“You Know What He Was Meant To Be”

[Conspiracy Theorist]

In Blood Rites Harry is rescuing the puppies stolen from Brother Wang - they have been brought to Chicago because presumably this is where the mastermind behind their theft dwells. In Zoo Day we learn this was actually successful MyShadow and his sister were in fact taken before Harry rescued the rest of the puppies including Mouse. The actual abductor is a Sorceror, another one in Chicago after Victor Sells and Leonid Kravos.

The Winter Court had been resident in Chicago from Grave Peril and Nameless was part of the Court, upon expulsion from the Court he practices as a lawyer in Chicago. Nameless was the mastermind behind the puppy theft. The swine. For some reason Nameless required a corrupted Foo Dog, but then Nameless is Cowl and part of the Black Council. All three Sorcerors are connected to Nameless.

Thomas this time asking the question of Harry page13 Blood Rites

“Thomas laughed a little and shook his head. ‘I don’t get it.’ ‘Don’t get what?’ ‘Why you do it.’ ‘Do what?”

Harry is still burying his head in the sand over his motivation.

Page 14 - Thomas who meets up with Harry one or two days a year at this point knows about Bob, and Bob is a big secret and Harry blithely just carries on when the “Talking Skull” is mentioned. How did Thomas find out?

The A Plot and B Plot are unrelated -Raith made that clear in The Deeps.  No motivation is given for Mavra bringing her scourge to Chicago, no Athame, no Word, no recruitment drive, so the most likely explanation is that it was a favour owed to Cowl, or better yet owed by Drakul to Cowl,  specifically as a trap for Harry in much the same way he used Ortega in the previous book, they have a pre-existing relationship from before Grave Peril, and whilst Harry annoyed her he really didn’t do anything to justify her setting up a trap for Harry, fearful that Harry would derail his long-term plan for the Leansidheand in disrupting the Winter Court.

Cowl of course organised the photos of Harry, Murphy and Kincaid which turn up at page 14 of Dead Beat that Mavra uses to blackmail Harry, his back up plan.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

In Dead Beat note that Harry has his ‘dream’ of his father just after visiting Mort, who lets slip that he knows Colin Murphy, we find out later in Ghost Story Colin Murphy works for Uriel, so this would suggest Mort is indirectly working for Uriel at this point at the point where he starts developing a backbone. Many theories suggest Malcolm was sent by Uriel, after Lasciel crossed the line,  this would appear to confirm this. The Mort episode also seems designed to mislead the reader that Malcolm is a ghost. Malcolm is I believe the ‘balancing’ allowed to Uriel following Shiela making her first appearance in Bocks, suggesting Malcolm is the equivalent of Sheila, a shadow of the Malcolm in the Good Place, but not cut off from him like Sheila is from Lasciel.

Page 136 Dead Beat ‘‘No one can tell you that,’ he said. ‘Not me. Not an angel. And not a fallen angel.” The only Angel Harry knows at this point is Mac, and he is not  going to tell him anything. It’s at this point Uriel can directly intervene outside of the Swords.

[g33k]

... Casting Dierdre down to the underworld? Do you think she saw that coming? And that was his daughter

Deirdre?  She knew, yes.  She was 100% on-board with the plan; regretful, but resolved.  She obviously knew it was coming.

She even foreshadowed it, during the private convo she had with Harry, in the rafters(?) of the warehouse... she was a bit melancholy about having to die for Daddy's plan, but convinced it had to happen.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Up to Kumori saving Marcone’s man on Whacker and two thoughts struck me:-

(1) whatever Kumori did generated significant cold, forming ice which is indicative of Winter.
(2) she saved the life of one of Marcone’s men, Marcone owes her or whoever holds her vassalage. That’s important, it could have been any random passer-by but was she deliberately targeting one of Marcone’s men for exactly this purpose?

