Mab is cleaning up the White Court

[g33k]

Lord Raith used a different ritual for powering the entropy curse, he most likely would only bother to commit the Summoning of Outsiders to memory. As a backstop he isn’t mortal and can’t summon himself where the summoner has to be a mortal, but he can teach the ritual to someone else. That way the Archive can’t “see” the stored information. Raith is a living book.

Raith had to learn the Summons somewhere.  Almost certainly from a book, though I suppose an Outsider -- or one of their mortal minions -- could have taught it to him.  Apparently Papa Raith's library is pretty impressive.  I honestly don't think reducing it would occur to him.

But given the Oblivion War tactics are (mostly) about destroying books, I am going to allege that avoiding writing Summoning-Rituals isn't a likely tactic for the Outsider-allies!

I'm entirely unclear that Outsiders would realize that the Archive -- whose obvious function is preserving all knowledge -- is orchestrating the entire Oblivion War... and therefore wouldn't know to try and keep secrets from her.
 

[Ed0517]

• (I have a WAG that) Margaret may have hinted to Papa that she had set "special" protections on Thomas, and Papa was unwilling to risk it after she had blocked his ability to Feed his Hunger

an interesting idea, but I think by now that info would have leaked thru Lara. Earlier in the series, I'd have given it a better chance.

Over the (many) years, I expect Raith had been hit with magic more than once, within sight of other Whamps (particularly his daughters (who seemed to act as personal bodyguards?)).  That he had some sort of protection seems unlikely to be a well-kept secret.  The details, though... I suspect he intentionally dropped multiple contradictory hints.  Make a maze of dead-end clues, swim in a school of red herrings.  Show up as having a unique & potent ability, that nobody understands.

They have some anti-magic tech. Those arm wraps they used in the duels. put something similar looking inti his suits. When he is attacked they glow. They are not draining magic, he has them on battery power.

[Ed0517]

Lord Raith wasn't AFAIK any kind of "native" talent.  All his magic was cast by following written instructions.  The Archive already knows all the stuff in his library, Lara doesn't have to tell him.

She may not have connected the dots.  There's always a lot of info out there and people do not realize how much or how it links.

1) Tom Clancy was supposedly brought in and asked where he got classified info - and he showed them public sources. They were shocked it was out there.

2) A Princeton undergrad named John Aristotle Philips designed an atomic bomb in the 70s. Not just theory, specifics to build it. Demonstrated all public sources. A lot of people flipped.

3) A day or two before D day

Lara would have to tell the Archive he connected the dots if she learned he had.

Ask a computer geek - it's the difference between data and information. Sorting thru the data to get something usable. 

[g33k]

an interesting idea, but I think by now that info would have leaked thru Lara. Earlier in the series, I'd have given it a better chance.

The WAG (an offhand idea, really; but we need some reason that Raith Sr. had killed all his other sons, but Thomas lived to adulthood).

]Margaret could have hinted -- over the first few years of Thomas' life, where she was being Raith's "senior concubine" -- that she intended her son to LIVE, and had laid some subtle and dangerous warding on Thomas.  Raith figured (a) he had years to break down Margaret's resistance, before Thomas' first kill & the awakening of his Hunger; & (b) his own protections would likely suffice, anyhow.

Then Margaret went walkabout.  That eliminated (a) ... and made Raith mad as hell:  no woman should be ABLE to reject him!  So he tracked her down and had her killed... and her death-curse got him despite his protections!  Which, obviously, rendered (b) moot too.

And then Thomas showed absolutely zero inclination to "play politics."  So Papa Raith played the long waiting game.

As for Lara -- Thomas ascribes her hands-off approach to him as being a limited bit of family loyalty... but what if she's worried about whatever protections Margaret left on Thomas?

Margaret LeFay escaped her father at the peak of his powers, and then managed to land a curse on him that lasted for decades.  And Harry... well, Lara has seen Harry in action.   He saw through her papa's charade, in just one night.  He killed a bunch of baddies in the Deeps, including summoning lava in Chicago.  And then, when there was no way to survive, he saved them both.  Lara was giving the sexuality her all... and Harry used her for sex, instead of succumbing.  He took the full force of a Whamp, and channeled it into his willpower in an entirely non-erotic fashion.  At this point, Lara is likely very cautious about the abilities of that family!

