How shall the Grand Inquisitor Die?

I, for one, will be very disappointed if the Zhaspar Grand Formicator does not snuff it in this series. So, let us speculate: how shall he die?

My favorite pet theory is that Major Phandys goes one day to make a report. He ends if with, "By the way, sir, Hauwerd Wilson was my friend." And runs Clyntahn through.

So...how do you want Clyntahn dead? Ironically? Poetically? Stupidly? (Chokes on a bagel)

Or do you just want him dead?

Cheers!
Tara

I have suggested before that his lifestyle and uncontrollable irascibility render him liable to a "stroke" or similar.

Poetic justice would be for him to be left fully sentient whilst utterly incapable of communicating so that he has to watch the power struggle after his incapacitation and see his successor "piss the pot away" in the face of continued Charisian successes.

Sharleyan & Cayleb could then compound his frustration by giving the "invalid" full nursing care and ensuring that "the vegetable" is kept informed of Safeholdian events.

chrisd wrote:I have suggested before that his lifestyle and uncontrollable irascibility render him liable to a "stroke" or similar.

Poetic justice would be for him to be left fully sentient whilst utterly incapable of communicating so that he has to watch the power struggle after his incapacitation and see his successor "piss the pot away" in the face of continued Charisian successes.

Sharleyan & Cayleb could then compound his frustration by giving the "invalid" full nursing care and ensuring that "the vegetable" is kept informed of Safeholdian events.

I'm not sure I want the Grand Asshole to die. Back in 1961, in response to the Eichmann Trial in Israel, my grandfather had commented that death is too good a fate for Eichmann. The same applies to Clyntahn, whose crimes are so great and manifold that death would actually be a mercy in his case.

I also think that Clyntahn is far more valuable if he could be captured alive and handed over to Merlin and Nimue. I do cherish some fantasies of his being brought to the cave... I'm sorry, to "Shan-wei Lair", and forced to see everything that is happening on Safehold without his input while being tormented daily by Nahrmahn's ghost and by the "demon" OWL. We could also try stuffing him in his own VR suit and letting those two put him through some truly insane VR scenarios. But I mainly want him preserved in the cryo chambers for posterity, thawed out in time for the millennial visit of the "archangels" (to serve as evidence of church corruption) and then after a century in time to watch humans leave Safehold (if ever they manage it). To be rendered so completely useless and powerless and forced to roam Safehold alone for the rest of his life is probably a more fitting fate (and one that is worse than death).

My theory is that Clyntahn will pull a Robespierre and die by his own reign of terror. I have thought all along that Clyntahn will finally have Ducharin assassinated (remember that Clyntyn has already hinted at doing just that), when that happens it backfires causing a revolt in Zion. I also think it will be Rayno that does him in, basically doing a deal with the Chancellor and Magwair to take him out in an effort to save their own power and position. Be really interesting watching Rayno having Clyntahn put to the question and implementing the full punishment of Scheuler on him.

Does Safehold have lethal STDs?

Come to think of it, bizarre conduct can be a symptom of syphilis if memory serves.

Merlin's letter tried to bait him into leaving the Temple to supervise things in the field, and if word could be gotten to Duchairn, he might be able to manipulate Clyntahn into stepping outside for a change of scenery. "You've been working so hard, a week at Langhorne's retreat would reinvigorate you". OWL is probably programmed to alert Merlin if that happens. Yes, it's quicker than he deserves, but having his last moments filled with the Great Reveal by a glowing eyed demon would partly make up for that.

Here's the cruelest possibility of all. He doesn't have a NEAT, but is there other TF technology that can be used for psychological treatment? Cure him of his narcissism, reconnect his capability for compassion, and let him face what he's done. For a vicious refinement, program him so he can't kill himself.

Don't know if keeping him alive would be good. This guy has agents all around safehold.

How could the alliance know if the guards affected to his cell won't be put under presure to help hims keep linked to the outside.

Like the inmates who still control their gangs from the inside of prisons.

Only the dead won't talk...

thanatos wrote:

chrisd wrote:I have suggested before that his lifestyle and uncontrollable irascibility render him liable to a "stroke" or similar.

Poetic justice would be for him to be left fully sentient whilst utterly incapable of communicating so that he has to watch the power struggle after his incapacitation and see his successor "piss the pot away" in the face of continued Charisian successes.

Sharleyan & Cayleb could then compound his frustration by giving the "invalid" full nursing care and ensuring that "the vegetable" is kept informed of Safeholdian events.

I'm not sure I want the Grand Asshole to die. Back in 1961, in response to the Eichmann Trial in Israel, my grandfather had commented that death is too good a fate for Eichmann. The same applies to Clyntahn, whose crimes are so great and manifold that death would actually be a mercy in his case.

I also think that Clyntahn is far more valuable if he could be captured alive and handed over to Merlin and Nimue. I do cherish some fantasies of his being brought to the cave... I'm sorry, to "Shan-wei Lair", and forced to see everything that is happening on Safehold without his input while being tormented daily by Nahrmahn's ghost and by the "demon" OWL. We could also try stuffing him in his own VR suit and letting those two put him through some truly insane VR scenarios. But I mainly want him preserved in the cryo chambers for posterity, thawed out in time for the millennial visit of the "archangels" (to serve as evidence of church corruption) and then after a century in time to watch humans leave Safehold (if ever they manage it). To be rendered so completely useless and powerless and forced to roam Safehold alone for the rest of his life is probably a more fitting fate (and one that is worse than death).

I'm with the poetic justice, death or paralysis due to his own excesses - but to essentially turn to torture as a punishment for Clyntahn risks lowering the good guys. A simple rope around his neck, as with all Inquisitors, will do. It won't martyr him any more than it does the rest of the Inquisitorate.

Also, why would humanity leave Safehold completely? That's not in any of the plans. The plan, before Langhorne and Bedard's alterations, was to turn it into a new homeworld and after a few centuries of hiding, start building up to a force level that could put the Gbaba down, roughly pinpointed due to the Gbaba's own apparent technological stasis.

Well, the question is - should he die? Would this be the sufficient punishment?

For my opinion, the much better punishment would be to declare Clyntahn officialy dead, and actually send him in some lunatic ayslum as "some stranger, who gone completely mad and imagined himself the late Grand Inquisitor - could you believe that?" Its much more... elegantly cruel - force Clyntahn to live the rest of his days as a simply lunatic.

Expert snuggler wrote:
Here's the cruelest possibility of all. He doesn't have a NEAT, but is there other TF technology that can be used for psychological treatment? Cure him of his narcissism, reconnect his capability for compassion, and let him face what he's done. For a vicious refinement, program him so he can't kill himself.

But this would be a different person after all. It's like to clean his personality, wrote over someone other and punsih that other man for the crimes that previous personality committed. Tis isn't right.

Dilandu wrote:

Expert snuggler wrote:
Here's the cruelest possibility of all. He doesn't have a NEAT, but is there other TF technology that can be used for psychological treatment? Cure him of his narcissism, reconnect his capability for compassion, and let him face what he's done. For a vicious refinement, program him so he can't kill himself.

But this would be a different person after all. It's like to clean his personality, wrote over someone other and punsih that other man for the crimes that previous personality committed. Tis isn't right.

Indeed.

I'd just like him to live long enough to see anyone's power to dictate belief through force and fear on Safehold broken forever, to know that everything he's ever worked for and benefited from is renounced, rejected, and removed. Even "mere" life imprisonment spent watching a free Safehold grow beyond the memory of his terror would be fine after that.