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Official Safehold Speculation Thread

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Re: Official Safehold Speculation Thread
Post by n7axw   » Fri Oct 09, 2015 9:49 am

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OsageOrange wrote:One thing that came to my mind last night, particularly as we near to the release date for HFQ (And I'm not reading anything that could be spoil the plot for me, nor do I want to know anything that could spoil it) is that what would happen if Merlin, during a visit to Zion, in an unwittingly fashion, prematurely activated all of- or even only part of- the material under the Temple? What would we see happen as a result?

Another thought that accompanied this one is that in another arc of a Merlin-to-Zion trip is that, instead of activating material under the Temple, he found sort of records left by Langhorne and Bedard, or even got some glimpse of what might be beneath the Temple.


Glimpses are Multiverse (thoroughly tongue in cheek) :D .

Seriously, we don't know what would happen. That is why we speculate!

Later addition to this post: I thimk that what would happen would be the same as if he'd walked into the temple.

Don
When any group seeks political power in God's name, both religion and politics are instantly corrupted.
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Re: Official Safehold Speculation Thread
Post by OsageOrange   » Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:52 pm

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n7axw wrote:I thimk that what would happen would be the same as if he'd walked into the temple.

Don


That could easily happen. For me, It'd be a real dramatic showdown between whatever PICAs might be stowed under the Temple and Merlin. Both sides would have certain advantages in any sort of fight.

What I see in Merlin finding any sort of records left by L & B is that he's going to find not only reinforcing material for their plan, but also a more human side to them as well, but this part wouldn't be as appealing.
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Re: Official Safehold Speculation Thread
Post by n7axw   » Sat Oct 10, 2015 6:13 pm

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OsageOrange wrote:
n7axw wrote:I thimk that what would happen would be the same as if he'd walked into the temple.

Don


That could easily happen. For me, It'd be a real dramatic showdown between whatever PICAs might be stowed under the Temple and Merlin. Both sides would have certain advantages in any sort of fight.

What I see in Merlin finding any sort of records left by L & B is that he's going to find not only reinforcing material for their plan, but also a more human side to them as well, but this part wouldn't be as appealing.


To capture records, Merlin is going to have to find a computer to hack. I doubt that there would be any hard copy musting away in old fashioned filing cabinets...

Don
When any group seeks political power in God's name, both religion and politics are instantly corrupted.
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Re: Official Safehold Speculation Thread
Post by OsageOrange   » Sun Oct 11, 2015 1:21 am

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n7axw wrote:
To capture records, Merlin is going to have to find a computer to hack. I doubt that there would be any hard copy musting away in old fashioned filing cabinets...

Don


I can easily see the Archangels who survived Commodore Pei's attack creating documents and attributing them to Langhorne and Bedard as some of their instructions, commands, records, etc, and have them placed in a special location with very restricted access to these documents within or near the Temple. They could be accessed only by Vicars of sufficient rank... such as Trynair and Clyntahn. If Merlin could go around and get access to these records, provided they did exist and he could do it without tripping any alarms or alert systems, he'd have that ammunition to further bolster the Charisians in their fight against the Temple.
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Re: Official Safehold Speculation Thread
Post by Expert snuggler   » Sun Oct 11, 2015 3:53 pm

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Between Owl's ability to forge credentials and She of Many Names's ability to steal them, those hypothetical tightly restricted records could be vulnerable.
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Re: Official Safehold Speculation Thread
Post by OsageOrange   » Mon Oct 12, 2015 11:55 pm

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Expert snuggler wrote:Between Owl's ability to forge credentials and She of Many Names's ability to steal them, those hypothetical tightly restricted records could be vulnerable.


Yep. But I still see risk in trying to actually getting to them if they're in the Temple Proper.
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Re: Official Safehold Speculation Thread
Post by n7axw   » Tue Oct 13, 2015 12:23 am

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OsageOrange wrote:
Expert snuggler wrote:Between Owl's ability to forge credentials and She of Many Names's ability to steal them, those hypothetical tightly restricted records could be vulnerable.


Yep. But I still see risk in trying to actually getting to them if they're in the Temple Proper.


Until whatever is going on in the Temple is understood and at least accounted for if not controlled, neither Merlin nor Nimue can be the ones to enter its premises.

Whether it's Nimue or Father Paityr or someone else who has received extensive computer training, more than likely in the cave, whoever enters has to be a flesh and blood type whose gizzards won't trip the alarms.

This situation is like Pandora's box: Lift the lid and you have no idea what comes out or the consequences. Even worse, right now no one has any idea how the lid gets lifted.

Don
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Re: Official Safehold Speculation Thread
Post by Expert snuggler   » Tue Oct 13, 2015 1:15 pm

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A lot of computer security involves dealing with the human element. Is there any way to compromise the Temple's high-tech systems by tricking an authorized user?

Offhand every form of phishing or social engineering I can think of would make things worse. Before the purge things might have been easier because bribery or appeal to principle were still possible.
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Re: Official Safehold Speculation Thread
Post by Expert snuggler   » Thu Oct 15, 2015 12:50 am

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You know how writers will portray a character juggling running chain saws and then toss another chain saw at him?

Wouldn't it really complicate Merlin's life if the Gbaba have expanded a bit in the last thousand years? If they expanded in his direction?

Should Merlin be sending out interstellar scout probes, with all imaginable precautions?
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Re: Official Safehold Speculation Thread
Post by Expert snuggler   » Sat Oct 17, 2015 3:47 pm

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Smuggling fissionables into the Temple would presumably set off an alarm.

Does the geothermal tap in the Cave of Wonders supply enough power to manufacture antimatter? If not, could Merlin's orbital capability be bootstrapped into antimatter factories close to Safehold's star?

A pound of anti-iron in a TF-level vacuum won't have any externally detectable signature. The magnetic suspension system would but that could be hidden even with 20th century technology.

It won't happen in any case, because letting the Thing(s) Under The Temple wake up will make for a more interesting story. If I were Merlin, though, I wouldn't risk leaving the Temple intact if I could take it out without a bazillion civilian casualties.

Smuggling it in inside a statue of Clyntahn would be a nice touch...
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