The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers

Black Council & BG

(1/4) > >>

RobReece:
So was the Black Council caught off guard by Ethniu and Corb?
I believe that the general consensus was that Cristos was at least associated with,  if not a member of the BC.  But it appeared that he was fully committed during the Battle for Chicago.
OR
Do you think it's possible that Listen is BC and they wanted the Battle but wanted the outcome that occurred,  this could explain why he didn't give Ethniu an accurate vision of what took place at the Carpenters, there's no way he would have overlooked the absence of Mouse. It also gives them potential conflicts with humanity and that seems to be something they would strive for.

Curious on everyone's thoughts

Yuillegan:
No, depending on what you define as the Black Council.

Harry has suggested the possibility that all those Nemesis infects is what is thought of as Black Council. However, I think this isn't the case.

What seems to be more likely is that the Black Council either works for or uses/aids Nemesis. Given that the whole Ethniu assault was simply Nemesis (and the Outsiders) just causing a bit of chaos in order to distract everyone, I'd say that the Black Council was highly aware of the Fomor's impending assault.

Jim has said they were "very busy not getting stomped on" by Ethniu. They more seem like behind the scenes players than anything else.

Perhaps Cristos was simply maintaining his cover. More likely, I think he isn't Black Council and merely just a puppet they influence. Perhaps Nemesis infected but more likely just vain and greedy and working for them to improve his station. Stupid, arrogant, naive perhaps - but not necessarily outright evil.

Listen does seem like a good candidate for Black Council membership. Listen is very capable, sure. But he was up against a literal fairy queen (Molly). Is it so hard to believe she could fool him? Listen didn't betray Ethniu - even if by her standards she felt he did. It isn't a betrayal to be wrong. As Harry implies, she just doesn't get she couldn't have known everything. That even a being who thinks she is so powerful has blindspots.

That said, it could also be the case that she realised Listen had betrayed her outright and Harry hadn't realised and assumed something else. But I think it more likely that Listen failing to achieve his task was considered a betrayal by Ethniu.

RobReece:
The more I think about it, the less I see them involved in the Battle.  The BC were definitely behind the schism between the White Court and the Svartelves, they pushed Thomas for the assassination attempt,  but even that was pushed aside by Ethniu. Look at Harry's description towards the end of the battle, the whamps and Etri's people were working together.  I don't see any indication that they were behind Ethniu or aware of her intentions.
Even without the Battle, Justine would have begged Harry to take her to see Thomas.  I can't see the entire Battle just as a means to tire Harry out so he wouldn't be thinking clearly.

Yuillegan:
Oh I don't know about that, the entire battle has their fingerprints all over it. I doubt many, if any, participated in the actual fighting.

But stirring up factions that haven't been at war in thousands of years, beings acting outside their normal behaviours and ignoring protocols and treaties...it's classic Black Council. Not to mention, Ethniu got Balor's eye somehow. She was locked in a tower by her father when he lost the Eye to her son. Now it's possible Lugh (her son) returned it to her, but then who ripped out her eye for her to place Balor's Eye in? My guess is a Walker of the Outside. Who else could damage her so? Also, how did she get Titanic Bronze? Only the Hekatonheires (Hundred-Handed Ones) knew it's secrets, even the Svartalves were not sure of it. Lots of questions and no answers.

An angry being like her was strong enough, but someone (or a group of someones) armed and armoured her and pointed her at her ancient foes. And why? To weaken their defence of the Outer Gates.

Also, consider that the Black Council (or rather, Nemesis) was behind the assassination attempt of Etri. This was done to destabilise the already fragile relations between the Accords members (this is said in Battle Ground). It's quite clear that after the Red Court failed to destroy the White Council, the Black Council unleased another force against them. I am sure there is more.

Further, the presence of Drakul would also hint at Black Council involvement. Whether he is aligned with them or not, I suspect he is connected to them, either as possible occasional allies or competition.

The Whamps and Svartalves working together was about pure survival. Had they refused, Mab (not to mention the other Accord members) might have made them pay later. More importantly though, failure to stop Ethniu would have likely meant their destruction (at least locally, and probably totally in the mid to long term).

The Battle wasn't merely to tire out Harry. That merely was one of Nemesis' many options. As Nemesis itself says, it's not so much a plan as an act of faith. I see Nemesis as more like the Joker than Bane, if that makes sense. An agent of chaos. Everything it does it merely to create more chaos, conditions that suit it and the Outsiders, that ultimately weaken the barriers that keep them out. It's all about the Outer Gates, and to a lesser (but still important degree), the prison at Demonreach. Remember, the Outer Gates came under major assault JUST as Ethniu announced her impending assault on Chicago.

To the Outsiders, what is a small dust-up like the Battle of Chicago but a bit of distraction to the forces allied against them? The Outsiders are fighting a multi-verse scale war, even one universe is ultimately a very, very tiny part of it all. Even if Harry's universe is very important, perhaps more important to the greater battle than most universes. The Outsiders might number in the trillions, likely very nearly infinite.

RobReece:
We'll have to agree to disagree.

The BC, and I include Nemesis in that, wants dissension,  I agree, but the Accorded Nations are tighter together after fighting together,  that would have happened whether they won the battle or lost it.  Drakul, I don't see him working for anyone, he was just on a recruiting trip.

For now, I'll stand on my belief that Etri's attempted assassination and Ethniu's attack were separate plots by separate groups.   But others used it to pursue their own goals.

Unless or until we get additional evidence one way or the other.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page