This Space for Hire Placard Theories

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I believe the Placard is a magical broadcast device, anything written on it gets broadcast to those chosen to be broadcast to, telepathically and with absolute certainty and trust. Not unlike Mouses barking during a fire, bu far larger and far more complex

This would be very useful with all electronic communication down, it can broadcast to the citizenry to stay away from the lake, stay in their homes, it can broadcast to SI and CPD, the Paranet, Marcone’s organization,Eric Instructions and Rally points, and of course with Ivy present they can communicate back by writing down replies, as they have a multitasking magical communications receiver.

Instead of facing a chaotic disorganised defence, the Fomor would be facing a calmed citizenry and highly organised defence, relieving the little folk  of this task (I would redeploy them “see Toot this is a grenade, find them on the Fomor, remove the pin and let the spoon come loose, then retreat at speed for fresh instructions while the Fomor go boom”) same with their seashell grenades, automatic weapons and superglue etc.

So what do you think Harry is going to use the Placard for.

[vultur]

I am not sure how much use a magical/telepathic communication to the regular citizens would be, "Why are there voices in my head?"

From the last words of PT, I think that Harry, Murphy, and co. are going to try to shut Ethniu down before it becomes obvious to the general public that this isn't just a power outage.

I kind of think the Placard is going to be part of the binding of Ethniu, either as a symbol of "trial and sentence" or to reinforce the use of Ethniu's True Name by writing it on the placard.

[The_Sibelis]

I figure it will be used to find her true name, as Harry does not yet know it,

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Ethnui’s true name is not needed if they have blood, which is the entire point of the Athame. Alfred was surprised by the use of the Placard, he therefore did not consider it relevant to the binding, and he has only done this 6,000 times.

I pointed out the effect Mouses barking had when an apartment building was on fire, people didn’t question “why is that dog barking?” They calmly and quickly abandoned the building, without questioning it. I presume the Placard can achieve this City Wide and yes this does skirt the 7 Laws on mental influence.

[vultur]

Ethnui’s true name is not needed if they have blood, which is the entire point of the Athame.

I don't think binding stuff is that binary. Harry used a bunch of symbolically-significant stuff to contain the Erlking in DB, and even so he wasn't sure if he could do it.

Presumably there was a reason Harry improved his summoning circle, too.

When you're trying to capture something overwhelmingly more powerful than you, every bit helps.

Alfred was surprised by the use of the Placard

I don't think so.

"YOU WISH TWO OF THE WEAPONS?"
Alfred sounded slightly intimidated.
That's the kind of power level we were talking about.
"Sure," I said in the most cavalier fashion I could. "After all, that's only half the arsenal [...]

Intimidated, not surprised. It's "are you really sure you want to be doing this?" not "what good would that do?"

I pointed out the effect Mouses barking had when an apartment building was on fire

Yeah... I'm still not sure it's really comparable. Those events were easily explainable without magic; a really big dog's really loud barking woke them up, the building was on fire so they evacuated.

Everybody in the city getting the same telepathic message is way more obviously supernatural.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

As pointed out if there is a record of Ethnui’s true name the Archive would have it as she is a receiver via her intellectus, and she stores information like a name for a millennium after there is no written record. It is what the Archive was built for. She pretty much wasn’t designed for broadcast. Some beings like Hades true name is out there, it’s use not so much a summons but as drawing their attention. For a being of great power and will the use of their true name may be common usage,  it’s only the small guys who have to be careful about names, but everyone has to be careful about Blood.

Placard definition”a printed or handwritten notice or sign for public display, either fixed to a wall or carried during a demonstration”

Jim is very clear about using the term Placard, presumably for the public display element. If I am right about it’s use, then it must never be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. Not the Black Council, but a group far more evil where the potential for misuse is far greater. Advertising agencies. Imagine if they got hold of it, Harry would be eating MacDonalds and drinking Pepsi without knowing why, only that he was doing something very, very wrong but unable to stop himself.

A Foo Dogs magic is to make everything run more smoothly this is known from Zoo day. Alarm and defence are also part of their functions.

[Mira]

Communication, at the end of Peace Talks Harry voices his fears to Murphy that this time the blood and mayhem that is going to result from the invasion cannot be hidden from the vanilla human world. 
 page 340 Peace Talks

"People will be terrified," Murphy said.
"And they'll set out to destroy what frightens them," I said. "It'll make the Spanish Inquision look like a bouncy castle."

The Placard on the Cross announced to the world who Jesus was, or who people said He was.  If people are as frightened as Harry thinks they will be, there has to be a way to communicate to them to calm them so there isn't a severe backlash against the supernatural world resulting in even more blood shed, that is why he needs the Placard.

