Building the Peace

SO while they build up the infrastructure, industry and economies of the empire as a whole and the islands themselves. They would develop their agricultural sectors.
CHaris empire is potentially able to have greate out put than the rest of the planet, so they could create a fortune by having hteir goods smuggled on to hte main land. THey would dominate the world markets. Forcing the countries to attempt to innovate if htey wished to grow at all.
THey would then sell materials and food to the republic to make them strong and encourage them to fight against the church, while there is a limit to what they could do, they could potentially expand their borderfs to ensure their security.

It is believed that eventually another conflict will arise, so the empire will make themselves the undisputed ruler of the oceans, while the republic is able to make the church be deeply threatened.
THe silverload island if properly used will allow alot of work to be done and paid off. It could pay for both the imeprial and republic upgrades.

fallsfromtrees wrote:The power of the Inquisition currently lies in its power of coercion.. The actual numbers are quite small, although Clyntahn and Rayno are attempting to increase them. Should Clyntahn be assassinated (by Duchairn or Magwair or someone else), Rayno is almost certainly going to be gone next. It is also virtually certain that Magwair would issue orders to the AoG that the inquisitors were to be immediately arrested - particularly if he and Duchairn are going to attempt to reach a truce with the EoC - remember, that as far as the EoC is concerned, all inquisitors lives are forfeit, and I can't see them backing off from that demand.

I can also see, as a non-negotiable demand, that Merlin and the Church of Charis must be granted access to the Temple, not exclusive access, but access as a co-equal religion to the CoGA.

As far as the possibility that Clyntahn might agree to a truce so as to allow the CoGA to regroup and recover to prepare for round two - not gonna happen. Siddarmark and the EoC will not agree to any truce that doesn't have Clyntahn dead, and the Inquisition disbanded.

The Inquisition is like the Soviet Party Commissars the USSR had. Not a part of the regular military, but having power from the ruling party that superseded the USSR military chain of command. The Commissars could suggest, but those 'suggestions' had the backing of the Party behind them and woe unto any officer that stood up to a Commissar and told him no. So the CoG army officers might be officially in command, but in reality, the Inquisition is in command by their power to have -anyone- that annoys them executed at a moments notice.

That said, there are some Inquisition who actually use their heads for something besides holding their ears apart, so the circumstances of them using their power will be different, but actual command of the armies is squarely in the Inquisition's hands despite any official records.

Any so called peace that leaves Clyntahn alive and the inquisition with its power unbroken is actually a defeat for the EOC and Siddarmark.

I think the G-4 has to be gone. In fact house needs to be cleaned on the vicarate as a whole. That is probably going to be the use to which that evidence Nynian sent to Cayleb should be put.

Don

the church has built it self so much on the war, that a failure in destroying the republic and empire. wither the Go4 are dealt with, or they alter the church to meet the new situation.

SYED wrote:the church has built it self so much on the war, that a failure in destroying the republic and empire. wither the Go4 are dealt with, or they alter the church to meet the new situation.

The church's line is that God is on the church's side. Because God is supposed to intervene on the church's behalf, she can't lose.

Humm... What happens when God doesn't rescue the church? Could it be that God doesn't approve of the church's actions?

Don

There is no way that the EoC and Siddarmark are going to accept a peace that does not include Clyntahn's head - preferably separated from his body, regardless of how messy that will be. In addition, it almost has to include access to the Temple for the Church of Charis on an equal basis to the CoGA, assuming that the coGA still exists. An yes Nynian's documentation will undoubtedly be used for purging the upper levels of the CoGA.

n7axw wrote:

SYED wrote:the church has built it self so much on the war, that a failure in destroying the republic and empire. wither the Go4 are dealt with, or they alter the church to meet the new situation.

The church's line is that God is on the church's side. Because God is supposed to intervene on the church's behalf, she can't lose.

Humm... What happens when God doesn't rescue the church? Could it be that God doesn't approve of the church's actions?

Don

Of course, the author could be so ingenious as to have a new Napoleon crop up, on the side of the Church. Smashing Charis out of Siddarmark would have a radical effect on where the series is going, especially if they lose most of their army at the same time. I suspect this is not a high probability event.

