The Law

[vincentric]

If LaFortier was the Warden at the time of his murder, then every Senior Council member who knew of it is an idiot.

Being the Warden would be the most obvious motive for his murder and the vulnerability of the island should have leaped to priority one on their list. The Warden is capable of bringing about THE END from within a near impregnable fortress with little to no prep time. Why isn't there a team headed to Chicago to stop say, that murdering traitor Morgan from taking the office? Why isn't there a call to the Senior Warden for North America alerting him of possible danger in his home city?

If you instead say that no one but Peabody knew, he doesn't have to do anything beyond having LaFortier killed. But he should have left for Demonreach as soon as the kill was confirmed. Everyone was focused on Morgan so he could have gone to Chicago and then the island before anyone thought to look for him.

[Mira]

If LaFortier was the Warden at the time of his murder, then every Senior Council member who knew of it is an idiot.

Being the Warden would be the most obvious motive for his murder and the vulnerability of the island should have leaped to priority one on their list. The Warden is capable of bringing about THE END from within a near impregnable fortress with little to no prep time. Why isn't there a team headed to Chicago to stop say, that murdering traitor Morgan from taking the office? Why isn't there a call to the Senior Warden for North America alerting him of possible danger in his home city?

If you instead say that no one but Peabody knew, he doesn't have to do anything beyond having LaFortier killed. But he should have left for Demonreach as soon as the kill was confirmed. Everyone was focused on Morgan so he could have gone to Chicago and then the island before anyone thought to look for him.

I also believe that the island had been without a Warden for some time, the Merlin, if no one else should have known that.

[Fcrate]

I also believe that the island had been without a Warden for some time, the Merlin, if no one else should have known that.

That was also my impression. A Warden isn't needed around the clock. In normal times, maybe once a century.
Besides, LaFortier may have been very powerful, but I didn't get a fighter vibe from him in Summer Knight., I got "schemer/politician". He also defended himself physically instead of magically against Luccio the night he died, which suggests very limited combat experience. There are tons of solutions between holding your arms up to block the knife and Avada Kedavra.

[Arjan]

That was also my impression. A Warden isn't needed around the clock. In normal times, maybe once a century.
Besides, LaFortier may have been very powerful, but I didn't get a fighter vibe from him in Summer Knight., I got "schemer/politician". He also defended himself physically instead of magically against Luccio the night he died, which suggests very limited combat experience. There are tons of solutions between holding your arms up to block the knife and Avada Kedavra.

Not necessarily. Except from the gatekeeper white council members continuously seem to know less than expected. Senior council members included here.

[morriswalters]

LaFortier's killing makes sense within the context of the story.  He didn't need to be anything. It fits the pattern of Chaos that Butcher keeps eluding to. You don't replace LaFortier with someone smarter, you replace him with someone dumber, ditto Luccio.  LaFortier could have been the Warden, but in what Butcher has put on the page to this point the prison is an idiot test.  You can't be too bright if you want it and are less bright if you want to keep it.

In a more practical sense you don't create weapons as powerful as the prison without safeguards to prevent it's misuse.   Either Merlin was an idiot or Butcher is. There is some part of the puzzle that is missing.

[vincentric]

That was also my impression. A Warden isn't needed around the clock. In normal times, maybe once a century.

A Warden is needed 24/7/365 with full time spotters stationed at key spots around the shore with  one or two fully kitted Warden/Winter SWAT teams also.

The safeguards in place are not enough when you consider that the island is only one bad boss from Ethniu and beings greater than her being unleashed on humanity with bad intentions. Ethniu and one tag team partner can take out Mab and Titania, who are our most powerful defenders who can act directly in opposition. Just the act of freeing them at once might be enough. That much power concentrated together might shatter Reality

[Conspiracy Theorist]

The Council wanted an absentee Warden, someone who would be a placeholder without really wanting the position. They were hoping to forget about Demonreach and fall back into their favourite pass time of internal politics. Besides the ENTIRE Senior Council were being influenced at the time by Peabody. If the aim was Demonreach you can bet they were influenced not to think about it. As only the Senior Council really knew of it none of the wizards helping them recover knew to ask about it, and deal with Peabody instructions on it.

