Homecoming (spoilers all RotE books)

[Farseer]

Ok, a very rapid reply as I sit here choking on a chicken and tomato sandwich for a quick lunch !

Our question is:
Are the Carrocks a rain wilds trader family, or a Bingtown trader family?
If the former, did her husband die traveling (lord Carrock)?
If the latter, did she and her family move to Bingtown later, or did her family take up a different name?

Will amend this later but no time to filter the spoilers from the non-spoilers! **Liveship Trader Spoilers**

Spoiler

I remember in the Ship of Magic that Ronica mentioned that her Carrock family, like the Vestrit family, was one of the original Bingtown Trader families. This could mean anything, really. Possibly Lord Carrock remarried when he returned to Bingtown or one of his children with Lady Carrock returned later to Bingtown, though that is unlikely as they were quite disfigured already due to the Rain River's acidity etc (as was Lady Carrock herself). Did all of Lord and Lady Carrock's chidren stay behind in the Rain Wilds with Lady Carrock...I seem to remember that at least one of the children went with him back to Bingtown, but maybe they changed their mind? Sorry, am away from home so don't have Homecoming with me.

Later on in the SOM, Ronica speaks with Davad Restart when he comes to visit the dying Ephron. She talks about how the first inhabitants of the Rain Wilds tried to live there for two full years in their tree houses with joining bridges etc but then had to return to Bingtown. Without Homecoming to refer to, I can't be sure on the timeline here. Either those who returned to Bingtown two years after settling the Rain Wilds INCLUDED Lord Carrock and company, and the others were left behind (like Lady Carrock etc) OR the group that stayed behind in the Rain Wilds and then returned after two years was the group that had included Lady Carrock (very wordy but hope you get my drift?!). I think it's most likely the former...

Trying to remember Lady Carrock's diary entry dates from memory, I do wonder if the story of Homecoming could have spanned the whole two years (and believe it may have, by the time they got there, settled, lost their child, got buried beneath the city etc?) and, if so, that means that Ronica must have come from a second group of children of Lord Carrock's after he returned to Bingtown?

Ronica did also mention somewhere that her ancestor had sold all he had to purchase a ship's ticket to the Rain Wilds, and some other details, but possibly she remembers it this way only because that is what she was told...not that Lord Carrock was told to go there due to his crimes?

Gotta go !

After a re-read of 'Homecoming', I am convinced now that Ronica is a descendant of Jathan but not of [[Carrilion]] (unless her forebears eg children from [[Carlmin]] or [[Petrus]] later moved from the Rain Wilds but this seems highly unlikely given the physical changes undergone by both boys and Carrilion).

I also cling even more firmly to my final thought in the above post - that Ronica was told that her ancestor had sold all he had to purchase a ticket to the Rain Wilds, as opposed to the truth that he was sent there in exile and disgrace. This "let's sell all and head to the Rain Wilds" story was pretty much the tale that Jathan had even told to Carrilion in the beginning until he had no choice but to admit the truth to her. If he was going to spin this yarn for his long-time wife and mother of his children, why not do it again when he reached Bingtown? He certainly didn't have any family member go with him to denounce his claim and all others on the original voyage seemed to have loosely accepted his story on the surface (though they apparently did know the truth), and this story was even possibly shared by the other rebellious and exiled nobles.

At the very least, it was for this reason (having it be known that he had volunteered for the voyage) that Jathan begged the Satrap for, for some time upon his knees.