This would suggest Cowl engaged the outside contractor to deliberately engage Marcone’s man with Kumori waiting in the wings. Nameless may not have a penchant for healing as a Demi-god of Discord, requiring his use of Kumori in his stead, someone with a penchant for healing. Kumori doesn’t have a major talent for showy magic page 224 Dead Beat, Kumori wasn’t strong enough to wrestle the book away from Harry not using his magic, but even a minor talent can be honed with instruction and practise. Was Nameless gaining control over Sarissa by teaching her the Necromancers version of healing he learnt from Kemmler, but couldn’t use himself due to his nature?

We know in The Law that Nameless will go to work for Marcone, was this the favour he traded on to get a foot in the door? I can’t see Gard being agreeable to Nameless unless Marcone thought he had good reason to overrule her. Nameless was fully in Winter at this point as the attack on Arctis Tor which led to his exile had yet to come. This would suggest he was planning on exile at this point.

So a female Winter Mortal, with a penchant for healing, part of Mab’s Court where Nameless could gain a hold over her would suggest Sarissa is Kumori if Cowl is indeed Nameless. We won’t be introduced to Sarissa until Cold Days and it strikes me as very Nameless to target Mab’s Changeling daughter twin to her bully Maeve? Using Lloyd Slate as part of his plan to gain a hold over her? All the speculation as to Kumori from Dead Beat to Cold  Days would be rendered irrelevant.

Jim certainly has a pattern of dropping something pertinent in one book which is seemingly inconsequential and then revealing a pertinent connection in a later book. Colin Murphy as a ghost  for example in Dead Beat, revealing that ghost works for Uriel in Ghost Story after Uriel has revealed himself to Harry.

It would also seem that Nameless has a penchant for manipulating women, we see this directly in The Law with Miss Laplander, but this would include Maeve, The Leansidhe, so easily Sarissa as well. He would have figured she was the spare Winter Lady, I bet he stoked Maeves paranoia over this leading to Lily’s death, inadvertently freeing Sarissa from his hold.

In Summer Knight Mab says that this is the last time that Maeve hires the help. Did Maeve choose Lloyd Slate based upon Nameless recommendation? That Slate was always Nameless man due to his heroin habit? That he could use Slate to bully the Winter Changelings and manipulate them like Ace in engaging the Tigress to take out Harry? which is exactly what he did in Summer Knight?

Page 231 the Erl King is described as Wildfae in Peabodys book, written approximately a century before, but in Battle Ground is definitely part of Winter. Did the book or Kemmlers creation of the Darkhallow force the Erl King to choose Winter? Page 241 would suggest so, Mab knows about The Word and Peabody’s book and the danger that it represents. Who did she find that out from? The existence of the Word was known to Bob, the heirs and from The Law Nameless. Nameless may have traded that to Mab as his price for entry into Winter, gaining the Erl King as a powerful and unlike Nameless a TRUSTWORTHY Vassal. In return for a vow to not summon the Erl King or cause him to be summoned, could that be why Cowl is trying to destroy it at first?  Could both Nameless and The Erl King being bound by Winter Law mean that Nameless/Cowl couldn’t use the summoning, but could hijack Harry’s if Harry isn’t doing it on Cowls behalf? Cowl was only destroying copies of the book, preventing others from using the Darkhallow, initially because it was no good to him.

Mavra knows about the Word but not about the Erl King, did Nameless trade knowledge of the Word to Drakul? But not about the Erl King? so Drakul couldn’t use it? Harry giving Mavra The Word means Drakul has only half the solution

Page 239 of Dead Beat, Mab has caught Lea and put her on ice forcing Cowl’s hand at this point is Cowl going back to the earlier plan of the Darkhallow to get enough power to break free from Mab?

[g33k]

... (1) whatever Kumori did generated significant cold, forming ice which is indicative of Winter ... Jim certainly has a pattern of dropping something pertinent in one book which is seemingly inconsequential and then revealing a pertinent connection in a later book ...

