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I've seen the first two movies. The first was good. The second wasn't. I've heard they went progressively downhill from there, so I won't waste my finite lifespan on them.
Not fighting on holy ground was established canon in the TV series. That's what I'm going by.
A setup like that gives the impression that an enemy is lurking in the shadows and a fight could break out at any moment...
I'm using this thing called an "imagination."
I've seen the first two movies. The first was good. The second wasn't. I've heard they went progressively downhill from there, so I won't waste my finite lifespan on them.
Not fighting on holy ground was established canon in the TV series. That's what I'm going by.
In the TV show we never actually see what might happen if an Immortal took another's head on holy ground, but it was suggested in one episode that the last time it happened, Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii.
In the show at least, Immortals won't even harm mortals on holy ground.
A setup like that gives the impression that an enemy is lurking in the shadows and a fight could break out at any moment...
I'm using this thing called an "imagination."
I've seen the first two movies. The first was good. The second wasn't. I've heard they went progressively downhill from there, so I won't waste my finite lifespan on them.
Not fighting on holy ground was established canon in the TV series. That's what I'm going by.
Most Immortals avoid harming mortals anywhere. There's no point to it, as realistically there's nothing the mortal can do that will permanently harm an Immortal (other than beheading), and there's no incentive if it's a Quickening they're after. Immortals can tell if someone's a Pre-Immortal, so that would be the only motive to kill them before they're fully Immortal.
I don't think the show ever explained what would happen if an Immortal killed a Pre-Immortal by beheading. It would be a quick and violent death, but they'd be dead, so they wouldn't become fully Immortal... would there be a Quickening or not? This is honestly something that never occurred to me to ask.
So the Immortal tells a mortal to cut somebody's head off and if they're close enough, they get the Quickening as if they'd done the killing themself?
Most Immortals avoid harming mortals anywhere. There's no point to it, as realistically there's nothing the mortal can do that will permanently harm an Immortal (other than beheading), and there's no incentive if it's a Quickening they're after. Immortals can tell if someone's a Pre-Immortal, so that would be the only motive to kill them before they're fully Immortal.
I don't think the show ever explained what would happen if an Immortal killed a Pre-Immortal by beheading. It would be a quick and violent death, but they'd be dead, so they wouldn't become fully Immortal... would there be a Quickening or not? This is honestly something that never occurred to me to ask.
There are, of course, Immortals who quite enjoy doing harm to innocent people, even if they're mortal. But even they avoid doing so on holy ground.
As for pre-Immortals, my guess is there is no Quickening since beheading is the one way to permanently kill them, and their immortality wasn't triggered beforehand.
Quickenings triggered on holy ground by a mortal are an interesting idea. I suppose it would depend on how far away from holy ground the other Immortal was when it happened. But it still might be too much of a risk for even the worst Immortals to consider trying. (Aside from Jacob Kell, but the Sanctuary in Endgame was later retconned to not be on holy ground after all.)
I love how they took out one line of dialogue, but the place is still full of people dressed like monks.
The Sanctuary makes no sense as shown anyway. If you're gonna force Immortals into a situation like that so that the Game can never be won, then just bury a bunch of them in concrete coffins 50 feet underground with a tiny little air hole.
I love how they took out one line of dialogue, but the place is still full of people dressed like monks.
The Sanctuary makes no sense as shown anyway. If you're gonna force Immortals into a situation like that so that the Game can never be won, then just bury a bunch of them in concrete coffins 50 feet underground with a tiny little air hole.
Not to mention it being located on holy ground was the whole point, because no Immortal would dare take a head there. They were too busy trying to be edgy with Kell to remember that the rule is more than just a formality. Even the Kurgan respected holy ground.
Well, "respect" might be too strong a word for the Kurgan, but you know what I mean.
He was, on the grounds of his own church. But, as noted, by mortals who are not subject to the rules of The Game.
Darius' quickening had no where to go, as there were no immortals present. It is presumed that his power simply faded away and is lost. But the show never really explores what that might mean, if anything. It's more of a spiritual notion than anything, I suppose.
The funny thing is, the "no fighting on holy ground" was originally justified by Ramirez simply saying, "It's tradition." No need for backstory or legends about why.
I love the simple efficiency of the original movie.
When it comes to an Immortal dying without another Immortal nearby, we see a buddy of Connor's beheaded in Highlander III and he has no Quickening.
I know it's sometimes weird to apply rules from one Highlander installment to another, but there you go.
You'd think the immortal had to actually kill the other to get their quickening but I recall one taking his own life and Richie getting it in the series.
You'd think the immortal had to actually kill the other to get their quickening but I recall one taking his own life and Richie getting it in the series.
I think that's one of the best examples of a quick improvised solution to a behind the scenes issue actually making the scene better.
The pictures definitely have me curious to see more.
The YT Video author might make a good point about Quickenings & what you really gain when you defeat another immortal & absorb their essence.
It's definitely not "Biological / Physiological" Strength.
We see that in the show & movies, the various immortals stay with the same physical strength they previously had.
I think the "Strength" that a Immortal gains is more experiential & personality based.
Here are some basic fundamentals of most humans at a very high level.
+ Statistics of the MakeUp of most Parts of Humanity +
- _5% of Humanity can easily kill another person w/o issue
- 90% of Humanity will go through the motion, but generally just wants to survive
- _5% of Humanity can't and won't kill another
What the Quickening can give another immortal is the Strength/Resolve to kill others w/o hesitation & push them to be more comfortable with violence & willingness to kill other immortals.
The experience, knowledge, habits are things you would gain from other Immortals as well, but that's all vaguely entangled into the knowledge aspect of what you gain in a Quickening.
You're not gaining another immortals memories of their very life, but just some of the high level knowledge/concepts/abilities they gained.
Also maybe some of their personality quirks stack up on top of all the other immortals to influence your base personality or over-ride it with just enough Quickenings.
Ergo the whole Light/Dark Quickening that could happen once you take enough heads.
That can change a person so completely that you wouldn't recognize them personality wise.
