It's nitpicking time! List your favorite safehold nits

How do people who use roman numerals know what a percentage is, much less calculate it?

Keith_w wrote:How do people who use roman numerals know what a percentage is, much less calculate it?

Perhaps speaking Latin helps, since "percent" is a corruption of "per centum" meaning "for each hundred."

Keith_w wrote:How do people who use roman numerals know what a percentage is, much less calculate it?

Concept was probably introduced by an "angel" by accident. He needed to talk about percentages with mere mortals for some reason (War of the Fallen?) and decided that work-arounds weren't going to cut it.

Tararoys wrote:
My nit: Merlin wants to keep his visions secret. So what is the first thing he does? He tells Falkyn, Cayleb, and...a random assassin who is probably still conscious while Sejin Merlin explains that he's got magical all-seeing eyes everywhere.

The fix: The assassin probably doesn't live for very long after Wave Thunder interrogates him. After all, the penalty for treason is death. And probably the only people the assassin talked to would be Wave Thunder and Wave Thunder's interrogators, who can be trusted with the secret. However, that one live assassin could have blurted out everything Merlin said to the rest of Cayleb's bodyguards, the townspeople of Rothar, random gaolers, etc.

Mmmm... I don't remember if it's ever explicitly stated that the assassins hired by Emerald were actually Charisians. They were supposedly mercenaries for hire; so they may have been from anywhere... ...or at least anywhere but Emerald; I would think. (A nice touch would have been for them to be from Corisande; that would have certainly deflected the subsequent investigation had Merlin not come along; and Nahrman is certainly clever enough to have thought of that.) Thus their attempt to assassinate Caleb might not actually technically be treason, though the penalty is probably the same.

I agree, however, that having that conversation out in the open would appear contradictory to the intended result; however, it's also unlikely that *anyone* other than a known and completely trusted person would be allowed to hold a private, one-on-one conversation with Caleb *after* the assassination attempt.

OrlandoNative wrote:

Tararoys wrote:
My nit: Merlin wants to keep his visions secret. So what is the first thing he does? He tells Falkyn, Cayleb, and...a random assassin who is probably still conscious while Sejin Merlin explains that he's got magical all-seeing eyes everywhere.

The fix: The assassin probably doesn't live for very long after Wave Thunder interrogates him. After all, the penalty for treason is death. And probably the only people the assassin talked to would be Wave Thunder and Wave Thunder's interrogators, who can be trusted with the secret. However, that one live assassin could have blurted out everything Merlin said to the rest of Cayleb's bodyguards, the townspeople of Rothar, random gaolers, etc.

Mmmm... I don't remember if it's ever explicitly stated that the assassins hired by Emerald were actually Charisians. They were supposedly mercenaries for hire; so they may have been from anywhere... ...or at least anywhere but Emerald; I would think. (A nice touch would have been for them to be from Corisande; that would have certainly deflected the subsequent investigation had Merlin not come along; and Nahrman is certainly clever enough to have thought of that.) Thus their attempt to assassinate Caleb might not actually technically be treason, though the penalty is probably the same.

I agree, however, that having that conversation out in the open would appear contradictory to the intended result; however, it's also unlikely that *anyone* other than a known and completely trusted person would be allowed to hold a private, one-on-one conversation with Caleb *after* the assassination attempt.

The book stated that the assassins were Desnarian, not sure where it was at though. It was just a one line, almost random, comment on them.

OrlandoNative wrote:

Tararoys wrote:
My nit: Merlin wants to keep his visions secret. So what is the first thing he does? He tells Falkyn, Cayleb, and...a random assassin who is probably still conscious while Sejin Merlin explains that he's got magical all-seeing eyes everywhere.

The fix: The assassin probably doesn't live for very long after Wave Thunder interrogates him. After all, the penalty for treason is death. And probably the only people the assassin talked to would be Wave Thunder and Wave Thunder's interrogators, who can be trusted with the secret. However, that one live assassin could have blurted out everything Merlin said to the rest of Cayleb's bodyguards, the townspeople of Rothar, random gaolers, etc.

Mmmm... I don't remember if it's ever explicitly stated that the assassins hired by Emerald were actually Charisians. They were supposedly mercenaries for hire; so they may have been from anywhere... ...or at least anywhere but Emerald; I would think. (A nice touch would have been for them to be from Corisande; that would have certainly deflected the subsequent investigation had Merlin not come along; and Nahrman is certainly clever enough to have thought of that.) Thus their attempt to assassinate Caleb might not actually technically be treason, though the penalty is probably the same.

I agree, however, that having that conversation out in the open would appear contradictory to the intended result; however, it's also unlikely that *anyone* other than a known and completely trusted person would be allowed to hold a private, one-on-one conversation with Caleb *after* the assassination attempt.