That's a fascinating notion!
I mean... it's not a sure thing.  Like... "died in erotic ecstacy" isn't a sure-fire proof Whampire, there's other entities that do the "succubus schtick."  And there's plenty of phobophages other than fetches, so it took a while for Harry to figure that out in Proven Guilty.

So maybe Kumori's powers (or the specific magic she used) are something non-Winter but still cold & icy.  But as you note, Jim loves to toss out cross-book breadcrumbs.  My gut says you're on the right track.

I think, though, that Kumori being "Winter" is actually evidence *against* her being Sarissa:  at this point, Sarissa is a changeling & hasn't Chosen; she is not Winterfae and has no Winter magic on-tap.

I'm still on Team Harry for CowlWAG's:  Cowl = Future!Harry & Kumori = WinterLadyMolly.  Cowl's powerset is remarkably similar to Harry's.  When Harry dumped the car onto Cowl, a quick flash of a Shield (bracelet or no) to survive the impact, then a WinterKnight power-move to push the car off of himself.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Dead Beat page 352 Harry is confronted on the stairs by Kumori and summises that she wears a hood because she might recognise him because she is on the White Council. Harry would indeed recognise her, if she is Sarissa she is Maeves identical twin sister, and of course Maeve is publicly known to Harry from Summer Knight, meaning she knows she needs the disguise from Harry and the wider world, which is why it was adopted in Grave Peril in the first place. She is Winter and her Mother is currently holding Leas obligation to Harry, which she isn’t going to disrupt, so no she isn’t going to kill Harry. Kumori can do a veil (a Fae strong suit) despite not being especially powerful. Harry knows bugger all women on the Whire Council except Martha Liberty and Luccio who is Edinburgh at this point in the narrative.

Kumori appears to show professional interest in Harry’s fire damaged hand which means that Kumori is one of the recurring medical professionals in the series, Butters, Lamar, LTW or Sarissa.

[Mira]

Dead Beat page 352 Harry is confronted on the stairs by Kumori and summises that she wears a hood because she might recognise him because she is on the White Council. Harry would indeed recognise her, if she is Sarissa she is Maeves identical twin sister, and of course Maeve is publicly known to Harry from Summer Knight, meaning she knows she needs the disguise from Harry and the wider world, which is why it was adopted in Grave Peril in the first place. She is Winter and her Mother is currently holding Leas obligation to Harry, which she isn’t going to disrupt, so no she isn’t going to kill Harry. Kumori can do a veil (a Fae strong suit) despite not being especially powerful. Harry knows bugger all women on the Whire Council except Martha Liberty and Luccio who is Edinburgh at this point in the narrative.

Kumori appears to show professional interest in Harry’s fire damaged hand which means that Kumori is one of the recurring medical professionals in the series, Butters, Lamar, LTW or Sarissa.

  I think you are a little confused, neither Sarissa nor Maeve were ever on the White Council, that is for wizards only.  It may or may not be significant that Kumori showed interest in Harry's burnt hand, I don't think she treated or suggested therapy for it.

[g33k]

Dead Beat page 352 Harry is confronted on the stairs by Kumori and summises that she wears a hood because she might recognise him because she is on the White Council ...

I think "because he might recognise her" is a good hypothesis... but WC doesn't necessarily follow.  The easy explanation is the "Darth Wannabe Fashion Trend;" Cowl himself adopts it.  But Jim has made enough of a fuss about the hooded ID's that I expect it *is* a thing, not just a requirement of being in the Ominous & Mysterious Club.

... Harry would indeed recognise her, if she is Sarissa she is Maeves identical twin sister, and of course Maeve is publicly known to Harry from Summer Knight ...

Not necessarily.  Harry didn't twig to Sarissa/Maeve for a long period of working closely with Sarissa, even when they were side-by-side.  She may have *thought* she needed to hide?

