XXXXXXXXXXXX 0.1: The Wheel of Time FAQ: Introduction, Copyright Information, and Contents _________________________________________________________________ "I of course have zero evidence for this, but since when has that stopped any of us?" -- David Wren-Hardin "Just the FAQs, ma'am." -- Sgt. Joe Al'Friday _________________________________________________________________ This version of the WOTFAQ was initially published in May, 1999. Copyright Information The Wheel of Time FAQ (WOTFAQ) contains writing by many authors. The individual authors hold copyright to their respective contributions, as cited in the text. The Wheel of Time books, and all quotations therefrom, are Copyright 1990-1998 by Robert Jordan. The Wheel of Time chapter icons are by Matthew C. Nielsen, and are Copyright 1990-1998 by Tor Books. Unattributed material in the WOTFAQ is Copyright 1999 by Pamela Korda and Erica Sadun. This version of the WOTFAQ is Copyright 1999 by Pamela Korda and Erica Sadun. What does all that mean? You may not distribute the WOTFAQ in any form, in whole or in part, without written permission from Pamela Korda. You certainly may not claim any part of the WOTFAQ as your own work, unless, of course, you wrote that part. You may print out a copy of the WOTFAQ for your own personal use. You may keep a copy of the WOTFAQ on your own computer for your personal use, provided that you don't distribute it. For example, you may not make the WOTFAQ available on your web page without permission. You may quote short portions of it as reference material, provided that you provide proper citation and credit. For more information about Copyright law, see: * Copyright on the Internet * The Copyright FAQ * Ten Big Myths about Copyright Explained Introduction to the WOTFAQ-- a Word from the FAQueen This is the Wheel of Time Wondrous Masterpiece of Assembled Knowledge, Theories, and Discussion (a.k.a. Frequently-Asked Questions compendium). 'Tis edited and maintained by me, Pamela Korda, based upon discussion of The Wheel of Time series on the Usenet group rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan, as well as some personal correspondence, and a few other sources on the Web. This version of the WOTFAQ contains lots of SPOILERS for all books of The Wheel of Time, up to and including book 8, The Path of Daggers, The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, and Robert Jordan's story, "New Spring," in the anthology Legends. If you haven't read, don't read. There are versions of the WOTFAQ from before TPOD (i.e. no spoilers, but some out-dated theories), which you can find links to in the Wheel of Time Index (See Section 0.08). This version of the WOTFAQ (v5.0) has been updated to include information and theories from The Path of Daggers, the Guide, and "New Spring." I have also done some major re-organization, so hopefully it will be easier to find what you're looking for. To that end, we've created a new keyword index. (Thanks Matthew Hunter!) Survey results have been deleted, since the most recent GN (Ghirardelli-Novak) survey predates TPOD. If the GN survey team does a TPOD survey sufficiently far in advance of the next book, I will add in the results to the relevant sections of the WOTFAQ. Standard Reference Format: [Book Abbreviation: Chapter Number, Chapter Name, Tor HC page number] Credits ============================================================================= |\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\/| |//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\| |/\\ A EEEEE SSSS SSSS NNNNN IIII F FFFFF /\\| |\\/ A A E S S N I I F F F //\| |\// AAAAA EEE SSS === SSS NNN I I FFFFF F \//| |/\\ A A E S S N I I F F F \\/| |\\/ A A EEEEE SSSS SSSS NNNNN IIII F F FFFFF /\\| |/\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\| |\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//| ============================================================================= Keeper of the Chronicles (FAQ Maintainer): Pam Korda (kor2 @ midway.uchicago.edu) Master of the Blades (HTML Implementation Maestro): Matthew Hunter (mhunter @ andrew.cmu.edu) Advertisement-free Web space courtesy of: Rick Moen (original site), Alistair Young (UK mirror). Beta-testers/Proofreaders: Tons of thanks to Kate Nepveu, John Novak, and Steven Cooper for doing a great job of checking this thing over. Thanks also to Trent Goulding and John Hamby for doing a bit of proofreading. FAQing awesome people: Kevin Bartlett, Richard Boye', Steven Cooper, John S. Hamby, Karl-Johan Noren, John S. Novak III (These are people who either wrote new sections for me, or whose web pages I plundered mercilessly for good analyses of Asmodean's murder.). Also Erica Sadun for recommending the new organization of sections 1 and 2. Mother of the FAQ (Originator of the WOTFAQ): Erica Sadun. All Contributors Great and Small Dylan Flynn "Easing the Badger" Alexander * Chris Anderson * Michael Arnett * Hugh Arai * Sandy Armstrong * Keith Aschinger * R. Nathanial Azinger * Will Baird * Maia Bakroeva * Glen Justin Balmer * Charles J. Barbec * Chris Barrera * Kevin Bartlett * Tony Bartling * Daniel Bartlett * Brian Bax * Lara Beaton * Aaron Bergman * Alice Bergmann * John Walter Biles * Richard Boye' * Chris Bradley * Maggie Brazeau * Bill E. Brooks * Jean-Luc Brouillet * Timothy S. "Timmy" Bruening * J. P. Bryan * Charles Buckley * Jason Burrone * Stewart S. Bushman * Arthur Bernard Byrne * Paul W. Cashman * Keith Casner * Christopher Lee Cavender * Kenneth Cavness * Randy Cerveny * Dennis Hohn-Chong Cho * Alistair Chiu * Damien Cole * Mary Conner * Steven Cooper * Jennifer Cross * Mike Dady * Ruchira Datta * Amish Dave * Kyle Davis * Yancy Davis * Steve Deffeyes * Dave "Walls of Books" DeLaney * Tobias Denig * Chris Dewey * Trevor Dewey * Jean Dufresne * Roderick Easton * Eric Ebinger * Richard Edwards * Mark Erikson * Tony Evans * Jain Farstrider * J. R. Feehan * Colin Fishy * Chris Flora * Courtenay Footman * Jim "Robin Jim" Ford * Michel Forget * Susan Frager * M.C. Friddle * Jeff Fullmer * Carolyn Fusinato * A. M. Gabutero * Christian M. Gadeken * Konrad Gaertner * Devin L. Ganger * Bill Garrett * Helmut Geyer * Judy "Very Small Animal" Ghirardelli * Bob Gibson * Drew Gillmore * Joel Gilmore * Steve Ginter * Alfred Glass * Jocelyn "who is not Kathleen" Goldfein * Michael Gonzalez * Stephen Graham * Amy Gray * Gary Greenbaum * Michael Guenther * Johan Gustafsson * John "JSH" Hamby * Chris Hammock * Michelle Haines * Jeff Han * Michael Hanneman * John C. Hansen * Kay-Arne Hansen * Stephen J. Hardy * Don Harlow * Hawk * John Hawkinson * Mark Hazen * Walter Hedges * Nathan Hendrix * Clint Hepner * Matthew Heslin * Keith Higginson * Captain Commander Sean Hillyard * John Hills * Bob Hofmann * Dave Holman * Melissa Horn * Thomas Howard * Justin Howell * James Huckaby * Eugene Hung * Matthew Hunter * John Ireland * James Jen * John Johnson * Robert Jordan (duh.) * Christopher Kane * Robert Kelley * Mike Kelly * Daniel John Kelly-Harrity * David "Wee Dave" Kennedy * Jacob Kesinger * Paul Khangure * Tanya Koenig * Pamela Korda * Paul Krasicky * Lars Kremers * Tyler Langenkamp * Evan "Skwid" Langlinais * Mike Lawson * Hank Lee * Andrea Leistra * Mike Lemons * Craig Martin Levin * Shen Kiat Lim * Bo Lindbergh * Edward Liu * Mark Looi * Mark "Robe Thrown Recklessly Open" Loy * Mike "Sir MPS" Macchione * Shayne Macfarlane * Benjamin Magno * Ted Maire * Cameron Majidi * Luke Mankin * Jim Mann * Michael Martin * Stephanie Mason * Bill McCarthy * Tom McCormick * Sam McGee * Edward Measure * Roxanne Meida * Kelley Miles * Shane Miller * Craig Moe * Kurt Montadon * Kevin P. Mooney * Don Morgan * Joe Morris * James Morrison * David Mortman * Michael Mueller * Roy Navarre * Kate Nepveu * Michael Nielsen * Patrick Nielsen Hayden * Karl-Johan Noren * John S. Novak III, The Humblest Man on the Net * Emmet O'Brien * Sean O'Hara * Michael J. O'Malley * Chad "Oil'Ba'alzamon'Can" Orzel * Daniel "Zippy" O'Toole * Alex Outhred * Anthony Padilla * Alex Paradi * Laura M. Parkinson * Rimesh Patel * Simon Patterson * Emma Pease * Mark Perry * Rhonda Peters * Thomas Petersen * Teri Pettit * George D. Phillies * Jim Phillips * Piglet * Eric C. Piquette * Richard Pistole * Greg Pobst * Heikki Poso * Jeffrey Scott Raglin * Bret C. Rediker * Brian Ritchie * Joseph Rosenfeld * Dave Rothgery * John Rowat * Chris Russo * Burr Rutledge * Erica Sadun * Kevin Samborn * Jared Samet * Marc Sanders * Eric Saunders * Ulrich Schade * Jeff Schneiter * Morgan Donald Scott * Rafael R. Sevilla * Viren Shah * Joe "Uno" Shaw * Vivienne Shen * Zach Simpson * Jimmy Sjöberg * Peter Smalley * Will Smit * Jeff Smith * Daniel "Ford" Sohl * Vic Stallion * S. Stark * Michael "Darkelf" Steeves * Brian Sullivan * Charles L. Stuart * Martin Terman * Aline Thompson * Elayne Thompson * Ilya Tillekens * J. Tinney * Preston Toliver * Carl Traber * Fred Van Keuls * Jonathan Vaught * Sven Venema * Jonathan Vessey * Ville Virrankoski * Paul Ward * Ken Warkentyne * Bryon Wasserman * Warren Way * Olaf Weber * Michael Werle * Dash Wendrzyk * Katrina Werpetinski * Greg Wheatley * William Whitesman * G. Williams * Windsor Williams * Aaron Wong * Edmund Wong * Bill Woolsey * David Wren-Hardin * Jonathan "Nelno the Amoeba" Wright * Donal Wyckoff * Tony Yoder * Tim Yoon * Alistair Young * Sydo Zandstra * Tony Zbaraschuk * _________________________________________________________________ Contents Note on changes since the last version: * Items marked "NEW" are sections which are, well, new. * Items marked "UPDATED" are sections which include significant new information and/or discussion. * Items marked "REVISED" are sections which have been re-worked to be easier to read and understand, and which may contain some minor new info or discussion. _________________________________________________________________ * 0 Administrivia * 0.01 Introduction, Credits, and Contents revised * 0.02 RJ says the FAQ is only 1/3 right. Why should I bother reading it? new * 0.03 Acronyms and Abbreviations revised * 0.04 What are these Jordan Wheel of Time books? revised * 0.05 What should I do if I've become obsessed? * 0.06 What's the deal with those shoddy Tor covers that keep falling off? * 0.07 Who is Robert Jordan, really? What else has he written? * 0.08 What other resources are out there, besides the FAQ? revised * 0.09 How can I contact Robert Jordan? revised * 0.10 Is there a downloadable version of the FAQ? new 1 The Dark Side * 1.1 The Forsaken: The Old Guard * 1.1.1 Who are the Forsaken? Where are they now? updated * 1.1.2 Who is Mesaana, in the Tower? updated * 1.1.3 Who was Silvie? * 1.1.4 Why did Sammael claim he had a truce with Rand? * 1.1.5 What was Sammael doing in Shadar Logoth, or Did Sammael Plan that Whole Thing to Fake his Death? revised * 1.1.6 Is Mazrim Taim really Mazrim Taim? Is he Demandred? updated * 1.1.7 Death of Asmodean updated * 1.1.8 Could Lanfear be Good? (not just in bed, Roy) * 1.1.9 Was Ishamael really bound? new 1.2 The Forsaken: New Kids on the Block * 1.2.1 Who are Aran'gar and Osan'gar? revised * 1.2.2 Is Dashiva Osan'gar? updated * 1.2.3 What is the deal with Halima and Egwene's headaches? updated * 1.2.4 Who is Moridin? Why do we think that he is the Watcher and the Wanderer? updated * 1.2.5 Who is Cyndane, and where did she come from? new * 1.2.6 Moridin's Nine Sha'rah players new 1.3 How's that work for the Dark? * 1.3.1 What are those black threads on the male Forsaken? revised * 1.3.2 Fifty Ways to Kill a Gholam updated * 1.3.3 The True Power * 1.3.4 Where do Trollocs and Myrddraal come from? revised * 1.3.5 Are Black Ajah bound by the Oath Rod? updated * 1.3.6 Are the Seals connected to the Taint? new * 1.3.7 What is the deal with BA and Warders? new 1.4 What's up in the Dark? Who's who? * 1.4.1 Who ordered Melindhra and why? * 1.4.2 Slayer (Isam and Luc) * 1.4.3 Can Slayer channel? new * 1.4.4 Shaidar Haran, Superfade updated * 1.4.5 Who will be the new dreadlords? * 1.4.6 The 'Aiel' Attack on Demira Sedai -- What's the deal with that? revised * 1.4.7 Did Shaidar Haran violate Moghedien? new * 1.4.8 Who killed Adeleas and Ispan? new 1.5 Black? Or Not? * 1.5.1 Is Aram a Darkfriend? * 1.5.2 Why Moiraine is not Black Ajah * 1.5.3 Why Elaida isn't Black Ajah * 1.5.4 Is Sheriam Black Ajah? Who's beating her up? updated * 1.5.5 Is Chesa a darkfriend? new * 1.5.6 Who is not a darkfriend? revised 1.6 Shadar Logoth, Mashadar, and Fain * 1.6.1 More of the Fain * 1.6.2 Mordeth, Mashadar, and Machin Shin revised * 1.6.3 What was up with Liah in Shadar Logoth? Things not (necessarily) of the Dark * 2.1 The Ta'veren * 2.1.1 What's up with Mat's new ring? * 2.1.2 Is there a connection between Mat's luck and the dice ter'angreal? * 2.1.3 Is Mat still linked to the Horn? * 2.1.4 When was Rand's Power-Acquisition Fever Syndrome? * 2.1.5 What's up with Mat and his memories? revised * 2.1.6 LTT -- is he for real, or is Rand loony? What happened to him in ACOS? revised 2.2 The Rest * 2.2.1 Can Thom channel? * 2.2.2 What was up with Gawyn during the Tower Coup? * 2.2.3 Who was the geezer on the barrel? revised * 2.2.4 What's the deal with Setalle Anan? Is she the one who is no longer? updated * 2.2.5 Where is Gaidal Cain now? revised * 2.2.6 How do we know that Moiraine is not dead? updated * 2.2.7 Verin: Black, Brown, or Purple? (What's up with Verin, how old is she, is she bound by the Oath Rod?) updated 2.3 The Power and Power-related objects * 2.3.01 What's up with the male-female a'dam link where they both die screaming? * 2.3.02 The Sad Bracelets / male a'dam * 2.3.03 Effects of the Oath Rod: Binding, Agelessness, and Death updated * 2.3.04 How do One-Power-forged blades work? * 2.3.05 What is the range on sensing other channelers? updated * 2.3.06 Can you make horizontal gateways? * 2.3.07 How does balefire work? updated * 2.3.08 What is the difference between Skimming and Travelling? * 2.3.09 What do Dreamers and Dreamwalkers do? * 2.3.10 How does Mat's medallion work? * 2.3.11 What are 'involuntary rings'? new * 2.3.12 What caused the One Power weirdness in Ebou Dar? new * 2.3.13 Is Cadsuane's hair-thingy a ter'angreal? new * 2.3.14 The Seven Seals: Status Report 2.4 Days Of Yore * 2.4.01 Who was Beidomon? updated * 2.4.02 Did LTT balefire himself? * 2.4.03 The Green Man and the Song (Who is the green man, what is the song, who will find the song, who were the Aiel?) revised * 2.4.04 Jain Farstrider: Where is he now? * 2.4.05 The Old Tongue and the New Tongue revised * 2.4.06 Who or what was (the) Tamyrlin? revised * 2.4.07 What did Ogier do of old? revised * 2.4.08 Were there Ajahs in the Age of Legends? updated * 2.4.09 Was the Sharom the Dark One's prison? revised * 2.4.10 Tigraine = Shaiel: An analysis * 2.4.11 What was the Vileness after the Aiel War? new 2.5 True Love and Families * 2.5.1 Who's Who in the Families? * 2.5.2 Who is Juilin's honey? * 2.5.3 Who is the Daughter of the Nine Moons? How will Mat meet her? updated * 2.5.4 Why do we think that Thom will marry Moiraine? * 2.5.5 Is Thom the father