On The Possibilities Of Suggestion...
Merin nods, and says to Sannit, "Agreed. It wouldn't even need to be an exact replica, as long as it's similar. The suggestion will be sufficient to convince the guard of its authenticity. And any bystanders would only see the tattoo from a distance. That is an excellent idea, my friend."
Turning to Sheldon, Merin continues: "You are probably the most talented among us, in that area of manipulation. Saemund is also showing an interest. The two of you should start practicing this, so that by the time we get to Asylim, we'll be ready. My only concern is that the guards are well-trained, and strong-willed. I doubt a novice would be able to pull off something of that nature."
Tor adds, "We should also investigate the use of such techniques with regard to interrogation. Torture and force are crude, and unreliable. Besides being inhumane and cruel, it is also a fact that a person in pain will say anything to make the pain stop. You cannot trust information gained in such a fashion. But using Way to suggest to someone that we're their best friends, or to suggest that telling us what we want to know would help someone they care about, we stand a good chance of getting honest information from the person in question; a person who believes that talking is beneficial, who is trying to help or do good for someone, is an ideal source of information. Once we get to Asylim, I have the feeling that we will be needing to gather a great deal of information, and probably most of that information will be held by otherwise hostile sources. Our mastery of Way will play a huge role in the possibility of our success."