The mole in Camp Chihiro.

I'm trying to view the events at Camp Chihiro from the Inquisition's position. According to the evidence available someone, probably Dialydd Mab, skied down from the mountain to the north, loitered, at most, a couple of hours, shot the three Inquisitors sent from the main office and their victim from 1,600 meters, and fled to the north.

That raises several questions in my mind. How did Mab know who to shoot? How did he know when the burning at the stake was supposed to take place? How did he make those fantastic shots? Where did he come from? Where did he escape to? Did he have help escaping?

~Tonto

Tonto Silerheels wrote:That raises several questions in my mind. How did Mab know who to shoot?

Everyone shot was on a raised platform so as to be visible to the entire crowd of onlookers. Inquisitors have specific uniforms that make them immediately identifiable, and high rank has even more obvious tells. And the person being executed won't be in priestly robes at all, but some kind of cheap prison outfit.

Even simpler: the guy being executed is the fellow tied to the stake. The executioners are the guys with the torches [the Inquistion is to refined to indulge in pitchforks].

evilauthor wrote:

Tonto Silerheels wrote:That raises several questions in my mind. How did Mab know who to shoot?

Everyone shot was on a raised platform so as to be visible to the entire crowd of onlookers. Inquisitors have specific uniforms that make them immediately identifiable, and high rank has even more obvious tells. And the person being executed won't be in priestly robes at all, but some kind of cheap prison outfit.

evilauthor wrote:

Everyone shot was on a raised platform so as to be visible to the entire crowd of onlookers.

I didn't remember a raised platform, so I went back and re-read. I didn't find a platform, and only four references that were in any way related. The first was that the accused's feet shuffled through the snow. That made me think that there was no platform, but I suppose it's possible that no one swept the snow off the platform since the last use. It seems to me, though, that's one way to anger an Inquisitor, which has to be placed in the category of inadvisable omissions. The second was that the accused was to be burned at the stake. While this doesn't rule out every type of platform, it certainly rules out wooden platforms, or platforms made of any other flammable material. Third, the accused spat at the inquisitors feet. Of course it's possible the accused spat up onto the platform, but that seems to me to be unwieldy. Ever since I heard about the Manthyr execution, I've been trying to imagine tongueless spitting, and I haven't managed anything too exceptional. Finally, the first inquisitor fell on his belly. I think that if the inquisitor were on any reasonable sized platform, then he would have fallen off the platform. Of course it's possible he fell off the platform onto his belly, or fell onto his belly on a large platform, but it suggests to me that there wasn't one.

Inquisitors have specific uniforms that make them immediately identifiable,

I don't think they do. Remember when Aplyn-Ahrmahk killed the inquisitor while rescuing Irys and Daivyn? He had to get the statement from the senior surviving prisoner to assure himself that the inquisitor was, in fact, an inquisitor rather than a run-of-the-mill Scheulerite. Had he been in an inquisition uniform then he could have shot the inquisitor out-of-hand, no interrogation necessary.

high rank has even more obvious tells.

If I remember correctly it's orange trim around robes, orange tassels draping from caps, and similar things. I have difficulty discerning orange trim on brown robes over open sights at one mile.

And the person being executed won't be in priestly robes at all, but some kind of cheap prison outfit.

Correct. Burlap, actually. I wasn't quite so worried about how to identify him, however. If nothing else, he's the one tied to the stake, surrounded by the faggots.


Louis R wrote:

Even simpler: the guy being executed is the fellow tied to the stake.

What you said.

The executioners are the guys with the torches [the Inquistion is to refined to indulge in pitchforks].

I expect the inquisitors to have minions to perform that task, but you might be right.

~Tonto

Tonto Silerheels wrote:I'm trying to view the events at Camp Chihiro from the Inquisition's position. According to the evidence available someone, probably Dialydd Mab, skied down from the mountain to the north, loitered, at most, a couple of hours, shot the three Inquisitors sent from the main office and their victim from 1,600 meters, and fled to the north.

That raises several questions in my mind. How did Mab know who to shoot? How did he know when the burning at the stake was supposed to take place? How did he make those fantastic shots? Where did he come from? Where did he escape to? Did he have help escaping?

