Is Nemesis already in Demonreach?

[Rob]

So far every Walker we've encountered has had a corporeal form. He Who Walks Behind, He Who Walks Before, and so on: they're all corporeal.  Except for Nemesis, aka the Adversary, aka He Who Walks Beside. Nemesis corrupts people and ultimately possesses them, unbeknownst to others.  We've never seen Nemesis directly, and so far in the books we're led to believe Nemesis doesn't even have a physical body.

I think I've figured out a strong possibility for (a) Nemesis having a physical form, (b) an explanation for why Nemesis is limited to possessing people, (c) where Nemesis is located, and (d) why nobody knows where Nemesis is and so many people think Nemesis must be immaterial.

Nemesis has made two, count 'em, two attempts at mounting a jailbreak at Demonreach. In Cold Days Nemesis was willing to see an asteroid-collision-level event happen if it meant jacking open the gates. In Battle Ground Nemesis provokes an actual for-real shooting war between the Fomor and the Accords and mortals just to provide a suitable diversion for the second attempt at opening Demonreach.

Nemesis has a special hatred for Harry, which so far everyone is attributing to him being starborn and thus the natural foe of Outsiders.  But Harry is also the Warden of Demonreach Prison, who repeatedly tells us he's been too busy to review all of his prisoners (the vast majority of which he inherited) and what they're in for.

Guys.

Nemesis is imprisoned in Demonreach, and is trying to break out.

Think about it. It fits. Why does Nemesis have such a personal hate for Harry? Because Harry's his jailer. Why is Nemesis, such a powerful Walker, so bizarrely limited in what he can do/arrange? Because he's possessing people from inside a magical supermax cell.  Why have we never seen Nemesis corporeally?  Because he's in a magical supermax cell and can't get out.

Harry's searching for the Ultimate Bad Guy of the series and he's literally sitting in Harry's prison, and the reason Harry can't find Nemesis is ... because Harry's prison foils all tracker and locator spells.

Man, Harry, you really need to read your briefing packet.  You may have turned your brother into Nemesis's cellmate.

Am I certain of this?  No, of course not.  But I do think it explains an awful lot.

Thoughts?

[OutsideIn]

Or they're attacking demon reach because that's the quickest way to make it all stop. It will just end it...The End

[The_Sibelis]

Possibly yes. I've had a few ideas about the nature of DR, including the idea all the outsiders, the gates themselves are actually the manifestation of the dreamers trying to break through from the dreams they created in the NN. Or possibly all of outside is contained in it.. conceivably when the explanation of what Merlin did put all of outside space time in a central circle. It would also solve how "all" of the prisoners got there, they were 'caught' by the original cast circle.
My main head canon(which of course is based on my personal theories) is DR is the physical manifestation of MW and all the things inside, the sleepers dream, and those dreams are the outside. As far as corporal form, it's been implied through woj they may be possessing bodies. Though I admit, the manifestations seem to be piecemeal off of what they can collect they identify with made from magic inside reality. Like HHWB4, his sackcloth is representative of the fear molly made as the rag lady using Harry's old duster. there maybe be a connection to be made between specific people and the magic they used vs who used it the magic. Though the aspect they used it under matters. The mirroring technique explained for the summoner in PG also explains how outsiders vector, with resemblances.
(left off here)

[Yuillegan]

I do quite like the theory, although I think it's unlikely.

The main problem is that I don't see how Nemesis could do such things as possession (which is a fairly powerful thing) and grant free will to immortals (or at least a version of it) from inside the Island, given how many layers of defences are between what would be the "core" Nemesis and it's puppets. It has to get through the crystal coffin, and then whatever wards are on the hallway, through that super-max magical door that leads to the corridors of prisoners, up and through the earth and wards of the Tower, and past Alfred this whole time and any other defences of the Island, plus the water of Lake Michigan...

It just seems implausible.

Unless...Nemesis had off-shoots. Little avatars or clones, which might explain why it can only possess a limited number of people.


More likely though, I think Nemesis wants to release all the other horrible monsters (which likely includes some nasty Outsiders) that reside in Demonreach, given that would kick off the End of the World for humanity. That's goal enough, in my opinion.

I am not sure I see that Nemesis hates Harry more than the others, or more than most other people hate him except that Harry is a starborn and seems to be constantly ruining Nemesis' various plans (confirmed by the Gatekeeper in Cold Days).

[Mira]

  Well, one way Nemesis could be on Demonreach is if one of the critters, monsters, gods, was already infected with it at the time it was put in prison.  Though Nemesis does a lot of damage by what it drives it's hosts to, but on it's own? I think not so much.. So if the host managed to get itself successfully imprisoned, Nemesis is locked up with it.  Why do I say this?  We've not yet I think seen Nemesis, we've seen the results of the infestation of many a creature... But not the critter, Nemesis, itself..

[RobReece]

Maybe that's why the Brit "needs" to be there, he's a host for nemesis?

[Aiotanga]

This is a very good hypothesis, and something I've been considering as well. Nemesis wants to get in, to free something or someone. His corporeal body makes sense. If not that, there must be another outsider or Old One in there, methinks. Moreover the events in CD and BG would appear to support that theory.

[Basil]

How does the Island fit with the Oblivion War?  What if an inmate is "forgotten"?

[Ed0517]

I tend to think Merlin and the succeeding Wardens will have thought of this and blocked possession attempts in and out of the cells, and likely have the biggest guns in stasis

Jim is a gamer. One reason we may not have seen Nemesis physically? IIRC, in old AD&D (yes, I am old) if a powerful being from the Lower Planes manifested on the Prime Material (our) plane, and the body was destroyed - the creature was not killed, but banished back to its own plane for a century, or until it was summoned - it could not return on free will. Nemesis might be banished, or trying to be sure he is NOT banished.