Comic for Sunday, March 29 2015

[Nova]

Well, I only did write "he" because someone else did write that earlier in the thread. ^^

Thanks for mentioning a source for his gender. Was not really sure about that, to be honest.

[strider0075]

Yikes, okay first, rebob, chilllll duuuude. i'm only speculating. and second i'm only speculating because I have gay friends who have similar body language. but it could also be what badfomo said too "maybe that's a side effect from his days of learning how to be graceful/act like the upper class."

[amenon]

How about Lynn's age? Any impressions?

[ReBob]

Yikes, okay first, rebob, chilllll duuuude. i'm only speculating. and second i'm only speculating because I have gay friends who have similar body language. but it could also be what badfomo said too "maybe that's a side effect from his days of learning how to be graceful/act like the upper class."

I didn't think I was harsh at all with my linkage of terms... Sorry if it came off that way.

As for age, I'd guess a little older than Alaric. Early twenties, maybe 21.

[Warrl]

Ha, wow, this page instantly raised Lynn up to one of my favorite characters. With the Basitin being a militant people, I'd love to see if he can actually fight.

Straight-up fighting, he's only so-so.

However, who said he has to restrict himself to straight-up fighting? He starts swinging at you, and in mid-swing he teleports and hits you from an entirely different direction.

3. "I had a.. few major settlements-"

I believe that translates into English as "detailed topographic map with cities, villages, and major farms, populations and principle products thereof, highways,..."

[asphere8]

I think that perhaps if Lynn is up to something sinister, his expressive body language might tell us that before we are actually told. Everybody watch for evil body language.

[TheMouse]

Has Lynn ever been seen without that distinctly eye-like circlet? Because I think there might be magic involved.

[amenon]

Has Lynn ever been seen without that distinctly eye-like circlet? Because I think there might be magic involved.

Only in his very first appearance. Page 381/2007-05-07. (I'd link but word filter)

Post-April Fools edit: Lynn sans his now-customary hat w/gem

[Bellhead]

Has Lynn ever been seen without that distinctly eye-like circlet? Because I think there might be magic involved.

Only in his very first appearance. Page 381/2007-05-07. (I'd link but word filter)

Do comic pages count with that? I wouldn't think so, considering each page is posted at the top of the relevant thread...

[TheMouse]

I think Lynn might be using magic of some sort. Not much, though. I'm betting that circlet has some sort of scrying capacity. Also, keep in mind his halting speech pattern, and I can't find the comic to reference to, but the Basitin servant who had been exposed extensively to magic had a similar speech issue, though more pronounced.

I think that a Basitin casting magic is going to suffer for it far more than one who is attuned to some sort of pre-existing magic. We haven't seen much to indicate that there are conventional Magic Items in this world, but Laura's locket does provide an example. I'm wagering Lynn's circlet has magic, and that the process of either activating it or attuning to it caused just enough damage to stilt his speech.

[Warrl]

It occurs to me that Keith did not know Lynn well, and quite possibly Maddie didn't either.

And that they first learned of Keith's presence on the ship well after they left Basidian Island.

So they have no way of confirming that Lynn is not on that island.

Perhaps that dockworker we saw is NOT the Templar Master Spy, and if not, perhaps Master Spy decided the easy way to know where Trace was going was to be on the same ship with him.

NOBODY can pry into a man's affairs, read his correspondence, track where he goes, et cetera, more easily and safely than that man's butler.

[avwolf]

Perhaps that dockworker we saw is NOT the Templar Master Spy, and if not, perhaps Master Spy decided the easy way to know where Trace was going was to be on the same ship with him.

The Master Spy's limitation is that he cannot appear as a particular person or a thing, he can merely appear to be "someone he is not" and on close inspection, it's obvious that it's a disguise. He could appear to be "a Basitin" but not "this particular Basitin," and even that disguise isn't perfect. That's why the Arms General belatedly discovered that the Master Spy "wasn't even a Basitin." If you look at him close, the disguise falls apart. Lynn looks like the Lynn we've seen, so that's one mark against the Master Spy impersonating him and the fact that Madelyn, Keith, and Eric have all had him under fairly close scrutiny (even if they don't know Lynn well per se) is another mark against.

[Stormlight]

Perhaps that dockworker we saw is NOT the Templar Master Spy, and if not, perhaps Master Spy decided the easy way to know where Trace was going was to be on the same ship with him.

The Master Spy's limitation is that he cannot appear as a particular person or a thing, he can merely appear to be "someone he is not" and on close inspection, it's obvious that it's a disguise. He could appear to be "a Basitin" but not "this particular Basitin," and even that disguise isn't perfect. That's why the Arms General belatedly discovered that the Master Spy "wasn't even a Basitin." If you look at him close, the disguise falls apart. Lynn looks like the Lynn we've seen, so that's one mark against the Master Spy impersonating him and the fact that Madelyn, Keith, and Eric have all had him under fairly close scrutiny (even if they don't know Lynn well per se) is another mark against.

Additionally, even if he were able to pull of a disguise, attaching himself to the group in such a meaningful and overt way would require a commitment to stay/travel with the group to maintain his cover, when not even Euchre thought it wise to hang around for too long. The way the Master Spy seems to be keeping tabs on group A so far allows him to quietly withdraw if needed without raising any suspicion or being forced to fake a death of disappearance, and then re-engage again as a new person if he feels like it.

Following the group around closely isn't really the Master spy's style anyway. Every time he shows up - at various inns, at the port city, at the jewelry shop - he's already been there (presumably for a while to prepare everything, adopt his cover, etc) and is calmly waiting in an 'I've been expecting you' kind of way. Then he stays there, does his thing, and lets the group move on before jumping ahead of them again.

I have to say that it's a pretty cool strategy, since one wouldn't really suspect someone who's already at a destination when you arrive to have followed you to it. It can't be easy to pull off, but Sirius is evidently very good at his job.

[Warrl]

Following the group around closely isn't really the Master spy's style anyway. Every time he shows up - at various inns, at the port city, at the jewelry shop - he's already been there (presumably for a while to prepare everything, adopt his cover, etc) and is calmly waiting in an 'I've been expecting you' kind of way. Then he stays there, does his thing, and lets the group move on before jumping ahead of them again.

I have to say that it's a pretty cool strategy, since one wouldn't really suspect someone who's already at a destination when you arrive to have followed you to it. It can't be easy to pull off, but Sirius is evidently very good at his job.

What if this group is a secondary priority for Sirius, but happen to be following a course likely to take them to one after another of his higher-priority targets - and maybe even act in ways that will further his higher-priority interests?

[Bellhead]

What if this group is a secondary priority for Sirius, but happen to be following a course likely to take them to one after another of his higher-priority targets - and maybe even act in ways that will further his higher-priority interests?

So the group would be his cover, not his subject of interest.. I could DEFINATELY see that happening.