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The maeve story line

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morriswalters:
This is an attempt on my part to isolate out the events in what I call the Maeve story line which leads to Molly becoming the Winter Lady.  I wonder if anybody would be interested in pointing out flaws or omissions?  It is incomplete as posted as I haven't completed the Cold Days story line.  If there is any interest I will update it as I add any additions or corrections.  It also contains some comments and possible interpretations of events.  I'll do it under a spoiler because of its length. (click to show/hide)Maeve story line. 

Grave Peril

Lea is introduced and given the athame by Bianca.

Summer Knight

We meet Mab and she makes Harry her emissary. Harry meets the Summer Emissary, Elaine, his female counterpart in Justin Dumorne's plan to create ?/bodyguards/?.  Also his first love. See note 1.  We are introduced to the Summer Queen Titania and the Summer Lady Aurora.  We also meet Maeve, the Winter Lady as well as Lloyd Slate the Winter Knight. Who we learn later selected him.  Mab reflects that she won't let Maeve pick the Knight again.  Aurora is crazy or possibly Nemfected.  Harry first sees the Stone Table.   Lea warns Harry to never let Mab take him to the stone table.  Presaging Mabs desire to make him the Winter Knight.  Or the possibility that Mab would sacrifice Harry for his power.  Harry meets the Mothers and is given the unraveling.  This is the first reveal of the mantles and their nature.


Dead Beat

Mab has imprisoned Lea but appears to be unaware that Maeve is infected as well, since she is still speaking.  We find this out when he summons Lea and Mab appears.  She is wearing the Athame.  Later in Cold Days we will learn that it was the source of the infection.  Question.  How far did it spread and did Mab catch all of the infected?  We don't know how Lea's nemfection was detected.

The timing of the attack on Arctis Tor is interesting.  Mab shows no awareness of having been attacked in Dead Beat.  She is in good humor and relates usable information to Harry.  The attack against the Council is underway and you might think that she would be preparing to strike.  In Proven Guilty Harry can't pin down the date of the attack, but when they are at the Well Spring the attack is over.  Mab's forces are at the frontier between Summer and Winter, and Mab has directed her forces not to attack the Reds.  Per Maeve. 
--- Quote ---“Sooth,” Maeve said, nodding, evidently enjoying their reaction. “The Queen has readied her forces to strike at Summer, and has furthermore given specific orders preventing her captains from conducting operations against the Red Court.”
--- End quote ---
Maeve disclaims any knowledge of the reason. But suggests that Mab may be mad.
--- Quote ---“In the time since her death, I have often thought to myself that Aurora was stricken with some mortal madness. I believe the Queen of Air and Darkness has been taken by a similar contagion.”
--- End quote ---
Later Maeve and Lilly will work in concert to attack the Reds with Maeve changing the flow of time in Winter.

Proven Guilty
Lea is imprisoned at Arctis Tor.  As is the Winter Knight.  We get our first direct hint of Nemfections, demonstrated by Lea's bizarre behavior.  Possibly greater fetch is infected as well or is under control of some other unknown actor who is. In one of her lucid moments Lea mentions not being able to carry out her promise to Harry's mother if she isn't free of the Adversary, though she doesn't name him.  She doesn't state the nature of her challenge to Mab.

We know that Mab has deployed her forces to the border with Summer, but it isn't explicit as to why?  Arctis Tor was assaulted and the deployment could be the result of Mab being unsure of the players.  She has two major pieces off the chessboard at that moment.  Lea and the Winter Knight. 

A further question is how did the Gatekeeper know of the events in Chicago.  Mab could have known of the depredations of the fetches.  In Small Favor she will show that she has the capability to look into the Chicago if she so chooses, possibly employing something similar to Anduriel's  ability to hear things in any shadow.

If she did, then she could have warned the Gatekeeper, her ally at the gates, and we can assume that he was aware of Molly's connection to Harry and the Knight's.  Going directly to Harry implies that the Gatekeeper is aware of how ticklish the situation is.  If anyone but Harry smells a rat Molly will be summarily executed. 

We know that Thorned Namshiel threw hellfire at the gates of Arctis Tor. But what were the attackers motivations?  The simplest possibility was that they were there to make sure that Mab didn't find out from Lea who Lea had infected.  That assuming that Mab was torturing Lea to get that information.  By either killing Lea or spiriting her away, Mab may never had tipped to the events of Cold Days until it was too late to act..

