originally posted by Tygrr
Janny - What were the names of all the towers at Ithamon? I can't seem to find them…
Tygrr - You Asked.
The Compass Points, or Sun Towers are as follows:
North, Alathwyr, white with alabaster combing, its binding quality being Wisdom.
East - Dunlaithe - black granite and obsidian, with a black tourmaline finial, its binding quality being endurance, or the Paravian concept of Honor.
South - Lilaere - rose quartz, its binding quality, Grace
West, Kieling, green jasper, its binding quality, compassion.
The fifth tower, at the city's height, was Daelthain, the King's Tower, its binding power being Justice (and so, Law) - this one at the time of the story is fallen to its foundation.
Curiosity: why this detail??
And - perhaps for a shake of a lamb's tail, the mighty Gryphon could add this listing to FAQ??? The passage in Mistwraith that lists them is partial.
originally posted by Trys
Added to the Athera FAQ.
originally posted by Tygrr
I was just curious, having recently done a reread and only finding the names of Alathwyr, Kieling and Daelthain…it made me wonder what beautiful names the others had as well! Thank you Janny for answering my question!!!
Thanks, Gryphon and Brian!
originally posted by Annette
Just a random question that I have been wondering about, something Janny might answer. When Elaira was on second lane watch duty at the old earl's court, how did she see Asandir and Dakar in front of the West Gate? It seems despite what it says in my 3 versions of Curse of the Mistwraith, that Avenor and the West Gate are on the first lane, not the second. Can the enchantress's scry across the lines of latitude? Or could Elaira somehow track where Asandir was because he had passed through the second lane on her previous watch duty. There does not seem to be a body of water near the West Gate Elaira could have used to see them, so each time I re-read the first book I wonder how Elaira managed this.
I have actually ordered the current edition of Curse of the Mistwraith, just to check if anything was updated.
Annette - there is a major cross latitude channel that runs from Avenor through Althain Tower thru the standing stone at Tal's Crossing. A crossing at the gate would have affected this; I can see, based on your question (argh! grin) that an ENERGETIC map of Athera will one day become necessary.
Let me mull on this; as the fourth arc opens the staging for the mysteries, it may well be a timely thought…
originally posted by Annette
Thanks for the reply Janny, I would love an energetic map one day. I was trying to work one out from the clues in the books, but there are still a few too many mysteries about how it all works, what goes where and how some can interact with the network. It gives me something to do while re-reading the books though, and I scanned one of the maps to play with while waiting for the next book.
Does the third lane really go through Cildorn? Or was it meant to be the fourth?
originally posted by Jeff
Annette, thanks for the question and Janny for the response.
I've been wondering about the connections between lanes and trying to figure some out from the details in the books and the standing stones on the map. I get the impression that the curvature of the planet is allowed for in the placement of details on the map.
An energetic map would be wonderful, particularly one that covers the whole planet; well I guess the whole planet would have to wait until sometime in Arc 5 lest it give away the location of a certain Paravian caretaker and his/her charge…
originally posted by Annette
I started out with the curvature of the planet, like we see with lines of longitude and gave up! Seventh lane bends the opposite way at Athir, no way is it following any curvature of the planet, it seems to follow the curve of the eastern coast line. Same with the sharp turn in the third lane from Althain Tower to Cildorn, which is almost horizontal in direction rather than vertical. Even that close to the North Pole it seemed strange it would go across Instrell Bay like that if it was following the curve of the planet. Lines might run north to south but it seems more than marker stones and Paravian ruins can make them bend. And it seems the lane flux positively spirals in certain protected locations, but we will have to wait for Janny to better explain that mystery.
I have my doubts an energetic map would tell us where the Paravians were hiding, Sethvir would have found them by now if it was that easy. 
The Lanes are ELECTROMAGNETIC, and the flows and currents follow the features that conduct the energy, not straight lines…
originally posted by Annette
Janny are the ley lines straight? They always seemed to be since something was in direct alignment? And how do the ley lines fit in with the lanes and channels across latitude? Are they all part of the same energetic map?
Another question was concerning the mystery in the middle of the map, next to Araethura. Is there a marker stone just within the western boundary about 2 thirds of the way down (second mountain down on the inside), or is that just my imagination. None of the other mountains on the map seem to have that little extra next to them. Thanks.
We are talking about Athera's flux currents; yes?
On the mystery in the map:
:X
If you are with the Good Reads discussion (having a good time over there!) THAT is the newly minted the emoticon for what's called an Authorial Duct Tape Moment…yeah, I've had to use it alot!
It means, the words forthcoming will take you there.
originally posted by Annette
In Perils Gate when Dakar attempts to find out what has happened to Arithon after Jaelot's guardsmen capture him, the scrying is interrupted. Dakar's explanation was that they were, "currently due east of Rockfell in direct line with the ley that crosses the paravian circle at Ithamon."
In Traitor's Knot another ley is mentioned by Arithon as running through Halwythwood "We're in the free wilds too near Ithamon, bang over the ley that runs through Thembrel's Oak and flows across Caith-al-Caen." Are the ley lines the same as the channels that run across latitude and the lanes, or are they something else? Do the ley's run in straight lines, because these two seem to be straight.
And can an empty watercourse still carry the flux current or does it have to have water. I was just wondering if the empty Sevenir riverbed was part of the current energetic map.
Pity about the marker stone, but with a river and a line of mountains I had the third lane going along there any way. Going straight through the Scarpdale grimward did not seem a good idea, which is how I noticed that little mark on the map at that point in the first place. The far more interesting squiggles a bit further down always attracted my attention more.
originally posted by Annette
Another question for Janny, related to her original reply to Hellcat's question on the inheritance of the royal gifts.
After 5,000 odd years and flowing through all those s'Ffalenn children, and being the 1,504th Teir's'Ffalenn after Torbrand, did Arithon get the same virulence of the gift as Torbrand, or any previous sole heir of the lineage? Or after being spread out and and then confined to one again, over time do the royal gifts become stronger.
Hi Annette, read the appendix in Traitor's Knot, or Stormed Fortress (depending if you have the Voyager HarperCollins edition, or the Meisha Merlin one).
It explains the inheritance of the royal gifts; the virulence of them depends upon HOW MANY OFFSPRING ARE LIVING - and not all will inherit, (necessarily) equally - the Fellowship would select the one with the strongest trait (which would also follow character).
IN the case of a last survivor - they get the ENTIRE LEGACY with no dilution possible.
originally posted by Annette
Thanks for the answer Janny. So no stronger than what Torbrand had.
I wondered since the clan talent seems to get stronger, with the struggle to survive and being thinned out to the strongest survivors, which is then passed on to the future generations. So thought maybe royal gifts might also have been affected over time, if they had also suffered a similar persecution, over an extended time.
The two are not the same animal, not at all.
originally posted by Annette
Thanks Janny, just checking what had and had not changed from Torbrand to Arithon.
And I am going to sneak one in you might not answer. Where was Torbrand born?