[Recd: May 26th, 1995] ============================================================================= |\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\/| |//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\| |/\\ 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 /\\| |/\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\| |\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//| ============================================================================= "Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, to spit in Sightblinder's eye on the last day!" "I of course have zero evidence for this, but since when has that stopped any of us?" "Get your FAQs first, then you can distort 'em as you please." -Mark Twain "Now, what I want is FAQs. Teach these boys and girls nothing but FAQs...Plant nothing else, and root out everything else...Stick to FAQs, sir!" --Charles Dickens, _Hard Times_ THE WOT FAQ WAS LAST UPDATED JANUARY, 1995. CONTRIBUTORS. Active Contributors & Articles Plundered From: Dylan Flynn Alexander * Chris Anderson Michael Arnett * Hugh Arai * Keith Aschinger * Will Baird * Glen Justin Balmer * Chris Barrera * Kevin Bartlett * Brian Bax * Aaron Bergman * Alice Bergmann * Chris Bradley * Timothy Bruening * Charles Buckley * Arthur Bernard Byrne * Paul W. Cashman * Keith Casner * Christopher Lee Cavender * Randy Cerveny * Dennis Hohn-Chong Cho * Damien Cole * Amish Dave * Ruchira Datta * Dave "Walls of Books" DeLaney * Roderick Easton * Eric Ebinger * Jain Farstrider * J. R. Feehan * Chris Flora * Courtenay Footman * Jim "Robin Jim" Ford * Michel Forget * Susan Frager * Jeff Fullmer * Carolyn Fusinato * Christian M. Gadeken * Devin L. "Lews Therin" Ganger * Bill "Cherry Kool-Aid" Garrett * Helmut Geyer * Judy Ghirardelli * Bob Gibson * Jocelyn "who is not Kathleen" Goldfein * Robyn "Hawk" Goldstein * Stephen Graham * Gary Greenbaum * Michael Guenther * John C. Hansen * Chris Hammock * Michael Hanneman * Stephen J. Hardy * Don Harlow * John Hawkinson * Mark Hazen * Nathan Hendrix * Clint Hepner * Captain Commander Sean Hillyard * Bob Hofmann * Melissa Horn * Justin Howell * Eugene Hung * Matthew Hunter * John Ireland * Robert Jordan (duh.) * Robert Kelley * Daniel John Kelly-Harrity * Mark Hazen * David "Wee Dave" Kennedy * Jacob Kesinger * Tanya Koenig * Pam Korda * Hank Lee * Mike Lemons * Craig Martin Levin * Shen Kiat Lim * Edward Liu * Mark Looi * Mike "Sir MPS" Macchione * Tom McCormick * Cameron Majidi * Luke Mankin * Jim Mann * Stephanie Mason * Roxanne Meida * Kelley Miles * Don Morgan * Joe Morris * David Mortman * Roy Navarre * Patrick Nielsen Hayden * John S. Novak III * Emmet O'Brien * Michael J O'Malley * Chad "Oilcan"/"Ba'alzamon" Orzel * Daniel "Zippy" O'Toole * Anthony Padilla * Rimesh Patel * Simon Patterson * Emma Pease * Rhonda Peters * Thomas Petersen * George D. Phillies * Jim Phillips * Piglet * Eric C. Piquette * Greg Pobst * Heikki Poso * Jeffrey Scott Raglin * Chris Russo * Erica Sadun * Kevin Samborn * Jared Samet * Ulrich Schade * Jeff Schneiter * Morgan Donald Scott * Viren Shah * Joe Shaw * Vivienne Shen * Zach Simpson * Peter Smalley * Will Smit * Jeff Smith * Michael "Darkelf" Steeves * Brian Sullivan * Charles L. Stuart * Martin Terman * Aline Thompson * Elayne Thompson * Carl Traber * Sven Venema * Jonathan Vessey * Ken Warkentyne * Bryon Wasserman * Olaf Weber * Dash Wendrzyk * Greg Wheatley * Windsor Williams * Aaron Wong * Edmund Wong * David Wren-Hardin * Tony Yoder * Tony Zbaraschuk * (Did I forget anyone? Is anyone on here twice? Anybody with a name starting with Q , U, or X want to contribute?) KEEPER OF THE CHRONICLES: Pam Korda (Ca veut dire, the FAQ-keeper) REFERENCE CHECKERISSIMO DUDE: Joe Shaw (Official Net Jordan Librarian), KEEPER OF THE FLAME OF TAR FTP: Viren R. Shah . She is retired, but she started the thing, so you probably shouldn't call her a non-entity. WWW HOME PAGE: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/ftp/people/viren/www/jordan.html html conversion by Helmut Geyer REC.ARTS.SF.WRITTEN.ROBERT-JORDAN FAQ: Posted regularly to r.a.sf.w.r-j, news.answer and rec.answers, and archived at rtfm.mit.edu in directory /pub/usenet/news.answers/sf/robert-jordan-faq it contains general newsgroup information, general author info, release dates, etc. Please read this document first if you are new to rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan. Keeper is Joe Shaw [NB: 'Survey Says' sections are from the 3rd Annual Novak-Ghirardelli Survey (spring 1995). Sample size: 224 responses. discrepancies in % totals are due to people not giving an answer for the question.] [NB: Standard Reference Format: ] ACRONYMS TWoT/WOT = The Wheel of Time TEotW/EOW = The Eye of the World TGH = The Great Hunt TDR = The Dragon Reborn TSR = The Shadow Rising TFoH/FOH = The Fires of Heaven LoC = Lord of Chaos FAQ = WMAK, Wonderful Masterpiece of Assembled Knowledge, but FAQ is easier to say (and makes for better puns) r.a.sf.w = rec.arts.sf.written (also just "rasfw") r.a.sf.w.r-j = rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan (also just "rasfwrj") AOL = Age of Legends AS = Aes Sedai (or Amyrlin Seat) Asm = Asmodean BA = Black Ajah DO = Dark One DF = Darkfriend DFS/DS = Darkfriend Social DotNM = Daughter of the Nine Moons Eg/Egw = Egwene El = Elayne Ish/Ishy = Ishamael LTT = Lews Therin Telamon Mog/Moggy = Moghedien Mo/Moi/Moir = Moiraine MPS = Mad Passionate Sex, Mad Purple Stegosaurus MT = Mazrim Taim Ny/Nyn = Nynaeve OP = One Power RJ = Robert Jordan SG = Shayol Ghul SS = Siuan Sanche T'A'R/TAR = Tel'aran'rhiod TS = True Source TV = Tar Valon WCs = Whitecloaks WOs = Wise Ones WT = White Tower YKYBRTMRJW = You Know You've Been Reading Too Much Robert Jordan When... CONTENTS: (* = new this FAQ, + updated this FAQ, - same as last FAQ) ADMINISTRIVIA - 0.0 Contents/Acronyms Section + 0.1 FAQ introduction. - 0.2 What are these Jordan Wheel of Time Books? - 0.3 Mis-steps. (Errors along the way) - 0.4 What should I do if I've become obsessed? - 0.5 What's the deal with these shoddy Tor covers that keep falling off? - 0.6 The RJ Hoax/The Great Hoax - 0.7 Who Is Robert Jordan, Really? What else has he written? + 0.8 Other "Resources" - 0.9 What is TAN? 1.0 ALL ANSWERS GREAT AND SMALL - 1.1 Who was Beidomon? - 1.2 Is Thom Elayne and Gawyn's real father? - 1.3 Why do we think that Thom will marry Moiraine? - 1.4 Why is Moiraine not dead? - 1.5 What was up with Gawyn during the coup? - 1.6 Who will marry Mat? - 1.7 Who will take Callandor from the Stone? (Logain stuff) + 1.8 How does Mat's medallion work? - 1.9 Why isn't Elaida Black? - 1.10 What is up with Lan, Myrelle, Nynaeve, etc? - 1.11 The death of Asmodean. - 1.12 Kari Al'Thor--What do we know about her? - 1.13 Is Aram a Darkfriend? - 1.14 What's up with Mat and the dice Ter'angreal? - 1.15 Is Aviendha pregnant? - 1.16 Where is Gaidal Cain now? - 1.17 What are the Seanchan up to? - 1.18 Is Ishamael still alive? - 1.19 Tigraine == Shaiel (Rand's mum): an analysis - 1.20 Slayer (Isam & Luc) - 1.21 The Severed Hand - 1.22 The Green Man and the Song (Who is the Green Man, What is the Song, Who will find the Song, Who were the Aiel?) - 1.23 Verin: Black, Brown, or Purple? - 1.25 Why Lanfear may be Good (not just in bed, Roy) - 1.26 What's up in Saldaea? - 1.27 Who was Mat (in his past lives)? - 1.28 Where have we seen ironic foreshadowing? - 1.29 Why are we sure that Ba'alzamon is really Ishamael? - 1.30 When was Rand's Power Acquisition Fever Syndrome? - 1.31 Sad Bracelets, Mazrim Taim/Logain - 1.32 Is Mat still linked to the Horn? - 1.33 Thought and Memory: Take Two - 1.34 More of the Fain - 1.35 Jain "McGuffin" Farstrider - 1.36 Who was "Silvie?" - 1.37 Who ordered Melindhra? - 1.38 Why Moiraine is not Black Ajah - 1.39 Can Thom Channel? - 1.40 Is Sheriam Black Ajah? - 1.41 Who is not a Darkfriend? - 1.42 Who are Aran'gar and Osan'gar? + 1.43 Is Mazrim Taim really Mazrim Taim? - 1.44 Who is Mesaana? - 1.45 "LTT"--Is he for real, or is Rand loony? - 1.46 Why did Sammael claim he had a truce w/ Rand? * 1.47 Who will be the New Dreadlords? * 1.48 Who is the "one who is no longer"? * 1.49 Shadar Haran, Superfade. 2.0 WORLD STUFF: Randland history & geography, Power mechanics, Character facts, etc. - 2.1 The Old Tongue - 2.2 What was the Tamyrlin? * 2.3 How does Balefire Work? Why doesn't somebody just BF the DO? - 2.4 The Seven Seals - 2.5 Who's Who in the Families? - 2.6 How old is everyone? - 2.7 What does each Ajah do (and want)? - 2.8 Geography of Randland - 2.9 Is there Religion in Randland? - 2.10 Who are the Forsaken? Where are they & what are they doing? - 2.11 All the Aes Sedai - 2.12 Who are the Aelfinn & Eelfinn? - 2.13 What are the Songs (not >the< Song) - 2.14 What are them icons? - 2.15 What did Ogier do of old? - 2.16 Were there Ajahs in the Age of Legends? * 2.17 Was the Sharom the Dark One's Prison? - 2.18 What is the difference between Skimming & Traveling? - 2.19 What's up w/the male-female a'dam link where they both die screaming? - 2.20 What are those black threads on the forsaken? - 2.21 Binding--what's up with that? - 2.22 Did LTT balefire himself? - 2.23 How Tall is Everybody? - 2.24 Where did Artur Hawkwing come from? * 2.25 What do Dreamers/Dreamwalkers do? * 2.26 Can Black Ajah break the Oaths? * 2.27 Where do Trollocs & Myrddraal come from? * 2.28 What is the range on sensing other Channelers? 3.0 TRIVIAL PURSUITS: References, Sources, Allusions, Parallels, etc. - 3.1 Arthur and the Holy Grail - 3.2 Trolloc Tribes - 3.3 Is the world of Rand a future Earth? + 3.4 Christian Parallels - 3.5 Various Names - 3.6 Dragon Legends - 3.7 Norse Mythology - 3.8 Stedding & China * 3.9 Native American stuff + 3.10 Miscellaneous References 4.0 IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME, BABY Timeline (not actually in here) 5.0 HANGIN' LOOSE Loose Threads: Unresolved Stuff 6.0 SOME "SWEET" COVER ART: What is it with those stupid Darrell Sweet Covers? 