But honestly I doubt that.  The Mantle itself seems to obscure the human identity, rendering the bearer a more-vivid and slightly-inhuman being.  Harry is actually a rather-keen observer, and it took him a LONG time to discern the similarity.  I presume the effect is well-known to Sarissa by this time.

But Kumori *cannot* be Sarissa.

Kumori has magic:  regular mortal-wizard magic.  And we know from Cold Days -- where she was Harry's physical therapist -- that Harry detects no practitioner-aura when they have skin-contact.

Harry ... summises that [Kumori] wears a hood because she might recognise him
 - no she isn’t going to kill Harry
 - Kumori can do a veil (a Fae strong suit)
 - despite not being especially powerful
 - Harry knows bugger all women on the Whire Council ...
 - Kumori appears to show professional interest in Harry’s fire damaged hand ...

All of these points seem to point equally to Molly!

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I had thought of that, Thorn Manacles or power burnout from the Darkhallow collapse would remove a mortal practioners aura, and she isn’t strictly mortal, she’s a Changeling. If she chose human perhaps, yes,  Fae definitely not.

Proven Guilty the Rear ending by the old Chrysler. Could Nameless in Chicago for a conflab with Peabody following the execution have just run across Harry and let his annoyance with Harry finally get the better of him. A old Chrysler and it’s steel body would shield Nameless from Mab Peabody would have been there because paperwork, and they were to set into movement the scheme to murder the current warden of Demonreach and install Peabody in the role. To do that he needs to get Peabody to the island quickly, and needs to scout a possible route from Arctis Tor from the Never Never, hence the attack to free Lea to cover his tracks.

[Ed0517]

Up to Kumori saving Marcone’s man on Whacker and two thoughts struck me:-

(1) whatever Kumori did generated significant cold, forming ice which is indicative of Winter.

Possibly, but be aware of the flip side of the coin - she may have been drawing HEAT from her surroundings, like Harry did to make the fetch slip. Harry took heat from the water... which left ice behind. She may not have emanated cold at all.

Jim would love to divert you with such niceties.

[g33k]

I had thought of that, Thorn Manacles or power burnout from the Darkhallow collapse would remove a mortal practioners aura, and she isn’t strictly mortal, she’s a Changeling. If she chose human perhaps, yes,  Fae definitely not ...

Thorn manacles are a hard no.  They are strictly temporary; there has never been any indication it could produce a "burnout" (Lash would surely have told Harry, if it were possible).  Also, Sarissa had no scars from them.

I guess the Darkhallow maybe could produce burnout ... ?

The thing is:  I'm not sure "burnout" is a thing that happens in the Dresdenverse.  Fading happens:  Charity Carpenter was a low-grade talent, presumably near-ish to the Ordo Lebes... all of whom (that he touched) tingled Harry's wizardly spidey-sense; but never Charity.

Why doesn't the WC just burn-out captured warlocks, if it was a thing (or, for that matter -- why not thorn manacles?)

[Mira]

Why doesn't the WC just burn-out captured warlocks, if it was a thing (or, for that matter -- why not thorn manacles?)

  That is an interesting idea, but like a lot of things maybe either more complicated than just burning out a warlock... In the case of Charity, even though she was well on her way to becoming a warlock, I don't remember it being said what level her talent really was, her talent did fade.. Or it hasn't faded, but since she is in total denial of it, cannot be detected.  There might be several reasons, maybe Harry's spidey sense doesn't work on her because her talent is competely dormant from total lack of use"?  She was saved from that dragon by a Holy Knight whom she fell in love with, her desire to quit to win Micheal with intervention from the Almighty made it happen.  I really think Charity is a unique case.  In the case of your garden variety warlock, the desire to stop being one doesn't exist.  They are addicted to using the black magic, Molly is a good example of this, even Harry, the temptation to back slide is very great.. And when they do backslide the consequences are usually dire.  The White Council doesn't have their own Demonreach Island to rehab young warlocks, and there are so many it isn't practical to use the one that exists.  Nor do they care to take the time in what most likely be a fruitless effort at rehab.  If a wizard is willing, they take a shot at putting them under the Doom if rehab is deemed possible, otherwise, the chop is considered the best solution for all concerned.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Thorn manacles are a hard no.  They are strictly temporary; there has never been any indication it could produce a "burnout" (Lash would surely have told Harry, if it were possible).  Also, Sarissa had no scars from them.