of Elayne or Gawyn? revised * 2.5.6 Kari al'Thor: What do we know about her? * 2.5.7 Is Aviendha Pregnant? updated 2.6 What's up? (Non-dark section) * 2.6.1 What is the deal with Callandor? Who will use it? updated * 2.6.2 The Severed Hand * 2.6.3 Who are the Aelfinn and Eelfinn? revised * 2.6.4 Where do the Aes Sedai get their money? new * 2.6.5 The Mystery of the Salidar Sitters new * 2.6.6 What was going on at the end of POD? new 2.7 Absurd Trivia and Generalities * 2.7.1 How does one sniff, anyway? What about snorting? revised * 2.7.2 How tall is everybody? revised * 2.7.3 How old is everyone? revised * 2.7.4 Is there religion in Randland? * 2.7.5 Iconography revised * 2.7.6 MisSteps (Errors along the way) updated * 2.7.7 When Rand and Mat are travelling to Caemlyn in TEOTW, why does the scene with the scarves happen twice? new 3 Sources of Knowledge * 3.01 King Arthur and the Holy Grail revised * 3.02 Trolloc tribe names * 3.03 Is the world of Randland a future Earth? * 3.04 Christian and Biblical Parallels * 3.05 Random Names updated * 3.06 Dragon Legends * 3.07 Norse Mythology revised * 3.08 The Fisher King new * 3.09 The Aiel, Native Americans, and the Zulu * 3.10 Greek and Roman Mythology * 3.11 Miscellaneous References updated * 3.12 Similarities between The Wheel of Time and other SF (including Dune) * 3.13 Real Nation's influence on Randland new 4 Prophecy * 4.01 Egwene's Dreams updated * 4.02 Min's Viewings updated * 4.03 Various Prophecy revised * 4.04 The Dark Prophecy revised * 4.05 The Karaethon Cycle revised * 4.06 Perrin's Dreams revised * 4.07 Fourth Age Histories revised 99 Publishing Stuff * 99.1 When is the next book going to be out? updated * 99.2 What is the Guide? What is 'New Spring'? new XXXXXXXXXXXX 0.2: RJ says the FAQ is only 1/3 right. Why should I bother reading it? _________________________________________________________________ RJ's standard comment on the FAQ is that it's "about one-third correct, one-third close but not quite, and one-third dead wrong." [e.g. post-ACOS signing in Charleston, South Carolina, 21 June 1996, report by Brian Ritchie] If it's so incorrect, why bother reading it? Bill Garrett explains: 1) The FAQ isn't intended as a benchmark of absolute truth. It's a collection of frequently asked questions and our best answers to them, right or wrong. It's there so people with questions can find out what our answers and ideas are, all organized in one convenient place. 2) Of course the FAQ isn't 100% correct. Much of it is devoted to describing opposing viewpoints on key questions. For example, consider the "Who killed Asmodean?" entry. Numerous theories are presented, but at most one of them is correct and the rest are wrong -- unless Asmodean was killed by a posse consisting of various Forsaken, Myrdraal, darkfriend Aiel, Padan Fain, and Bela. You should read the FAQ because it will give you an idea of what has been said before by many people. Chances are, if you want to know what people think about a given theory, it's in here. Familiarizing yourself with other people's arguments will help you make your own more interesting and persuasive. XXXXXXXXXXXX 0.3: Acronyms and Abbreviations used in the FAQ _________________________________________________________________ Abbreviations referring to books, newsgroups, etc. * TWOT/WOT: The Wheel of Time * TEOTW: The Eye of the World * TGH: The Great Hunt * TDR: The Dragon Reborn * TSR: The Shadow Rising * TFOH: The Fires of Heaven * LOC: Lord of Chaos * ACOS: A Crown of Swords * TPOD: The Path of Daggers * L:NS: Legends: "New Spring" * Guide: The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time * RAFO: "Read and Find Out." This is RJ's most common response to questions which fans ask him. * RJ: Robert Jordan * FAQ/WOTFAQ: WMAKTD, Wonderful Masterpiece of Assembled Knowledge, Theories, and Discussion, (but FAQ is easier to say and makes for better puns) * rasfw: rec.arts.sf.written * rasfwrj: rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan Abbreviations and Jargon Referring to Stuff in TWOT * AM: Asha'man * AOL: Age of Legends * AS: Aes Sedai + SAS: Salidar Aes Sedai (Egwene's faction) + TAS: Tower Aes Sedai (Elaida's faction) * Asm/Asmo: Asmodean * BA: Black Ajah * BF: Balefire * BT: Black Tower * Dashivan'gar: Dashiva/Osan'gar, if they are the same person * Dem: Demandred * DO: Dark One * DF: Darkfriend * DFS: Darkfriend Social * DotNM: Daughter of the Nine Moons * Eg/Egw: Egwene * El: Elayne * Finn: A/Eelfinn (Snakes and Foxes) * Finnland: the world(s?) where the Finn live * Gars: Aran'gar and Osan'gar * Ish/Ishy: Ishamael * Mog/Moggy: Moghedien * Moi/Moir: Moiraine * MPS: Mad, Passionate Sex, Mad Purple Stegasaurus, Many Purple Straws * MT: Mazrim Taim * Ny/Nyn: Nynaeve * OP: One Power * OR: Oath Rod * Randland: 1) The world where the series takes place, 2) The portion of the world shown on the Map. * Sam/Sammy: Sammael * Sem: Semirhage * SG: Shayol Ghul * SH: Shaidar Haran * SS: Siuan Sanche * Taimandred: Taim/Demandred, if they are the same person * TAR/T'A'R: Tel'aran'rhiod * TP: True Power (Dark One's Power) * TV: Tar Valon * WCs: Whitecloaks * WOs: Wise Ones * WT: White Tower * YKYBRTMRJW: You Know You've Been Reading Too Much Robert Jordan When... XXXXXXXXX 0.4: What are these Jordan Wheel of Time books? _________________________________________________________________ The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan: U.S. Hardcover editions, from Tor Books: * The Eye of the World ISBN 0-312-85009-3 * The Great Hunt ISBN 0-312-85140-5 * The Dragon Reborn ISBN 0-312-85248-7 * The Shadow Rising ISBN 0-312-85431-5 * The Fires of Heaven ISBN 0-312-85427-7 * Lord of Chaos ISBN 0-312-85428-5 * A Crown of Swords ISBN 0-312-85767-5 * The Path of Daggers ISBN 0-312-85769-1 Related Books, all from Tor: * The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson. ISBN 0-312-86219-9 * Legends, ed. Robert Silverberg. ISBN 0-312-86787-5 (Contains the WOT novella "New Spring," by RJ.) U.S. Paperback editions, from Tor: * The Eye of the World ISBN 0-812-51181-6 * The Great Hunt ISBN 0-812-51772-5 * The Dragon Reborn ISBN 0-812-51371-1 * The Shadow Rising ISBN 0-812-51373-8 * The Fires of Heaven ISBN 0-812-50974-9 * Lord of ChaosISBN 0-812-51275-4 * A Crown of Swords ISBN 0-812-55028-5 The first two books in the series were initially issued as trade paperbacks; for the sake of completeness, here they are: U.S. Trade Paperback editions, from Tor: + The Eye of the World ISBN 0-812-50048-2 + The Great Hunt ISBN 0-812-50971-4 XXXXXXXXXXXX 0.5: What should I do if I've become obsessed? [Judy Ghirardelli] _________________________________________________________________ Judy G. gives us intelligent advice on treatment of Jordan fanaticism: 1. Stop calling the nice lady at your local bookstore to harass her about when the next book will be out. 2. Lay down. 3. Stay laying down. 4. Try to not think about things like wheels, knives, spears, swords, doorways, Piglets, fire, severed hands, plucked out eyes, tattoos, leashes, calendars, irons, pincers, still images, gentle breezes, FAQs, Towers, wolves, falcons, hawks, hammers, axes, Roy, and lastly, DON'T THINK ABOUT RIVERS! 5. Now, pick up a copy of The Tao of Pooh and become an uncarved block. (p.s. that will be 50 bucks...) (p.p.s. The idea of not thinking about Roy while laying down is just a generally good practice , and might be applied to all the rest of you who won't admit you have a problem ...) XXXXXXXXXXXX 0.6: What is the deal with those cheap Tor covers that won't stay on? [Eric Ebinger] _________________________________________________________________ No, you are not alone in having the cover fall off of your PB copy of TDR. What can you do about it? Patrick Nielsen Hayden says that you can send the book to Tor, and they will send you a new copy. You can also write a (snail- mail) letter of complaint to Tor. The address is on the inside of the books. DO NOT SEND MEAN E-MAIL TO THE NICE TOR BOOKS MAN!!!! IT IS NOT HIS FAULT!!! If you want to have a go at repairing them yourself, Eric Ebinger provides instructions: Materials needed: * dry sandpaper 220 grit * Walthers Goo (available at finer model train stores everywhere) * one or more Wheel of Time books, Tor edition with loose or detached covers Instructions: 1. If cover(s) are not yet completely detached, GENTLY and carefully detach them. A small, sharp knife may be helpful. 2. Take sandpaper and briskly sand the back of spine of the book (on the glue that failed to hold). Continue until the surface is slightly rough (don't over-sand). This should only take 10-20 seconds of sanding. 3. Lay the cover down on a flat surface with the outside DOWN. Gently sand the inside of the binding (where the spine of the book would be, if the book was still in its cover) until the wax coating is removed. Do not over-sand! The objective is to remove the wax coating so that the glue can get a grip. 4. Following directions on the package of Goo, spread glue on the binding area of the cover. Orient the book so that it's orientation matches that of the cover. Press the book binding down on the cover, lift, wait two minutes,press the book binding back down on the cover, and hold for two minutes. 5. Let dry overnight. The book should be better than new. I've also heard that applying heat, to re-melt the glue, works. XXXXXXXXXXXX 0.7 Who is Robert Jordan, really? What else has he written? _________________________________________________________________ "Robert Jordan" is actually a pseudonym for James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under which he has written the "Wheel of Time" fantasy series as well as several books of the "Conan" series (Conan the Invincible, C.t. Unconquered, C.t.Magnificent, C.t.Victorious, C.t.Triumphant, C.t.Destroyer, C.t.Defender). Other pseudonyms which he has used are Reagan O'Neal (the "Fallon" series of historical novels), Jackson O'Reilly (Cheyenne Raiders, a Western), and Chang Lung (contributions to various periodicals including Library Journal, Fantasy Review, Science Fiction Review). [Source: Contemporary Authors vol. 140]. Many, if not all of the Conan books are still in print. Tor Books has re-released the Fallon books under the "Forge" imprint, with covers done by infamous fantasy artist Darrell K. Sweet. RJ has told several people, at signings and in letters, that if^H^H when he completes TWOT, he plans to write another fantasy tale set in a Seanchan-like culture. The main character will be a more mature figure than Rand, and the tale involves him being shipwrecked in pseudo-Seanchan, where whatever is cast up on the shores of one's estate becomes one's property, even people. Doubtlessly, there'll be many changes from RJ's description to the actual story, but it gives us something to look forward to. XXXXXXXXXXXX 0.8: What other resources are out there, besides the FAQ? _________________________________________________________________ With so much time in between books, we need something to occupy our time, right? Fortunately, there are many, many WOT-related web sites, newsgroups, chat rooms, mailing lists, ftp sites, fanzines, MUDs, and so forth. Since this FAQ is updated about as often as RJ puts out new books, I won't list URLs here, they'll just become outdated. Instead, I will list one URL, for the Compleat Wheel of Time Index -- the original (and still the best, if I say so myself) index of WOT-related stuff on the Net. The site is updated much more frequently than this FAQ. The URL is: http://student-www.uchicago.edu/users/kor2/WOT/WOTindex/ XXXXXXXXXXXX 0.9: How can I contact Robert Jordan? _________________________________________________________________ RJ is not on the net. You can send mail to RJ in care of his publisher, Tor Books. The address is given on the copyright page of the books: Robert Jordan c/o Tor Books 175 Fifth Ave. New York, NY 10010 Tor forwards mail which they receive for RJ to him. They've been known to forward printed-out copies of e-mail which they've received for RJ. However, the Tor Books FAQ specifically says, "Don't send us email meant for our authors." So, you're taking your chances if you try to contact RJ that way. (You can read the Tor Books FAQ on their web site: http://www.tor.com/.) XXXXXXXXXXXX 0.10: Is there a downloadable version of the FAQ? _________________________________________________________________ If you would like a copy of the HTML version of the FAQ to keep on your own computer, there is a zip file you can download. There is also a text version of the FAQ which you can download. You can download either version for personal use only. This means that you can keep the files on your personal computer and look at them whenever you want. You may not distribute it. Among other things, you may not put it up on a web site. If you are interested in maintaining a mirror site for the FAQ, contact P. Korda and Matthew Hunter. If we find bootleg copies of the FAQ on the web, we will reconsider our decision to distribute the FAQ in this way. Don't ruin things for everybody else. The HTML version of the FAQ can be downloaded from: (Not yet available, be patient). The text version of the FAQ can be downloaded from: (Not yet available, be patient). XXXXXXXXXXXX Section 1.1: The Forsaken: The Old Guard _________________________________________________________________ This subsection contains information on and discussion of the thirteen Forsaken, in their original guises. XXXXXXXXXXXX 1.1.1: Who are the Forsaken? Where are they now? [Mark Looi, Erica Sadun, P. Korda] _________________________________________________________________ During the AOL, many Aes Sedai turned to the Dark Side. The Guide tells us that "the best of them were given power and ability beyond that of others....Among themselves they were known as 'Those Chosen to Rule the World Forever,' or simply 'the Chosen.'" [Guide: 5, The Dark One and the Male Forsaken, 49] In the Third Age, the term "Forsaken" is used to refer to the thirteen who were caught in the sealing of the Bore. According to the Guide [Guide: 5, The DO and the Male Forsaken, 50], those thirteen were the most powerful of the Chosen. The 13 Forsaken (in alphabetical order) are * AGINOR (M): Alias: Osan'gar. Real name Ishar Morrad Chuain. Before turning to the Shadow, he was a very famous biologist. He was the second most powerful of the Male Forsaken. He created the various Shadowspawn, and was apparently never involved in military operations (RJ said that the guy who created the Trollocs had no combat experience [Correspondence]). Killed at the Eye of the World by drawing too much of the One Power during a confrontation with Rand. [TEotW: 51, Against the Shadow, 634-5]. He has been recycled into the body of a middle-aged Borderlander by the Dark One, and is now called Osan'gar. Current whereabouts are unknown, but one popular speculation is that he is Dashiva. (See section 1.2.2.) * ASMODEAN (M): Real name Joar Addam Nesossin [TFoH: 45, After the Storm, 516]. Alias: Jasin Natael. Before