Fate of the original Merlin

[Snark Knight]

So I was thinking about the WOJ that Harry missed something when he was looking at the runes on the buildings on Demonreach, namely that they were similar to the Hag's ascension ritual in Welcome to the Jungle. So I reread that and noticed that Bob and Harry described it differently from the Darkhallow, as "makes you more of what you already are" rather than "poof, instant dark god".

Jim has ruled out Merlin being the English prisoner. So, what if he used an ascension ritual to turn himself into Alfred? Took the 'if you want it done right, do it yourself' approach rather than finding an existing genius loci to build around.

[morriswalters]

Why would he have he have such a close relationship with the island? And it has been around since the last ice age.


How could Jim be both telling the truth and lying at the same time? 

[Snark Knight]

The time travel to create the prison in the past pretty much waves away any timeline issues.

Although you're right about Jim maybe being deceptive. If the prisoner is Merlin, that would be a pretty good case for him having to lie to preserve an important plot surprise.

[morriswalters]

The prison was built in five times at once. Isn't kinda dull to think all of those times were in the past. But how could Jim be both lying and telling the truth about the prisoner? An overt lie is so gauche.

[kbrizzle]

I took the fact that runes on Demonreach are for an ascension ritual to mean that in case of apocalypse, the Warden of the island would perform a Darkhallow on the island & absorb the prisoners to become powerful enough to deal with the universe-ending threat.

That being said, it doesn’t negate the point @Snark Knight is making, although personally I’d like to see Merlin in action as a mortal wizard & not as a genius loci.

[morriswalters]

Well the biggest problem is how the ascension ritual is described.  It makes you more of whatever you are.  And more Merlin isn't Demonreach is it?

[Mira]

Two things, the original Merlin wouldn't speak with what we know today as an "English" accent.. He existed long before that was spoken..  Jim often gives bad guys an English accent, if I remember right HWWB spoke with an English accent.

In in mythology the Lady of the Lake tangled him in a thornbush and there he sleeps till this day..

[kbrizzle]

@morriswalters
I agree. The fact that the runes make one more of what they are kinda lend credence to the theory that Harry will one day perform a Darkhallow on Demonreach but will need help in his fight against the sheer amount of black magic that would be unleashed from such a spell - it probably is what will keep Harry as Harry & not a crazed necro-god.

[Snark Knight]

Two things, the original Merlin wouldn't speak with what we know today as an "English" accent.. He existed long before that was spoken..  Jim often gives bad guys an English accent, if I remember right HWWB spoke with an English accent.

That was telepathy though, not a vocal conversation. Harry probably assigns attitudes of vague superiority as sounding British largely thanks to his experience with Langtry.

[Mira]

That was telepathy though, not a vocal conversation. Harry probably assigns attitudes of vague superiority as sounding British largely thanks to his experience with Langtry.

  How do we know that isn't how he is communicating with the "British" prisoner?   I also doubt that the original Merlin would use British slang like, "piss off.."