Chicago, Sanctuary City?

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Harry is clearly on a collision course with the White Council with open defiance of them.

Is this going to attract other Wizard level talents such as under the radar sorcerers, warlocks capable of redemption (and some not) and runaway apprentices abused by their Masters?

If so what would Harry do?

[Griffyn612]

You mean rush to the city that was just attacked by a Titan, will have official and unofficial mortals watching for any hint of anything supernatural, and the power is divided between vampires, the unseelie, and a gangster with a brutal reputation for anyone that gets out of line in his territory?

Sounds great to me, and I hope it happens.  I think it'll be great for Harry to build a small army.  But I don't think folks will rush into that danger.  Those that would show up will mostly likely be so bad that they'll probably sign on with Marcone rather than Harry.

[The_Sibelis]

I mean, some living space just opened up 😳
But I find it more likely the paranetters will arrive in greater numbers and occupy the castle. Like with was paranoid Gary doing in Chicago anyway? Thought he was from across the lake?

[Conspiracy Theorist]

It depends on whether the current outbreak of insanity at the White Council continues or not. There will be rumblings about Harry’s treatment (it made Michael Carpenter swear) and whilst they are afraid to move against Harry, they are likely to move against dissidents who are not one man supernatural nuclear powers. They have to to avoid falling apart.

And yes Chicago has just been through rough times but if it is seen to be openly acknowledging the supernatural that may be a big plus. your a young wizard, you meet a nice girl, everything is going terrifically until she asks what you do for a living, and then you make your excuses and leave never to see her again. Your dating choices are either other wizards (heavily male and beard orientated) or someone like the Winter Lady. No wonder Carlos is still a virgin.

When Carlos realises in Chicago he can say to an interested girl “I am a Wizard!” And she says “Cool, like Harry Dresden, do you want to show me your staff?” His loyalty to the White Council will crumble away. This is the point, the supernatural is an underground culture at the moment, Harry is trying to make it an accepted part of the mainstream culture. There is no reason Chicago cannot be the supernatural San Franscisco.

When you have the gossip pages running “Wizard of Chicago, Harry Dresden was seen at the ball with retired pornstar and Vampire Queen Lara Raith on his arm” then he has hit the mainstream, and damn me I think that is exactly what Mab’s plan is. It will be attractive to anyone tired of hiding in the shadows.

As for paranoid Gary, of course if he is going out for a drink, he is going to take a train to the next State (paying in cash) for a ticket beyond Chicago  with his bike (so no cab or Uber), and go to the most protected public place within that State, totally (he thinks) anonymously. It must have crushed him that everyone knew who he was.

[Arjan]

You mean rush to the city that was just attacked by a Titan, will have official and unofficial mortals watching for any hint of anything supernatural, and the power is divided between vampires, the unseelie, and a gangster with a brutal reputation for anyone that gets out of line in his territory?

Sounds great to me, and I hope it happens.  I think it'll be great for Harry to build a small army.  But I don't think folks will rush into that danger.  Those that would show up will mostly likely be so bad that they'll probably sign on with Marcone rather than Harry.

A lot of people are already in danger and it will be only worse. They will look for protection and that means joining a group. If Harry believably offers protection and leadership he will get followers.

When followers become retainers Harry needs to use them to generate income and that is his weak point. He can not just gather them, invade somewhere and get loot which is the traditional way of handling this.

 

[Basil]

Harry is out of the White Council and already has control of a significant group of talented people -- the Paranet.  While they are, by and large, not wizard level talents -- they have Elaine. 

Elaine is pretty close to pre-Winter Knight Harry.  She was smoother, he had more muscle. 

If you think about it, the White Council has very few people who could (or would be willing to) take on Harry.  Listens to Wind and McCoy are damaged, or won't. Good luck with the Treason charge Merlin.... Rashid can't be risked given the state of the Gates, and its not clear he would.

The Merlin of course could, but that would be a terrible risk and as good as a declaration of War against Winter.  Christos? Liberty? Mai?  Christos can throw down, but is he man enough to do so?  Liberty and Mai don't seem like fighters. 

Chandler, Yoki, Wild Bill and Ramirez might have working together.  But, Yoki and Bill are done.  Chandler is in the shadow realm and Ramirez is not up to it.  Maybe they've got some of the older wardens too, but those people were frightened of pre-Winter Knight Harry.  They probably wet their beds thinking about post-Winter Knight Harry Dresden with access to the Eye and a legion of chained horrors begging for parole.   

Captain Lucio?  I don't know that she would thrown down with Harry, but would the White Council risk that given her past relationship with Harry? Besides, she's still not as good as she had been pre-corpse taker. 

In the end, after fifteen years of war, most of their most powerful assets from a direct confrontational point of view are depleted, damaged or have questionable loyalties where Harry is involved. 