Two new points on re-read

(1) the Otso perfectly describes how Bob or Bonea could enflesh their skulls, a theory I have been putting forward.

(2)Maximillian Valerious = Valerious Maximus a historical figure from the Rome of 1AD author of “Nine books of memorable deeds and sayings". If Harry has been learning Latin he should recognise that name.

Heloise is also of interested do not see her

[seanham]

Back to the OP, why does Nameless need to seek shelter under the protection of Winter/Mab as a vassal? It sounds like he is very powerful. Why is he not a Freeholder Lord? Also, what could Mab get out of the deal? As pointed out by Bob Nameless is a difficult ally to have because his aura(?) creates division and chaos, not things you want when planning for a battle. We know that Mab does nothing without reason so what could her reason be for bringing Nameless as her vassal? Also, we'll probably see him again in 12 Months because he is probably the Lawyer reviewing the conditions for Harries and Lara's dates.

[Snark Knight]

I also believe that the island had been without a Warden for some time, the Merlin, if no one else should have known that.

That's also a good point. One of the more knowledgeable characters (Vadderung, I think?) at one point equated a Warden being active to the island being 'awake'.

I have some doubts Alfred, if awake, would have tolerated the Denarians doing a major working on the island's surface. If LaFortier was the Warden and left the defenses sufficiently down to allow them to do that, he wasn't much of a caretaker. Although, Alfred also took some years before introducing Harry to the actual capability to leave defenses turned on, so who knows?

[Mira]

Back to the OP, why does Nameless need to seek shelter under the protection of Winter/Mab as a vassal? It sounds like he is very powerful. Why is he not a Freeholder Lord? Also, what could Mab get out of the deal? As pointed out by Bob Nameless is a difficult ally to have because his aura(?) creates division and chaos, not things you want when planning for a battle. We know that Mab does nothing without reason so what could her reason be for bringing Nameless as her vassal? Also, we'll probably see him again in 12 Months because he is probably the Lawyer reviewing the conditions for Harries and Lara's dates.

Harry flat out says that Mab doesn't trust him. She placed him and Ms Lapland in the mortal world after Arctis Tor was attacked.  That is why I suggested in my thread that he may have been a mole for Nemesis before hand. Also I believe she knows that Namshiel had something to do with the attack on Arctis Tor, that Marcone had the coin and that it was only a matter of time before he took it up.  So Nameless is useful to her as one who can keep an eye on Marcone and all his business dealings, thus Namshiel.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Back to the OP, why does Nameless need to seek shelter under the protection of Winter/Mab as a vassal? It sounds like he is very powerful. Why is he not a Freeholder Lord? Also, what could Mab get out of the deal? As pointed out by Bob Nameless is a difficult ally to have because his aura(?) creates division and chaos, not things you want when planning for a battle. We know that Mab does nothing without reason so what could her reason be for bringing Nameless as her vassal? Also, we'll probably see him again in 12 Months because he is probably the Lawyer reviewing the conditions for Harries and Lara's dates.

The obvious reason for Nameless to seek shelter in Winter is that he was in fact doing an Arnim Zola for the Circle, Mab may have foreseen this and decided to keep him close and locked down by Winter Law. For all we have seen of Cowl his only interaction with Winter was giving Lea the Athame, for which he was heavily disguised suggesting Lea might otherwise recognise him. If Cowl is Nameless this makes sense. Giving Lea the Athame should not be a violation of Winter Law on the part of Nameless but look at the damage that did to Winter. Almost as though Cowl was looking for a loophole in Winter Law.

