Cowl's Identity [FPOTM2 11.2016]

[Quantus]

Honestly, I think that if Cowl isn't a future Dresden, then he must be an unknown-yet-important person.  Aside from McCoy, I can't think of anyone else that's really putting off a "more than they seem" vibe...  but then again, I always believed that Maeve was exactly what she seemed, and that all fell apart.

Hmm, so instead of "Who is giving off the Secrets Vibe" perhaps the question should be "Who technically works but is the last person you'd expect?"

Ill start the Bidding with: "Ancient Mai"?

Edit: OK, not true - Andi also is putting off a "more than they seem" vibe. But in Andi's case, it's more of an "I'm partially paralyzed" or "I suffered brain damage" vibe than an "I'm a secret dark lord" vibe.

from what I recall, even more suspicion was falling on the conveniently returned Alpha (Marci?).   

[DonBugen]

I see your Ancient Mai, and counter with a bodyswapped Kim Delaney. 

[DonBugen]

OK, so sorry for the double-post, but I was thinking of some of the other popular choices.  I'm not sure if I believe that Gregori Cristos has it within himself to be Cowl.  Despite my feelings on Ebenezer, I do agree with his assessment of Cristos - he just seems too stupid to really be Cowl, who was by far one of the most intelligent foes Dresden has faced.  I feel that if Cowl was revealed to be Cristos, then it would kind of be an anticlimax - "Oh, it was always you?  What was I even worried about?"

DuMorne would be interesting, but didn't Harry see Justin's corpse?  Or am I misremembering something?  Then again, Aleron LaFortier is listed and has a vote, and I think that's about as likely as Mister being Cowl...  who... also has a vote.

Hail Mister!

[Quantus]

OK, so sorry for the double-post, but I was thinking of some of the other popular choices.  I'm not sure if I believe that Gregori Cristos has it within himself to be Cowl.  Despite my feelings on Ebenezer, I do agree with his assessment of Cristos - he just seems too stupid to really be Cowl, who was by far one of the most intelligent foes Dresden has faced.  I feel that if Cowl was revealed to be Cristos, then it would kind of be an anticlimax - "Oh, it was always you?  What was I even worried about?"

DuMorne would be interesting, but didn't Harry see Justin's corpse?  Or am I misremembering something?  Then again, Aleron LaFortier is listed and has a vote, and I think that's about as likely as Mister being Cowl...  who... also has a vote.

Hail Mister!

Im in the Justin Is Dead Camp, but by his own admission Harry's memories of that day are pretty fuzzy.  The Wardens seems confident he was dead, enough to Charge Harry, but I dont think they ever really described the physical evidence.

[DonBugen]

I dunno - if Harry got off on a technicality in the aftermath of Bianca's party because they couldn't prove that the human bodies found in the burned house weren't already dead, then would the council really charge Harry for breaking the first law if there was no body in the ruins of DuMorne's house?

Or, oo, better question - if there was a body, and it wasn't DuMorne's, then who? It's clear from Dead Beat that Harry's already very familiar with necromancy; he doesn't need to lean on Bob's knowledge to answer Butters' in-depth questions.  Maybe DuMorne had a spare corpse around that was merely mistaken as him, and he escaped just like Elaine?

I like that.  Justin doesn't sound like such a crazy option now.  I'm still in the "It's Harry" camp, but "It's Justin" would be my second guess.

[wardenferry419]

I have felt that Justin was pretty week and not so intelligent to get his butt handed to him by a teenaged apprentice. Cowl has to be senior council level and not warden level. Someone with vast experience to amass knowledge and power and a laser focus on long term plans.

[Quantus]

I have felt that Justin was pretty week and not so intelligent to get his butt handed to him by a teenaged apprentice. Cowl has to be senior council level and not warden level. Someone with vast experience to amass knowledge and power and a laser focus on long term plans.

To be fair, if he's Cowl then he didnt actually loose since he survived and thrived, and evidence is that at best he got his butt handed to him by a Walker that was using a Teenager as a catspaw. With a side of sidhe magic feather I suppose. 

[wardenferry419]

Possible, but I am leaning towards current or former member of Senior Council.

[Zaphodess]

Time to quote that WoJ again:

Okay, I just wanna say I finished reading Proven Guilty  just a while ago and I have a real quick question before the serious interview:  "Justin's behind everything, isn't he?"
Justin's dead...look, look...he's dead, he's dead.
Dead, dead?
Jim:  He's dead!
Very dead?
Jim:  D-E-D dead.
Are you ever gonna change your answer, dead?
Jim:  Dead.

Ok, some people are n***s and beliebe that because Jim repeated it so often it absolutely has to mean that Justin is alive. 

But I don't think that's Jim's style. If he wanted to leave some wiggle room, he'd have come up with an elaborate answer that did leave said wiggle room.

[DonBugen]

"Well, yeah, but Harry died and he's doing alright."

Yeah, I had forgotten about that particular WOJ.  OK, so no Justin; time-travelling alternate future Harry Dresden it is.

[Priscellie]

Time to quote that WoJ again:
Ok, some people are n***s and beliebe that because Jim repeated it so often it absolutely has to mean that Justin is alive. 

But I don't think that's Jim's style. If he wanted to leave some wiggle room, he'd have come up with an elaborate answer that did leave said wiggle room.

...Come again? What is that n-word you asterisked out, because I hope like hell it isn't the only n-word that's coming to my mind.

[Griffyn612]

...Come again? What is that n-word you asterisked out, because I hope like hell it isn't the only n-word that's coming to my mind.

My hope was "nerds".  Or "nuts", with an extra asterisk. 

[Shift8]

Or nutts, as in with two t's.

I think it is fairly obvious it isn't the word you all are suspecting.

[knnn]

*nitpickers*?

[Priscellie]

None of those words are worth censoring, though.