The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers

Drakul is the third Walker

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kbrizzle:

--- Quote from: Yuillegan on August 16, 2019, 02:19:44 AM ---But White Night implies that Drakul is NOT a Dragon - Dresden specifically separates him from the other two Dragons that are Freeholding Lords. Not to mention, it is too obvious. Think about it, it isn't like Ferrovax is referred to as Ferrovax the Dragon, or simply "Dragon"...he is called Ferrovax. As some have pointed out, in historical terms Vlad Dracul was given that name as he was made a Knight of the Order of the Dragon. While I can understand why the Outsiders might want a Nfected Dragon, why would they trap him in human form? The Outsiders are pretty cruel but they tend to utilise their assets towards furthering their goal of destroying reality. Having a weakened asset just for kicks seems...unusual. If not outright foolish.

--- End quote ---
Hmm you seem to misunderstand my theory. My WAG is that Drakul was originally a Dragon who got Nfected - he was trapped in human form by the good guys - this was likely the only way they would’ve been able to contain him, obviously to the detriment of the Outsiders (which is why they haven’t succeeded).
I also wouldn’t take Harry’s offhand categorization in WN as gospel about the nature of Drakul. But I suppose it’s possible that now that he’s ‘human’, Drakul no longer counts as a Dragon. Also, I doubt Drakul is his real name.

Drakul being an Outsider trapped as a human seems incongruous - i don’t think Outsiders have the capacity for free will like humans do - indeed we don’t even know if Outsiders are capable of taking human form - they have never mimicked another creature from the mortal world in the series so far (& they don’t really need to, thanks to Nemesis).
Also, I imagine Outsiders are next to impossible to kill, especially on our world, so even when they are vanquished (like 16 yr old Harry vs. HWWB),  they likely just ‘re-spawn’ in the Outside again. So why wouldn’t human trapped Drakul just kill himself & re-spawn?

Bad Alias:

--- Quote from: Elequosoraptor on August 16, 2019, 07:35:38 PM ---If you look carefully at the laws of magic all of them, except the 7th, except the one about outsiders, specifically ban magic as it is used to override free will. ... time travel ... these are all violations of free will as its defined in the series.

--- End quote ---

I'm not sure I follow.

Yuillegan:
Kindler: Maybe so! That would fit nicely, but sadly we have so little information about that time not much more we can add. Still I like it - it has the right flavor of things.

Bad Alias: I am 90% sure Drakul is an Outsider. Which one is the question - but I am a bit less certain on who. I can't imagine he is some nobody Outsider, but probably not an Old One (they seem to be rather Apocalyptic and altogether insane), so the third Walker seemed a good fit. But who knows!


--- Quote from: Elequosoraptor on August 16, 2019, 07:35:38 PM ---Here's some more evidence about the Black Court not fitting with the rest of the game. Free will is a constant theme in the series and its integral to any shift from human to other. Scions, white, and red court vampires all have an aspect of free choice before they change. So do wizards in fact though it's broader in that case. But black court vampires are a glaring exception. If you're turned you're turned. Its a violation of free will, an extension or subset of necromancy. If you look carefully at the laws of magic all of them, except the 7th, except the one about outsiders, specifically ban magic as it is used to override free will. Murder, murder through forced animal tranformation, time travel, enthralling others and invading minds, necromancy, these are all violations of free will as its defined in the series.

--- End quote ---

Great stuff there! An excellent observation - the Black Court vampires get zero choice about what they will be. Indeed, there have been some hints that Black Court vampires are essentially somewhere between reanimated corpses and controlled spectres. Perhaps a melding of the two. They have more Will than the average undead spook, and yet are very much enthralled to their sires. Harry even notices that Mavra isn't really a "she". It is an "It" a animated monster, but nothing really living or human or gendered about it. It begets some serious implications on how the Outsiders work. You will notice that apart from their terrifying speed, strength and general toughness - they can both invade and enthrall mortal minds (violating Free Will) by creating both Thralls and Renfields. They also seem to be able to to this to animals. Beyond that - turning into smoke or even other animals suggest a level of tranformation not normally possible. Plus they seemingly can become Wizard-level talents over time - but their magic is horrible and disruptive (especially to other dead things). Their abilities seem to match up to several of the Laws of Magic. Obviously a botched job creating them though, as they are so full of spirit energy they are massively vulnerable in certain areas. Fire, Sunlight both disrupt magic. Decapitation is commonly used to dispatch the undead. Holy Water - suggests a certain spiritual connection to the antithesis of Heaven. Garlic is unusal...not sure how Jim will work that in. But it fits the lore. And of course - they cannot flat stick cross a threshold without permission. While many beings suffer from the threshold problem, only Outsiders seemed to be similarly hampered. If we consider the borders of Faerie as the threshold of reality, and the Outer Gates as the front door, the situation is very similar.

