Bulgarian_Taffer on 12/4/2009 at 20:06
Btw I have another question about the Mechanists in Soulforge. Were they forced to put on their enslavement masks? Or it was up to their free will and they chose to do this...
And by the way... What are the masked Mechanists actually saying? Are they really begging to be killed?
jtr7 on 12/4/2009 at 21:08
Whether voluntary or not, all we know is it was done swiftly and painfully, and the blood runs down their masks, and they still whimper and cry.
Yes, they all really do beg to be killed, and sometimes say thank you if you take them down.
It's a cult. They mostly believe in the cause and Karras proves his ability to make things happen without delay, without hesitation, with full confidence, and the closer they get to Karras's goal, the more concerned several characters get. Cavador betrays Karras, though it is unknown how easily he did so, but his journals and Viktoria's words suggest he was glad to get the burden off his chest. To join the Mechanists meant power, personal power, personal worth, collective worth, prestige, and to have the nobility of The City literally begging for your excellent works and craftsmenship in their homes and businesses.
Bulgarian_Taffer on 12/4/2009 at 21:45
Oh... this is what makes the story of Thief 2 so horrible. It's even more horrible than the story of the Cataclysm and the Haunted Cathedral.
These so called servants really look like the zombies of Half-life 2: "God, help me", "My eyes sting..."
jtr7 on 12/4/2009 at 22:20
Yeah, it's horrible. A lot of Hitler and the Nazi Party, Dr. Mengele and perhaps Heim rolled into one. Vilnia seemed to know more than anybody, though Kelsus and Manus were growing scared, and possibly gave Karras the idea of turning his own followers into Masked Guards.
I've finished transcribing what they say. I didn't include the ones where they died wordlessly, but weeping for joy at their release or laughing bitterly.
(
http://thief.wikia.com/wiki/T2_Sound_Folder:_Slave)
DarkElf_Mairead on 19/4/2009 at 13:06
Slave: ms1a3se2: (Commanded) Keep searching!
Does Commanded mean someone commanded them or they're commanding other slaves?
jtr7 on 19/4/2009 at 13:10
They are being commanded. They speak the command to themselves as the command is pressed into their minds, as if the commanding signal controls their speech. Notice that they don't speak Mechanist/Hammerite, either.
Meisterdieb on 19/4/2009 at 14:22
Quote Posted by jtr7
They are being commanded. They speak the command to themselves as the command is pressed into their minds, as if the commanding signal controls their speech. Notice that they don't speak Mechanist/Hammerite, either.
Do they speak to themselves? I always took the different, deeper voice that utters the commands to mean that they have some apparatus -maybe similar to the one the bots have- installed that tells them what to do...
Original topic:
Most of the members of the Mechanist order are just simple followers or foot soldiers, they normally wouldn't be told even the most mundane plans of their order if it doesn't coincide with their work.
You only need a few leaders, a close circle of high priests, to work such an order - someone here already called it -very aptly-a cult.
Even those leader probably don't necessarily know everything - each one of them only knows about his area or project.
Add to that the usual mix of fanatical loyal followers such cults draw to themselves who wouldn't even believe you if you told them the truth behind their order's machinations, and you can see how such a cult works.
They may not be blind, but they refuse to see.
One other point to remember is, that you as Garrett get to go to many different Mechanist places and also to some where even a normal Mechanist wouldn't be allowed. So Garrett knows some things that even the regular Mechanist doesn't.
jtr7 on 19/4/2009 at 23:55
They speak in their own voice, only controlled, flat, and sinister, but they speak in their own voice, and that's the clue. No Mechanist speaks like they do. They are verbalising the command given to them, and the commanding device may even be intentionally controlling their voice like it controls their whole bodies. The command may be spoken allowed for the Servants to hear it because they may not understand it only mentally.
ganac on 22/4/2009 at 00:28
You all know why 'kool-aid' is in common lexicon?
No, that is just the half of it. The second half is that people still drank it, even though they could see the people around them dieing.
There's a sucker born every minute.People want to believe.
OT
Quote Posted by Bulgarian_Taffer
"My eyes sting..."
I'm pretty sure it's, 'my icing!!'
jtr7 on 22/4/2009 at 00:37
Quote Posted by ganac
You all know why 'kool-aid' is in common lexicon?
No, that is just the half of it. The second half is that people still drank it, even though they could see the people around them dieing.
There's a sucker born every minute.People want to believe.
You're talking about blind allegiance to the movement? They all seemed pretty thrilled and proud, not pressured or fearful, until the very end when Karras was acting erratic and his appearance grew unsettling.
None of them knew that they were going to be wiped out, too, unlike the Kool-Aid drinkers. Even at the very end, the two who were most concerned and truly afraid didn't know they were to be consumed by the Rust Gas.
