Why didn't Merlin kill Zhaspyr Clyntahn?

Randomiser wrote:Keith, I happily grant you all your points in that timeframe. I was more thinking of what could be done at the current point in the story and indulging myself with a little, "wouldn't it be cool if ..." without examining the possible strategic outcomes too closely.

As to TF rifles, Don, we know that they require ammunition of some kind, but beyond that we haven't got a clue. If they turn out to be lasers or plasma rifles, say, the effect might have been rather more than a mystery!

n7axw wrote:Normally the term rifle implies bullets that are set up by the barrel to spin. But I will concede in advance the useage of terms like plasma rifles in DW's books. Soo...?

At any rate, normal rifles was what I was thinking of.

Don

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Rob Mac F wrote:Good day everyone, very interesting thread. good input.

my two cents are that Merlin doesn't want to kill Clyntahn. the guys is doing such a great job messing with the AOG leadership, just like Hitler did with Nazi Germany. Killing Clyntahn in a spectacular way could reinforce the safeholdian's view of God, and in Langhorn, AND the proscriptions. steam ships aren't going to work against the Gbaba.

Killing the Proscriptions, which, again, Clyntahn is doing a great job writing dispensions, and Charis though innovation, which infects the other nations.

In terms of dealing with Clyntahn, i'd prefer Merlin test that medical unit of his, and do some altering. Let Clyntahn go though his own prison camp as a prisoner, or maybe as a small female child in Harchong, since he and his office has such a hand in keeping Harchong the way it is with serfs and slavery. who knows, maybe he like Erayk Dynnys, he'll attempt to redeem himself.


okay, Safehold joke: the oil lamp burnt out, and the bedardist wants to change it, but the lamp has to really want to change first.

evilauthor wrote:IIRC, "rifle" has been used by SF authors for long arm energy weapons almost since personal energy weapons were conceived of.

Basically, in the public mind, "rifle" has become synonymous with any kind of direct fire long arm be they slug throwers or energy weapons. Weber is hardly the first to use "energy rifles" and he's not going to be the last.

Now, for a Safeholdian for whom unrifled muskets were still used in living memory, THEY might question why a long arm energy weapon is called a "rifle" when there's no actual rifling in the weapon, because for them, "rifle" has not yet become synonymous with "long arm".

Which now that I think of it, would probably make for a hilarious scene.

Mitchell, Esq. wrote:Clyntahn is useful exactly where he is...

Driving the COGA over a cliff at warp 9, setting the place for a much more reasonable, flexible and less doctrinaire reformation.

The trick is to make sure he drives as hard as he can and does as much damage as he can, but fails in the end.