Merlin can't assassinate Clyntahn.

Ramhawkfan wrote: quote="PeterZ" quote="n7axw" Gracious, some of us are a blood thirsty bunch...

Keith is right. Merlin won't be shedding any blood beyond what is neccessary... and then he'll regret it.

Don /quote
Not always. Merlin showed some satisfaction killing the Bishop who tried to kill Sharley. Mab certain expressed satisfaction in killing those inquisitors on that barge. Those killings were not necessary, they were examples he went out of his way to showcase. /quote

Actually Peter, I have to disagree with you here. Some deaths are necessary and right. The Bishop and the inquisitors definitely needed killing, as do many more still to come.

Also for Bishop Mylez and the boys, the actions they were taking disqualified them as "civilians" for the purposes of not being killed by Merlin. They were attempting to engage in an act of Regicide.

Edited to clear up who I was referring to.

cralkhi wrote:

thanatos wrote: And then there's the question whether or not Clyntahn could be assassinated without it looking like it was done with "Shan-wei's foul arts" - especially now that Rayno has finally concluded that the Fist of God has been assisted by "demons".

I still think Merlin and co. are missing a chance to disprove the Writ here. The Writ says that demonic intervention will be countered by angels, so if they openly use tech the only options are:

-it's angelic (and God is on Charis' side)
-it's demonic (and the Writ is wrong)
-it's neither (and the Writ is at the very least incomplete).

It's enough that seijins are present and consistently supporting Charis; the rest of the work can be done safely as subtext. They don't want to have to assert that they're angels or being assisted by angels and (1) reinforce the theology that way, and (2) get caught, eventually, in having outright lied. It's tricky enough that the "seijins" don't dare operate close to the Temple itself, the Archangels' stronghold upon Safehold.

You're jumping ahead a bit. There is an alternative you bypass; if there is an unopposed supernatural force acting in the world, it must be angelic. The longer Merlin acts like a seijin, the more Safeholdian will believe he IS a seijin sent by God. The more people believe he is a seijin, the more likely they will believe him when the Truth is revealed because they have gotten into the habit of believing him.

cralkhi wrote:

thanatos wrote: And then there's the question whether or not Clyntahn could be assassinated without it looking like it was done with "Shan-wei's foul arts" - especially now that Rayno has finally concluded that the Fist of God has been assisted by "demons".

I still think Merlin and co. are missing a chance to disprove the Writ here. The Writ says that demonic intervention will be countered by angels, so if they openly use tech the only options are:

-it's angelic (and God is on Charis' side)
-it's demonic (and the Writ is wrong)
-it's neither (and the Writ is at the very least incomplete).

PeterZ wrote:

if there is an unopposed supernatural force acting in the world, it must be angelic. The longer Merlin acts like a seijin, the more Safeholdian will believe he IS a seijin sent by God. The more people believe he is a seijin, the more likely they will believe him when the Truth is revealed because they have gotten into the habit of believing him.

You make a good point. A similar thought has occurred to me. On inventions like trunnions, corned powder, pre-measured charges, breach loading, and others, Clyntahn originally claimed that Charisians were using proscribed technology. As he was forced to adopt the technology, the argument shifted to--the church is able to duplicate the effects of the Charsian inventions, but it was Shan-wei who revealed it to them. On repetition, this excuse wears a little thin.

Of course, this doesn't apply to fulminate of mercury and other actual proscribed technologies.

~Tonto

Tonto Silerheels wrote:PeterZ wrote:

if there is an unopposed supernatural force acting in the world, it must be angelic. The longer Merlin acts like a seijin, the more Safeholdian will believe he IS a seijin sent by God. The more people believe he is a seijin, the more likely they will believe him when the Truth is revealed because they have gotten into the habit of believing him.

You make a good point. A similar thought has occurred to me. On inventions like trunnions, corned powder, pre-measured charges, breach loading, and others, Clyntahn originally claimed that Charisians were using proscribed technology. As he was forced to adopt the technology, the argument shifted to--the church is able to duplicate the effects of the Charsian inventions, but it was Shan-wei who revealed it to them. On repetition, this excuse wears a little thin.

Of course, this doesn't apply to fulminate of mercury and other actual proscribed technologies.

~Tonto

I always understood the issues surrounding fulminate of mercury are similar to those surrounding diseases like, scurvy. If one behaves improperly or ignores proper rituals, the archangels show their predictable displeasure. If the described displeasure in the Writ is avoided, then the archangels aren't annoyed. It follows that what does not annoy the archangels are acceptable to them.

This is different than the big Do Not's of the Writ's Proscriptions on electricity and other heresies.

There is one benefit this mindset provides a society just beginning industrialization. Accidents are proof that one was not careful enough rather than as a result of divine whimsy since the archangels are VERY predictable in this regard.