Cowl could be Kemmler? Fist full of Warlocks Spoilers

[groinkick]

Alright this is a long shot but thought it was worth a look at.

When Harry saw Cowl he noticed his wrists were covered in scars.  In Fist full of Warlocks, Kemmler literally skinned himself to escape his bonds.  Meaning his ripped the flesh from his own wrists to escape.  Dunno how likely it is but thought there could be a connection.

[wardenferry419]

Didn't Cowl refer to Kemmler as madman and wouldn't disciples acknowledge their master?

[Darkest-Before-Dawn]

Plus there wouldn't be much need for him to get the Word of Kemmler if he *was* Kemmler.

[jonas]

Alright this is a long shot but thought it was worth a look at.

When Harry saw Cowl he noticed his wrists were covered in scars.  In Fist full of Warlocks, Kemmler literally skinned himself to escape his bonds.  Meaning his ripped the flesh from his own wrists to escape.  Dunno how likely it is but thought there could be a connection.

In favor of fair trade, Harry has scars all over his arms, I can't recall a wrist reference(although kemmler does the body switch/I'm dead but i'm not trick a few times after the fact so...) but Hooks... hooks tore him up pretty good amongst other things.
And wag out there, of course alternate Kemmler would still have a similar but entirely different history, meaning he could have same scars but lack Necro knowledge just as MM vs Harry.

[KurtinStGeorge]

Plus there wouldn't be much need for him to get the Word of Kemmler if he *was* Kemmler.

You mean he wouldn't have needed Bob.  Cowl never tried to get his hands on the Word of Kemmler, he was trying to destroy Peabody's book so no one else could call up the Earl King and perform the Darkhallow on their own. 

Also, I think Evil Bob's attitude toward Cowl in Dead Beat is evidence the necromancer wasn't Kemmler.  He tried to tell Cowl what to do.  I doubt the skull acted that way with Kemmler.  (Unless Kemmler body switched with Cowl; he probably taught Corpsetaker that trick, and E-Bob couldn't tell the difference, but that seems something of a stretch to me; especially with Bob's ability to see auras and magic in a way that mortals can't.)

[groinkick]

Also, I think Evil Bob's attitude toward Cowl in Dead Beat is evidence the necromancer wasn't Kemmler.  He tried to tell Cowl what to do.  I doubt the skull acted that way with Kemmler. 

Actually it would make sense for Bob to act like that with Kemmler.  Remember that Bob takes on the personality of the one controlling him.  When Bob wanted to quickly kill Harry, that would be Cowl's instincts.  When it was telling Cowl what to do, again, his personality traits.  That doesn't mean Cowl is Kemmler, but Bob's attitude is a clue of Cowl's personality.  He seemed pretty murderous.

[jonas]

Actually it would make sense for Bob to act like that with Kemmler.  Remember that Bob takes on the personality of the one controlling him.  When Bob wanted to quickly kill Harry, that would be Cowl's instincts.  When it was telling Cowl what to do, again, his personality traits.  That doesn't mean Cowl is Kemmler, but Bob's attitude is a clue of Cowl's personality.  He seemed pretty murderous.

Or that he'd actually encounter E bob before and had a 'flavor' of what he expected. E Bob was noticed during the war, if anyone knew he still lived they'd have some very different idea's on him... Or it could be a direct aspect of accessing the Kemmler knowledgeable version?

[kazimmoinuddin]

I think evil Bob would be searching for Cowl, to his knowledge the only true premier necromancer around. He is either a potential ally/competition/enemy, or even a combination of them. So either way, it would be in its own interest to gather intelligence on him. Evil Bob could have learned about the circle for the fomor or his former patron, that slain necromancer.

[Snark Knight]

When Harry saw Cowl he noticed his wrists were covered in scars.  In Fist full of Warlocks, Kemmler literally skinned himself to escape his bonds.  Meaning his ripped the flesh from his own wrists to escape.  Dunno how likely it is but thought there could be a connection.

For starters, I'm fairly sure Kemmler went through multiple body swaps between Fistful of Warlocks and his last stand against the Council. The Council thought he was dead several times and he popped back up again, presumably the same way Corpsetaker was trying to.

Secondly, even if I'm mistaken about the body swaps, we're talking about a good century and a quarter for a wizard's superior healing to do its thing. Harry's burn scars went from something vastly worse than Kemmler did to himself on the ropes to showing significant improvement in the span of a decade. Kemmler would have been slinging around more power for a dozen times as long to see the fringe benefits on healing.

[kazimmoinuddin]

In some stories, necromantic arts could be used in a form of healing. Healing here is very advanced magics, I bet kemmler would be capable of a form of necromancy that could be mistaken for healing.

[LordDresden2]

Plus there wouldn't be much need for him to get the Word of Kemmler if he *was* Kemmler.

I agree...with a caveat.  I don't think it's likely that Cowl is actually Kemmler, but it could be so, if something happened since 1961 to erase some of Kemmler's memory.  That's not entirely inconceivable.  After all, the White Council killed Kemmler real good in 1961.  Repeatedly.  Using various methods of execution.

I could imagine that whatever allowed Kemmler to escape and revive might leave him 'damaged' after that.  His memory might be scrambled, even his personality not entirely intact.

As I said, I doubt Cowl is Kemmler, but we can't absolutely rule it out.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Time travel

We are seeing a version of Kemmler in the main story sequence just after a Fist Full of Warlocks,  but well before 1961 on his personal time-line AND before the Word? (Not read Warlocks)

A body swap unless to another strong wizard would leave Kemmler like Luccio, diminshed, but instead summon a version of yourself from another universe kill them (or bodyswap and kill) to leave a perfect corpse behind and time jump so there is no version of yourself to be tracked down in that time period by anyone or anything. You can find that which currently doesn't exis, even in a parallel world. That would explain all of Kemmlers deaths, and Kemmler was merely using the Word as misdirection. If Kemmler is going to break one law of Wizardry, he probably broke them all.

If Warlocks is a clue to Kemmlers modus operandi, so probably is Mirror, Mirror, Mirror Dresden has merely hit upon part of the same idea.

Harry breaks all the laws eventually, perhaps chasing Kemmler/Cowl is how he timetravels

[jonas]

A body swap unless to another strong wizard would leave Kemmler like Luccio, diminshed, but instead summon a version of yourself from another universe kill them (or bodyswap and kill) to leave a perfect corpse behind and time jump so there is no version of yourself to be tracked down in that time period by anyone or anything. You can find that which currently doesn't exis, even in a parallel world.

That's inspired man, and goes well with my idea the 6th time produces the seventh version, whom like Yrrah will learn, is not to be trifled with.

[kazimmoinuddin]

I could see cowl attempting to reclaim kemmler power, but in his own manner. Kemmler wanted to carry out the dark hollow ritual as outlined in his book, but cowl seemed reluctant. I am betting he has his own dark Ascension ritual planned, possibly using BCV. Power is not his sole target.

[kbrizzle]

I had a crazy WAG about this a few days ago after re-watching the final Harry Potter movie (meh it was on) - it got me thinking though, what if Cowl was Kemmler? More specifically a Horcrux of Kemmler?

With Bob being able to cast out part of himself (Evil Bob who seems to have sentience & motivation independent of real Bob), wouldn't it be possible for a very powerful body jumping wizard to leave some of his conciousness inside someone else as a security measure, perhaps as a sleeper agent? If possible, it would be a very effective counter measure against the White Council.

If this 'Horcrux' were made before Kemmler discovered the complete Darkhallow, it would make sense why he hunted for Bob instead of the books in Dead Beat.