It appears that the events of Proven Guilty are the province of of Molly's friend Sandra Marling.  She will suggest to Molly that fear can help with Molly's friends addiction.  Thus triggering Molly's use of Black Magic.  She is a spider sitting in the center of her web pulling strings and manipulating the everyone.  She is the one who invites Madrigal Raith.  And is probably the one who sends the Scarecrow after Glau.  Since she can use a cellphone, so she probably isn't a Wizard, but she could be a Sidhe.

Small Favor

Mab quits speaking directly.  Cat Sith becomes her voice.  She is now aware that the Adversary has Maeve.  She has Harry become involved with the Denarians and Marcone. To thwart a plot to capture the archive.

Mab says that Titania is behind Marcone's kidnapping.  She names Harry her emissary, which asks the question, who is acting for Summer?  Nicodemus?  And who called the players to the train station?  At the end Mab admits to sending the Hobs saying the Archive is to dangerous to lose.

Turn Coat Edit

In Turn Coat the Gatekeeper will examine Harry with his eye looking for signs of infection.  Although at that point we don't know what he is doing.  This appears to be a foreshadowing of Cold Days.

Changes
Lea is healed, Mab is again speaking.  Harry Breaks his back and makes a deal to become the Winter knight.  He kills the previous knight.  And tries to cheat Mab by having Kinkaid kill him.

Ghost Story

We see Mab at the end when Harry's soul returns to his body. She, Demonreach and Bonea have kept his body alive to await his soul.  We will see Lea teaching Molly.

Cold Days
Maeve story line ends.

Mab directs the Winter Knight to kill Maeve.

Harry speaks to the Ladies at the Chicago Arboretum in an attempt to find out why mab wishes him to kill Maeve. When harry is attacked at the Arboretum Cat Sith is apparently Nemfected.  Maeve says that she has seen the infection in Mab.  Maeve warns Harry that to keep up the deception her people will attack him.  We learn that Ace is the halfing son of the Red Cap.  We also knowmight guess that Ace has been following Harry since he has adopted Harry's strategy of using the little folk as an army.  As such he may have been responsible for two previous attacks, the bomb on Murphy's car and the ramming.  All perforceapparently accomplished by a vanilla mortal.  It is during the ensuing fight that Cat Sith is Nemfected.  However since Maeve has apparently left, who did it.  The Red Cap?

Harry speaks to Titania who tells him of the Adversary.  And of her hatred of Harry.  The emotional reaction could imply that Aurora was Titania's real child.

Harry then meets the mothers and is taken to the outer gates to see the Adversary's attack against reality.  There he learns of the Gatekeepers task and his connection to Winter.  Which possibly explains events in Proven Guilty as regards his knowledge of Black Magic in Chicago.  They imply that if Maeve ascends to the Queens Mantle that this would be a chaotic outcome with possibly dangerous side effects, because something out of the ordinary is happening at the Gates.
 
Citation from Cold Days.


--- Quote ---What happens if it ...you know, if it breaks down for a bit?"
"Pardon?" the Gatekeeper asked.
"Uh, it gets a glitch. Like, if somebody new took over or something and things had to reorganize around here . . ."
"Most years, it would pose no major difficulty," he said.
"What about this year?"
"This year," he said, "it could be problematic."
"Problematic."
"Rather severely so." Rashid studied my face and then started to nod. "I see.
There are things happening back in Winter. That's why Mother Summer brought you here. To show you what was at stake."

--- End quote ---



Notes

1.  Elaine is a cipher.  If Aurora was Nemfected then the question becomes what is the possible vector.  Lea is infected by Morgana's Athame.  Did Lea somehow reach out to Aurora or was Aurora a separate event.  Is at least possible that Elaine was Nemfected by HWWB after being enthralled by DuMorne?  In the Cold Days it's implied that Cat Sith isn't fully aware of his Nemfection.  When Harry points it out to him the infection kills his personality totally.  This could mean that Elaine is infected without her knowledge.  Possibly making her a one woman sleeper cell.????????