7.0 PROPHECIES: Everything you wanted to know about the future, but were afraid to ask. - 7.1 Egwene's Dreams - 7.2 Min's Viewings - 7.3 Various Prophecies - 7.4 Dark Prophecy - 7.5 The prophecies of the Dragon. - 7.6 Perrin's Dreams * 7.7 Fourth Age Histories 99.0 PUBLISHING STUFF - 99.1 How many books will there be? + 99.2 When Is The Next Book Out? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.0==============================ADMINISTRIVIA============================== 0.1..............................................Introduction to this FAQ COPYRIGHT NOTICE: The Wheel of Time FAQ 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 (c) Robert Jordan. Unattributed material is (c) Pamela Korda and Erica Sadun. This is the Wheel of Time Wondrous Masterpiece of Assembled Knowledge (aka Frequently-Asked Questions list). 'Tis edited, and maintained, by myself, Pamela Korda, based upon discussion of The Wheel of Time series, on the Usenet group rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan. You may feel free to distribute this document, provided all citations and attributions are kept. This version of the FAQ contains lots of SPOILERS for _Lord of Chaos_, so if you haven't read, don't read. There are versions of the FAQ from before LOC (i.e. no spoilers, but some out-dated theories) in the ftp archive and the WWW page. rasfwr-j is a very high-volume group, with about 100-200 messages posted each day. In order to keep things reasonable, this huge compendium has been created. It chronicles all the "old, discussed to death" topics, so that people do not have to keep bringing up the same old points again and again. In light of this, please read this document before you go posting all your new theories. If you don't have time to read the whole thing through, that is okay. It is in electronic form, which means you can use your favorite word processor, text editor, grep, &c, to scan it for keywords. There is also a handy-dandy Table of Contents, a few screens up from here. If you have an idea on Tigraine, for example, search for "Tigraine," and read what has already been written. This way, if you agree with what has been said before, you don't need to waste time saying it again. If you disagree, you know the points that need to be taken into consideration when you present your theory to the net. It is to your own benefit to keep this thing handy for such a purpose. Here's what other people have to say about the WOTFAQ: "When I came on and asked a dumb question not too long ago, I had people tell me to read the FAQ. I protested the tone with which they told me, but I went and did it anyway. And you know what? After a couple months of participation, I *AGREE* with those people." This version of the FAQ has been updated to include the results of the Third Ghirardelli-Novak Survey (post-LOC). New sections have been added on "Who will be the new dreadlords?" "Who is the 'one who is no longer'?" "Shadar Haran, Superfade" "How does Balefire work?" "Was the Sharom the DO's Prison?" "What do Dreamers/Dreamwalkers do?" "Can BA break the Oaths?" "Where do Trollocs come from" and "What is the range on sensing channeling?". I have re-arranged the general questions section into two parts: Plot stuff (section 1) and World Stuff (sec. 2). The distinction is a bit arbitrary, but I think I did a good job. Please note the new ftp/www site, the new address for Angreal MOO, and the new fan club pointer, which has a bit more info on Carolyn's Wheel of Time Club than before, as well as new information of a fan club of which I just recently learned about, the Robert Jordan/Wheel of Time Club, all in the "other resources" section. +.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+ Other Submission Requests: [What topics have been discussed to death and should I include as 'calls-for-submission' for next month?] [Please help fill out the countries of Randland--Sea Folk, Aiel, Seanchan, Shara] +.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+ 0.2...............................WHAT ARE THESE JORDAN WHEEL OF TIME BOOKS? The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan: Hardcover editions: THE EYE OF THE WORLD ISBN 0-312-85009-3, $24.95 THE GREAT HUNT ISBN 0-312-85140-5, $22.95 THE DRAGON REBORN ISBN 0-312-85248-7, $22.95 THE SHADOW RISING ISBN 0-312-85431-5, $24.95 THE FIRES OF HEAVEN ISBN 0-312-85427-7, $25.95 LORD OF CHAOS ISBN 0-312-85428-5, $25.95 Paperback editions: THE EYE OF THE WORLD ISBN 0-812-51181-6, $5.99 ($6.99 CAN) THE GREAT HUNT ISBN 0-812-51772-5, $5.99 ($6.99 CAN) THE DRAGON REBORN ISBN 0-812-51371-1, $5.99 ($6.99 CAN) THE SHADOW RISING ISBN 0-812-51373-8, $6.99 ($7.99 CAN) THE FIRES OF HEAVEN ISBN 0-812-50974-9 Published by Tor Books Ask for them at your favorite bookstore, or order the paperback editions directly from: Publishers Book and Audio Mailing Service PO Box 120159 Staten Island NY 10312-0004 To cover postage and handling, add $1.25 for the first book and $.25 for each additional book. Check or money order only; no CODs. If you are in Europe, it may be more expedient to pick up the British Editions published by Orbit (prices are listed in pounds sterling). THE EYE OF THE WORLD ISBN 1-85723-076-0 (L5.99) THE GREAT HUNT ISBN 1-85723-027-2 (L5.99) THE DRAGON REBORN ISBN 1-85723-065-5 (L5.99) THE SHADOW RISING ISBN 1-85723-121-X (L5.99) THE FIRES OF HEAVEN ISBN 1-85723-209-7 (L5.99) 0.3.........................................MIS-STEPS (ERRORS ALONG THE WAY) >>THE EYE OF THE WORLD<< *It seems to me that early in the first volume Jordan took some time to decide whether the marsh-forest in the east of the Two Rivers was the Riverwood or the Waterwood. *In TEotW, Thom teaches Mat and Rand to juggle. By the time they reach Caemlyn Mat can perform "six ball circles", which I interpreted as a six-ball shower. No way. You could probably count the number of people in the world today who can shower six balls to a performance standard on the fingers of one hand. Assuming there are any. I've only twice seen a five ball shower done well. RE::Jain Farstrider: From Farstrider "vanished in 994 NE, after returning from a trip into the Great Blight which some say had taken him all the way to Shayol Ghul." While says that he disappeared shortly after the Aiel War, which is about 20 years ago. Note that even in TEotW, all other indications are that Farstrider disappeared 20 years ago, just after the Aiel war: Ba'alzamon tells Rand "Jain Farstrider, a hero, whom I painted like a fool and sent to the Ogier thinking he was free of me." The man that Loial said came to Stedding Shangtai telling them the story about blinding the Eye of the World came just after the Aiel War. 'Twould seem to be Farstrider since Ba'alzamon's comments followed a reference to the Aiel that told the story to the Tuatha'an. So, it seems that the 994 number is wrong. * Q: What about those Warders in Caemlyn around Logain in tEotW? Didn't Moiraine say that they were all Red sisters? Reds don't have Warders! RJ answer, as reported by Tony Z: Moiraine never mentioned the sisters escorting Logain (not all of whom were Red). The ones with Logain weren't in Caemlyn at the time [evidently they stayed with the army, which stayed outside the city--TZ]. Moiraine was referring to those that _were_ in Caemlyn. >>THE GREAT HUNT<< *Ba'alzamon's goals: "But this time I will destroy you to your very soul, destroy you utterly and forever." Maybe he forgot "Fool! You will destroy yourself!" where he stopped Rand from burning himself out. Ba'alzamon is either forgetful, confused, or trying to appear so. *Why does Moiraine wear her great serpent ring on her left hand in and and on her right hand in ? I can think of four possible reasons: a) a cunning plan by Jordan to make us believe sweet, innocent Moiraine was at the Darkfriend social. b) Moiraine has an evil, identical twin sister who wears her ring on the other hand. c) It's Moiraine's ring and she can wear it on whatever hand she damn well pleases. d) none of the above. *When Rand returns Thom's harp and flute to the gleeman in Cairhien, Thom grumbles: "You could at least have kept it (the harp) in tune" For travel, harps (and many other stringed instruments) are ALWAYS detuned -- the tension on the strings is reduced to prevent string wear and possible snapping. >>THE DRAGON REBORN<< *In , the beginning at-camp scene, Perrin tells Min that he loves her like a sister--and that he has no sisters of his own. In , his two sisters and his brother are killed. "This road of hard-packed dirt, already called the Lugard Road now that they were approaching the River Manetherendrelle and the border of Lugard, had been paved once . . . " Lugard is a city, not a country, and is the capital of Murandy (to the extent that disorganized country has one). Since the city does not lie near that River, I doubt a province or such is meant. Perrin is remembering a confrontation between Moiraine and Zarine. "Once she learned the girl thought they would lead her to the Horn of Valere, ...then her cold blue stare had taken on a quality that made him feel he had been packed ..." Which left me wondering whose cold blue stare? Both Moir. and Zarine have dark eyes. The quote continues "The Aes Sedai said nothing, but she stared too often and too hard for any comfort.", implying that it refers to Moiraine. , , and all describe Moiraine as having "dark eyes", and , , and describe Faile as having "dark, tilted eyes". *Metallurgy Mistake, from John Palmer & Don Harlow Maybe others have noted this metallurgy mistake, as a engineer this bugged me. In the Dragon Reborn, when Perrin takes a day at the Smithy, he notes the three quenching media: "As soon as he had made the hot-cut, he tossed the glowing metal into the salted quenching barrel. Unsalted gave a harder quench, for the hardest metal, while the oil gave the softest, for good knives." Wrong. In order of resultant hardness, it goes Oil, Water, Salt Water. with Salt water yielding the hardest blade because of best heat transfer and higher boiling point than plain water. Oil is softer because of slower heat transfer but is commonly used for cutlery because it causes less thermal