I agree with mantis that Loris (or Lemur, or one of the other
prosimians) is a prime possibility for Blood's father.
Another might be Quetzal's unnamed predecessor as Head of the Chapter. Some numbers which may help:
Quetzal has been Prolocutor for 33 years. Maytera Rose has been senior sibyl for 43+ years when she, uh, dies [III, 116pb]. Blood was born when she was forty, and Maytera Betal was still alive then. Blood is 56 years old (I don't have the reference, correct me if I misremember). So Maytera Rose dies at the ripe old age of 96.
I think Tussah is probably out of the running; his probable dates just don't seem to fit well with when Blood was born. I visualize him as still being relatively young when he dies, but others may of course differ. If he died at about age 70, his dates would fit well with Maytera Rose's and he might be a possibility.
Timeline:
-300+: Maytera Marble "born."
-300: Whorl launched.
-100: (approximately) Whorl arrives in Blue/Green system.
-96: Maytera Rose born.
-56: Blood born.
-43: Maytera Rose becomes senior sibyl. (Maytera Betal dies?)
-36: Maytera Mint born.
-33: Quetzal becomes Prolocutor.
-30: Pas killed.
-23: Silk born. (Chenille, too? I don't recall)
-21: Calde Tussah dies. (Silk "just learning to walk")
-1: Patera Pike dies. (Or earlier?)
0: most events in The Book of the Long Sun.
+10: (approximately) Horn writes The Book of the Long Sun.
Dave
(david_lebling at avid.com)
Questions or problems to whorl-owner at lists.best.com