Author Topic: Child's not mortal  (Read 2451 times)

Offline Con

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Child's not mortal
« on: December 08, 2022, 02:12:26 PM »
Rereading ghost story and noticed this.

"Child's stood up a portrait of grace. If he was a mortal he was deadly fast. Or a ballet dancer and somehow I didn't think he had some danskins stuffed in his suits pockets."

Offline Conspiracy Theorist

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Re: Child's not mortal
« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2022, 05:00:27 PM »
His eyes are gold and ivory, so it can be presumed he isn’t human.

What he is another matter. At this point Marcone had the Counsel of a Fallen Angel and a Demi-god of Discord. Either of them could have hooked him up with Child’s


Offline Con

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Re: Child's not mortal
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2022, 07:10:49 AM »
His eyes are gold and ivory, so it can be presumed he isn’t human.

What he is another matter. At this point Marcone had the Counsel of a Fallen Angel and a Demi-god of Discord. Either of them could have hooked him up with Child’s

Must have missed the eye thing where was that?

Demi-god of Discord?

Offline morriswalters

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Re: Child's not mortal
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2022, 02:11:45 PM »
Quote
His eyes were an unsettling color, somewhere between dark honey and poison ivy, and the sharp angularity of his nose made me think of a bird of prey.

Butcher, Jim. Ghost Story (The Dresden Files, Book 13) (p. 78). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Offline Mira

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Re: Child's not mortal
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2022, 02:49:31 PM »


Well, it may be page 78 of the Kindle edition, but it isn't on page 78 of the hard back version. Page 78 is basically a debate between Daniel and Murphy about the Swords.  I don't have time to reread the whole chapter, so Con if you got this quote from a hard back or paperback version give us the page? Thanks

Offline morriswalters

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Re: Child's not mortal
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2022, 03:56:17 PM »
Chapter Eight about mid way through. It's how the Kindle version works.  But I won't bother in the future.

Offline Mira

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Re: Child's not mortal
« Reply #6 on: December 09, 2022, 06:34:46 PM »
Chapter Eight about mid way through. It's how the Kindle version works.  But I won't bother in the future.

Thank you for the attempt, some of us do have the books on Kindle..

Offline Conspiracy Theorist

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Re: Child's not mortal
« Reply #7 on: December 09, 2022, 07:13:21 PM »
I got the description from the Dresden Wiki.

The differences between the two editions are intriguing, of Jim has done it before with Christmas Eve, but has he been doing this with more subtlety elsewhere? Did he think he gave too much away and then rowed back?

Nameless is the Demi-god of Discord and vassal of Mab and Marcone’s top lawyer, as shown in The Law. I have him pegged as Cowl because it was revealed (1) he was an associate (not disciple) of Kemmler, and therefore would have known exactly what Bob was when he laid eyes on him, and what he contained  and (2) he was exiled from the Winter Court immediately after the attack to try to free icebound Lea, suggesting his complicity in it perhaps as the inside man.

Nameless hasn’t been seen in the battles of Summer Knight, Battleground Etc involving Winters forces because he cannot be trusted despite being a heavy hitter on par with the Erl King, nor has he been seen in  things like Harry’s birthday party in Arctis Tor involving Winter, nor in other dealings between Harry and Marcone, meaning he has been keeping a low profile around Harry despite being based in Chicago and a Winter Vassal.

His power level would suggest he is below the ladies and therefore NOT immortal, which is an incentive for him to remove the “Demi” from his descriptor with the Darkhallow.

As a Finnish Demi-God of Discord, giving magic books to nascent  Sorcerors and Wolf skin belts to the FBI are just him living out his nature (Like Puck in Wild Card) he would do it for shits and giggles. Otherwise trying to link Cowl to those events outside the main schemes of Cowl is a bit difficult. But they are very Nameless.

