Because Harry has the tools to kill or wound a Titan following Skin Game. If you note the book cover, that isn’t a knob that his wizards staff has on the end, and on Demonreach he has the capacity to “take below” the most powerful of entities as well.
Harry is being set up by Uriel, Mab and Vadderung to deal with the Nemesis agents behind the lines where their natures constrain them from dealing with them. The White Council as currently constituted are near useless for this, the Grey Council are not, expect them to come to the fore.
Expect Harry (gods help us) to be the surgical strike, making lots of Clash of the Titans references, as the Apocalypse is not yet here.
I get that Harry ends up being the only one who can. I am more interested in the why. This thing is likely stronger than Mab or Titania. But Eb is the Council's hitman. So why not use him? See where I am going with this? I think a lot of people will be tied up with other problems or dead.
Doing something like that though would effectively be a declaration that he is a nuclear power to the rest of the supernatural world, more powerful singularly than the White Council collectively.
I can see how Harry might achieve it, but he still has to get the Titan to Demonreach. Which might not be so easy. Not to mention that his job is to kill the Titan, not imprison. I agree that I think when Harry finally does end up imprisoning whoever he will end up tapping that well of power.
I have bolded the important bits. The main thing to note is that it is Harry's mission to kill the Titan. Who says Zeus couldn't kill the Titans?
But it took the combined might of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades to defeat their father Cronus/Kronos. Which puts in perspective just how strong these Titans are.
Well, Harry already has one thing in common with Zeus: He has gestated a spirit of intellect in his head. Maybe he'll become more like Zeus in other ways too.
The only logical conclusion is they are not available. Perhaps Winter and Summer alike are besieged. Perhaps Titania elects not to help (in her every more mysterious way). Perhaps the Gates come under major assault. Perhaps Mab is crippled somehow.
Maybe the White Council tries to help but is scattered to the wind. Maybe it's a divide and conquer thing.
Half the senior Council are North America, and the majority of the Wardens look to Harry now, as do the minor practitioners of the Paranet
SK - Could be that it is political. I can't really seeing the Council just allowing a slaughter of human life though...but it would be interesting if they had to choose between their mission and the Accords. I can definitely see Cristos arguing against defending Chicago. Mab would never violate her own Accords.
I noted the line in Turncoat during my recent re-read, but don’t think Harry would Darkhallow in Battle Field as it would kill the people of Chicago. He has the tools to take on the Titan at Demonreach, as well as the necessary skills and knowledge. I also think that when he does use the Darkhallow, it will be on a battlefield of his choosing. The overrun gates spring to mind, or Demonreach, or New Jersey not the City. I also think he won’t use it for himself, he will elevate someone else ( I always imagine a Galactus sized and hungry Toot, off to find the Discworld)
The problem is that Harry is representing one or both groups, and so is acting as proxy. While it's possible he is going all lone wolf, I think the Council and/or Mab would stop him from interfering. Mab would hardly need to try as I suspect him disobeying her would rob him of his mantle and paralyze him. In theory, Harry could act independently of the Council. In practice (especially considering the political maneuvering against him) he likely would give them all the excuse they need to either lock him up or execute him.
Man, I'm really looking forward to this.
Preview chapters start coming out next week
A Darkhallow would take more than thousands of lives, I think the ‘Butchers Bill’ is collateral damage saving Chicago, remember Chicago is important to Faerie, destroy it and you screw up Faerie, perhaps Winter itself. The other point is that this is where the mortal world realises what has been going on behind the scenes.
It’s the difference between Eb and Harry, Eb (partly through the Blackstaff and partly through his own nature) is incapable of accepting blame. Harry not only accepts blame for his actions but feels responsible even for things he really shouldn’t, where clearly he did everything in his power to stop events unfolding. His presence in Chicago indirectly led to it being a target (through Mab’s machinations) leading to loss of life and injury. Harry did everything anyone could to mitigate the harm, but he appears to have made Mab accept her role and pay reparations. It’s still not enough.
It’s the difference between Eb and Harry, Eb (partly through the Blackstaff and partly through his own nature) is incapable of accepting blame.
I don't know, he does seem troubled by what he's done in BR.
I think it's more that Eb thinks that what he's done is for the best. That's not incompatible with feeling guilt over what he "had to do", but it won't keep him from doing it again in the same situation. He's inflexible, like most old wizards.
