Black Council and the White Council Stupidity BG Spoilers

[Psyklone]

Now that I've had a few days to cope with my new trauma, thanks Jim,  I have had some thoughts regarding the Black and White council.

1. Carlos, definitely something not right with him.  We know from over the years, that Carlos was a representative of the new age of wizards, and they preferred the way Harry did things.  We also know, that EVERYONE knows, but does not speak of the Black Council.  Carlos brought it up with Harry, calling them Black Hats.  Carlos used to be fun loving and arrogant, but he has done a complete overhaul character wise.  Changes happen in wars yes, but a complete change with his character doesn't really track.  So my thinking is perhaps he was Black Council from the start.  After all, the wizards that were taken off the board in this book were mostly ones that had a favorable impression of Harry.

2. The Black Council has been background for far too long.  Harry has been dealing with Monsters for how many books now?  If Christos is not BC then whomever pulls his strings is imo.  It will be interesting to see just how they managed to corrupt the WC so thoroughly since Turn Coat.

3. The White Council, yeah, where to start?   Leadership.  It always comes down to leadership with an organization.  Langstry has completely screwed himself, if he is still alive/not nemesis etc...  They had the BC spy pegged to what 3 or 4 high level people, how many years ago, and since then the WC has become even more of a dumpster fire?  That tells us that either A) The BC is leagues/galaxies smarter than the Senior Council wizards, or B) the BC has already taken complete control of the WC, and are just hiding in plain site from the normies.

4.  The good guys on the WC.  We are fairly safe to assume that the majority of the WC and a good portion, at least, of the Senior Council, are still "good".    If they were all corrupted, they would not be able to hide from Rashid, or the Unseelie Court, mostly Mab and Odin.  So, that then leads me to WTH are the good guys doing?  They (K)now that Harry is a good guy.  Rashid spoke for him even after GS.   Martha Liberty, LTW, Eb firmly on his side, even though they have to play it cool politics wise.  Where has Captain Luccio been/gone?  She didn't just disappear.  The new generation of wardens already had a schism with the old ways of doing things simply because they were the new generation, so why are they so easy to write of Harry? Finally, tally up all the times Harry has assisted/saved the WC over the years.  Are wizards just stupid and forgetful?  If they aren't, then they are damned cowards to throw him away simply because of the White Knight status...

5. The Grey council.  I refuse to believe they haven't been gathering information and moving forward since Changes.  So where are they?  A lot happened on the surface in BG, as two of the Grey council were actively fighting, but what was happening in the background?   What kept everyone so busy that ALL of the White Council couldn't be bothered to protect humanity from the most blatant attack from the other side in centuries.  Seriously, they sent 4 of the senior council yes, but only 7 or so wardens?

I'll have more thoughts later, but this is plenty to start with.
Cheers.

[Mira]

5. The Grey council.  I refuse to believe they haven't been gathering information and moving forward since Changes.  So where are they?  A lot happened on the surface in BG, as two of the Grey council were actively fighting, but what was happening in the background?   What kept everyone so busy that ALL of the White Council couldn't be bothered to protect humanity from the most blatant attack from the other side in centuries.  Seriously, they sent 4 of the senior council yes, but only 7 or so wardens?

They maybe having some influence.  Remember the Merlin was surprisingly one of the members that showed up at C.I. in Changes.  He might be the one that actually got Harry's latest death sentence suspended.  I wouldn't be shocked if Christos backed him up, he knew the whole of what Harry did in Chicago along with Martha Liberty who didn't as far as we know suffer any injuries. 

[Arjan]

They maybe having some influence.  Remember the Merlin was surprisingly one of the members that showed up at C.I. in Changes.  He might be the one that actually got Harry's latest death sentence suspended.  I wouldn't be shocked if Christos backed him up, he knew the whole of what Harry did in Chicago along with Martha Liberty who didn't as far as we know suffer any injuries.

How do you know the Merlin was in CI? There was no big ward or something telling. There was loads of speculation but never something solid.

[Telynn]

1. Carlos, definitely something not right with him.  We know from over the years, that Carlos was a representative of the new age of wizards, and they preferred the way Harry did things.  We also know, that EVERYONE knows, but does not speak of the Black Council.  Carlos brought it up with Harry, calling them Black Hats.  Carlos used to be fun loving and arrogant, but he has done a complete overhaul character wise.  Changes happen in wars yes, but a complete change with his character doesn't really track.  So my thinking is perhaps he was Black Council from the start.  After all, the wizards that were taken off the board in this book were mostly ones that had a favorable impression of Harry.

I think a BIG change for Carlos was the events with Molly.

[Rigil Kent]

I think a BIG change for Carlos was the events with Molly.

I definitely agree with that. As I recall, he very nearly died and still hasn't fully recovered. Combine that with all of the events that Harry's been involved in from an outside perspective and it does look like Harry's gone to the dark side. Throw in some ignorance on both sides - Carlos thinks Harry knows what happened with Molly, Harry doesn't have a clue about that, yet Harry keeps low-key threatening to sic Molly on Carlos (even if that's not what Harry meant, it's easy to see Carlos interpreting it that way) - and it does sort of explain why he's changed...

