Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
We tend to know how succession has happened historically on Terra.
Maybe's there's a Vilani custom we've overlooked.
Maybe's there's a Vilani custom we've overlooked.
Strephon: Tragic hero or incompetent fool
- Thread starter AndreaV
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Ah, how Vilani are we going to go ?
Generally, the Vilani are traditional, conservative, dare we say hidebound? Assassination as we understand it in the 21st is an act of radical change, a disruption of all that has come before. Sounds like anethema to me.
OTOH I think that quick decision making must be a part of the Vilani condition on occasion as there would be many times the Ancients' War Machines will not give pre-historic Vilani time to calmly test how best to flee or debate in committee. Also, natural law (oh, like Heisenberg among others), shows that randomness is a part of the untamed universe. I could even see ritual duals be a pressure release for ambition.
But assassination? Might as well still be hiding in the mountains avoiding Ancients and your shadow, animal.
Generally, the Vilani are traditional, conservative, dare we say hidebound? Assassination as we understand it in the 21st is an act of radical change, a disruption of all that has come before. Sounds like anethema to me.
OTOH I think that quick decision making must be a part of the Vilani condition on occasion as there would be many times the Ancients' War Machines will not give pre-historic Vilani time to calmly test how best to flee or debate in committee. Also, natural law (oh, like Heisenberg among others), shows that randomness is a part of the untamed universe. I could even see ritual duals be a pressure release for ambition.
But assassination? Might as well still be hiding in the mountains avoiding Ancients and your shadow, animal.
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
Terran tradition would include right of conquest, marrying into the Imperial House, demonizing the previous throne holder, and/or acclamation.
Most of the Civil War and the Barracks emperor's era were claiming the throne on the basis of Fleet Control, not necessarily by the rite of assassination. Though many of them were killed by their successor, only because there was an ongoing fleet battle to determine supremacy of the fleet.
Spinward Flow
SOC-14 1K
Trained psionic powers ... duh ...
Even a "Court Wizard" who's primary skills were emotion sensing and being able to use psionics to paralyze people who had a pre-attack emotional surge of nervousnessTrained psionic powers ... duh ...
Spinward Flow
SOC-14 1K
Precognition to predict future events would have helped ...
Even just a 4-hour look ahead done at the start of the work day, and when they come back from lunch.Precognition to predict future events would have helped ...
Although, I guess to be fair, if I were going to do such an assassination, I'd buy off the Court Wizard as part of my plan.... so maybe my initial suggestion of having one was out of line
What happens if the assassins have precogs detecting counter actions and know you have one? Who wins in a war of precog destiny move and countermove?
Time for the opposed skill checks
"To gain an accurate precog that includes other precogs involvment: Difficult, Uncertain"....
For me, from an in universe perspective, Strephon is neither hero nor fool; he just got betrayed by a friend and the pseudo-constitutional right of Nobles to attend court armed...
Hell, makes me think of a situation in a Bujold novel... When Emperor Gregor of Barrayar goes working in a shipyard to escape his duty...
Might Strephon have set the assassination up with Dulinor because neither Lucan nor Varian were suited to rule?
Hell, makes me think of a situation in a Bujold novel... When Emperor Gregor of Barrayar goes working in a shipyard to escape his duty...
Might Strephon have set the assassination up with Dulinor because neither Lucan nor Varian were suited to rule?
Spinward Flow
SOC-14 1K
Reminds me of one of the older fallacies of social perception.
"An armed society is a polite society."
That's only true if everyone Thinks Alike™ ... which in practice is basically NEVER the case.
A better way of phrasing the same idea, which is also closer to the actual lived experience in reality is ...
"An armed society is a paranoid society."
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
Apparently, the Tokugawa Shogunate became paranoid enough that they forced courtiers to wear outsized clothing with trailing sleeves and pants legs.
A well fitted kimono is actually quite nice to fight in. (Done so.)
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
I think that's the point.
Depends on how precognitive visions work One version is in comic books. Dream Girl in DC's Comics 31st century Legion of Superheroes is a native of Naltor , an entire planet of precogs. She is one of the most powerful. Besides seeing the big picture or small picture future in dreams she can see seconds into the possible futures while awake, at will. The accuracy while awake degrades with the number of opponents and options each opponent has. In one story she got into a fight with others of her home planet. She dared them to look into the future(s). She and the mooks stared at each other for a few panels, then the mooks simply walked away, looks of fear on their faces.
BackworldTraveller
SOC-13
How did the "Beware the Ides of March" precog go for Julius Caesar?
MacBeth's end was forecast and yet happened anyway.
Indeed history is littered with warnings of bad endings; the truth of such warnings being supported by bad endings!
(Assuming that they were all true precogs not some form of confirmation bias or author's plot device)
MacBeth's end was forecast and yet happened anyway.
Indeed history is littered with warnings of bad endings; the truth of such warnings being supported by bad endings!
(Assuming that they were all true precogs not some form of confirmation bias or author's plot device)
The Tokugawa Shogunate is an example of how to keep control, AND make everyone like you being in control by playing off each side against the other.