The Blackstaff keeps him from being corrupted by black magic, but it doesn't keep him from rationalizing the things he's done.
oh the torture of waiting for a new chapter
There will be a chapter drop -- but probably not for another 6-8 hours.
... exceeded only by the torture of finishing the new chapter and realizing it's a whole week before you'll get another...
Mab wouldn't have any reason to command him not to defend his home if the Fomor attacked Marcone's territory, though. She wants them to fall, but so long as she doesn't order his action, she has a solid argument that her Knight doesn't have an Accorded obligation to let his home get trashed by a dispute between two other powers to preserve Winter's neutrality.As we can see, you are of course correct. Because Ethniu has flipped the bird at the Accords and Mab. And because Mab is attacked, all Accorded Nations are honor-bound to defend her. So it seems the White Council, or at least enough of the Senior Council, has made a decision to defend Mab. I wonder if the Merlin knows. Clearly he doesn't need to pay Vadderung or take Marcone's side either as they are all on the same side.
The Council don't have to be as strictly legalistic, granted. They'd be pissed if he intervened and dragged them into another open war while failing to kill the Empress ... but the Council are pretty remote, and if he fails in this, he'll be dead before he has to worry about their disapproval. On the other hand, if his worst weekend of the year ends up with a dead Titan that he reports to them as a fait accompli, what are they going to do about it? The Wardens have been in hard fighting against the Fomor for some years right now without a declaration of formal war ... bringing in the enemy leader's head would mend a lot of fences with pro-Harry young Wardens wavering over him joining Winter and being MIA for the Fomor fighting.
Besides, there's another out by which he can take Marcone's side, if that is the scenario. He still owes Vadderung a favour. If he trades that to Marcone to use on aiding the defense of Chicago, Harry isn't representing either Winter or the Council. He's paying off a debt as he's obligated to do.
The real question is, knowing Harry's luck, will they still attempt to strip him of his status? I suspect it all depends on how badly this fight goes. The last chapter of Peace Talks hints that this is still something Harry should be worried about. It really all depends on who is running the White Council...the Merlin or the Black Council.
Perhaps this is where and when it happens,
But it will force reform, mortal authorities are going to require respect for their laws
Whereas the other supernatural nations have territory in the NeverNever, which puts the White Council in a difficult position. It doesn’t have anywhere to call it’s own.
Actually, the White Council has significant physical assets.
As for the Warlock execution thing...I don't think they would mind. I think they would prefer if their own authorities did it, and I suspect the White Council wouldn't object.
Sure, but they all are within some nation or other. The White Council wouldn't have a voice in the UN, and by international law they'd ultimately be subject to regular nations. They don't have an NN territory inaccessible to vanilla mortals like the various Fae nations, and the Laws prevent them from just taking over some nation as a "safe zone" by mind-controlling its leadership as the White Court could do.Hah! International law only really applies to the smaller nations. The big nations just do as they please. And no court could really enforce their justice. The whole problem is that the entire organization of the White Council is composed of too many disparate nations and is too spread out. One of the main reasons why the White Council stays out of politics in the first place. I am sure they could disappear if they needed to. How do you think they survived the Inquisition?
Yeah, I didn't really mean so much opposition to executing warlocks in principle (even nations and US states that don't have the death penalty might change the law if they found out about e.g. what Kemmler did).I doubt the states that oppose the death penalty would change. The principles of the argument haven't changed, just the targets. But you never know. The real question is would they even be able to tell the White Council was executing warlocks in the first place. But you are right, the current justice system in any country isn't sophisticated or strong enough really to contain/control warlocks.
More that nations wouldn't allow the White Council to perform executions outside the existing legal system, and I'm not sure it would be practical/workable to keep warlocks imprisoned for long enough to go through the legal system -- some of the weaker/less skilled ones, maybe, but not anybody who could get to the NN, or mind-control people, etc. without ritual gear. Even Kravos, who wasn't that powerful or skilled, was able to set up the whole Nightmare thing from prison.
I am sure they could disappear if they needed to. How do you think they survived the Inquisition?
I doubt the states that oppose the death penalty would change. The principles of the argument haven't changed, just the targets.
