List of The Dresden Files groups
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[edit] Miscellaneous groups in the series
[edit] Black Council
At the end of Proven Guilty, Ebenezar McCoy and Harry Dresden suspect the existence of a hitherto unknown group of black wizards, and other beings, which Harry dubs the Black Council. Evidence of this group includes the surprisingly strong offensive power of the vampire courts during the war, the betrayal of secret Warden safeholds, the actions of the faerie courts, the number of black wizards and magical foes that Harry has faced in previous books, and the summoning of Outsider demons, which can be done only through mortal magic. The identities of this group's members are unknown, although McCoy and Dresden suspect that at least one member of the White Council—and likely the Senior Council—is in league with this group. They believe the traitor is one of four people, Morgan, Injun Joe, Ancient Mai, or the Merlin, as they were the only Council members to be aware of the location of the Warden boot camp which was leaked to the Red Court. As Ebenezar vouched for Injun Joe and Harry vouched for Morgan it would seem that either Ancient Mai or the Merlin himself is the traitor.
One definite member of the Black Council (initially encountered by Harry in Dead Beat) is the necromancer calling himself Cowl. He appears to have once been affiliated with the White Council, and an apprentice of Heinrich Kemmler, one of history's most powerful and terrifying necromancers. In White Night he is affiliated with an organization calling itself the Circle, which may be the Black Council's own name for itself. In "White Night", Warden Carlos Ramirez mentions he referred to the group as The Black Hats, though he believes Harry's name is better. Events in Small Favor indicate that at least one holder of a Blackened Denarius, Thorned Namshiel, is among the Black Council, though now his status is unclear.
Through all the events, it appears that the Black Council also wishes to destroy Queen Mab. They have given gifts to unsettle the balance in the court as well as performed outright attacks upon Mab's home of Arctis Tor. Why they attack the Unseelie court is unclear as of yet.
[edit] Knights of the Cross
Also known as the Knights of the Sword, the Knights are men and women chosen to wield one of three holy swords that God sent to Earth. Much like the legendary Excalibur, the swords serve the righteous for a just cause. Each is reputed to bear a nail from Christ's crucifixion inside the hilt. They cannot be touched by "unclean" beings, although this protection can be disabled if the bearer attempts to use them in a dishonorable or evil way; the only known way to destroy a Sword is to use it to kill a truly innocent being.
The three swords, whose Latin names represent the three prominent Christian virtues, are:
- Amoracchius (Love), a broadsword, currently possessed by Michael Carpenter. In Proven Guilty, Michael states in a conversation with Harry that the original Merlin was briefly a custodian for Amoracchius, and speculates that the sword may actually be Excalibur, as it has never actually been altered like the other two have. As a result of the events of Small Favor the sword was given to Harry for safekeeping, making him the steward of both Amoracchius and Fidelacchius. However, the status of Michael is, as of yet, unclear whether he can still wield the sword.
- Fidelacchius (Faith), a katana with a water-patterned steel blade and a wooden-cane scabbard, formerly possessed by Shiro Yoshimo, the Knight who trained Michael. It is now in the temporary care of Harry Dresden. According to Michael, Harry is the only member of the White Council to hold a sword in care since the original Merlin. Harry has not been inducted as an official Knight, and is expected to pass the sword on to a worthy individual who will reveal himself. Michael has asked Harry to do this as quickly as possible. Karrin Murphy briefly wielded it in Small Favor and was given what Harry called a "job offer" but turned it down.
- Esperacchius (Hope), a heavy saber, currently possessed by a Knight known only as Sanya— a young Russian man of African descent with a bleak personal history with the Order of the Denarius as he was once possessed by a Denarian himself. He has claimed that the archangel Michael himself gave him his sword— despite this encounter, he claims to be agnostic.
