From: "Robert Borski" <rborski@coredcs.com>
Subject: (urth) Terminus Est
Date: Sat, 17 Oct 1998 18:36:50 

Anybody have any notions how Terminus Est came into the possession of
Palaemon? The sword, after all, is no mere carnificial sword, but a
valuable weapon, owing to its smithing by Jovinian (Agilus claims it's
worth a villa). But Palaemon is a mere torturer and the guild itself
appears to be in rather dire finances; Gurloes must doctor the books in
order to receive more operating capital and half of all apprentices die,
suggesting the Matachin Tower is anything but the Mariott Urth. One also
wonders why Palaemon hasn't attempted to sell the sword before, since it
would obviously help replenish the guild's coffers. He apparently doesn't
use it himself (or else Severian probably would have mentioned this) and he
can't have received Terminus Est as an heirloom; torturers have no
families. And is it likely he could ever have earned enough as a torturer
to purchase such a prize, even if we include the years he spent in exile?
It seems as well an unlikely gratuity for services well rendered. So how
did he acquire it?

Thoughts, opinions, conjectures? (I'll spare you mine, not wanting to incur
the ire of this list's megatherians.)

Robert Borski


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