Peace talks, battle ground, blackstaff spoilers

[Bad Alias]

Peace Talks was always meant to be the most violent book to date, and I think the double meaning could be that the Talks are in Pieces (shattered by the machinations of the Black Council etc).

I like that.

Also, it was just the LaChaise ghoul clan.  Presumably there are other weaker clans out there.

They might be the dominant clan or just the clan chosen to attend. Kind of like how if Harry didn't know a lot about the White Court and just said Lara Raith of House Raith was at the talks.

[Second Aristh]

I like that.
They might be the dominant clan or just the clan chosen to attend. Kind of like how if Harry didn't know a lot about the White Court and just said Lara Raith of House Raith was at the talks.

There's also Peace = Piece, as slang for a firearm, so weapon-talks if we allow word play.

I'm more inclined to believe that the LaChaise clan is separate in the Accords from other ghouls (either as members of some other nation or non-members).  Officially it's the White Court, not the Raith Court.

[Snark Knight]

But what if instead, Eb does die, and gives Harry the Blackstaff.  Then he finds out that the Council voted him out, but they have to keep him against their own wishes or risk losing the staff.

I can't see him trusting Harry enough to make a final choice to pass it on to him, at this point. I suppose Harry could take it up of his own initiative if Eb just died in front of him and dropped it, though. But if an excommunicated member had possession of the blackstaff, they're eminently capable of just killing him to recover it.

I think it much more likely that his role in the fighting is going to swing the vote in his favour or get it quashed. He's going to be rolling up with a couple of KotC backing him, and it would be hard to go through a major battle without having to show soulfire and probably the heavenly weapons in front of the warden / senior council contingent. A public display of Heaven's endorsement would make it pretty hard to carry on a proceedings based on arguing he's a bad guy.

[Bad Alias]

There's also Peace = Piece, as slang for a firearm, so weapon-talks if we allow word play.

That's good too.

Officially it's the White Court, not the Raith Court.

That's my point. Harry probably knows very little about the internal structures of Ghoul politics, culture, and society. But my point of why the LaChaise clan is there as opposed to the Ghoul High King or whatever is entirely speculation.

But if an excommunicated member had possession of the blackstaff, they're eminently capable of just killing him to recover it.

Authorized. Not necessarily capable. 

He's going to be rolling up with a couple of KotC backing him.

Again. Having a Knight or two backing him has never seemed to lessen the Council's judgment of Harry. A Knight helped him kick off the war with the Reds, and three Knights helped him finish it. If I was a wizard and I knew half of the things we know about Harry, I'd be scared of kicking him off the Council. Depending on which half I knew, my position would be either be keep him or keep him or kill him outright. Making him an enemy seems foolish.

[Snark Knight]

Again. Having a Knight or two backing him has never seemed to lessen the Council's judgment of Harry. A Knight helped him kick off the war with the Reds, and three Knights helped him finish it. If I was a wizard and I knew half of the things we know about Harry, I'd be scared of kicking him off the Council. Depending on which half I knew, my position would be either be keep him or keep him or kill him outright. Making him an enemy seems foolish.

I'm not sure how open he was in his reports to the Council of Michael's involvement in GP. And the mainstream Council doesn't know the details of what went down at Chichen Itza - it's not like Eb or the Grey Council members are going to testify to what they say. They're busy pretending they don't exist and were never in the area.

Waving the evidence that an archangel trusts him with Soulfire and the Spear of Destiny under the noses of half the senior council and some of the most important wardens left standing is a little harder for them to ignore.

[Bad Alias]

They're wizards. They should know all about it. For example, we know they're were plenty of survivors at Chichen Itza because Nicodemus said so.

[Arjan]

They're wizards. They should know all about it. For example, we know they're were plenty of survivors at Chichen Itza because Nicodemus said so.

Because Nicodemus said so? 

[vultur]

I can't see him trusting Harry enough to make a final choice to pass it on to him, at this point.

I think it's pretty possible Eb will 'see the light' in BG - quite possibly while dying. Harry's apparent "death" in PT might have been enough of a shock to make him reconsider, anyway.

But if an excommunicated member had possession of the blackstaff, they're eminently capable of just killing him to recover it.

In general, yeah.

But there might be two issues in this case.

- If the Blackstaff is Mother Winter's walking stick (as seems likely) the Council killing the Winter Knight to recover it might be politically risky. Winter probably has a better right to it than the Council.

- Harry is Warden of Demonreach. It would be one thing to assassinate him, quite another to publicly announce that he was expelled from the Council and *then* come after him, since he could take refuge on Demonreach. Their best bet would be to take someone Harry cares about hostage... but after the Red Court, that might not feel very safe.

[Bad Alias]

Because Nicodemus said so? 

I think you see why I phrased it that way, but I do think we can be fairly certain that one was true. It might not actually be how he learned what happened at Chichen Itza. It could very well have been a plausible way he would have learned it. He needs to have obvious ways for people to think he learned things if he wants to keep the truth of Anduriel's ability secret. Nic didn't (and maybe still doesnt') know Harry knows.

[Arjan]

I think you see why I phrased it that way, but I do think we can be fairly certain that one was true. It might not actually be how he learned what happened at Chichen Itza. It could very well have been a plausible way he would have learned it. He needs to have obvious ways for people to think he learned things if he wants to keep the truth of Anduriel's ability secret. Nic didn't (and maybe still doesnt') know Harry knows.

It just sounds funny to bring Nicodemus words as proof for anything 

We know there were survivors. The grey council freed some of the prisoners and any half vampire young enough to survive turned human. Some of them might have fled before the freed prisoners started to kill them.

[Maz]

Nic observes from the Shadows (isn't it technically one of Anduriel's capabilities?).  It wouldn't be completely ludicrous to think he observes the Red Court throne enough to catch wind and the build up of metaphysical power for that spell was probably a solid tip-off as well.

[Mira]

Nic observes from the Shadows (isn't it technically one of Anduriel's capabilities?).  It wouldn't be completely ludicrous to think he observes the Red Court throne enough to catch wind and the build up of metaphysical power for that spell was probably a solid tip-off as well.

I'm wondering, if both survive the coming battle if Nic is going to offer Harry the Grail to heal Thomas in exchange for the Spear?  No doubt Nic through Anduriel knows all about what happened with Thomas.

[Arjan]

I'm wondering, if both survive the coming battle if Nic is going to offer Harry the Grail to heal Thomas in exchange for the Spear?  No doubt Nic through Anduriel knows all about what happened with Thomas.

Not all. He does not know what happened on the island.

[Mira]

Not all. He does not know what happened on the island.

That is assuming that Anduriel cannot penetrate the island's shielding.  However he'd know where Harry was headed with Thomas on the boat, and he knows that Thomas did not come back on the boat.  He also knows the kind of shape Thomas is in and what Lara was trying to do.  I wouldn't be totally shocked if he knew what the purpose of the island was as well.

[Arjan]

That is assuming that Anduriel cannot penetrate the island's shielding.  However he'd know where Harry was headed with Thomas on the boat, and he knows that Thomas did not come back on the boat.  He also knows the kind of shape Thomas is in and what Lara was trying to do.  I wouldn't be totally shocked if he knew what the purpose of the island was as well.

Kringle said so and if you can not trust Father Christmas who can you trust?