turning to the Shadow, he was a composer and musician. Thought by many to be the weakest and most cowardly of the Forsaken. Captured by Rand and shielded by Lanfear at Rhuidean [TSR: 58, The Traps of Rhuidean, 674-7]. Toast at the end of TFoH...Twice! No body was found, so most people in Randland do not know he is dead, just that he has vanished. The DO is likely either unwilling or unable to recycle him, since THOSE WHO BETRAY [the DO] WILL DIE THE FINAL DEATH. Claimed to have joined the Shadow for the promise of eternal life, in which to practise songs and music. The identity of his killer is unknown. (See section 1.1.7) * BALTHAMEL (M): Real name Eval Ramman. Aliases: Aran'gar, Halima. In the AOL, he was a historian before turning to the Dark Side. The Guide [Guide: 5, The DO and the Male Forsaken, 54] indicates that he may have run a spy network for the Shadow during the War of Power. He was notorious for being an utter lecher. He was killed by the Green Man at the Eye of the World [TEotW: 50, Meetings at the Eye, 630-1]. He has been recycled into the body of an attractive woman, and is called Aran'gar. Currently, she has infiltrated the Salidar Aes Sedai, and is acting as Egwene's masseuse. * BE'LAL (M): Real name Duram Laddel Cham. Aliases: Netweaver, High Lord Samon of Tear. He was a lawyer in the AOL. After turning to the Shadow, he served as a general and governor. He was balefired by Moiraine in the Stone of Tear [TDR: 55, What is Written in Prophecy, 557]. * DEMANDRED (M): Real name Barid Bel Medar. During the AOL, played second fiddle to LTT until he went over to the Shadow, where he served as a general. He hated and envied LTT intensely, and has transferred that feeling to Rand [TSR: 58, The The Traps of Rhuidean, 677]. He turned to the Shadow because he got tired of being second-best to LTT [TFoH: 3, Pale Shadows, 76-7], [LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 56-7], who he considered to be his intellectual inferior. Possibly involved with the Seanchan [LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 135], also possibly masquerading as Mazrim Taim (See section 1.1.6). Knows how to block gateways. * GRAENDAL (F): Alias: Lady Basene. Steven Cooper notes, "The nickname 'Maisia,' used by Sammael in ACOS, should perhaps be mentioned here. I don't know the source, but apparently RJ explained it was a name commonly given to pets in the AOL (no wonder Graendal was not amused)." Real name Kamarile Maradim Nindar. In the habit of taking aristocrats and making them serve in some demeaning aspect, using enough Compulsion to fry their brains and make them useless. Currently in Arad Doman, having taken over somebody's palace. She has one of the World's Greatest Generals, Lord Rodel Ituralde, working for her, and it seems as though all the reported chaos in Arad Doman might not be quite as chaotic as it first appears. She appears to visitors as a feeble old lady. Before turning to the Shadow, she was a celebrated psychiatrist in the AOL [LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 130-9], and an ascetic. She seems to be underestimated by all the other Forsaken, besides Sammael. Was duped by Sammael, for a short time, into following him, due to his claim of being Nae'blis. She has recently been "reined in" by Moridin and his minions. * ISHAMAEL (M): Real name Elan Morin Tedronai, aka Ba'alzamon. The most philosophically-minded of the Forsaken, he came up with many theories on the nature of the battle between the Creator and the DO [LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 133]. Believed by many to be the most powerful Forsaken. Was partially or totally free during the Third Age. )See section 1.1.9.) Believed by the other Forsaken to be partially or totally mad. Frequent user of the "True Power." Killed by Rand in Tear [TDR: 55, What is Written in Prophecy, 570]. He has been recycled into the body of a dark, handsome young man, and calls himself Moridin. He has reassumed his pre-death position as Big Cheese in the Shadow's hierarchy, and is in the process of getting the other Forsaken under his control. * LANFEAR (F): Real name: Mierin Eronaile. Aliases: Selene, Keille, Silvie, Else Grinwell (in TDR). She was the most powerful of the female Forsaken, and was maybe the second-strongest of all. Former lover of LTT, who believes she was rudely tossed over for Ilyena. She was not famous in the AOL [Guide: 6, The Female Forsaken and the Darkfriends], when she was a researcher into the One Power. She was one of the AS who opened the Bore, apparently unwittingly. Known for interfering in others' plans, twisting them to her advantage. Tackled by Moiraine in TFOH, and fell into Finnland. It is very likely that she has a new body, either from dying and being recycled, or from a wish to the Finn, and is called Cyndane (See section 1.2.5), who is mindtrapped by Moridin. * MESAANA (F): Real name: Saine Tarasind. Was rejected by the Collam Daan (a major research institution during the AOL), so instead of being a researcher, she ended up a teacher, until she found a way to Teach Them All! MUAHAHAH! She is currently the power behind the power behind the throne in the White Tower (See section 1.1.2, running Elaida through Alviarin. She has been known to plot with Demandred and Semirhage. * MOGHEDIEN (F): Real name Lillen Moiral. Aliases: Gyldin, Marigan. During the AOL, she was a shady "investment advisor." During the War of the Power, she ran a spy network. She was captured by Nynaeve in Tanchico, but escaped [TSR: 54, Into the Palace, 631-3]. She's believed to be the strongest Forsaken in Tel'aran'rhiod. Captured by Nynaeve again in Salidar and forced to teach her and Elayne. Released by Aran'gar and summoned to SG, where she was severely punished, and was fitted with a mindtrap. Is now a lackey of Moridin. * RAHVIN (M): Real Name: Ared Mosinel. Alias: Lord Gaebril. Previously held Queen Morgase in thrall via Compulsion. Balefired by Rand at the end of TFOH. * SAMMAEL (M): Real name Tel Janin Aellinsar. Alias Lord Brend of Illian. During the AOL, he was an athlete. Served the DO as a general. Was given scar by LTT, hates Rand. Always wanted to be taller. He'd managed to get ahold of a number of AOL goodies from stasis boxes, and some stuff from the Kin's stash in Ebou Dar. Vanished during the fight with Rand in ACOS. Presumed dead by Rand, Graendal, Moggy, and Cyndane. * SEMIRHAGE (F): Real name Nemene Damendar Boann. Has a penchant for gruesome torture. Whereabouts unknown. Hates Lanfear. Is very tall, with dark skin and eyes, and likes wearing black. Was a brilliant healer who took payment and pleasure in extracting extra pain from her patients. Knows how to block open gateways. Turned to the Dark Side to avoid being stilled or bound by an Oath Rod for her sadism. Current whereabouts unknown. Our only clues are 1. that she has a "willful" female charge [LOC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 141], and 2. Demandred's comment in [LOC: Prologue, The First Message, 58]: "When I think where you two (Mesaana and Semirhage) have placed yourselves, I wonder. How much has the Great Lord known, for how long? How much of what has happened has been at his design all along?" Mesaana is in the Tower; Semirhage is likely in a similarly convenient place. XXXXXXXXXXXX 1.1.2: Who is Mesaana, in the Tower? [Tony Zbaraschuck, Marc Zappala, Pam Korda] _________________________________________________________________ In LOC, we find out that Mesaana is hiding out in the White Tower [LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 138]. Naturally, this leads to the question of who she is pretending to be. Some folks think that she has taken the Rahvin/Sammael/Be'lal/Graendal route, and is posing as a high-ranking AS in the Tower. ACOS and TPOD make it very clear that Mesaana is NOT Galina or Alviarin, by letting us see their thoughts. (Not to mention, Alviarin talks to Mesaana, and Mesaana would not have had the lack of skill that led to Galina getting captured by Sevanna.) It is unlikely that Mesaana is anybody that anybody knows. None of the Forsaken (except possibly Demandred) have copied an already- prominent identity. Rather, they take a little-known or unknown identity and then promote themselves rapidly. This is probably because supplanting someone is not easy, requiring a total control of oneself, and the ability to copy the tiniest habits. This is especially true in the Tower, where Aes Sedai can doubtless read meaning in the tilt of an eyebrow or the tapping of a finger. For example, the head of the Red Ajah would be someone well-known to a lot of Reds, and Alviarin was also an influential White (she convinced her Ajah to side with Elaida). There's no real easy way to replace either one. In [ACOS: Prologue, Lightnings, 41], Alviarin thinks "She [Mesaana] must be one of the sisters; surely she was not among servants, bound to labor and sweat. But who? Too many women had been out of the Tower for years before Elaida's summons, too many had no close friends, or none at all." Thus, Mesaana could be posing as one of the long-gone sisters, somebody who'd been gone so long that differences in personality, etc. would not seem too amiss, or one of the AS who is not known very well. Note that Danelle, the Brown who assisted in Elaida's coup, is one of the latter (no friends, see [ACOS: Prologue, Lightnings, 38]). Alviarin's opinions notwithstanding, it is possible that Mesaana is posing as a maid or some other servant. It has been suggested that Tarna, the Red emissary to Salidar, is Mesaana in disguise. There's not a lot of evidence for this, except that in the chapter where Tarna talks to Ny and El [LoC: 13, Under the Dust, 232] the chapter icon is the Forsaken icon, and there is no other obvious candidate in there to be Forsaken. Of course, the chapter icons don't always apply 100%, but every other chapter in the books with that icon has a Forsaken, or reference to one, in it. Tarna is good friends with Galina [LoC: 13, Under the Dust, 237], a known BA and head of the Red Ajah, so this could be an extensive way to control the Tower with a Red Amyrlin. There are arguments against this, too-- why would Mesaana run her own errands? The problem of a previous history raises its head, here, too. In [ACOS: Prologue, Lightnings, 41], Alviarin notes that Mesaana taps her lip with her finger while thinking. This is not a useful trait in identifying Mesaana, since numerous Aes Sedai do this, among them Leane, Alviarin herself, Nesune [LOC: 27, Gifts, 395], Theodrin [ACOS: 11, An Oath, 210], Moiraine, and Vandene. In a similar vein, in [TPOD: 25 ,An Unwelcome Return, 497] when Alviarin is groveling before Mesaana, she catches a glimpse of Mesaana's skirt: "Seizing the hem of Mesaana's dress, she rained kisses on it. The weave of Illusion...did not hold completely, with her frantically shifting the skirt's edge. Flickers of bronze silk with a thin border of intricately embroidered black scrollwork showed through." Alviarin thinks she could use this info to identify Mesaana in the Tower. Readers have tried to use the clue to find Mesaana, as well. However, this is about as futile as using lip-tapping as an identifier. Some people wearing bronze or bronzish dresses are Romanda and one of the Tower Brown Sitters named Shevan (her dress was "dark gold") [TPOD, 25, An Unwelcome Return, 489]. Given the habit of so many AS to wear clothes which color-code their Ajah, the bronze skirt could point to any Yellow or Brown sister. A caveat about the skirt, as Dennis Higbee notes: "Am I the only person who thinks Mesaana, who was a researcher/ teacher, would know enough about the weaves she was using to take some precautions about her disguise? All she has to do is take a few seconds to change into the gaudy dress that Alviarin sees, and she has another level of disguise and another way to test her loyalty: If Alviarin is searching too hard for the dress in question, Mesaana knows she's disloyal and can zorch her at leisure." If the bronze silk dress is actually Mesaana's, it is a point against her being disguised as a scullery (maid), or some other menial servant. She could still be some sort of higher-level non-AS-type, such as a secretary. We know that AS can have non-AS secretaries; Halima is accepted as Cabriana's ex-secretary, and as Delana's secretary, without comment. Another important thing to note is that if Mesaana is masquerading as an Aes Sedai, there must be a way for channellers to disguise their channelling ability, that is, to appear to be a weaker channeller than one really is. Otherwise, Mesaana's super strength would be a dead giveaway that she wasn't who she claimed to be. In fact, John Nowacki reports that RJ said, at a post-POD booksigning in Washington, DC, that a channeller can hide strength as well as ability to channel, but added that few people know how to do it and the AS don't even know these tricks are possible. XXXXXXXXXXXX 1.1.3: Who was "Silvie"? [P. Korda, Joe Shaw] _________________________________________________________________ "Silvie" is the name given by the "old woman" Egwene meets in TAR in [TDR: 27, Tel'aran'rhiod, 257-9]. Most likely, she was Lanfear; it was part of her plot to get Rand and/or Mat to go to Tear. Egwene and Nynaeve were to be bait to draw him there, only Rand was already going there to stop their attacks through his dreams. The girls were probably just a backup in case he resisted the dreams or learned to shield them on his own. Egwene and Nynaeve were to be Be'lal and Ish's bait to draw Rand, while Liandrin and Co. were the bait to draw draw Egwene and Nynaeve. See Perrin's dream about the trap in [TDR: 43, Shadowbrothers, 426] which matches Egwene's dreams about "puppets" in [TDR: 37, Fires in Cairhien, 352-3]. Lanfear was playing along with Ish, but working towards her own goals. Another possibility is that Lanfear sent them to mess up Be'lal and Mesaana's plan. There's no doubt that Silvie was Lanfear. The reason for ripping off Egwene's ring ter'angreal to throw her out of T'A'R was just her cruel streak; Lanfear knew she was a Dreamer since she had been haunting the White Tower as Else, and just wanted Egwene to go to the Heart of the Stone in T'A'R to make sure the girls decided to go there. Once she had accomplished that, why not send her out the hard way? After all, Lanfear claimed T'A'R as her domain (even though Mog. was stronger there), so there was no need for Egwene to learn too much about "her domain." Plus, her precious LTT reborn had once loved this girl; I'm sure she couldn't resist inflicting a little pain on her, especially since the fact that Eg was bait to draw Rand to Tear meant that he still cared about her. That must have driven Lanfear bonkers. XXXXXXXXXXXX 1.1.4: Why did Sammael claim he had a truce with Rand? [Carolyn Fusinato, John Novak, Don Harlow] _________________________________________________________________ 1) Andris died in a pool of blood, delivering the message to Sammael that there would be no truce. Sammael lied to Graendal. Why would Sammael lie? All the Forsaken want to be Nae'blis. All the Forsaken think that Rand stands a chance at becoming Nae'blis if he caves to the Dark One. Therefore, all the Forsaken want Rand dead. The Dark One, on the other hand, most explicitly does not want Rand dead. He will punish any Forsaken who kills Rand. Therefore, all the Forsaken want to make the other Forsaken paranoid enough to bump Rand off on their own. This eliminates two contenders to the title of Nae'blis-- Rand, and whichever idiot kills him. 2) Andris died in a pool of blood, delivering the message to Sammael that there would be a truce because someone else intervened to put Sammael off his guard while Rand readies his counter-stroke from Tear and the Plains of Maredo. Someone who knew that Sammael's emissary was meeting with Rand at that moment. Who was present? Bashere, a Saldaean named Hamad, some Aiel, and Aviendha. The evidence against this option is that Rand should have been able to feel another man channelling or have experienced goosebumps if a woman channelled, and Sammael's thoughts about manipulating Graendal [LOC: 23, To Understand A Message, 349] don't make sense if he isn't lying. XXXXXXXXXXXX 1.1.5: What was Sammael up to in Shadar Logoth? Did he really die? _________________________________________________________________ After the fight in SL, Rand assumes that Sammael has died, consumed by Mashadar. Here is the sequence of events: 1. Rand goes to the SL Waygate, where Sammy is waiting for him (off to the side of the square). 