That kind of makes me think Child’s is one of Nameless creatures, which may be a clue as to what Child’s is. His one known vassal is Ms Lapland, a Finnish Witch (in the old days it took three wardens to bring one in), so Child’s may be something from that Lore. Nameless’ child perhaps? Or Lapland’s? Calling him Child would certainly fit in with Nameless who goes by the nom de guerre Mr Winter Winter, aside from Nameless

He may have been set up to take out Marcone when required, but I doubt either Nameless or Child are aware of Thorned Namshiel, Odin wasn’t, and he has his own inside woman. I would therefore consider Child to be on a par with a Valkyrie as regards power level in that case, as he would be expected to take out Marcone going through one.

It strikes me that it must grate against Nameless nature to work for such a well organised criminal. He has an ulterior motive.


Offline g33k

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Re: Child's not mortal
« Reply #8 on: December 09, 2022, 10:19:12 PM »
... The differences between the two editions are intriguing ...
I suspect there is no difference, just mis-quoting here on the forum.

... Nameless ... a heavy hitter on par with the Erl King ...
Is he, though?  On par with the King of the Goblins?   :o

<sigh>
Still waiting on a text copy of The Law to read...   ::)
 

Offline Conspiracy Theorist

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Re: Child's not mortal
« Reply #9 on: December 10, 2022, 12:23:07 AM »
In The Law, Harry questions why if Nameless is so powerful why he wasn’t with the rest of the heavy hitters  in Battle Ground. The Heavy hitters are generally Lea (defending the gate) the Lady, Kringle, The Erl King (likely in that order). Nameless would probably just rank after Erl (who is immortal without a Mantle) and probably just below the immortal power threshold, but probably just above the Firsts like the redcap who are not immortal either. He is after all a Demi god. If he had been hit by the Eye he likely would have died.

Remember The Erl King is at his most powerful on or around Halloween with the Hunt as Mab is at the Winter Solstice, the attack by Ethnui was designed to hit Winter at its weakest, not sure that affects Nameless the same way as he is adopted into Winter. Likely on the Solstice he and Erl may be very close in power as Earl’s power is not at its height but Nameless is.

On this basis the power of Harry’s Mantle would have been at its weakest during Battle Ground as well, if that is the case Harry would be closer in power to Nameless on the Winter Solstice. Of course Nameless isn’t aware of Harry’s Soulfire or Hades toys if he was he would have been less condescending to Harry.

Offline Mira

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Re: Child's not mortal
« Reply #10 on: December 10, 2022, 11:06:58 AM »

   Found the the reference, no Child isn't mortal, Harry says he isn't, he doesn't say what he is, but he isn't mortal.

Offline g33k

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Re: Child's not mortal
« Reply #11 on: December 11, 2022, 07:30:19 AM »
   Found the the reference, no Child isn't mortal, Harry says he isn't, he doesn't say what he is, but he isn't mortal.
... ?
Aaaaand?  Can you give the rest of us the reference too?  (tyvm!!!)   ;D

Offline Mira

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Re: Child's not mortal
« Reply #12 on: December 11, 2022, 12:14:53 PM »
... ?
Aaaaand?  Can you give the rest of us the reference too?  (tyvm!!!)   ;D

Do you realize you are asking me before I've finished my first cup of coffee? ???

Well, here it is, it is a hint, nothing more... Page66 Ghost Story, hard back.

Quote
"I already have." Childs stood up, the motion a portrait of grace.If he was a mortal, he was deadly fast.

Harry has also mentions that Marcone was the only vanilla mortal who became a member of the
Accords, we know the kind of "muscle" he has hired since then.  Childs apparently is his best hit man, so draw your own conclusions, Harry did, "if he was mortal."

You know the old saying? "If it walks like a duck,quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it is a duck.."  On one hand Harry cannot say for sure that Childs isn't a mortal, but at the same time he is saying, "Childs moves like a non-mortal, and has the look [mainly the eyes] of a non-mortal, he is Marcone's best hitman, most likely he is a non-mortal."
« Last Edit: December 11, 2022, 02:08:48 PM by Mira »