stresses and a tougher blade. (won't break from shock) Salt water quench is definitely a harder quench than fresh water. Its due to the higher boiling point of salt water precluding the formation of an insulating vapor layer over the steel which slows heat transfer from the steel to the water. *Hey, what's the scoop with Shadowman steel? First, Thom Merrilin runs into a Fade and it left him "a little present of a stiff leg." Then after the fight where the Aiel come to the rescue of the girls: "Shadowman steel kills," Aviendha said, "it does not wound." Finally, Rand's thought while fighting a Fade: "That black metal could make wounds that festered, almost as hard to heal as the one that ached in his side now." Is there something that I'm missing, like it just kills Aiel, or does this qualify as a Jordan mis-step? {NB: the obvious explanation is that the Fade did not stick Thom with its sword; the Fade just hit him, or something --Pam} Jain Farstrider's first name is spelled as Jaim throughout the book, when its spelled as Jain in TEotW, TGH, and TSR. >>THE SHADOW RISING<< *Typographical Errors: Elayne states that "she had let go of saidin as soon as Egwene stood to leave." It should be saidar. [Fixed in the PB version.] Loial mentions an Ogier named Laefar from Stedding Shangtai who is in Tear, but later calls him Faelar a page later. Perrin calls Tam Al'Thor "Master Al'Vere"; Master Al'Vere being miles away at that time. "Egwene realized Nynaeve's blankets were empty." Unfortunately, at this particular time, Nynaeve was in Tanchico with Elayne. It should be Moiraine's blankets that are empty. "If only Egwene had not run into any trouble, they might make it out of here [the Panarch's Palace] safely after all." It should be Elayne instead of Egwene. * During the Tower Coup, Siuan's Warder gets killed. She doesn't notice until she sees his dead body. [Perhaps she was shielded before he died?] >>THE FIRES OF HEAVEN<< *In TFoH, on the Cover, we are told that "FLAIDA" (sic) is now Amyrlin. *Something very strange happened between 10 and 20 years ago. In the Amyrlin says to Moiraine "I am the fifth in a row raised to the Amyrlin Seat from the Blue." Two pages earlier, we learn that Siuan Sanche has been Amyrlin for ten years. In , Moiraine says to Egwene: "In a few months it will be twenty-one years since we began the search for the Dragon Reborn. Sieren Vayu was raised to Amyrlin shortly after, a Gray with more than a touch of Red in her." Were there really SEVEN different Amyrlins in the space of a dozen years? (The Blue who held the seat when Rand was born, Vayu, and then the five Blues who ended with Siuan Sanche.) Or is this just a Jordan mistake? *In , Birgitte tells Elayne "You saved my life, Daughter-Heir of Andor. I will keep your secret and serve you as Warder." But later in Birgitte verbally scolds Elayne for telling Cerandin she was heir to a throne, and doesn't believe it until Nynaeve makes an offhand comment in . *Rand balefires Rahvin, erasing his actions, etc. However, none of Rand's injuries, all sustained at the hands of Rahvin, disappear--they were in- stead Healed by Nynaeve afterwards. [Arguably an effect of either Tel'aran'rhiod or balefire.] LORD OF CHAOS Arguably the most humorous error yet: Perrin picks up a second horse which he calls "Stayer" . On the way to the Battle at Dumai's Wells, Perrin has both his horses, referred to, at one point, as "Stepper" and "Slayer" . In previous glossaries, it says that the AS cannot sense in what direction her Warder is. In LOC, Alanna does just that. What gives? Edward Liu says that, at a signing, RJ said that the ability is not exact, but something like they can only sense distance (and I guess) direction in that the feeling of the other person becomes stronger or weaker. Tony Z. said RJ said the Glossaries are in error, and that there are references in other books to AS sensing the direction of their Warders. (Anybody find such a thing? I can't think of one). Joe thinks RJ changed his mind, to put it charitably. 0.4........................................WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I'M OBSESSED? Judy G. gives us intelligent advice on treatment of Jordan fanaticism: 1. Stop calling the nice lady at you local bookstore, and harassing 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 ...) 0.5.........WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THOSE CHEAP TOR COVERS THAT WON'T STAY ON? 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 repair 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 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. 0.6................................THE GREAT JORDAN HOAX--READ THIS SECTION! In March, 1994, a bunch of net.jordanites met in a small restaurant in Arlington, VA. Collectively, they hatched a scheme to spread chaos and confusion throughout the internet, and other nets. They were six of the most powerful posters ever known, who went over to the Dark One. Their names--Bill "the Fain" Garrett, Chad "Ba'alzamon" Orzel, Joe "Sammael" Shaw, Mike "Rahvin" Macchione, Judy "Mesaana" Ghirardelli, and Joe "Demandred" Morris--should be used to frighten children. As a result of their crimes, much false evidence was generated. Following is a summary of their false claims as to what Jordan said. Remember--ROBERT JORDAN NEVER SAID ANY SUCH THING: 1) Somebody close to Rand will turn to the Dark Side. 2) There are clues in: _The Westing Game_, "What Lies Hidden," "The Gift of a Blade," "The Tinker's Sword." 3) RJ thinks we should get our own newsgroup. 4) RJ will put a character like Roy in the next book. 5) Anything about Cain, Jain, Tam, or Graendal's old man. 6) Aram is a Darkfriend (and was at the DFS in TGH). 7) There are hidden references to Conan in The Wheel of Time. 8) RJ said "Verin is more than just a simple, absent-minded librarian." 9) Thom is Elaynes ' father. 10) RJ will wrap up the series in the book after _Lord of Chaos_. 11) Mazrim Taim is somebody we have already seen, sort of (and related theories that Taim == Demandred, Taim killed Asmodean.) 12) Thom, Aviendha, Bela, & Marin Al'Vere are not what they seem. 13) Aviendha == Ilyena reborn. 14) Mat's memories are not real, but the ravings of a madman. 15) Mat and Tam can channel. 16) He would add a reference to our USENET discussions into a later book. 17) Jordan wants to put himself in there somewhere (ala Hitchcock). 18) Thought the lightbulb and telephone jokes were a hoot. 19) likes the cover art 0.7.....................Who is Robert Jordan, and 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 are Reagan O'Neal (_The Fallon Blood_, _The Fallon Pride_, _The Fallon Legacy_), Jackson O'Reilly (_Cheyenne Raiders_), and Chang Lung (contributions to various periodicals including Library Journal, Fantasy Review, Science Fiction Review). [Source: Contemporary Authors vol. 140] RJ has told several people, at signings and in letters, that if^H^H when he complete 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. 0.8.........................................................OTHER RESOURCES Non-net stuff: o Issue 4 of the Waldenbooks 'zine _Hailing Frequencies_ had a little interview with RJ. (I believe this was pre-FOH) o Nov 1994 Issue of the B. Dalton 'zine had an interview with RJ. o FAN CLUBS: If netting isn't fannish enough for you, there are at least two RJ-sanctioned Wheel of Time Fan Clubs. The Robert Jordan/Wheel of Time Fan Club is a snailmail club. They have a bimonthly newsletter, _Threads_. For more information, email "Shosh" at , see http://info.cs.vt.edu/~joeshaw/rjwotfc.html, or write to: Robert Jordan/Wheel of Time Fan Club P.O. Box 510744 St. Louis, MO 63121 The Wheel of Time Club is a net and snailmail club. They have a newsletter, "The Chronicles." For more info, email Carolyn Fusinato at or , see http://bongo.cc.utexas.edu/~moiraine/wotclub.html, or write to: The Wheel of Time Club P.O. Box 223022 Chantilly, VA 22022-3022 Net Stuff: Available by ftp from ftp.cc.gatech.edu, directory /pub/people/viren/jordan o Old WOTFAQs, by month. The first LOC FAQ is November 1994. All the previous ones have no LOC Spoilers. o The Dark One's Dictionary--a spoof of the WOT Glossaries by Bill Garrett & Joe Shaw. Very funny. o jack-o-shadows.au--Erica Sadun's production of Mat's theme song. o some trivia quizzes o old.tongue.guide--glossary of Old Tongue phrases o second.survey.results--results of the Usenet Novak-Ghirardelli survey of plot predictions, pre-LOC. o Wheel of Time fanfic {?}o /pub/jordan/ATWT--Ken Kofman's on-line WoT-based RPG. {?}o /pub/jordan/jordanites--gifs [revised to pngs -- ed.] & jpegs of rasfwrj personalities, among other things {?}/pub/jordan/Wotclub--stuff about the Wheel of Time fanclub, and other stuff from there, such as: o charlist.txt--list of characters (I don't know how up-to-date it is) o fan art of WOT characters More Net Stuff: WWW, MUDs, MOOs, etc. o WWW Jordan homepage: http://ftp.cc.gatech.edu/pub/people/viren/jordan (maintained by Helmut Geyer) o WWW WoT Club Home Page: http://bongo.cc.utexas.edu/~moiraine/wotclub.html (maintained by Carolyn Fusinato.) o MUDs, etc: fly.ccs.yorku.ca 4201 (Tales of Ta'veren MUSH) sarcazm.resnet.cornell.edu 9000 (ANGREAL-MOO) Xtreme.aac.iit.edu 9000 (New home of ANGREAL-MOO) hub.eden.com 6969 (Age of Legends) 128.153.32.10 9000 (Sanctuary) ulantris.csci.unt.edu 4000 (Eternity of Discord) {as reported by others. I have not attempted to verify any of them. --Korda} o IRC: there is an IRC channel #WoT. 0.9....................................................WHAT DOES "TAN" MEAN? 1) TANgent (SINe over COSine) 2) The Ajah who applies ruthless logic to quests after knowledge. 3) The color Bela is. 4) Oh, you mean wrt rec.arts.sf.written.r-j? Get thee to a rasfwr-j FAQ, then! 1.0===================USEFUL INFORMATION (SHORT ANSWERS)==================== 1.1........................................................WHO WAS BEIDOMON? 