Welcome to the continuation of The Gathering Storm Open Spoiler Thread! Be sure to read Leigh’s review (and the first 3000+ comments!) over here. That thread is now closed, so please use this area for discussion of the book. And it should go without saying, but this thread contains giant, massive, book-destroying spoilers!
Without further ado...
sub@3417Am more thinking that there were some toys with serious juju used and lost in the Breaking. Maybe even a balefire angreal.Well we know about the ter'angreal that produces balefire (fluted black rod). Jeaine Caide tried to balefire Nynaeve with it.
BTW, Jeaine had experimented with the thing while on a ship bound for Tanchico and burned holes in both sides of the boat, nearly sinking it. I really wish RJ had put that scene "on screen" instead of just referencing it, because it could have been really funny.
I just like to comment! Commenting's my favorite.
Q: "It's been said that you mentioned that Mazrim Taim is not Demandred. There seems to be some confusion on whether or not you said that."
A: "Mazrim Taim is not Demandred."
[Matthew Julius, post-COT signing, Dayton, OH, January 16, 2003]
Zomaran are a type of Shadowspawn created by Aginor. They have the appearance of identical, beautiful young men and women except that their eyes are dead and soulless. They function as servants. They have limited ability to read minds and only short term memory.
Q: "It's been said that you mentioned that Mazrim Taim is not Demandred. There seems to be some confusion on whether or not you said that."
A: "Mazrim Taim is not Demandred."
[Matthew Julius, post-COT signing, Dayton, OH, January 16, 2003]
"Yes. Demandred has never posed as Mazrim Taim. All right, those of who fell over from the shock of a simple, straightforward answer can get up off the floor now. Sometimes, simple and straightforward can be the most devious of all, as any student of Aes Sedai will tell you. "
Oh, and one other thing on a related note.
If Demandred is using King Roedram (sp?) of Murandy as his alter ego, what does that tell us about Talmanes? Maybe nothing. Maybe a lot.
JWB: Was Callandor constructed during the War of Power?
RJ: Yes.
JWB: Was it used in the War of Power?
RJ: Yes, that is how the flaw was discovered.
JWB: Why didn't they ward/buffer Callandor?
RJ: The flaw with Callandor is simply a manufacturing flaw. (He went on to talk about how they were at the end of their tech age with only a few sho-wings and jo-cars left. A couple of shocklances were still around but they were not as prevalent as they had been. Anyway they had been mass producing ter'angreal, angreal, and sa'angreal, and there are bound to be flaws with the products. The flaw with Callandor is simply one such flaw.)
Q. Mr. Jordan stated that the Seanchan only know how to make one kind of ter'angreal. Then there are the Bloodknives' rings. Is this a departure from Jordan's notes, or a discrepancy in a past answer?
A. Neither. The Seanchan only know how to make a'dam.
Q. Mr. Jordan stated that the Seanchan only know how to make one kind of ter'angreal. Then there are the Bloodknives' rings. Is this a departure from Jordan's notes, or a discrepancy in a past answer?
A. Neither. The Seanchan only know how to make a'dam.
Selene's look sharpened. Friendliness sloughed off her voice like an old snake skin. “Suppose? I did not come to you like this, talk in this way, for suppose, Matrim Cauthon.” She stretched out a slim hand.
Her hand was empty, and she stood halfway across the room, but he leaned back, away from her hand, as if she were right on top of him with a dagger. He did not know why, really, except that there was a threat in her eyes, and he was sure it was real. His skin began to tingle, and his headache returned.
Suddenly tingle and pain vanished together....”
“How are you feeling?” The Amyrlin asked briskly as she put a hand on his head. Goose bumps covered his skin. Had she done something with the One Power, or was it being touched by an Aes Sedai that made him feel a chill?
He spilled the dice onto the tabletop. They bounced oddly. He felt – something – shifting. It was as if his luck had gone wild. The room seemed to be writhing around him, tugging at the dice with threads. For some reason he wanted to look at the door, but he kept his eyes on the dice. They came to rest. Five crowns. Comar's eyes looked ready to pop out of his head.
Q: Back on Mat again. Could you comment on whether or not he may be able to channel?
RJ: Nope. Not a chance. Can't do it. He can get anyone in the world to dance with him just about but he can't channel worth a darn note.
Q: He's still young enough for it not to show up, right?
RJ: No he's not going to be... He can't channel. But if you approach him the right way he will come to your birthday party on a Harley.
Beautiful though Moonlight was, she'd have traded the beautiful mare in an instant for a biddable, dependable Tow Rivers horse like Bela.
Q: Is Sammael dead?
RJ: Jordan responded that Sammael was dead as of the end of A Crown of Swords. Jordan felt that the character was a "louse" and didn't deserve a dramatic death ala Rahvin or Be'lal. He deserved a very vague death and was killed by something that he didn't pay attention to.
RJ: Sammael is dead. He is dead. He is dead. He may be reborn again, but then he will not remember he was Sammael. He cannot be reincarnated. He is dead.
Question from Arsolos: It has been reported that you have confirmed that Sammael died at the end of A Crown of Swords. Could you confirm that you have said this and elaborate on whether Rand was correct?
Robert Jordan: Mashadar killed Sammael. Sammael is toast!
Re Black Sister(s) with Mat... Hmmm... There are three sisters with him. Verin was able to sniff out over 200 Black Sisters in her seventy years of searching. There are approx 1000 Aes Sedai total, so 1 in 5-ish serve the DO. Allowing for Verin's admission that she doubted she got them all, despite her thoroughness, and allowing for the -ish, there's maybe a better than even chance that one of the Sisters with Mat is a bad'un. Of course, if so, the one(s) in question would've had to been missed by Verin. I mean, I feel pretty sure that Egwene would have reacted if Teslyn, Joline or Edesina had been on the list; she knows that they were in Ebou Dar when Elayne and Nynaeve were there.
