I believe there is a WOJ implying Cowl is not simply a minor character unknown to Dresden. Something along the lines of "there is a reason they were hiding their identity."Yeah, but they're hiding it from EVERYONE. Up to and possibly including the Kemmlerites.
My idea is that Cowl is some relatively minor character in the White Council Harry has never met before. He's been avoiding Harry since they first ran into each other, just to be safe. From a plot point, I expect that Harry will unmask Cowl before he knows his identity, and then later will see him at the Council to then put a name to the face.
1) About Cowl. Does he wear that hood because he KNOWS he'd be recognized without it, or does he just think they're terribly comfortable, and in the future everyone would be wearing them? Were we to see him without it, would the readers recognize him? Would Harry? Or is he just the guy who runs the omelet station at Edinburgh, and nobody pays him any attention?
Seriously? You just want me to answer that? :) Dude, have you seen the way I torture readers with that stuff? I will say, however, that the longer you've been around the wizardy world, the more paranoid you are about giving away information. /Any/ information. Your identity is a /huge/ and valuable piece of information to any wizardly foes, and if you're smart and you anticipate going up against them, you make damned sure you don't just give it away.
‘Just as well,’ Cowl murmured. ‘I have wanted to see for myself what has the Wardens so nervous about you.’
Butcher, Jim. Dead Beat: 7 (The Dresden Files series) (p. 80). Little, Brown Book Group. Kindle Edition.
‘You were the ones who gave the Leanansidhe that athame.’This is where we also get the ominous
Butcher, Jim. Dead Beat: 7 (The Dresden Files series) (p. 78). Little, Brown Book Group. Kindle Edition.
Cowl. ‘A great many things of significance happened that night. Most of which you are not yet aware.’
Butcher, Jim. Dead Beat: 7 (The Dresden Files series) (p. 78). Little, Brown Book Group. Kindle Edition.
It seems plausible for Cowl to have given the belts, since we've also already seen him mentoring Vittorio, so pulling strings is well within his MO.
Q: Have we met the people who created the Hexenwolf belts yet?Link in spoiler:
A: That’s another “I’m not gonna tell you” question. I will say, “kind of,” “not really,” and “yes.” But we’ll get into more of that during Cold Days as well.
Are there any Warden-level wizards that have made appearances and are not firmly in the "good guy" category?
Kinda yes and no. I mean Cowl has to be a Warden to SC level wizard with at least 100 years under his belt. Someone with a European background. Someone who has either or been mentioned a few times in their non-Cowl identity. Someone who is familiar about Harry but not strongly connected to Harry at present. There is probably other criteria as well. Eliminate those that don't fit the character profile than focus on those that do.
Are there any Warden-level wizards that have made appearances and are not firmly in the "good guy" category?
Are there any Warden-level wizards that have made appearances and are not firmly in the "good guy" category?Is there really ANYONE who is firmly in the "good guy" category? I mean, literally, all Warden Chandler would have had to do was intercept the letter intended for Dresden from Anastasia in Changes and substitute one of his own, and suddenly Dresden not only think's he's got Ana's full trust, but all the readers think he's an A-OK guy, too.
One thing that supports your argument is the duel between Cowl, and Dresden. According to Jim those on the Senior Council would stomp Harry pretty easily. So it wouldn't be someone as strong as say Eb. I don't even think Cowl is as strong as Morgan, based on the duel. Cowl does appear to surpass Harry's magical experience in other instances though....
I’ve posited in the other post about Justin being Cowl that Simon is simply the best candidate instead. If Justin is Cowl, he had Bob uninterrupted for more than a decade at least. Why didn’t he perform the Darkhallow at any point during this time? Simon on the other hand, tries to perform the Darkhallow a few years after his “death”.
As a Senior Council member older than Eb, Simon is likely more powerful; explaining how he was able to hit Harry harder than Eb ever had. Paolo Ortega (likely Nfected) led the charge to destroy Archangel. Simon had excellent relations with the vampire courts - Cowl is allied with Red Court & interferes in the White. Mavra clearly didn’t want Cowl (or the other 2) becoming necromantic gods.
I think this also shows that Cowl probably wouldn't be Simon, who as a member of the Senior Council wouldn't have difficulty with Harry in a duel. Morgan seemed to think it impossible for Harry to beat Justin in a duel meaning he probably had a deal of respect for Justin. That says Justin was probably a heavy hitter himself. That could be a strike against Justin being Cowl even though Harry did apparently beat him in the past. Justin if he survived would have another 10 - 15 years to get stronger, and more experienced as well making him tougher to deal with.
