Key Creation

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Key Creation is a process by which Whispering Iron is turned into keys using alchemy.

Description

Netflix Adaption

“

A key gets its magic from the intention of the key maker. Close your eyes and focus on that intention. What do you need this key to do? The material that we're using is from the demon world. But that doesn't mean that its power can't be reshaped. The keys, they can bring about the darkest evil or the greatest good. And you, as the maker, get to decide.

”

–Duncan Locke

The process, which is referred to as a conversation between the key maker and the Whispering Iron by Duncan Locke, requires the user to melt down Whispering Iron from the demon world in a forge. Once it's melted down, the user then concentrates on what they want the magic to do before spilling their blood into the Whispering Iron as a sacrifice. However, it only works with Locke blood for an unknown reason, possibly because they are descendants of Benjamin Locke, the first person to create the keys who showed no sign of magical talent before making the Omega Key and in fact needed his sister's help to figure out the alchemical process. The Whispering Iron is then poured into the mold and left to harden. The length of time that's required can be anywhere from a couple of minutes to a couple of hours and it depends on the key. Once the key is hardened, the maker breaks open the mold and dips the finished key in a cooling bucket. Only the person who hears the whispers coming from the Whispering Iron can use it to create a key.

In the case of the Demon Key, Duncan is able to control the demons summoned with it because he made the key and his blood is tied to it.

History

Netflix Adaptation

Benjamin Locke is the first to make a key, crafting the Omega Key to go with the Black Door in an attempt to use turn the demons' magic against them and seal the portal. Benjamin's attempts failed until his sister Miranda recalled that in her reading of the rituals of alchemy, the magic required two things to bind the spell caster to the magic source: intention and a blood sacrifice. By adding his blood, Benjamin successfully crafts the Omega Key and begins using the Whispering Iron leftover in the Drowning Caves to create many of the rest of the keys, with generations of Benjamin's descendants following in his footsteps.

At some point, the ghost of Chamberlin Locke teaches the process to Rendell and Duncan. However, Rendell is unable to create keys no matter how hard he tries, causing Rendell to enlist Duncan instead to create the Memory Key for the Keepers of the Keys so that they can keep their memories of the magic as adults. Once the key is created, Rendell and his friends remove all of Duncan's memories of the magic.

Decades later, Dodge, in the form of Gabe, tries unsuccessfully to craft his own key using Whispering Iron leftover in the Drowning Caves. However, because Dodge is not a Locke, it did not fulfill its objective, instead causing people to melt and die until only bones were left. An attempt to learn how to do it properly from Chamberlin's ghost also failed because Chamberlin was able to tell that Gabe was a demon.

Gabe later learns that Duncan can make keys when Tyler, Kinsey and Bode are searching for the Memory Key so that Duncan's memories of the magic can be properly restored. Gabe later kidnaps Duncan and Bode and forces Duncan to successfully craft the Demon Key for him. Duncan explains that the magic couldn't work for Gabe as it requires Locke blood. An unexpected side effect of Duncan's creation of the key is his ability to control the demons that Dodge uses the key to place in host bodies.

After his girlfriend Jackie Veda is possessed by a demon, Tyler seeks to create a new key in order to save her. Tyler finds some Whispering Iron hidden in Rendell's old fishing lure, but as only Tyler can hear it, Duncan tells Tyler that he must make the new key himself. Duncan successfully guides Tyler through creating the Alpha Key which is able to kill demons and free their host's from possession but with the unexpected side effect of it being fatal to the hosts.

Known Key Creators

• Benjamin Locke
• Harland Locke
• Hans Riffel
• Tyler Locke

Netflix Adaptation

• Benjamin Locke
• Duncan Locke
• Dodge (failed)
• Tyler Locke