Talk: Cycle Turnings

"It is given to the predatory nature of the Orca to eventually bring enough power and guile to bear on a Yendi Emperor to force a change in the Cycle."

I object to the use of the word "guile"; Orca are not particularly guile-ful as a House (though occasional individuals can be). The Orca are primarily about business, about raw capitalism. I expect that one of the failings of a late Yendi Reign is an increasingly abstruse tax code, filled with complex loopholes that only Yendi can take advantage of. Legal statutes governing trade would also gain similar complexity and favoritism. All of which benefits the specific (usually Yendi) groups that put those codes in place, but are "bad for business" in the Empire as a whole. Eventually, trade breaks down, an economic crisis occurs, and the Orca take over to put business back on a stable, rational footing. (Of course, what they see as 'rational' is eventually seen by the Teckla as sufficient cause for revolt.)

Note that the one example of guile-ful Orca that we've seen (in _Orca_) very nearly led to a complete economic collapse, of the kind I posit the Yendi Reigns typically end with.

-Alexx Kay

AlexxKay 18:48, January 20, 2010 (UTC)

A fair point. I think the reason I phrased it this way is because I could not imagine any way the Yendi could be forced from power that did not involve at least a bit of guile... If only enough to get the Yendi Emperor's own intricate dealings to blow up in his face. Really, an Orca's business acumen is the one area where a certain amount of deviousness seems appropriate; at least to me. Of course, there are other factors that may well come into play when a Yendi reign is ending; the introduction of a significant naval threat to the Empire, perhaps. A major financial depression. Or even the need for a government bail-out that only Orca merchants have the wealth to underwrite. --Majikjon 21:03, January 22, 2010 (UTC)

House Natures: Axis and Allies

Notice how each House has two houses flanking it in the Cycle, one to either side, and because there are an odd number of Houses, also two Houses opposite it on the other side.

I conjecture that a each House shares certain aspects of its dominant characteristics with the two Houses that next to it on the Cycle, and also in a different way, with the two that sit opposite to it. With the two “allied” Houses next to it, the comparison is always obvious, and where it fails shows an important trait of the House. With the two “axis” Houses on the other side, although there is always a correlation, but it is not always a synonym type correlation; sometimes it is an antonym type of correlation.

To demonstrate, consider House Jhereg’s attributes of greed and corruption. Compare those with neighboring Vallista’s attribute of destruction and neighboring Iorich’s attribute of retribution. The two Houses opposite Jhereg in the Cycle are Phoenix and Dragon. Houses sitting opposite each other seldom get along, of course, but that doesn’t mean they’re completely unalike. Consider how close the Jhereg attribute of corruption is to axis Phoenix’s decadence, and also how close Jhereg greed is to Dragon conquest.

For a second demonstration, let’s think about House Tiassa. Its line from the poem is Tiassa dreams and plots are born, and its attributes are catalyst and imagination. But it also partakes somewhat of neighboring Lyorn duty and Hawk observation. On the other side of the Cycle, there is Chreotha ensnarement and Yendi subtlety.

Since the two attributes given for each house in the new cycle graphic aren’t always perfectly orthogonal, this doesn’t work out quite that neatly in all Houses; however, it usually does. I think this shows that there are strong correpondences in the Cycle that aren’t usually considered. It also shows how each House has within it its own contradictory or opposing aspects.

This way of looking at the Cycle helps explain certain interactions. Sure, Dragons and Jhereg are opposite, but they are also both acquisitive; what other pair of Houses are there records of wars between? None that I know of. And notice how many whilom Dragons there are in the Jhereg, and how comfortably they fit there, too: Dolivar and Kragar of course, but also Norathar, whom we again see being very Jhereg-like in Tiassa, despite her position as Dragon Heir. Insofar as Sethra may be considered a Dragonlord despite also having Dzurlord aspects, there is no question that she genuinely enjoys putting on Jhereg colors as Kiera the Thief.