She would not have admitted it under torture, but the heat made her afraid. The Dark One was touching the world and their only hope was a boy who was running wild.
Blight: you can not enter it from Tel'aran'rhiod because it is apart from NORMAL UNIVERSE and can not be touched. The Blight is not part of the normal universe.
Q: What happens to objects left in Tel'aran'rhiod? Could an Aes Sedai free herself from the Three Oaths in Tel'aran'rhiod by creating an Oath Rod?
RJ: The only way for an object to enter Tel’aran’rhiod would be for it to be carried there by someone who entered physically rather than through a dream state. If left there, it would remain until it was retrieved by someone else who entered physically. And, yes, an Aes Sedai could free herself of the Three Oaths with an Oath Rod created in Tel’aran’rhiod, but remember that relatively few sisters actually have access to the World of Dreams, and for those who do want to remove the Three Oaths – sisters joining the Black Ajah – there is the Oath Rod in the White Tower to serve that purpose.
Q: Can you explain a bit about the properties of the World of Dreams? Such as when Nynaeve forced Moghedien to drink forkroot tea, which caused the Forsaken to fall asleep. But within that same book, the Wise Ones tell Egwene that drinking tea will in Tel'aran'rhiod will cause no effects upon the body.
RJ: It's a strong matter of belief. If you believe something like that will happen to you, then it can and does.
And, yes, an Aes Sedai could free herself of the Three Oaths with an Oath Rod created in Tel’aran’rhiod, but remember that relatively few sisters actually have access to the World of Dreams, and for those who do want to remove the Three Oaths – sisters joining the Black Ajah – there is the Oath Rod in the White Tower to serve that purpose.
Did anyone notice that Mats' luck dropped when Rand was kidnapped
Egwene stared, wide-eyed. They could channel. At least, two of them could. Suddenly Amys's youthfully smooth features beneath that white hair leaped out at her for what they were, something very close to Aes Sedai agelessness. Moiraine was absolutely still. Egwene could almost hear her thoughts buzzing, though. This was plainly as much of a surprise to the Aes Sedai as to herself
It's reasonable to imagine that Moridin helped prepare Semirhage for the ambush of Rand and his Asha'man.I think it's much more likely that Demandred would have helped Semirhage. Firstly, we know they were working together. Secondly, Moridin was already aware of the link between himself and Rand. I suspect he would have taken a dim view of the idea of putting a Domination Band on Rand.
I can't wait until we get a POV of Avi in Rhuidean. Whether or not she sees something cool in the glass spires, I hope she takes an extra hour or two to peruse the enormous cache of *greal that is kicking around.I thought Moiraine oversaw the taking of the *greal from Rhuidean (using Kadere's wagons). I think that whole stash is still in Cairhien under guard.
"Oh, and a quick note. TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT is going very well. I had a good week of writing on it, and I'm more and more certain it will be in on time. If that's the case, we'll see it October next year."
“No,” Bair snapped at the same instant Amys said, “We will not teach her such a thing. It was used for evil, it is evil, and whoever does it loses part of themselves." (emphasis mine)
Q: Did Rand directly have the Dark One’s permission to channel the True Power?
A: It’s very difficult (but not impossible) to channel the True Power without the Dark One’s direct permission.
Q. Is Rand's access to the True Power via his link with Moridin, created at Shadar Logoth?So Rand drew it somehow without the DO's permission. What do you suggest as an alternative to drawing it via Moridin?
A. No one may channel the True Power without the Dark One's permission, and Rand doesn't have that.
Q: It’s pretty clear now that Moridin and Rand are linked because of the balefire incident. Since Rand used saidin to create the balefire, and now he gets sick when channeling saidin, does that mean Moridin gets sick when he tries to use the True Power?
A: You’re assuming that Rand’s channeling sickness comes from crossing the streams.
Q: Why saidin, why not saidar, was tainted?
RJ: Because there were only men in the party that made up the party that made up the Strike at Shayol Ghul, that were setting the seals. In the act of setting the seals, there was a backblast that affected the people doing this. As I pointed out in something…I wrote a piece called The Strike at Shayol Ghul…there was a great division at the time – I don’t know if all of you have read it…or have none of you read it?
Q: Yes, yes.
RJ: Okay, then you know about the political struggles that were going on, and the different plans to try and end the War of the Shadow, and seal up the….and why various groups thought that one plan or the other was the best way to go. And in the end, what resulted was the so-called “Fatal Covenant” [It was actually the “Fateful Concord” – Terez], which had the female Aes Sedai swearing not to go along with Lews Therin’s plan, that they would not support it. The result of this was that Lews Therin carried out his plan with only male Aes Sedai, so there were only male Aes Sedai channeling there, which was a lucky thing, because if there’d been women as well, then both saidin and saidar would have been tainted. And his plan worked, except for that one side effect of the backblast which tainted saidin and caused him and the men there with him to go mad there and then, and other male Aes Sedai to go mad slowly as they touched the Source and began to absorb bits of the taint. But that’s why saidar was not tainted, because there were only men there channeling during this act of sealing up the Dark One’s prison.
It’s very difficult (but not impossible) to channel the True Power without the Dark One’s direct permission.I never found that in the least contradictory to his response to Freelancer:
No one may channel the True Power without the Dark One's permission, and Rand doesn't have that.It's all AS-answer-jargon (a.k.a. author-who-doesn't-want-to-make-it-too-obvious-jargon) to say that the DO has not given Rand permission, but there's (at least) one very sneaky way around that limitation, which is whatever Rand did. Whether you believe it was via Moridin or not, he clearly used it; for this purpose, the means is irrelevant. The implication is that while not just anyone can channel the TP, Rand found some way of accessing it that gets around the lack of DO permission. And unless someone has a different quotation, I don't see any way to wiggle around the unequivocal (just for you, tenkuu ;) statement that Rand doesn't have the DO's permission. If anyone had a chance to ask, it would be interesting to hear the BWS response to
Is the DO aware that Rand used the True Power?
