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TFT *SPOILERS* thoughts, discussions, and future speculation

This fascinating series is a combination of historical seafaring, swashbuckling adventure, and high technological science-fiction. Join us in a discussion!
Re: TFT *SPOILERS* thoughts, discussions, and future specula
Post by Henry Brown   » Wed Jan 09, 2019 10:21 pm

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One thing I wondered about was why Maigwair was not chosen as Duchairn's successor. He would have been far and away the most prominent Vicar after Duchairn's death. Or did he die first and I just missed the passage where this was mentioned?
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Re: TFT *SPOILERS* thoughts, discussions, and future specula
Post by Robert_A_Woodward   » Thu Jan 10, 2019 2:12 am

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Henry Brown wrote:One thing I wondered about was why Maigwair was not chosen as Duchairn's successor. He would have been far and away the most prominent Vicar after Duchairn's death. Or did he die first and I just missed the passage where this was mentioned?


He is mentioned (as Vicar Allyn) in chapter II of August YoG 908 in a way that states he is alive. I suspect that he campaigned against the honor (besides, he was older than Duchairn and the job really needed somebody younger).
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Beowulf was bad.
(first sentence of Chapter VI of _Space Viking_ by H. Beam Piper)
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Re: TFT *SPOILERS* thoughts, discussions, and future specula
Post by PeterZ   » Thu Jan 10, 2019 3:19 am

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I see the potential for Charis to be drawn into 3 conflicts.

Dohlar could be drawn into rescuing Westmarch, Thesmar and Glacierheart from a Siddermark gone orally off the rails. Imagine the Siddermark oligarchs going all Mussolini Itally and Thesmar and Glacierheart wanting out. If Dohlar backed by the CoGA want to help them achieve independence, Charis may be dragged into it as well.

South Harchong finds a way to land troops in North Harchong. They attack East Harchong. The United Provinces go to help and require Charisian help

Desnair jumps in the harass Dohlar in the Gulf and Silkiah via North Watch. Charis has to commit to supporting Thesmar via their merchant marine and Silkiah with the ICA.

All of this happens after Siddermark has nationalized fully up to date and operating Charisian manufactories. Those operating manufactories are worth quite a bit to South Harchong, especially the managers that can teach a South Harchong's workers how to do it.

Toss in a true doctrinal dispute sparked by the Schueler Visitation to jack up the Temple Loyalists and Charis is stretched very thin indeed.
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Re: TFT *SPOILERS* thoughts, discussions, and future specula
Post by FriarBob   » Thu Jan 10, 2019 3:53 am

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PeterZ wrote:All of this happens after Siddermark has nationalized fully up to date and operating Charisian manufactories.


And exactly where are those 'fully up-to-date' manufactories, pray tell? Pretty much half of the entire book can be summarized in one sentence: Siddarmark slowly dies from the collapse of House Qwentyn.

Over and over Cayleb and/or Howsman lament that they can't help them out because they're too corrupt/stupid/etc. Both from the personal side (how many people are still unemployed/suffering/etc.) and how it's so badly hurt their plans to industrialize the whole world.

No doubt there are still a fair number of manufactories there. But the book spans twenty six years! So fully up-to-date? I call rubbish on that one.
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Re: TFT *SPOILERS* thoughts, discussions, and future specula
Post by Jeslis   » Thu Jan 10, 2019 4:31 am

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FriarBob wrote:But the book spans twenty six years! So fully up-to-date? I call rubbish on that one.


I think you mean 16 years.

The 'year 890' first chapter is.. VERY likely a typo. The previous book ends in 897.

Also, in that chapter, some ages are mentioned of people, making it VERY clear that 890 is not the correct year.
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Re: TFT *SPOILERS* thoughts, discussions, and future specula
Post by lyonheart   » Thu Jan 10, 2019 6:18 am

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Hi All,

First, thank you RFC for a great read! I finished it at 1:25 local AM.

And a story rather far from all our speculations. :lol:

There seemed to be a few conflicts with the previous given population of Harchong being 194 million, etc.

Why RFC has turned Siddarmark into such a disaster is curious, but will the next book fix it?

