Two powerful figures in the life of Ankh-Morpork, Hughnon Ridcully is High Priest of Blind Io and unofficial spokesman for Ankh-Morpork's religious establishment, while Mustrum Ridcully is Archchancellor of Unseen University (UU).
Hughnon visits Lord Vetinari, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, to lay out the traditional case against movable type: "words are too important to be left to machinery" and subject to being taken apart and used for other words afterwards (pg. 27). His minor witticisms go over Vetinari's head. Vetinari believes that it is too late to put brakes on this particular volcano. After Vetinari's arrest, Hughnon declares him insane because he has talked about flying lobsters.