[Snark Knight]

I believe the Placard is a magical broadcast device, anything written on it gets broadcast to those chosen to be broadcast to, telepathically and with absolute certainty and trust. Not unlike Mouses barking during a fire, bu far larger and far more complex

This would be very useful with all electronic communication down, it can broadcast to the citizenry to stay away from the lake, stay in their homes, it can broadcast to SI and CPD, the Paranet, Marcone’s organization,Eric Instructions and Rally points, and of course with Ivy present they can communicate back by writing down replies, as they have a multitasking magical communications receiver.

Isn't broadcasting 'stay in your homes' with the power of one of the artefacts behind it bordering on mental tampering though?

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Harry skirts everyone of the Seven Laws WOJ, Sue is one example of this in respect of necromancy, he raises an animal rather than a human.

I suspect the Placards power is such is that it doesn’t tamper, like Mouses bark, so that when someone subject to its influence is examined no signs of tampering are found,  revelation rather than whammy has occurred, and their free will isn’t harmed. Besides this has acted to protect every single person in Chicago, like Harry killed DuMorne with magic  in self defence.

Of course given free will, there will be people who ignore this revelation.

[morriswalters]

You don't give instructions unless you first know what's happening.  That's called the fog of war.  No one person can go everywhere and see everything. So other than a general instruction to lay low and hunker down what good is it if you use it that way?

Harry has been playing daddy since Skin Game. When has he had time to figure it out, given that neither weapon comes with an operating manual?  The Lance is fairly obvious in context. You use it to poke holes in things, even Titans with bronze skin. He needs blood so stickee, stickee.  It's described as a weapon, not as a walkie talkie.

[vultur]

As pointed out if there is a record of Ethnui’s true name the Archive would have it

Yes. I am not talking about using the Placard to discover Ethnui's true name, but to use it in connection with her True Name to strengthen the binding. The same way Harry used various symbolic items to help him bind the Erlking in DB, only more so.

Ethniu is a major power, stronger than Mab, way stronger than the Erlking. Binding her isn't going to be easy.

Communication, at the end of Peace Talks Harry voices his fears to Murphy that this time the blood and mayhem that is going to result from the invasion cannot be hidden from the vanilla human world. 

Right, but to me it sounds like at the very end Harry and Murphy are setting out to keep that from happening.

Which to me means Harry probably intends to take down Ethniu before the invasion really gets going.

From "Christmas Eve" we know it won't work out that way, there will be lots of damage and death. But I think that's Harry's plan, so I don't think he'd start out by doing something obvious to everyone.

[Mira]

From "Christmas Eve" we know it won't work out that way, there will be lots of damage and death. But I think that's Harry's plan, so I don't think he'd start out by doing something obvious to everyone.

Yeah, from Christmas Eve we know Harry did try to talk to them. However it isn't clear who themwere.  It could be it was a beginning of a full mass slaughter riot type a thing, he used the Placard,  it stopped massive slaughter, but there was still plenty of death to go around.

[Bad Alias]

TL:DR, I have no idea what it's for.

Before Skin Game, I'd never heard of any legends about the placard. Just the INRI inscription on many crucifixes and what it meant. I don't even know what to google to find out legends about it. I'm sure placard isn't the best search word. I did find this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titulus_Crucis#:~:text=Titulus%20Crucis%20(Latin%20for%20%22Title,a%20relic%20associated%20with%20Jesus.. Maybe someone else can find some stories of legends surrounding it?

There's a bunch of legends about the Holy Grail and the Lance. There's plenty of stuff out there about the Shroud of Turin. There's legends about pieces of the cross, the nails, and pieces of the Crown of Thorns. I think maybe Jim just added it because he needed a 5th thing and worked his way into what it would do without reference to any real world stories.

[Mira]

TL:DR, I have no idea what it's for.

Before Skin Game, I'd never heard of any legends about the placard. Just the INRI inscription on many crucifixes and what it meant. I don't even know what to google to find out legends about it. I'm sure placard isn't the best search word. I did find this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titulus_Crucis#:~:text=Titulus%20Crucis%20(Latin%20for%20%22Title,a%20relic%20associated%20with%20Jesus.. Maybe someone else can find some stories of legends surrounding it?

There's a bunch of legends about the Holy Grail and the Lance. There's plenty of stuff out there about the Shroud of Turin. There's legends about pieces of the cross, the nails, and pieces of the Crown of Thorns. I think maybe Jim just added it because he needed a 5th thing and worked his way into what it would do without reference to any real world stories.

The little I know about it is it says that Jesus was King of the Jews, in Latin, Hebrew, and Greek I believe.

[Regenbogen]

The little I know about it is it says that Jesus was King of the Jews, in Latin, Hebrew, and Greek I believe.

This is correct. Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum.
But I also don't find any legends.