The Knights are endowed with the power of Faith. Their Swords act as foci for their faith, and seem able to harm any supernatural being. They cannot, however, harm innocent mortals, as such an act would completely unmake the sword. The Knights are also frequent beneficiaries of seemingly coincidental events that either aid their cause or lead them to places where their assistance is required (such as Father Forthill's coincidental appearances at the Carpenter household in Grave Peril when someone is needed to look after Michael's children in his absence). Very little information is given on the Knights, though Shiro was revealed to be a descendant of Shō Tai, the last king of Okinawa. The only Knight to be featured prominently in the series is Michael. It is revealed in Small Favor that both Michael and Sanya are also descendants of kings much like Shiro was, Michael a descendant of Charlemagne and Sanya counting Saladin amongst his ancestors. This has led Harry to believe that the swords would be given to someone who has descended from royalty, as Kings were thought to be spiritual and physical protectors of their people. However Harry has stated that this is only a theory.
The original founding purpose of the Knights was to battle the Order of the Blackened Denarius (see below) and redeem those humans corrupted into serving the Fallen.
[edit] The Fellowship of St. Giles
A relatively new player on the supernatural scene, the Fellowship of St. Giles (named for the patron saint of lepers and outcasts) is made up of people who have been infected by Red Court vampires, but have yet to drink the lifeblood of another human to complete their transformation. The Fellowship helps its members control their urges, support each other, and fight the vampires who infected them. They are allied with the White Council in the war against the Red Court, but have little communication with them. Despite their recent emergence on the playing field, a member of the Blackened Denarius recognized Susan as a member because of her markings.
They have mystic tattoos placed all over their bodies that both grant them more restraint and act as a warning when they expend too much strength and are in danger of losing control. Normally the tattoos are not visible, but as the person uses the abilities their partial transformation gives them they begin to change. They initially are black and seem to swirl on the skin. As the Fellowship member reaches the danger zone, the tattoos turn red.
[edit] The Alphas
The Alphas are a group of college werewolves that act as Harry's apprentices and backup in the series. As classic werewolves they were taught a wolf transformation spell by a reverse werewolf (Tera), as well as how to behave in their transformed state. They are slightly nerdy students led by the werewolf Billy. While physically weaker than many of their adversaries they make up for this with the use of teamwork and guerrilla tactics, such as ambushes and hit and run operations.
[edit] The Venatori Umbrorum
An ancient order of humans dedicated to fighting the darker aspects of the supernatural. What they lack in magical or supernatural powers, they make up for in political influence, knowledge, and conventional firepower. Very little is known about the Venatori; Harry describes them as being "like the Masons, but with machine guns." While they have some armed assets, they excel at using their influence in society to hinder the movement of supernatural predators such as vampires. The Venatori have been credited with freezing bank accounts, cutting supply lines, exposing mortal collaborators, and even going so far as assassinating or kidnapping agents of the Vampire Courts. They are allied with the White Council in the war against the Red Court. The order's name, Venatori Umbrorum, is presumably Latin: "The Hunters of Shadows".
[edit] Angels
There have been several hints at Archangels in the series. The Archangel Michael is said to have given Esperacchius to Sanya, a Knight of the Cross. The Archangel Rafael is said to have given power to a safe house in the Carpenter household. The Archangel Uriel is commented on by Queen Mab toward the end of Small favors, calling him "The Watchman", and referring to three other Archangels as "The Prince of the Host", "the Trumpeter", and "The Binder of Demons", presumedly Michael, Gabriel, and Rafael respectively. Uriel is described as heaven's spook by Harry. Harry also appears to be in the debt of Uriel and owe him one favor. However, it is not known how a debt to an angel is repaid, if at all.
[edit] Demons
There are several different types of demons in the Dresden universe.
[edit] The Nevernever Demons
Not much has been revealed about the inner workings of these demons, except that there is a caste system, with lower demons at the bottom and older, more powerful beings at the top (sometimes referred to as gods). They must be summoned by a wizard or sorcerer using their true name to appear in this world, with two obligations to fulfill once done so: first, to escape whatever confinement may hold them, and second, to kill whoever summoned them. In appearance and ability they all resemble monsters, have some magical ability and are very strong. Like all creatures from the Nevernever they must create a body made of ectoplasm to exist in this world. If this body is destroyed, the demon is not killed but returned to the Nevernever. Despite their strengths and the intentions of the wizards summoning them, these demons are uninterested in affecting the mortal realm on their own, if they even notice it at all.