1) One of the male Forsaken 2) Somebody who is dead. 3) LTT (Why? From : "he who brought the shadow...they named Dragon." Was lover of Mierin/Lanfear at some point, maybe when the Bore was created. And, "I will tell you of the end of the Age of Legends, of the Dragon, and of his attempt to free the Dark One into the world of men." But, then again, why would LTT have another name?) Why LTT is not Beidomon: It would have adversely affected him after the war broke out. Secondly, he had likely left Lanfear long before and married Ilyena by that time. At Cairhien he does say that he was never Lanfear's. He also says that he had long before lost whatever interest in he had her. 4) Bayle Domon--No reason, except the names sound the same. Survey Says: Who was Beidomon? Nobody we know: 66% (147) Lews Therin: 2% (4) One of the Forsaken: 12% (24) Bayle Domon: 1% (2) 1.2...........................WHY MAY THOM HAVE FATHERED ELAYNE AND/OR GAWYN Elayne denies that Galad is her brother. Thom was around at the right time. Thom clearly had something to do with Taringail's disappearance. Thom was Morgase's lover. In , Morgase thinks about Taringail, and how the only good to come of the marriage were "two beautiful children." This could be Elayne and Gawyn, or she could mean Galad (adopted) and Gawyn. Evidence from the Glossary: "A Royal Prince of Cairhien, he married Tigraine and _fathered_ Galadedrid. When Tigraine disappeared and was declared dead, he married Morgase and _fathered_ Elayne and Gawyn." Although the glossary entries have been misleading before (e.g. Ba'alzamon), I do not think that RJ has ever lied outright in them. I personally cannot think of a way that the above could be a sneaky, Aes Sedai-like twisting of the truth. In , Moiraine says Thom was "Morgase's lover for a time, _after Taringail died_" (emphasis mine). Here, Moiraine is trying to impress Thom with how much she knows. She wouldn't include a detail she had any doubt about. To be wrong about something in such a situation would indicate faulty research, and Moiraine would not risk showing any gap in her knowledge. If she had any doubt at all, she wouldn't have mentioned the timing of events. Plus, Thom didn't say or think anything to contradict Moiraine's statement. If Morgase had been having an affair with Thom while still married to Taringail, it is very unlikely that she would have been able to keep it entirely under wraps; surely some rumor would have been around, especially in Cairhien. However, we see no evidence of such a rumor existing. Specifically, in when Rand mentions to some Cairhienin that he means to have Elayne rule Cairhien, the Cairhienin think she'd be a good choice, due to her descent from her father Taringail Damodred. Somebody says something like "Taringail's greatest dream was for his son to be king of Cairhien and his daughter to be queen of Andor." If Morgase was unfaithful, surely there would have been some doubt as to Elayne's right to the throne of Cairhien. In a report from a signing in Seattle, Tony Z. says, "Jordan also strongly implied that Thom was not Elayne's father." Survey says: Is Thom Elayne's da? Yes: 29% (66) No: 62% (140) Undecided: 8% (18) Is Thom Gawyn's dad? Yes: 9% (20) No: 80% (179) Undecided: 11% (25) 1.3...........................WHY DO WE THINK THAT THOM WILL MARRY MOIRAINE? Moiraine says she knows the face of the man she will marry better than El/Eg/Ny know their future husbands. This could mean that she will never marry. The reason that seems unlikely is because, according to Elayne, Moiraine had some passion in her voice when she mentioned husband, despite her attempts to then brush it off. After going through the Tear twisted doorway, which only answers personal questions, she immediately tells Thom that he will live through the next set of adventures. Thom keeps referring to Moiraine as a good looking woman with more and more sincerity as time progresses and discovers he no longer loves Morgase. Possible scenario: How would she know who it was? Being Aes Sedai she'd likely have a lot of chances, but here's a guess. When Min describes how her viewings work her standard example is this; I see two people who have never met and know they will marry--and of course we had both Thom and Moiraine in front of her in Baerlon. So, this would also be the reason why 1) Moiraine was so sure Thom hadn't been killed by a Fade, despite Rand's and Mat's protestations, and 2) why she tells Thom "I will see you again. You will survive Tarabon." (After her little trip through Rhuidean she may have decided that perhaps Min was wrong and that Lanfear would kill her.) Survey Says: Will Thom marry Moiraine, if she is alive? Yes: 67% (151) No: 25% (55) Undecided: 8% (17) 1.4................................................WHY IS MOIRAINE NOT DEAD? Well, we don't know what happened after Moiraine & Lanfear fell through the twisted doorway into the land of the Foxes. Lacking such information, the only evidence we have is: 1) the breaking of Lan's bond, suggesting that she is no longer among the living, and 2) Egwene's vision of Thom pulling Moiraine's blue jewel out of a fire. Ruchira Datta says:"One of you would have been bad enough, but two *ta'veren* at once - you might have torn the connection entirely and been trapped there." This quote is the basis for one of the currently held versions of the possible fate of Moiraine and Lanfear; just substitute "channeling combatants" for "ta'veren". More interpretation on Eg's "blue stone" vision: Michael Steeves suggests that it could possibly mean that Thom will do something to preserve her dream of Rand facing the DO alive and well at Tarmon Gai'don. In , it says "She vanished into a ter'angreal in Cairhien while battling Lanfear, apparently killing both herself and the Forsaken." That "apparently" definitely leaves the question open. Survey Says: What happened to Moiraine? Alive & unstilled: 38% (85) Alive & burnt out (un-healable): 26% (59) Alive & stilled: 17% (39) Dead: 7% (16) What was in Moiraine's letter to Thom (more than one answer possible): info about the Red Ajah who gentled Owyn: 85% (190) info on how to rescue her: 29% (66) lovey gooey stuff: 28% (63) Survey Says: Will Thom rescue Moiraine, if she _is_ alive? Yes: 83% (187) No: 1% (3) Undecided: 5% (12) 1.5..................................WHAT WAS UP WITH GAWYN DURING THE COUP? Perhaps he was involuntarily bonded to a Black or to a Forsaken. His eyes were glazed and he was not necessarily in control of himself . Alviarin says with some confidence that "Gawyn will be brought under control". Then again, it is personally reasonable to assume that he was in full control of his faculties during the coup. By that time, he had developed a good & solid hatred for SS, due to Elayne and Egwene's mysterious disappearance. From his behavior in LoC, it seems pretty apparent that he acted under his own will during the Coup, motivated by grief and anxiety over Elayne and Egwene. He develops a similar fierce hatred for Rand due to the rumors that Rand killed Morgase. 1.6......................................................WHO WILL MAT MARRY? "To marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons!" Daughter of the Nine Moons indicates the heir to the throne of the Seanchan. This is most likely Tuon, the second daughter of the Seanchan Empress who is mentioned by High Lord Turak in Falme. . An outside runner is Berelain, who is descended from Hawkwing and thus "of the Blood," literally. Part of that theory is that "half the light of the world" refers to Mayene being a great supplier of lamp oil. In Ebou Dar in , Mat runs into a Seanchan guy who recognizes the name "Daughter of the Nine Moons." This makes it pretty clear that the Daughter of the Nine Moons refers to somebody Seanchan. The epilogue makes further clarification : "Perhaps the Return would come soon, and the Daughter of the Nine Moons with it." The Daughter is maybe a leader of the Return. It has been suggested that the Seanchan themselves don't know who the DotNM is, and that the Return will reveal her identity to them. (I gather this theory is that the DotNM is some sort of messiah figure for the Seanchan, or something like that.) Survey Says: Who is the Daughter of the Nine Moons? a daughter of the Empress of Seanchan: 60% (134) the Empress of Seanchan: 10% (22) Seanchan Messiah Figure: 8% (18) Cerandin from Valan Luca's show 7% (15) Berelain 4% (8) Egeanin 1% (2) 1.7............................WHO WILL TAKE CALLANDOR FROM THE STONE? The "Into the heart" prophecy (see section 7.3), suggests that maybe somebody besides Rand is going to remove the Callandor from the Stone: "Who draws it out shall follow after". Maybe Logain (His future glory)? Now that he is un-gentled and at large, he might end up with the Sword That Ain't. Even though somebody (Moiraine?) said that Logain would be burnt to a crisp trying to control the sa'angreal, we know by now that AS don't know everything. Another idea is that somebody using Mat's medallion could get the sword, because the Power traps would not affect them. Along these lines, somebody may be able to reproduce the effects of the medallion somehow and thereby get the Sword. Yet another idea is that somebody could physically dig Callandor out, although I dunno how easy it would be to dig a hole into the Stone of Tear. Maybe use fireworks a la Mat in TDR? Finally, Callandor might just sit there until the Fourth Age incarnation of the Dragon comes along. In Rand thinks about how he modified his traps after learning to invert weaves, and makes reference to somebody besides himself drawing the sword and "following after." Survey Says: Callandor pulling: Who will pull the Sword from the Stone? Logain: 62% (139) Mat: 2% (5) Rand: 12% (26) Galad: 1% (3) No one 7% (15) Dragon of the next Age: 1% (2) 1.8.......................................HOW DOES MAT'S MEDALLION WORK? When Elayne tries to use the Power on Mat in , she describes the effect as "The flows just...vanished." It seems that the medallion works by dissolving or destroying Power Flows. The fact that it acts on the actual flows indicates that it probably works on saidar and saidin. The