The scene in Nameless meeting room  dwells upon three items one is obviously Checkov’s Bear Skull, one is a scrimshawed Walrus Tusk (a gift from Lacuna?) the last is a cruelly curved dagger. I believe we have only seen one person with a magical dagger before, Cowl in Grave Peril.

I believe Nameless has been working for Marcone for some time before Harry notified her of Namshiel

[Snark Knight]

Also I believe she knows that Namshiel had something to do with the attack on Arctis Tor, that Marcone had the coin and that it was only a matter of time before he took it up.  So Nameless is useful to her as one who can keep an eye on Marcone and all his business dealings, thus Namshiel.

I'm not sure why she'd react like Harry addressing Marcone as "Sir" at the end of BG was filling in a piece for her if she already knew.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I think Arctis Tor was a ploy by Mab to draw out her enemies, just like holding the Peace Talks near a large body of water on Mab and Winters weakest day of the year, she set up circumstances where she would look vulnerable.

The ejection of Nameless and Laplander, the move on Maeve, the recruitment of Molly and setting up Nicodemus to use up his favour on a pointless (for him) Assault on Hades Vault seem to be the consequences of that ploy.

That we know of.

[vincentric]

The Council wanted an absentee Warden, someone who would be a placeholder without really wanting the position. They were hoping to forget about Demonreach and fall back into their favourite pass time of internal politics. Besides the ENTIRE Senior Council were being influenced at the time by Peabody. If the aim was Demonreach you can bet they were influenced not to think about it. As only the Senior Council really knew of it none of the wizards helping them recover knew to ask about it, and deal with Peabody instructions on it.

Two new points on re-read

(1) the Otso perfectly describes how Bob or Bonea could enflesh their skulls, a theory I have been putting forward.

I can see the Council wanting an absentee Warden. They don't want any one wizard to have that power.

Bur I can't see any of the other Powers protecting the world wanting this. Again, too much harm can be done in too short a time with no obvious warnings. Mab doesn't take chances with that much risk of failure. I doubt Uriel is happy with the arrangement either. It's a big hole in Jim's universe building.

The Otso was summoned by Lapland. It's something from the NeverNever summoned using the skull as a focus. The limits that we see on Spirts of Intellect like Bob are all that keep them from being major Powers in the world. With a physical body, Bob would be the equal of a powerful White Council member and he'd be able to build and hide numerous bolt-holes to hide in. The Dresdenverse would be much more like a game of Shadowrun if the spirits could roam free.

[seanham]

The obvious reason for Nameless to seek shelter in Winter is that he was in fact doing an Arnim Zola for the Circle, Mab may have foreseen this and decided to keep him close and locked down by Winter Law. For all we have seen of Cowl his only interaction with Winter was giving Lea the Athame, for which he was heavily disguised suggesting Lea might otherwise recognise him. If Cowl is Nameless this makes sense. Giving Lea the Athame should not be a violation of Winter Law on the part of Nameless but look at the damage that did to Winter. Almost as though Cowl was looking for a loophole in Winter Law.

The scene in Nameless meeting room  dwells upon three items one is obviously Checkov’s Bear Skull, one is a scrimshawed Walrus Tusk (a gift from Lacuna?) the last is a cruelly curved dagger. I believe we have only seen one person with a magical dagger before, Cowl in Grave Peril.

Good point about Lea recognizing Cowl but that does not prove that Nameless is Cowl. Remember Harry thinks that the reason why Cowl and Kumori hid themselves in their clocks is because HE (or others) would recognize them from the White Council. Also, if Nameless is as powerful as Bob says he is why has Harry beaten him in their past meetings? Finally, if Kumori is Lapland then why has Harry not felt the sexual "wammy" that he felt? Why would Lapland hide this ability or for that matter why would Lapland want to "cure death"?

Also, do y'all really think Jim would introduce Cowl's real identity in a novella? Especially one that is just an electronic read for now? From the other novella's/short stories only Bigfoot has been introduced and re-appeared in the main books.