Denarians and White Council

[jonas]

I dunno - it definitely keeps him from going crazy, but I'm not at all convinced that that's the only effect it has.

I though there was something on this that mentions it's basically using it to do the magic in order to do the insulating. But I've yet to find that woj, been looking as this convo developed.

[Quantus]

I though there was something on this that mentions it's basically using it to do the magic in order to do the insulating. But I've yet to find that woj, been looking as this convo developed.

I dont recall one that sounds like that, but Id be fascinated (dont recall anything that actually addressed the mechanism of insulation).

There is this one that indicates it doenst have any other discrete powers (at least none in eb's hands?) beyond the insulation properties:

(click to show/hide)

2010 Dragon*Con @ ~1:45
When Eb does his "Laying of the Cattle move" at the major battle near the end of Changes, is that a power of the blackstaff?
The Blackstaff is what keeps that kind of thing from driving him insane and turning him into a giggling villain.  Yah you don't go messing with black magic in the Dresden Files, it's very very bad for you.  At the same time, Magic is something that happens because you truly believe that when you set out to do it that you should be able to do that sort of thing.  That says a few things about Eb that really Harry hasn't run into in any other forum other than right there.  Yah Poor guy, He's got a tough job.
@4:30
Does the blackstaff have any powers that relate to the dead?
Other than making people dead?  Really, that's kind of the point [Crowd Laughs]  Really but the staff itself what it really does is it keeps Eb sane while he's doing insane things.  Lucky him, he gets to deal with a hideously guilty conscious and nightmares later, but that's better than later being like *Muahahahahahahahaha*  Which is sort of the other option if your going to go around using magic like that. 

[jonas]

I dont recall one that sounds like that, but Id be fascinated (dont recall anything that actually addressed the mechanism of insulation).

There is this one that indicates it doenst have any other discrete powers (at least none in eb's hands?) beyond the insulation properties:

(click to show/hide)

Ya, i'm almost positive it's been addressed since then, somewhere. Iirc sometime around the KC signing. Need to remember to start putting Woj vids on for background when i'm bored. It's just not my first thought to alleviate it. But it usually does lol.

[knnn]

Take a look at: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM-Phtpvm8s

At the 27 minute mark.

How did Ebenezer's instant Death Spell in Changes work?
That had to do with Ebenezer's stick.  That was all to do with the Blackstaff.

Any more to elaborate?
Well, there are a few who have speculated where the Blackstaff came from.   That should explain it, for those who pieced it together.

The fact that it's "Real Life" history is important makes it sound that the "Making Death" is a real part of its power (and has mythological precedent).

[Quantus]

Take a look at: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM-Phtpvm8s

At the 27 minute mark.

The fact that it's "Real Life" history is important makes it sound that the "Making Death" is a real part of its power (and has mythological precedent).

Hmmm, if he's saying that the fan-theory for the blackstaff should explain it, I think that sends me straight back to it being the primary tool of Atropos: She who Ends Life.  Prior to the appearance of Hades she was the closest thing to an incarnation of Death we'd seen, and even then the Fates were always above the Gods in most respects (at least in the sense that Fate itself was a Force even the Gods could not contradict).   

[Con]

Hmmm, if he's saying that the fan-theory for the blackstaff should explain it, I think that sends me straight back to it being the primary tool of Atropos: She who Ends Life.  Prior to the appearance of Hades she was the closest thing to an incarnation of Death we'd seen, and even then the Fates were always above the Gods in most respects (at least in the sense that Fate itself was a Force even the Gods could not contradict).   

Well he also says in the same interview about a minute later that Mother Winter and Mother Summer aren't two of the Fates which is confusing. But he goes on to say he leaves clues in Skin Game as to who they are which is a reference to Hecate.

[Quantus]

Well he also says in the same interview about a minute later that Mother Winter and Mother Summer aren't two of the Fates which is confusing. But he goes on to say he leaves clues in Skin Game as to who they are which is a reference to Hecate.

He doesnt actually say that they /arent/ the fates, just that Skin Game elaborated on the way it all worked.  The question specified that the asker thought that Mother Summer was a 2nd Fate in addition to Mother Winter being Atropos, and in a Separate WOJ he was asked something similar and the answer was more that they had the three-goddess part 90° off, which I took at the time to mean that both mothers are Atropos (which CD confirmed /is/ in the mix somehow), and that both Queens and Both Ladies share the other two of the Maiden/Mother/Crone triumverate.  Skin Game showed that as many as 6 people can share one god's Name.

