[Mirikon]

Ideally, it would be on the equator, yes. That eliminates a whole sheaf of math and engineering problems from the equation, after all. However, as long as you're fairly close (say, within the area between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer), then the math is minimally different. The further you get from the equator, the nastier the math and engineering challenges get.

Unfortunately, most of the places that are physically on the equator are either in Amazonia (no way the dragon allows that), in the middle of the ocean (no way the dragon allows that), central Africa (already have to deal with pissed off spirits and tribes, and no one really wants to be too close to the ghouls), or the phillipines and other island nations in East Asia (which are all mostly hellholes, or have dragon lairs, or both). Even when you expand to the areas between the tropics, you get Aztlan, more Amazonia, more Africa, the worst parts of the Middle East (I don't have to explain this, right?), India, Southeast Asia (mostly hellholes), and Australia ('nuff said).

So it comes down to Panama or India, and Panama in the canal zone is not only firmly in corporate hands (because of the canal), but it also has a bunch of existing infrastructure in place (because of the canal).

[Jack_Spade]

@Mirikon
I am aware of the phsyics involved - it's actually one of my favorite sci-fi topics.

Just because it's floating doesn't mean it isn't anchored - or that it isn't already filled with some stuff lighter than water to make it buoyant. Also sinking isn't really an option if you are pulled up constantly. Tidal movement is mainly a problem close to coasts. The larger your structure the less it has to worry about waves and weather.

Regarding sea dragons, might I turn your attention to HT p.38:
"The big change staying a secret seems to be all about security at the new platform. A great way to keep rumors from getting out is to use personnel who fear their employer as one would fear a dragon. Because their employer, and the immediate security, is being provided by a dragon—the Sea Dragon to be exact. Those mountains I mentioned have a lair we didn’t know about when the Clutch of Dragons datafile was put
together, and the Sea Dragon has quite a force there. If I were to believe all the materials I’ve read she even has other leviathans in the region. Possibly the offspring from the eggs we were discussing."

There are also some pretty smart under water drones available. The Proteus Krake is just one example of a perfectly capable autonomous defender. Add water spirits to the mix and you'll be hard pressed to get close. Hacking is only a problem if wireless is on - which there is no reason to have it on when you can't communicate with them anyway.

Compare that to a mage with Shape Earth that can just tunnle where he wants to go and I'd say the sea is the safer bet.

[Senko]

What's wrong with Australia sure we have a few little manastorms but don't let that put you off.

More seriously couldn't you limit the ease of entry simply by layering things steel, concrete, earth, asphalt, plastic, titanium and so on. Lots of different Spells and cutting tools needed to get though that especially without triggering all the sensors.

For those who seem to know about space elevators why is the equator worse than the north or south pool?

[lokii]

I'm referring to the following sentence in HT:

"Looks like both Kane and Icarus were right and wrong. Could they be building two?"
p.38

I think that can only mean building two in close proximity. The description "outside of Panama City" from Hazard Pay leaves the possibility that the ground station is a seagoing platform. So it's conceivable that it can be moved. Still it should be on the Pacific side and I don't know how feasible it is to tow a space elevator around the planet. But more to the point how can anyone miss that they started building it in Panama and then moved it to the middle of the Atlantic? And the counterweight asteroid also can also only be in one of the two locations.

The most common hypothetical or scifi designs for space elevators that I've seen follow the counterweight idea. In other words, you have a big object in space that is connected to a point down on the planet and the centripetal forces work to keep the line between them taught, allowing you to use it as an elevator cable.

As I said above the weight of the lower portion of the cable itself requires the counterweight.

By the way Hazard Pay calls the space elevator "Skyhook". I had actually thought that it was misnamed because it is anchored to the ground. But on rereading the text I realised that they only talk about anchoring it to the asteroid counterweight not necessarily to the ground station.

Wait, doesn't the physics of the whole thing require a beanstalk to be on the equator?  (Outer end goes past geosynchronous orbit, although you use a mass a little past there to mean your cable doesn't have to be symmetrical about that orbit to have your centre of mass there.)

At the equator the outer end of the space elevator can be in geostationary orbit, so it always stays in the same position. Once you go off-equator you have a non-equatorial geosynchronous orbit so the outer end as seen from the earth moves. I think Panama is still reasonably close to the equator? Not sure. It could mean that the space elevator has to be anchored to the ground after all, with resulting additional stress on the structure.