[edit] Scions
Although not stated outright, it can be assumed that scions, like changelings, are the result of a demon (or other non-fae being of the Nevernever) and a mortal creature having a child. These children tend to look inhuman, often disfigured or insane; even those who appear to be normal humans have an "inner" demonic form that can be seen by a wizard's Sight. As only two human scions have been directly depicted in the series, it is unknown exactly what if any superhuman abilities they possess, though those scions that have been featured or mentioned are among some of the more dangerous characters.
- Kincaid, a mercenary and assassin for hire currently working for the Archive, was strongly implied to be a scion during Blood Rites, when Harry caught a glimpse of him with his Sight. Though Kincaid has shown no obvious supernatural powers -- his primary choice of weaponry is firearms -- he has demonstrated literally superhuman marksmanship (never missing a single shot out of dozens fired) in at least one firefight. He has also shown himself to have amazing physical strength, to the point of being able to kick down a bolted door with little sign of effort, and survived intense violence that should have killed an ordinary mortal. He is several centuries old, and has long been known as the Hound of Hell, or simply the Hellhound. He served as the right hand of Vlad Drakul.
- Lucius Glau, a servant of Madrigal Raith's in Proven Guilty, was said by Madrigal to be the scion of a djinn. Though mostly human in appearance, he displayed sharklike teeth and was capable of superhuman speed and ferocity, but could be injured by normal means.
- Mouse, Harry's dog, has been said to be the scion of a divine guardian-dog spirit from the Nevernever and a mortal canine; he has demonstrated above-average intelligence, and is capable of seeing and effectively fighting supernatural beings. Also referred to as a Temple Dog, he has proven to possess several supernatural abilities in accordance with his guardian heritage.
- Grendelkins, the short story Heorot reveals the existence of creatures called Grendelkins, scions of the original Grendel. They are large, vicious, overtly masculine monsters who spread their seed through raping virgins, which then tear their way out from the womb.
- The original Vlad Drakul has been stated to have been the scion of a demon (referred to as a quasi-immortal), but the truth of this has not been verified in the series.
[edit] The Fallen
The Fallen are angels that have been cast into exile, presumably during Lucifer's fall. Unlike the Nevernever demons, they are very interested in affecting the lives of mortals, but are placed under strict limitations, capable of only tempting or possessing a human. The reason for this is not known, though one theory is "God said so". The Fallen most able to act in the mortal world are the Denarians. In Small Favor it's hinted that Satan himself stepped in to help the Denarians, donating what Harry calls a "truly frightening amount of power" for their plans.
[edit] The Order of the Blackened Denarius
The Denarians are unions of a human host and one of the Fallen. There are thirty such Fallen, each bound to a tarnished silver Roman denarius which bears its respective Fallen's sigil; the thirty denarii represent the thirty pieces of silver paid to the apostle Judas, and may possibly be those very coins. Once a human has physically touched one of the Blackened Denarii, the Fallen bound to it is free to communicate with its new host, able to bestow knowledge, physical prowess, and magical ability, for as long as the host maintains possession of the coin. Even if the human does not play host to the Fallen and tries through some means of binding the coin (through magic) the Fallen still leaves a sort of impression on the host that keeps a constant connection. Even this mental copy is capable of extreme power, such as casting life-like illusions.
The amount of influence a Fallen can exert over its host appears to vary—in the case of Ursiel, the Fallen had completely taken over the host body, and kept the host's soul tortured and trapped. In the case of Nicodemus and his Fallen Anduriel, the two work in what appears to be a mutually beneficial partnership. In all cases, however, the free consent of the bearer is necessary to permit Fallen influence. If the Fallen has not completely overtaken its host, it appears that the host is able to consciously free himself or herself from the influence of the Fallen, simply by abdicating the power it provides and surrendering the Denarius. In the case of Quintus Cassius, a Denarian bonded with Saluriel, Cassius surrendered the coin to Knights of the Cross to avoid execution. Sanya admits to having once been a member of the Order, but he surrendered his Denarius freely prior to becoming a Knight of the Cross.
