Another out of order snippet

dobriennm wrote:

Duckk wrote:I think the last bit is the most salient part. Rayno isn't just panicking - he's freaking out. Simply chopping everyone up into bits, blowing up a bomb, or unleashing a disease wouldn't cause this. All of those are understandable to some degree to Safehold, even though the exact methodology might not be known. But whatever this is appears to be completely outside their experience - a classic case of the Outside Context Problem.

Okay, as others have said Duckk really nailed the important part - Rayno isn't just panicking - he's freaking out

So, some sort of knockout gas, nanites to knock people out, basically render everyone unconscious. Then land an air lorry or assault shuttle, spirit EVERYONE! away. Leaving no blood or explosions or mayhem behind.

That would freak out anyone. Safehold doesn't seem to have ghost stories (or at least not revealed to by the author). Knowing this has to involve sejins/demons, it reveals a capability never shown before on Safehold.

So no mayhem, dead bodies, explosions, just a mysteriously empty prison and NO non-divine explanations possible.

Darn, someone beat me to it.

A massive explosion is certainly possible, but I think it unlikely to cause this sort of extreme panic. The Inquisition is already well aware of the possibility of truly massive explosions. And while the difference between a large thermobaric weapon and even a small tactical nuke is one of magnitude, the difference is irrelevant to someone with no frame of reference for understanding either. All they know about Kau-yung's bomb was that it was massive, visible from the distance, and that it destroyed Langhorne and his ilk along with their settlement. So while a large bomb might terrify Rayno, it wouldn't leave him completely clueless.

Nanotech disassemblers are a possibility, but unlikely. Though he doesn't get into specifics, RFC doesn't rely on nanotech as a magical panacea. It's still subject to reality, and you'd need some sort of external power source. Beamed power on Haven would be like lighting a signal flare for the Temple's orbital sensors. And it'd be a bit too magical for Safeholdians if the entire complex was gone. Amusing for the reader, but potentially devastating for the Inner Circle's goals.

But disappearing all of the people without leaving any evidence of a firefight? Everyone who hears the rumors would get the chance to fill in their own worst nightmares for the explanation. Honestly, I'm not sure what would be more terrifying: the lack of bodies, or the absence of any evidence that there was even a firefight.

what ever is going to happened its not pure destruction i mean Inquisition understand fear of destruction so its nothink what give them panic attack.

it cant be atack shutle they know about old tales and angels aircars. and its kind hard cover somethink like shuttle.

i think it will be somekind teraforming tech.

Reptide wrote:i think it will be somekind teraforming tech.

Would Merlin and OWL be able to depopulate and then ERASE an entire monastery?

It would be one thing to depopulate a monastery, but another level entirely to de-terraform (de-sanctify in COGA terms) by destroying the buildings and replanting native vegetation in its place. It would take a day or two, but if the target was suitably isolated and seldom visited it could be done -- I think.

Pure speculation
What is the largest sphere that would fit wholly inside St Thyrmyns?
Make one out of inch thick 'imperishable crystal' & remove everything inside (replace with air)
In not sure whether all onsite inquisitors should be left inside & whether there should be four inch air (and food) holes at a convenient height

That would freak them out

Bruce

Weird Harold wrote:

Reptide wrote:i think it will be somekind teraforming tech.

Would Merlin and OWL be able to depopulate and then ERASE an entire monastery?

It would be one thing to depopulate a monastery, but another level entirely to de-terraform (de-sanctify in COGA terms) by destroying the buildings and replanting native vegetation in its place. It would take a day or two, but if the target was suitably isolated and seldom visited it could be done -- I think.

I think that what happened is clear enough. Merlin and Nimue along with several remotes hit the prison/monestary and killed every single inquisitor while removing every single prisoner and record from the place. Now there are three possibilities for what they left behind.
Possibility one They used gas fired pellet guns and left poisoned bodies with no apparent marks of struggle. First guard in in the morning found only a complex full of apparently sleeping, but in actuality quite dead, people. Bodies sitting at guard tables playing cards or paused over a meal, etc. all dead, but without a mark on them.
Possibility two, First guards in found a massive slaughter with evidence of running gun battles, massive sword play, huge disasters, etc. but all of which, thanks to false projections and the Federation level application of noise cancelling tech, absolutely no one outside the complex heard any hint of.
Possibility three, the Mary Celeste scenario, First guards in found a completely normal seeming scenario, cleaned up and looking like it had just been left by a fleet of OWL's remotes, but not a single body, nary a one. No blood, no body parts, nothing. And thanks to projection technology the castle/monastery/fortress/prison had seemed perfectly normal all night, with the bells of the hours being rung, normal guard movement sounds etc.

Take your pick for which one seems the most spooky.
Frankly the first person through the gates in the morning must have absolutely freaked. Probably a guard sent by a watch Sargent wanting to know where those slug-a-bed relieves had got to. I'd have the noise deception cut off the moment the first person stepped across the threshold. One moment normal complex sounds and the next, utter silence. What the heck, use them to suppress all surrounding city noises once inside to add to the creepiness.

