The Dresden Files > DF Reference Collection

A Badelynge of Quackiness [spoilers for every book Jim ever wrote or ever will]

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Ms Duck:
On Marcone and the ErlkingIntroduction:
   It’s a theory tend to accept that the Erlking is the one who gave the wolf belts to the FBI agents in FM. The FBI base connects to his place in the NN, they are hunters, the belt is a tool of hunters, its origins are in Germanic myth, and there is not direct reason why not. But there is no direct reason, why, or is there? In Changes, he gives us one big clue:

--- Quote --- “I desire naught of any other being, save to pursue my hunts in accordance with the ancient traditions without interference…”
--- End quote ---
   Now we do know a few things about the wild hunt and the Erlking thanks to Jim: Others can lead the Wild Hunt, and thus interfere:

--- Quote --- Actually, in the Dresden universe, the Wild Hunt can be led by a number of beings--INCLUDING Cern, but not exclusive to him.    The Erlking (who isn't Cern) is a being of Faerie who is in Mab's weight division, if not her equal.  I believe he is identified as the ruler of the goblins--which should not necessarily be equated with Tolkeinesque/Gygaxesque goblins.
--- End quote ---
Sidhe compete with each other indirectly

--- Quote --- I mean, sure, the Erlking is a peer of Mab's--but there's kind of a reason that it's /Mab/ who rules the Worst of the Worst in Faerie, and not the Erlking.
      All of which doesn't even TOUCH on the way power is actually balanced in Faerie, because neither Mab nor the Erlking would attempt such a thing, or /consider/ attempting such a thing.  It would upset the natural order.  Conflicts between most of the Fae powers are very subtle, and generally involve proxies, pride, sex or all of the above.
--- End quote ---
So who else can summon the Wild Hunt, thus interfering with the Erlking, that he would want to mess with in return?   The wild Hunt is a force, composed of either the spirits of the dead, the Sidhe, the fae, or all of the above, led by a single hunter. There are quite a few listed in mythology and history as leaders of the pack, so to speak, starting with the Germanic horned god Woden, and heading on to:
Theodoric the Great
 Valdemar Atterdag
 Gwyn ap Nudd
Odin
Frey
Herne the Hunter
Cern
Gwydion
Arawn
King Arthur
LuciferSo does Marcone have any connections with these?   Well, actually yes- Odin. He has bought service from Odin’s corporation on several occasions. But all of these occurred after the incident with the belts. So, what other connections can we postulate? What do we know about Odin and mortal interactions?
Odin Liked to Boing Boing   He’s not called the all-father for nothing. His known children include, but are not limited to:
Gods:Thor- from the Jotun queen Jord, goddess of the earth
Baldur- from the Goddess Frigg, Queen of Asgard
Vali- From the Jotun Princess RindirHeroes    Now Odin is also the father of many great heroes of Germanic/Scandinavian/Northern mythology and history. Whom the mother of many of these is unknown, possibly a mortal, but could also be a Jotun, Aesir, Vanir, or other mystical being. The big difference between these sons and the gods above is that these sons were not given access to the apples of immortality, and thus lived mortal lives.  Often referred to as the Geat, from the tribe in Northern Europe said to be descended from them, these children and great children of Odin often possessed hero like, but not divine, gifts of foresight, strength, speed, agility, or luck. Batman level abilities, to be precise.

Sigi- ancestor of Sigurd and Sigrun, aka Ms. Gard
Skjold- who later married the goddess Gefjon
Yngvi- founder of Norway
Saeming- son of Skadi, the winter goddess
Gauti- ancestor of Beowulf
Sigrlami- ancestor of the dark elves
And at least 20 more of lesser import   So we have a badass mortal with heroic skills (Marcone, not his real name), who has a best friend who is a badass mortal with heroic skills(Hendricks), who hangs around with a Valkyrie who admits she is a Geat (Gard).. We can take a wild guess here:

Erlking is messing with Marcone because Marcone is one of Odin’s descendants Gram?
   In even hand Hendricks has a sword that the Formor lord Mag seemed to recognize:

--- Quote ---He looked at me, then at Gard. His eyes narrowed. They tracked back to Hendricks, his head hardly moving, and he seemed to freeze when he saw the sword in Hendricks hand.
--- End quote ---
   This may be nothing, but its worth noting that while even on the floor, with an enchanted axe above his head and a gun in his face, the Fomor was most afraid of the sword that Hendricks was just holding- a sword described as a simple, rather crude looking broadsword. Now there are many magical swords in northern myths, but one crucial sword is Gram, the dragon slayer, a sword Odin only allows his mortal descendants to wield. Now that sword would give even a Formor pause.
Mab?
   This may be a bit off, as there is no direct way as of yet to determine which woman might be the ancestor of which mortal lineage, or even what ancestor the three had. Odin gets around. But one thing we do know for sure is that Mab has other names in myth:

