Kindrie, etc. and questions

I hear from Baen that the next novel will be published in October, too late, alas, for worldcon in Chicago which I intend to attend.  Maybe the concom will let me do a reading from it.

Meanwhile, I'm revising the final copy under a new editor, who hasn't read any of the previous books.  I'm not sure how this will work out.  At this point, I doubt if I'm picking up many new readers. (Thoughts on this?)  Would like to, of course, but this is hardly the point at which I would advise anyone to join the series.  I still see the next book as the last.

Re: said book, I just discovered that I have a lot of new LJ postings on Kindrie of which I was unaware.  I try to answer most posters.  If I haven't gotten to you yet, please be patient.

Then the questions:  I asked about gout before.  Yes, it's caused by crystallized uric acid in joints, but what does this look like when melted?  (Asking in connection with Kindrie's soul-image encounter with Caldane.)

Also this:  have I ever differenciated between Highborn and Kendar berserkers?  My thought was that it was a Shanir trait, but how does that explain Harn?  A touch of Highborn blood?