Conjunctions

[Yuillegan]

So conjunctions are clearly very important. They can mark places in time and space, and release immortals from their stasis of immortality during Halloween. The also can support heavy duty magic.

I believe that the 666 cycle is also a particular conjunction. It creates a spotlight of sorts upon Earth and any child born within that light could wield power over the Outsiders...among other things.

But I also think a further conjunction follows that allows level of resetting of the current playing field. A chance to rewrite the status quo. This is the game that Nicodemus, Vadderung, the White King (now Lara) and others are playing.

I also believe that this is how Merlin created Demonreach i.e. by using one or more conjunctions. Perhaps Halloween. This gave him at least part of the energy he needed to create such a prison in 5 different times simultaneously. This allowed him to travel through time. This allowed him to create incredible wards and energies. And even bind/shape/create Alfred.

[Bad Alias]

From CD, Chapter 11: Conjunctions are places in time. Conjunctions can be used to support heavy duty magic, "but they do other things, too."

It would make sense that the Prison was made using 5 conjunctions.

I think Alfred predates the Prison, but that's just my opinion. (Spoilered reasons why)

(click to show/hide)

Because Alfred limps from things that happened during an ice age. Sure, maybe the spirit of the land reflects things that happened before the spirit manifested, but I just don't think so.

[Yuillegan]

I agree that Alfred might predate the prison...in a sense. He is the Genius Loci. But that's why I used the word "shape". Perhaps Merlin bound and shaped the Genius Loci that was already there. Perhaps he gave it a mind and body. Remember, the Gates have an awareness which largely is "I AM HERE". I suspect a lot of Genius Loci are the same. So I think that Merlin might have shaped it.
 
Although really, once time travel is involved using words like predate suggests a linear timeline which isn't exactly the case. If one of the times Merlin visited was millions of years in the past, he might well have created the prison long "before" Alfred had developed (naturally or otherwise). It could well be a chicken and egg scenario.

Actually, conjunctions are both. Time isn't separate from space. That's an illusion. The stars and planets are ultimately just "measuring stakes" as Bob puts it. But think of the "spotlight" that Eb talks about in Peace Talks. It's not merely a date (Halloween) but also a small section of physical space. The conjunction measures both. Like longitude and latitude.

Could be that more than one conjunction was used. What's your theory behind that?

[Bad Alias]

So I think that Merlin might have shaped it.

If he didn't create Alfred, I'm fairly certain he manipulated him in some way. Shaped is as good a word as any for that.

Although really, once time travel is involved using words like predate suggests a linear timeline which isn't exactly the case.

I get the impression that the island was an island when Merlin made the prison (probably because of Bob's "movie"), but it could just have been that he knew it would be an island when he made the prison. If I had to lay odds, I'd say 52% chance it was an island when Merlin "first" stepped foot on it.

Actually, conjunctions are both.

I was just summarizing the points from Bob and Harry's conversation so we'd have it in the thread.

Not all places are in space. Some of them are in time. They're called conjunctions.

Emphasis original. I'm reading that as Bob saying places, probably just magically significant ones, in time are called conjunctions. That the "space" portion of space/time wasn't particularly important. And that makes sense if a conjunction happens in all physical locations at a given time. I'm willing to bet that Bob was just saying that this conjunction was a place in time, not a geographic location he had to get Maeve to. I don't think he was giving a ridged definition.

Could be that more than one conjunction was used. What's your theory behind that?

Bob showed Merlin building the prison on the island. If that's accurate, then he built the prison in roughly one geographic location, but different temporal locations. They could have all been the same conjunction in the sense that all Halloweens are the same conjunction, but I'd say Halloween this year and last year are different conjunctions. So my theory behind five conjunctions is that it would make sense to use a conjunction and semantics. It would make sense for Merlin to use anything and everything that "supports heavy duty magic" to accomplish this "impossible" magical feat that he could. A conjunction would be an easier one to use than some of the other supports we've seen. He'd just have to wait for or time travel to the right time. Therefore it would make sense for Merlin to use a conjunction. The semantics part is that it could have been the same "alignment of stars/planets" occurring at different times or just different alignments. I'm mostly just saying he did it in five different times ... at the same time. However that works.

Alternatively, he could have done it on two or more conjunctions at once. For example, depending on what time Harry was born, he was born at two conjunctions. Halloween and the 666 year starborn conjunction.

Now, there could be a conjunction that where multiple times exist or are connected at the same time and that's what allowed Merlin to build the prison five different times simultaneously.