Considering we have now seen a Titan, a proto-god who seemingly still had access to her power (rather than down-sized like Odin), I have wondered if that was the sort-of threat Cowl would have been after a successful Darkhallow - I shall call this hypothetical being God-Cowl. Please feel free to come up with a better term.

We know that God-Cowl would have had the necessary horsepower, in terms of at least raw magical strength if not physical strength (although I think it's all intertwined at that level) to defeat Mab. This was from a WOJ from years ago in a online Q&A.

Back in Dead Beat, Harry thought the Darkhallow would be more power than a mortal had held in more than a millennia. I believe Mab thought it was more than in the memory of humanity, which is significantly longer. Harry called this being a junior-league god. I am not entirely sure what a major-league god would be...my thoughts tend toward Zeus, Mother Winter, Uriel, a fully powered-up Odin, perhaps Balor, etc.

So based on what we have here is a being stronger than Mab yet weaker than a major god. Which does seem to be about where Ethniu sits.

God-Cowl was also the kind of being that could have broken into the White Council headquarters at Edinburgh and the hospital in Dead Beat that the Merlin had turned into a fortress due to his "fancy wards". God-Cowl would have supposedly been so much stronger than the White Council as to be beyond their reach. Power enough to shape the world.

Also, this one's for you Mira, when Harry talks with Mab she actually confirms that the White Council struck down Kemmler as he was attempting the Darkhallow. This is in Dead Beat when she reveals what the Word of Kemmler is.

Now Ethniu isn't a slouch though. We saw her take on several demigods (Mab, Titania, the Erlking, and Vadderung - technically that's his power level it seems even if he is the remnants of a major god). Yes, she was also wearing her Denial Armour, but still. She also had no issue with Ebenezer, Cristos, River Shoulders, Listens-to-Wind, the Archive, etc. And even though the Knights of the Cross and Harry did the most damage with their super-crit damage holy weapons, she still kept going. Although one could argue the biggest damage was actually from Gungnir with Odin/Vadderung's direction. Even Marcone with all his "new" power and toys didn't do much but slow her slightly. And this doesn't even mention that the only two people who actually took a hit from the Eye of Balor, the magical superweapon of mass destruction, were Mab and Titania. And Titania mostly just redirected the energy while dampening the local magical energy, while Mab only partially blocked it so she only ended up burnt out and withered rather than completely annihilated.

To me, God-Cowl would have been slightly weaker. Now superweapon or armour of invulnerability. However, I suspect as he was fully powered up and new he would have had a bit of extra juice, which might have meant his base magical level was stronger. Also, Cowl is a far better tactician. Yes, he lost to Harry...when Harry blew up his highly delicate extremely explosive spell/ritual. Otherwise he hasn't yet lost a straight fight, and almost killed or severely maimed Dresden several times. Beyond that, he is smart enough ever after meeting Harry to not have direct contact again and send assassins and monsters etc.

I suspect if Cowl had become a god. He would have been a far worse threat than Ethniu. I doubt he would have done a big, messy, invade humanity battle type thing. No, he would have murdered humanities protectors one by one, in the shadows. He would have taken out the Senior Council, and therefore the White Council as a whole by extension. He would have destroyed their allies too, like the Venatori Umbrorum. Perhaps even the Librarians. Not to mention whatever competition was around, the Vampire Courts, the Archive, etc. Join or die, just like Ethniu.

Considering his tactics in Dead Beat like shutting down the power, communications of all levels, etc - just like Ethniu did, I suspect he probably would have been smarter and more targeted. Why create a magical dead spot when you could just take out the power stations and the communication towers and satellites? Yes, radio would still work but perhaps he might have some spell for that. Especially at god level. That much confusion...it would be a danger all on it's own and he would never need reveal himself until the chaos was overwhelming...and then assert himself (if that was his aim) over the planet.

Not to mention whatever monsters and villains chose to side with him that he could use as his armies and death squads.

Hell, he might have used his newfound powers to control people and launch nukes. I doubt that even would have occurred to Ethniu.

