We are also altering or, rather, subverting, the existing ritual. We are attempting thaumaturgical judo - redirecting the flows of energy that are already there. By using the crown we'll have the precise information of what Kakuri servants are doing. We build on top of that.
Judo requires a minimum amount of strength to even have a chance of working against a resisting opponent.
We know fuckall about the strength of the opposition on the other end, or how much expertise they have on tap.
Or even if they can phone home for help with rituals, the way the Denarians in Small Favor got Lucifer to lend power/expertise to their ritual for containing the Archive.
I have no interest in inadvertently stumbling into a wrestling match with Emma-O.
Not at E2.
And that assumes that the ritual itself isnt in and of itself a trap to lure someone into trying to defang it.
Ok, this is unlikely to be self-buff ritual. It doesn't mean that she thinks we gather chi from environment. It is a trap, set for us. It could be a spirit killer ritual, a straight damage dealer, etc. The "she thinks we are using environmental chi" is a leap of logic that's not supported by the text at all.
Kueijin dont have spiritkillers afaik.
Yama Kings dont have spiritkillers either; when Emma-O slew Yen-Lo, he used a blade of pure Yin according to the sourcebooks.
She's never seen us wield power as far as we know.
Which do you think is a more likely assumption: The bearer of the Seed of Eternal Night, who feels like an archdevil, uses the same chi that demons, akuma and Yama Kings do? Or Molly generates some primordial go juice unseen since time immemorial?
At least part of its security is obscurity and stealth. You don't tell everyone where your supermax prison is.
Its obscurity is from
mortals. Not supernaturals.
Why do you think its possible to hide this place?
Its more than a thousand years old. Its establishment predates the White Council. Demonreach
literally has a ley line coming out of it. Its no more secret than ADX Florence, at least to the actual Powers of the setting.
They are not part of the faerie.
The Faerie grapevine is literally open to anyone who does a deal with a Wyldfae.
Thats kinda how people like Bob get information. Hell, remember this?
I snorted.
"What was that he said about Winter?" Sanya asked.
"Harry's the new Winter Knight!" Toot-toot burbled. "Which is fantastic! The old Winter Knight mostly just sat around getting tortured. He never went on adventures or anything." He paused and added, "Unless you count going crazy, I guess."
"Toot," I said. "I'm . . . kind of trying to keep the Winter Knight thing low-profile."
"Okay," Toot said. "Why?"
I glanced from the little faerie to Sanya. "Look, I, uh . . . It's personal, okay, and—"
"Because every creature in Faerie got to see the ceremony," Toot said proudly. "Mab made sure of it! It was reflected in all the streams and ponds and lakes and puddles and every little drop of water!"
I stared at the engorged faerie, at something of a loss for words. "Um," I said. "Oh. How . . . very, very disturbing."
"Did it hurt when you kissed Mab?" Toot asked. "Because I always thought her lips looked so cold that they would burn. Like streetlamps in winter!" Toot sat up suddenly, his eyes wide. "Ooooooh. Did your tongue get stuck to her, like on that Christmastime show?"
"Okayyyyy," I said with forced cheer, clapping my hands. "Way, way too personal. Um. The job. I have a job for you."
Toot-toot leapt up to his feet. His stomach was already constricting back toward its normal size. "Yes, my liege!"
Where the hell did he put it all? I mean . . . it just wasn't possible for him to eat that much pizza and then . . . I shook my head. Now wasn't the time.
That was Toot-Toot, a member of the Little Folk.
Dresden literally pays him for information in pizza.
These two facts aren't relevant. Usum was taken when forces of Emma-O clashed with Winter. Usum was taken to Winter's doorstep, not the other way around.
Yes they are.
We literally see Winter's expeditionary forces coming back to Arctis Tor from their borders in Proven Guilty after Dresden dropped Summers Fire in the hearthspring. Before that, we saw at least some of them deployed beyong Winter's borders, around the Stone Table in Chicago-over-Chicago during Summer Knight, when Summer fought Winter.
This isnt secret information.