They have some anti-magic tech. Those arm wraps they used in the duels.

  I think those arm-bands were a unique item, probably stolen, traded... even bought (from Svartalves?).  They could even have been White Council work (I'm sure at least a few wizards have gotten Whamp-whammied over the years, and served the White Court in return for some o' that sweet, sweet luvvin' (or, as noted, straight-up theft)).

... put something similar looking inti his suits. When he is attacked they glow. They are not draining magic, he has them on battery power. 

I don't have my copy of Blood Rites to hand (grrrr).  I'd like to look at the descriptions of the protections on Lord Raith, vs the ones in the armbands.  I don't remember them being similar (the glowy runes, etc).

[morriswalters]

Your wish is my command.  From Blood Rites.

I reached out through the cane for Lord Raith—

And felt nothing. Not just empty air and drifting dust, but nothing. A cold and somehow hungry emptiness that filled the space where he should have been. I'd felt something like it before, when I'd been near a mote of one of the deadliest substances that any world of flesh or spirit had ever known. My power, my magic, the flowing spirit of life, just vanished into it without getting near Raith.

I couldn't touch him. The void around him was so absolute, I knew without needing to doubt that there was nothing in my arsenal of arcane skills that could affect him.

The glow is from Raith using his stored reserves to heal himself.

Then Raith's flesh began to glow. His shirt was in shreds, and he tore it from him with a negligent gesture. His skin became suffused with a pale light once more, and I saw his body rippling weirdly around an ungainly hole left of his navel. He was healing.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

The allusion is to Mordite which is congealed anti-life and associated with Outsiders. The Archive had a lump, which as the force behind the Oblivion War may be expected to have been captured in the course of that War. Hades had several lumps as his Crown, again the Greek Gods led the defence of the Outer Gates before Winter and these could be expected to spoils of war. Peabody had the Mist RaithWraith used to attack the White Council. That is why it is likely Raith’s protector is an Outsider.

[morriswalters]

I'll take your word for it.  Butcher has been inconsistent on this point, to state it mildly.

The arm wraps in White Knight were some kind of magical artifact.  I didn't have time to look at the relevant text earlier.  Here it is now.

Glitters of golden light ran up and down the symbols on the cloth strips wrapped around his arms. I understood, then. Ramirez's second shot had been a demonstration.

"He's warded!" Ramirez snarled.

One thing is not like the other.  Madrigal was warded and Papa Raith had something else.

[seanham]

The WAG (an offhand idea, really; but we need some reason that Raith Sr. had killed all his other sons, but Thomas lived to adulthood).

I always figured the reason why Papa Raith didn't kill Thomas was that he was unable to perform his "kiss of death," or if he could still perform it, it would take too much energy weakening him in the long run. Papa Raith always used this ability to kill off his other sons, and it would look strange that Thomas was killed in another way. The rest of the White Court would see this as something changed with Papa Raith, which could then lead to him losing power.

[g33k]

I always figured the reason why Papa Raith didn't kill Thomas was that he was unable to perform his "kiss of death," or if he could still perform it, it would take too much energy weakening him in the long run. Papa Raith always used this ability to kill off his other sons, and it would look strange that Thomas was killed in another way. The rest of the White Court would see this as something changed with Papa Raith, which could then lead to him losing power.

I don't think that rationale works, though...  I'm pretty sure it's implied that Papa Raith incestuously controlled his daughters via the Whampy erotic mind-control thing (until Lara turned the tables on him).

He didn't (couldn't?) do the same to his sons because (I think? less clear here) of his own homophobia (which likely rules out the "Kiss of Death").

Also note that he killed Madrigal's father (his own brother?) by having him "go sky-diving without a parachute" -- again, no KoD, for someone who's presumably a rival and a threat.

I don't think we actually have any canon or WoJ on exactly how Raith killed his other sons (or even if he did it himself, vs. "arranging" it).

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I'll take your word for it.  Butcher has been inconsistent on this point, to state it mildly.

