the TT Halls.

[Madness]

Oh entry to the Thousand Thousand Halls will be found... I honestly don't know where else Achamian could go but Ishterebinth at this point! And I assume that the Thousand Thousand Halls is attached to Ishterebinth somehow.

[mrganondorf]

I'm more curious about the 2000 years in-between... Bakker has said that TUC is an infodump. Perhaps that includes some kind of montage history of the Dunyain.

I'd love a couple of stand alone novels about the Scholastic Wars.

[Wilshire]

But Moenghus the Elder, Kellhus, Maithanet, Serwa, Kelmomas.

Exactly. We have far more textual proof of the link between genetics and sorcery than otherwise. I think all we have is that Sorcery is generally believed by schoolmen to not be link to hereditary. However, most schoolmen don't have any children and aren't allowed to have wives. It would be an extraordinary coincidence if Moe Sr. was an anomaly and had (at least) 2 anomalous children from 2 different mothers who could also see the Onta. More extraordinary still that half of Kellhus' own children had the ability as well. To me, it is far more likely that the trait is genetic, rather than random.

Also note that its entirely possible the Onta perception is a dominant genetic trait. IRL left-handedness is dominant, but those who were left handed used to be killed because they were thought to be witches. Schoolmen have been hunted for centuries, and for whatever stupid reason they have not been allowed to breed very often.

Where do the Mandate recruit their members from? Oh yeah, a small fishing village right outside of their stronghold .... How convenient.

[Madness]

I always wondered why Atyersus was established where it was... Second Foundation First Foundation ?!

[Wilshire]

I always wondered why Atyersus was established where it was... Second Foundation First Foundation ?!

Making Ishual "at the end of the universe" . I have become a fan of this allusion. I say plausible. One seen, one unseen. One to conquer the physical world, the other to conquer the mental. One to save, one to save the would be saviors.

[mrganondorf]

I can see where this is going--now we just need to know the name of the fish providing the peculiar diet around Atyersus.  It will, of course, eat an algea that is also common in Ishual!    

It's odd to me that only the Dunyain (apparently) have thought of breeding for success.  I would have thought that the Scarlet Spires, Mandate, and Consult would be up to similar projects.

If Serwa is blessed with a long life, I'll bet Swali baloons from just this kind of thing.  Lord knows Kellhus, with 20 years from TTT to TJE, had to be thinking about how to swell the ranks.

[locke]

It's odd to me that only the Dunyain (apparently) have thought of breeding for success.  I would have thought that the Scarlet Spires, Mandate, and Consult would be up to similar projects.

Politically, there are strong incentives for the Thousand Temples and various ruling nobility to forge treaties with the schools where the schools foreswear breeding programs for the right to search for talent.  Any school with a breeding program is a threat.  It is a threat to other schools.  It is a threat to the other ruling powers.  Discovery of a breeding program would be a casus belli for most of the rest of the three seas because it has the potential to permanently disrupt the power balance of the three seas.  However, it is in the self interest of the schools to forge breeding programs, so without treaties to prevent them you'd be in a cycle of constant scholastic war--which is in nobodies interest.  However the schools want to continue, they don't want to be starved out of existence.  Additionally, children who are of the few are potential time bombs.  They're unlikely to pose any threat, but perhaps they have been in the past?  By letting the schools cull students the other ruling parties of the three seas both mollify the schools and make their positions more secure.

[Madness]

All great arguments. But why wouldn't the Mandate recruit from beyond Nron?

[Aural]

But Moenghus the Elder, Kellhus, Maithanet, Serwa, Kelmomas.

More extraordinary still that half of Kellhus' own children had the ability as well.

I could have missed something, but isn't Serwa the only one of the Few among Kellhus's children (AFAWK)?

[Madness]

All the members you quoted there that I listed are of the Few. That's still a lot of members of one lineage, from two random couple pairings of Dunyain and worldborn to produce Few children.

EDIT: I think it is weird that only two of five are of the Few. Though, if only two of six of Moenghus' were (Maithanet & possibly Meppa).

[Aural]

All the members you quoted there that I listed are of the Few. That's still a lot of members of one lineage, from two random couple pairings of Dunyain and worldborn to produce Few children.

Can you point me to where we're told that Kelmomas is one of the Few? Not that I disagree with the point that you're making.

[Madness]

Don't apologize for want of evidence.

The sorcerous Wards he need not worry about. He could see them easily enough.