002.

[sangsues]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Etienne Guerinet Beaumanoir
RECIPIENT: everyone (sorry)
WHAT: whats all this
WHEN: post-proposal etc
WHERE: the walliest kirk
NOTES: Orlesians

( A quiet clearing of the throat; one can naturally assume it is a very beautiful clearing of the throat, done by a very beautiful man. )

This matter of the phylacteries for rifters… it seems sensible. If they are such a valuable resource to the Inquisition, the closing of rifts, and so on, being able to find said resource if a rival power were to try and overpower them and abscond with them makes sense, I think. For their own safety, for our own safety. If Corypheus and his forces were, for example, to make an attack on a party closing a rift and kidnap those rifters for nefarious purposes, it would be better for all if we were able to find them as quickly as possible. The phylacteries are an established way of doing just this, no?

By all means, if you wish to see the world end, protest. Even if this is not your world, though, I think we can all agree that you are currently in it. It’s fate is not entirely irrelevant to you.

Comments

[letoldthingsdie]

So you would leash people who only came to the Inquisition by the misfortune that they were dumped here by a magical tear in the sky and were promised sanctuary in exchange for help closing said magical tear in the sky. Out of necessity.

[koteletten]

Could you perhaps rephrase the question? I found that quite impossible to follow.

[letoldthingsdie]

[Did he make a snarl? That might have been a snarl. He's a little mad so bear with him, dude.]

What right does the Inquisition have to chain people, who didn't ask to be here, to their cause? Is there no other way to track us but through our blood? If your books have told me anything - blood magic is generally frowned upon.

[koteletten]

If the Inquisition requests it I would have no objection. Would you all agree to cease your complaints if every member of the Inquisition were made a phylactery?

[koteletten]

No, there is no other effective means of tracking. And it hardly chains you to the cause anymore than you are at present. Has the Inquisition ever forced any of you to work for your room and board before, despite having the power to do so? I keep the account books, so I can tell you they have not, to their detriment.

[zombra]

I don't know. I don't represent every Rifter, now do I? I suppose that'll come up during negotiations. Because there are probably gonna be negotiations.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Well, it's mostly how I react when someone who clearly doesn't care about me pretends like he does and expects gratitude for it.

[motherfucking_ghost]

The all of it part.

[letoldthingsdie]

There's absolutely no way? Not even with scouts and spies at your disposal. I didn't realize the Inquisition's native forces were so incompetent that you desperately needed us to be forced to stay by using our blood.

[koteletten]

Will there? Many of your fellows seem inclined to more violent methods of persuasion and, as you've just said yourself, you do not represent every Rifter, do you?

[zombra]

That's your opinion. You say many, I say I haven't seen any violence happening in the Gallows. Just a lot of talk. And talk can lead to negotiations.

[tagartist]

Arguments of "it's for your safety" have been used to justify all sorts of bullshit things in my world that never end well for minorities. You'll have to do better than that, I think, to convince us Rifters this is in any way a good idea when we've heard so many negatives about how they can be used to fuck with us.

If we've been kidnapped before and rescued without these things, we can be rescued again. Make your search parties more efficient at tracking people by natural methods. I'd rather endure pain from some evil dipshit and keep my freedom than have my blood in the hands of someone I don't know or trust who could do whatever they wanted with it, claiming it's all for my safety.

[koteletten]

He seems quite sincere in his concern to me. Are you familiar with the good doctor, that you doubt him so immediately?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Is that what you call sincerity around here? You think that's genuine concern for Rifter safety radiating from his voice?

I'd ask if this is an Orlesian thing, but I think that'd be offensive to my Orlesian girlfriend.

[koteletten]

Talk can also lead to violence, particularly when the talk is about how ready and willing the speakers are to commit violence if they do not get their way.

[spellshatter]

They can only make them for magical beings. I think it hasn't been worked out whether that includes rifters or not, but it probably doesn't include this fellow, unless he's very sneaky.

[spellshatter]

We've never made phylacteries for livestock.

[ That's silly. ]

[zombra]

Okay, so let's agree at this point it could go either way, like most things. It's either gonna lead to something good or something bad. Can we at least agree on wanting it to lead to negotiations?

[zombra]

Huh. Do you know that for sure, or is that what you've always been told is the case? Just curious.

[ Because she's thinking this Chantry isn't to be trusted. ]

[spellshatter]

You think the powers that be would pass up the chance to keep that kind of eye on their enemies if they could? [ She can't see his thoughtful face, but he's making one. It's not impossible. ] They can try my blood when they one of yours, if it will make you feel better.

[letoldthingsdie]

And you don't need them for Rifters either.

[Is this guy just willfully ignoring him? Probably.]

[spellshatter]

That's debatable. You can tell from— [ he's gesturing (unseen, damn the crystals for only transmitting sound) to the air, generally, which is currently full of everyone's feelings ] —all of the debate.

[zombra]

Okay, so there are records of attempts being made and it failing, then? Since the people leading nations would have done it to prisoners and stuff.

[ A pause. ]

If there's literally evidence out there that it doesn't work on you normies, then I wouldn't ask that of you, dude.

[koteletten]

I do think so, yes. He is a doctor, after all, it is his calling in life to care for the well-being of others. And it cannot be an Orlesian thing because I'm not Orlesian.

[ his accent is much closer to German, for reference ]

[spellshatter]

No, no, if we're mistrusting authority, I think we ought to go all the way and mistrust the records, too. Who knows what's been covered up.