There is another possibility. Cowl was sick, dying, or weakened (recovering from injuries) during the duel with Harry. Either that or he telegraphed his shots at Harry to scare Harry with dangerous spells while at the same time winding up so Harry could avoid being killed by them. Cowl "swaying" after using a spell does make me wonder about his power level though
Justin as Cowl and Kumori as Elaine... that would be REALLY hard on Harry.
Eb - We've already had Harry go through the "you betrayed me" schtick with Eb over Eb's being the Blackstaff. I don't see JB re-running that exact sequence, so I don't see Eb being Cowl. Furthermore, if the actual stick is in fact Mother Winter's Walking Stick (as I've seen theorized, but has WoJ ever unambiguously confirmed???) I don't really see Mother Winter loaning that power to anyone who'd be doing Darkhallow magic.
Would it be, though? I mean, Kumori as Elaine would be awful for him, sure, but Justin as Cowl...actually might make him feel quite a bit better about himself. It would, after all, confirm that Harry had never broken the Laws of magic. That doesn't seem like it would be a torment to him--quite the opposite.
From a plot point, I expect that Harry will unmask Cowl before he knows his identity, and then later will see him at the Council to then put a name to the face.
Yes I think it would hit hard. He thought he got rid of his initial nightmare (Justin) but he has been "alive/around" all along, manipulating Harry's life from behind the scenes and basically responsible for a lot of Harry's misfortune. I think that would be pretty emotional stuff.
But I think if it were those two as Cowl and Kumori, the way it would have most impact is if when they reveal their identities they actually have a convincing, even necessary "Join Us" plan. If Harry realised he might be wrong, I think that would really shatter him.
Well actually, it might confirm that he didn't break the first law initially - but it doesn't rule him out of breaking the other laws. He definitely used Necromancy (which while he didn't break law technically - I am not sure the after affects will care much), he also quite likely killed some humans during his battle with Bianca (which he won't look into because he is scared of what he might find).
For all we know, the black magic or dark taint other wizards sense on Harry is HWWB - remember what the 3 eye user in the police station says to Harry in StF. Also in GS we see that Harry is able to get away from HWWB because he blows up the gas station (perhaps other people die in this blast)
... the despair, and the self-loathing and the helpless fury... set me on fire. Fire in my heart, in my thoughts, in my eyes. I burned... burned in places I hadn't known I could hurt... I remember reaching for that pain... I reached for fire -- and fire answered me... The fury in me grew. It swelled and burned and I reached out to the fire again. -- Grave Peril
My raw anxiety and rage lashed from the tip of my blasting rod in a lance of blinding scarlet fire. -- White Night
Paolo Ortega (likely Nfected) led the charge to destroy Archangel. Simon had excellent relations with the vampire courts - Cowl is allied with Red Court & interferes in the White. Mavra clearly didn’t want Cowl (or the other 2) becoming necromantic gods.
Would it be, though? I mean, Kumori as Elaine would be awful for him, sure, but Justin as Cowl...actually might make him feel quite a bit better about himself. It would, after all, confirm that Harry had never broken the Laws of magic. That doesn't seem like it would be a torment to him--quite the opposite.
I agree with you that Eb's not Cowl -- but why would you think Mother Winter would think there's something wrong with a Darkhallow? The faerie courts were founded on mass human sacrifice. Remember the Stone Table?It's not the killing mortals she'd object to; it's elevating a Dark God of necromancy. It's a destabilization of the existing, natural order; and the Mothers are BIG into preserving the natural order.
It's Cowl's work with outsiders that would have Mother Winter pulling out her good set of teeth.I'm not entirely certain that Cowl IS working with the Outsiders; but I'm not sure that he's not, either. But I agree -- Mother Winter will likely know, and it's nothing she'd tolerate. But OTOH, I'm less sure of the "Mother Winter's walking stick" theory than I was... per WoJ:
Q: How long has the White Council had the Blackstaff?
A: Look for Celtic Lore around 1065 ad.
Q: Can you tell us a little more about the black staff?I'm trying to imagine Mother Winter "really wanting" a hefty chunk of her own power back for most of 1000 years, and that not happening. And I'm not seeing it work that way... no, really not seeing that...
A: ... the White Council stole it from someone. And they really want it back.
I'm not entirely certain that Cowl IS working with the Outsiders; but I'm not sure that he's not, either. But I agree -- Mother Winter will likely know, and it's nothing she'd tolerate.
Elaine going back to being Justin's lackey -- part of the Sith Bathrobe Brigade -- would be agony... It would throw him straight back to the torments of the original betrayal, the agonies of those events. "The first girl he ever everything'ed" is still(again?) secretly betraying him with Justin in pursuit of power.
Having not-actually-killed Justin? Actually may not seem like a big enough feather on the scales of justice. There's plenty of warden-sword fodder in Harry's past, even without Justin's death.