[Dragaera] Timeline 2.0 is done

[Scott Schultz]

>To expand a little on my claim, if Adron suggests T resign the orb to 
>Aliera (or am I imagining that, and just remembering an obvious scenario 
>Sethra should have suggested?  Very far from Texts.) while it's possible 
>for him to resign it to another Phoenix, Sethra and Khaavren and esp. 
>Temma have to be complete buffoons.  T would rather the orb go to the 
>least noble member of the House than Adron's line.  And when T dies, 
>there's no question of the orb staying in the House.  Adron had nothing 
>to do with the regicide, why should he obviously be the emperor?  The 
>Cycle hasn't turned, surely.

I have to be honest, Phil -  I'm having some difficulty following the above
train of thought.

In an Empire where it's expected that the Orb changes Houses periodically, I
don't think it's at all obvious that the current ruler would insist upon it
staying in his House if he resigns. Abdication happens all the time. In
fact, it's pretty much a case of either the current Emperor abdicates, he is
deposed, or he dies in office and the next House steps up and claims the Orb
for themselves. I'd expect that abdication in favor of your own House would
be quite rare and looked at askance by the next House in line; like a kind
of cheating. There must be some sort of precedent for keeping the Orb within
the same House, given what we know about the Cycle, but those times must be
rare and fraught with conflict unless the Orb categorically validates the
move by attaching itself to the new recipient.

I don't recall Adron suggesting that he would make Aliera the Heir if
Tortaalik would resign in her favor. If he did, then he was attempting to
achieve a peaceful transition under some impression that Tortaalik
distrusted him personally. Rejection left only a military transition as the
option. (Well, except for the third option that actually happened and that
nobody could have predicted.)

I'm not sure regicide is the word you meant to use. In any case, Adron was
the Dragon Heir. That's why he should "obviously be the Emperor". Now, if
you mean, is it obvious that Tortaaklik should abdicate, then I'd agree that
from Tortaalik's point of view, he had no reason to do so. Maybe he should
have consulted the Gods and tried to determine if the Cycle HAD turned.
Maybe that would not have helped, as it happened that it WAS still the reign
of the Phoenix, and Adron was beyond convincing. He was ready to try and
Turn it himself, by brute force.