"Another piece of evidence is a bit of gipsy lore itself. The first (and most complete) version I have heard is sadly and likely the least accurate, as it came from the lips of several women in the Roots of the city of Iskandra. I do not imply that they themselves are unreliable, but the distance of the slave race (or the morrokin, as they are often called) from their gipsy ancestors is quite large, and it would be foolhardy to assume their traditions have not changed. However, I have heard variations of the same belief from other sources, and hints of variations from others, enough that I am convinced that it is a valid descendant of a legitimate gipsy belief.

"Those women explained to me the morrokin understanding of the duality of humanity, or, the difference between men and women. Hidden in their words was much that dealt with the state of mortality, along with its virtues and dangers, a discussion in which I will not engage myself now. But on the surface, their philosophy can be stated thus:

"A man is a traveler, an astral vagabond in search of light and truth, who has become trapped on earth by the labyrinth of the mortal elements. A woman is a native being of the mortal realm, one to whom the labyrinth is naught but familiar halls, and though she seeks the light and truth beyond the walls of her home, she has no engine with which to pass beyond. Thus, the gispy cultures, in past years, revered marriage and the union of man and woman, because they believed each is crucial for either to progress.

"But it is not of such progression that we are now interested. We have allowed our attention on ancient Cilan to wander and it is time to repair our interest."

It is truly sad that intercourse with the gipsies in those days could not lead to more productive ends than slavery and slaughter. So much that was good and true in their cultures seems to have been lost, even to the discerning eyes of the modern age. It appears even Saxo was at a loss concerning them at times.