*Spoilers* The Torture Victims

[Miel]

Sorry about the rant again; that's what happens when it's 3:00 AM and I've had too much coffee.

A university is where boys went if they had money and didn't feel like taking up a real profession. But the very founding principles of the university system emphasised humanism and asking questions. Science had been edging its way into the university system since the 17th century, and by 1839, scientific research would have been a significant part of university studies.

My bad on the Victorian era, but think of it another way: 1839 isn't too far removed from Jane Austen's era of painful civility. Society hid its dregs and covered them up with politeness and 'civilisation'. Public executions did exist at the time, but they were primarily conducted by hanging, which was quick (most of the time) and impersonal. Seeing someone hanged is a lot different than cutting him open yourself.

One of Daniels notes stated that the warding ritual was clumsy due to his inexperience, and that he needed to practice with the torture implements, so I assumed that he tortured that first man to death. The game is a little vague on that, so I'm not sure.

I wonder if it's because I'm female that I have a harder time accepting Daniels actions as plausible for a human? He went from a scared, naïve boy to a foaming-at-the-mouth madman in under two weeks. I couldn't imagine that happening to a normal person. Supernatural forces and Alexander's power of persuasion definitely played a role, but it still strains my disbelief.