--- Quote --- the white council - isn't mab her true name?
It's /one/ of her Names.  But God help the simp (or Council of simps) who tries to control her with that and nothing else.  Ugh, that would get ugly.
--- End quote ---
   Now there is a very good chance she is Morgawse. Also quite likely she is The Winter Queen; among other possibilities are Lovitar, Skadi, Gerda, Holda (who also leads the Wild Hunt in her own right), Huldra and Perchta. Why is this important? Because in one myth or another, Odin did most of them. And several myths list them as possible mothers for many of the various heroes..  Putting a final conflict between the Odin/ Erlking/ Marcone triangle.
It’s a good thing Odin and Erlking don’t get jealous, right? I mean, Harry might end up in trouble..

Ms Duck:
Dracula, Kemmler and The Black Courtby Ms. Duck
--- Quote --- Stoker was killed for being delicious.
Lara: Bram, Bram, Bram.  You've done so well.  Time for your reward.
Lara (later): ...
Lara (in her journal):  It's so easy to get carried away when one works with the creative talent.  So much enthusiasm
--- End quote ---
Introduction:
   We know from the books and WOJ that the novel Dracula, the Hammer Vampire films of the 1960s, and likely other related works were published by the white court in order to undermine the growing power of the Black Court. And yet, the vampire sin those works don’t really resemble the Black Court that well- even though Harry jokes about them as ‘Stoker’s guide to Vampire killing’ many of the elements he mentions, such as sunlight, were never part of the original stories. Furthermore, the vampires in the genre are dark, seductive beings, not shambling corpses. Serrack suggested that Stoker was killed by the white court because he had done his job too well, in combining the elements of the white court vampire in with the black court he was supposed to portray. Jim, however, noted that Stoker was killed simply for being delicious.What do we know about the Black Court?They were damn scary:

--- Quote --- Hmmm.  In terms of pure, raw power, several who have appeared or been mentioned in the books could pull it off, though neither side would really "win" as much as "continue to exist."  Plus, the sudden absence of Mab would do freaking HIDEOUS things to the earth.  But here's who has the necessary horsepower do it:o   Titania--though it would be a coin toss.  Almost literally.
o   The Mothers (who wouldn't)
o   The White Council.  As in, ALL the White Council.  Every wizard on the planet.  And they'd need her Name.
o   Drakul.
o   Ferrovax.
o   The Red Court--again, ALL the Red Court, though their odds wouldn't be good.
o   The entire White Court--very, very long odds on that, but if they actually pulled it off, whoever took Mab would effectively control her power.
o   Cowl (if the Darkhallow had succeeded).
o   A union of the old Elders of the Black Court.  They were freaking scary until the Whites arranged to have them hounded down by mortals.
--- End quote ---

--- Quote ---Power in the spirit world isn't the same thing as power in the material world.  And a one-on-thirtyish fight (Mab vs the elders of the BC) is WAY different than a one-on-20,000 fight (a BC vampire against a modest mortal city).  Especially when the 20,000 know what your weaknesses are, and how to kill you with them. Smiley  And that's assuming that you don't have a saint, or an independent wizard, or a shaman, a Knight of the Cross or some other champion, or other spiritual allies on your side which was not uncommon.  Hell, for that matter, you might well be aided by vampires from the other Courts.  *Everyone* resented how powerful the Blacks had become.
--- End quote ---
The ones that survived are the smart ones:

--- Quote --- Bear in mind that evolution made a pretty brutal selection among the Black Court.  The ones who survived and prospered were those who avoided notice, respected the potential danger mortals represented, and who were generally quick to leave town rather than charge into a confrontation.
--- End quote ---