No way to know, we really don't know how that worked in the DV. (The implication, IIRC, is that it was more heavily involved in witch trials than the RL Inquisition.) But the Inquisition was pretty geographically limited, even relative to the 'known world' of that era (basically Europe and the Mediterranean). Certainly it had no power in the Eastern Orthodox or Islamic areas, and I think it was usually much more localized than that.True enough, Jim hasn't been that specific. But that is exactly it: the geography is a huge limit on the power to take on the White Council. For instance, what if the White Council decided to shelter in China or Russia? What then would the US or the UK etc do? Go to war? Or the reverse, what if they decided to take shelter from Russia in the USA? Perhaps there is a scenario where each nation individually decides to persecute the supernatural (whilst simultaneously fighting off whatever supernatural nations are attacking them, along with any mortal nations as well). Some nations might be more successful than others but almost all would attempt to harness some of this "new" power and knowledge. No, the real success would always be from nations that allied with the "friendly" supernaturals like the White Council and Vadderung and Knights of the Cross.
I don't know... I think the picture changes a lot if you can no longer rely on prisons to keep people away from the general population, because warlocks can just use illusions/mind-bending to escape or walk out through the NN or something (or if imprisoned warlocks can still do harm remotely through something like Kravos' Nightmare ritual or demon summoning or...)A little perhaps, assuming they had the time to actually change the law. If they were under assault it might be different. But ClintACK is right, it is a very complicated issue. More likely vigilante justice would increase. Assuming these governments managed to stay together at all.
I am pretty sure proponents of the death penalty will change their mind when the concept of the death curse is explained to them, and that it could be aimed at them unless other practitioners are involved in the process. Having all the guards in a prison drop dead because an improperly handled Warlock would do that.
There must be a way around that when it comes to execution, otherwise warlocks wouldn't get the chop.
I am pretty sure proponents of the death penalty will change their mind when the concept of the death curse is explained to them, and that it could be aimed at them unless other practitioners are involved in the process. Having all the guards in a prison drop dead because an improperly handled Warlock would do that.
There must be a way around that when it comes to execution, otherwise warlocks wouldn't get the chop.
Takes vision. Hence the bagging 9f the head.No... Maggie Sr aimed her death curse at Lord Raith who was definitely not present. (And Harry's description of preparing to use his against Grevane when he thought Morgan was going to kill him in DB also sounds like you can just aim it mentally.)
Given the existence of a perfect magical prison, I'd imagine that arguments against the death penalty would be on stronger ground.
But even for non-capital offenses, it's hard to imagine mortal governments just handing over magical criminals for trial and punishment in an entirely independent system of government. That works fine right now, when those magical criminals and independent courts officially don't exist, but after?
And the merging of magical justice into mortal justice comes with all kinds of pitfalls.
Demonreach isn't really for mortals, Harry was desperate in PT.
No... Maggie Sr aimed her death curse at Lord Raith who was definitely not present. (And Harry's description of preparing to use his against Grevane when he thought Morgan was going to kill him in DB also sounds like you can just aim it mentally.)Point of order, Maggie set her death curse up in advance. And it would have bounced off Raith if Jim is to be believed. My current WAG is that she attacked the Raith's demon through Thomas's demon. And for all we know she did it on her way out the door.
Vision might matter for less capable spellcasters, but it's by no means absolutely necessary.
But is Thomas really considered a mortal? Do we know of any Vamps that died of old age? They can be killed, but so can some immortals under the right circumstance.
Point of order, Maggie set her death curse up in advance. And it would have bounced off Raith if Jim is to be believed.
My current WAG is that she attacked the Raith's demon through Thomas's demon. And for all we know she did it on her way out the door.
The White Council might become something similar to the Papacy, whose enforcement arm might just be hired out as needed. Think the Swiss Guards without the Swiss.That I can see. However I suspect it's just as likely the Council would collapse and individual Wizards would go back and support their homelands. I suspect relatively few would attempt to hold the Council together if things got really bad.
Wizards are going to have to obey mortal laws, so no more fairy gold, but to be fair I would love to see a mortal try to pay a wizard for services rendered in bitcoin. An exchange rate between Fairy Gold and Bitcoin may be difficult to arrange. I think the dollar would prevail over both.The White Council (and many wizards within and without) have mortal money. The White Council as an organisation has enormous financial holdings. They hardly need fairy gold, nor do they seem to use it for mortal transactions. Not to mention, they also are already subject to mortal laws. Openly, they obey them like everyone else. And like everyone else, some choose not to when they think they won't be caught. Only a few openly flout the law. It often doesn't work out.
You all forget, the warlock executed in PG was contained within a circle.
I think mortal governments would nuke demonreach if they knew the danger of it. Not just because of the demons and monsters and dark gods within, but also because the fail safe would wipe out most of North America. And so end up likely creating the problem they wish to avoid