The arm wraps in White Knight were some kind of magical artifact.  I didn't have time to look at the relevant text earlier.  Here it is now.One thing is not like the other.  Madrigal was warded and Papa Raith had something else.

Correct one was a countermeasure, force against force  Papa Raith was the equivalent of a magical black hole.

[Ed0517]

The WAG (an offhand idea, really; but we need some reason that Raith Sr. had killed all his other sons, but Thomas lived to adulthood).

]Margaret could have hinted -- over the first few years of Thomas' life, where she was being Raith's "senior concubine" -- that she intended her son to LIVE, and had laid some subtle and dangerous warding on Thomas.  Raith figured (a) he had years to break down Margaret's resistance, before Thomas' first kill & the awakening of his Hunger; & (b) his own protections would likely suffice, anyhow.

Then Margaret went walkabout.  That eliminated (a) ... and made Raith mad as hell:  no woman should be ABLE to reject him!  So he tracked her down and had her killed... and her death-curse got him despite his protections!  Which, obviously, rendered (b) moot too.

And then Thomas showed absolutely zero inclination to "play politics."  So Papa Raith played the long waiting game.

As for Lara -- Thomas ascribes her hands-off approach to him as being a limited bit of family loyalty... but what if she's worried about whatever protections Margaret left on Thomas?

Margaret LeFay escaped her father at the peak of his powers, and then managed to land a curse on him that lasted for decades.  And Harry... well, Lara has seen Harry in action.   He saw through her papa's charade, in just one night.  He killed a bunch of baddies in the Deeps, including summoning lava in Chicago.  And then, when there was no way to survive, he saved them both.  Lara was giving the sexuality her all... and Harry used her for sex, instead of succumbing.  He took the full force of a Whamp, and channeled it into his willpower in an entirely non-erotic fashion.  At this point, Lara is likely very cautious about the abilities of that family!

No, no, I am not arguing it is a bad idea! I LIKE the idea. I just think if it was implemented we would have had word leak thru Lara or Thomas by now.  Earlier in the series this would have fit great.

 

I think those arm-bands were a unique item, probably stolen, traded... even bought (from Svartalves?).  They could even have been White Council work (I'm sure at least a few wizards have gotten Whamp-whammied over the years, and served the White Court in return for some o' that sweet, sweet luvvin' (or, as noted, straight-up theft)).I don't have my copy of Blood Rites to hand (grrrr).  I'd like to look at the descriptions of the protections on Lord Raith, vs the ones in the armbands.  I don't remember them being similar (the glowy runes, etc).

I didn't say the Whamps developed it. They could have bought the tech.  I doubt it is WC work - selling defenses against their own attack? Not smart. Svaltalfs? Could be. I think they are the best bet here

As far as appearance, I was suggesting the battery operated suit as a way of hiding Raith's magical black hole. If the suit lights up, the observer thinks his suit is absorbing the power. Otherwise it raises the question of "who did he make a deal with for this defense?". The suit glows on batteries, not magic.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Swartalves would be a good bet they are suckers for physical beauty but paranoid to a degree that they call Gary “justifiably precautious Gary” that allows the best of both worlds.

[Ed0517]

Swartalves would be a good bet they are suckers for physical beauty but paranoid to a degree that they call Gary “justifiably precautious Gary” that allows the best of both worlds.

Well, i was thinking they are logical because Harry could walk around their compound/Molly's apartment without stuff blowing up from his Murphyonic field, so they likely know some magic negating/antimagic hardening tricks.

[morriswalters]

I always figured the reason why Papa Raith didn't kill Thomas was that he was unable to perform his "kiss of death," or if he could still perform it, it would take too much energy weakening him in the long run. Papa Raith always used this ability to kill off his other sons, and it would look strange that Thomas was killed in another way. The rest of the White Court would see this as something changed with Papa Raith, which could then lead to him losing power.

Thomas used my favorite technique for staying out of harms way.  Look dumb and act stupid.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Thomas used my favorite technique for staying out of harms way.  Look dumb and act stupid.

papa Raith wanted Thomas to have a politically useful death “how dare you kill my beloved only son and heir.”  Only Thomas wouldn’t cooperate.