2. Mashadar starts creeping into the square. 3. Rand spots Sammy, who has not noticed him, and prepares to balefire him. 4. He's interrupted by a scream from Liah, who has been caught by Mashadar. Both Rand and Sammy are distracted, and turn to look at her. 5. Rand balefires Liah, then loses control and sweeps a beam of BF towards the square. He stops when he sees that the square is now covered with Mashadar, and Sammael is nowhere to be seen. Rand assumes that Sammael has been buried and consumed by Mashadar: "There had not been time for him to run, no time to weave a gateway, and if he had, Rand would have felt saidin being worked. Sammael was dead, killed by an evil almost as great as himself." [ACOS: 41, A Crown of Swords, 661] Furthermore, in [TPOD: 12, New Alliances, 263], Cyndane asks Graendal, "Do you know that Sammael is dead?" Graendal replies that she had suspected that to be the case, because Sammael's frequent ("every few days") visits to her had ceased. From this, we know that Sammael has stopped visiting Graendal; this cessation of contact is probably coincident with the fight in SL. Cyndane's comment doesn't tell us as much as one might think. Taken at face value, it means that Cyndane thinks that Sammael is dead, and possibly that Cyndane's master, Moridin (who lent Rand a hand in SL), thinks that Sammael is dead. Given that Moridin seems to be the head honcho of all things Shadowy, one might suppose that if Moridin thinks Sam is dead, then he must be. After all, Moridin had been keeping pretty close tabs on Sammael. However, can we really take Cyndane's question at face value? She may have asked simply to make Graendal think Sam is dead, or Moridin may want Cyndane and Graendal to believe he is dead. Since Graendal was Sam's ally (to some extent), Moridin may have believed that news of Sam's death would make her more likely to fall under his command. Another alternative is that Sammael fooled them all, including Moridin. Now, we know that Sammael could have escaped without detection by using the True Power. This would have required the DO's permission, and that implies that if Sam is alive, the DO must know. Since Moridin is the DO's "golden boy," Moridin would probably know of Sam's continued existence. Sammael supposedly died from Mashadar. We have seen two other cases of Mashadar catching people: Liah in ACOS, and some Trollocs and a Fade in [TEOTW: 20, Dust on the Wind, 251]. From both accounts, being caught in Mashadar is an extremely painful way to die. Liah screams like crazy from just a tendril touching her leg. The shadowspawn in TEOTW also try to scream, but their mouths are blocked by Mashadar, so no sound comes out. It is reasonable to suppose that if Sammael had indeed been caught by Mashadar, he would have screamed. Rand heard no scream. However, this doesn't absolutely prove that Sam escaped, because he could have had his mouth blocked, like the Trollocs. So if didn't die, what really happened? Prior to TPOD, we had no reason at all to suppose that Sam was actually dead. The question still remains, if he didn't die, then what did happen? The following analyses date from before TPOD. Why Sammael's Death in Shadar Logoth was a Ruse [John Novak] There exists the strong possibility that Sammael led Rand to Shadar Logoth as the culmination of a plot, not to kill Rand, but to convince Rand that he had killed Sammael. This section will discuss Sammael's motive, Sammael's means, the evidence which supports the idea, and a few notes. Sammael's Motive As a recap of Forsaken activities in previous books, it is quite possible that the combined plot of Lanfear, Graendal, Sammael and Rahvin in TFOH was the first serious attempt to kill Rand al'Thor. Aginor and Balthamel seemed more intent on the Eye of the World than on Rand. Apart from the occasional outburst, Ishamael seems never to have wanted to kill Rand, but to use him. Lanfear wanted to convert him to her slave. Be'lal's plan did not require Rand's death, and Asmodean ran away from Rand as soon as he was discovered. In TFOH, however, a plan existed to draw Rand into the middle of a four-person link of Forsaken, Rahvin certainly seemed to want to kill Rand when he was surprised in Caemlyn, and Lanfear went absolutely insane and tried to kill him at the docks in Cairhien. After TFOH, the explicit order came down from the Dark One through Demandred that Rand al'Thor should not be killed. Also, Sammael was left as the only visible member of the quartet which tried to kill Rand. Rahvin was dead, Lanfear dead to all appearances, and Rand never knew of Graendal. Sam had been the lure before, and was even more a lure now. Further, Rand knew where Sammael was based-- in Illian. It seems that the Dark One's prohibition against killing Rand included even killings in self-defense. Graendal seems to think so [ACOS: 20, Patterns Within Patterns, 357]. Sammael is then left with only two choices if he wishes to avoid the wrath of a disobeyed Dark One. He can either convince Rand not to attack him until such time as the Dark One changes his mind, or he can convince Rand that he is dead, so Rand won't follow him and look for him. Sammael's Means Surely, Rand is not going to be fooled simply because Sammael disappears from view, and probably will not believe Sammael is dead unless he sees good evidence in person. Aside from another Forsaken, the only forces Rand is likely to believe could kill Sammael are Mashadar, Machin Shin, and Rand himself. Machin Shin is dubious, because even in his untrained state in TGH, Rand was able to force the thing back into the Ways. This leaves Mashadar, so Sammael heads to Shadar Logoth, possibly as early as LOC, and inspects and prepares for his hoax. Since Moiraine is capable of constructing weaves and wards which prevent Mashadar from harming her, it is a certainty that Sammael can do the same. Sammael can operate in Shadar Logoth with little danger to himself. Note that when Sammael went to Shadar Logoth, he positioned himself directly at the Waygate in Shadar Logoth, and note that in LOC Rand had the opportunity to close that gate permanently, but didn't. When Rand saw Sammael, he also could not tell if the gate was open or closed; he was too far away. This is one way Sammael possessed to remove himself from the theater, after Rand might think him dead-- run through an open Waygate. Other ways include Sammael simply putting an invisibility cloak over himself, Sammael's image near the Waygate being nothing but an illusion, Sammael having created a pre-existing Gateway out of sight with inverted weaves, Sammael creating a Gateway with the True Power which Rand could not detect, and Sammael ducking around a corner. Regardless, there are a number of ways Sammael could have left the arena without Rand knowing about it. Evidence for the theory The direct evidence for the theory is fairly thin, but it is there. First, from Sammael's wards and plans inside the city of Illian, he seems not to have ever planned to put up a serious fight against Rand, if Rand ever got into the city. Win or lose, Illian ceased to become important to Sammael from a military standpoint as soon as Rand attacked him personally. If Rand won such a confrontation, Sammael would be dead. If Sammael won such a confrontation, Rand would be dead but the Dark One would be very angry with Sammael. It should be clear that Sammael could have put up a serious fight against Rand in Illian, had he wanted. He should have been aware of Rand's transporting six thousand Aiel from Cairhien to Caemlyn in one night. He should have been aware of the dramatic, Gateway-ridden rescue mounted by the Asha'man, and thus aware that Rand can Gate. It is mentioned in several places that Sammael is an extremely competent military leader, and in one place that no one knew how to ward a box (i.e., protect a military strongpoint) like Sammael. Surely, he could have made plans for a Gateway assault. Something simple but murderous, like the razor-ribbons Asmodean used in TSR, but showing up automatically in front of Gateways. That he did not indicates that Illian was not as important to Sammael as Rand thought. Surely, he had another plan. Second, after Sammael is finished chewing out Carridin in [ACOS: 15, Insects, 289] he opens a Gateway into a location filled with grey columns and thick mist. This doesn't sound much like Illian, but it does sound something like Shadar Logoth. Third, when Rand does manage to attack Sammael's fortifications (such as they were) and wards in Illian, even the wards don't give anyone much trouble. They are showy, flashy, and expansive, but not one of them even challenges Rand or his accompanying Asha'man. They don't seem to be serious attempts to hurt anyone or anything, but rather wards for the sake of show. Fourth, there is an immense time lag between the time Rand mounts his assault and Sammael's ultimate response. Several hours, it would seem, enough time for the sun to set. It is worth noting, that in waiting for sunset in Illian, Sammael would also be waiting for about dusk in Shadar Logoth, which is about the time Mashadar would come out to play. Coincidence? Notes There is some question as to the role of Liah in the showdown, and whether she was Sammael's tool, an illusion of Liah, or an independent entity. At signings, Robert Jordan has stated fairly clearly that Liah's survival was due to her slowly being absorbed or subsumed by the spirit of Shadar Logoth. This implies that she was truly there and that her presence was not entirely of Sammael's making. It is still possible, though it seems unlikely, that Sammael used Compulsion on her to make her appear and distract Rand. It is not impossible, though there is no direct evidence, that Sammael knew (perhaps by testing her reactions on other surveys of the location) that Liah would investigate any disturbance in the city. Sammael was acting as a loose cannon and got slapped down for it [Mark Loy] I think that RJ likes symmetry. Male half of the TS counterbalanced with the female half... good balanced with evil... the Asha'man and the Aes Sedai... etc. Moghedien fucked up in that she got captured and was forced to aid the DO's enemies. She was treated very rudely by Moridin. Asmodean fucked up because he too got captured and used by the DO's enemies. Similar crimes... counterbalanced. Lanfear, on the other hand, openly acted against the DO's wishes. This seems to me to be far worse than the crimes of Moggy or Asmo. And since we have a woman betraying her commitment to the DO I believe that RJ will have/has had a male doing something similar-- working against the explicit orders of the DO. Look at the "evidence" that Sammy has been acting in this way. First, he doesn't go to Dem's meetings. Dem, we know, is following the explicit orders of the DO. Sammy's actions regarding Dem lead me to believe that he doesn't want to provide Dem.. .and consequently, the DO... with any clues to his agenda. Openly he appears to be following exactly what the DO has ordered. But secretly, his personal agenda includes killing or capturing Rand and making it look like he did not do it. Further evidence concerns the fact that Moridin and SH have been watching Sam covertly. I think that he is being watched because the DO isn't completely convinced that one of his guys isn't going to do something that he doesn't want done. I believe that Moridin was watching Sam at the time that Sam sprung his trap on Rand. Sam's plan was to maneuver Rand to a place that was not monitored by the DO's minions, aid in letting Mashadar croak/capture him, and then go back to Illian and reclaim his city sanctuary. It would be a perfect crime on Sam's part and would eliminate one of the strongest obstacles to his being made Nae'blis. Moridin, a complete unknown to Sam, saw Sam's actions regarding his plan and went to SL to intercede/intervene to insure that the DO's plans were not compromised by Sam. Reread his conversation with Rand and you will get the impression that he didn't give a rat's ass if Sam died... just that he wasn't willing to kill Sam for Rand. With the wildcard, Moridin, there...Sam's plan went a little off. And at the end, Moridin took/captured Sam and departed by a TP gate-- hence Rand could not sense it. If I'm right, Sam is now in Moridin's clutches. XXXXXXXXXXXX 1.1.6: Mazrim Taim-- Is he Demandred? [Written by P.Korda. Contributors: Bill Garrett, William Smit, John Schwegler, John Novak, OilCan, Fred Van Keuls, and lots of other folks.] _________________________________________________________________ So, is the Mazrim Taim who appears in LoC the real Mazrim Taim, the Saldaean False Dragon, or is he the Forsaken Demandred in disguise? Here, MT=the character who appears in LoC, general of the Asha'man. Taim=the False Dragon we heard about first in TGH, captured after Falme. Demandred=the Forsaken. How could MT be Demandred? The idea is that the BA, or a Forsaken, or some Trollocs, broke Taim free from where he was being held in Saldaea. They took him to Semirhage, or someone else who could extract every bit of information from his skull (a la the AS Cabriana who Semirhage tortures) and drained him dry. Then they killed him. Demandred either 1) Looks kind of like Taim in the first place, or 2) Looks very different from Taim and is using an illusion (or maybe some kind of partial illusion) to look like the real Taim. This is why Bashere isn't sure that MT is Taim, and why MT says that he shaved his beard. This also explains why it is MT who brings up the things only he and Bashere know--to convince everybody that he is Taim. Then again, MT may really be the original Mazrim Taim. The reason we think of Demandred when we see him is not because he is Demandred, but because he is similar to Demandred in personality--he wanted to be the Dragon, he doesn't like being second-best, etc. Taim could have the ultimate plan of supporting Rand as much as he can, helping him to win the Last Battle. Since Rand is expected to die in the Last Battle, Taim plans to bide his time and take control in the aftermath. After that, well, as MT says, the winners write the histories. Finally, there is the possibility that there never was a "real" Taim; only Demandred. The first mention of Taim is at the beginning of TGH [TGH: 5, The Shadow in Shienar, 55], and "trouble in Saldaea" is mentioned in TEOTW. At that point, at least some of the other Forsaken are loose, so it is possible that Demandred was, too. We don't know enough about the timing of events to decide for sure. Arguments in favor of MT being Demandred Now, we will present the arguments for the "Taimandred" theory, and counterarguments. 