Snark Knight:

--- Quote from: morriswalters on November 14, 2018, 01:33:23 AM ---This is an attempt on my part to isolate out the events in what I call the Maeve story line which leads to Molly becoming the Winter Lady.  I wonder if anybody would be interested in pointing out flaws or omissions?  It is incomplete as posted as I haven't completed the Cold Days story line.  If there is any interest I will update it as I add any additions or corrections.  It also contains some comments and possible interpretations of events.  I'll do it under a spoiler because of its length. (click to show/hide)Maeve story line. 

Grave Peril

Lea is introduced and given the athame by Bianca.

Summer Knight

We meet Mab and she makes Harry her emissary. Harry meets the Summer Emissary, Elaine, his female counterpart in Justin Dumorne's plan to create ?/bodyguards/?.  Also his first love. See note 1.  We are introduced to the Summer Queen Titania and the Summer Lady Aurora.  We also meet Maeve, the Winter Lady as well as Lloyd Slate the Winter Knight.  Aurora is crazy or possibly Nemfected. Harry first sees the Stone Table.   Lea warns Harry to never let Mab take him to the stone table.  Presaging Mabs desire to make him the Winter Knight.  Harry meets the Mothers and is given the unraveling.  This is the first reveal of the mantles and their nature.


Dead Beat

Mab has imprisoned Lea but appears to be unaware that Maeve is infected as well, since she is still speaking.  We find this out when he summons Lea and Mab appears.  She is wearing the athame.  Later in Cold Days we will learn that it was the source of the infection.  Question.  How far did it spread and did Mab catch all of the infected?  We don't know how Lea's nemfection was detected.

Proven Guilty

Lea is imprisoned at Arctis Tor.  As is the Winter Knight.  We get our first direct hint of nemfections, demonstrated by Lea's bizarre behavior.  Possibly greater fetch is infected as well. She mentions not being able to carry out her promise to Harry's mother if she isn't free of the Adversary though she doesn't name him.  She doesn't state the nature of her challange to Mab.

We know that Mab has deployed her forces to the border with Summer, but it isn't explicit as to why?  See note 2.

Arctis Tor was assaulted and the deployment could be the result of Mab being unsure of the players.  She has two major pieces off the chessboard at that moment.  Lea and the Winter Knight. 

And we know, although Mab may not, that Maeve and Lilly are plotting together in the background.  Maeve has expressed the possibility that Mab has gone insane like Aurora.

Discussion

Mab's motivations aren't clear.  Later in Cold Days we will find that the Gatekeeper is an ally of Mab and Winter in control of the gates and a powerful tool for identifying nimfections. 

Mab could have known of the depredations of the fetches.  If she did she could have warned the Gatekeeper and we can assume that she was aware of Molly's connection to Harry and the Knight's.  Going directly to Harry implies that the Gatekeeper is aware of how ticklish the situation is.  If anyone but Harry smells a rat Molly will be summarily executed. 

We know that Maeve is nemfected.  Given that, what events point to whom?  Since Maeves play is to paint Mab as insane, than she has reason to manipulate events so as to paint Mab in the most unflattering light.  A good first hypothesis is to assume that if an event points at Mab, than consider that it is Maeve who behind it.

We know that a Denarian(?Thorned Namshiel?) threw hellfire at the gates of Arctis Tor. Motivation?  And how did they get there?  Can we assume that the Denarian attacked while Mab was absent?  Supporting evidence for that is Thorned Namshiel's continued existence.  If Maeve had sent the fetches she would have known of the portal at the theater, and if she knew than Nemesis knew.

Small Favor

Mab quits speaking directly.  Cat Sith becomes her voice.  She is now aware that the Adversary has Maeve.  She has Harry become involved with the Denarians and Marcone. To thwart a plot to capture the archive.

Changes

Lea is healed, Mab is again speaking.  Harry Breaks his back and makes a deal to become the Winter knight.  He kills the previous knight.  And tries to cheat Mab by having Kinkaid kill him.

Ghost Story

We see Mab at the end when Harry's soul returns to his body. She, Demonreach and Bonea have kept his body alive to await his soul.

Cold Days

Maeve story line ends.

Mab directs the Winter Knight to kill Maeve.