medallion only works on direct weaving of Power flows against the wearer; indirect effects of the power, such as picking up a rock with Air and throwing it, are not blocked. This probably applies to lightning bolts, as well, if they are produced by building up atmospheric charge with the Power, not by directly weaving the Power. Thus the failure of the medallion to protect against the lightning strike at the end of TFOH can be explained. There is ample evidence that this is the way it works against saidar. Elayne & Co.'s extensive testing of the medallion in certainly support the hypothesis. There are less data points for saidin. Rahvin's lightning strike certainly worked, but that can be explained by the "indirect effects" loophole. (Note, however, that Rand believes that the medallion "had not saved [Mat] from a man's channeling." Rand doesn't know everything, though.) The only other possible data comes from Halima/Aran'gar, who we think channels saidin, not saidar. She tries to channel at Mat in , and fails. She did this in an are full of AS. If she just went and channeled some weird flow at Mat, surely the other AS would be at least curious, especially since the channeler was somebody who supposedly doesn't channel at all. (More Evidence that Aran'gar does Saidin-- [Moghedian's thoughts as she was being freed by Aran'gar] "A woman. But that ball of Light had to be saidin!" Moggy is somebody who knows the difference. Plus, there is "[Egwene] had felt [Moghedian's] necklace come off, and felt the flash of pain that meant a man who could channel had brushed the link.) Note further that Mat asked for a way to be free of Aes Sedai _and_ the _One Power_, not AS and Saidar, or AS or the OP. If the A/Eelfinn are bound to grant wishes as stated, then the medallion _must_ protect against Saidin as well as saidar. Survey Says: Mat's medallion protects against: Both Saidar and Saidin: 84% (188) Saidar only: 16% (35) 1.9.................................................WHY ISN'T ELAIDA BLACK? Read the following references: : Elaida doesn't like Rats. : Elaida thinks about how Rand Al'Thor must be stopped from causing trouble in Andor, since Andor and its royalty are they key to defeating the DO. and : Elaida is pretty clearly a dupe. 1.10............................................WHAT IS UP WITH LAN'S BOND? From , we see that Lan is now bonded to Myrelle, as promised by Moiraine. Question now is, what is she going to do with it. Moiraine said in that Myrelle had promised to pass the bond to somebody who would need him when the time was right. Moiraine later thinks several things that indicate that she has arranged for Nynaeve to get him eventually. , "He denied...that he could ever have her...That, at least, Moiraine had taken care of, though he would not know how until it was done." It seems as if Moiraine told Myrelle that Ny was to have him. In LoC, we see Myrelle pushing Ny to overcome her block--possibly so she can become AS by the time Lan gets there, and so can get a Warder? And finally, at the end of LoC when Lan shows up, Myrelle wonders if she can "keep him alive long enough." Long enough for what? Survey Says: What will Myrelle do with Lan's bond? Give it to Ny: 78% (175) Keep it: 8% (19) Give it back to Moir: 3% (7) 1.11.............................................THE DEATH OF ASMODEAN WHY DIDN'T RAND NOTICE ASMODEAN WAS DEAD? He noticed Asm was gone. He thinks Asm ran away. Note that this implies there was no body left. "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." WHO KILLED JoaR? Whoever killed Asmodean must have: a) been recognized by Asmodean b) been someone Asmodean did not expect to see, and was terrified of c) been able to be in Caemlyn at the time d) been able to kill Asmodean near-instantaneously ("The word still hung in the air when death took him.") e) had a motive for killing Asmodean f) been able to dispose of the body Any of the Forsaken would fulfill b-f, and maybe a. Padan Fain fulfills c, e, and f, maybe d, but a & b are a bit of a stretch. 1) Lanfear (but she's missing, presumed dead) If Lanfear was alive, where would she go? She would continue her revenge on Rand, I think. BUT, having possibly lost her angreal, and probably facing a more prepared Rand, and having had some time to think about things (like Rahvin ceasing to exist), I don't think she'd immediately assault Rand again. Instead, she'd again methodically plan to weaken him. I think that it is very reasonable (but all hypothetical) for her to kill Asmodean immediately. 2) Ishamael. Maybe he's been resurrected Aran/Osan'gar style? Problem is how would Asmodean recognize him in a new body? 3) Mesaana. Any Forsaken would have a reason to kill Asmodean. 4) Sammael: might as well get all the unaccounted-for Forsaken in here. 5) The Dark One (Shai'....), via the agency of Shadar Haran (Shadow's Hand). Same problem as for Ish: why would Asmodean recognize him? 6) Fain: Could have been in Caemlyn at the time (via the Ways, if nothing else). Would want to kill any Forsaken because they would interfere with his plans to be Rand's personal hell. Can use the dagger to kill easily. Problems--How would Asm recognize him, and if he did, why would he be terrified of him? (Possible explanation is that Asm recognized the Mashadar taint on Fain's dagger, as Aginor & Balthamel did at the Eye of the world, and _that_ is what he recognized. Problem is, that Asm was no longer tied to the DO, and could hardly channel, and so how could he recognize Mashadar?) Asm died pretty fast ("The word still hung in the air when death took him."); the dagger doesn't kill that quickly. 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 enough. (see the scene in TFOH where he kills the accepted , and the part in TGH where Mat kills the Seanchan guy NB: This guy seems to die much faster than the Accepted) Of course, Fain could have just stabbed him through the heart, or cut his throat. 7) Other, unlikely, suggestions include, Slayer, Mat, and Egwene. WHO DIDN'T KILL HIM? From the LoC prologue, 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. But the Dark One's response seems to imply the DO _might_ be behind what happened to Asmodean: "WHO BETRAYS ME SHALL DIE THE FINAL DEATH. ASMODEAN, TWISTED BY HIS WEAKNESS." In , Semirhage thinks to herself, "Asmoden. 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 what happened to Asm, and thus that she didn't kill him. At a post-LoC signing in Chicago, RJ said that we have all the clues to figure out who killed Asmodean. I look upon this statement with skepticism. Survey Says: Who killed JoaR (Novak-Ghirardelli Survey, 1994)? Lanfear: 24% (53) The DO: 3% (6) Graendal: 1% (3) Fain: 17% (39) Random minion LTT: 1% (3) Shadar Haran: 7% (15) of the DO: 3% (6) Mesaana: 1% (2) Sammael: 4% (10) Taim: 2% (5) Ishamael: 3% (7) Slayer: 2% (4) WHY DID HE GET KILLED, ANYWAY? If we can figure out _why_ he was killed, we might be able to throw some light on _who_ killed him. One possibility is that he was the target of a pre-meditated assassination. The Shadow (ie the DO and all the Forsaken) would want to do this, because he was a traitor. Fain would want to do this, because either Fain knew Asm was helping Rand or he thought Asm was trying to kill/turn/etc Rand, and didn't want a Forsaken to defeat Al'Thor--that is Fain's mission in life. (Then again, Fain might not know anything about Asm's existence at all.) If it was premeditated, then how did the killer know Asm was heading for the wine closet? Maybe Asm was a frequent customer? Maybe the killer was hiding there, and took his chance when Asm walked in? Maybe he was close enough nearby to observe Asm's movements? A second 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 ranks 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)? I can think of 3 possibilities. 1) the killer is part of Rand's entourage, and a dead Asm 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 in 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. Think how Asm's death started us thinking that maybe Lanfear had returned, or that Ish was still around/around again. 1.12................................KARI AL'THOR--WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT HER? Tam met Kari sometime before the Aiel War. (ref. Tam's ranting in the woods) Kari is from Caemlyn. (ref. Moir. in Fal Dara tGH) Kari did not give birth to Rand. (ref. Too numerous to quote) Kari had red hair. (ref. Nyn at Baerlon) Kari, supposedly, had grey eyes which Rand was supposed to have inherited. (Uncertain on this one. Any references?) "Kari" has dark eyes in Ishy's vision at the end of tEotW. This might indicate that the "Kari" in the vision wasn't real. (tEotW near the end) Kari died when Rand was young, perhaps from a disease that made her "waste away" or something. (Uncertain, any Refs?) Kari didn't like Tam's sword. (Uncertain, any ref?) All Rand can remember of her was her smile. Nynaeve said it was obvious that she loved Rand, and that she was very nice. Even still, she was only in the Two Rivers for a few years, if all Rand can remember is her smile. She probably had known Tam for quite a while, while he was in Andor. At any rate, their relationship went on long enough for him to say in his fever dream that she "Always said you wanted to have children." That "always" would imply that her and Tam didn't get hitched after like a month-long romance, and that maybe they'd been married a while before they found Rand, and maybe tried to have kids of their own to no avail, which would have taken a while to find out. At a book signing, RJ is reported to have said that we'll find out a little more about Kari later. Loony Kari theories: People have thought that Kari was Tigraine (somehow still alive after dying on the slopes of Dragonmount) or an Aiel Wise Woman looking after Shaiel's kid (which cannot be b/c Moir. said that Kari's from Caemlyn) or an Aes Sedai who'd been stilled (someone said she was wasting away and that's why she died and Tam was her Warder, etc. Wouldn't the White Tower have gotten to Emond's Field faster if Kari had been one?) or a Tinker or she was related to some Caemlyn noble we know. Don't know why exactly, but she does have red hair, and the Caemlyn nobles, who say they're descended from Aiel blood, also have red hair. 1.13...................................................IS ARAM A DARKFRIEND? There is definitely something up with Aram: Egwene's Dream indicates that Aram is going to get Perrin into trouble: "...the tinker. Every time he moved closer to Perrin it was if a chill of doom shot through everything." This may just mean that there is something doom-filled about Aram being a tinker with a sword. In LoC, Aram doesn't do much besides follow Perrin around. No evidence there. Survey Says: Is Aram a Darkfriend? Yes: 24% (54) No: 55% (123) Undecided: 21% (46) 1.14........IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN MAT & THE STOLEN DICE TER'ANGREAL? The Ter'angreal is described in Not bloody likely. 