~Tonto

While all are excellent questions from the Inquisition's point of view, it has been clear to them that the "false seijins" or "demons" have the ability to evade detection and capture. They've managed to conduct a massive propaganda campaign across the mainland, reaching all the way into Zion itself as well as into tiny little villages on the ass end of nowhere and even into the Inquisition's concentration camps. And there is Merlin's towering reputation as the most deadliest warrior on the planet and the handful of survivors of his (or rather Dialydd Mab's) attack on the prisoner convoy in HFQ. The advertised capabilities that the supposed seijins Have displayed over the years makes it easier for the Inquisition to discount the possibility of traitors in their ranks.

This does not mean that Rayno (or Clyntahn for that matter) are oblivious to the possibility of traitors within the Inquisition. They would never have gotten to where they are within the Church hierarchy if they made such an amateurish mistake (indeed, the same mistake Grand Vicar Evyrahard made when he attempted to reform the Vicarate without having enough political friends and loyalists who would have watched his back). But at the same time, neither Rayno nor Clyntahn can truly afford to become suspicious of everyone who is ostensibly loyal to them. They've lost far too many inquisitors and loyalists already that they can't afford to lose any more. Indeed, Rayno seems to be "sitting" on Clyntahn to not lash out at everyone who is even remotely suspicious and not hamper the Jihad by launching another purge of the Vicarate.

I was pretty sure there was a platform. But maybe that was me reading more than was there. But the execution and executioners were certainly the center of everyone's attention and who knows what those vile false Seijinn can see through a telescopic sight... assuming the Church even knows telescopic sights exist!

I suppose the execution could have taken place on a small hill or something. Executions are public spectacles after all and the Inquisition would want to make sure everyone gets a good view.

thanatos wrote:While all are excellent questions from the Inquisition's point of view, it has been clear to them that the "false seijins" or "demons" have the ability to evade detection and capture. They've managed to conduct a massive propaganda campaign across the mainland, reaching all the way into Zion itself as well as into tiny little villages on the ass end of nowhere and even into the Inquisition's concentration camps. And there is Merlin's towering reputation as the most deadliest warrior on the planet and the handful of survivors of his (or rather Dialydd Mab's) attack on the prisoner convoy in HFQ. The advertised capabilities that the supposed seijins Have displayed over the years makes it easier for the Inquisition to discount the possibility of traitors in their ranks.

This does not mean that Rayno (or Clyntahn for that matter) are oblivious to the possibility of traitors within the Inquisition. They would never have gotten to where they are within the Church hierarchy if they made such an amateurish mistake (indeed, the same mistake Grand Vicar Evyrahard made when he attempted to reform the Vicarate without having enough political friends and loyalists who would have watched his back). But at the same time, neither Rayno nor Clyntahn can truly afford to become suspicious of everyone who is ostensibly loyal to them. They've lost far too many inquisitors and loyalists already that they can't afford to lose any more. Indeed, Rayno seems to be "sitting" on Clyntahn to not lash out at everyone who is even remotely suspicious and not hamper the Jihad by launching another purge of the Vicarate.

And don't forget that Rayno's come up with circumstantial evidence that the Seijinn or the powers supporting them have REAL supernatural power behind them. And that no such supernatural aide is forthcoming for their side as well.

Tonto Silerheels wrote:I'm trying to view the events at Camp Chihiro from the Inquisition's position. According to the evidence available someone, probably Dialydd Mab, skied down from the mountain to the north, loitered, at most, a couple of hours, shot the three Inquisitors sent from the main office and their victim from 1,600 meters, and fled to the north.

That raises several questions in my mind. How did Mab know who to shoot? How did he know when the burning at the stake was supposed to take place? How did he make those fantastic shots? Where did he come from? Where did he escape to? Did he have help escaping?

~Tonto

Yep, these are just the kind of questions that must be driving the Inquisitors who hear about the attack crazy, whatever 'Head Office' says about it. The obvious solutions are traitors on the one hand and genuine demonic powers on the other, you take your pick and you loose your sleep, either way.