Associated with the Arthurian legend of the Fisher King are four objects, the Hallows (there were other Hallows, but these four were most directly involved in the Arthurian legends), that were essential to heal the Maimed King. These were sacred objects, capable of great power. They were:Note that this last statement is speculation by somebody-or-other (possibly John Johnson?), but if true, it puts an interesting twist-to-come on the final Dragonmount scene. IIRC, none of those items are with him. Assuming they are correct about the identity of the items and that they are critical to Rand's healing...
The Sword: This sword was said to have great power. Whoever wielded it could call down lightning and fire from heaven. This is linked to the Sword that Arthur pulled from the stone, and in modern times is represented as the Sword of State. Rand pulled Callandor from the Stone, and used it to call lightning and fire on the Trollocs.
The Cauldron: This provided food and life to those who were able to possess it. It is described as a wide, but shallow dish. I think that the Randland equivalent is the Bowl of Winds, which is described in nearly the same terms. The modern equivalent is the Ampula of Holy Oil.
The Spear: The Spear was unbeatable in battle, and was directly linked to the healing of the Maimed King. Some legends say that this spear was the very one that pierced the side of Jesus Christ. The Randland equivalent could be the Seanchan scepter, or it could be Mat's spear.
The Crown: This was the symbol of the king's power. The Crown of Swords is its equivalent in Randland. When the throne room in Illian was destroyed, the Crown of Swords was sitting on the throne. The throne was completely destroyed, but the crown was intact, which indicates that it has an important role to play.
All of these were directly linked to the Maimed King's sovereignity, and to the idea of power. When Rand goes into beggar-mode, he will lose his power, and these will be necessary to restore him.
Jordan did indeed say this in his quote, but all authors' stories change as they progress, details are altered. It could also easily have been his own assumption that this would happen. I am not saying he is wrong, but I am not completely convinced, that's all.When an individual creates a world for the purpose of telling a story, developing the cultures and history to provide a setting for that story, it is hardly logical for others to claim that he is making unfounded assumptions about the cosmology thereof. If the author can't be trusted as a source of accurate information about the way his world works, or its history, who can? Considering that the statement in question was made in April 2003 (see comment #245), shortly after Crossroads of Twilight came out, the interaction of the True Power and the True Source was fairly well established in his mind, his notes and his books.
blindillusion @ 257
There's no certainty that a backlash would have occurred if men and women had cooperated. Especially if we're to believe that Rand and the Asha'man are supposed to be helped by women in this Age. Otherwise, wouldn't they just be going into it expecting to fail? Rand might have had a dark perspective, but he wasn't expecting to fail: he was merely expecting to succeed but lose his life in the process.
Is Rand's access to the True Power via Moridin?Note very clearly that I did not ask about permission, did not mention the dark one in my question. His answer then becomes very telling:
No one may channel the True Power without the dark one's permission, and Rand does not have that.
Did Moridin experience any effects himself when Semirhage put the Dominion Band on Rand?I expect we'd get a RAFO, though. And you're right: it's quite possible to hide things (especially thoughts and motivations) from the DO - contrary to popular belief, he is NOT omniscient.
Matt:There was some confusion about Rand and the Dark One’s permission, so for clarification’s sake, did Rand have the Dark One’s permission to use the True Power?
Brandon: I have not answered that. If anyone says that I have, I have not. What I have said specifically is, this is recording [meaning that Matt has audio of this conversation - Terez]: generally one must have the Dark One’s permission to use the True Power. Semirhage believed that the Dark One had betrayed her by letting Rand use it. It is good that you have asked this so I can make sure on the record that is the answer I have given.
I didn't hear the question but someone asked something about Rand's and Moridin's souls being intertwined. Sanderson said that many souls' threads are frequently woven together in the Pattern such as Birgitte and Gaidal. He said that Rand and Moridin are also frequently woven together in the Pattern.
Q: Did Rand directly have the Dark One’s permission to channel the True Power?
A: It’s very difficult (but not impossible) to channel the True Power without the Dark One’s direct permission.
This lead to lots of discussion about the whole Semirhage death scene. Basically, she felt betrayed by the Dark One, and Brandon says she’s a very astute person. Brandon also said that Moridin and the Dark One are on the same page with most things and that Moridin is the most trustworthy Forsaken for the Dark One.
My interpretation is that Rand channeled the True Power through the link with Moridin, but this was not discussed. Also it was strongly implied that idea that Dark One served Semirhage up on a platter for Rand to balefire is true.
Q. Is Rand's access to the True Power via his link with Moridin, created at Shadar Logoth?
A. No one may channel the True Power without the Dark One's permission. Rand doesn't have that. [This last bit - 'Rand doesn't have that' - was contradicted by another report, given immediately below, and it is clarified above by Brandon. - Terez]
Oy,
I was at that signing, I was literally right next to Brandon as he answered this question, and that is far from his exact wording.
The response was more accurately something like: So far as we know, no one may channel the True Power without the Dark One's permission. Semirhage certainly seemed to think she was betrayed.
There was never a comment about Rand not having permission.
[re: Joline] "She's not a woman, Talmanes," Mat whispered warningly. "She's an Aes Sedai. Don't think of her as a woman."
"I'm trying, Mat," Talmanes said. "But it's hard." He hesitated, then added, "Burn me."
"Be careful or she will," Mat said, tugging his hat down slightly in the front. "In fact, she nearly did that just a moment ago."