The Knights of the Cross were founded specifically to save people from the Fallen, and will almost always become involved (often by seeming random chance) in any situation that requires confronting one or more of the Denarians.
If the host of the Fallen is a wizard or magic-user of some sort, as most of those shown have been (although it is not clear if it happened before or after they became hosts), one way to be free of the Fallen is for the host to put aside magic forever and give up the coin.
Several of the coins are currently in the possession of the Knights of the Cross and/or the Venatori Umbrorum. These coins are kept in heavily warded boxes.
At least one of the Knights of the Blackend Denarius, is a working with the "Black Council" without the knowledge or approval of their leader Nicodemus, who considers the Black Council to be a serious threat to his plans as revealed in Small Favor.
[edit] Outsiders
Little of the Outsiders or "Walkers" has been revealed. They may be the most powerful of the Demons, or stranger and even more powerful entities akin to Lovecraftian Great Old Ones. It takes wizards centuries to develop defenses against them and magic apparently has little effect upon them. They can be defeated by, among others, the powers of the Knights of the Cross (Michael faced and beat several of them near the end of Proven Guilty); Harry Dresden himself also faced and defeated a particularly infamous Outsider known as "He Who Walks Behind" at the age of sixteen, as part of the final confrontation with his mentor Justin DuMorne. However, according to Bob, Outsiders cannot actually be killed, only damaged sufficiently as to require long years to recover; this was confirmed in Blood Rites when He Who Walks Behind was summoned by a mortal magician and recognized Harry before escaping from the disrupted summoning ritual, promising to wreak vengeance. As Harry claims only a sketchy memory of the fight and sustained many scars both physical and metaphysical from the struggle, this impending confrontation may be the most dangerous of Harry's life. The fallen angel, Lasciel, has told Harry that he may possess a special power due to the timing of his birth, that could potentially give him the power to actually kill Outsiders, a deed believed to be impossible at this point.
Wizards are terrified of the Outsiders and of their power; however, as only mortal magic can summon an Outsider (neither vampires nor faeries can do it), the temptation to gain power can be irresistible, and the Seventh Law against Outsider summoning is unique among the Laws in that a single Senior Council member is assigned to enforce it full-time. (Though the Blackstaff of the Council can summon an Outsider, as part of his general exemption, it is yet unknown whether the current Blackstaff has ever done so.) Their internal organization is only sketchily understood, but they appear to have a caste system which includes empires and knights. It is as yet unknown whether they are the "Lords of the Outer Night" Bianca mentioned as supporting the Red Court, but Outsiders have aided the Reds in the war since.
It is also known that Outsiders can possess the mind of a White Court vampire. Before his death, Madrigal Raith had performed massive amounts of magic and put several people into submission. Lasciel also told Harry that Madrigal had been possessed with an Outsider, hence why he could do this.
[edit] Dragons
As with the Outsiders, little is known of dragons. The only dragon to have appeared (in shapeshifted human form) so far in the Dresdenverse was met by Harry at Bianca's masquerade, in Grave Peril . It is unknown if they are beings of the Nevernever, combinations of spirit/mortal nature like vampires, or some other order of being altogether. What is known is extrapolated from things said and hinted at during the encounter in Grave Peril with the being called Ferrovax, self-identified as the eldest and strongest of his kind.
As noted, Ferrovax could shapeshift into human form, and possibly other forms; Ferrovax stated that dragons "are what [they] wish to be." The true appearance of a dragon is (according to Ferrovax) terrifying enough to drive a beholder to madness; even in shapeshifted form, Ferrovax betrayed his true nature by his smoky breath. Ferrovax also demonstrated immense magical power, and is either immortal or long-lived enough to make no difference (his costume at the masquerade, a Roman centurion, appeared to be a legitimate relic of Imperial Roman times). However, the scope of his claims may merit at least a degree of skepticism; Michael Carpenter has fought and slain at least one other dragon, suggesting that not all dragons are as powerful as Ferrovax.
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