Carolyn did not appear too shocked at the mention of marriage or the idea of retreating to the estates comment, taking this in stride, but at the talk of a child between siblings and the abilities of magic to aid in keeping such a child healthy she took a more thoughtful expression. She remained quiet until he directly inquired her about the feelings she had on such a matter, and the possibilities provided by magic. She looked at him seriously, quite intently even, and then spoke up with some conviction.<br/><br/><em><strong>"Incest is a taboo word to many, but I agree on your views, the harmful side is the possibility of a child born with undesirable traits from the lineage. There have been times in history where nobility could not continue without such traits surfacing, and so there was, for a reason, a suitable amount of searching into the matter before. The Faith of the One God is such that it forced much of the old believers underground, and with them went a lot of the lore of the world before. Yet I do know for certain that there was magic for that intended purpose, the question is just how difficult it would be to obtain."</strong></em>At this she visibly winced however, looking down.<strong><em>"Sorry, you asked for my feelings not a history lesson... ah, well between Alexandria and myself, as well as the rest of our lineage as is, we've come to keep an open mind on things and honestly I think that if the traits could be protected so that the child was born healthy and well, I don't see a reason for the taboo. Though from what little I recall the measures of those spells and rites could only carry on so many generations. Eventually new blood was needed. But it does reflect my own feelings too. I don't find there harm as long as no harm is done to others, such as an unborn child in this case. A child born with traits that would leave them alone in misery would be best avoided, but a child with complicated family lineage but entirely healthy should not be any business of others."</em></strong>She looked a bit down.<br/><br/><em><strong>"I know there's an... occultist... who gathers a lot of old lore, who would probably be more than happy to help. The problem is, the said occultist doesn't do it for the money, they are... far more careful about things like that. From what I understand, they are capable of calling upon old spirits, things that should not be, beings that are not supposed to exist. Not aberrations, they have their place beyond the 'outer gates' of our world, but... nevertheless, the said occultist once helped our family in the past, but from what I've heard, the cardinal's appearance and the death of a noblewoman as well as a smuggler linked with some questionable merchandise forced the occultist to slip out of touch again."</strong></em>She let out a small sigh.<em><strong>"I know more than a little about the old gods and the old ways, and should be able to decipher the necessary spells or rites for keeping a child born of incest healthy, but if it was possible to catch with the occultist in question we'd have a good ally for any knowledge needs we'd have. Of course, if the arch-mage maintains a royal library with tomes that cannot really be destroyed for their historical value despite what different faiths might demand, it might be that some of the lore was saved that way. Anyhow, uhm, if I take the schools to my attention first, I could start researching it on my free time after and I doubt it would take more than a couple of months, notably less if I get my hands on some materials to peruse."</strong></em>She paused again, and looked down awkward.<br/><br/><em><strong>"Alexandria might also know about the occultist's location more than I do, having been here longer, but unlike me she is a bit wary of them... its ironic, we could dance with shapes and form but when someone does the same with the aid of magic that should not be, it makes Alex a little wary."</strong></em>She smiled but shrugged faintly.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">ooc</div><div class="spoiler_body">Knowledge Arcana could unlock some information, though I may well have spoken of the occultists before (Binder) in the past, not sure but figured it worth a mention.</div></div>