Rand's heart pounded as he ran, and he stared in dismay at the barren hills surrounding him. This was not just a place where spring was late in coming; spring had never come here, and never would come. Nothing grew in the cold soil that crunched under his boots, not so much as a bit of lichen. He scrambled past boulders, twice as tall as he was; dust coated the stone as if never a drop of rain had touched it. The sun was a swollen, blood-red ball, more fiery than on the hottest day of summer and bright enough to sear his eyes, but it stood stark against a leaden cauldron of a sky where clouds of sharp black and silver roiled and boiled on every horizon. For all the swirling clouds, though, no breath of breeze stirred across the land, and despite the sullen sun the air burned cold like the depths of winter."(Emphasis mine.) Recognize that scene...? Somehow the description hit me as a cross between a "portal stone world" (one of the worst ones) and the prologue of TGS - like it might be a world that would result from losing TG without the DO having quite escaped or the Pattern unraveling; one where the Bore is almost open and the DO will soon be free... ::shivers::
Ghostly strings entwined around his heart, pulling him, calling him to the spire mountain. Tears ran down his face, and he sagged to the ground. He felt his will draining away like water out of a holed bucket. Just a little longer, and he would go where he was called. He would obey, do as he was told. Abruptly he discovered another emotion: anger. Push him, pull him, he was not a sheep to be prodded into a pen. The anger squeezed itself into one hard knot, and he clung to it as he would have clung to a raft in a flood.Foreshadowing much? Anger, a hard knot, his stubbornness the only thing that keeps him from succumbing to the pressure from the DO (FS? BA?) and gives him some hope of retaining who he is at the core. You know, the girls are right when they talk about how incredibly stubborn he can be. Of course, they're also wrong when they see it only in its negative aspect; I'm betting that same stubbornness will come back to be his strongest defense during TG, and what will enable him to do whatever it is he needs to do.
Also, men can do Fire and Earth better, but women can tap Air and Spirit better than any man could.
Incidentally, no problem with heat. Have a fire pit.And we have to keep it fairly cool. No one wants the drinks to get warm. Bring a scarf, and a hollow leg.
I split a sheet
a sheet I split
upon a splitted
sheet I sit.
Q: Have the visions and other such prophecies about Egwene and the Seanchan (such as the running one and the one with the sword) have they been fulfilled yet?I assume by "the attack on the White Tower" he means this dream:
A: No, none of those have been fulfilled other than the attack on the White Tower. She still has more to go.
[Egwene climbs up on top of a spire.] A small white plinth stood centered in that circle, supporting an oil-lamp made of clear glass. The flame on that lamp burned bright and steady, without flickering. It was white too. Suddenly a pair of birds flashed out of the mist, two ravens black as night. Streaking across the spire-top, they struck the lamp and flew on without so much as a pause. The lamp spun and wobbled, dancing around atop the plinth, flinging off droplets of oil. Some of those drops caught fire in midair and vanished. Others fell around the short column, each supporting a tiny, flickering white flame. And the lamp continued to wobble on the edge of falling.which Egwene knows means the Seanchan will attack the White Tower, an attack that will "shake the Aes Sedai to their core and threaten the Tower itself". (CofT, Chapter 30)
She had dreamed of Seanchan, too, of women in dresses with lightning bolts woven on their breasts, collaring a long line of women who wore Great Serpent rings, forcing them to call lightning against the White Tower.which looks to me like something yet to come, probably in TofM. Tower, tower, who's got a tower....
A hand grabbed his right wrist. "You are a fool," a man's deep voice said. "Count yourself lucky I don't care to see you die today." The hand began drawing him up. "Are you going to help?" the voice demanded. "I don't intend to carry you on my shoulders, or kill Sammael for you."
{snip}
Rand had never seen him before. At least he was not one of the Forsaken; those faces he knew. He thought he did, anyway. "Who are you?" he demanded.
Still heaving, the man barked a laugh. "Just say I'm a wanderer passing though. Do you really want to talk now?"
{snip}
Twisting to look over his shoulder, he saw Mashadar...Without a thought, his free hand rose, and balefire shot upward...Dimly he was aware of another bar of pale solid fire rising from the other man's hand that was not clasping his, a bar slashing the opposite way from his. The two touched.
Head ringing like a struck gong. Rand convulsed, saidin and the Void shattering. Everything was doubled in his eyes, the balconies, the chunks of stone lying about the floor. There seemed to be a pair of the other man overlapping one another, each clutching his head between two hands.
{snip}
Unsteadily, he got to his feet and offered a hand. "I think we best move quickly. What happened there?" The other man pushed himself up with a grimace at Rand's proffered hand..."I don't know what happened," he snarled. "Run, if you want to live."
{snip}
"You probably should leave here now, but if you intend to say and kill Sammael, you had better try thinking like him. You have shown you can."
{snip}
Suddenly he realized that he had not felt saidin when the man made balefire, either. Just thinking of that, of the two streams touching, made his vision double again.
An intriguing woman. Much too old to become a novice, unfortunately; oh, yes, very unfortunate. She drinks in whatever she's taught. I believe she may know almost every way there is to destroy something with the Power, but she knows almost nothing else." - Verin, Winter's Heart
But rand and mat are just plain awesome!!Now, don't go forgettin' Loial. :)
...No, Heroes of the Horn are not always ta'veren at all in their lifetimes when spun out. Sometimes, they even live normal lives and don't do anything extraordinary, like they sometimes spend their lives as farmers, etc.
-BWS, 2009
The Wheel is more than a simple mechanism. Remember the Wheel can spit out ta'veren, can spit out Heroes as a self correcting device because the Pattern is drifting from what it is supposed to be. We are not talking about something as simple as a spinning wheel at all, we are talking something more along the lines of the most complex computer you could possibly imagine.
-RJ, 2005
Heroes that are bound to the Wheel, they're not always heroes in the way of someone who rides in galloping with a sword, or carries out daring rescues. The people, the Heroes who are bound to the Wheel, are the corrective mechanisms. Human behavior is throwing the Pattern out. It's throwing the balance off. And the Wheel spins out the proper correctives. Put everything back in the balance. So not even the Forsaken are apart from that, they're not outside. The only things that are outside are the Creator and the Dark One. Neither affected by the Pattern.-RJ, 2001
Q: Are Mat and Perrin Heroes of the Horn reborn?