I would say that of the original four from Phoenix Guards, the friendship between Aerich and Khaavren seems the closest; is this perhaps in part because of their allied Houses’ shared respect for tradition? Consider how Daro comes across as a Lyorn. It’s not just her choice of colors. It’s because of her attention to tradition. It’s that very attention to tradition that makes it so hard for Khaavren to accept Piro’s hors-de-maison relationship with Ibronka. That’s clearly a very Lyorn thing. The character growth that Khaavren displays in the course of the series shows him tempering that brittleness. By Tiassa, he specifically distinguishes how the position of Captain of the Phoenix Guards lacks the sort of latitude — or perhaps flexibility and discrimination — that are absolutely required in the Brigadier of the Special Tasks Group.

Here is the full list of Houses, with their characteristics and those of their axis and ally Houses. Notice how often there seems to be something to it.

1. House of Phoenix’s main attributes are decadence and rebirth: compare ally Athyra philosophy and ally Dragon conquest; consider axis Vallista creation and axis Jhereg corruption.
2. House of Dragon’s main attributes are war and conquest: compare ally Phoenix rebirth and ally Lyorn duty; consider axis Jhereg greed and axis Iorich retribution.
3. House of Lyorn’s main attributes are tradition and duty: compare ally Dragon war and ally Tiassa catalyst; consider axis Iorich justice and axis Chreotha forethought.
4. House of Tiassa’s main attributes are catalyst and inspiration: compare ally Lyorn tradition and ally Hawk observation; consider axis Chreotha ensnarement and axis Yendi subtlety.
5. House of Hawk’s main attributes are observation and perception: compare ally Tiassa inspiration and ally Dzur honor; consider axis Yendi subtlety and axis Orca mercantilism.
6. House of Dzur’s main attributes are heroism and honor: compare ally Hawk observation and ally Issola surprise; consider axis Orca brutalism and axis Teckla fertility.
7. House of Issola’s main attributes are courtliness and surprise: compare ally Dzur honor and ally Tsalmoth unpredictablility; consider axis Teckla cowardice and axis Jhegaala metamorphosis.
8. House of Tsalmoth’s main attributes are unpredictablility and tenacity: compare ally Issola surprise and ally Vallista creation; consider axis Jhegaala endurance and axis Athyra magic.
9. House of Vallista’s main attributes are creation and destruction: compare ally Tsalmoth unpredictablility and ally Jhereg corruption; consider axis Athyra magic and axis Phoenix decadence and rebirth.
10. House of Jhereg’s main attributes are greed and corruption: compare ally Vallista destruction and ally Iorich retribution; consider axis Phoenix decadence and axis Dragon conquest.
11. House of Iorich’s main attributes are justice and retribution: compare ally Jhereg greed and ally Chreotha ensnarement; consider axis Dragon conquest and axis Lyorn tradition.
12. House of Chreotha’s main attributes are forethought and ensnarement: compare ally Iorich retribution and ally Yendi subtlety; consider axis Lyorn tradition and axis Tiassa inspiration.
13. House of Yendi’s main attributes are subtlety and misdirection: compare ally Chreotha ensnarement and ally Orca brutalism; consider axis Tiassa catalyst and axis Hawk perception.
14. House of Orca’s main attributes are brutalism and mercantilism: compare ally Yendi misdirection and ally Teckla cowardice; consider axis Hawk observation and axis Dzur heroism.
15. House of Teckla’s main attributes are cowardice and fertility: compare ally Orca brutalism and ally Jhegaala endurance; consider axis Dzur heroism and axis Issola surprise.
16. House of Jhegaala’s main attributes are metamorphosis and endurance: compare ally Teckla fertility and ally Athyra magic; consider axis Issola surprise and axis Tsalmoth tenacity.
17. House of Athyra’s main attributes are magic and philosophy: compare ally Jhegaala metamorphosis and ally Phoenix rebirth; consider axis Tsalmoth tenacity and axis Vallista creation.

I don’t know that this is quite right, but it sure seems to be close enough to be thought-provoking. --Tom Christiansen 15:40, April 3, 2011 (UTC)