[CD Sample Chapters - Spoilers] Suggestion Box for the Upcoming Q&As

[King Ash]

I read that passage in Changes a bit differently. It wasn't that they used the very same ritual when Cortes came through, but that the Reds haven't used the location since Cortes conquered the Aztecs.   Do we know what supernatural group Cortes was associated with that the Ramps weren't able to stop his conquest? 

Well Cortez was a Spaniard so I am presuming that the christian powers were backing him up. According to changes the Rampires are one of the most vulnerable beings to faith magic, so maybe a bunch of christian Spanish soldiers were enough to cause grief to even a bunch of Rampire turned gods.

[astrogat]

That's not book 1, that's a quote from book 8.

He has come a long way from that to, mainly because of Molly.

It might also be that he underestimates himself. He grew up with Justin, I can very well see him being bad at praising people. Then he has mostly fought things far bigger than himself. He has never (as far as I know, except Elain a long time ago) had a change to test himself against someone in his own league. Morgan seems to consider him good, and I would value that testimony way higher than Harrys own judgment (he is after all not a particularly smart man, when it comes to himself).

[Aesir]

Well Cortez was a Spaniard so I am presuming that the christian powers were backing him up. According to changes the Rampires are one of the most vulnerable beings to faith magic, so maybe a bunch of christian Spanish soldiers were enough to cause grief to even a bunch of Rampire turned gods.

Your reasoning sounds good to me.  If called upon by those with true faith fighting the good fight against murderously evil Ramps, I don't doubt that the White God's angels would do everything legally allowed under the restrictive rules they operate under to keep their people safe.  This is probably the most likely possibility.

He has come a long way from that to, mainly because of Molly.

It might also be that he underestimates himself. He grew up with Justin, I can very well see him being bad at praising people. Then he has mostly fought things far bigger than himself. He has never (as far as I know, except Elain a long time ago) had a change to test himself against someone in his own league. Morgan seems to consider him good, and I would value that testimony way higher than Harrys own judgment (he is after all not a particularly smart man, when it comes to himself).

While my rebuttal went off in a different direction, I'm in agreement with your reasoning as well.  Harry has gotten quite a bit better since he started teaching Molly, and he does have a tendency of underrating himself.  I'll take Morgan and Eb's opinions of Harry over Harry's own opinions of himself any day.

[TheCuriousFan]

Well Cortez was a Spaniard so I am presuming that the christian powers were backing him up. According to changes the Rampires are one of the most vulnerable beings to faith magic, so maybe a bunch of christian Spanish soldiers were enough to cause grief to even a bunch of Rampire turned gods.

Michael's faith was only enough to get him victory against 3 or 4, and faith doesn't stop spells, they probably needed to have supernatural backup of some description if they were trying to take on Red Court forces.

[rad]

Michael's faith was only enough to get him victory against 3 or 4, and faith doesn't stop spells, they probably needed to have supernatural backup of some description if they were trying to take on Red Court forces.

Well... there is more going on than that.  We have a group of very faithful and well armed soldiers at the core (priests too).  They would have every sort of Christian implement with them and many of them imbedded into their own arms and armor.  You also had the reds without any kind of metal arms and armor.  Next you have an incredibly large number of local tribes turning on them.  It was not only the Spaniards but an entire army of rebels that had numbers to go against the Reds.  Finally, and most importantly, you have disease imagine having a plague which wipes out 1/3 of your food supply come right before this army.  Mix it all together and you fall apart. 

This is of course discounting the idea of having a sword, or three, suddenly appearing in South America and altering chance for everything to go right. 

[King Ash]

Michael's faith was only enough to get him victory against 3 or 4, and faith doesn't stop spells, they probably needed to have supernatural backup of some description if they were trying to take on Red Court forces.

Can you show a quote on that?  Because Michael's faith sans Sword at the very least was able to block Mavra's spell.

[DRFacts]

I seem to remember Michael shaking off vampires like water at one point in the aftermath of the party. He could quite probably clean a handful of ramps with his sword without much difficulty. A sword could have come across with Cortez, or perhaps other stuff in kind. In fact, given the ability of wizards, I could hardly imagine that the conquest of the Americas was done without wizardly knowledge or help at some level.