RJ: RAFO
-2001
Q: Aside from the Heroes of the Horn waiting around in the World of Dreams, is there any kind of afterlife in Wheel of Time? Do the Heroes get a choice when they are linked to the Horn; can they retire, or take 'ordinary life' sabbaticals?
RJ: In answer to the first question, yes, there is an ordinary afterlife. In answer to the second, no. You cannot decide not to be a Hero linked to the Wheel.
-2000
Q: Will more Heroes be bound to the Horn?
RJ: RAFO.
-1998
Q: "Is [the Dragon] soul born in any other Age, or only at the advent and (theoretically, of course) the closing of the Third Age, as the Dragon/the Dragon Reborn?"
RJ: This soul is one of the Heroes, and bound to the Wheel, spun out as the Pattern wills. "It" is born in other Ages, but in a non-Dragon incarnation, to suit the pattern of that Age. In the course of this answer, he related this to why Hawkwing calls Rand "Lews Therin" at Falme--because Hawkwing recognizes this soul. This didn't really tell me why he specifically calls him "Lews Therin", but apparently they've been hangin' together in Tel'aran'rhiod and the etiquette there is to call each other by the name of your last incarnation. ([Pam Basham's] interpretation.)
-1998
"To stand against the Shadow so long as iron is hard and stone abides. To defend the Malkieri while one drop of blood remains. To avenge what cannot be defended"
Faile is the hawk, Berelain is the falcon.Maybe the other way around. ;^)
. He screamed, in both rapture and rage, and wove enormous spears of Fire and Air. He slammed the weaves against the collar at his neck, and the room exploded with flames and bits of molten metal, each one distinct to Rand. He could feel each shard of metal blast away from his neck, warping the air with its heat, trailing smoke as it hit a wall or the floor. He opened his eyes and released Min. She gasped and sobbed.
Rand raised a hand and, filled with the power he did not understand, wove a single weave. A bar of pure white light, a cleansing fire, burst from his hand and struck Semirhage in the chest.
Berelain is Perrin's hawk (seen in Min's vision). I really don't know how anybody could have failed to make this connection, and Jordan was similarly incredulous when someone asked him. "What is the symbol of the Mayene?" he intoned heavily. "And who wears that symbol on crown, above her brow? Who is descended from Artur Hawkwing? And who is chasing Perrin like a bird of prey?" Those words aren't Jordan's verbatim, but they're close.
(Bill Garrett, April 1996)
Lowlander: How come that Foretelling is only for those who can channel?
RJ: How come breathing under water is only for fish? Some things follow natural laws and in this universe Foretelling is only for people who can channel. (April 2001)
Straps at waist and shoulder held her tightly to the block, and the headsman's axe descended, but she knew that somewhere someone was running, and if they ran fast enough, the axe would stop.So... it sure will be interesting to see where she goes from here! It does sound like she's going to take another header before she's done.
Amaresu, with the Sword of the Sun glowing in her hands...
Rand gets a new sword in chapter one. It has been confirmed by Kathana Travaeler that this is Justice through direct email correspondence with Brandon and Maria.and
[Email correspondence with Brandon 21 November 2009 - Kathana Trevalaer reporting, via Luckers at Dragonmount]
Q: What’s up with Rand’s sword? Was it Lews Therin’s?All quotes from the theoryland database on Rand etc.
A: There are some really good theories out there on the message boards and I don’t have anything to add on this.
I followed up on where it was found, basically ‘In water, under a statue, not near Falme’. [As it was confirmed to be Justice, I'd say this sounds a great deal like the Hawkwing stedding where Perrin and Co. met the Whitecloaks in The Eye of the World. The statue was right on the edge of the only water source for miles around. - Terez]
[The Gathering Storm Book Tour, Scottsdale Public Library, Phoenix Arizona 16 November 2009 - kcf reporting]
When I first went to visit Harriet, I recall walking in the door and—even before eating—asking if I could have two things. The ending Jim wrote (he finished the last part of the book himself) and the answer to who killed Asmodean.I can't help wondering, of course, but I find myself reluctant to speculate much about it. I know it's already written, and that it's the "right" ending for the series. At the moment, anyway, I find myself completely willing to RAFO.
I wish it were possible for me to express just how much I enjoyed reading those final written words that Mr. Jordan left behind. I was satisfied. I think that's the perfect word for it. Satisfied. It ends the way it should. Not, perhaps, the way I would have guessed—or even the way you have guessed. But it's the RIGHT ending. I was very pleased.
And it made me sleep a lot more easily once I got to see that the ending was there, and that I wouldn't have to do that part myself....
At the end of the series I see Hopper and Bela playing card and Hopper teaching Bella how to dice. The rest is duck soup.LOL.
Q: Do certain races have better ability at channeling than others? For example, the Sea Folk at very good at weather, the Aiel have a high proportion of Dreamers, and the Seanchan can make ter'angreal.
RJ: The Seanchan can only make one kind of ter'angreal. They haven't thought about making another.…
If I read Freelancer's assessment correctly regarding the ring ter'angreal it would appear the Seachan found a cache of the things.
One with the spark of channeling skill inborn would be entirely unable to prevent the natural course of events, and would die without proper training.Not quite; 25% of sparkers survive, usually with a block---e.g., Nynaeve. Tuon could conceivably be in that category, if she was last tested to be a damane before her spark manifested.
The pure black stone ring each one wore was a specialized ter'angreal that would grant them strength and speed, and would shroud them in darkness, allowing them to blend into shadows.That's pretty much all we know about the rings, but it's enough to show that
The incredible abilities came at a cost, however, for the rings leeched life from their hosts, killing them in a matter of days. Removing the ring would slow that process slightly, but once activated - done by touching a drop of one's own blood to the stone ring while wearing it - the process was irreversible.
