The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers

Who Benefits? Discussion of the players behind the scenes

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Yuillegan:
I always like to ask this question when something happens as it tends to help discover motive.

The downfall of the Red Court was inevitable. Harry was the tool, but not the wielder. He is a powerful tool but not moving pieces on the board.

So when we look at the demise of the Red Court, we have to examine who benefits the most in order to understand who might have wielded Harry and what that means for the future.

Nicodemus Archleone - He found them "annoying in the short-term, difficult in the mid-term, and dangerous to any long-term plan". But wouldn't the Red Court benefit from an apocalypse? They could hunt humanity with impunity, no White Council or Venatori to stop them. Perhaps, like the White Court, they weren't the biggest bully on the playground and realised they liked how things were. If the world turned all End of Days they might end up being beaten up by the really nasty bad guys. So it's easy to see why the Red Court might attempt to stop him. Assuming his goal was merely suffering. Jim has sort-of implied that Nicodemus' end goal is to end Reality altogether - I can imagine most of the bad guys who exist on "our" side of the Gates might have an issue with that.

But the Red Court have been destroyed. So is Nicodemus one step further to achieving Empty Night?

What else did the destruction of the Red Court achieve? Well for a start, it seems to have created the right conditions for the Fomor to emerge. Now it seems pretty obvious that the Fomor (like the Red Court initially) were actually preparing for hostilities rather than being provoked/baited into emerging. It does seem like Harry might have forced their hand (just like he did when he started the war with the Vampires), but just like the Reds they always intended to attack the mortal world.

So what does the emergence of the Fomor achieve? Well a more hostile climate for mortals, the probably destruction of the already battered White Council (and their allies), and perhaps a less-restricted magical community. Curiously, a Cantrev Lord of the Fomor would have been a Welsh Lord (as the Word Cantrev/Cantref roughly translates as community - "cant" is 100 and "ref/rev" is town). This indicates a further connection with the Chronicles of Prydain, but more on that later.

Who else benefits from the Reds disappearance? I am obviously leaving out the Grey Council (and Vadderung, Mab and Uriel etc) because their stated reason is protecting humanity which I will take on faith at this point. A number of villains and characters, such as Marcone and Cowl haven't directly stated their intent (unless I am mistaken) to wipe out the Reds yet massively have benefited from the destruction of the Red Court.

Also, it is clear that the Reds were merely fulfilling a function rather than being players. Where the Reds failed it seems likely the Fomor will succeed. Which suggests to me the manipulators are not necessarily the Fomor (although they might be embedded in it) but they two merely serve as a cats-paw of a more nebulous threat (Nemesis/Black Council). The goal currently appears to be a shattering of the status quo and to redraw the lines on the board, so to speak. Only a few characters have indicated more abstract or nihilistic ideals (such as conquering death or ending existence).

Cowl also seems to be an almost cutout of Arawn Death-Lord (from the Chronicles of Prydain). Two great enchanters, both hooded and hidden always, both use necromancy. Arawn was also a notoriously good shapeshifter, and Cowl seems to at least be pretty good at least at some level of magical disguise (zombie in Dead Beat). It wouldn't surprise me at all to find out he had appeared in other books with a different face. Which isn't to say that he is merely, for example, Mac and Cowl. He could also be Cowl, Simon and Mac. Or perhaps only Mac in one scene? We might not see his face for a while if we ever do.

I bring this up because there are a few characters who are apparently bad guys who might not be and good guys who might not be.

A character who has been accused before is the Erlking. He fits the Horned King shape well, but his actions don't. However, it could be that Cowl and the Black Council are only indirectly working with the Outsiders. They might not want an end to Reality, just a New Order. Which might mean that some previously "good" characters might still be bad guys - just not necessarily the worst guys (Old Ones, Outsiders).

So where does this leave us? Closer to the end of the world, I'd say. But also that there are several others who are closer to their own goals who may not have direct association with the Fomor.

Can you guys think of anyone else who benefits from the events of the books, things like the destruction of the Reds but who might not have been overtly backing Harry or perhaps had ulterior motives beyond "saving the humans etc".

morriswalters:
Everybody benefited.  The Reds bred like rabbits.
Uriel, Mab and Vadderung, were the prime movers.
The setup is very similar to what happened off the page in the attack at Arctis Tor.  Someone led the force in.  They assault the stronghold but the final chapter differs.  If you assume that Cowl would have been there if he had ascended, his not being there changed the purpose of the attack.

In Changes Harry is the pathfinder.  He finds a way in past their defenses. Leas summons the troops.  The fight lets him get in close and seal the deal. And of course the purpose of the attack was always to exterminate the Reds.  The Merlin told you as much.

Add to that, Changes, Cold Days and Skin Game are all revenge  stories with the theme, Thou shalt not F**k with Mab.  I like revenge stories.

Bad Alias:
Nicodemus: What if his goal is to defend creation by eliminating those who are capable of letting the Outsiders in, i.e., mortals? Not my theory, but it would be motivation for getting rid of them. The Red Court will not want humanity to be wiped out. As far as I can tell, humans are there only food source or means of reproduction. Same justification works if Nicodemus does want to end reality.

Fomor: Evidence of them being more active than we would have guessed: Even Hand, the Marcone short story, takes place 8 months before Changes. They created the animals Nicodemus used in DM and the chemical weapons used in DB.

I do think Morris is right that Uriel, Mab, and Vadderung were the prime movers.

Others, like Lea and Marcone, had an ax to grind with the Red Court, but those grievances didn't rise to the level of wiping out the entire Red Court.

Archangel62:
If I'm honest I don't think anyone truly benefitted, not in the way that would cause them to be a major mover around it. IT seems more like everything was shaken just enough to mess up the status quo and alliances, but not enough to galvanize anyone. It seems like the people benefitting most were the people who had the least use for the accords

Yuillegan:
On the money, Archangel62. There are quite a few people who no longer wish to be constrained by Accords or Laws or anything.

Bad Alias - I agree with the Nicodemus stuff but I can't be certain he just wants to end Humanity. Then again, the way Jim puts it makes me think Nicodemus believes his plan will save the universe but might unwittingly end up destroying it.

Yes, I too think the Fomor have been moving behind the scenes much earlier than we realised. I think they might have been even in Fool Moon.

Morris - Obviously Uriel, Mab and Vadderung set things up. But perhaps they unintentionally aided their enemies. Hard to say though. Perhaps everyone just wanted the Reds gone, like the Black Court. And quite right, it does mirror the attack at Arctis Tor - good pick up. The Merlin could well have hinted at the final destruction but that isn't yet clear. Don't be so sure that he will be happy with Harry. Remember he set up the current balance of power, he might not be pleased that Harry has unmade it.

Quite right about the revenge stories. But what does that make Peace Talks and Battle Ground?

To my mind, the books tend to repeat certain things only bigger. So I think Peace Talks is going to be like White Night and Battle Ground like Changes perhaps but on a bigger scale.

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