[TheCuriousFan]

Can you show a quote on that?  Because Michael's faith sans Sword at the very least was able to block Mavra's spell.

"I'm told that He helps those who help themselves," I said. "We've got to get out of here."

Michael's armor clinked as he looked around. "They've blocked the exits."

"I know. How many of them can you handle without the Sword?"

"If it was only a question of holding them off ..."

"But it isn't. We may have to punch a hole through them."

Michael shook his head. "I'm not sure. Maybe two or three, Lord willing."

[King Ash]

Sorry TCF, I should have been more clear. I was asking for a quote on Faith not stopping spells because as I stated Mavra's spell is blocked by Michaels glowing cross.. I agree that Michael doesn't seem able to punch a hole in them with his faith.

Actually we have a bit of a conundrum regarding faith and the Rampires.
We have

A vampire lurched toward Thomas, while another reached out to grasp Susan. She thrust her cross in its face, but unlike with Mavra, the wood did not blaze to light. Faith magic isn’t always easy to work, even on vampires, and the Red Court, creatures with a more solid hold on reality than the more magical denizens of the Black, were not so easily repelled.

in Grave Peril
vs

Faith is a power of its own, and one even more elusive and difficult to define than magic. A symbol of faith, presented with genuine belief and sincerity, is the bane of many an otherworldly predator—and one of the creatures most strongly affected were vampires of the Red Court.

in Changes.

[TheCuriousFan]

Sorry TCF, I should have been more clear. I was asking for a quote on Faith not stopping spells because as I stated Mavra's spell is blocked by Michaels glowing cross.. I agree that Michael doesn't seem able to punch a hole in them with his faith.

Hmm, forgot about that, I doubt it's an always on feature though. Though I suppose this means we can add blocking spells to the list of things faith can do.

[AcornArmy]

Actually we have a bit of a conundrum regarding faith and the Rampires.
We have 
in Grave Peril
vs
in Changes.

No, I think it makes sense. It's just that, while Red Court vamps are one of the groups which are strongly affected by implements of faith, Blampires are even more strongly affected by them. Red Court can be hurt and turned away by them at a distance, but Blampires can be fried by them even at a distance. At least, that's how it seemed to me in Grave Peril and Blood Rites. Which makes a kind of sense: Red Court are unnatural, soulless monsters; Black Court are even more unnatural, soulless, undead monsters. Red Court have a kind of magic flowing through them, maintaining their presence on the mortal plane; Black Court have a kind of magic flowing through them, which they not only need to maintain their presence on Earth, but also to simply animate their own bodies. They rely on it more than the Red Court does, so if something like faith magic interferes with it, they go poof faster.

Which is not to say that the Red Court isn't harmed by faith magic more easily than most beings of the Nevernever-- which, apparently, they are. It's just that Blampires have it even worse. But then, Blampires are also much more powerful, too.

[Anthony]

Questions:
1) When Harry Soulgazed Molly he saw that in one of her possible futures she was no longer human with yellow eyes. Is there somebody in the Dresden Universe that has the same yellow eyes? How can you become such a creature (inhuman with yellow eyes)

2) Harry's mom can predict the ways in the nevernever. Time is fluent in the nevernever. Did this mean that Harry's mother could also predict the speed in which time passed or choose the paths and know at which speed the time passed.

[phoenixjustice]

Questions:
1) When Harry Soulgazed Molly he saw that in one of her possible futures she was no longer human with yellow eyes. Is there somebody in the Dresden Universe that has the same yellow eyes? How can you become such a creature (inhuman with yellow eyes)

Oh no, Molly possessed by the Yellow Eyed Basta**! (let's see who gets the reference. )

But in all seriousness, I can't remember anything with yellow eyes. Rampires had dark ones didn't they?

[TheCuriousFan]

Oh no, Molly possessed by the Yellow Eyed Basta**! (let's see who gets the reference. )

But in all seriousness, I can't remember anything with yellow eyes. Rampires had dark ones didn't they?

Supernatural?

[peregrine]

Tera had golden eyes, did she not?