1) MT knows too much: knowing how to test for channelling ability, how quickly he "learns" gateways, how well he teaches the Asha'man, etc. It's a little hard to believe that he figured all this out on his very own. Look at how much trouble Rand had learning before he got Asm as a proper teacher. Counter-argument: He's supposedly been channelling for 15 years. He had to have learned something in that time. Plus, MT mentions to Bashere that he used Compulsion on two people [LoC: 2, A New Arrival, 76]. Since the real Taim did that, the real Taim DID know stuff. (Note that this does not apply if Demandred was always MT.) As for Gateways, maybe Taim is just a fast learner, like Rand, or Nynaeve. In fact, one's ease of learning seems to be a direct function of how strong one is in the Power. (examples: Rand, Ny, El, Eg are all fast learners, and even SS and Moiraine, who are stronger than your average bear, spent a relatively short time as Novices (3 years?).) This probably has to do with the fact that, the stronger you are, the easier it is for you to see the flows required for a particular action, and thus can more readily duplicate it. (Note that that doesn't explain Taim's learning curve; he wouldn't have had anybody to observe and learn FROM.) 2) The Seal. The story about finding it in a Saldaean farmer's house is pretty fishy. Could it be that Demandred (posing as Taim) gave it to Rand in order to try to gain his trust? Counter-argument: If MT is Demandred, why would he, and the DO, give a seal to Rand? If the minions of the Shadow had a seal, wouldn't they break it? Maybe the DO could predict that Rand/LTT would try to break the seal, but Demandred couldn't have. MT was certainly shocked when it looked like Rand was going to smash it [LoC: 2, A New Arrival, 80-1]. As mentioned, it could be that Demandred would want to give it to Rand to get him to trust him, but that failed utterly. MT's seal story is somewhat backed by Bashere's story to Perrin about a farmer in Saldaea who claimed to be the descendant of the kings of an ancient Kingdom. If MT Farmer == Bashere Farmer it would be plausible that the seal was the last item of inheritance. And who better for the farmer to give it to than the Dragon Reborn (MT's claim before Rand declared himself)? Rebuttal: It could be that Taim was shocked when Rand looked like he was going to break the Seal because he was worried that Rand was already totally gone. It's clear that the DO has plans for Rand, and that the DO told Demandred something about a plan for Rand (not necessarily the REAL plan) in the "Let the Lord of Chaos rule" speech, and that Demandred liked it. If Rand was too loony to perform his role, Demandred would be worried. As for why he gave the Seal to Rand in the first place, why not? The seals have been steadily weakening, and will break on their own in time. Why not give the seal to Rand in an attempt to gain his trust? 3) MT claims to not be affected by the Taint, after (Rand estimates) 15 years of channelling [LoC: 2, A New Arrival, 76]. This seems pretty unlikely. Consider Owyn, who was going mad after only 3 years of hardly ever channelling at all. Many of the Asha'man have a few screws loose after only a few months of intensive channeling. The only Taint protection we know of is linking to the DO. Plus, the Red Ajah seems pretty adept at tracking down male channellers. In 15 years, one would have thought that the AS would have heard of him long before they did. Counter-argument: Unless Taim was a raving lunatic when he was leading his armies as a False Dragon, he must have still been somewhat sane, even after 15 years. (Again, note that if MT was always Dem, this does not apply.) Same argument applies for him not getting caught by the Reds. Plus, Logain, who is not a Forsaken, has been channelling for about six years (minus about a year or so of being gentled), and isn't going mad. It seems likely that the ease with which one succumbs to the Taint varies widely with the person. Owyn went under in 3 years, MT mentions some other guys who lasted for 2 years [LoC: 2, A New Arrival, 79], and Logain has lasted for 6 [LOC: 51, The Taking, 647]. 3.5) More on Taim's age: Rand estimates Taim's age as 35, or a few years older [LoC: 2, A New Arrival, 76]. However, Rand doesn't know about the "slowing" effect of using the OP. According to RJ, a man with the spark doesn't slow until 25, usually closer to thirty. He says one can go past thirty, but that probably depends on how early they start channelling and how much they channel [Post-TPOD Signing, New York, 20 October, 1998, report by Ryan R.]. Thus, the only way Taim could be the age he looks is if he started channelling at an unusually late age, and didn't channel much for the first few years. Since, if he's legit, he'd have to be a wilder, he must have started channelling young, at around Rand's age. The depth of his knowledge of channelling, and his career as a False Dragon demonstrate that he must have channelled a great deal prior to his arrival in Caemlyn. Therefore, Taim must be even older than 35. Let's postulate that men slow at a rate similar to women. We know that Garenia ran away from the Tower 70 years ago, and presumably she slowed before then, or soon afterwards (in her early 20s, as is usual for women). Garenia looks like she is Nynaeve's age, around 26. That corresponds to about five years of physical aging in 70 years. Now, if Taim started slowing at 30, then his actual age should be around 100 or so. Thus, the problem of Taim's age is even more extreme than it first appears. Counter-argument: The same type of arguments apply as discussed above. Maybe Taim is miraculously immune to the Taint. Also, maybe Rand overestimated Taim's age; maybe he's only thirty or so, in which case he needn't have begun slowing noticeably yet. 4) MT's reaction to Rand's badges and awards: he's not pleased to be seen as subservient to Rand [LoC: 42, The Black Tower, 543], just like Demandred [LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 56-7]. Counter-argument: It is entirely possible that Taim is just plain arrogant. Nothing says the Forsaken have a monopoly on excessive pride. 5) LTT often raves about Demandred, and killing him, every time MT is around. Is there a method in his madness? LTT raves, "Sammael, oh, yes, but Demandred first. First of all I rid myself of him, then Sammael." [LoC: 51, The Taking, 635] LTT and Rand know where Sammael is. But why does LTT insist on killing Demandred if he doesn't know where he is? Therefore, they do know where Demandred is; i.e., he's MT. [Dash W.] Counter-argument: Again, it could just be that Taim is similar to Demandred in many ways, and LTT thinks he will betray him like Demandred did in the AoL. Anyway, LTT is loony and wants to kill all male channellers [ACOS: 7, Pitfalls and Tripwires, 139]. Furthermore, one shouldn't take anything LTT says too seriously. He's a total loon. He wants to die forever and end his suffering [LoC: 18, A Taste of Solitude, 299], but he doesn't want to die [LoC: 46, Beyond the Gate, 560]. He says "trust no one" and "the man who doesn't trust is dead" or words to that effect. LTT could be confusing Taim and Demandred. 6) The epilogue: "Have I not done well, Great Lord?" The DO's orders were to "Let the Lord of Chaos Rule," which seems to refer to "sowing chaos" in general, and to promoting divisiveness among the enemies of the Shadow. Demandred and Mesaana (and Semirhage) were working together on a plot in LOC to "let the Lord of Chaos rule." One of the main plot threads in LOC was the interactions of Rand with the SAS and TAS embassies. Rand ended up getting kidnapped by the TAS, and was rescued with the assistance of the Asha'man. The events of the battle to free Rand led to a great deal of mistrust and enmity among the SAS embassy, the TAS, the Aiel who follow Rand, the Shaido, and the Asha'man. The current state of affairs among Rand's allies (his Aiel, the Asha'man) and potential allies (the TAS and SAS) can only be good for the Shadow. We know that Mesaana was central to setting up this situation, from her place in the WT. Assuming Demandred had a hand in it as well (as is implied by his visit to SG at the end of the book), the most logical place for Demandred to be, among those factions, is the AM. Counter-argument: From Sammael's speech with Graendal [LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 135], we know that Demandred may be involved in the Seanchan invasion in Tarabon. Maybe this has something to do with it. Furthermore, if Demandred is MT and is also involved with the Seanchan, wouldn't it be necessary for him to "disappear" from the farm in order to manage his other project? Nobody's mentioned anything about MT vanishing. Finally, if the final mess in LOC was set up by Dem, Sem, and Mesaana, what was Semirhage's role? 7) MT kills the Gray Man. If he hadn't, Rand might have gotten information out of it. Alternatively, it could've been a set-up: Taimandred ordered the Gray Man, and killed him to "prove" his loyalty to Rand. Counter-argument: It's doubtful Rand could get much information from a Gray Man. The Gray Men have no souls--they're basically walking killing machines. They probably have some sort of self-destruct mechanism, too. Jared Samet remarks: "If I were designing a perfect assassin, I'd set him up so that he could never point the finger at me. Remember, the Gray Man who comes after Nynaeve in the Tower has a knife in him the moment they find him. Besides, the Gray Man could only tell Rand anything damaging to MT if Demandred had sent him (possible I suppose, but why can't Demandred do it himself if thats what the DO wants?) A Gray Man with a story implicating Sammael or some other Forsaken (easy enough for a channeller to set up) could help MT more than a dead one." As for how conveniently MT showed up, recall that strange and oddly convenient things happen around Rand all the time. 8) MT's remark on "These so-called Aiel". If he hadn't been around in the AoL, why are they "so-called"? [LoC: 11, Lessons and Teachers, 215] The only other person to use this (exact same) phrase is Moridin (who used to be Ishamael) in [ACOS: 20, Patterns Within Patterns, 356]. Only somebody from the AOL would have cause to call the modern Aiel "so-called." Counter-argument: This is the hardest piece of evidence to explain away. People have suggested rationalizations, though. For example, if Taim knew the old tongue, he might be simply saying that he doubts the Aiel are truly "dedicated" to Rand. Another possible explanation is that, if Taim is about 35, which seems reasonable, then he was alive for the Aiel War, although possibly too young to go east to fight. He probably heard tales about Aiel--10 feet tall, breathing fire, etc. Here he sees some in Caemlyn peacefully patrolling the streets. Not what an average wetlander would expect of Savages From the Waste. Rebuttal: As to the first suggestion, it hardly seems in character to for Taim to be making puns in the Old Tongue. As for the second, even if the Aiel Taim meets aren't the monsters he's heard about, they are undeniably Aiel. Nobody else in Randland regards them as "so-called." 8.5) Another Aiel reference. There is second suspicious Taim quote about the Aiel. During the fight at Dumai's Wells, Taim has the Asha'man raise a defensive barrier of Air around Rand's position. Many of the people Perrin led from Caemlyn (Aiel fighters and WOs, Mayeners, Cairhienin, and Two Rivers folk) are trapped outside, among the Shaido. Rand asks Taim to lower the barrier, presumably so that the fighters could be informed of Rand's safety, and an orderly retreat could begin. [LOC: 55, Dumai's Wells, 692-693] Taim argues against this, saying, "There are casualties in battle. I lost several soldiers today, nine men who will be harder to replace than any number of renegade Aiel." He is clearly talking about Rand¹s Aiel, not the Shaido. So why are they "renegade"? The only convincing explanation that I see is that they are renegades against the Way of the Leaf, the code of the Da¹shain Aiel. [Fred Van Keuls] This makes not one, but two instances in which Taim expresses doubts about the legitimacy of the modern Aiel. In this case, in the middle of a heated battle, there is no reason for Taim to doubt the "dedication" of the Aiel to Rand's cause. Counter-argument: Taim may be referring to the vast numbers of Shaido. As far as each side's battle strength is concerned, it will be easier for the Shaido to replace a few dozen or hundred spears than it will for Taim to recruit and train nine men. [Matthew Heslin] Rebuttal: The context of the above quote is that Taim is arguing against raising the 'Dome of Air' to save Rand's Aiel, Mayeners and True Rivers folk from the Shaido. He is saying that Rand's Aiel (outside the Dome) are expendable compared to the Asha'man (inside the Dome). Given the discussion before the quote, it seems highly unlikely to me that Taim could be referring to the Shaido as the 'renegade Aiel'. I suppose one could argue that Taim is confused about what is going on. However, Taim has never given me that impression. [Fred Van Keuls] 9) Strength: MT is very strong in the Power. Forsaken-class, even (almost as strong as Rand himself). [LoC: 3, A Woman's Eyes, 92] Counter-argument: The real Taim was thought to be very strong. [TSR: 5, Questioners, 85] Just because he's strong doesn't mean he's evil. (And just because he's evil, doesn't mean he's Forsaken.) Nynaeve is Forsaken-class, but she's on the Good Guys' side. 10) Smile: In the prologue, it is said that Demandred never smiles [LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 15], [LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 58]. MT doesn't either-- at the end of LoC, before "Kneel, or you will be knelt", Rand says something like "His expression was as close to a smile as he had ever seen it." [LoC: 55, Dumai's Wells, 695] Counter-argument: Once again, it could just be that Taim and Demandred have similar personalities. 