I am aware there was a thread about this recently, but it seems to be locked. I don't know what happened in that one but I don't want that here. With that in mind let's all be civil in this one, please. If you don't have anything relevant to contribute politely, this probably isn't the thread for you. 


Now as many, many people have pointed out, Harry does seem to resemble Kemmler a bit more and more as time goes on.

But let's look at the similarities and then the differences.


Similarities:
Allies: Kemmler had connections with demons, vampires, and even some of "the nastier Fae". Not just his necromancer pals and his undead slaves.

Harry also has demons (Bob and Bonnie), has held a Coin and worked with Lash, has worked alongside the Denarians, and has summoned Chauncy. Hmm.

Harry also has connections with vampires. His half-brother (not well-known, most think of him as close associate perhaps a lover) is of course a White Court vampire. He is often seen working with Lara Raith (the power behind the throne of the White Court) and is rumoured to be her lover. His ex was a half Red Court vampire (although he did kill her and the whole Red Court - but then again the White Court helped destroy the Black Court). And we know he eventually works with Mavra in Mirror Mirror. He even had a business dealing (admittedly under duress but still) with Mavra.

Harry also is deeply connected to the Faeries. His godmother is the second most powerful Faerie in Winter after Mab (the Mother's are excluded). He is the Winter Knight as worked for years as their emissary and ally before that (Mab was clearly preparing him). His grandfather (not commonly known) quite likely wields Mother Winter's walking stick (a incredibly powerful Faerie weapon). His own mother was literally known by the epithet "le Fay" because she was so closely associated with them. His former teenage lover and foster sibling/best friend was also a close associate of Summer for years. He was a contact and friend of Lily as Summer Lady and Fix (more before he was a Knight). He also has a small friendship with the current Summer Lady Sarissa. Despite hating him, even Titania meets with him. Harry has met and worked for the Mothers (something that most mortals never do and most wouldn't even survive). His former apprentice and daughter of one of his best friends is now Winter Lady. Despite the antagonistic relationship, he is actually quite close to Mab. He also is well acquainted with the Leaders of the Wild Hunt, particularly Kringle. He regularly journeys into Faerie and returns stronger, often after achieving impossible missions. He is aided by all manner of Faerie (Summer and Winter and Wyld), and commands a small army of Little Folk. He even knows some of the deepest and most important secrets of Winter (like how they defend the Outer Gates).

Magic:
Harry has also performed necromancy, just once, when raising Sue. He also has returned from death, something normally only associated with necromancers. He even has commanded spirits of the dead. He has performed several acts of magic that skate the crumbling edges of the Laws of Magic, just like his mother, including enthralling Faeries and binding them, and binding demons. He has killed mortals multiple times with magic, both intentionally and otherwise, and has attempted to several times before being stopped. And he has done this in a pattern that continues to the present day, so it isn't just a part of his past.

Equipment:
He has a demon/spirit as a research assistant. The exact same one as Kemmler used.

Kemmler also used a gun (such as in A Fistful of Warlocks). Harry was one of the most well-known Wizards and the Warden's for using a gun.

Roles:
Speaking of wardens, just like Kemmler he is now also the Warden of Demonreach.

Ideals/Philosophies:
Both Kemmler and Harry believe the White Council is self-righteous and too restrictive. They also have both openly defied this governing body. Kemmler believed might is right, and while Harry doesn't believe that totally, he certainly has approached some problems this way. Kemmler appears to have not cared if the world burned as long as he got what he wanted. While Harry doesn't normally think like this, on more than one occasion Harry has subscribed to that philosophy - even if later he realised it was wrong he probably still would have done what he did.

Actions:
Kemmler fought and resisted the White Council for decades. Maybe longer. He set himself up as first a power in his own right, then as a warlord, and even had ambitions of godhood. He gathered power, weapons, and allies to him. He set himself up as Warden of Demonreach. He allied himself (I believe) with governments and politicians. He instigated wars and caused enormous loss of life. It is possible he attempted to destroy the White Council.