If so it will be quite the tutorial on economic recovery, I'm sure. ;)

Given the detail the SNARC's got on Sharleyan's nobles, why didn't the inner circle get the Siddarmarkian bad guys the same way, NTM Nahrman's past penchant for critical assassination, why not take out the key villains, using OWL, Merlin and Nimue's talents early on, before they made things worse, while making it look like their competitors etc, or is this a setup for the next book?

The inner circle could have used OWL's talent with the Zion/Temple-Land Broadsheets to explain what was happening and tamp down the anti-Charisian feeling, to prepare for the day when they reveal their evidence.

So when is the next book due out? :D

Interesting times, indeed.

Best wishes to all,
Any snippet or post from RFC is good if not great!
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Re: TFT *SPOILERS* thoughts, discussions, and future specula
Post by FriarBob   » Thu Jan 10, 2019 7:23 am

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lyonheart wrote:Why RFC has turned Siddarmark into such a disaster is curious


I don't think he "turned" it into anything. I think it was always a disaster waiting to happen. There were a few hints of this before but we simply failed to see them. The 'Charisian Quarter' for example, or the 'honest workers' put out of business by Charis, etc.... The hints were always there, we just missed them. And of course the scope of the coming disaster was far greater than any expected.

But the epilogue of ATST had a few hints of just how broken it would get with Stohnar despairing of how to clean up the mess. It was there. We just missed it and/or the scope of it.
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Re: TFT *SPOILERS* thoughts, discussions, and future specula
Post by FriarBob   » Thu Jan 10, 2019 7:31 am

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Jeslis wrote:
FriarBob wrote:But the book spans twenty six years! So fully up-to-date? I call rubbish on that one.


I think you mean 16 years.

The 'year 890' first chapter is.. VERY likely a typo. The previous book ends in 897.

Also, in that chapter, some ages are mentioned of people, making it VERY clear that 890 is not the correct year.


Yeah. I figured that out eventually. Oops.
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Re: TFT *SPOILERS* thoughts, discussions, and future specula
Post by PeterZ   » Thu Jan 10, 2019 10:34 am

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FriarBob wrote:
PeterZ wrote:All of this happens after Siddermark has nationalized fully up to date and operating Charisian manufactories.


And exactly where are those 'fully up-to-date' manufactories, pray tell? Pretty much half of the entire book can be summarized in one sentence: Siddarmark slowly dies from the collapse of House Qwentyn.

Over and over Cayleb and/or Howsman lament that they can't help them out because they're too corrupt/stupid/etc. Both from the personal side (how many people are still unemployed/suffering/etc.) and how it's so badly hurt their plans to industrialize the whole world.

No doubt there are still a fair number of manufactories there. But the book spans twenty six years! So fully up-to-date? I call rubbish on that one.

February of 916 has Howsmyn cataloging the losses in Siddermark. There are manufactories owned by Charisians in place. Those manufactories supplied the Trans Siddermark RR. That includes making automotives. There weren't many of them, but they were built within the last 3-4 years of the story. That means latest generation compressor turbines and pneumatics in addition to the latest steel mills. These manufactories were not widespread but whatever partially owned Charisian owned enterprises there were was top of the line tech. The Siddermarkians working there are trained and their output has no internal customers to supply because of the economic depression. South Harchong industrialists would be foolish NOT to seek out those manufactories after their break with Charis.
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Re: TFT *SPOILERS* thoughts, discussions, and future specula
Post by Dilandu   » Thu Jan 10, 2019 10:45 am

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Well, considering the situation in Siddarmark, it seems that now the situation is controlled by quasi-fascists with populist anti-charisian agenda.

So, the logical conclusion for Charis & Co would be to fight fire with fire and went for the natural enemies of fascists - communists. ;)

After all, they already have Levellers movement in Republic. They could be a good basics to work with. Provide them with some support, both material and ideological (maybe even admit most promising ones into the Inner Circle) and build a counterweight to current Siddarmarkian junta out of them.
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Oh well, if shortening the front is what the Germans crave,
Let's shorten it to very end - the length of Fuhrer's grave.

(Red Army lyrics from 1945)
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