Was Ascher telling the truth?

[Mira]

It acts like a self fulfilling prophesy. If the wardens come for you you act like a cornered animal because you are. This pushes them further over the edge.

It is even worse. The widespread believe in how the laws and warlocks work combined with how the dresdenverse works has a power of its own. Those who are out are pushed further out.

   It also deals with a problem that the Senior Council doesn't care to take the time/risk with for the disastrous results that come when they judge wrongly..

[groinkick]

   It also deals with a problem that the Senior Council doesn't care to take the time/risk with for the disastrous results that come when they judge wrongly..

From the Council's prospective, 10 wrongly executed people is probably better than one warlock being wrongly freed.

[Arjan]

From the Council's prospective, 10 wrongly executed people is probably better than one warlock being wrongly freed.

Those 10 can not prove anything anymore while the one that escapes and surfaces later has to be a really dangerous one and has a huge axe to grind. So he will strengthen the councils belief and next time it will be 15 to one. And they won't soulgaze every warlock either, there is a cost involved.

[wardenferry419]

Sometimes you can only do what you can with what you got to work with. It is a big ole' world with a whole lotta people in it.

[Arjan]

Sometimes you can only do what you can with what you got to work with. It is a big ole' world with a whole lotta people in it.

if they cover the whole world. They pretend to but with only a few wardens in the US and probably less in Latin America there must be really big cities and big swats of territory with no warden precence at all.

[LordDresden2]

if they cover the whole world. They pretend to but with only a few wardens in the US and probably less in Latin America there must be really big cities and big swats of territory with no warden precence at all.

Before the war, IIRC there were about 200 Wardens.  Obviously trying to police the whole planet with 200 people is an impractical proposition.  The only thing they could do is wait for signs of trouble to show up, or try to suss out the warning signs of the worst stuff ahead of time.

For ex, Charity's group did get a Warden visitation, and a warning about the Laws of Magic, so something drew the Council's attention to Gregor.

[forumghost]

That said they obviously did a really shitty job with Gregor, since it was their visit that convinced him to start ritualistically sacrificing his followers for power, but... points for trying I guess?

[wardenferry419]

Sometimes pointing out that an A**hole is being an A**hole just encourages them to be a bigger A**hole.

[Arjan]

Sometimes pointing out that an A**hole is being an A**hole just encourages them to be a bigger A**hole.

It is actually a very efficient method. When you don't know what to do you just scare them shitless.

You either don't hear from them anymore, problem solved, or they do something obviously wrong, you can just kill them => problem solved.

[wardenferry419]

Good point.

[LordDresden2]

That said they obviously did a really shitty job with Gregor, since it was their visit that convinced him to start ritualistically sacrificing his followers for power, but... points for trying I guess?

Maybe, or maybe that was the plan all along and he moved up the time table when he realized the Council was suspicious of him.  No way to know, since we don't know exactly what Gregor intended.  (Though I wonder if it'll matter at some point down the road as we approach the BAT.)

[Mr. Death]

It's sort of like why they official rules for quiddich penalties are a secret.

Telling the players would just give them ideas.

[Ulfgeir]

It's sort of like why they official rules for quiddich penalties are a secret.

Telling the players would just give them ideas.

LOL. Well they would find ways to technically adhere to the rules, but violate them in spirit.

/Ulfgeir

[LordDresden2]

LOL. Well they would find ways to technically adhere to the rules, but violate them in spirit.

/Ulfgeir

In all seriousness, I suspect that something like that debate goes on among the Wardens and the Senior Council over time.  That is, is it better to explain to the masses what the danger of violating the Laws is, and risk giving people ideas, or to keep the possibilities quiet and only warn the people who are already in the know?

The problem is that both POVs are right.  If the Council is open, a lot of people will avoid violating the Laws and keep their heads who otherwise would not, but other people who never suspected you even could mess around with Time or that the Outer Gates even existed will now know it and start looking for ways to use it.

OTOH, keep it too quiet and people who would avoid trouble if they knew the danger will fall into the trap of breaking the Laws in innocence, or even with good intentions, and end up causing a lot of pain and suffering and damage before they lose their heads.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if there are ongoing arguments, year after year, on that subject within the Council.

[wardenferry419]

I guess not telling weeds out some potential problems but it also, sometimes, snares people like Molly.