Favorite Bit Character in HFQ (spoilers)

evilauthor wrote:

n7axw wrote:
I agree with this mostly. However people won't recognize Thirsk's family either. It should be simple enough to provide them with false identities.

Don

Heck, they don't even have Thirsk's name. How many people on Safehold would actually recognize the names of Thirsk's family if they weren't actually looking for them?

They could probably keep their own names and slide right by Inquisition spies as "just another batch of refugees" just because those spies haven't been told to look for them. After all, why should Temple spies in Charis (or Chisholm, or Corisande, or etc etc) know any details about Thirsk's family?

I seem to recall mention of how well Thirsk's Son in Law was doing with the Church's ship building programs. I think he owed or managed a shipyard. If that is the case then the Church certainly knows his name at least.

Expert snuggler wrote:

Kakai wrote:Wasn't Mahafee (you mean Styfyny's father, I remember correctly?)

Did I get the name wrong? I was thinking of the concentration camp sergeant Merlin left in charge of a detachment where Mab had just killed all the inquisitors. That was a man whose name will soon be Legion. He can't believe the Church any more, he can't believe his superiors any more, and he is so desperate for an emotional anchor that he dug into his sense of duty even though it was telling him to run *towards* a clearly unstoppable killing machine. The text even said he had nothing left to him except duty.

I... think I haven't gotten to this part yet, so you probably got the name right. Hm, that sounds like it's going to be interesting.
(yep, I'm a spoiler hound )

BrightSoul wrote:
I seem to recall mention of how well Thirsk's Son in Law was doing with the Church's ship building programs. I think he owed or managed a shipyard. If that is the case then the Church certainly knows his name at least.

Yes, but the point of a false identity would be to bury the original name. And if they go to Charis, the inquisition's spies have not for the most part been able to get past Wave Thunder's counter-intel. It would strike me as very unlikely that they would be recognized if they practised a modicum of caution.

Besides, with that ship blowing up, they are believed dead.

Don

Don

n7axw wrote:

BrightSoul wrote:
I seem to recall mention of how well Thirsk's Son in Law was doing with the Church's ship building programs. I think he owed or managed a shipyard. If that is the case then the Church certainly knows his name at least.

Yes, but the point of a false identity would be to bury the original name. And if they go to Charis, the inquisition's spies have not for the most part been able to get past Wave Thunder's counter-intel. It would strike me as very unlikely that they would be recognized if they practised a modicum of caution.

Besides, with that ship blowing up, they are believed dead.

Don

Don

It was more a case of responding to Evilauthor about The general awareness of Lewys' son-in-law's name. Too well connected to use the last name for certain but they could probably hold on to first names without taking a risk.

BrightSoul wrote:I seem to recall mention of how well Thirsk's Son in Law was doing with the Church's ship building programs. I think he owed or managed a shipyard. If that is the case then the Church certainly knows his name at least.

That makes him well known in Dohlar, perhaps. But why would his name be known to anyone OUTSIDE Dohlar (aside from the Inner Circle of course), especially Church spies in the Empire of Charis? Unless they make themselves famous in Charis, the odds of ANYONE outside the Inner Circle recognizing their names would be nearly nonexistant.

How many people here could recognize the names of say... Vladimir Putin's family? Or the family members of any famous person living in another country who weren't widely famous themselves? And how many of THOSE could actually recognize them if they ran into them on the street?

Although I do agree that something as simple as a name change would reduce the odds of anyone recognizing them from very very low to nearly non-existant.

Kakai wrote:Did I get the name wrong? I was thinking of the concentration camp sergeant Merlin left in charge of a detachment where Mab had just killed all the inquisitors. That was a man whose name will soon be Legion. He can't believe the Church any more, he can't believe his superiors any more, and he is so desperate for an emotional anchor that he dug into his sense of duty even though it was telling him to run *towards* a clearly unstoppable killing machine. The text even said he had nothing left to him except duty.

I... think I haven't gotten to this part yet, so you probably got the name right. Hm, that sounds like it's going to be interesting.
(yep, I'm a spoiler hound )[/quote]

Mahafee is a COG lieutenant participating in the forced march of concentration camp victims to a new location. Think of him as a reluctant SS. Stefyny's father's name is Mahlard.

Yes, lieutenant not sergeant. I got that wrong.

evilauthor wrote:

BrightSoul wrote:I seem to recall mention of how well Thirsk's Son in Law was doing with the Church's ship building programs. I think he owed or managed a shipyard. If that is the case then the Church certainly knows his name at least.

That makes him well known in Dohlar, perhaps. But why would his name be known to anyone OUTSIDE Dohlar (aside from the Inner Circle of course), especially Church spies in the Empire of Charis? Unless they make themselves famous in Charis, the odds of ANYONE outside the Inner Circle recognizing their names would be nearly nonexistant.

How many people here could recognize the names of say... Vladimir Putin's family? Or the family members of any famous person living in another country who weren't widely famous themselves? And how many of THOSE could actually recognize them if they ran into them on the street?

Although I do agree that something as simple as a name change would reduce the odds of anyone recognizing them from very very low to nearly non-existant.

The Church just spent a bunch of cash building a fleet in his yards. If nothing else Duchairn knows the name. Besides, with Clyntahn's none-to-subtle dislike for Thirsk he's adefinitaly got an extensive file on the family.

Tararoys wrote:Mahafee is a COG lieutenant participating in the forced march of concentration camp victims to a new location. Think of him as a reluctant SS. Stefyny's father's name is Mahlard.

Right, I've just finished the book, so I've got it now. I think Mahafee is one of those (ex?)Temple Loyalists who would accept the truth, if not outright embrace it. That's a severely broken man right there who doesn't have much, if any faith in CoGA's cause left, and who had seen a distinct proof that forces of "evil" do actually differentiate between those who are guilty and those who aren't.

Only I don't see anyone who'd be fit to reveal the truth to him. Mab? Uh... not exactly the most believable source.

OTOH, can anyone except me imagine Mahafee as future agent of Helm Cleaver?

They need data about how the man in the street will respond. He'd be a good data point.