1. The dice ter'angreal was stolen by the black sisters. 2. It is made up of >SIX< not five dice stuck together 3. You must be able to >CHANNEL< to use it 4. Mat says he has >ALWAYS< been lucky. This is referred to even before he got the dagger. The dagger may have influenced this or forced him into his ta'veren-hood 5. Mat can win at dice with you using >YOUR< dice. Note, though, that the dice ter'angreal could possibly be used to counteract the probability-twisting effect of ta'veren, eg Mat's luck. Could the dice ter'angreal have something to do with the way that Mat felt the luck in his head go bye-bye in that inn in Ebou Dar. I believe one of Liandrin's BA is in Ebou Dar. Could this have some relation? 1.15...................................................IS AVIENDHA PREGNANT? Possibly. The WOs have a plot to make Rand "know (the Aiel's) blood for (his) own." Aviendha has "been more successful than [the WOs] know," according to Amys. Then again, they could just be meaning for him to fall in love with and marry Aviendha, and are congratulating her on 'getting into Rand's pants,' as Sean Hillyard so eloquently puts it. Evidence for the latter: Rand has asked Aviendha many times now to marry him, and that at one point a Wise One comments "I will make you know our blood for yours is I have to lay the..." Aiel ask to marry by laying a wreath of flowers at a man's feet, ie their goal is marriage and Aviendha has been quite successful--all she has to do now is accept. If Avi was pregnant, she would surely be showing some symptoms by now. For sure she would know it, having missed a few periods. I'm sure that this would give her more toh towards Elayne, and yet she doesn't say she's pregnant with Rand's child when she confesses to El. She only says she is in love with him, and has lain with him. Will Rand get any women pregnant? Yes: 75% (168) No: 16% (36) Undecided: 9% (20) Survey Says: Is Aviendha pregnant? Yes: 49% (109) No: 40% (89) Undecided: 12% (26) 1.16...............................................WHERE IS GAIDAL CAIN NOW? 1. a baby. 2. pulled out of Tel'aran'rhiod bodily and an adult. 3. time runs differently: Uno 4. Aviendha's or Faile's unborn kid. 5. Mat's lil' buddy Olver. (Hates Birgitte 'cos she is friends w/ Avi. Is an ugly little bugger. Problem: He's about 9 years old, which would mean Gaidal's soul was in 2 places at the same time when the Heroes of the Horn appeared at Falme--in Olver, and in the battle. non-linearity of time in TAR or no, this is hard to believe.) Survey Says: Gaidal Cain is... Olver: 38% (84) Somebody we have not yet met, but we will: 26% (58) Nobody. We'll never see him: 12% (27) He'll be born to a major character: 8% (18) Uno: 4% (10) Somebody else (not in the MC question): 1% (3) 1.17.........................................WHAT ARE THE SEANCHAN UP TO? It seems as if the Seanchan have certainly taken Tanchico. The Seanchan spy's thoughts in indicates that the next target is Ebou Dar. Even if they do invade Salidar, the AS are gone from there, marching towards the Tower. 1.181.....................................................IS ISH STILL ALIVE? Read the end of TDR. Notice that he has split in two? (Similar to Asmodean splitting in TSR, but Asmodean was re-joined.) Does this mean anything? This seems >very< troubling. NB: Everybody (all the Forsaken) seems to think he is dead. And they found a body. Aran/Osan'gar throw a new light on the subject. Even if one of them is not Ishy, there is no reason not to expect that the DO won't resurrect the servant who has done the most for him over the last 3000 years. 1.19...................................................TIGRAINE, AN ANALYSIS It is a certainty that Tigraine was Rand's mother, Shaiel. Tigraine was the Daughter-Heir of Andor, and was married to Taringail Damodred. They had a son, Galad. Tigraine and her brother Luc were sent to Tar Valon, in the usual tradition of the royalty of Andor. Tigraine vanished mysteriously from Tar Valon, never to be heard from again. In , we learn about Rand's mother, Shaiel. Her tale corresponds marvelously with Tigraine's. Add to this the fact that many people comment on how Rand looks like the Royal Family of Andor (Lord Barthanes , and many Andoran nobles ), the description of Luc ), and there you have it. In LoC at one point in Caemlyn, Rand finally learns about Tigraine's story and is very upset until he figures out that he is not actually directly related to Elayne. Thus, he has placed himself in the family tree even if no one else has. 1.20..................................................................SLAYER "Who are Slayer, Lord Luc, and Isam? How do they relate to each other and the books as a whole?" The shortest answers possible are that: o Isam is Lan's blood cousin. o Lord Luc is the brother of Tigraine, former Daughter-Heir of Andor, and thus Rand's blood uncle. o Slayer seems to be some amalgamation of the two. Our best sources of information for Luc, Isam and Slayer are in tEotW, tGH, tSR, and LoC. Isam is first mentioned late in tEotW. In , Agelmar begins his tale of the history of the fall of Malkier. Briefly, it is revealed that al'Lan Mandragoran is the son of al'Akir and el'Leanna. Al'Akir had a brother, Lain Mandragoran, who was wed to Breyan. Lain and Breyan were parents to a child named Isam. Agelmar goes on to explain Breyan's jealousy and grief over her husband's death in the Blasted Lands, and her plot with Cowin Fairheart, hero and Darkfriend, to seize the throne for her son Isam. This plot failed, and Breyan fled south with her infant son Isam, and were overtaken by Trollocs. Their bodies were never recovered. It was at this time that el'Leanna and al'Akir sent their own infant son, al'Lan, south to Fal Moran to safety. The Glossary of LoC places al'Lan's birth date in 953 NE, and thus we can surmise that these events took place no later than 956 NE. Lord Luc is the brother of Tigraine. In we learn that Luc died in the Blight while ostensibly in training to become the First Prince of the Sword. Tigraine later vanished, before properly assuming her throne. Later, in we learn that Tigraine ran off to become a Maiden of the Spear with the Aiel at the directions of Gitara Moroso Sedai, some four years before Laman's Sin. The Glossary of tSR places the Aiel War, which begun as a direct result of Laman's Sin, from 976 to 978 NE. Thus, Tigraine disappeared circa 972 NE. Finally, in <16, LoC, Tellings of the Wheel, 277> we learn that Luc himself may have been sent into the Blight by Gitara Moroso Sedai. After his disappearance, a year before Tigraine's flight, or about 971 NE, rumors whispered that Gitara sent him to find fame, or fate, or the Dragon Reborn or the Last Battle. Given her connection with Tigraine's flight, it seems very likely that the rumors are true. The first reference tying Luc and Isam together in any way comes from the Dark Prophecy, scrawled on the walls in Fal Dara after the Trolloc raid. A relevant stanza says: Luc came to the Mountains of Dhoom. Isam waited in the high passes. The hunt is now begun. The Shadow's hounds now course, and kill. One did live, and one did die, but both are. The Time of Change has come. The exact interpretation of this stanza is uncertain, as we do not know who wrote it, nor whom it was meant for. But clearly, Isam survived Breyan's flight south as long as circa 971 NE, when Luc went north into the Blight. Curiously, Luc and Isam would have been roughly the same age, as well. Something happened-- one died and one lived-- but somehow, both still exist. Now, the only time we know of that Luc or Isam enter the picture in person, rather than as background, is in those segments of tSR set around Perrin's trip back home to the Two Rivers. Lord Luc appears as a middle aged man who claims to be a Hunter of the Horn who has stayed in the Two Rivers area to help the people there rid themselves of Whitecloaks and Trollocs. Is this the same Luc who disappeared into the Blight? Almost certainly. His age and coloring are correct, and Perrin muses that if he resembles anyone, it is Rand. A cousinly resemblance, no doubt. Luc is Rand's blood uncle. Isam appears only in the Unseen World, and only by implication. In Perrin has several encounters in the Unseen world. One is with a man who tries to kill him, a man with a cold, inhuman scent to Perrin's nose. Hopper later identifies this dangerous creature as 'Slayer,' after Slayer leads Perrin on a chase to the Tower of Ghenjei. Birgitte appears, then, identifies the Tower, connects it with the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn, and warns Perrin away from it, and Slayer. Later, Perrin sees Slayer in the Unseen World looking much like Lan, dressed and styled in the Malkieri fashion . He muses that the man looked enough like Lan to be a brother. In Perrin faces Slayer in the Unseen World, and shoots him with an arrow. Slayer disappears from the Unseen World, and when Perrin wakes up, learns that Lord Luc had suddenly run off as if wounded. Here, Perrin connects the two. He notes the simultaneity of the wounds, and notes