I'm beginning work on a Dresden Files fanfic, and I need to know how the Wardens are structured. I know there are Regional Commanders, and one over-arching Commander (Luccio), but I'd like to know it a little more in-depth. Is there canon information on this, or even accepted Fanon?

I'd also like an opinion on apprenticeship. Would it be considered normal for a father to have his son as an apprentice?

 

I think you'll have to talk to Jim himself about this. But don't worry, he's around here somewhere. Just look for LittleChicago, he'll hook you up.

 

^ Haha.

Anyway, the quickest summation is actually at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Dresden_Files_Organizations

It's not too complicated, thankfully.

 

Well shit. I looked there, and didn't even NOTICE that. That's one part down at least. Any word on opinion to Apprenticeship?

 

I'm going to assume you're up-to-date on the books?

Well, if not, skip me.

We have at least one canon example of a man apprenticing his own daughter, though he kept that fact a secret for political and safety reasons. That man later was master to his own grandchild, too, though again, it was kept secret.

So, I guess, yes, but we don't hear much about it for various reasons.

I just imagine a kid having a screaming fit in a restaurant or a mall, and everyone staring at the parent, thinking, "Where did you go wrong?", only amplified 1000 times by the fact that the kid might have burned said mall down. It makes me giggle.

 

I'm no Dresden expert, though I've thoroughly enjoyed the novels, but it seems to me that prudence would have members of the White Council pretty tight-lipped about any kids they have, if for no other reason than safety of the kid(s) and themselves.

Think about how many enemies you could accumulate over the centuries-long lifespans of most powerful wizards. Now, think how any power wielded from the [what's the name of the top WC board?] and how that could be compromised by one member's kid(s) being kidnapped or threatened?

I imagine Dresden's fear for his own daughter is way more than most would have, but I'm betting anyone with power is going to be the exact opposite of forthcoming with that kind of info.

 

If male wizards could have magical children, the Dresden world would be quite different. The only reason why the White Council hasn't eradicated vampires and other monsters that prey on humanity is that they lack the numbers to do so. With some ruthlessness and a little magical charm a single male wizard could father hundreds of children per year. Even if they didn't resort to such unpleasant ways of propagating, there would still be at least twice as many wizards. Probably more as male wizards can be assumed to stay fertile longer than their female counterparts.

 

Thanks for all the response guys, you've been a great help. And Cheddar, I do have a magical mother involved, so no worries there.

 

A bit late on this, but I thought it was worth mentioning:

Charity used be a.. wizard... and produced Molly. However, Charity has had a ton of kids, and I think I remember something about Jim Butcher saying that none of her other kids will have that particular talent. This would seem to imply that it's fairly rare for the talent to be passed on, and that would explain why there are so few wizards.

 

After all the wizards the war in the books wiped out, I'm just waiting for Harry to say something about having to "sex to survive"as wizards to replace their numbers, lol.

 

Nah, as of Changes the Wardens have more numbers than they had before the war (it worked out at about 200 Wardens killed during Dead Beat, and Harry states they have 300 during Turn Coat). Only problem with that is that the group of 200 Wardens were all veterans and old enough that neuromancy is less of a threat, whereas now they have an army full of impressionable newbies, which Peabody took advantage of. Harry may well have been the second most powerful Warden in the world after Turn Coat, which says a lot when we hear about Morgan carving a solitary bloody trail almost to the Red King himself.

 

I miss Morgan.

(I can't believe I've said that, because he was an absolute bastard.)

 

I mean in general wizards, not just wardens. Remember the mist fiend that got released wiped out a small chunk of that chamber.

 

Ah, fair point, though it's still not a matter of reproduction as it is finding new Wizard level talents before they go warlock. There are about 7 billion humans in the world, if one in a million of those is a Wizard level talent that's still 7000 Wizards on the planet. Last I heard the White Council didn't have near that many.

 

At the moment they do not. LaFortier's supporters were from, as Dresden put it, the under represented/developed South-East Asia and African countries. Countries with a cultural belief in large families if I'm not totally mistaken. Building off of that I'd say the WC membership was around 2000, 2500 at most. That is from the Old School of magic mind you, if they get on track with finding wizard level talent they're numbers would probably double in half a century.

As for wizard casualties, they've been almost entirely contained within the Wardens. The only times the average member of the Council would be caught in the crossfire would be at Archangel (possibly), the isolated members picked off during the opening salvo's of the war, some casualties of RC raiding parties in the Nevernever and however many wizards the mistfiend managed to pick off in the 5ish seconds it took the Senior Council to take control. So, outside of the Wardens, I'd say the total number of casualties is less then a hundred wizards.

 

Didn't they kill a bunch of kids at the camp during Molly's trial?

 

I think so. I recall Ebenezar turning up when Rashid broke the circle surrounding the trial and saying they had some wounded kids to take care of. Michael took out a couple of Outsiders in that battle too.

Anyone remember when it was that the Merlin and the Gatekeeper held off some Outsiders with a ward?

 

Dead Beat iirc.