Harry speaks to the Ladies at the Chicago Arboretum in an attempt to find out why mab wishes him to kill Maeve. When harry is attacked at the Arboretum Cat Sith is apparently Nemfected.  Maeve says that she has seen the infection in Mab.  Maeve warns Harry that to keep up the deception her people will attack him.  We learn that Ace is the halfing son of the Red Cap.  We also know that Ace has been following Harry since he has adopted Harry's strategy of using the little folk as an army.  As such he may have been responsible for two previous attacks, the bomb on Murphy's car and the ramming.  All perforce accomplished by a vanilla mortal.  It is during the ensuing fight that Cat Sith is Nemfected.  However since Maeve has apparently left, who did it.  The Red Cap?

Harry speaks to Titania who tells him of the Adversary.  And of her hatred of Harry.  The emotional reaction could imply that Aurora was Titania's real child.

Harry than meets the mothers and is taken to the outer gates to see the Adversary's attack against reality.  There he learns of the Gatekeepers task and his connection to Winter.  Which possibly explains events in Proven Guilty as regards his knowledge of Black Magic in Chicago.  They imply that if Maeve ascends to the Queens Mantle that this would be a chaotic outcome with possibly dangerous side effects, because something out of the ordinary is happening at the Gates.
 
Citation from Cold Days.

What happens if it ...you know, if it breaks down for a bit?"
"Pardon?" the Gatekeeper asked.
"Uh, it gets a glitch. Like, if somebody new took over or something and things had to reorganize around here . . ."
"Most years, it would pose no major difficulty," he said.
"What about this year?"
"This year," he said, "it could be problematic."
"Problematic."
"Rather severely so." Rashid studied my face and then started to nod. "I see.
There are things happening back in Winter. That's why Mother Summer brought you here. To show you what was at stake."

To be completed.


Notes

1.  Elaine is a cipher.  If Aurora was Nemfected than the question becomes what is the possible vector.  Lea is infected by Morgana's Athame.  Did Lea somehow reach out to Aurora or was Aurora a separate event.  Is at least possible that Elaine was Nemfected by HWWB after being enthralled by DuMorne?  In the Cold Days it's implied that Cat Sith isn't fully aware of his Nemfection.  When Harry points it out to him the infection kills his personality totally.  This could mean that Elaine is infected without her knowledge.  Possibly making her a one woman sleeper cell.????????

2. From Summer Knight when Lea shows Harry the stone table.

"But Summer is moving to protect the Table. That means Titania thinks someone in Winter did it. But if Mab is responding instead of waiting, it means …" I frowned. "It means she isn't sure why Summer is moving. She's just checking Titania's advance. And that means that she isn't sure whodunit, either."

This may lay the ground for the queens behavior in Proven Guilty.

--- End quote ---

I don't know that Lea's warning not to let Mab bring him to the table was about trying to dissuade Harry from becoming the Knight. It's possible - if Nemesis already had a solid grip on her by SK, it wouldn't want Winter to gain a starborn Knight.

But it's also possible Lea was concerned Mab might want to sacrifice Harry on the table to add his power - possibly even including the starborn aspect of it - to Winter.

Bad Alias:
I don't know if you missed it or left it out intentionally, but Maeve picked Slate as Winter Kinght, Maeve wasn't doing her job even before she became infected, and Maeve tried to have Jenny Greenteeth kill Billy and Georgia in Something Borrowed.

Also, it's if/then, not if/than.

morriswalters:
Corrected.

Cozarkian:

--- Quote from: Snark Knight on November 14, 2018, 02:26:28 AM ---I don't know that Lea's warning not to let Mab bring him to the table was about trying to dissuade Harry from becoming the Knight. It's possible - if Nemesis already had a solid grip on her by SK, it wouldn't want Winter to gain a starborn Knight.

But it's also possible Lea was concerned Mab might want to sacrifice Harry on the table to add his power - possibly even including the starborn aspect of it - to Winter.

--- End quote ---

Probably both. I'd wager there are only two reasons Mab would bring some to the Stone Table, either to share the power of Winter (e.g. make him a Knight) or add to the power of Winter (e.g. kill him). Lea was likely warning against both. Even if she was already under the influence of Nemesis Lea would still want to look out for Harry. Nemesis appears capable of Magog-style possession (e.g. Cat Sith) but I think it prefers the Anduriel/Lasciel style of corruption.

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