11) Min's viewing: of an invisible man holding a knife to Rand's throat. This could indicate that Demandred is the "serpent in the bosom," masquerading as Taim. Counter-argument: The vision could be the Gray Man, as Rand thinks. Or, it could be MT, who is not to be trusted, even if he isn't Demandred. Rebuttal: Since when has Rand ever interpreted Min's visions correctly? 12) Location, Location, Location: Demandred takes a gateway directly out of TAR while in the Royal palace in Caemlyn. Unless Demandred knows some sort of combination traveling/leaving TAR gateway, then he must be somebody, or pretending to be somebody who comes to Caemlyn regularly, and somebody who can channel his way into the palace without inviting immediate destruction upon himself. We know that MT has been visiting Rand in Caemlyn because Rand's thoughts comment on how MT has taught him to block out heat, and a few chapters later Rand tells MT that his visits to the city would have to stop because Alanna and Verin have shown up. Counter-argument: Maybe he went out of TAR to someplace that was not Caemlyn. Also, maybe Demandred is gutsy enough to enter into Rand's turf. Rebuttal: We've never seen anybody enter/leave TAR in the flesh via any means except gating to the spot in the real world corresponding to the spot one is in in TAR. As for Dem blatantly entering into Rand's turf, it's not likely that he'd do that unless he had a cover story-- too dangerous, especially with Rand becoming more and more paranoid. 13) MT's behavior: Bill Garrett says: Something that should maybe be added as a separate point is MT's whole challenge/submit behavior. He'll argue with Rand about something, telling him it has to be done another way, then suddenly he'll agree and say "As my Lord Dragon commands." I think it's Demandred trying to do things his way, but suddenly remembering the Dark One's orders to do what Rand says (or at least to not go directly against him). And MT sometimes disobeys Rand and frequently does things Rand doesn't expect, as with the Asha'man. Counter-argument: How is this different from the way the Tairen lords behaved? Or the Andoran nobility? Or Davram Bashere? Hell, even the Aiel tend to do this. Everybody tries to convince Rand to do things their way, but when you get right down to it, he's going to do as he damn well pleases, and all you can say is "As my Lord Dragon commands." 14) Another slip of the tongue: When Rand shows MT how to make a gateway, he calls it a "gateway." A little further in the same chapter, MT says, "You can Travel, but you don't know how to test for the talent." How does MT know that a Gateway = Traveling? AFAIK, Rand didn't mention anything about "traveling," only "gateways." Counter-argument: Maybe MT heard the term described during his 15 years as channeller, and added 2 and 2 to make 4. Rebuttal: Once more, this raises the question of how Taim got to know so much about channelling, with (supposedly) nobody to teach him. 15) Sammael and Graendal in conversation: In [ACOS: 20, Patterns Within Patterns, 355], Sammael and Graendal are discussing their comrades. Sammael says, "I didn't arrange [Rand's] kidnapping....Mesaana had a hand in it, though. Maybe Demandred and Semirhage as well, despite how it ended...." Note the despite-- there is a strong implication here that Sem and Dem somehow had a hand in the conclusion of the Rand-kidnapping episode, i.e. in his rescue. Who was instrumental in the rescue? Taim and the Asha'man, Perrin and the Two Riversians, the Wolves, the Mayeners, and the Aiel. We all know that the most likely place for Demandred is with the Asha'man, as their leader, in fact. Note that this interpretation implies that Sam knows where Dem and Sem are situated. We do not know that he knows this, in fact, as of [LOC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 138], Graendal doesn't know where they are. Of course, Sam could have known, without telling Graendal, or they could always have discovered it in the intervening time. Counter-argument: A totally different spin can be put on the passage. As Mark Loy explains, "To paraphrase...'I didn't arrange Rand's kidnapping... Mesaana had a hand in arranging Rand's kidnapping... Maybe Dem and Sem had a hand in arranging Rand's kidnapping as well, despite how the kidnapping ended. This interpretation means that they might have had a hand in arranging the kidnapping...in the planning..." despite the fact that it ended all messed up. 16) Yet another slip of the tongue: MT has taken to calling himself "The M'Hael," which means "leader" in the Old Tongue, and giving OT designations to his lieutenants. MT knows an awful lot about the Old Tongue for a modern-day Randlander. Counter-argument: Well, maybe he does know the Old Tongue. Maybe he was a scholar or something before he became a False Dragon. Of course, that is pure speculation. 17) Black Tower: MT has pretty much built the Black Tower on his own. Rand has made little effort to be involved in it, and has left the recruiting, training, and testing of Asha'man to MT. MT, in turn, has done a fine job-- in just a few months (between LOC and POD) he's created an unconventional military force which can take on anybody in Randland, including Aes Sedai and Seanchan. Just a handful of Asha'man have proven to be the decisive factor in many battles, some of them against opponents with channelling capability. So, we must ask ourselves, if MT is so efficient at turning out combat channellers, why didn't he do it when HE was claiming to be the Dragon Reborn? He claims to have tried training other men to channel [LOC: 2, A New Arrival, 79], so the thought must have occurred to him. Granted, since he lacked Rand's ta'veren-power to attract recruits, he would have had a much smaller force than the 400 or so at the BT. However, given that two or three percent of people can learn to channel [Guide: 2, The One Power and the True Source, 18], and that Taim's army of followers was of a "normal" Randland size (on the order of a couple thousand), he should have been able to get at least 10-20 men who could have been useful. Even ten male channellers is nothing to sneeze at, and yet Taim the False Dragon had no channelling followers. This can be explained easily if one supposes that Taim did not have the knowledge to identify and train channellers. MT is not Taim, but Demandred, who certainly has all that knowledge. He told Rand the story about identifying male channellers in an attempt to allay Rand's suspicions about MT knowing how to do the test. Counter-argument: There are other possible reasons Taim didn't train any other channellers. Perhaps he didn't have time. Perhaps he was worried that they'd turn against him. Perhaps when he saw his first experiments in training go mad in two years or so [LOC: 2, A New Arrival, 79], he gave the idea up. Rebuttal: As for time, he supposedly spent 15 years or so as a channeller before declaring himself the Dragon. He didn't seem to be in any big hurry. Taim isn't the sort of guy to worry about most of his subordinate channellers betraying him-- he's shown himself to be a master at inspiring admiration and loyalty in his troops; he's got a regular cult of personality among the Asha'man. As for the ones he didn't feel he could trust, he's not the sort of guy to be shy about killing them outright. As for the madness, he is known to be a totally ruthless fellow. He'd have no problem using his followers for the year or two they had of sanity and then killing them. Of course, this argument doesn't apply if Taim has always been Dem. Arguments against MT being Demandred There doesn't seem to be anything about MT which is inconsistent with him being Demandred, only ways to explain away the evidence in favor of it. One point that has often been mentioned is that Rand sees MT channelling, but he does not see the black cord connecting him to the DO and filtering out the Taint. However, this is NOT A VALID ARGUMENT! The black cords are only seen/sensed under very special circumstances. Rand has only seen them in two places-- T'A'R and the in-between space used for Skimming. Rand has never seen MT in either of those places. Note that Rand has seen male Forsaken without seeing the cords: Aginor and Balthamel at the Eye and Be'lal in the Heart of the Stone. Thus, the fact that Rand hasn't seen the black threads on MT shows nothing one way or the other. (See section 1.3.1.) MT's behavior in TPOD RJ doesn't seem to be ready to reveal whether MT is Demandred or not. While it is clear that MT was up to something in TPOD, everything he did or is suspected of having done in that book could be consistent with either scenario. What was MT up to in TPOD? Through his lieutenants Torval, Gedwyn, Kisman, and Rochaid (or some subset thereof), he set up the Illianer rebels to attempt to assassinate Rand, supposedly at the instigation of Aes Sedai. Through Torval, he tried to make Rand suspicious of Egwene's army which was, at the time, marching towards Caemlyn and the BT. Possibly, Gedwyn tried to subvert or cause problems with High Lord Weiramon. At the end, Taim possibly set up his lieutenants as "deserters" who tried to kill Rand, thus producing a coterie of male channellers who were clearly loyal to MT, and whose actions he could disavow. He was angry when he learned that Dashiva, NOT one of his favorites, had gotten in on the attack. None of this points one way or the other. Both Demandred and a real Taim would be interested in exacerbating the tensions between Rand and the Aes Sedai. Taim would do so because he'd fear that if Rand allied with AS, the BT could be threatened or at least become less important. Not to mention, since Taim was captured by AS, he'd have no love for them. Demandred would also want to increase Rand's dependence on the BT (and thus on Taimandred) for all his channelling needs. He'd want to widen the chasm between Rand and the AS, so that Rand would have less support, and to sow general chaos. Similarly, both the real Taim and Taimandred would benefit from having a force of channellers who worked independently of the BT, and whose loyalty he could count upon, and whose actions he wouldn't have to justify to Rand. Dashiva was obviously not in on the Plan, and thus received MT's ire (whoever he really is) when he joined in. He represents an element of which MT doesn't have control. In conclusion, nothing in POD lent strength to either side of the Taimandred question. Any other possibilities? One more thing that has been discussed is that Osan'gar is MT. Osan'gar could have been substituted for the original Taim shortly before he turned up in LOC. However, MT's personality is much more consistent with what we know of Demandred's than that of Aginor/Osan'gar. XXXXXXXXXXXX 1.1.7: The Death of Asmodean (Who killed JoaR?) [Karl-Johan Noren, Kevin Bartlett, P. Korda] _________________________________________________________________ [Asmodean] pulled open a small door, intending to find his way to the pantry. There should be some decent wine. One step, and he stopped, the blood draining from his face. "You? No!" The word still hung in the air when death took him. [TFOH: 56, Glowing Embers, 682] Note: Tons of thanks to Karl-Johan Noren and Kevin Bartlett, whose comprehensive analyses of Asmodean's death I plundered in order to give this section the thoroughness it deserves. Their original pages are linked from the Wheel of Time Index (See section 0.8). Did Asmodean really die at the end of TFOH? Did Moridin ("death") take him? Yes, he's dead. No, Moridin did not kidnap him. First of all, RJ clearly takes this series too seriously to use such a dastardly pun. Secondly, RJ told Yancy Davis at a post-POD signing in Northern Virginia that Asmodean is "road kill." "He also used the line, 'He's a cat that tried to cross the tracks and didn't quite make it.' Also, when I said, 'so he won't be back' he responded, 'No, he will not be coming back.'" [Yancy Davis] Third, Aaron Bergman asked this question at a post-POD book-signing in New York: "In particular, I asked whether "death" was just a pun on "Moridin". He said "oh, god no" quite disgustedly." Thankfully, that's the end of that theory. General Considerations Now that that's out of the way, let's get on to serious discussion. First, we will consider what the general requirements are for Asmodean's murderer. Second, we will round up all the usual suspects (and some unusual ones). Then, we will examine all the general requirements in detail, and see if we can draw any conclusions from them. Next, we will eliminate suspects who couldn't possibly have done it, and those who theoretically could have done it, but who probably didn't. Finally, we will examine the cases for and against the remaining suspects. Requirements which must be satisfied by the murderer: 1. Means: be able to kill Asmo (a channeller) near-instantaneously 2. Motive: have a motive 3. Opportunity: be able to be in the Caemlyn palace at the time of the murder 4. Be a person who Asmodean recognised, who he didn't expect to see, and of whom he was terrified 5. Be able to dispose of the body 6. Must know Asmodean's fate 7. There must be a reason why it's kept a secret, by the author and the killer 8. Be "obvious" from the instant he died (and we use the term loosely.) Suspects (overly-complete list): * Aran'gar or Osan'gar * Demandred * Graendal * Ishamael/Moridin * Lanfear * Mesaana * Moghedien * Padan Fain * Sammael * Semirhage * Shaidar Haran * Slayer * some random minion of the DO (a Gholam, Myrddraal, common DF etc) Now, on to discussion of particular requirements. We'll start off with the classic three requirements for solving any murder mystery: means, motive, and opportunity. Then, we'll consider other requirements for the particular "case" at hand. Means: How was he killed? Any good murder investigation begins with determining how the victim died. We are at a slight disadvantage, because there is no body to examine. The possible murder weapons are: channelling, a gholam (which, from another POV, can also be considered a suspect), the Shadar Logoth dagger, and some purely physical means, such as a knife or sword. What we do have is a (very short) description of his death: "the word still hung in the air when death took him." This indicates that he died very quickly. He did not get a chance to even try to run away or defend himself, even with the OP. Remember, channelling is fast: Rand plucks daggers and spears out of thin air. We know that a Warder vs a Fade is usually an even fight, but the Fade is dead meat against even the weakest channeller (except possibly Sorilea). Because of this, it seems unlikely that he was killed by purely physical means. The Shadar Logoth dagger poses the same difficulty, to some degree, although unlike a normal