Harry also has resisted the White Council for years. He even is now openly beginning to defy them. He has set himself up as Wizard of Chicago and Warden of Demonreach. He has acquired great power, new weapons and many allies (both good and evil). He even has a sometimes ally in Gentleman Johnny Marcone, the Baron of Chicago and now Knight of the Blackened Denarius. He started a war with the vampires that caused enormous loss of life, and by ending it (with a semi-nuclear option) he left a power vacuum that caused further suffering and allowed for even a new war.

Differences:
Allies:
Kemmler allied with the nastier Fae, supposedly for power. Harry has never liked or tried to befriend the worst Fae (although that's becoming a grey area as we see they have purpose - so what's a nastier Fae then?) Mab could be counted among the worst, or Lea, etc. But Harry was largely forced into those relationships, whereas Kemmler mostly sought them out.

Harry didn't choose to be connected to the White Court, his mother made that choice for him. But he connected with Thomas through family love. His connections are mostly political to the White Court, and he has resisted being either their puppet or their friend.

Harry might have Bob and Bonnie, but he made Bonnie out of love and so I think it's not the same as summoning or binding a horrible monster. Bob is slightly different. They have a master-servant relationship yet have formed a close friendship too. He helps Bob find morality (as best he can) and Bob seems to prefer being on the good guys team. His relationship to Chauncy was similar to police questioning a prisoner for information. Harry did use it to acquire knowledge and power, but abandoned it when he realised he was holding the short end of the stick. Kemmler continued to bind demons to himself. While he did work with Lash, and Nicodemus, voluntarily (under duress but still) he betrayed Nicodemus and never tried to be his friend or real ally (no matter what Nicodemus promised) and he actually changed Lash into a nicer being and turned her against her originator (Lasciel).

Magic:
Harry has used necromancy but never on humans. Harry also only attempted it once to save people in need. He never attempted to use it for personal power. He has enthralled faeries but established a strong friendship after so he didn't need to control them directly. When he killed with magic it was only in self-defence (although he did possibly negligently kill some teenagers at Bianca's, while defending himself with magic but in a wild and dangerous way). He killed some soldiers in a battle, but it was also kill-or-be-killed combat. Kemmler seems to have had no such restraints. Harry did return from the dead but not because he was smarter, had the knowledge, or didn't want to die, but because Mab, Demonreach and Bonnie wouldn't allow it (and Uriel probably had a hand in it).

Equipment:
Harry did choose to use Bob. But he didn't use him to acquire terrible and dangerous power or perform dangerous experiments and research dark things. He used him as a friend and ally, mostly to help him use his magic to help others. Harry never tried to use Bob's dark side, or to try and gain enormous personal power.

Harry does use a gun, but I'd argue that he uses it as defence, whereas Kemmler just wanted to kill people.

Roles:
Harry became Warden of Demonreach by accident. He had NO idea of what he was getting into. He thought he was just getting a bit of solid ground in order to fight some dark enemies. He also has never tried to abuse the power of that island. He hasn't released any monsters, or taken knowledge or power from them. He has never taped the well. He never allowed any dark forces to release his prisoners.

It is unclear how or why Kemmler became Warden of Demonreach. But we do know he didn't immediately try and release his prisoners. He may have initially thought it was too risky, he may not have yet been corrupted. We don't know. But we do know he eventually tried to go back and the White Council spent a lot of time and effort making sure once he went dark side he couldn't actually go back. And I suspect he would have attempted to release some of the monsters should he have gotten on the island. Or perhaps even eat enough of them to become a really big dark god. I wonder if that's where he got the knowledge.

Ideas/Philosophies:
But Harry's motives have always been about trying to protect those he loves. This is a key difference I think between Kemmler who seems to be only after power, and Harry who only takes on power to protect those he loves and has always tried to resist taking power (only taking it when absolutely necessary) and he tries to do the best he can. Harry always tries to use his power in defence of those who need protecting, and he tries always to resist becoming a monster. Whereas Kemmler seems to have embraced it. Harry might have hated the White Council but he seems to be aware that without it the world would probably be worse. He believes it needs reform, not destruction. Harry also seems to be able to reflect that while he didn't care if the world burned if he saved his daughter, that also meant roasting his friends and that he should have been more careful of that.