[knnn]

which I took at the time to mean that both mothers are Atropos (which CD confirmed /is/ in the mix somehow), and that both Queens and Both Ladies share the other two of the Maiden/Mother/Crone triumverate.

^this^

Re: the Fan-theory on the Blackstaff, it might be worth re-looking at Serack's Elegast's old thread here.   The Raven Banner/Landravager/Fairy Flag myth is connected to 1066 and might well be the answer.

[Mr. Death]

I doubt he can do it quickly, but he's done it at least 16 times (New Madrid, Krakatoa, Tunguska, Casaverde, "a dozen more at least") so he must know how to set it up, and the war with the Red Court lasted years.

I dunno - it definitely keeps him from going crazy, but I'm not at all convinced that that's the only effect it has.
True.

The attack they did in DB was even worse than the Archangel one, though - killing tons of Wardens in the hospital and coming very close to outright victory. That would seem to deserve an even larger response.

New Madrid was an earthquake, Krakatoa was a volcano and Casaverde was a satellite. I.e., each time he had to take advantage of already-present features. It's not something he can just whip up at will and aim wherever he wants, he apparently needs something to use in the environment.

[Quantus]

New Madrid was an earthquake, Krakatoa was a volcano and Casaverde was a satellite. I.e., each time he had to take advantage of already-present features. It's not something he can just whip up at will and aim wherever he wants, he apparently needs something to use in the environment.

I agree 100%.  That being said, the whole mystery of Tunguska was that it didnt have any obvious source, spawning all kinds of weird scientific theories for how that much energy could be released without a trace. 

[Mr. Death]

I agree 100%.  That being said, the whole mystery of Tunguska was that it didnt have any obvious source, spawning all kinds of weird scientific theories for how that much energy could be released without a trace.

Haven't they narrowed it down to some kind of meteorite strike by now?

[jonas]

Hmmm, if he's saying that the fan-theory for the blackstaff should explain it, I think that sends me straight back to it being the primary tool of Atropos: She who Ends Life.  Prior to the appearance of Hades she was the closest thing to an incarnation of Death we'd seen, and even then the Fates were always above the Gods in most respects (at least in the sense that Fate itself was a Force even the Gods could not contradict).   

Perhaps, and I could be goofing my connections cause it's been interpreted a few ways, as Auranos's daughter her mythological precedent is it's HIS scythe used to cut off his ah, danglers. ANd it's in fact, the raven banner, Dagda's staff and other mythological items of similar power.
Honestly though the above woj from Knnn(*thanks btw) and that specific thematic action 'laying of the cattle', is why I originally started to look at it as a placeholder for the power of death, deaths weapon

(click to show/hide)

Or his prison?

The left to right motion of reaping the 'grain' was very thematic for me.
Most evidence for this is wrapped up in Baba Yaga, her ability to travel anywhere and her connection to death.

[Con]

What about the fact that Jim has said it mostly just stops the user from going crazy and the magic was all Ebenezar.

When Eb does his "Laying of the Cattle move" at the major battle near the end of Changes, is that a power of the blackstaff?
The Blackstaff is what keeps that kind of thing from driving him insane and turning him into a giggling villain.  Yah you don't go messing with black magic in the Dresden Files, it's very very bad for you.  At the same time, Magic is something that happens because you truly believe that when you set out to do it that you should be able to do that sort of thing.  That says a few things about Eb that really Harry hasn't run into in any other forum other than right there.  Yah Poor guy, He's got a tough job.
@4:30

Does the blackstaff have any powers that relate to the dead?
Other than making people dead?  Really, that's kind of the point [Crowd Laughs]  Really but the staff itself what it really does is it keeps Eb sane while he's doing insane things.  Lucky him, he gets to deal with a hideously guilty conscious and nightmares later, but that's better than later being like *Muahahahahahahahaha*  Which is sort of the other option if your going to go around using magic like that. 

All that says that the Blackstaff isn't the power but Eb is that the Blackstaffe just "insulates the user" from going crazy from black magic.

However there is this quote.

jim butcher

The Blackstaff is not sentient per se it’s just really, really, really powerful and tapped into like some serious elemental powers in the universe.  But basically all it really is is insulation from using those powers.

Which would suggest that the Blackstaff does have power of it's own that allows for it to insulate the user.

[Zohak]

Or simply the black staff  like the stone table is used to
transfer energy from or to some ONE or thing. MS=Death MS=life

[LordDresden2]

Haven't they narrowed it down to some kind of meteorite strike by now?

More or less that's the prevailing view.  There's some debate about whether it was a meteorite or a bit of cometary matter, the difference is mostly semantic.