The Brute Squad

[peregrine]

No, it was a sign of their desperation against Kemmler, imo

Kemmler's long dead.  Why would they still have a brute squad if it was just a sign of their desperation against him?

[groinkick]

Kemmler's long dead.  Why would they still have a brute squad if it was just a sign of their desperation against him?

Don't know if they even had the brute squad when Archangel was attacked.  Only mentioned when they were involved with Kemmler I think.  In the Dresdenverse there is also ways to ensure trust.  It's pretty dangerous for a wizard to make an agreement, and then go back on their word.  So if there was/is a Brute Squad, and they are as their name implies, I'd guess that they had to give their word to not betray the ones they fought alongside.

[Rasins]

Why would they still have a Brute Squad?

Well, Simon was the Council's vampire expert.
Simon had a "brute squad"

Could it be that the Wouncil knew of the upcoming Rampire hostilities and were preparing for it?

[Mr. Death]

Why would they still have a Brute Squad?

Well, Simon was the Council's vampire expert.
Simon had a "brute squad"

Could it be that the Wouncil knew of the upcoming Rampire hostilities and were preparing for it?

The only reference we have to the "brute squad" as a thing is about Kemmler, so signs point to "no."

If the White Council knew about the upcoming hostilities, they wouldn't have gotten spanked so bad in the early days of the war.

[groinkick]

The only reference we have to the "brute squad" as a thing is about Kemmler, so signs point to "no."

If the White Council knew about the upcoming hostilities, they wouldn't have gotten spanked so bad in the early days of the war.

That's true.  Not only that but Archangel sounds like it may have been a type of military arm of the White Council which is why it was the first thing hit by the Red Court.   Taking out the more unconventional/extreme weapons of the Council.

[Zaphodess]

That's true.  Not only that but Archangel sounds like it may have been a type of military arm of the White Council which is why it was the first thing hit by the Red Court.   Taking out the more unconventional/extreme weapons of the Council.

I don't think so. It was the home of a Senior Council member who happened to be the WC Vampire expert. There were other wizards there. Makes it a good enough target in itself.

[wardenferry419]

It would be nice to have a Dirty Dozen, wizard style, mission that involves Harry and many other of the Council's more troublesome wizards.

[Mr. Death]

It would be nice to have a Dirty Dozen, wizard style, mission that involves Harry and many other of the Council's more troublesome wizards.

I was always under the impression that the vast majority of White Council wizards towed the line pretty well, and that Harry was very much an outlier.

Which opens a more interesting possibility -- a Dirty Dozen, wizard style mission that involves Harry and suspected warlocks.

[kazimmoinuddin]

I wonder how many potential or accused magic users are out there, deemed to be warlocks. Imagine if the council offers sometching like a pardon if they agree to aid the wardens in the conflict.

[LordDresden2]

I was always under the impression that the vast majority of White Council wizards towed the line pretty well, and that Harry was very much an outlier.

I'm sure that's true, to a large extent.  The other outliers, though, would probably be the very people who either eventually end up on the Senior Council...or dead.  JB has implied that Arthur, Eb, and Injun Joe were just as wild as Harry in their misspent youth, around the time of the French and Indian War.

Also, have you noticed that a lot of Wizards with 'questionable' talents end up as Wardens?  Harry is one example.  Steed is another.  Steed is a chronomancer whose time talents are very useful to the Council, but also press close against the Fifth Law.  So they made him a Warden where he could be useful and at the same time the other Wardens could keep a close eye on him.  I'd hazard a suspicion that a lot of Wizards with 'borderline' powers, in Law terms, end up as Wardens.

One of the possibilities Harry saw in Molly's soulgaze was Molly as a Warden.  Molly has borderline talents in mind magic and mental manipulation, so she's both a possible source of trouble and a good candidate for recruitment as a Warden.

I'll bet we'd find a whole bunch of Wizards with 'edgy' powers if we went through the ranks of the Wardens and the Senior Council.

[LordDresden2]

I wonder how many potential or accused magic users are out there, deemed to be warlocks. Imagine if the council offers sometching like a pardon if they agree to aid the wardens in the conflict.

If things got desperate enough, I could imagine the Council authorizing that.  Dropping the Doom of Damocles, or diluting it, and giving the survivors 'one more chance' without it.

I see just one big practical problem, though.  While there might be 'pardonable' offenders out there, people who broke a Law and haven't fallen all the way into warlockhood, some of them will have, and a 'suicide squad' wouldn't want the latter, they'd be a bigger threat to the team than to the enemy, at best.

So the Council would have to made a determination of the salvageability of the candidates, and then what happens to the ones who flunk?  So I can't picture fugitives responding to a possible amnesty offer that might also include a death sentence.

But if you already had a group of captive Lawbreakers who looked like they might be worth a risk, in an extreme emergency...yeah, I could maybe see the SC authorizing it.

[Con]

I wonder how many potential or accused magic users are out there, deemed to be warlocks. Imagine if the council offers sometching like a pardon if they agree to aid the wardens in the conflict.

I think Hannah Ascher could kinda fit the bill at least when she was fighting for The Order of St. Giles.

In terms of a Brute Squad, I like the idea as well although I imagine it to be half a dozen wizards at most if only so every character could get decent screen time. It's hard to spread that across a dozen characters.

I've always wondered why Wizards don't team up together more, I mean it's implied with operations and battles in the war, but still you'd think with hundreds of years to form an organisation they'd have more systematic back up.