Actions:
Harry resist the White Council, but his introduction to them was the White Council trying him for murder and attempting to kill him. So arguably they started it. They made no attempt to rehabilitate him. Kemmler seems to have just tried to overpower them, mostly because he wanted to do whatever he liked.

Harry has acquired power but only when absolutely necessary and never to cause harm to humans and the weak. Never to rule others. He always has tried to use it to defend the defenceless. Sometimes power has been thrust upon him and he has done his best to not be corrupted by it. He hasn't always succeeded but he has tried to do better and tried to learn from his mistakes. Kemmler seems to have taken power for power's sake. He never seems to have tried to become a better person or tried to atone for his crimes.

Harry did gain allies, but many were made for him before his birth (like Lea and Thomas). Some he was even manipulated into. He has acquired more but he has always tried to remain true to his own beliefs, values and principles and never corrupted and controlled by them. He always tries to be his own man and stick up for those weaker than himself and protect them. Kemmler seems to have actively tried to seek out dark allies only to make himself stronger so he could rule the world and destroy anyone who resisted.

Harry might have started wars, but those wars would have started without him anyway. He was pushed into being the catalyst, but make no mistake that the Reds (and the Black Council manipulating them) were the ones that wanted the war. They simply used Harry to try and give themselves legitimacy. The Fomor too had been preparing to attack for centuries. They simply exploited the situation (the fall of the Red Court) to make their play.

Kemmler simply wanted to rule and cause enough chaos and violence to get what he wanted. He exploited certain countries and factions both mortal and supernatural in order to achieve his aims. Those wars might have been avoided, but Kemmler made sure that they happened.



Conclusions:
While the similarities seem to outweigh the differences, I would say that the differences are more critical.

Yes, Harry and Kemmler are dangerous. But one is concerned with trying to save the world, to protect his friends, to defend the weak and defenceless, to help others and create a better world.

The other seems to only have wished to rule the world, to cause pain and misery and death and chaos, to destroy the established order and impose his own. Perhaps even to unmake it altogether.

I think you can work out which is which.

What do you all think? Have I missed anything? Should I add other things? Anything you think shouldn't be in there?
Let me know!

I know we've done it before but a recent thread made me wonder about membership. According to Jim, we know of at least six members not including Harry, McCoy or Vadderung. That leaves six we hadn't met prior to Changes (who we may have met since of course). We know some are wizards and some are "key allies". Yet all that turned up wore grey cloaks and held staves (or things that looked like staves *Vadderung*)

1. Ebenezar (duh)
2. Vadderung (duh)
3. Harry (duh) - these are locked in

4. Listens-to-Wind (Injun Joe). Arguably Ebenezar's best friend, and the only Council member apart from Eb who didn't vote that there was no Black Council at the end of Changes.
5. The Gatekeeper. Despite voting that there is no conspiracy, he is old and wise and seems to be very much against the bigger enemies. Seems like a good choice, and friendly with Eb.
6. Anastasia Luccio. Would be angry after Morgan's death and frustrated that the Council wasn't officially doing anything. Likely candidates

7. Martha Liberty. She did vote that there is no Black Council, officially. She also doesn't seem to be the type to break the rules. Yet she is friends with Eb, and the right type of candidate.
8. The Merlin. Often cited as an unexpected member, he has no reason to be a part of the Gray Council. No more than the Queen of England joining US parliament i.e. they each have their own team already. However, if he were the type to do a sort of Bruce Wayne double life, maybe this is how he would do it.
9. Carlos Ramirez. Often people think he might have joined in, but the latest books make him out to be the Merlin's man. He also probably isn't that well connected to McCoy. Yet he did notice the existence of the Black Council and named them Black Hats, so he is a maybe.These are the less likely guesses

