The Red Court vs. The Fomor

[TrueMonk]

I think we would all have been a little surprised if Marcone in changes had been all like, this is my territory too, I'll just get my army of Einherjargen/troubleshooters ready for when you know where we are going.

I agree that setting him in contact with Odin was what he needed at the time. On the other hand maybe Gard would have reached out regardless if that was an important part of the reason why she has been in the city all this time.

[dspringer1]

The Formor were always a weak supernatural nation, protected mostly by the fact that they lived in water (a potent defense vs most supernatural) and because prime territory had humans in it - which the ocean did not.  So basically a supernatural power made up of supernatural refugees and renegades living in territory nobody wants and where attacking them delivers little value.   Additionally their leadership probably has little real understanding of what the modern world is really like or how things changed in the last few hundred years.  Yes they understand cell phones and cars -- but the "meaning" and "impact" of 7 billion people armed with modern weapons and information technology is beyond their leadership which has stayed beneath the seas. 

However, what made them legitimately dangerous was a combination of events
1) The White Council being weak and divided and unable to protect gifted humans.  Add to this that the other supernatural races are probably fine with gifted humans being culled.  So they are picking targets that nearly all supernatural nations do not care about -- and the only one that does is heavily weakened.  This allowed them to build up a significant army. 

2) Insane god with Balor's eye.   Hard to argue that any of the events in Chicago could have happened without the Eye. 

3) They ignored the rules.   In this case the rules of behavior that guide supernatural interaction from breaking guest rights to showing off in front of humans to picking fights that should be impossible to win.  It is often the case that individuals can achieve the impossible if they only refuse to believe it is impossible. This can lead to great goodness or horrible tragedy.  The classic example is Hitler's Germany.  Hitler's entire rise to power and much of their initial success had to do with Hitler's eagerness to make huge gambles by breaking the rules while using bluster, lies and legitimate grievances to stall or prevent the normal consequences.   A house of cards of course - but if he have enough momentum it can be quite successful for a long time.   

[Mira]

3) They ignored the rules.   In this case the rules of behavior that guide supernatural interaction from breaking guest rights to showing off in front of humans to picking fights that should be impossible to win.  It is often the case that individuals can achieve the impossible if they only refuse to believe it is impossible. This can lead to great goodness or horrible tragedy.  The classic example is Hitler's Germany.  Hitler's entire rise to power and much of their initial success had to do with Hitler's eagerness to make huge gambles by breaking the rules while using bluster, lies and legitimate grievances to stall or prevent the normal consequences.   A house of cards of course - but if he have enough momentum it can be quite successful for a long time.   

Don't ignore that Hitler came to power with the blessings of most of the people. They voted him into office, he managed to make economic and other improvements to their lives, then built upon that using their natural nationalistic tendencies, and last but not least deflected away from what he was really doing with the use of scapegoats.  The Fomor built up over time, like you say, under the water, they kidnapped the vulnerable and little missed of the population that they altered over time to build up an army of powerful loyalists.  Yes, they suffered a setback in the battle for Chicago, but
they are not finished by a long shot as long as there are those like Listen and his Turtlenecks who can blend into the population and cause havoc..  Even the White Council has bought into them being human enough that killing one violates the Law of Magic.

[groinkick]

Do not fear...  I believe the Fomor will be replaced by the Black Court, led by Drakul. 

[Con]

Do not fear...  I believe the Fomor will be replaced by the Black Court, led by Drakul.

Drakul considered Battleground a minor skirmish to get a sense of the field. Drakul must've needed the Word of Kemmler for something.

[morriswalters]

Don't ignore that Hitler came to power with the blessings of most of the people. They voted him into office

Untrue.  He was never voted in.  And the National Socialists never held a majority in the Reichstag.

[Mira]

Untrue.  He was never voted in.  And the National Socialists never held a majority in the Reichstag.

wiki

In the federal election of July 1932, the Nazis won 37.3% of the popular vote (13,745,000 votes), an upswing by 19 percent, becoming the largest party in the Reichstag, with 230 out of 608 seats.[43] Dwarfed by Hitler's electoral gains, the KPD turned away from legal means and increasingly towards violence. One resulting battle in Silesia resulted in the army being dispatched, each shot sending Germany further into a potential civil war. By this time both sides marched into each other's strongholds hoping to spark a rivalry. The attacks continued and reached fever pitch when SA leader Axel Schaffeld was assassinated on 1 August.

As the Nazi Party was now the largest party in the Reichstag, it was entitled to select the President of the Reichstag and were able to elect Göring for the post.[73] Energised by the success, Hitler asked to be made chancellor. Hitler was offered the job of vice-chancellor by Chancellor Papen at the behest of President Hindenburg but he refused. Hitler saw this offer as placing him in a position of "playing second fiddle" in the government.[74]

In his position of Reichstag president, Göring asked that decisive measures be taken by the government over the spate of murders of Nazi Party members. On 9 August, amendments were made to the Reichstrafgesetzbuch statute on "acts of political violence", increasing the penalty to "lifetime imprisonment, 20 years hard labour[,] or death". Special courts were announced to try such offences. When in power less than half a year later, Hitler would use this legislation against his opponents with devastating effect.

[groinkick]

wiki

Yeah they had 37%...  They didn't have the majority.  63% didn't support them

[Bad Alias]

So they are picking targets that nearly all supernatural nations do not care about -- and the only one that does is heavily weakened.

While your point stands, this part is not entirely true. The White Court cared. While others probably did too, but were as preoccupied with bigger concerns as everyone else.