[HFQ] SPOILERS -- Why didn't Merlin?

Excellent points! Thank you.

A fly on the wall at a tavern or coffeehouse could send OWL some potentially useful information about what's on the mind of the man in the street, assuming they can spare a fly on the wall from all the strategic targets.

Louis R wrote:Absolutely. But that doesn't mean that they're identifying Clyntahn as the problem yet.

Which, now that I think about it, could be a good thing: it may be their ties to the Church, as an institution, that are fraying, precisely because of how they're affected by the Church's actions, but they aren't in a position to see that the misbehaviour is at the top. IOW, the situation in Dohlar may be [becoming] more similar to that in Zebediah, if for rather different reasons. People identify with _their_ clergy, not the hierarchy, and the pull to reform is typically stronger [not necessarily _strong_] among those members of the Church. And that raises the interesting possibility that Stephan Maik may be more typical of Dohlar's Schuelerites than we have assumed.

n7axw wrote:

True. But it is also true that Dohlar has just lost an army and is facing severe military pressure from two directions as a consequence of its participation in the Jihad. Prior to this it lost a large galley fleet at Armageddon Reef....all of this while fighting for God and Mother Church. Lots of sons, brothers and husbands not coming home. Eventually it has to get old and start raising questions about whose side God is really on.

Don

I frankly would be very surprised if Clyntahn's reputation hadn't spread far and wide by now. You don't have to be identifying Clyntahn as the problem to find the inquisition's presense stifling or to want out of the war. Dohlar is more of a mercantilist society than an agriculturist one. While they weren't as successful at it as Charis, trade was pretty important to them and I bet they aren't happy that it's gone away.

Don

The fliers start with items across the border in Siddarmark and spread across the border toward Zion, one city at a time, each set of flier referencing 'we hear from our friends in..." so that the news can be watched to spread, no matter how hard the Inquisition tries to stop it.

evilauthor wrote:

PeterZ wrote:Didn't Rayno lament that Mab's pamphlets were darn near ubiquitous? Won't surprise me if similar pamphlets don't show up all over Dohlar heralding the Haaralds and posing the question about whose side God is really on. There might not be CNN, but the Seijin News Network might suffice to disseminate enough information to keep the public somewhat informed.

He also noted that they were printed in such a way that they HAD to be locally made. And that because of that no one but the highest levels of the Inquisition were aware of how ubiquitous they REALLY were.

If the pamphlets started going on about the Charisians most advanced warship before said warship leaves the construction yards, that would be a huge clue that they AREN'T locally made. It would also prove to EVERYONE that the pamphlet makers are Charisian agents and not local disgruntled citizens. Assuming they're even believed to begin with.

Beautiful. That phrasing would make it sound like there's an organization, one which Clyntahn will go mad trying to unearth.

Not beautiful! As in Sarkyn, the organisation will be manufactured to order if no traces can be found.

That's a tightrope Helm Cleaver is already walking - and you can be sure that it's no accident that some of them are being taken when the only way to escape would be to fade into the population.

Expert snuggler wrote:Beautiful. That phrasing would make it sound like there's an organization, one which Clyntahn will go mad trying to unearth.

The broadsheets have been such a background thing that I hadn't really thought much about them, except to gloat. But now that we hear from Rayno so much more about how they are actually being presented, and the Inquisition's natural conclusion that they must be locally printed, it is really very surprising that we have heard exactly nothing about reprisals against local printers or others with access to a press. On the face of it the broadsheets are good evidence of a widespread hostile network with access to printing plant and expertise in many localities. The local printers must be involved somehow. Clyntahn is being uncharacteristically calm about that possibility. I wonder if Rayno has shared with his boss all the details the reader overheard in his thoughts?

Randomiser wrote:The broadsheets have been such a background thing that I hadn't really thought much about them, except to gloat. But now that we hear from Rayno so much more about how they are actually being presented, and the Inquisition's natural conclusion that they must be locally printed, it is really very surprising that we have heard exactly nothing about reprisals against local printers or others with access to a press. On the face of it the broadsheets are good evidence of a widespread hostile network with access to printing plant and expertise in many localities. The local printers must be involved somehow. Clyntahn is being uncharacteristically calm about that possibility. I wonder if Rayno has shared with his boss all the details the reader overheard in his thoughts?

Probably because printing things in secret is a known tactic. It does the Inquisition no good to detain every known printer if the actual printer they want isn't known. Remember, there was mention of underground and hidden printers, even printing done by rank amateurs (which Merlin's pamphlets are clearly not) who don't do official printing work.

Not to mention that if they suspected this or that printer of being the one creating the pamphlets, they could spy on them for a while and try to catch them in the act. For that matter, they've apparently caught a number of copy cats this way.

It's only recently that Rayno has come to the conclusion that the culprit must be some kind of demon. And that's based on 1) a pamphlet being put up in a place where all entrances and exits were under observation, but no one was seen entering or leaving, and 2) the fact that no pamphlet has gone up within 5 miles of the Temple, which is a pretty conspicuous hole when you're looking for it.

While you're probably correct that Rayno hasn't passed on all the details of that particular failure, it's pretty clear that he's already proven to his satisfaction that none of the printers inquisitors know about are involved. Other, that is, than the handful of copycats who have already been hunted out and made examples of. One of the disadvantages of being able to prove who printed something - a fairly straightforward analysis the Inquisition has probably shown it can do umpteen times over the years - is that you then have to admit that they _didn't_ do it when they didn't.

You'd think that local paper suppliers would be at some risk, though. OTOH, real forensics on paper requires a level of analysis that exceeds the Inquisition's capability, so they wouldn't expect to be able to march up to the gates of Mykmyyllyn's Paper Mill and say "you made this paper. who did you give it to?". The actual amount of paper involved is probably small enough that they wouldn't expect it to turn up as a bulk purchase from one shop, either.

Randomiser wrote:The broadsheets have been such a background thing that I hadn't really thought much about them, except to gloat. But now that we hear from Rayno so much more about how they are actually being presented, and the Inquisition's natural conclusion that they must be locally printed, it is really very surprising that we have heard exactly nothing about reprisals against local printers or others with access to a press. On the face of it the broadsheets are good evidence of a widespread hostile network with access to printing plant and expertise in many localities. The local printers must be involved somehow. Clyntahn is being uncharacteristically calm about that possibility. I wonder if Rayno has shared with his boss all the details the reader overheard in his thoughts?

All that you say is true, it's just that where suspicions of heresy and opposing the Jihad are concerned little things like proof and rationality usually go out the window, cf Clyntahn's reaction to the powder barge explosion or the loss of the recent batcvh of ICN prisoners. The Inquisition have indeed reacted responsibly and reasonably as regards the printers of the broadsheets. That's what is unusual and calls for explanation.

Randomiser wrote:All that you say is true, it's just that where suspicions of heresy and opposing the Jihad are concerned little things like proof and rationality usually go out the window, cf Clyntahn's reaction to the powder barge explosion or the loss of the recent batcvh of ICN prisoners. The Inquisition have indeed reacted responsibly and reasonably as regards the printers of the broadsheets. That's what is unusual and calls for explanation.

My immediate thought here it that the printers who are available to be suspected don't produce quality that would match the quality of the broadsheets, thus eliminating themselves from suspicion...

Don