I guess the Darkhallow maybe could produce burnout ... ? I suspect that Cowl was diminished for at least. Time by the Darkhallow, by the time Proven Guilty he still doesn’t display power relying on others for the assault on Arctis Tor .

The thing is:  I'm not sure "burnout" is a thing that happens in the Dresdenverse.  Fading happens:  Charity Carpenter was a low-grade talent, presumably near-ish to the Ordo Lebes... all of whom (that he touched) tingled Harry's wizardly spidey-sense; but never Charity.

Why doesn't the WC just burn-out captured warlocks, if it was a thing (or, for that matter -- why not thorn manacles?)

I suspect a wizard trying to cross the Carpenters threshold without permission would suffer permanent burnout, and removing the power from a warlock doesn’t render them sane or harmless.

Page 139 Proven Guilty ‘Your wolf children did me a petty wrong,’ Maeve replied. ‘They killed a favorite hireling of the Winter Court.’ Maeve confirms the Tigress was a repeat contractor for the Winter Court to which Nameless was attached at the time. Lloyd Slate forced Ace to hire the Tigress to kill Harry, even though Harry was doing Mab’s bidding.

[g33k]

... In the case of Charity, even though she was well on her way to becoming a warlock, I don't remember it being said what level her talent really was, her talent did fade.. Or it hasn't faded, but since she is in total denial of it, cannot be detected.  There might be several reasons, maybe Harry's spidey sense doesn't work on her because her talent is competely dormant from total lack of use"?  She was saved from that dragon by a Holy Knight whom she fell in love with, her desire to quit to win Micheal with intervention from the Almighty made it happen.  I really think Charity is a unique case...

Charity's own testimony was that her talent was minor.  I think she was being honest.
The head of her coven was stronger... but not WC-caliber strong.

But we have other indicators that power fades:  When Harry finally admits to Michael that he picked up Lasciel's Denarius, Michael advises him to "put aside his power," and the Shadow would fade as his power did (to which Harry replied, "fuck that."  Michael winced.).

I'm pretty sure there's WoJ to this effect, too; mortal magic in the Dresdenverse is a "use it or lose it" thing (except for the "anyone can do it" rituals that have been described as "like a vending machine, put in the ritualistic coin & get out the magic spell").

[g33k]

... In the case of your garden variety warlock, the desire to stop being one doesn't exist.  They are addicted to using the black magic, Molly is a good example of this, even Harry, the temptation to back slide is very great.. And when they do backslide the consequences are usually dire.

Agreed on all points.

 

... The White Council doesn't have their own Demonreach Island to rehab young warlocks, and there are so many it isn't practical to use the one that exists.  Nor do they care to take the time in what most likely be a fruitless effort at rehab.  If a wizard is willing, they take a shot at putting them under the Doom if rehab is deemed possible, otherwise, the chop is considered the best solution for all concerned.

I think there's very little "rehab" happening on Demonreach; only for Harry, really:  he can lair-up there to heal.  The inmates... not so much.

Seems to me that Thorn Manacles would be a perfect solution, actually.

The warlock can do a bunch of normal-ish things in life; MUNDANE things.  Every time they try something magical, they suffer intense agony.  Pavlov showed the way, here (and Harry avers, "pain is an excellent teacher").  They'll learn, on a reflexive level, not to do magic.  After they stop even trying, their powers will begin to fade.  10-15 years later, they should be safe to release (at least, magically safe).

They could spend that time being educated for a mundane career... college, trade school, etc.  They will get out with no "criminal record" in the mortal world, so they can go get a mortal job in their career of choice.