(urth) Appian's Proxy?

[Rex Lycanthrosaurus]

Colleagues:

When Severian goes to Yesod, he designates his wife Valeria to be his
proxy, and she is even given the title of Autarchia. Apart from Ymar,
she is probably the only person in a thousand years to occupy the
Phoenix Throne without first taking the alzabo-laden derivative that
contains all the memories of the previous autarchs. Or is she? After
all, the autarch who is Severian's predecessor (and whose name never
actually appears in either tBotNS or its sequel) also undertakes the
same journey. But who is it that rules in his absence? And do we have
any sense how long the former honey-steward is absent from Urth? Or at
what stage in his own reign he leaves? Severian waits a decade before he
journeys out and does not return for forty years. But surely his
predecessor is not gone for a similar amount of time.

I ask this because there's a passage in _Urth_ where Severian writes
"...I would now be permitted to reclaim the Phoenix Throne, as I had in
the person of my predecessor" (XXIII, 4th paragraph from the end). But
who is Appian reclaiming the throne from? Who has been his acting proxy
or regent? 
-- 
  Rex Lycanthrosaurus
  lycanthrosaurus at fastmail.fm

-- 
http://www.fastmail.fm - Send your email first class