I'm looking for theories on Who attacked Arctis Tor , and specifically What was their Motivation?
I can't see anything but two scenarios, as I don't see an actual motivation for anyone else other than those two. But Eldest Gruff opinioned in another thread that there may be other factions with motivations to attack Arctis Tor. I'd like to see what others think about the who and why of the attack.
Specifically, please provide at least the name of the group involved, and an actual reason for their attack.
i.e. (the only two theories I see as being legitimate)
The Circle
Who: The 'Circle', a faction of powerful beings working together with common goals, while also pursuing personal gain and personal own goals.
> Theoretical Members: Cowl, Maeve, Vito Malvora, Thorned Namshiel, Arianna Ortega, Lord Raith, Lord Omogh, Peabody, others
> Participated in the Attack: Thorned Namshiel, unknown others
When: During the events of DEAD BEAT
> When Harry summoned Lea and Mab came instead, the Circle took their shot. Maeve opened a gate to Arctis Tor for her allies and then sped up time at Arctis Tor. In the minutes that Mab was away, hours passed at Arctis Tor, and the Circle had ample time to press the defenders. When Mab returned, the attackers were routed before they got to the Winter Garden.
Why: Multiple goals, including weaken Winter, occupy Winter's forces, retrieve Lea
> The events of DEAD BEAT were epic in scale. The Red Court nearly wiped out the White Council. Their attacks should have kept the White Council too busy to respond to the Darkhallow attempt. If it had succeeded, Cowl would have then had the power to finish off the White Council. But to harass the wizards in Faerie would draw the ire of the Fae courts. The attack on Arctis Tor successfully put Winter into a defensive mode, which then did the same for Summer, thus freeing the Ways for the Ramps to pursue the White Court.
> Lea might also have been a member of the Circle, as she was working with some of its theoretical members in GRAVE PERIL. If so, they would want to free her so that she could join them in taking on Mab. Lea is only second to Mab in Winter, and with her and Maeve combining forces with the other Circle attackers, they might have stood a shot at defeating Mab.
Relevant Plot Details
> The Fae's inaction during the Ramps' initial intrusion two days prior to the Darkhallow are explained by Luccio, in that the Fae were caught off-guard. But the Fae's inactivity for the next nine months goes unexplained, other than Winter being on guard at the border, and thus occupying Summer. There doesn't seem to be a reason for Winter to guard the border prior to the attack on Arctis Tor. But if it had already been attacked, and Mab was in hyper-defensive mode because of the betrayals involved, it would explain the entire time-span.
> The speed up of time in Arctis Tor to allow time for the attack is supported by the events of PROVEN GUILTY. While just minutes passed in Arctis Tor, a day passed in the real world. Using the reverse flow, hours could have passed in Arctis Tor while minutes passed in the real world, when Mab was speaking with Harry.
> This theory gives a credible explanation to how Mab found out about Maeve's betrayal. She was still speaking as of DEAD BEAT, but we know that some point after Harry's talk with her at the lake, Mab learned of Maeve's betrayal/infection.
> This theory does not address the smell of hellfire that still lingered around Arctis Tor nine months later in PROVEN GUILTY. But it does allow for enough time for the remains of the fallen warriors to rot away to bones.
The Outsiders/NemesisFormerlyKnownAsBlackCouncil
Who: Nemesis agents and summoned Outsiders
> Theoretical members: Namshiel, Maeve, others we haven't seen
When: Some time after the events of DEAD BEAT, but before Harry's arrival in Arctis Tor in PROVEN GUILTY
> In PROVEN GUILTY, Harry advises that the attack could have taken place thousands of years ago or just minutes. The intensity of the emotions he got from the scene made it seem more recent, but the decayed bodies implied older. Some point between DEAD BEAT and Harry's raid would be enough of a window for these to both be true.
Why: Defeat Mab, Weaken Winter, Draw troops from the Gates, Free Lea, Winter Wellspring target
> As the leader of Winter, Mab is the choice target for the Outsiders to defeat. If they were able to reach her and defeat her, infected Maeve would become the person in charge of the Gates.
> The attack could have been aimed at drawing troops from the Gates. With all of Winter already on guard around Winter's borders, they might have been under the impression that others would come to the aide of Arctis Tor under attack.
> Infected Lea likely has information, albeit limited, on Nemesis and how it works. On top of that, she's a powerful ally second only to Mab in Winter. If they could free her, at minimum they'd be regaining a powerful ally and removing Mab's access to intelligence on Nemesis. At best, Lea could then turn against Mab along with the attackers, and possibly defeat her with their help. If not, then they'd at least have a powerful ally with intricate knowledge of the defense of the Gates who could help attack them from within with other forces.
> Part of me wonders if there isn't also a threat to Winter if something happens to its Wellspring. I'm not sure that it could be corrupted per se, since Mab locked up an infected Lea in it. But part of me wonders if by attacking the Wellspring with a lot of power, it might weaken Winter in some capacity, however briefly, that would help the attackers at the Gates.
Relevant Plot Points
> This theory does not explain why Winter is on guard for the full nine months between DEAD BEAT and PROVEN GUILTY. It makes sense to be on guard after the attack on Arctis Tor, but not before.
> This theory explains who there could be time enough for the bodies to have decomposed, and also a short enough time to leave the traces of hellfire in the air.