Zakharra wrote:

fallsfromtrees wrote:The power of the Inquisition currently lies in its power of coercion.. The actual numbers are quite small, although Clyntahn and Rayno are attempting to increase them. Should Clyntahn be assassinated (by Duchairn or Magwair or someone else), Rayno is almost certainly going to be gone next. It is also virtually certain that Magwair would issue orders to the AoG that the inquisitors were to be immediately arrested - particularly if he and Duchairn are going to attempt to reach a truce with the EoC - remember, that as far as the EoC is concerned, all inquisitors lives are forfeit, and I can't see them backing off from that demand.

I can also see, as a non-negotiable demand, that Merlin and the Church of Charis must be granted access to the Temple, not exclusive access, but access as a co-equal religion to the CoGA.

As far as the possibility that Clyntahn might agree to a truce so as to allow the CoGA to regroup and recover to prepare for round two - not gonna happen. Siddarmark and the EoC will not agree to any truce that doesn't have Clyntahn dead, and the Inquisition disbanded.

The Inquisition is like the Soviet Party Commissars the USSR had. Not a part of the regular military, but having power from the ruling party that superseded the USSR military chain of command. The Commissars could suggest, but those 'suggestions' had the backing of the Party behind them and woe unto any officer that stood up to a Commissar and told him no. So the CoG army officers might be officially in command, but in reality, the Inquisition is in command by their power to have -anyone- that annoys them executed at a moments notice.

That said, there are some Inquisition who actually use their heads for something besides holding their ears apart, so the circumstances of them using their power will be different, but actual command of the armies is squarely in the Inquisition's hands despite any official records.

Yes, the Inquisition controls the army, but only for as long as the army stands for it. The instant some general says, 'I don't feel like being arrested, arrest these inquisitors instead' and the troops obey him, the Inquisition's control of the army is history.

I think there have been some very wooly ideas posted about the situation after an assassination of Clyntahn. Firstly no one is going to do it randomly without preparing the ground beforehand, so the remaining GoF members are going to be well protected by loyal armed guards and will not be easily seized by the Inquisition. On the contrary elements of the Temple Guard will be attempting to arrest Rayhno and as many other high ranking Inquisitors as possible, with extreme prejudice, at Maigwair's orders. Constitutionally, the Council of Vicars elects the next Grand Inquisitor, not the Inquisition. And you can bet your bottom dollar that the remaining members of the GoF will be insisting on that, as will the Grand Vicar who is controlled by Duchairn. They will all be pulling rank on whichever Inquisitors are still around. See the Orange? You do what you are told. Maigwair's first instructions on capturing the Zion Semaphore centre will be to put the army officers back in charge of the armies and to reduce the Inquisitors to a genuine advisory role. An instruction he is perfectly entitled to give as Captain General and Vicar and which no individual can legally countermand since there would currently be no Grand Inquisitor. (Good luck trying to arrest any generals after that.)

This is still as very personal society. The Vicarate are not scared of the Inquisition so much as they are scared of Clyntahn. Once the man is dead the situation changes irrevocably, and at least some of the vicarate will recover their spines and react in fury at the lower level inquisitors who have been daring to attack them and their dependants these past few years.

BTW Fallsfromtrees is right. The EoC will never accept any truce or armistice which does not include religious toleration for the CoC. They can't reasonably be expected to and anyone willing to try to negotiate with them will know and have to accept that. When they get down to the details of the treaty Cayleb will be firm but reasonable on all sorts of things, but will absolute!y insist that religious toleration includes access to the Temple for CoC worshippers and Clergy. After all, the Writ commands all who can to make a pilgrimage to the Temple and those from the CoC who do will need some of their own clergy based there to conduct services etc. The CoGA will grind their teeth but there will be no way to say they are granting genuine toleration while refusing such access. And it's not a big enough deal for the CoGA to wreck the whole treaty over.
Merlin, Paityr et al will, of course, have another use for that access.

They might agree to some kind of deal but only after this conflict is done. after some victories are achieved.

SAy charis destroy the navy of god, making themselves the undisputed lords of the oceans, allowing them to establish bases and ports on anythin not the mainland. They might not be able to stop privateers, but they can force countries to pay a heavy price by leveling thier main ports.

The republic will regain their borders and potentially expand to give them a superior poition. I can see them expanding south to the land bridge at a minimum, In the north, the temple lands are very vulnerable due ot the lack of military forces. The church lands and possibly some harchong lands.

The church will not be able to deal with them not only surviving but expanding.