10. Mavra. Would be an interesting choice. She is a powerful Wizard and combatant. She might be using the GC to get her own ends, but she might also resent the Black Council. And it would make life difficult for Harry having her as an ally. Not only that, she is canny and resourceful and might have excellent reasons to want to Red Court dead (which she helped achieve). However, Eb hates vampires particularly White Court. If he somehow got over his issue with her being a vampire, then perhaps they might have common ground in getting rid of the White Court.
11. Sir Baron Gentleman John Marcone. Gosh he has a lot of titles. I wonder what his end game is... This would be a WILD reveal. Some of you might say "but he wasn't a Wizard yet" except he quite possibly was by this stage. Perhaps Vadderung recruited him, as he would have the connection to bring him in. However, I doubt Eb would like him any more than Harry.These are the wild guesses

12. Unknown. Possibly Lea or (better choice), the Erlking.
13. Unknown. Possibly Eldest Gruff. The problem guesses. Also - honourable mention: River Shoulders (probably too big and doesn't need a wizard staff, but still would be fun and loyal).


The issue with the final two is that Lea is clearly not in the Gray Council, as all thirteen members (including Harry, Eb and Vadderung) are at Chichen Itza in Changes, and Eb and Vadderung bring the other 10. However the problem with having Eldest Gruff as a member is he would need to be balanced out by a Winter Fae surely (for the symmetry if not the politics), and Lea seems to be his counterpart...and yet she almost certainly is not a member. The Erlking is a good foil to Vadderung and they seem to work together a bit, so I can see him being a part of the GC. He normally doesn't wield a staff but he could I am sure, and we know he has powerful magic.

You could address the above Lea/Eldest Gruff issue by saying there is more than 13 Gray Council members, which is possible. But Jim seemed to imply in his 2010 Bitten Books interview that there was only 13.

2010 Bitten by Books Q&A:
#136 “I am also highly intrigued by the Gray Council showing up as 12 in number.”
Thirteen, actually: Harry was already there.
“So we found out who 2 of them were, i’d like to know how many of the rest we already know and how many of them haven’t been formally introduced to us yet.”
Hang on, counting… You already know six of the folks who showed up at Chichen Itza, excluding McCoy and Vadderung.

So in Peace Talks, Harry banishes the Cornerhounds calling them "Servants of the Outer Night". Where have we heard part of that phrase before? Oh yes, the Lords of the Outer Night.

There are 13 Cornerhounds. Eb calls them "the whole pack". He also explains they are not actually 13 separate beings, but the one entity. Harry explains this as the entity is not actually in the mortal world, it creates a drone or avatar (or several) in which so visit the mortal world while safe in it's home reality.

Interestingly, there are also 13 Lords of the Outer Night. However, the Red King "Kukulcan" is an anomaly. If the Lords of the Outer Night were like the Cornerhounds, wouldn't they be limited to 13 as well? And the Red Court leave skeletons, not ectoplasm (except for their flesh masks I believe). Which would suggest they are more "real".

My theory is that the original Entity is Kukulcan, the Red King. He possesses a mortal human, perhaps even a starborn, perhaps not. But the being is so big that it cannot be contained in a little human shell. This is also part of why the vampires look human much of the time, likely the other reason is to blend in. When the Entity spreads the majority of it's power out amongst it's "children" they become the 13. Not a gestalt being as such, separate minds. Almost a combination of the original entity plus the mortal it inhabits. Yet intrinsically linked to the greater entity. The downside of course of being in the mortal world is it makes them more mortal...whereas a "drone" while destructible represents no great loss to the Entity as it is more like a tool than anything else. Perhaps it is the combination of mortal and immortal, sprit being and physical, that allows it to act. It might not be able to act anywhere near as much without a mortal, physical body. It's not like Harry or anyone else considered ever banishing the Lords of the Outer Night.

I suspect this is the case with the other Vampire Courts, and is what links them. It's also why they must feed on mortal blood/life. They have none of their own and cannot produce it, and therefore cannot maintain that level of being "real" without it. '

Perhaps Drakul is similar to Kukulcan, but undoubtedly worse. Curious he doesn't have 13 servants (although perhaps he used to - Jim said he always liked an elite team rather than a full Court). The extension of the power into a Court seems to weaken them in some way. I think it is in Changes that they discuss how the power of the blood of the Red Court is now spread amongst too many beings. In trying to grow larger there is less for all to take perhaps. Drakul seemed to want to avoid it, and when his son Dracula expanded things to a full blown Court, that's when the Black Court was nearly destroyed. Perhaps the trade off is between the weight of numbers versus individual strength. I imagine the White Court and Jade Court will be rather similar, and perhaps had similar beings as their progenitors (although likely they were weaker, I imagine it goes Black, Red, Jade, White in terms of strength).