Actually I think all the Laws of Magic are about Free Will. Including the 7th. When you reach beyond the Outer Gates, you might violate your own Free Will and potentially another's (as we don't know the mechanics of reaching beyond the Outer Gates) perhaps you have to sacrifice someone. Or of course the fact that while you are exercising your Free Will to invite them in, you risk all of Humanity's Free Will when they are here.

Bad Alias: Time Travel overrides Free Will by creating problems in the time lines perhaps, you are enforcing your will over the destinies of others. But that is only one such possibility.

Kbrizzle: Well that is true, I did misunderstand who might have trapped him in your theory. I certainly think it is more likely the good guys trapped him than the bad, on that we agree. It is certainly possible he is a trapped Nfected Dragon. But which Dragon then? Not Ferro (metal) or Pyro (Fire) or Sirio (Lightning/Air/Earth) for certain. Leaves only Water and Wood. And WOJ is that there are only two left, when Michael killed Siriothrax he only left two remaining. I just don't see big bad Drakul as the Dragon of Water or Wood. I suppose yes it isn't gospel (Harry's categorization) but since Jim has confirmed it in interviews, it does feel pretty solid.

I am sure Drakul isn't his real name...but why label yourself "Dragon" if you were hiding? Or had stopped being one when becoming human? Why would anyone label you that way either?

But as you yourself have guessed, the Outsider in question may not have had a choice in becoming human. Whoever trapped him was not giving him the option. Quite right that they never have mimicked Mortals, they hate being constrained and don't really need to. However, as you say, trapping him might have been the best his foes could hope for (think Maggie's death curse on Lord Raith - she couldn't kill him but she could slow him down).

A very good question! If you kill the Outsider and they just respawn in the Outside - why wouldn't Drakul just suicide? I think the clue is in the wording: "He was something entirely unhuman that got trapped in human form". This is why. He cannot leave his mortal body even via death, or perhaps on his death he will be truly destroyed.  Either way he is stuck. As one redditor mentioned, this has similarities to Lovecraft's Magnum Opus "The Shadow Out Of Time". Which as we know, Lovecraft was killed for his knowledge. In a the book, a being that can travel through space and time invades and posses the mind of a man and they swap roles. The man experiences life in prehistory, and the alien experiences life in the man's present. The problem is for these creatures, they become trapped in the bodies of people trying to avoid more horrible entities.

Finally, I would like to point out here and elsewhere that the Devil connection is probably wrong. Drakul has been around for 600 years...and the Antichrist is meant to show up during the End of Days. Seems like the End of Days has not yet happened...as evidenced by it all still existing. If he is the Devil himself - similar to the World of Darkness rpg - why is he still in command of Hell? General's who abandon their armies for too long tend not to be in charge.

Also according to WOJ the Devil wants reality. He is apart of our world. Outsiders, on the other hand, do not. They have no limits.

Bad Alias:
People across the world have thought garlic guarded them against various dangers for thousands of years. http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/10/garlic_superstitions_folklore.html

I'm not sold on time travel violates free will. I mean, sure, maybe, but it would also give everyone the opportunity to choose again, increasing free will.

To play Devil's Advocate on the Anti-Christ theory, pun intended, Drakul could be an Anti-Christ as opposed to the Anti-Christ.

Yuillegan:
Bad Alias: Interesting take on the Garlic theory...not sure why they are affected more than others though.

Well true enough, if we could all Time Travel, we all would have pretty good options. We are getting into the realm between physics and metaphysics here. But I think it all depends on whether there is ONE timeline, ONE destiny or SEVERAL. And if there are many, what does that mean about our choices? WOJ is that each choice spins off another alternate reality (much like some real world physics theories), and so each choice is therefore extremely significant. Which means even ONE rewrite whilst creating many more options, would obliterate others. The original special timeline (in the continuum of timelines) would not exist, as new ones replaced it. That in and of itself overrules other's Free Will. But now we are getting into ethics and philosophy.

Someone much brainier than I but I forget who pointed out that if we could travel back in time, we would do so endlessly, reliving the past and correcting our mistakes, which is probably an excellent reason we cannot and indeed should not. Why move forward at all? How can you? It would be an endless loop.

:D Good pun! And a reasonable alternative. However, how many Antichrists does one need to have an apocalypse? What do you do with the spares, the failures, the rejects? And still, if the Antichrists purpose is to turn the people away from God and bring forth the End Times, why is Drakul taking so long? If I were the Devil I would be pretty mad myself, and probably would have done something earlier. Although, I am pretty sure all those Angels are looking at the Macro-perspective as well as the Micro (including the Fallen) and therefore there are timelines and realities where the Devil has won. Food for thought!

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