the same icy, inhuman smell from both of them. And he also notes that if Luc resembles anyone, it is Rand, further reinforcing the fact that this Luc is in fact Rand's uncle. Finally, in the Trollocs in the Two Rivers form a battle cry out of the name Isam. Clearly, even though his activities seem limited to the Unseen World, his influence extends to the physical flesh. So much for evidence. What the Hell does any of this mean? The best anyone has been able to do is note that Luc and Isam now seem to be separate parts of a single being, aptly named Slayer by the wolves he kills in the Unseen World. We know from Egwene's training what some of the properties of the Unseen World are. Relevant properties here include the loss of one's humanity (as in, a cold, icy, inhuman scent coming from both Luc and Isam) after going to the Unseen World in the flesh, and the Unseen World's tendency to reflect the traveler's mental state. Given that Slayer always appears as Lord Luc in the world of the flesh and as Isam in the Unseen World, it is a fairly safe to assume that Isam is somehow piloting Luc's body. >From the stanza, it seems likely that Luc is the one who lived, because his body is still wandering around, twitching and talking, and that Isam is the one who died. In any other discussion, we'd just call this a possession, and be done with it. There are no firm answers on how or why Isam was given control over Luc's body, nor how much of the future Gitara Moroso saw when she sent Luc to his doom. However, it should be noted that odd phenomena concerning life and death, the mind and memory are hardly unknown in the Wheel of Time. Specifically, channelers of skill and strength are perfectly capable of forcing spirits bound to wait their next incarnation in the Unseen World back into the physical world. See Moghedien and Birgitte. Channelers are perfectly able to directly and powerfully impose their wills on others through Compulsion. The Dark One is capable of taking deceased souls and reincarnating them directly into new bodies, as with Aran'gar and Osan'gar. (In fact, David Wren-Hardin goes so far as to suggest that Aran'gar and Osan'gar have undergone the same process as Slayer.) It does not seem unlikely that Ishamael, perhaps with the counsel or active help of the Dark One could have managed this feat for some obscure purpose. Survey says: Where's Luc? he's now part of Slayer, and will not be seen apart from Slayer/Isam ever: 50% (113) alive, elsewhere: 17% (38) trapped in T'A'R 12% (26) dead 7% (15) Trapped in *finnland 4% (10) Will Perrin free Luc from the Dreamworld? Yes: 22% (49) No: 56% (125) Undecided: 19% (42) 1.21........................................................THE SEVERED HAND The "Severed Hand" controversy centers around several of Min's visions. For Elayne, she has seen: 1)A severed hand, not hers , 2)A red-hot iron and an axe . For Rand, we have: A bloody hand and a white hot iron . Here are the theories: 1)In we learned that the punishment for stealing in Amadicia is: First Offense--branding (with a red-hot iron?) Second Offense--Right hand chopped off. Scenario: somebody Elayne knows gets accused of stealing in Amadicia (Morgase?Galad? Lini?) and is branded. gets into more trouble, and has their hand chopped off. Rand has nothing to do with it. His bloody hand is something else. 2)Elayne gets captured and leashed by the Seanchan. Rand, or somebody else, is somehow forced to wear the bracelet (recall that little Seanchan game? ). Somebody then chops of Rand's hand (with an axe) to save the two of them. The wound is then cauterized with a hot iron that happens to be lying around. 3)Joe Shaw has suggests: During Rand's battle with Ba'alzamon at the end of TGH, we have "Rand screamed as he felt [Ba'alzamon's staff] pierce his side, burning like a white-hot poker." At the same time, he gets a second heron branded onto his hand. I still think this was the fulfillment of Min's viewing about Rand, and that Elayne's similar viewing is completely unrelated. 4) Galad's hand gets chopped for having stolen the boat in Samara from the loony Prophet (according to the Prophet's new law, thieves get their hands chopped). Problem: I see this having more to do with Ny than with El, since she was the one who told both Galad and the Prophet to get a boat for them. RJ said, at a signing, that he deliberately made Rand like Tew/Chew, the Norse god of strife, who lost a hand. Survey Says: Will Rand lose a hand? Yes: 51% (114) No: 35% (78) Undecided: 14% (31) 1.22................................................THE GREEN MAN AND THE SONG (tinkers, soldiers, warriors, dragon) Q: WHO IS THE GREEN MAN? A: He is the last of the Nym, a type of creature which was made of vegetable matter. He is described first in . However we find out exactly who he is in the fourth book. "A stir at the end of the field told him one of the Nym was approaching. The great form, head and shoulders and chest taller than any Ogier, stepped out onto the seeded ground, and Coumin did not have to see to know he left footprints filled with sprouting things. It was Someshta, surrounded by clouds of butterflies, white and yellow and blue...Each field would have its Nym, now...the Nym were older than anyone. Some said the Nym never died, not so long as plants grew..." Many years later, after the breaking, we see him again, this time with the characteristic fissure in his face. He is being set to the task of guarding the Eye of the World, the Horn, the dragon banner and one of the seals. Q: WHAT IS THE SONG? The Tinkers, an early offshoot of the Aiel, decided to give up their duty of hiding *'angreal and instead dedicate their lives to re-finding the safety and peace of their past. They believe this will come about through finding the "growing song," described in "The Ogier began it, as was fitting, standing to sing, great bass rumbles like the earth singing. The Aiel rose, men's voices lifting in their own song, even the deepest at a higher pitch than the Ogier's. Yet the songs braided together, and Someshta took those threads and wove them into his dance...The song caught him up, and he almost felt that it was himself, not the sounds he made that Someshta wove into the soil and around the seeds." The Song is not to be confused with the Ogier Tree-Songs. The Ogier songs may be the Ogier part of the growing ceremony described above, or they may be something similar, but different in purpose. The Tinkers' Song is the human part of the ceremony. Survey Says: Will the Aiel and the Tinkers reunite? Yes: 42% (94) No: 44% (99) Undecided: 14% (31) Q:WILL THE SONG BE FOUND, AND IF SO, BY WHOM? The primary contenders are Aram, Perrin and Rand. Aram's stated life goal had been to find the song until he took up the sword in defense of Emond's Field and became 'Lost' to his people. To find the song would reinstate him and justify his choice of giving up the peaceful 'way of the leaf'. Perrin on the other hand keeps getting faced with the choice of ax or hammer: that is, the choice of creation or destruction, war or peace, way-of-the-warrior or way-of-the-leaf. Furthermore, Perrin is a contender to find the song because of Min's viewing of Perrin standing among the flowering trees. Rand, and probably some of the Aiel clan chiefs, have actually _heard_ the Song in the glass columns of Rhuidean. Further Evidence that Rand will find the song: "ages past and will be in ages to come. _Let the Prince of the Morning sing to the land that green things will grow_ and the valleys give forth lambs." Another opinion is that the Song will not be found. It is a thing of a past Age, not of the coming one. Survey Says: Will the Song be found? Yes: 74% (166) No: 18% (41) Undecided: 8% (17) Who will discover the Song? Perrin: 25% (55) Rand: 6% (14) Loial: 12% (27) LTT: 1% (3) No one: 11% (24) Mat: 1% (3) Aram: 8% (19) Elayas: 1% (2) Survey Says: Will Perrin pick the axe or the hammer (whatever that means)? The Axe, then discard it for the Hammer: 57% (127) The Hammer: 19% (43) The Axe: 7% (16) Q: WHO WERE THE AIEL? The Aiel (formerly the Da'shain Aiel) were the 'Dedicated' who worked for the Ancient Aes Sedai. The group was hereditary and had feature of light skin, gray or blue eyes and mostly reddish or blond hair. All Aiel could be identified by their particular hair style which was cut short with a tail hanging in the back. They were dedicated to a life of non-violence, following the 'way of the leaf'. The male Aiel worked with the Ogier and the Nym in planting as they had the gift of the 'Voice', the seed singing. Although the Ogier continue to have 'tree singers', the voice of the Aiel seems to be a talent that has disappeared. When the Aiel did their work in the fields, they wore light gray and brown 'working clothes' (cadin'sor). The clothes, the hair style and the avoidance of the use of weaponry which cannot be used for other purposes remains today, but the talent of the Voice is currently unknown. Survey Says: Are there any Jenn Aiel left? Yes: 29% (65) No: 59% (133) Undecided: 11% (25) 1.23.........................................VERIN: BLACK, BROWN, OR PURPLE? VERIN: BLACK OR NOT? 1) In TGH, Verin tells the boys that Moiraine sent her to look after them: "Moiraine Sedai sent me, Lord Ingtar," Verin announced with a satisfied smile. "She though you might need me." Moiraine later says that she did NOT send Verin: "I did not send Verin." Moiraine frowned. "She did that on her own. It is pretty obvious that Moiraine is not BA, so that implies that Verin lied, and hence must be BA. DEFENSE:Verin could have been tricked by somebody masquerading as Moiraine, maybe Lanfear. Or, perhaps she managed to find an interpretation of her words that could be taken as the truth. (Moiraine wanted somebody to watch over you guys, but she couldn't be here...) At a signing in Atlanta, RJ said that this discrepancy is not a mis-step. Survey Says: What is going on with that? Verin was misleading, but in a truthful fashion: 38% (84) Verin was lying (violating the Oath): 28% (62) A misunderstanding between characters: 16% (35) A Jordan mistake: 5% (12) One was being impersonated: 3% (7) 2) Verin does not give Corianin's notes to Egwene along with the dream ring. Relevant passages: . Maybe she wanted Egwene to get killed, or caught by some Forsaken? DEFENSE: Four reasons that Verin wouldn't want to show the manuscript to Egwene: 1) Verin is afraid that Egwene would not continue if she knew how dangerous it is. 2) Verin is afraid that Egwene would not continue if she knew who or what must be sacrificed. 