Spoiler Merlin/Mab

phillies wrote:As I keep pointing out, the mythology is very clear. In the Arthurian legend, Nimue seals Merlin in his cave for a thousand years, a period of time that must be soon to end in our world.

There is not so much a shot gun on the wall as a classical atomic cannon. Or perhaps a Dora.

You could say that already happened, but with Nimue Alban being responsible for sealing the person who became Merlin in a cave for almost a thousand years. The Peis were the ones who actually put the PICA there, but couldn't have without the actions Nimue took before her death.

Keith_w wrote:

phillies wrote:As I keep pointing out, the mythology is very clear. In the Arthurian legend, Nimue seals Merlin in his cave for a thousand years, a period of time that must be soon to end in our world.

There is not so much a shot gun on the wall as a classical atomic cannon. Or perhaps a Dora.

I got the Shotgun reference, what's a Dora? My first thought was Lazarus Long's spaceship but I didn't really think that was an appropriate reference, since he had kept Dora somewhat childlike to facilitate easy transfer of her loyalty to his sisters.

FW 190 D ????????????

Why?

Keith_w wrote:

phillies wrote:As I keep pointing out, the mythology is very clear. In the Arthurian legend, Nimue seals Merlin in his cave for a thousand years, a period of time that must be soon to end in our world.

There is not so much a shot gun on the wall as a classical atomic cannon. Or perhaps a Dora.

I got the Shotgun reference, what's a Dora? My first thought was Lazarus Long's spaceship but I didn't really think that was an appropriate reference, since he had kept Dora somewhat childlike to facilitate easy transfer of her loyalty to his sisters.

The Dora as a WWII German cannon of mammoth proportions (80 CM railway gun).

The comparison of it hanging on a mantle, compared to Chekov's Musket (or a shotgun).... when it finally goes off, we're talking "Old Testament" Biblical outcomes here.

Theemile wrote:
The Dora as a WWII German cannon of mammoth proportions (80 CM railway gun).

The comparison of it hanging on a mantle, compared to Chekov's Musket (or a shotgun).... when it finally goes off, we're talking "Old Testament" Biblical outcomes here.

It actually was too big to transport intact, even by rail. It had to be shipped in pieces, then assembled (which took 250 men 3 days). And it took twin rail tracks to support. Here is the Wikipedia article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwerer_Gustav

I can't think that Merlin will turn bad. He seems too morally grounded. He hates having to kill unless it is those extremely nasty guys. Plus if Merlin turns, then how would that work out in the larger scheme of things. I think that the war has to be concluded in the next book or 2, and Merlin turning would be a real monkey wrench into how they would be able to win the war.

I have wondered, tho, how his age (and aging) will be handled. I know he can make his appearance to be anything he wants (within some boundaries), but still after 100 years he should be dead if he truly is human (or trying to portray that he's human). So I can envision a time that Merlin will die or be killed, only to come back as a newer younger version.

"I must now return to the Mountains of Light to pass along everything I know to the young man who will replace me."

His killing of the inquisitors IMO is nothing more than justice being delivered. If you are an executioner (Which for all instances, Merlin is the best executioner on safehold), I'd think you would look forward to delivering the final justice on those who have tortured and murdered countless thousands of men, women, and children.

I feel bad for the schuelerites that are truly trying their best to not send people to the punishment, the ones that actually care about their comrades, and it is quite sad how they are resigned to their fate when they appear to be good people but chose the wrong order to serve under.

On a note of Merlin killing soldiers, I think he has moved on from the role of a Battlefield Killing Machine, he is no longer required to take part in battles since Cayleb is waay too important to even allow for the chance a stray bullet would find his head and *splat*.

I think the seijins are now taking on a more underlying role as the assassins in the dark (Mab) and the guidance when neccessary.

I am anxious to see what Stefyny (sp) has in store for us, maybe she is young enough to have implants put in and she can sneak into the temple ^_^.

ChaChaCharms wrote:His killing of the inquisitors IMO is nothing more than justice being delivered. If you are an executioner (Which for all instances, Merlin is the best executioner on safehold), I'd think you would look forward to delivering the final justice on those who have tortured and murdered countless thousands of men, women, and children.

I feel bad for the schuelerites that are truly trying their best to not send people to the punishment, the ones that actually care about their comrades, and it is quite sad how they are resigned to their fate when they appear to be good people but chose the wrong order to serve under.

It's sounded like people who leave the Inquisition (well short of being captured!) aren't under the Charisian death sentence. So those Schuelerites have plenty of time and opportunity to reconsider the virtues of obeying a monster, and whether the priestly vocation they felt when they were young would demand they starve and torture children to death. If they're sick of that, or afraid of Mab - walk away, walk away now. If it's too late for them, like the better intendent aboard the prison transports, then I'm glad he could at least prevent the needless death then of those prisoners and the Dohlaran crew.

I would have been better pleased then if the prisoners could have asked that he be spared. Certainly that would have been in the spirit of policing the Inquisition fairly.

JeffEngel wrote:

It's sounded like people who leave the Inquisition (well short of being captured!) aren't under the Charisian death sentence. So those Schuelerites have plenty of time and opportunity to reconsider the virtues of obeying a monster, and whether the priestly vocation they felt when they were young would demand they starve and torture children to death. If they're sick of that, or afraid of Mab - walk away, walk away now.

Yep. Might be hard to do. Clyntahn might take it amiss if his subordinates were to abandon their sworn duty in the midst of the jihad.

If it's too late for them, like the better intendent aboard the prison transports, then I'm glad he could at least prevent the needless death then of those prisoners and the Dohlaran crew.

I would have been better pleased then if the prisoners could have asked that he be spared. Certainly that would have been in the spirit of policing the Inquisition fairly.

That's the thing with counter-atrocities. They are, almost by definition, indiscriminate.

~Tonto