dagger, a victim doesn't have a chance to get away once he's been touched by it. Since gholam are super-duper fast and OP-resistant, this constraint doesn't necessarily apply if one of them was the assailant. The Shadar Logoth dagger has another problem. Once a person's been cut by it, they don't die instantaneously. There is enough time for the stabbed one to gasp, fall to the ground, writhe around a bit, and finally die once the Mashadar-taint spreads through his body. See the scene in TFOH where Fain kills the Accepted [TFoH: 19, Memories, 259], and the part in TGH where Mat kills the Seanchan guy [TGH: 45, Blademaster, 538]. While the latter seems to die much faster than the Accepted, he still does some writhing in agony which is not consistent with the quickness of Asmodean's death. Since, as discussed below, it is unlikely that he was killed by a gholam, the most probable murder weapon is channelling. The absence of a body lends more credence to the idea that the killer was a channeller, and that channelling was used in the murder (see below). The personalities of the Forsaken (the channelling suspects) lead us to believe that they wouldn't use conventional means to kill a person; they'd channel. Furthermore, since, of the channelling suspects, only Ishy/Moridin prefers the TP over the OP, the most likely murder weapon is the One Power. Was Asmodean balefired? This is definitely a possibility. Certainly, any channeller (read Forsaken) who could have killed Asmo could have wanted to ensure that his thread was burned out of the Pattern. When Demandred visits the DO in [LOC: Prologue, The First Message, 13-16], the DO lumps Asmodean in with Rahvin as having "died the final death." In Rahvin's case, this means he was balefired, and the DO cannot "step outside of time" to recycle him. Of course, there are other ways in which Asmo could have died with no possibility of recycling. For one thing, the DO may have the power to recycle Asmo, but chooses not to, because he was a traitor. Also, remember that Rand severed Asmo's link to the DO, and thus the DO might not have had the power to save Asmo's soul even if he'd wanted to. Another point in favor of the balefire idea is the similarity between RJ's description of Asmo's death and that of Be'lal in [TDR: 55, What is Written in Prophecy, 557]: Moiraine had not stopped or slowed while he spoke. She was no more than thirty paces from him when he moved his hand, and she raised both of hers as well. There was an instant of surprise on the Forsaken's face, and he had time to scream `No!' Then a bar of white fire hotter than the sun shot from the Aes Sedai's hands, a glaring rod that banished all shadows. Before it, Be'lal became a shape of shimmering motes, specks dancing in the light for less than a heartbeat, flecks consumed before his cry faded. In particular, note the similarity between "flecks consumed before his cry faded" with "the word still hung in the air when death took him." This is certainly suggestive. If Asmodean was killed by channelling, why didn't anybody sense it? A common argument against the idea that Asmo was killed by channelling is that, if it was a man, Rand would have sensed the channelling, and if it was a woman, Rand or Aviendha would have sensed it. This isn't really a valid objection. The range at which channelling can be sensed seems to depend on many different things: proximity, amount of OP being channelled, how much attention the senser is paying, the strength and experience of the senser, and any number of other variables. (See section 2.3.5 for further analysis.) In the case of Asmodean's death, we have many unknowns. We don't know how far he was from Rand and Avi when he died. He'd been walking through the palace, thinking about his situation, and there is no indication of how far he walked before opening that fateful door. It is entirely possible that he was too far away for the channelling to be detected by Rand and/or Aviendha, who were both distracted by other business. We don't know what form of channelling was used to kill him (if channelling it was)-- balefire, fireballs, inverse healing, or something we don't know about, or how easy any of those things are to sense at a distance. There are too many unknowns and uncertainties to eliminate either half of the OP as the murder weapon. Furthermore, while most of the Forsaken don't choose to use the TP as a matter of course, any of them could have received the DO's permission to use it for this assassination, especially if the deed was done at the DO's direct order. As we know, the TP cannot be sensed by anybody. Motive: "When I know why, I'll know who." The question of why Asmo was killed is perhaps the most complicated issue related to his death. Indeed, as the saying goes, if we knew why he was murdered, we could very likely figure out who did it. Here are the possible motives: 1. Ordered assassination from the DO, as punishment for treachery. All the Forsaken, Slayer, and the different random minions could be acting under this scenario. 2. Enterprising person, deciding to kill Asmodean on their own accord, in accordance with some unknown (by us) plan. This requires that the murderer has gained knowledge that Jasin Natael really is Asmodean, in effect leaving only the Forsaken as possible killers. 3. Asmodean stumbled upon his murderer by chance, i.e. the murderer was in Caemlyn and the Palace for an entirely different reason and eliminated Asmo because he discovered him/her. 4. Ordered assassination, in order to allow Demandred to appear as Taim. This, of course, only works if the Taimandred theory is true. (See Section 1.1.6.) 5. Plot to cause confusion for Rand by killing his minions. Note that 1, 4 and 5 can all be classified under "ordered by the DO," and 5 could also be a special case of "personal enterprise." Generally, 1, 2, 4, and 5 all involve premeditation, while 3 is just a crime of opportunity. Any of the Forsaken could have acted under any of these motives. A random minion or Slayer would have been acting under orders, either from a Forsaken, or the DO. Fain could only have been acting under 3 or 5. We will now discuss the various motives: Ordered assassination, as punishment for treachery Now, it makes perfect sense that the DO and the various Forsaken would want to punish Asmodean for going over to Rand's side. However, if this was the motive for the murder, several things don't add up. In general, people who betray the cause of the Shadow are killed in very visible, painful, messy ways, in order to send a message to others who might consider giving up the Dark Side. Examples of this are Amico and Joiya in TSR, and Ispan in TPOD. Asmodean's remains were not left behind as a lesson. Furthermore, he was killed quickly, with none of the gruesome torture experienced by other failures. The only way the method of the murder makes sense for it as a punishment is if it was done with balefire-- more than just dying, his thread would have been burned out of the pattern totally. This still doesn't make perfect sense, because if it was punishment why wasn't the fact that he was balefired shared with the other Forsaken, as a warning? Timing With this motive, we must also address the issue of timing. Why was Asmodean killed when he was? Given that Asmodean had been "on Rand's side" for at least two months when he was killed, the question of timing must be considered, at least if the murderer is one of the Forsaken. Couldn't he have been killed far earlier? It could be argued that because Asmodean hadn't spent much time in Caemlyn (less than one day) before he was murdered, the murderer wasn't working under a carefully rehearsed plan, but acting more on a sudden opportunity. However, any Forsaken who had set out to kill Asmo would have gone to Cairhien, found out about Rand's raid, and Traveled to Caemlyn. If Asmodean was killed as punishment, why did the DO (or somebody speaking for it) wait so long to give the order? It possible that changing circumstances forced the DO or a Forsaken to act. From the DO's or the Forsaken's point of view, the two big events were Lanfear's disappearance and Rahvin's death. The killing of Asmodean is likely connected with one or both of these events. Another possibility is that Asmodean was killed in order to facilitate putting up Demandred as Taim in LoC, something that would have been hard or impossible to do with Asmodean still alive. (This is discussed separately, below.) Yet another possibility is that Asmo's death heralds Moridin's resurrection. Personal Enterprise Perhaps Asmodean was killed by somebody who had been planning it for a while, and had held off because he was a pet project of Lanfear's. When Lanfear died/vanished, whoever it was took the opportunity to remove him. (Problem with this: Lanfear claimed to her fellow Chosen that Asmo had gone over to Rand entirely of his own free will, not due to any scheme of hers.) Alternatively, the killer could have had some plan which required Asmodean's removal, and done so. This raises the question of why did they kill him when they did, rather than earlier? (See the discussion of timing, above.) Accidental Discovery One possibility is that Asm was not the specific target of the killer; he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps the killer was/is spying/plotting/etc from within the court of the Dragon Reborn. Asmodean bumped into him on his way to the wine closet, recognized him, and got killed to protect his secret. Quoting from the relevant passage: "He pulled open a small door, intending to find his way to the pantry. There should be some decent wine." Then we have, "You? No!" He was going to look for wine. He probably opened a door to an empty storeroom or hallway. It was not a wine pantry. He hadn't found it yet. If you reread the passage yourself, it seems that it may have even been an accident he ran into his killer (i.e. the killer wasn't planning on it, but since Asmodean saw him...). This motive fits well with the body being removed/destroyed. If the killing was for punishment, it would have made more sense for the body to be left, and the death widely publicized, to set an example. So how could the body being discovered disclose something about the killer (to the other characters)? There are 3 possibilities. 1) the killer is part of Rand's entourage, and a dead Asmo could make people suspicious that there was a traitor in the ranks. 2) there is a hole in Rand's security, and a dead Asm would inspire people to find it and patch it up. 3) the killer is hiding (not necessarily only from Rand-- could also be from the Forsaken) and a dead body could start folks thinking the killer was active. Tie-in to Taimandred If Taim is Demandred, there is a very good, concrete motive for Asmodean to be killed. Namely, Asmodean could have recognised Demandred--by looks, or personality, or strength in the Power--and betrayed him to Rand. In order for Taim to work his way into Rand's organization, Asmodean had to be eliminated. One might object that Demandred was not informed of the supposed plan to kill Asmodean on his behalf. However, this is not a problem. Demandred wasn't even told about the plans the DO had for him until after Asmodean was killed. And if the plan was to play Taim, he had one month between being informed of the plan and his appearance on Rand's doorstep. Simple plot to cause confusion The killer may have killed Asmo as part of a plot to annoy or confuse Rand. The problem with this is that there are many better targets for a person with that motive. Why not go after somebody Rand actually cares about, like Mat, Avi, or Egwene? The only way this motive makes sense at all is if the killer knew Asmo's value to Rand as a teacher. In other words, the killer knew "Jasin Natal" was really Asmodean. The only suspects who would know that would be the Forsaken, and they all have much better motives than causing confusion. Opportunity Needless to say, the murderer either was already in Caemlyn when Rand made his surprise raid, or had a way to get there at will. Furthermore, the killer must have been able to get into the Palace (and out again, with the body-- see below). Now, any of the Forsaken could have done that easily, by Traveling. Shaidar Haran could have used the shadow-travel trick to get there. Neither Fain nor Slayer were known to be in Caemlyn at the time. In Fain's case, it is known that he was in Tar Valon (some long way from Caemlyn) about 25 days before Asm's death. It's not that likely that he could have made it in that time by conventional travel, although he could have used the Ways; there are known Waygates in both TV and Caemlyn. Since Slayer's been unaccounted for for some time, he too could have been in Caemlyn, although there is no real reason to think he was. There is a further problem with Fain and Slayer: if they'd had any actual plan to kill Asmo, they wouldn't have been in Caemlyn; they'd have been in Cairhien. The Caemlyn attack was a snap decision on Rand's part, and could not have been expected by ANY of the suspects. Thus, if the murderer went to the Caemlyn palace with the purpose of killing Asmodean, he/she must have some method of speedy traveling, such as Traveling. "Then I saw her face..." The Recognition Factor Recognised by and terrified Asm: again, any FS would be recognised. The extreme reaction implies it was somebody he never expected to see, like somebody he thought was dead. However, since Asmo was a weaselly coward, it's conceivable that any FS would terrify him, especially if he/she was about to kill him. However, point is raised why a FS would be walking around Rand's stronghold w/o a disguise. If the killer dropped disguise to show Asm who was killing him, why bother? Dramatic effect? "Oh, I ain't got no bodeeee."