The Dresden Files > DF Reference Collection
Motive for giving out black magic? [CD spoilers]
Cenphx:
In looking at whether the evidence supported the possibility that one person was responsible for the events of SF-FM-BR-LH, I concluded that it was possible and narrowed the suspect to someone who was a powerful mortal wizard, most likely a woman. The evidence also pointed to an outsider connection. But my theory lacked a motive, unlike the theories for Mavra, Lord Raith, or the Red Court Vampires. So what would the motive be for a powerful mortal wizard connected to the Outsiders to pass out black magic?
Black magic is addictive.
So passing out items which use/allow the use of black magic or teaching black magic will lead to ever increasing amounts of such magic being performed, like a feedback loop.
Black magic makes the person who wields it “mad” or “insane” or just somehow not themselves.
Certain kinds of magic make the barriers between worlds thin.
In GP, the barb wire spell was placed on ghosts drove the ghosts mad. The ghosts being crazy made the barrier between the NN and the mortal world turbulent and thinner, in other words, easier to cross. Ghosts are beings of both the mortal world and the NN. They once lived in the mortal world and can cross back, but build their places of power in the NN and are stronger there.
Compare this to mortals. Mortal magic is necessary to summon Outsiders. Therefore, mortal magic is connected in some way to Outsiders. Like the mad ghosts thinning the barrier between the NN and the mortal world, mortals being driven “mad” while performing black magic would make the barrier turbulent or thin the barrier between the Outsiders and the mortal. In other words, make it easier to for something to cross over from there to here.
The use of certain kinds of magic acts as a beacon for things on the other side.
In PG, we saw how the use of black magic based on fear drew in the fetches from the NN, which feed on or were powered by or were just drawn to fear.
The Outsiders can be drawn in the same way as the fetches. In BR, during the ritual entropy curse, Madge summoned HWWBh stating, “Let our need become the traveller’s road.” Her use of the black magic ritual became a destination point for the Outsider to travel to the mortal world.
So….the point of passing out black magic or teaching it to mortals is to get people performing it and addicted to it so that an ever increasing amount of black magic is being conducted. This will make it easier for Outsiders to cross over and each person will act as a beacon point for the Outsiders to follow.
What do you think?
KevinSig:
You might want to mention CD spoils in the thread topic.
I don't know the reason is specifically the same for each of the books. I was considering the notion that vanilla mortals are immune from Outsider infection, and the Three Eye drug was an attempt to find a workaround to this problem.
Fool Moon might be a second attempt the problem, because the Three Eye drug's effects were limited? Once the drug's effects wore off the Outsider infection was rejected?
Cenphx:
--- Quote from: KevinSig on December 31, 2012, 11:49:21 PM ---You might want to mention CD spoils in the thread topic.
I don't know the reason is specifically the same for each of the books. I was considering the notion that vanilla mortals are immune from Outsider infection, and the Three Eye drug was an attempt to find a workaround to this problem.
Fool Moon might be a second attempt the problem, because the Three Eye drug's effects were limited? Once the drug's effects wore off the Outsider infection was rejected?
--- End quote ---
Thanks for reminding me about the spoilers. I keep forgetting.
So you were thinking that causing a vanilla mortal to be able to do magic made them susceptible to the infection?
I guess it seems to me that if it were that easy to get the infection, a lot more people and wizards would have it and the rest of the Outsiders would have come through already. I've been imagining the infection as something pretty rare. I've been thinking it is contracted when you willingly use certain specific types of black magic (I think this hits on knnn's theory about corruption, but I haven't read it for a while, so I could be wrong about whether this jives with his theory), which explains how Lea got it--she used the athame. Denton used the belt, etc.
KevinSig:
--- Quote from: Cenphx on January 01, 2013, 12:01:17 AM ---So you were thinking that causing a vanilla mortal to be able to do magic made them susceptible to the infection?
--- End quote ---
Well, my WAG would be that the Outsiders aren't exactly clear on the reason why the majority of humans are immune. However, given that 3-eye was trying to reproduce the Wizard's sight specifically, it isn't a question of using magic leaving an opening for potential infection to those who are otherwise immune.
--- Quote ---I guess it seems to me that if it were that easy to get the infection, a lot more people and wizards would have it and the rest of the Outsiders would have come through already. I've been imagining the infection as something pretty rare.
--- End quote ---
No, I'm not suggesting that these methods would spread the infection like a massive Outbreak. It just might allow the Outsiders to influence politics & mundane mortals, in ways that aren't currently open to them.
Drug the President with 3-eye, then have him have a run in with one of the Walkers. Then the Outsiders would have the ability to manipulate domestic politics. Maybe set off another Inquisition like event.
In this view, Storm Front & Fool Moon are essentially experiments.
Ms Duck:
this would make sense if the wizard was in thrall to the outsdiers; otherwise, there is no rational gain. ;D
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