Molly's Doppelganger Ring Crafting

[Hagbard Celine]

Something struck me in the scene where Harry summons Molly in order to get her to craft the doppelganger ring for him.

"Hah!" she said, grinning.  Then her expression sobered. "I've done some work like it lately..."

Did she make some sort of shapeshifting or doppelganger magic item in a short story or something that I missed?  Or is there someone else running around Peace Talks while not currently in their body and/or shapeshifted/altered?

[Yuillegan]

Oooh! Great pick up!

Of course Jim would introduce such a tool to play a sucker punch. The question is who, and why, and why Molly had to do it?

[TrueMonk]

If Mab knew that Ethnui would start a fight at the peace talks then it could be for Mab? Winter must have expected the Fomors to betray them in some form, so having Mab secure by her only being present via dobbleganger would be one way to reduce the risk significantly.

[Mira]

If Mab knew that Ethnui would start a fight at the peace talks then it could be for Mab? Winter must have expected the Fomors to betray them in some form, so having Mab secure by her only being present via dobbleganger would be one way to reduce the risk significantly.

Yeah, it would be a kicker if the Mab that Ethnui thought she had shoved through several walls, was merely a dobbleganger.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

There is no need for a similar ring for either Mab or Molly as both are immortal. It requires magic to work this so unless there is an external power source, it is required for a practitioner. The only other practitioner Mab is on good terms with is Rashid. Rashid hasn’t appeared yet in Peace Talks, if he appears in Battle Ground, could it be via Doppleganger allowing him to be both at the Outer Gates AND at the Senior Council voting on Harry? The Outer Gates are far even for the GateKeeper and Mab likes her forward planning.

[ClintACK]

If Mab knew that Ethnui would start a fight at the peace talks then it could be for Mab? Winter must have expected the Fomors to betray them in some form, so having Mab secure by her only being present via dobbleganger would be one way to reduce the risk significantly.

I like this. A lot.

Added bonus: The Outsiders staged a massive attack at the Outer Gates, thinking Mab was pinned down in Chicago dealing with Ethniu (and couldn't leave without risking the Accords falling apart), but Surprise! She's actually right there at the Gates ready to beat them down.

[Avernite]

How about... it was given to Lara Raith, she used it to send a doppelganger of Thomas to attack the Svartalves, but Thomas was too close so got caught in the crossfire.

[Logistics515]

There is no need for a similar ring for either Mab or Molly as both are immortal. It requires magic to work this so unless there is an external power source, it is required for a practitioner. The only other practitioner Mab is on good terms with is Rashid. Rashid hasn’t appeared yet in Peace Talks, if he appears in Battle Ground, could it be via Doppleganger allowing him to be both at the Outer Gates AND at the Senior Council voting on Harry? The Outer Gates are far even for the GateKeeper and Mab likes her forward planning.

In the long term it probably wouldn't matter - they are immortal and would come back. But Bob implies that pulling themselves back together is something that takes a reasonable amount of time, months or years. Normally that probably wouldn't be an issue - to the point no one would bother to try.

But I suspect time is rapidly becoming something that is in short supply. "Killing" an immortal, even temporarily, might be useful if events are moving fast enough that mere months or years might make the difference to any number of schemes. Such as the end of the world starting to ramp up.

[Yuillegan]

If Mab knew that Ethnui would start a fight at the peace talks then it could be for Mab? Winter must have expected the Fomors to betray them in some form, so having Mab secure by her only being present via dobbleganger would be one way to reduce the risk significantly.

Except do you really think Ethniu would have been fooled? And why would Molly need to create the doppleganger ring for Mab (Mab could easily do it herself)? Not to mention, after that assault wouldn't the doppelganger have been destroyed. If Mab had been "destroyed" I would be more inclined to believe this theory. But as it stands, I don't think this is the case.

Also, I don't think anyone even thought Ethniu was coming to the Peace Talks. They were expecting the Fomor lead by King Corb. The whole point is that those who were thought forgotten, defeated, banished etc are with the Fomor - and Ethniu had long been forgotten.
*Sidenote: Ethniu was such a bizarre choice as far as the current novel goes. She is hardly significant in terms of the pantheon of the Fomor. However, I do believe that there are reasons Jim chose her beyond "surprise minor character is actually big bad".

Back to the topic. Rashid seems like a good candidate...but I don't think he would need Molly either.

Whoever Molly created the similar doppleganger item for, they would need to be not as magically powerful AND skillful as Molly, they would have a sudden need for the item, and they would need to have some fairly okay relationship with Winter (if not Molly) and they would also have had to have a reason to pick Winter and Molly specifically (there are plenty of other beings that could probably do this magic).

SO - Who does that leave? Thomas would have been good (thanks Avernite) but I doubt Demonreach would have been fooled. Austri or Etri perhaps? They were/are on good terms with Molly and Winter. But considering Svartalves propensity for creating incredible magical artifacts...it also doesn't add up.

Justine perhaps - if Thomas was trying to keep her safe. But where would he get the idea? Does he even know such things can be done?

Marcone has the same issue - knowledge. Not to mention, why do it? And why not use Monoc Securities?

I doubt any of the Knights of the Cross would bother either.

So my only guess left is that maybe Molly did it for her own troops. Perhaps to misdirect enemies and convince observers that there is a large force somewhere it isn't, while the real force gets in position.

[morriswalters]

How about... it was given to Lara Raith, she used it to send a doppelganger of Thomas to attack the Svartalves, but Thomas was too close so got caught in the crossfire.

What wasdid she get for the first favor? And is Lara the doppleganger?

[Melriken]

Molly doesn't say she has made a doppelganger ring lately, she says she has done some work like it lately...

An item that lets you create and control an illusion would be like it, regardless of what that illusion was.  But she could also be talking about an invisibility ring, or a scrying item, or some other partial match. It doesn't have to create an illusion, much less one of yourself.

A magic item that makes a bomb look like a bunch of flowers might even qualify, especially if you activate it by dropping it on the bomb (or other item you want to look like flowers).

[Conspiracy Theorist]

It may be in a short story yet to be published or even written.

[Mira]

Except do you really think Ethniu would have been fooled? And why would Molly need to create the doppleganger ring for Mab (Mab could easily do it herself)? Not to mention, after that assault wouldn't the doppelganger have been destroyed. If Mab had been "destroyed" I would be more inclined to believe this theory. But as it stands, I don't think this is the case.

She isn't a wizard, even if she is the Winter Queen.  If Mab made it Ethniu might be able to detect it or there was the fear.  I'd think that Harry could make one, but he was pretty busy, Mab may have been also.

[vultur]

*Sidenote: Ethniu was such a bizarre choice as far as the current novel goes. She is hardly significant in terms of the pantheon of the Fomor. However, I do believe that there are reasons Jim chose her beyond "surprise minor character is actually big bad".

I think the idea is that Balor is dead (killed by Lugh, as in mythology) and Ethniu is his heir.

[Hagbard Celine]

There are lots of possibilities.  Harry's ring didn't just create a duplicate, it let him work magic through his constructed self, projecting his consciousness into it.  So it's not merely an illusion, it's the ability to create a sock puppet construct that you can act through.