But the salient point is there is a clear link between the Outsiders and the Red Court, and quite a lot of less obvious links between the other Courts and the Outsiders. Curious also that the Red Court Elders are styled "Lords" of the Outer Night. I never felt them on the scale of any of the most powerful beings of the Outside.

Also, I would be willing to bet that Nemesis (He Who Walks Beside) can only possess 13 beings at once. Also, I think the Walkers all must have possessed a mortal. He Who Walks Behind possessed Madge's body in White Night. I never saw anything about any of the Walkers turning into ectoplasm after death. They leave corpses of a sort. Which must mean they have a mortal, physical shell (even if the being itself is immortal). Nemesis always seems to be in a real body, rather than a created one - in fact so far we haven't seen him in his "true" form like his counterparts.

Rereading the passage in Battle Ground after Murphy dies and Harry goes after Rudolph, and something stood out to me. Harry's is of course incredibly angry, irrationally angry (by which I mean he is bypassing his normal rational state for his emotional reaction). He talks about the purity of that hate and how it gets disrupted by something he can't quite explain when Sanya arrives to stop him. It's further interrupted when Butters arrives to stop him. When he tries to destroy Rudolph with lightning, Fidelacchius stops it. It's interesting how the sound of Fidelacchius is described during this encounter as an "angry chorus". When Harry attempts to pass through the sword thinking he will be immune (being purely physical and thinking himself not truly bad), he is burned badly and there is a smell of brimstone. The burn not only doesn't heal well, but Winter's mantle cannot numb it. Then afterwards he feels all his pain but also is made rational again, and realises there likely would have been extended consequences for his actions including on those he cares about most.

This book talks a lot about love and hate. About logic being the opposite. The Eye of Balor is a weapon that uses hate to destroy everything it touches. Mab's logic appears to save her from it, if only just. Harry's love of his child stops him from murdering Rudolph, and the love of his friends helps him realise that and try to stop him. Ethniu's hate is what caused her to attack the world. The Chicagoan's love of there city and their families causes them to fight for it. The themes are clear.

Way back in when we first learn about Denarians, we learnt that it's part of the nature of the Coins to be in circulation. A Denarian also tells Dresden "we are corruption, we are a part of you". This is a hint to the nature of angels and fallen, and why they are so interested in the souls of mortals. I suspect the interest is because of the nature of the soul and it's relationship to the fundamental reality. Jim has openly discussed that choices in the Dresden Files create/spin-off universes and this creates a spectrum of universes that the angels and fallen fight over. Perhaps the souls can do this because they are tied to the foundational energy of the universe - love, and by definition, hate. Which means souls contain both creative and destructive power/interest and the angels and fallen wish to tip a soul more one side than another, and therefore have more universes in their favor.

What does this have to do with Battle Ground? Well as discussed above that book is very much about love and hate, amongst other things. These are called two sides of the same coin by Mab, as it were. Love is fundamental and essential in creation and hate is essential in destruction. This is how the Eye of Balor can destroy anything it touches (providing someone hasn't prepared accordingly *Mab*) including a being like Uriel. The Eye is described as having "hate of the original vintage". This is interesting because what I believe Butcher is talking about is not merely hate as a fundamental part of universal power, but perhaps also what Lucifer tapped into. Whether or not it came from Outside is unknown. But I do believe hate is what makes Hellfire so strong, and love is what makes Soulfire so "real".