IIRC from OAR, they were Desnairians who were recruited locally by Nahrman's people.

shayvaan wrote:

anwi wrote:Another nit: Cayleb as reigning Emperor of Charis, which is in something of a transformative process, is now parked in Siddar City for months basically doing ... nothing that important,

Just a bit of a nit=pick on your nitpicking, but there are a few differences between Cayleb's and Roosevelt's situations.
The biggest one is radio (the lack thereof) would keep Cayleb from coordinating with his republic allies (would be different if Stohnar and his council could be brought into the inner circle).
Cayleb's access to radio (and the Snarcs) with the inner circle though helps him to avoid the main problems of having the king out of country for extended periods (along with Sharleyan being co-ruler).

Yes, that would be a convincing reason, if Cayleb would be the only person that can assume the role of supreme allied commander in the theatre. I'd point out that role can be more appropriately fulfilled by a senior Charisian commander. Cayleb could e.g. have appointed Domynyk Staynair, who is also a member of the inner circle and more expendable than a reigning head of state. (Roosevelt had Eisenhower, e.g.) And given the relationship between the RoS and the EoC, Cayleb shouldn't need to be present just to overrule Stohnar, while overall strategic command should not depend critically on several 5-days. Finally, Cayleb is now parked in Siddar City for the whole of LAMA and a part of MTAT. And in this whole time, we haven't gotten specific descriptions from RFC on critical decision taken by Cayleb, which only he could have made. I take this as strong indications that RFC is overstreching Cayleb's stay in Siddar City. Might be RFC has a valid reason for that, but there my imagination fails me...

n7axw wrote:IIRC from OAR, they were Desnairians who were recruited locally by Nahrman's people.

Which was, again, somewhat dumb of Nahrman's agent. Desnairians would have no inherent reason to attempt to assassinate the then Crown Prince.

You also don't want a local connection if you're trying to divert any suspicion away from the Duke of Tirian.

While he obviously wasn't figured into the assassination plans, it would have been much more unlikely that Merlin could have so (relatively) easily convinced the King, the first Councillor, and his spymaster that it was an Emerald plot if they'd been (even displaced) Corisandians; given the active emnity between Charis and Corisande.

anwi wrote:Yes, that would be a convincing reason, if Cayleb would be the only person that can assume the role of supreme allied commander in the theatre. I'd point out that role can be more appropriately fulfilled by a senior Charisian commander. Cayleb could e.g. have appointed Domynyk Staynair, who is also a member of the inner circle and more expendable than a reigning head of state. (Roosevelt had Eisenhower, e.g.) And given the relationship between the RoS and the EoC, Cayleb shouldn't need to be present just to overrule Stohnar, while overall strategic command should not depend critically on several 5-days. Finally, Cayleb is now parked in Siddar City for the whole of LAMA and a part of MTAT. And in this whole time, we haven't gotten specific descriptions from RFC on critical decision taken by Cayleb, which only he could have made. I take this as strong indications that RFC is overstreching Cayleb's stay in Siddar City. Might be RFC has a valid reason for that, but there my imagination fails me...

Well, Siddar City is closer to Zion than Telesburg is. And, one must admit, having *Caleb* march into the Temple himself rather than even the ranking Imperial Army commander would certainly make a statement like no other.

Of course, I don't really see the Temple's offensive collapsing quite that quickly, but one never knows.

Actually,however, I think you're missing the point. Or, at least, trying to read more into it. Caleb being in Siddar City is theatre, basically showing how important he - and, by extension, the entire EoC - considers the alliance with Siddarmark. It's not like he *has* to be back home, his wife and co-ruler should easily be able to handle any "administrivia" there that happens in his absence. But nothing short of having her swap places with him can show the EoC's solidarity with his (relatively new) allies, and I don't see him putting her in a more dangerous position if he can be there himself.

That's really all the reason needed for him to remain where he is at present.

Been re-reading LAMA and the snippets so I'm up to date.

This one stuck out at me. Probably a typo in the snippet that the continuity fairy will hit with their magic hammer but still.


In LAMA, Ehdwyrd Howsmyn talks about the new cartridge based ammo and related pistols and firearms. It is pointed out explicitly that both pistol and rifle cartridges are using a .45 caliber bullet and on purpose. Different sizes/grains but the same caliber to make some of the manufacturing easier.

In the snippets Howsmyn talks about .45 pistol ammo and .50 rifle ammo. Having just read LAMA the day before seeing this it stuck out at me. The fix? Just have the continuity fairy change it to .45 in HFQ.

Also in LAMA completely fails to mention the limited edition "heavy" pistol with a 5 round chamber that takes rifle rounds. The one Merlin uses to demonstrate the advantage of pistols with speed loaders to various Powers That Be.

No-prize answer: The Delthak Works didn't make any, it was all Owl! Merlin has the only two in existence.