--- Quote --- The BC didn't /know/ about the WC's involvement until well after the fact, at which point it was entirely academic.  The BC who are left survive because they are extremely pragmatic.  They don't have enough trouble surviving /without/ picking a fight with the entire White Court, who will only send the peasants and pitchforks anyway?  If one needs to vent one's spleen, one does it on hapless mortals, preferably those no one will miss.
--- End quote ---
In the Dreden Files so far, what have we seen?
-super human strength, exceeding even that of a white court noble
-super human speed, likewise
-appear like rotting corpses
-resistant to normal damage
- masters can turn other humans
-it is possible to become a master very young
-In addition, Mavra can:
Possess her minions
Turn to mist
Senior Council level wizard, with skills in illusion, evocation, and necromancy The Gothic Vampire    First created in the short story The Vampyre by John William Pollidori in 1819, the gothic vampire is one of the staples of  Victorian literature. Suave, attractive, charismatic, the villain of the piece, Lord Ruthven, appears entirely human. He walks in the sunlight, appears to bleed when stabbed, and is not repulsed by holy symbols. He was in many ways the basis for Dracula; a nobleman from Eastern Europe who journeys to the western world and feast on our women. Unlike alter versions, in the original short story the hero does not win; we don’t know of any weaknesses from this story as Lord Ruthven feeds then leaves.( He is seen to die from a blow to the heart, but appears unhurt soon after.)
   The second great story of the genre is Carmilla by Le Fanu and published in 1872. It took the vampire begun by Pollidori- the Eastern noble with a taste for blood- and added in the elements we all recognize as vapiric today; The ability to shape shift (into a cat or shadow), the sexual ambiguity (she is a lesbian; from this point on, many vampires are either gay or bisexual, especially the females); the need to return to her coffin at dawn, and the weakness to holy items, prayer, and blessed blades. One very important element in the story, later used to great effect in Dracula, is that she can only be killed permanently  is during dawn while in her coffin.( Later books expanded this idea to be able to be killed during the day; however Carmilla herself is only vulnerable at dawn. Even when stabbed thru the heart by a holy weapon, she is reborn in her coffin the next night.)
   Dracula, by Stoker, published in 1897 is of course, the most famous version. Stoker took the elements of Carmilla, combined them with a villain like Ruthven, and added in generous portions of real history, current events, and Tom Clancy style techno writing to create the most famous vampire ever. In addition to Carmilla’s powers, he may also climb walls like a spider, control the weather, mesmerize the minds of mortals, summon animals, and communicate telepathically with his brides.
   It is also important to note, that like Carmilla, he was only truly vulnerable in his coffin. It is his great weakness; crosses may turn him, weapons may hurt him, but in his coffin at dawn he is vulnerable. Furthermore, it is important to note that he can walk abroad at day; he only must return to his coffin at dawn, but may rise up again afterwards.   So how do we reconcile this?   I think the answer is in combing three elements:
The surviving Black Court are cunning
A master Black Court can communicate or control their minions
A master Black Court can pass for human, even by daylightThus, the conclusion is Harry has not met the real Mavra yet, only her pawns
   Or has he? It’s entirely possible that the real Mavra has been onscreen already, and Harry has not noticed. Sandra Merling, perhaps? Some other minor character?  Heck, for all we know is could be Mrs. Spunkerlief.
   A second point to mention is that several of the classic stories mention it is possible to bring even a dead Black Court back if you have the coffin and enough Blood. Gee, I wonder why the Formor are collecting all the magically rich blood?
Kemmler connection?   One thing we know from WOJ was that when Harry threatens Mavra with the Word Of Kemmler, he was not bluffing. There is something in that book, ort in necromancy in general that the Black Court is afraid of. That, I speculate, is why Mavra went to such extremes to set up a trap for the necromancers in Dead Beat.
   One other clue is in T Rex Sue; she gained power as she killed things. Dead Beat mentions her directly becoming stronger; her steps crush concrete, her flesh which was once harm able by the other undead becomes resistant to even their strongest attacks; her skin begins to glow with a silver sheen of energy; and she gains a will and desire of her own, beyond Harry’s power to control.
   It’s important to note that the spell Harry used to create her came from The Word, a book written in a language that Harry did not know, that was translated by the shadow of Lasciel for him. I think the spell was the one for creating Black Court, and Harry made a major oopsie.

Shecky:
Quackpot! :D

Ms Duck:
Oh Quack by Ms. DuckThis is an add on to Gothic Vampires
    I had way too much coffee while working on this copy edit, and over dinner, began to wonder: Where is the Black Court Elder?
   Why, the place it would hurt Harry the most, of course.
Carmilla The first true Gothic Vampire
Major source for all following, such as Dracula, Lestat, Jean-Claude..
In the public domain, so can be used
Using her would be very geeky
Jim is a geek god royale with cheese
Shape shifter
Master of illusions
Can walk in day
Only revealed at dawn
Can fully pass for human otherwise
Small frame, dark hair, slight figure
May be hurt by normal weapons, but heals, with the scars fading
Very poetic, well educated, and intelligent
Lesbian
Often becomes romantically obsessed with her food
Has one strange weakness- whatever name she uses must be based on her true name    (Carmilla Karnstein)
Her last pseudo name was MarcillaThe Shaggy was used by a being that considered him merely cheap labor
While he attacked several people, he made sure to kill Kirby, the man who took Andi away..
Oh Quack !
(click to show/hide) it’s Marci

MartyTaylor:
Lots of good stuff here. Of course its not all right (how could it be when you admitedly contridict yourself at least once), but I'm sure much of it is right on.

I like reading your well researched theories!

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