So I believe that Battle Ground was actually not merely about Ethniu or Outsiders or even the Black Council, per se. I think we got to see another microcosm of the Great Battle, but it wasn't just over Chicago but particularly over someone in it - Harry. I believe that Sanya and Butters didn't merely show up to counter Ethniu and her forces. We have learned that the Knights single most important purpose is to save souls, particularly those influenced by the Fallen. And while I think Ethniu was considered a grave threat, there were longer term moves going on. Drakul's presence hints at that to a point. But I think when Harry was about to kill Rudolph he was heading for the darkest timeline. That Harry would have been far worse for his universe, perhaps multiple universes and this was another pivotal moment in his life. Is it not amazing of all places that the Knights ran after Harry? Or that there was not some other catastrophe they had to prevent? I would say considering the purpose of the Knights of the Cross, it means quite a bit that two of them were there to stop Harry going dark side.

I also wonder if Harry particularly is susceptible to influence of the Fallen, in a way. Obviously anyone trying to manipulate him directly tends to fail as Harry is fairly obstinate. But depending on what Starborns have to do with Lucifer (and we know of two connections: 666 years and that Jim mentioned it specifically recently), perhaps that same power that allows him to resist Outsiders is also a double edged Sword. Jim often says being a Starborn is really unlucky. People often regard Harry as a monster if they know that he is Starborn. My guess is that Harry is somehow more connected to those fundamental forces, even more so than a normal Wizard, and therefore when he goes dark side it's really, mega bad. Maybe that's why he was burned by Fidelachius. Maybe that's why the hate felt so pure, and why it annoyed him so strangely that he was disturbed from his attempted murder. Perhaps, as others have guessed it's why Drakul is so different from other Starborn (so far). It should also mean Harry is just as susceptible to the good things (read: love) though I would think, but I don't feel the evidence is just as strong.

It occurs to me that Denarians never appear alone in the Dresden Files, except for Lash with Harry.

Marcone is the only one we openly see operating, but Nicodemus is mentioned. However several other candidates exist.

In Peace Talks, Ebenezar is unusually angry - to the point where he might have killed Harry had Harry not fooled him into attacking a body double. When he appears just after Ethniu's grand entrance at the docks where Harry is attempting to smuggle Thomas to the island, Ebenezar's staff is described as glowing with a sullen red-orange energy.

This sounds very familiar to when Harry is using Hellfire and being influenced by Lash. His staff glows the same and his rages are more intense and blinding than normal.

Could there be other players? We know from Skin Game the being doesn't have to be totally mortal (that is, human). But perhaps there are others moving around in the shadows sowing discord.

Any ideas? And what do we think about Ebenezer having a Coin?

Marcone's reveal as a Knight was one I am pretty sure no one predicted.

He was a Denarian for potentially 6 years in the series before it came out, and the seeds were planted even longer ago by Jim.

Another reveal was Justine as Nemesis, but also that Nemesis was He Who Walks Beside (which some did guess at).

What other surprises have been laid? Particularly ones we can tell from the books?

I will lay out a few but please add your own and let me know what you think.

Cowl.
The line in DB about Cowl being a Goethe fan could hint at any of these candidates.
1. Cowl is...Justin. (Goethe literally wrote the Sorcerer's apprentice - if that isn't a hint what is?)
2. Cowl is...Simon (Goethe also wrote about Vampires in The Bride of Corinth)
3. Cowl is...Nicodemus (Goethe's most famous work is Faust)

That line about Goethe could hint at any of the above. Goethe also wrote about Prometheus, Thule, Walpurgis - all things that could hint toward the ideals and origins of Cowl and his organization.
The obvious thing is that he meant The Erlkoenig (The Erlking) which Goethe also wrote, but we have to look a little deeper.

Other candidates for Cowl include: Arthur Langtry, LtW, Ebeneezer, Marcone, an unrevealed character, Kemmler.

Kumori
1. Elaine is Kumori. The most obvious and likely, but not without it's problems.
2. Kumori is Simon's female apprentice (who I have lost the name of).
3. Faith Astor is Kumori.
4. Jenny Sells is Kumori.

Harry's Mom was a bit evil
- This seems likely but hasn't been addressed properly

Ebeneezer is evil.
- Definitely dodgy, might actually be very bad.

Lara and Eb
- Previous relationship

Kincaid is Drakul's son
- But not necessarily Dracula. The second less impressive son. But maybe the one Drakul likes more.