From:	Dave The Shade <IZZYUX2@*******.BITNET>
Subject:	Immort Prince ??
Date:	Thu, 28 Oct 1993 22:34:00 PDT

Daniel, I'll try to answer your questions.

Why do you need a Prime Candidacy ? As I said before, the Prime Candidacy is
a testing/evaluation process that ascertains if you are fit to even TRY to take
the next step -- become a council prince. Surely someone who is a possible cand
- idate for such an important job must be tested and evaluated -- after all
that person will probably be one of the rulers of a country. Not only are you
checking for aptitude, intelligence, etc... but you are making sure that the
unfit are weeded out. Also, of course, is the great symbolic and societal/cultu
ral value of such a process. Imagine it, the pageantry and competition of such
an event - like the Olympics but where the potential prize is a country. Remem-
ber what Ceasar said about bread and circus'.
But why even look for replacements/competitors if you are an elven council
prince? Because immortality and power is not a guarantee against death. Any of
the elven council princes could still die (accident, assasination, etc...),
moreover they could wish to retire or even more importantly they have to eventu
ally slip away for a few decades. Remember, elven imortality is a big secret,
the repercutions of its discovery would be cataclysmic. Each council prince
will have to leave and "die" and them come back again if immortality is to be
kept a secret.
And the council knows that the greatest national domestic upheavels happen when
succession is not clear --- therefore why not keep a eligible pool of talent
just in case. No designated heirs, but still potential (this to keep younger
elven nobles from geting ideas about generational war).

So why Solarial ? Because he is qualified (though young), ambitious and power
ful (though he needs more seasoning) AND to keep him from other greater machina
tions. Also he can be an asset, even among the "Potentials" there is rivalry
for power and patronage, surely a council prince could use a "friend" that can
bring certain assets to bear.





David/Solarial
(Don't take the whole thing so seriously though :)