Am partial to the 935 myself. If on the other hand, you mean the source of the [Aiel] culture in my mind, they contain some elements of the Apache, some of the Zulu, some of the Bedouin, and some elements of my own including that I rather liked the fact of making the desert dwellers blue-eyed and fair instead of the usual dark-eyed, dark-complected desert people.Looks like the answer to the red-haired Aiel is "because I wanted to." :) I don't have any problem with which technology survived the Breaking - it's part of the way the "world" is set up; ditto with "new" talents, although that's pretty much explained by the Pattern pulling in what it needs to maintain balance.
Q: Since sul'dam have abilities normally associated with channelers only, do they also slow?
RJ: No, not unless they actually begin to channel. Slowing is a function of actually channeling. If you have the ability to learn, and you never learn to channel, you are not going to slow. You will age at a normal fashion. Sul'dam are women who can learn, and as they develop the affinity, as they have been doing this for a little while, they begin to slide toward the ability to channel, but they never step over. I believe I have someone say that one of these women felt almost as if she should be able to channel, but not quite. They are getting closer and closer to the brink but they will never step over without conscious effort.
Graendal really is too smart for that, I think, and I wouldn't put it past her to have put a Compulsion weave on the dude's mind that would dissipate.The main problem people (including me) have with this idea is that she'd either have to: (a) set the dissipation timing absolutely perfectly, or (b) somehow hold the weave and let it go at exactly the right moment. Either way, the timing would be problematic. I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but it seems tough.
As for the actual decision to nuke everyone, I'm of two minds: On the one hand, I agree with Rand that most if not all of those people were, for all intents and purposes, already dead. On the other hand, I get the impression that once someone is burned out of the pattern, they can't be reborn again.Rest easy: balefire doesn't destroy the soul. Balefired people can be reborn in the usual way; all balefire does is prevent the DO from recycling the souls.
It was just too...timely...for her [Verin] to decide she didn't have time to keep looking.I think the consensus is that we'll see more on the timing in ToM; we agree that it was an odd time to choose, and that there must be some reason behind it.
Oh, and Fortuona? Totally lame. I don't know how I'm going to read the next two books without gagging over that one.Don't know if you've come across this yet, but BWS actually specifically said that RJ had chosen this name, so blame the Creator on that one.
And I don't buy the blademaster bit at all. That's seriously straining my ability to suspend disbelief.Why is this any more unbelievable to you than any of the other "super" abilities the main characters have? (Not an attack---I'm genuinely curious.)
I was really disappointed at how Elaida got captured. I kept waiting for a scene where she raves with disbelief and terror at how the Tower is getting destroyed all around her and then all we get is her waking up to find herself chained? Yeah, the justice is poetic but man, I felt ripped off.I've always felt that the best "poetic justice" for Elaida would have been to be demoted to a regular Aes Sedai with Egwene as Amyrlin. Ah, well.
Like I said 14 ten hour movies would be just right.Nah. That would be way too long. Remember, a good third to half of the text is descriptive. A few dozen pages describing embroidery would be no more than a few seconds on screen. :P
Sideways? Lemme tell ya, for some time now we've been skating on the other side of the ice. (points for identifying that reference) Reality has taken on a permanent 14.32 degree phase shift thanks to us.
Oh, Lan. I'll find someone to help you I won't let you ride into the Shadow's jaw alone.
I came home drunk this one night, and accidentally put my car key in the front door lock. When I turned the key, it started. So I thought, "What the heck?", and took it for a spin. I got pulled over by a cop. First thing he asks is "Where do you live?" I said, "Right here". Then I parked it on the highway, stood on the porch and yelled at everyone, "Get off of my driveway!"
Of all the Wise Ones, we four alone can dreamwalk, and your Tower has not produced a dreamwalker in nearly five hundred years.
"Less," Seana said with a brisk shake of her head. "I have walked Alsera's dreams twice, and she says Bruan means to run all the way from Shiagi Hold. Less than a month."
By the way, has anyone yet pondered what the ramifications would be of Setalle Anan being Healed upon her character? Disregard if that's an old topic, I'll find it eventually.Yeah, we've discussed that (on tFoH re-read, part 9).
The very first thing Elaida had ever Foretold, while still an Accepted - and had known enough even then to keep to herself - was that the Royal line of Andor would be the key to defeating the Dark One in the Last Battle. She had attached herself to Morgase as soon as it was clear Morgase would succeed to the throne, had built her influence year by patient year. And now all her effort, all her sacrifice - she might have been Amyrlin herself had she not concentrated all her energies on Andor - might be for naught because Elayne had disappeared.
"He's ta'veren my Lady, and you can never tell what will happen around a ta'veren. It's always ... interesting ... when you travel with one of those. Mat has a tendency to find what he needs when he needs it. Sometimes before he knows he needs it."
...
"Thank you," she told him politely. "I think I've heard enough." Ridiculous. These people and their endless superstitions!
Q: Slayer made a gateway in Far Madding when he tried to kill Rand and Min. Does this mean he uses the True Power?
A: Slayer does not channel. His powers come from somewhere other than the Source. Slayer is not affected by the Guardian in much the same way that Perrin wouldn’t be.
Q: Can Slayer somehow find his victims?
A: Not in the sense that Padan Fain can track Rand, and to a lesser extent, Mat and Perrin. Slayer’s value lies in what you might call his unique ability for someone unable to channel.
“Slayer: Can’t channel. He has certain “gifts” granted to him by the Dark One, but can’t channel either the One Power or the True Power.”
