Official Safehold Speculation Thread

Expert snuggler wrote:What happens if someone discovers a life form on Safehold equivalent to an electric eel?

"I'm not profaning Langhorne's holy fire, just making an artificial eel!", or run the telegraph off an aquarium instead of a battery.

Expert snuggler wrote:What happens if someone discovers a life form on Safehold equivalent to an electric eel?

"I'm not profaning Langhorne's holy fire, just making an artificial eel!", or run the telegraph off an aquarium instead of a battery.

It would nicely undermine the psychology of the Proscriptions.. The OBS might not appreciate the logic, though.

SWM wrote:

Expert snuggler wrote:What happens if someone discovers a life form on Safehold equivalent to an electric eel?

"I'm not profaning Langhorne's holy fire, just making an artificial eel!", or run the telegraph off an aquarium instead of a battery.

It would nicely undermine the psychology of the Proscriptions.. The OBS might not appreciate the logic, though.

That argument does not fly. It is not the existence of electricity that violates the Proscriptions, it is the use or experimentation of electricity.

In fact, there are electric fish on Safehold. See David's post at: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4821&p=116198&hilit=+electric+eels+#p116198. Electric eels are considered on Safehold in a similar way as lightning--they are considered holy. A lightning storm is not sacrilegious, and neither would an electric eel be sacrilegious. But using the electricity would most definitely be a sacrilege. Electricity is restricted to the Archangels and to the natural forms which the Archangels left behind to show God's power. Electric eels (or rather their Safeholdian equivalent) are considered another one of God's signs.

OsageOrange wrote:This bout of speculation is highly plausible- and likely: Clyntahn can have Rayno direct Rakurai agents preform kamikaze attacks Allied forces to slow the Allied efforts to make occupational advancements into Western Siddarmark and other Church-held territory. Attempts to strike at military command centers- and especially military commanders- would be a high priority whenever possible and feasible.

n7axw wrote:

OsageOrange wrote:This bout of speculation is highly plausible- and likely: Clyntahn can have Rayno direct Rakurai agents preform kamikaze attacks Allied forces to slow the Allied efforts to make occupational advancements into Western Siddarmark and other Church-held territory. Attempts to strike at military command centers- and especially military commanders- would be a high priority whenever possible and feasible.

This sounds like the Japanese defense of Okinawa and Iwo jima... Wonder where they will come up with the Zeros!

Don

n7axw wrote:

OsageOrange wrote:This bout of speculation is highly plausible- and likely: Clyntahn can have Rayno direct Rakurai agents preform kamikaze attacks Allied forces to slow the Allied efforts to make occupational advancements into Western Siddarmark and other Church-held territory. Attempts to strike at military command centers- and especially military commanders- would be a high priority whenever possible and feasible.

This sounds like the Japanese defense of Okinawa and Iwo jima... Wonder where they will come up with the Zeros!

Don

Eagleeye wrote:We will see Corisandians as a fighting force in the Siddarmark; and I wouldn't be surprised, if a certain Duke of Darcos is leading at least a part of this contingent.

JeffEngel wrote:

Peppero wrote:But there has been comments in the forums that his reaction to steam engines was - odd.

And I have been suspicious of Clytahn since How firm a foundation. ( page 82 )
Clyntahn and others are talking about the "exploding ships" from the end of the previous book.

"There wasn,t any deviltry, involved"
Clyntahn snapped "It was probably ---"
He broke off with an angry chop of his right hand.

In short it could be he knew about shells before hand.

So if he knows, the question becomes what can he do.
He does not know the exact source.
He has to stay in character of not knowing about tech.
He wants to minimize the tech he introduces and he
cant be the source of a thousand inventions.
He wants to save his one shot bombardment system.

With his limitations launching a war to pillage Charis and escalating it to a jihad when things go bad.
seems to be a response that is reasonable.

I could accept he is ignorant of the truth or tech.
But I think is as just as likely he knows something.

But Im having fun imagining ways he could be in the know.
This was the first.

p.s. it need

I hate to be a wet blanket, but Clyntahn has had spies in Charis about which he has not wanted to inform the others in the Group of Four. (For that matter, he's got a keen appreciation of operational security needs and doesn't know more than he must about them himself.) Hints about exploding shells and steam engines are plausible from such sources. They wouldn't have to be too sensitively placed to be able to get at least some slight indications of such capabilities, and that would also account for how much Clyntahn isn't demonstrating he knows about. Getting that much information to someone willing to spy for Langhorne's true Church would not be hard, and they have had the networks to get information out of Charis reliably if slowly.

WeberFan wrote:

Eagleeye wrote:We will see Corisandians as a fighting force in the Siddarmark; and I wouldn't be surprised, if a certain Duke of Darcos is leading at least a part of this contingent.

I'd say Zebediahans before Corisandians. I recall from textev that they were "enlisting by hundreds and thousands." I don't recall a similar statement about the Corisandians... Keeping a solid core of troops in Corisande for now would make me a bit more comfortable anyhow... It "feels" to me like there is still a stronger temple loyalist following.