--Where is it? No body was left behind at the murder scene. This is evidenced by the fact that nobody (except the killer, duh) seems to know he's dead. Rand certainly doesn't. He thinks Asmo ran away: "If they discovered that he had held one of the Forsaken prisoner and allowed him to escape... He would deal with Asmodean himself if the man ever turned up again." [LOC: 3, A Woman's Eyes, 92] In TPOD, Rand still thinks Asmo's alive; he initially thinks that the attack at the end is Asmodean and/or Demandred [TPOD, 29, A Cup of Sleep, 565]. From this, we can conclude that he was either killed in such a way that no remains were left, or that the body was removed in order to hide the murder. Either way, this points to a channeller being the killer. Channelling is the only way we know of to kill a person while leaving no remains at all. Even the Shadar Logoth dagger leaves something. If there were remains, a channeller would have had no problem removing them, via a gateway. A nonchanneller would have had more than a little difficulty walking out of the Royal Palace carrying the corpse of the Lord Dragon's gleeman. In fact, we should ask why the body (if there was one) was removed at all. The only possible reason for the corpse to be removed would be to hide the fact that the killer was around. For many of the killers, the supposed motives would have been better served by leaving a recognizable body behind. We've seen that those who betray the Dark are generally killed in ways that serve as examples to others (e.g. Joiya and Amico in TSR, Ispan in POD). If the goal was simply to terrify Rand, leaving the body behind would have done a better job than removing it. The "cover-for-Taimandred" motive does give a possible reason for removing the body-- a dead Asmo might make Rand suspicious. Knowledge of Asmo's fate Needless to say, the person who killed him must know that he's dead. This condition can be used to eliminate quite a few suspects. Any character whose thoughts indicate that he/she thinks Asmo may still be alive can't be the killer. Likewise for any character who expresses ignorance of his fate in a situation where she/he wouldn't lie. Secrecy: Why? Despite RJ's comments to the contrary, it is not at all obvious who did the dirty deed. One question to ask ourselves is, "WHY is RJ keeping it a secret?" The lack of action on this front in LOC, ACOS, and TPOD pretty much demonstrates that the murder in and of itself is NOT a major plot thread, so there is no point in keeping it secret for the sake of keeping the reader in suspense. So, why is RJ keeping it secret? One answer is that Asmo's killing is itself a clue to something else that is going on, which we don't know about yet. This could be the return of Lanfear, or the Taimandred idea. We are not the only ones ignorant of the culprit. All of the characters (except one, obviously) are also ignorant of whodunnit (if they're Forsaken), or of what actually happened (if they're Good Guys or rank-and-file DFs). So, whoever killed Asm must have a reason for hiding it. After all, it's not like anybody would condemn them for punishing a traitor. For any of the Forsaken, this could be as simple as keeping the other Forsaken on their toes by causing uncertainty. Obvious to the most casual observer: Say what? RJ has repeatedly said that we should be able to figure out who the killer is. In fact, at a post-TPOD signing in NYC, he talked to Aaron Bergman about this: I asked about Asmodean again. He said that yes, we should be able to figure it out the instant he died. He said that he thinks it's obvious now and we should definitely be able to figure it out by the end of [TPOD].-- A. Bergman, report from NYC book signing, 20 October 1998. Well, RJ is obviously using the same definition of "obvious" that physics professors are wont to use. That is, it's obvious if you know the answer, and know which information is useful and which is irrelevant. It isn't "obvious" in the usual meaning of the word. Note that RJ "also claims that very, very few of the fan letters he gets are correct about [who killed Asmo]." [Post-TPOD signing, Northern Virginia, 21 November, 1998, report by John Novak.] This clearly shows that RJ's idea of "obvious" and his readers' idea of "obvious" don't really mix, do they? However, this statement by RJ is useful in eliminating possibilities. Not even RJ could stretch "being able to figure it out the instant he died" to encompass people or things we didn't know a thing about before the killing, such as Shaidar Haran, Mesaana, or gholam. Note that RJ's comment also implies that something in POD should clarify the issue. The only thing which is applicable to any of the suspects is the appearance of Cyndane, which does nothing but throw more fuel on the fire in the Lanfear vs. Graendal debate (see below). It DOES let us argue even more strongly against some of the less-likely suspects like Slayer or Fain, who were largely irrelevant to events in POD. (Fain is mentioned in passing, but nothing which connects him to Asmodean.) Elimination of suspects: Which suspects can be eliminated beyond any loony shadow of a doubt? Demandred From [LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 15-16], we see that Demandred doesn't know what happened to Asmodean: "Lanfear has vanished without a trace, just as Asmodean did." Hence, Demandred didn't kill him. (Dem. would have no reason to lie about such a thing, and it is doubtful whether he _could_ lie outright to the DO, under those circumstances (bathing in the DO's presence at SG.) Semirhage In [LOC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 141], Semirhage thinks to herself, "Asmodean. A traitor, and so doomed but he really had vanished..." and later, "If the Great Lord moved her here secretly, might he not be moving Moghedien or Lanfear, or even Asmodean?" This seems to imply that Semirhage doesn't know that Asmodean is dead, and thus, she couldn't have killed him. Moghedien She was Nynaeve's prisoner in Salidar-- either forkroot-drugged, or bound by the a'dam, when Asmo was killed. Hence, she couldn't have been in Caemlyn. Aran'gar, Osan'gar They weren't recycled until the beginning of LOC, and thus were busy being dead when Asmo was killed. Which suspects can be eliminated beyond reasonable doubt? Mesaana Mesaana visited the Pit of Doom twice in the period between Asmodean's death and her appearance in LoC, but with the DO never appearing. If she had killed Asmodean, wouldn't she have made some sort of report to the DO, especially since the DO approved of the murder? Also, in conversation with Semirhage, she has expressed doubts about whether Asmodean is really dead [LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 143]: "More troubling were the Chosen who had vanished. Demandred insisted they must be dead, but she [Semirhage] and Mesaana were not so sure". She doesn't mention Asmo specifically, and so it is possible that she's only referring to Lanfear and Moggy. However, while it's not conclusive, it is circumstantial evidence against Mesaana being the murderer. Furthermore, prior to LOC, we had not heard or seen a single thing about Mesaana. Thus, she fails the "obviosity" test--there is no way we could even suspect her from the instant he died. Slayer Conceivably, he could have reached Caemlyn from the Two Rivers in time, but his motive would have had to be a direct order from a DO or a Forsaken, and how would he have known to go to Caemlyn? Not to mention, one would think that the Royal Palace in Caemlyn would be the last place on earth "Lord Luc" would show his face. Furthermore, why would the DO send him towards a possible confrontation with a former Forsaken and Rand? As discussed above, any non-channeller would have great trouble harming a channeller if he or she was discovered first. (Slayer cannot channel-- See Section 1.4.3.) Plus, he'd have had to sneak the body away with no OP help. He was badly hurt in TSR, and it's not certain that he would be in any condition to sneak into the Royal Palace, kill a guy, and sneak back out with the body. Slayer also fails the "obvious" test. He doesn't appear in TFOH at all (before Asmo's death, at least), nor does he appear in LOC, ACOS, or TPOD. There is no particular reason to suspect him, and quite a few reasons not to. Shaidar Haran First, there is no reason to think that Asmo would recognize the Superfade. It is a possibility that Shaidar Haran told Asmodean in his dreams that it would come after him, but that would almost require that Ishamael was resurrected as SH, which we know not to be the case (unless you want to get really loony and say that Moridin is Shaidar Haran). We say this since Myrddraal don't dream. Second, his motive would have had to have been a directive from the DO, and the missing body is not consistent with that. He could have gotten to the Palace quickly, using the Fade Shadow-Travel trick, and destroyed the body using the "black fire" trick he used to burn the spear in [ACOS: 40, Spears, 637] (although he'd have no motive for destroying the body-- quite the opposite). However, it doesn't seem likely that a Fade would be wandering around the Palace in broad daylight. He'd hardly be inconspicuous. Again, this suspect fails the "obvious" criterion, because we didn't even know he existed before LOC came out. Sammael We are given very few hints in Sammael's thoughts in LOC and ACOS, and the issue is made even muddier by the game of deception he plays with Graendal. But in [LoC, 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 133] we have: "Rumors! Lanfear has been aiding al'Thor since the beginning, if you [Graendal] ask me. I would have had his head in the Stone of Tear except that someone sent Myrddraal and Trollocs to save him! That was Lanfear; I am certain. I'm done with her. The next time I see her, I'll kill her! And why would he kill Asmodean? I would if I could find him, but he has gone over to al'Thor. He's teaching him!" This is in a Sammael POV section. He is also trembling with anger, which makes it quite unlikely he's feigning ignorance of Asmo's fate. Thus, it's unlikely that Sammael did the deed. Gholam The only point in favor of this idea is that Asmo probably would have recognised a gholam, and been scared of it. However, there are more problems with this idea than there are conveniences. Firstly, it would have to have been sent by a Forsaken, which means we have to look among them anyway. Secondly, we've seen how gholam kill (Herid Fel), and it is way messier than the quick, clean way Asmo died. Since we didn't know about gholam before LOC, the gholam-as-killer theory fails the "obviosity" requirement. There's also the question of whether Asmo would call a gholam "you." Padan Fain The basic argument for Fain as the killer is this: He could have been in Caemlyn at the time (via the Ways, if nothing else). He would want to kill any Forsaken because they would interfere with his plans to be Rand's personal hell. However, that presupposes that Fain knew Jasin Natal was a Forsaken, which seems a very unlikely thing for Fain to know, given that he'd never seen Asmo/Natal before supposedly killing him. An alternative motive which has been proposed is that Fain killed Natal because he was trying to cause confusion and stress for Rand by disappearing a member of his retinue. However, this does not fit in with everything else we've seen of Fain's MO, which has mainly involved ingratiating himself with highly-placed people and planting the seeds of Mashadar in their minds. Plus, killing Rand's gleeman and splitting doesn't really make for much of a dastardly plot to undermine Rand's confidence. It would have been much more effective for Fain to try to kill somebody closer to Rand--one of his friends, or even one of his Maiden bodyguards. The "mistake" motive doesn't work for Fain, because we'd have to have a reason for Fain to be in the Palace, and there is zero evidence that he was doing anything in the palace--no reference to anything of the sort in TFOH, LOC, ACOS, or TPOD. Furthermore, as we discussed in the "means" section, Fain would have had to have killed Asmo with the dagger, and that isn't consistent with the way Asmo died, or the lack of a body. Round up the usual suspects: the viable possibilities Having eliminated most of the suspects, either by showing that they couldn't possibly have done it, or by showing that there are many arguments against their guilt and only slim evidence for it, we can settle down to the three most likely suspects: Graendal, Lanfear, and Ishamael/Moridin. (Note: most of the evidence discussed centers on Graendal and Lanfear. I've included Moridin in the list of possible suspects mainly because we don't know enough to really eliminate him. The two front-runners for Asmo-killer are Lanfear and Graendal.) Ishamael/Moridin TPOD makes it clear that Moridin is Ishamael recycled. At this point, we don't know when he was created, and as far as we know, his first step in regaining control over the Shadow forces was killing Asmodean. In any case, there isn't really that much to discuss about him. He definitely satisfies means, motive, and opportunity (provided he wasn't dead at the time). He could have made himself recognised to Asmodean by using a OP disguise, although why would he bother? Body disposal wouldn't be a problem, and we have no way to know if he knows Asmo's fate (although even if he didn't kill him, it's likely that Mr. Nae'blis knows exactly what happened to the fellow). It would make sense for it to be a secret, since Moridin's existence and identity have been unknown by us and by the other Forsaken. Obviosity is not obvious, but it's within the realm of twisted possibility (Moridin is Ishy, who has come back from the "dead" twice before, so we might suspect he did so again). On the other hand, there is absolutely no evidence in favor of him having done it, either. Note that RJ's rejection of the "pun" theory could encompass Moridin killing Asmo, as well as kidnapping him. Lanfear Up until the appearance of Cyndane in TPOD, Lanfear looked like a very good suspect. The case against her is very strong. She's a channeller, so she had the means to kill him, the ability to enter and leave the Palace undetected, and a way to dispose of the body. Since Asmo had just seen her "die" earlier in the day, he would certainly have been shocked and terrified to see her strolling around the Palace. Lanfear's Motive Lanfear also had the strongest motive to kill Asmo. Lanfear gave Asmo to Rand "to teach him," knowing that Asmo was about the worst (and hence the safest) Forsaken you could pick as a teacher. But he was also the one who she could be sure would react the way she wanted him to once she shielded him. It would seem that she wasn't too interested in giving Rand all the secrets of the AoL. More likely, she just didn't want him gentling or killing himself because of his ignorance (see her reaction when he draws saidin through the sa'angreal in TGH-- though that could simply be fear for her own life). Here's Asmo's take on it: "Do you think Lanfear really intended me to teach you everything? If she had wanted that, she would have contrived to stay close so she could link us. She wants you to live, Lews Therin, but this time she means to be stronger than you." [TFOH: 3, Pale Shadows, 75]. When she confronted Rand at the docks, it is unlikely that she knew he had an angreal. Although she would certainly be hard pressed to shield him alone, it should have been no problem with an angreal, especially since he is untrained in her opinion, despite whatever he might have gleaned from Asmo. After she picked up the angreal, she attacked Rand, and he resisted. She increased her attempts to shield and hurt Rand, probably to her limit even with the angreal. But Rand (with his own angreal) held his ground. He even believed "He could end it, finish her. He could call down lightning, or wrap her in the fire she herself had used to kill..." [TFOH, 52, Choices, 631]. If Lanfear did not know that he had an angreal (she probably didn't), then she would have taken this as a very bad sign for her. Knowing that Asmodean was still "teaching" him stuff, and that she was the one who put him there, it is very likely