This was a stupid bluff by the Merlin.

[Avernite]

I wouldn't discount Ramirez aided by whichever those Wardens were that joined the Senior Councillors for the Battle of the Bean. Harry has only the one pair of eyes.

They'd take losses, probably grievous losses, but they'd get the job done. The White Council would stand, Harry'd be dead. That imbalance is why it's not totally a bluff.

Mind: it is still largely a bluff, since taking down Harry probably isn't worth the cost - there would be political consequences (especially when his engagement with Lara gets publicized), and unless the top fighters get involved (who you, I think rightly, discount) there would be personnel losses too.

[Arjan]

The assassin does not have to be as powerful as the target. Proper intelligence and preparation can get you far. Harry killed the summer lady after all before he was even winter knight.

[Basil]

The assassin does not have to be as powerful as the target. Proper intelligence and preparation can get you far. Harry killed the summer lady after all before he was even winter knight.

Yet another reason to be terrified of Harry.  And, everyone saw his legion of little folk at the Battle of Chicago. 

[Arjan]

Yet another reason to be terrified of Harry.  And, everyone saw his legion of little folk at the Battle of Chicago.

But also a reason for Harry to be very careful with the white council.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

The fear for the White Council is that they take their best shot...and miss. What they know about Harry is a nightmare, and what they don’t know worries them even more.

What if Harry were to give the Little Folk the order “cut the throat of every and any wizard of the White Council that you can find, whenever and wherever you can find them” the losses would quickly mount in the hundreds. Of course Harry would never give that order, BUT they could imagine themselves in Harry’s position giving that Order. Or he released the Titan with the Eye under the order “destroy the White Council and their Edinburgh stronghold in their entirety”. Or did both at the same time.

Harry could render the White Council extinct if he so wished, it is now within his known power. Of the White Council are going to pick on other wizards to make an example of them, other wizards couldn’t take them on single handed.

[Snark Knight]

Rashid can't be risked given the state of the Gates, and its not clear he would.

The "divided loyalties with Winter" angle isn't going to carry much traction with Rashid, that's for sure.

Of course, you don't really need a powerhouse to cap Harry. You'd just need someone who can veil well enough he wouldn't see it coming to wait outside his door and shoot him in the head. Carlos could get that done if he thought it was genuinely right, although I'm not sure he's that far gone.

Langtry could also contract with a supernatural mercenary like Kincaid or Grey - I'm not sure either of them would take the job, but there are probably a few others similarly dangerous. If Langtry would stoop to dealing with him, Shagnasty could probably still take Harry on the mainland.

[forumghost]

Yeah the Council can 100% deal with Harry at any time, that's not the issue, the issue is that

 A) It's bad press to do that after the guy just bound a god and saved a large portion of Chicago.

B) The Harry they're worried about is not the Harry that is. Remember that scene on Demonreach, when he realised what the Council saw when looking at him? Take that, throw in "Army of Pixies" "Horde of Demons/Gods in reserve" "Political ties to two other Magical Nations" and "Believed to have at least 2 Magical Nuke Equivalents".

So instead they kicked him out in the hopes that someone else will do their work for them.

[Mira]

Yeah the Council can 100% deal with Harry at any time, that's not the issue, the issue is that

 A) It's bad press to do that after the guy just bound a god and saved a large portion of Chicago.

B) The Harry they're worried about is not the Harry that is. Remember that scene on Demonreach, when he realised what the Council saw when looking at him? Take that, throw in "Army of Pixies" "Horde of Demons/Gods in reserve" "Political ties to two other Magical Nations" and "Believed to have at least 2 Magical Nuke Equivalents".

So instead they kicked him out in the hopes that someone else will do their work for them.

Yeah, none of it seems thought through all that much, unless they want to go after him and take him
down like they did Kemmler.  However they suspended that sentence.  Why?  Did they finally get the connection between the Blackstaff and Harry? Just weird, including the trumped up charges for doing so.. Because he killed some Turtlenecks with magic? Um couldn't that same charge be extended to Eb, Listens to Wind, and Christos, as well as Carlos and the surviving Wardens?  I go along with what Mab said about them tossing out the wolf they are afraid of.. But predicts that Harry is the wolf they are going to need. 

[Smaug with OCD]

However they suspended that sentence.  Why?   

I suspect, like Changes, it isn't actually about Harry. He's a convenient tool for the adversary/Adversary to use against Eb. Remember, Eb was harping about them using someone close to Harry in Pease Talks. And, they did. But, now they're using someone close to Eb in order to put him in a tough spot. What Eb's side of things look like, or the larger ramifications of the entire situation are... I'm not sure. But, that's the impression I got.