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Demonreach

Revision as of 12:54, 28 June 2014 by MinorStoop (Message Wall | contribs) (→‎Description)
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Demonreach is the name Harry Dresden gave to an island in Lake Michigan. The island first appears in Small Favor.

Description

Demonreach is an island in Lake Michigan that no one knows about as it's considered dangerous and has been removed from public record. The energies around the lake deter and re-route any passers-by without their knowledge.

The island was once the location of a cannery in the early 1900s[1], until the magic from what Harry Dresden believed to be a ley line running through the island killed enough of its inhabitants to chase them away. It was later revealed that the ley line does not run through the island, it instead originates at the island where it wells up from some unspecified location. Today, the island itself is uncharted, located somewhere in the waters of Lake Michigan.[2]

It was revealed in Cold Days that the island's magic was created and placed by the Original Merlin across time as a supernatural prison to keep the worst and most powerful evil beings contained. There are half a dozen naagloshii imprisoned there; these are considered the most benign, low-security inmates in the whole place.

Harry is currently the Warden of this prison since the attempt of unlocking the prison by blowing up the island.[3]

After discovering Harry's new connection to the island, the Gatekeeper Rashid advised him not to use the power of the island, only the awareness it supplied.[4]

Harry describes it as covered in woods, lots of trees under a foot in thickness. Between the trees there was brush and thickets with thorns growing about five feet up from the ground. There was an old ghost town along the shoreline so old that trees had reclaimed the space and most of the buildings had fallen down. There were the rotting remains of an old dock with only the posts sticking out the water. Up on the highest point of the island on a hill stood the outline of a worn building or tower. 

In Turn Coat, Harry Dresden used the Sanctum Invocation on the island and its genius loci. He named it Demonreach.[5] With Thomas' help, he constructed a floating dock, which they named "Whatsup Dock".[6]

The island is known at some point to have had some sort of conflict with Senior Council member and Gatekeeper Rashid. [4]

The stones on the cottage and on the tower glowed with fox fire, then evolve into symbols, script in some unknown language. They seemed to repulse the naagloshii, keeping him from approaching the structures.[7] Bob told Harry that he didn't know what the symbols on the rocks of the cottage were except that they predated wizardry and were very powerful and very numerous—hundreds on each rock—and layered.[6]

In Cold Days, Harry stated that the spirit entity of Demonreach spoke to him at Graceland the year before.[8]

In an underground chamber, rest six naagloshii contained under crystal mounds, as well as twelve huge chambers imprisoning "[n]ightmares, dark gods, nameless things, immortals". The six naagloshii are considered to be "lesser" to the Dark Gods. And, Harry is now the Warden of the prison.[9]

Genius Loci

The island's genius loci is an extremely old and powerful one. It has Intellectus confined to its shores, which Harry Dresden is able to use while on the island. Demonreach's genius loci manifested as a tall figure—about eleven or twelve feet tall—with a billowing black cloak, a limp (caused by the glacier that carved out the lake[10]), and two vividly green eyes during its duel with Harry Dresden. [5]

As a very old genius loci, Demonreach contains considerable power. In Cold Days, the manifestation of the island manages to resist the power of Maeve, the Winter Lady, who is considered to be one of the most powerful Sidhe in the series, and a retinue of high ranking Sidhe Nobles, while simultaneously warding off an attack from an army of outsiders. It took the combined powers of both Ladies and their retinues hours to even damage him slightly, a testament to his immense power.

However, Demonreach seems limitied in how he is able to actively resist invaders, which Harry speculates is due to the nature of the island itself. Mab acknowledges that Demonreach could have responded more aggressively to her daughters' attack and thanks him for being restrained.

In the series

Small Favor

Main article: Small Favor

In Small Favor, the Denarians took Marcone and The Archive hostage and brought them to the island. Harry, Michael, and Sanya go there with an agreement to trade eleven Denarian Coins and Fidelacchius for Ivy. The island feels familiar to Harry. The trade turns into a rescue and chaos breaks out.[11]

Turn Coat

Main article: Turn Coat

In Turn Coat, Harry Dresden used the Sanctum Invocation on the island and its genius loci. He names it Demonreach.[5]

Harry invites all the parties of interest in order to solve the real murder that Morgan is accused of committing: Shagnasty, Lara Raith, the White Council... and hopefully the traitor.

Ghost Story

Main article: Ghost Story

In Ghost Story, Harry Dresden's body was kept alive through a mixture of Queen Mab's power and Demonreach embedding vines into Harry's body to feed him nutrients until he could return to life and resume his position as the Winter Knight.[12]

Cold Days

Main article: Cold Days

In Cold Days, Molly told Harry that she and Lea think that the island will blow up in the next couple of days, taking a large chunk of the Midwest with it.[13] Harry takes Bob to the top of the hill, where there was a fire waiting for Harry in the cottage. Bob told Harry what little he knew about the symbols on the rocks of the cottage. Demonreach bid Harry and Bob to follow him down into the deep-deep well.[6] Imprisoned there are six Naagloshii and numerous dark entities that Harry is now the Warden of. [3] Bob translated for Demonreach by creating a movie of how The Original Merlin constructed the prison by repeating the spell at the same place at different times but at the same time. [8] Harry has a parasite in his head that's causing him headaches; it's what helped keep him alive while his spirit wandered. Its price was that Harry not be told any details about it. Eventually it will burst out of his skull and kill him.[8]

Maeve and Lily told Harry that Mab has gone mad and plans to unleash chaos on the world that night—Halloween.[14] Harry and team try to determine who is behind the spell required to release the monsters, and if its Outsiders, who let them into this world. Though the Ladies can't lie, they could be wrong.[15]

Harry led the Wild Hunt, including the Erlking and Kringle, into battle with Outsiders on barges and numerous other boats led by Sharkface—He Who Walks Before—along the shoreline of the island. [16] Harry leads his team up the hill, but only he can pass the Circle that formed a wall of deadly power they couldn't pass. Being part of the Island's architecture, only Harry could pass through.[17] Harry finds Maeve and Lily trying to destroy the Demonreach entity using the island's Circle of Power. Fix and Harry engage in battle. Harry beats him.[18] Harry and Fix join forces to stop Maeve.[19][20] [21] [22]

Skin Game

Main article: Skin Game

In Skin Game, Harry gives the island spirit its familiar name: Alfred Demonreach.

Word of Butcher

Per Jim Butcher, "(Rashid) has been on the island a couple of times, and it’s never gone well."[10]

References

  1. ↑ Small Favor, ch. 42
  2. ↑ Small Favor, ch. 39
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cold Days, ch. 16
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Turn Coat, ch. 39
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Turn Coat, ch. 36
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Cold Days, ch. 15
  7. ↑ Turn Coat, ch. 44
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Cold Days, ch. 17
  9. ↑ Cold Days, ch. 16 and 17
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 2009 Independence book signing posted on the forum on May 18, 2009
  11. ↑ Small Favor, ch. 42-45
  12. ↑ Ghost Story, ch. 50
  13. ↑ Cold Days, ch. 13
  14. ↑ Cold Days, ch. 24-25
  15. ↑ Cold Days, ch. 28
  16. ↑ Cold Days, ch. 42–45
  17. ↑ Cold Days, ch. 46
  18. ↑ Cold Days, ch. 47-49
  19. ↑ Cold Days, ch. 49-50
  20. ↑ Cold Days, ch. 50
  21. ↑ Cold Days, ch. 51
  22. ↑ Cold Days, ch. 52

See also

GROUPS, TITLES:

CREATURES:

THINGS, MAGIC:

References

  1. ↑ Cold Days, ch. 43

External References

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