A warden's sword for Harry...

[khadgar4606]

Even if he had intellectus for us, unless that extended to physical things he would still have to train his body and train his reflexes to use his knowledge.  Even if Harry somehow had the knowledge of the world's greatest swordsman, his body would still have to be trained to use that knowledge effectively.

winter mantle and demon reach actualy training him to become magus of cross and its not hard to fix his training with sword. via intellectus to show some beginings and monoc mercenery the advance training

[kazimmoinuddin]

I could see the council giving him a sword just to force him carrying out the execution of a law breaker. I had this theory that somehow the sword counters a magic user death curse. It cuts magic, so using it to slay a magic user interferes with the last casting of magic.

[Snark Knight]

And I thought Harry said he was a far better fencer than swordsman. That he had reach enough to hit from the next county over.  Though I thought a fencer WAS a swordsman.

Fencing is to swordsmanship more or less as boxing is to MMA - it's one discipline in the field, but as a form it limits a lot of the techniques one might use if practically trying to hurt an opponent.

[khadgar4606]

Fencing is to swordsmanship more or less as boxing is to MMA - it's one discipline in the field, but as a form it limits a lot of the techniques one might use if practically trying to hurt an opponent.

yet its board enough to get both swashbuckling and foil fencing as topic and harry has a cane sword which shows he might have bit swashbuckling training so he can handle a suitable sword and moderately good at it plus it gives him excuse to quote princess bride to enemies or how hammy the joke is pull a jack sparrow on his arse.

[Quantus]

Fencing is to swordsmanship more or less as boxing is to MMA - it's one discipline in the field, but as a form it limits a lot of the techniques one might use if practically trying to hurt an opponent.

||Nitpick||
From the POV of my martial arts education at least I'd classify Fencing, Boxing, and MMA as all in the same general boat as fencing, all being martial arts "Sport adaptations" that have certain style and technique limitations that are necessary to keep competitors from killing each other too easily. 

Perhaps instead:

Fencing:Swordsmanship::Boxing:Hand-to-Hand Combat?



That beings said, Fencing styles do make sense for Harry (and actual, non-sport versions of that sword style have existed since at least musketeer times) as it's very linear (like his mindset) and more importantly it is more or less optimized to leverage a Reach advantage, as Harry always mentioned about his lunge.  So even for real defense it's not a terrible route.  Especially when the traditional Sword v. Armor issues are less prominent do to magical variations

[Snark Knight]

||Nitpick||
all being martial arts "Sport adaptations" that have certain style and technique limitations that are necessary to keep competitors from killing each other too easily.

Fair that they're all sport adaptations to one degree or another. I just meant that MMA is considerably closer to practical combat (i.e. you're allowed to keep hitting a downed opponent until the official pulls you off, compared to boxing where you're supposed to lay off and allow them to stand if they can within the count).

[Quantus]

Fair that they're all sport adaptations to one degree or another. I just meant that MMA is considerably closer to practical combat (i.e. you're allowed to keep hitting a downed opponent until the official pulls you off, compared to boxing where you're supposed to lay off and allow them to stand if they can within the count).

Also true.  My quibble with the various MMA's out there is that they all still (for very good reason) have to ban certain moves, strikes, etc. and by doing so it degrades the real-world application, as you are now training under the assumption that the most damaging moves will not be used, like a strike to the throat or a knee to the head, etc.  Less extreme than the stereotype way to floor a boxer (IE a swift kick to the balls) but a similar danger.   

[LordDresden2]

I could see the council giving him a sword just to force him carrying out the execution of a law breaker.

Oh, I fully expect that to happen at some point.  I don't know if it'll be done using a Council sword, but I fully expect Harry to find himself in a position where he has to execute a Lawbreaker, probably a kid not entirely unlike he himself at one time, with no way out.

I had this theory that somehow the sword counters a magic user death curse. It cuts magic, so using it to slay a magic user interferes with the last casting of magic.

Maybe, but I suspect that has more to do with the blindfold, so the target doesn't realize he's about to buy it.

[Quantus]

Oh, I fully expect that to happen at some point.  I don't know if it'll be done using a Council sword, but I fully expect Harry to find himself in a position where he has to execute a Lawbreaker, probably a kid not entirely unlike he himself at one time, with no way out.

*coughcough* hannahascher *coughhack*


Regarding Harry using an existing Warden sword, WOj is that they are customized to the mentality of the user, so to use somebody else you'd need to get warped so much you essentially become them; possible, but extreme and unlikely. 

As far as the Swords anti-magic being part of the reason they are used for executions, I highly doubt it.  Their morality Laws and Codes are pretty specific on killing by magic vs mundane means.  There's even a long WOJ about it, and about how even with Kemmler they made sure to stay in their comfortable side of the line. 

Here's the key part about Kemmler, but the rest is well worth it as it elaborates some on the Council mentality on killing, and Grey Magic in general. 

http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,1879.msg37967.html#msg37967
Technically, they didn't actually kill him with magic.  They rendered him helpless with magic and then found other ways to execute him.  (Swords are the usual.  For Kemmler, they also used guns, axes, shovels, ropes, a flamethrower, and a number of other extremes.)  It's a semantic difference, in some ways, but an important technical distinction in others.

[khadgar4606]

*coughcough* hannahascher *coughhack*

she is gonne for good lasciel cant find a host in supernatural fort nox so executing her will happen when mab performs a lap dance to ferrovax on new years eve

[Quantus]

she is gonne for good lasciel cant find a host in supernatural fort nox so executing her will happen when mab performs a lap dance to ferrovax on new years eve

Oh, you think she survived?  I meant that the execution had already happened at Warden Hands ("there but for the grace of God goes Harry Dresden" -Harry Dresden, Skin Game), and Michael promised they'd talk about it eventually.

[kazimmoinuddin]

If Harry daughter is such a threat to him, she would be an equal threat to the fallen, so if Harry takes down lashiel permanently, it will be via Bonnie.

[jonas]

If Harry daughter is such a threat to him, she would be an equal threat to the fallen, so if Harry takes down lashiel permanently, it will be via Bonnie.

Consider, If Lasciel is bound/stuck in such a way her influence isn't felt anymore, perhaps that influence is going to be concentrated on the one thing she still has a connection to....

[Snark Knight]

Personally, I'm not yet convinced Anduriel was unable to rescue the coins dropped by Lasciel and Ursiel.

[LordDresden2]

*coughcough* hannahascher *coughhack*

Nope.  That wasn't an execution, that was a combat situation, and he tried his best to talk her down and when that didn't work, he very specifically used her own magic against her to take her out.  Right on the razor's edge of the First Law, but he is a Warden, after all.

I strongly suspect that at some point Harry will find himself in a situation where he basically has to execute a helpless warlock, using a gun or a blade, in his capacity as a Warden.  Not combat, just cold-blooded killing of a human being who is powerless to fight back or run or otherwise do anything about it. 

Take out the gun, point it at the helpless, immobilized warlock's hooded head, and pull that trigger.  I suspect Harry would prefer to do it with a gun, if he has to do it.