DMcCunney wrote:Nope.C. O. Thompson wrote:Now two things to keep in mind.
1) if the aluminum was the only material and the proscriptions prevent electricity then the time and cost factor to use alternatives will be justified.
2) I have to re-read it but I seem to remember that the Arch Angle Shuler miraculously appeared on a snowy night to tell the church that Shan Wei was not the bad guy so the ban on electricity is "up in smoke"
Ain't it??
We don't at this point know what is in the Testament of Schueler. At a guess, it will be Schueler's proof of his claims that Shan Wei was framed and Chihiro lied. All we have so far is his statements to the faithful gathered in his temple to celebrate the anniversary of the day his soul departed its used up mortal body and returned to God in Heaven.
From where I sit, this is a theological grenade with the pin pulled, and the ones it's being tossed at are the Vicarate in the Temple. If Schueler can provide convincing evidence Chihiro lied, a nasty can of worms is opened. Chihiro created the Writ under Langhorne's direction, and had the ability to edit the master copies in the Temple. If he changed the Writ after the fact to support his agenda, the entire Writ becomes open to question.
(One thing I do suspect will be in Schueler's Testimony will be an assertion that he did not write the Punishment that appears in his book, and that it was inserted after the fact by Chihiro against his wishes. If that's true, what else might Chihiro have changed?)
But there's a long way between that and the Proscriptions going away. Once the Vicarate wraps it's mind around the idea that Chihiro may have diddled the Writ after the fact, the likely approach will be "If Schueler is correct about Shan Wei, what parts of the Writ would have to have changed have to have changed to frame Shan Wei for being the Mother of Evil?" (And since the IC has access via Merlin to a copy of the Writ from before Armageddon Reef, what other changes are in the current version beyond0 th addition of teh Books of Chihiro and Schueler?)
And that will require the Vicarate to accept that was Schueler's apparition appearing in his temple, and it and his Testimony are not simply the work of Shan Wei.
(At a con, RFC mentioned the Testimony of Schueler being forthcoming. Lots of folks will be gobsmacked. The initial reaction of the Church of Charis will be "We just heard about this, and we have no more idea than you do what might be going on!", shading over to "There might be something to this...")
I'll be really surprised if Schueler's Testimony comes out and states the Writ is a lie and that humanity was not created on Safehold by God working through Langhorne, but was instead brought from elsewhere, and I don't expect his work to directly contradict the Proscriptions. There may be something to the effect that were were things God did not think humanity was ready to know when first created, and that knowledge needed to be held back till humanity was ready. This would fit the notion of Mother Church as shepherd for humanity, the same way parents don't tell kids stuff they don't think kid is old enough and knows enough to be able to handle it.
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Dennis
Dennis,
If ideas were food for thought, I just gained 5 pounds.
Simply stated, the "book" was written by Owl, under the direction of one of the most diabolically cunning minds humankind ever produced (at least on that planet), with the specific goal to kick the door off the hinges so that humans can get ready to face the Gababa and win this time.
To David Weber I say Stay Safe and productive.
Charlie