Slayer just chooses who he will be when he steps into or out of Tel’aran’rhiod. The stepping in and out is part of the mechanism for his change. He couldn’t do it in the middle of a street, say, not without the stepping in or out. Which might be a little noticeable, since he would vanish from sight for a perceptible time.(Found at the link provided by shrodinger @1182; originally from RJ's blog.)
Week 14 Question: Military strategy in the War of Power must have been odd, indeed. How do the concepts of capturing and holding territory even make sense in a world where forces can Travel?
Robert Jordan Answers: Good question, though not all of the forces involved could use gateways. (Rafo! Rafo!) Think of the ability to Travel in terms of moving troops via aircraft, and you will begin to get the picture. Even with the largest possible circles, there are limits to the size of gateways and thus limits to the front along which you can move troops out through it, the numbers you can commit simultaneously. Of course, you can use multiple gateways, but each is still only so large and can admit only so many soldiers at a time.
So-called front lines were very fluid, but you couldn't fling your forces in anywhere without regard to what would be surrounding them or how you were going to resupply, reinforce or withdraw them. Although no one has shown it so far in the books, there are ways to interfere with the making of a gateway - and ways to defend against interference - so the battle would take place on many levels. Yes, any area you hold can be attacked by your enemy, and you can attack any area that he holds. (Part of the result was great destruction and a great fall-off in the ability to produce high tech items. By the time the Bore was sealed, soldiers were already much, much more likely to ride horses and carry swords than to ride armored vehicles or aircraft and carry shocklances, which had all become very rare.) But holding an area is not impossible so long as you can successfully disrupt your opponent's attempts to make gateways into it. Even if he manages to get those first soldiers in, if you can disrupt his ability to reinforce, resupply or withdraw, it becomes another Dien Bien Phu for him. Of course, if you fail, then it becomes Gettysburg or Waterloo, a bloody fight that will be decisive for somebody. At least until the next "decisive" battle is fought. Remember, that designation is always given after the fact, by historians."
Q: Can the Tower of Ghenjei be reached through any of the Portal Stones?
RJ: No.
Tamyrlin: The 'Finns reside in a Parallel World, is that correct?
Jordan: Yes.
Tamyrlin: Okay, so are Parallel Worlds and Mirror Worlds the same thing?
Jordan: No, they are different.
Tamyrlin: Okay, well then do Parallel Worlds have their own reflections?
Jordan: Possibly.
From [TEOTW: 51, Against the Shadow, 638]:
Ba'alzamon, to Rand: "'Jain Farstrider, a hero... whom I painted like a fool and sent to the Ogier thinking he was free of me.'"
This must refer to Loial's story in [TEOTW: 42, Remembrance of Dreams, 532] about the man who came to Stedding Shangtai shortly after the Aiel War, on the verge of death, but then vanished again after recovering: "'He said the Dark One intended to blind the Eye of the World, and slay the Great Serpent, kill time itself.'"
The Crystal Throne is not the High seat of the Tamyrlin.which is the position Lews Therin held at one time. Bummer.
I'm kind of confused as to what "painted as a fool" means and how we get to mind f*cking from there, but I'm sure that has been hashed over on some reread that I missed.
"You were Aes Sedai, once," he said quietly, and her hand froze.
She recovered herself so quickly he might have imagined it. [...] "The sisters would see it if they could let themselves," she said, as simply as if she were discussing the chances of rain, "but Aes Sedai expect that when ... certain things ... happen, the woman will go away decently and die soon after. I went away, but Jasfer found me half starved and sick in the streets of Ebou Dar and took me to his mother."
"The Polish people's struggle against Cossacks, Tartars and Turks in the 1670s...a rousing epic of love, war, adventure and madness. Basia, the gutsy, bright, determined heroine, who chases bandits on horseback, riding a man's saddle, almost steals the show from her Hamlet-like husband, Col. Pan Vol od yov ski. A master of robust, old-fashioned realism, Sienkiewicz mixes fictional characters, like his boisterous villain, the shrewd old knight Pan Zagloba, with historical figures like Jan Sobieski, the careworn Grand Hetman of Poland, nemesis of the Turks and savior of Christendom at Vienna. Sienkiewicz's fierce, larger-than-life characters unself-consciously stride across the stage of history. His portrayal of the Polish Commonwealth averting anarchy and pulling together holds a timeless message of hope."
Week 4 Question: How exactly does one become a Darkfriend? How does the recruiting structure for the Black Ajah work? Being Mistress of Novices, was Merean particularly active in recruiting?
Robert Jordan Answers: By and large, each cell of Darkfriends recruits people it thinks are likely candidates, though they need to do so very carefully, studying them, sounding them out slowly. Darkfriends are always on the lookout for new members, since they feel very much like an oppressed minority and want to increase their numbers. Once a move to recruit is made, though, either it succeeds or the failed candidate dies.
For someone seeking actively to become a Darkfriend, generally one begins by trying to attract the attention of those who already are Darkfriends. One fairly safe way is to let comments drop that indicate that you don't think the Light is all it's cracked up to be, that praying to the Creator seems useless etc. If this comes to the wrong ears, you might be in varying degrees of trouble depending on what country you are in and who it is that overhears, but you are unlikely to get worse than a flogging from the authorities and possibly only a stern warning to watch your talk from somebody in a tavern, perhaps accompanied by a clout on the ear. Although someone might decide to slip a knife into you in some rougher areas of some towns. It's only relatively safe. By the by, claiming not to believe in the Creator is a good way to avoid recruitment by the Darkfriends. After all, if there is no Creator, how can the Dark One be imprisoned, and if he isn't, then why hasn't he taken over and rewarded the faithful? One of the fastest ways to attract attention is to show yourself willing to kill to advance yourself or simply for gain. That doesn't mean that every strongarm who's willing to slit a throat to steal a purse is a Darkfriend. Some of those might well be horrified by the suggestion. This method has its drawbacks, of course, since if you attract the attention of the authorities first, you are very likely to end up with a noose around your neck or a trip to the headsman's block.