[Mira]

I think a BIG change for Carlos was the events with Molly.

  I agree, there is a reason why that short story was written, and it was to set up this very thing.
One of the first things that Molly should have found out when she got the mantle is the rules regarding sex with mortals.  Especially in the light of the shenanigans that Maeve pulled you'd think that Mab would have made sure she learned it.  But I can see where it would totally screw with Carlos's head, his confidence, and create resentment towards the Winter Court.

How do you know the Merlin was in CI? There was no big ward or something telling. There was loads of speculation but never something solid.

Yeah, you are right, I remembered the wrong Merlin, however the tall lean guy that was never named could have been the Merlin.  Especially in the light of his little talk to Harry earlier in the book.  Eb's attitude towards little Maggie is different also.  He simply asks Harry what he is goint to do with her?  Harry answers, "what he sees fit.."  Eb doesn't question that.

[Bad Alias]

What kept everyone so busy that ALL of the White Council couldn't be bothered to protect humanity from the most blatant attack from the other side in centuries.  Seriously, they sent 4 of the senior council yes, but only 7 or so wardens?

Didn't a bunch of Wardens show up with Marcone?

[Psyklone]

Didn't a bunch of Wardens show up with Marcone?

I'll have to go back and check, but I don't think so.  Even if they did, that right there is grounds to sue for the council vote to be invalidated.  What the hell did the wardens do, not kill the enemy?

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I think a BIG change for Carlos was the events with Molly.

Carlos is not going to be right until he gets laid, preferably in some epic fashion so that the loss of his virginity adds to, not subtracts from its epic nature. I think maybe it going to come to a head at Harry and Lara’s wedding. Her bridesmaids will be her sisters, so perhaps Carlos loses his virginity to ALL of them, and lives, and they all sing his praises.

We will also get the whole story from LTW about the Starborn, I think he was referring to the Grey Council and not the White when he was taking about the others.

I think we will also see the end of Lord Raith, the wedding cements Lara’s power, perhaps at Eb’s hands/staff, and an explanation that Raith’s curse is tied to Thomas and Harry, in putting Thomas in stasis, Harry protected the curse in the event of his death. Both Eb and Lara need to realise that. Killing Thomas and Harry would have mean’t Raith would have been free to feed, pull out of the Accords in the battle and regain control over Lara.

[Arjan]

Lara knows. She heard everything that happened in the deeps between Harry and her father.

[Smaug with OCD]

Carlos is not going to be right until he gets laid, preferably in some epic fashion so that the loss of his virginity adds to, not subtracts from its epic nature. I think maybe it going to come to a head at Harry and Lara’s wedding. Her bridesmaids will be her sisters, so perhaps Carlos loses his virginity to ALL of them, and lives, and they all sing his praises.

I hate to disappoint. But, I doubt this will happen. We still need a virgin for the Holy Grail quest when Nick returns...

[Doughnut Despot]

You know what really gets me is the Wizard body count. How many young wizards have been killed in the mess going on between WC rules, the war with Red Court, and now this. There can't be many young wizards left, it's all old folks and newbies. The mid-tier is wrecked and that's a huge near future problem.

[Snark Knight]

They (K)now that Harry is a good guy.  Rashid spoke for him even after GS.   Martha Liberty, LTW, Eb firmly on his side, even though they have to play it cool politics wise.

Langtry struck at the right time by calling the death sentence vote while LtW and McCoy were in surgery, and Rashid was occupied at the outer gates. Martha was apparently put off enough by him killing turtlenecks and frightened by the stunt with the Little Folk to flip her support, although getting the death sentence suspended might have been a concession she extracted.

[Mira]

Langtry struck at the right time by calling the death sentence vote while LtW and McCoy were in surgery, and Rashid was occupied at the outer gates. Martha was apparently put off enough by him killing turtlenecks and frightened by the stunt with the Little Folk to flip her support, although getting the death sentence suspended might have been a concession she extracted.

 I think it is an attempt to control Harry, they really don't want him dead, they just want to control him.  They also want access to the super weapons now in his possession.  Their mistake is thinking they can freak Harry out by putting back under what amounts to the Doom. 

[Bacail]

Langtry struck at the right time by calling the death sentence vote while LtW and McCoy were in surgery, and Rashid was occupied at the outer gates. Martha was apparently put off enough by him killing turtlenecks and frightened by the stunt with the Little Folk to flip her support, although getting the death sentence suspended might have been a concession she extracted.

I think Langtry is still actively working against Harry.  By hanging a suspended death sentence on him to be carried out by Eb, he now has a handle on Ebenezer.  He can just order Harry's death, something he knows damn well Eb won't want to do.  All Langtry has to do is threaten to have the sentence carried out to keep Eb in line.  He now has a means to control Eb, which will come to a head at some point im sure.