Vodalus & the Old Autarch

Jeff Wilson · 10 Aug 2010, 14:00 · from 2010-August.txt.gz

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From: jwilson at io.com (Jeff Wilson)
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 09:00:37 -0500
Subject: (urth) Vodalus & the Old Autarch
In-Reply-To: <4C613C6F.3070402 at verizon.net>
References: <AANLkTimH7=eNeHcti+wAWMy9Vt=-NVFNWsBoEm5NTO6- at mail.gmail.com>
	<4C613C6F.3070402 at verizon.net>
Message-ID: <4C615B85.6090204 at io.com>

On 8/10/2010 6:47 AM, David Stockhoff wrote:
> Others, such as Jolenta and the doctor, don't seem to make the
> connection either---but then, they wouldn't. Thecla certainly would have.
>
> It is pretty odd that a ruler with his face on a coin would go about
> unannounced, letting people think he was merely a eunuch. Especially
> when he is rumored to be a eunuch.

Severian sees that Vodalus' and Dr Talos' counterfeit coins are struck 
from the same die, implying that he's seen variations among other coins 
and that dies are not accurately reproducible, implying fairly crude 
minting technology. So the Autarchs' coinage may be distinguishable from 
one another, but might resemble the actual person about as much as 
Caesar's surviving coinage resembles his surviving statuary.

> Then again, Severian doesn't tell us that Thecla recognized Inire, either.

Inire's face was covered by the shaman's mask, and Thecla was probably 
the sort of aristocrat who took little notice of the lower classes and 
the filthy natives.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
IEEE Student Chapter Blog at
< http://ieeetamut.org >

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