In the White Tower, Black sisters watch novices and Accepted closely for any indication that they might be leaning toward the Shadow or susceptible to the promises of the Shadow. They also watch other sisters, since people do change. Not every Black sister was recruited on the day she gained the shawl nor soon after. Merean had a fine position for watching novices and Accepted, but many sisters teach. Some do little else, but others take turns at it for various periods, so Merean was not necessarily the primary recruiter during her time as Mistress of Novices, not even among those in her charge.
Yes, Lews Therin said. We need to stay away from all of them. They refused to help us, you know. Refused! Said my plan was too reckless. That left me with only the Hundred Companions, no women to form a circle. Traitors!...
"Interesting," Cadsuane said, her voice cold. "And did you speake the words I prepared for you?"
"I began to," Tam said, "but I realized that it wasn't working. He wouldn't open up to me, and well he shouldn't. A man using and Aes Sedai script with his own son! I don't know what you did to him woman, but I recognize hatred when I see it. You have a lot to explain to-"
Tam cut off as he was suddenly lifted into the air by unseen hands."You recall, perhaps, what I said about civility, boy?" Cadsuane asked.
"Cadsuane!" Nynaeve said. " You don't need to-"
"It's all right, Wisdom," Tam said. He looked at Cadsuane. Min had seen her treat others like this, including Rand. He had always grown frustrated, and others she did it to were prone to bellowing.
Tam stared her in the eyes. " I've known men who, when challenged, always turned to their fists for answers. I've never liked Aes Sedai; I was happy to be rid of them when I returned to my farm. A bully is a bully, whether she uses the strength of her arm or other means."
Cadsuane snorted, but the words had irked her, for she set Tam down.
"Now," Nynaeve said, as if she'd been the one to defuse the exchange," perhaps we can get back to what is important. Tam al'Thor, I'd have expected you of all people to handle this better. Didn't we warn you that Rand has grown ustable?"
"Unstable?" Tam asked. "Nynaeve, that boy is right near insane. What has happened to him? I understand what battle can do to a man, but...."
This is irrelevant," Cadsuane said. "You realize, child, that might have been our last opportunity to save your son?"
"If you'd explained to me how he regarded you,"Tam said,"if might have gone differently. Burn me! This is what I get for listening to Aes Sedai."
"This is what you get for being wool-headed and ignoring what you are told!" Nynaeve interjected.
"This is what we all get,"Min said, "for assuming we can make him do what we want."
The first a'dam was made by an Aes Sedai, Deain, who brought it to Luthair Paendrag in an attempt to curry favor with him. She knew he had no Aes Sedai in his armies, and for the most part the Aes Sedai hated him. Deain believed that Luthair would eventually win and felt that she would be richly rewarded for bringing him a gift that could hand him the Power of the Aes Sedai, willing or not. Several years after that, the first sul'dam were found - women who could learn to channel and had the spark, but could not actually channel without training. These women were considered ideal controllers of the damane, the Leashed Ones. For her trouble Deain was rewarded with imprisonment by her own device. She was, after all, Aes Sedai and thus not to be trusted.To be fair, the Aes Sedai in Seanchan were not the same as were in Randland. They used the power openly in battle, and basically fought continuously.
"When Luthair Paendrag Mondwin, son of the Hawkwing, first faced the Armies of the Night, he found many among them who called themselves Aes Sedai. They contended for power among themselves and used the One Power on the field of battle. One such, a woman named Deain, who thought she could do better serving the Emperor - he was not Emperor then, of course - since he had no Aes Sedai in his armies, came to him with a device she had made, the first a'dam, fastened to the neck of one of her sisters. Though that woman did not want to serve Luthair, the a'dam required her to serve. Deain made more a'dam, the first sul'dam were found, and women captured who called themselves Aes Sedai discovered that they were in fact only marath'damane, Those Who Must Be Leashed. It is said that when she herself was leashed, Deain's screams shook the Towers of Midnight, but of course she, too, was a marath'damane, and marath'damane cannot be allowed to run free. Perhaps you will be one of those who has the ability to make a'dam. If so, you will be pampered, you may rest assured."Later, in Falme, as Egwene tries to channel the OP to remove the collar:
It was only a tiny trickle of the Power, the merest drip that she could imagine, but it still beaded sweat on her face and made her stomach clench. That was one of the properties of the a'dam; if a damane tried to channel without a sul'dam wearing her bracelet, she felt sick, and the more of the Power she channeled, the sicker she became.I didn't find much about trying to remove it with her hands, other than "Egwene tugged at the collar; pulling did no more good than channeling had."
Where does the no channeling in Finnland come from? Fire, iron and instruments are forbidden, but the Finn never mention channeling.As toryx @1531 says, Moiraine comments on him being lucky not to be burned out. The best explanation I've seen (IIRC, from the WoTFAQ) is that from the description of channeling, it's pretty clear that the weaves are heavily geometric---i.e., needing to be done in a specific shape. From the description of Finnland, it's pretty clear that the geometry there is messed up. At the time Rand went there, he was still channeling by instinct, so he adjusted his weaves to acocunt for the alternate geometry, whereas a trained channeler would try to force the weaves to go as they usually do.
Shaun White was absolutely awesome. Too excited to close my eyes.
Looking for a new warder???;)
And I thought Insectoid would buzz in at the last second.Naw... I was having an early dinner. Besides, I would probably goof up like I did with my numbers-fu yesterday.
That was why I was surprised that everybody quit at insectoid's post.I stopped everyone?? Gee.
some site from a guy named Jason at BrandonkickedmybuttatMagic.com
obsequious
I think Mo will take a page out of Ny's book and just straight up deck the OB. Whack her with an umbrella or a stick. Whichever comes to hand first.Moiraine's new staff! ;)
