A Fistful of Warlocks (SPOILERS: FISTFUL OF WARLOCKS)

[Aminar]

I've never spent a lot of time reading up on the Wild West, so when I beta'd the story, I looked up information on Earp and Dodge City, and landed on the "Dodge City War" as the timing for the short story, since it pretty closely resembles Earp's description of the tensions in the city/saloon.  Hence my estimate of the timing between the two events.

It looks like some of the history is fudged. Jim changed Luke Short's name to Bill Short if that's right. While the story seems to match up with the one I saw.

[kazimmoinuddin]

There is a tv show and comic about wynnonna Earp, descendant of Wyatt Earp. It would be cool if we saw a cross over at some point.

Say someone succeeds in some kind of dark Ascension ritual, what would happen if the staff then consumed the corruption? Would it restore their mortality or something.

[Magnus]

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"Of course, fire magic was the only thing that would do for that kind of work—and it would leave the crowded building aflame. Tarred wood exposed to a blast of supernatural fire would become an inferno in seconds. Not only that, but such an action would violate one of the Council’s unspoken laws—wizards were expected to minimize the use of their abilities in the presence of magic-ignorant mortals. It had not been so long since our kind had been burned at stakes by frightened mobs."

The above passage I found interesting when reading the story.

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She is talking about killing people with fire (At least that was how intepreted it). Yet she doesn't mention anything about it being a law against killing with magic. Instead the big worry is that she might use magic in presence of magic-ignorant mortals. When was the 7 laws of the white council defined?

[Zaphodess]

I was wondering about this too. Is it possible that Ana has a somewhat more relaxed attitude towards the 1st law?

[jonas]

Supposedly laid down by Merlin weren't they? Technicality, fire started with magic burns without magical interference, so perhaps she didn't consider collateral from an ongoing fire part of the 1st law? Like drowning someone by immobilizing them for instance? 'I put you in a burning building, but I didn't kill you!'

[knnn]

Wait, were we just assuming he'd done New Madrid all along? Somehow I'd got the impression it was one of the ones he admitted to Harry in BR (along with Krakatoa and Tunguska).

It was:

"Casaverde," Ebenezar said, his voice shaking.   "Tunguska.   New Madrid.   Krakatoa.   A dozen more.   God help me, a dozen more at least."

Either Ebenezar got the Blackstaff "on loan" before actually taking it up, it's time-shenanigans, a different New Madrid incident, or just a Jim slip.

[Rykel22]

Supposedly laid down by Merlin weren't they? Technicality, fire started with magic burns without magical interference, so perhaps she didn't consider collateral from an ongoing fire part of the 1st law? Like drowning someone by immobilizing them for instance? 'I put you in a burning building, but I didn't kill you!'

But hasn't it been stated that if someone uses a blast of wind or force to knock someone back, and they fall off a roof, it's still a violation of the 1st Law?

[jonas]

It was:

Either Ebenezar got the Blackstaff "on loan" before actually taking it up, it's time-shenanigans, a different New Madrid incident, or just a Jim slip.

I think I like the idea he did New Madrid on his own. I've started to connect the blackstaff with things falling to the planet(the classic 'calamity from the skies' trope like in FF7) but New Madrid was one that just didn't add up, being an earthquake. If he didn't yet have the blackstaff though? That should allow it keep to the theme of dropping things from offworld as it's big finisher.

[Zaphodess]

or just a Jim slip.

There are no Jim slips. It is our sacred duty to come up with a good explanation for those. 

I like the idea that he did New Madrid on his own. An earth spell gone badly wrong...

And I kind of like the idea too that Wardens have a very grey area approach to killing with magic when the recipient deserves it.

[Snark Knight]

I've started to connect the blackstaff with things falling to the planet(the classic 'calamity from the skies' trope like in FF7) but New Madrid was one that just didn't add up, being an earthquake.

Krakatoa was a big volcano, so really only Casaverde and Tunguska were "bomb it from orbit" type events.

[jonas]

Krakatoa was a big volcano, so really only Casaverde and Tunguska were "bomb it from orbit" type events.

Mmm, I thought there was at least one more?

[Seidmadr]

Hmm. By the turn of the Century, McCoy doesn't seem to be a Warden any more, according to the letters he and Pietrovitch wrote to each other.
In 1889 McCoy says that Pietrovich isn't under investigation, and in 1902 he says that he isn't speaking in official capacity. But that might be Blackstaff McCoy speaking, and not Warden McCoy.
But there are absolutely no mentions of him being Captain McCoy, which I feel would be relevant.

So it seems to me McCoy laid down the cloak and picked up the staff as part of the same general event.

[knnn]

So it seems to me McCoy laid down the cloak and picked up the staff as part of the same general event.

Well Krakatoa was really big and is around the time Jim said Ebenezer first picked up the Blackstaff.   It's not impossible that the previous Blackstaff died during the event and that Ebenezer's first act upon picking up the Blackstaff (in desperation?) was causing the boom in a last ditch effort to stop whatever it was.

[Snark Knight]

Well Krakatoa was really big and is around the time Jim said Ebenezer first picked up the Blackstaff.   It's not impossible that the previous Blackstaff died during the event and that Ebenezer's first act upon picking up the Blackstaff (in desperation?) was causing the boom in a last ditch effort to stop whatever it was.

From reading about the actual disaster though, there were seismic warning signs ahead of the eruption. It wasn't extremely sudden.

[Rasins]

I have not read the story yet.

That being said, does it mention Hogs Hollow?  Is it possible that this trip to the West is when Eb discovered where he ends up settling down on his farm?