Just my thoughts. Myself I'd have gone for the Mary Celeste scenario, Everyone missing, everything seeing normal, Kitchen meal preps started, pots boiling, food in the oven, everything looking like the cooks were prepping breakfast, and then... gone.

Along with the records, prisoners, guards, inquisitors, etc.

Larry

Larry wrote:I think that what happened is clear enough. Merlin and Nimue along with several remotes hit the prison/monestary and killed every single inquisitor while removing every single prisoner and record from the place. Now there are three possibilities for what they left behind.
.............

Possibility three, the Mary Celeste scenario, First guards in found a completely normal seeming scenario, cleaned up and looking like it had just been left by a fleet of OWL's remotes, but not a single body, nary a one. No blood, no body parts, nothing. And thanks to projection technology the castle/monastery/fortress/prison had seemed perfectly normal all night, with the bells of the hours being rung, normal guard movement sounds etc.

Larry

I believe I was proposing your Possibility Three - Mary Celeste scenario - but I think The Author shot it down in a follow-on thread to this one.

runsforcelery wrote:

dobriennm wrote:
......

So, some sort of knockout gas, nanites to knock people out, basically render everyone unconscious. Then land an air lorry or assault shuttle, spirit EVERYONE! away. Leaving no blood or explosions or mayhem behind.

.......

So no mayhem, dead bodies, explosions, just a mysteriously empty prison and NO non-divine explanations possible.

Nope.

So.

1) No mayhem&destruction.

2) No mysterious disappearances.

So... what happens? What could possibly happens so tremendous, that Clyntahn - Clyntahn! - seems to be really, really scared?

Hm...

Seijin Khody "returned, by the will of Holy Langhorne", to save his followers?

THIS maybe enough to frightne even Clyntahn...

Larry wrote:I think that what happened is clear enough. Merlin and Nimue along with several remotes hit the prison/monestary and killed every single inquisitor while removing every single prisoner and record from the place. Now there are three possibilities for what they left behind.
Possibility one They used gas fired pellet guns and left poisoned bodies with no apparent marks of struggle. First guard in in the morning found only a complex full of apparently sleeping, but in actuality quite dead, people. Bodies sitting at guard tables playing cards or paused over a meal, etc. all dead, but without a mark on them.
Possibility two, First guards in found a massive slaughter with evidence of running gun battles, massive sword play, huge disasters, etc. but all of which, thanks to false projections and the Federation level application of noise cancelling tech, absolutely no one outside the complex heard any hint of.
Possibility three, the Mary Celeste scenario, First guards in found a completely normal seeming scenario, cleaned up and looking like it had just been left by a fleet of OWL's remotes, but not a single body, nary a one. No blood, no body parts, nothing. And thanks to projection technology the castle/monastery/fortress/prison had seemed perfectly normal all night, with the bells of the hours being rung, normal guard movement sounds etc.

Take your pick for which one seems the most spooky.
Frankly the first person through the gates in the morning must have absolutely freaked. Probably a guard sent by a watch Sargent wanting to know where those slug-a-bed relieves had got to. I'd have the noise deception cut off the moment the first person stepped across the threshold. One moment normal complex sounds and the next, utter silence. What the heck, use them to suppress all surrounding city noises once inside to add to the creepiness.

Just my thoughts. Myself I'd have gone for the Mary Celeste scenario, Everyone missing, everything seeing normal, Kitchen meal preps started, pots boiling, food in the oven, everything looking like the cooks were prepping breakfast, and then... gone.

Along with the records, prisoners, guards, inquisitors, etc.

Larry

I agree with Dobriennm. If the suspended animation drug that was used on Stefyny Mahlard and her family could be applied as an aerosol, then all of a sudden you might have a prison-full of apparently dead people without a mark on them. I could not possibly comment on whether or not they would stay that way but that might be a starting position. Removing the prisoners would come next. Permanently "discouraging" the staff could also be arranged, I should imagine, if Owl could deploy enough of his remotes to assist.

But I don't think that what happens at the prison can have anything to do with a large BOOM. That would be too obvious to everyone in the vicinity, and Rayno could not even consider concealing it. I think we're learning about two different events.
.

Yes, everything was removed. They timed it for a blizzard so they would have several days. Everything was removed including the building.

And then it was replaced.

With a Temple of Shan-Wei. And a shrine to Saint Cody.

Made of indestructible crystal.

And a choir and sermons that can be heard from well outside the building (Alas, it is a bit isolated).

This may be outside the scope of OWL's fabricators, even if the parts are kept simple.

There is a Heinlein novel about a conquered USA, in which the heroes build clean-lined objects as temples. It's an inspiration.

phillies wrote:snip
There is a Heinlein novel about a conquered USA, in which the heroes build clean-lined objects as temples. It's an inspiration.

The story was originally called Sixth Column. and was republished as "The Day after Tomorrow". Great read.