3) The very nature of prophecy requires that it be vague or kept secret. 4) Maybe Verin was afraid that _Egwene_ was a Darkfriend. Also, note that she _considered_ giving the notes to Egwene, but decided not to. If she was withholding the notes for a nefarious purpose, she wouldn't have even considered it. 3) Her suspicious behavior in the 2 Rivers: a)Misleads Perrin as to why she and Alanna are there . b)Tells Perrin not to trust Alanna, perhaps laying a false trail? . c)She also knows Luc is the missing Lord Luc, Tigraine's brother who disappeared in the Blight. She knows he is mentioned in the Dark Prophecy, yet she does not warn anyone about him? Or tell them who he is? DEFENSE: a) & b) are typical Aes Sedai behavior. As for c)... 4) Only three characters have referred to Perrin's choice of hammer or axe: Ishamael, Lanfear and Verin. This puts Verin in very suspicious company. DEFENSE: Verin is Brown Ajah, and thus is likely to know all sorts of obscure things. (Also note that the above statement is somewhat false: Egwene also knows about the hammer/axe choice. She dreamed it.) 5) Was observed in deep conversation with Barthanes, a known Darkfriend, at the party in When Hurin approached them, Verin waved him away. Perhaps they were discussing "business matters?" DEFENSE: No, they were just talking about the weather/politics/etc and Verin didn't want some Shienaran servant butting into her conversation; it wouldn't look right and might make Barth. suspicious. 6) In Moiraine mentions to Rand in her last letter not to trust Alviarin, who is definitely a Darkfriend, and Verin. Additionally, Siuan mentions that Verin never told her about giving Egwene a ter'angreal. DEFENSE: The former is just an exercise in contrasts. Moiraine is saying: "Don't trust ANYBODY. You are rightly suspicious of Alviarin, but you should be equally suspicious of those you think you can trust, like Verin." As for the latter, why should she tell SS? 7) Draghkar Attack on Moiraine. Executed at least with Aes Sedai help (the warding on them so they couldn't be sensed). Moiraine seemed to think that pretty much everyone in the Tower had forgotten about these old hermit Aes Sedai. However, we do know one individual old enough to remember them who could have ordered the attack --Verin. DEFENSE: This is totally wimpy speculation, and wouldn't even be here, except that somebody might bring it up again. Liandrin (known BA) could have easily followed Moiraine there. Survey Says: Verin is: Basicly good: 75% (168) Neither good nor bad--somewhere in the middle: 18% (40) Basicly bad: 2% (4) ALTERNATIVE VERIN SPECULATIONS: 1) Something in those Notes Theory: We know Verin had access to Corianin Nedeal's notes. There is something in those notes that Verin doesn't want anybody to know about, something so potentially dangerous that she'd consider destroying the notes and all the knowledge contained therein. What if, in those notes, Corianin Nedeal describes how she discovered how to break the Three Oaths in T'A'R? That would certainly explain why she wouldn't want Eg to have the notes, especially after her speech at the start of TDR about how important the Oaths are. This would also explain how she managed to lie about Moiraine sending her. Plus, who knows what eldrich knowledge is contained in the notes? Who knows what Verin saw when she tried out the ter'angreal to go to T'A'R? This could explain all sorts of Verinisms. 2) Verin == Corianin Theory: Verin is Corianin Nedeal herself, and is thus very, very, old. That is how she got her hands on the ring ter'angreal. Problem: In , Verin is thinking on Neadeal's notes, and thinks of Nedeal in the third person. One doesn't usually refer to oneself in the third person. Another problem (which is also present in related Very Old Verin (VOV) theories is that if there was a 400+ year-old Aes Sedai lurking around the Tower, surely somebody would have noticed by now. 3) Second Foundation Ajah Theory: Verin is a member of a secret society whose members preserve ancient knowledge for humanity's need at the Last Battle. The existence of the BA shows that it is possible for a secret group to exist in the Tower--if there is a group dedicated to evil, why not a group dedicated to good? Problem: there have always been rumors of the BA. Nothing can be kept secret for centuries in a place with so many people in it, and so much scheming as the White Tower. And yet, we've never heard any hint of this secret group. 4) Very Old Verin: Verin is very, very old, and pre-dates the lying Oath, and is thus not bound to it. This theory has been proposed as part of various Second Foundation Ajah theories, Corianin Nedeal theories, as well as independently. problem: Verin would have to be 1000+ years old. We have seen no evidence, even in the AoL that _anybody_ lives that long, without help from the DO. Plus, wouldn't anybody notice that Verin had outlived dozens of Amyrlin Seats? Survey says: In which of the following Verin Theories do you believe (more than one choice possible)? I really have no clue whatsoever as to what's up with Verin: 35% (78) She's never held the oath rod: 29% (66) she's in the "Secret Ajah": 24% (53) she's Corianin Nedeal (the last dreamer): 8% (19) she is the Creator or an agent of the Creator: 6% (14) she's a member of the Jenn Aiel: 6% (13) Verin is Black Ajah : 3% (6) none of the above (i.e. yet another theory): 19% (40) HOW OLD IS VERIN? Many pet theories hinge upon this question. From , we know that Verin has been working on some plan for about 70 years. This sets a lower bound on Verin's age. The only other possible clue is . Merana Sedai is considering the pecking order among the AS in Caemlyn: "Merana had been Aes Sedai ten years the day the midwife laid Alanna at her mother's breast...Verin was the problem...Five years as novice for each, six as Accepted; that was one thing every Aes Sedai knew about every other if she knew nothing else. The difference was that Verin was older, maybe almost as much older than she as she was older than Alanna." We know that the Tower doesn't take women much older than Ny for Novices, and an average novice starts at about the age Elayne & Egwene did (17-18), for the Very Old Verin folks, lets say both Merana & Verin started late--24 (Ny was an exception, I think they only took her because she was so strong). So if Alanna is about 35 (a reasonable guess), Merana is 24 + 11 years training + 10 years as full AS = 45 years older than Alanna, that is, 80 years old. If Verin is as much older than Merana as Merana is older than Alanna, then Verin is 80 + 45 = 125 years old. So if Merana is right about how much older Verin is than she, Verin cannot be much older than 125 years. Survey Says: How Old is Verin? 100-149 years old: 31% (69) 500-3000 years old: 10% (22) 140-199 years old: 16% (36) older than 3000 years: 1% (3) 70 - 99 years old: 12% (27) less than 70 years: 1% (2) 1.25.................................................WHY LANFEAR MAY BE GOOD Lanfear presents a bit of an enigma. Many of her actions have led some people to believe that she is not 100% Evil. The argument is that she & Beidomon drilled the Bore into the DO's prison by accident, and only became Forsaken after that either due to the DO's direct action, or out of pride. Moreover, everyone would link her with all the DO's ravages that followed, thinking she released him on purpose, no matter what she did. Being an extremely proud person, it would be hard for her to admit that she had just made a colossal mistake. EVIDENCE: In the "Eyes of Charn" sequence , Charn perceives Mierin as a good person, and maintains this belief even after she became Lanfear. Up to TFoH (see refutation), it can be claimed that she hadn't done any inarguably evil acts. She has been deceptive - but what would one expect from an Aes Sedai? She is jealous and possessive of Rand-- but note that she had not done anything to harm her competition, which would probably be very easy for her to do. (She met Egwene in Tel'aran'rhiod, if I recall correctly, but anyway Egwene had been eliminated from the category of "competition" by this time.) She told Ishamael in TDR that she was loyal to the Dark One and no other. But in TSR, she suggested to Rand that they supplant the DO together. As for the scene at the end of TFoH, she was insane and not responsible for her actions. (She dislikes being called Mierin in the extreme. This could be taken several ways. One way to take it is that she wants her former self to be disassociated from her current evil ways-- she does not want to be reminded of what she once was, it is too painful.) REFUTATION: I have always believed that Lanfear was evil, starting way back when we first meet her as Selene in TGH. She made my skin crawl. LTT, an "honest man," even the Forsaken admit, said that Lanfear, _even when she was Mierin_, loved power more than anything else. What is the DO but the ultimate temptation of power? All of her actions in "helping" Rand have not been to further his cause against the DO, but to gain his trust and lust, so that she could control him. She does not love Rand/LTT;she wants him to be her obedient lap-dog, and to serve him up on a platter to the DO, so that she can be the most powerful of his servants. She would supplant the DO AND the Creator in a second if she could, and then be disappointed that she wasn't powerful enough. Having deceived Rand for so long,it would have been simple for her to deceive Charn, a follower of the Way of the Leaf.(It is obvious from looking at the Tinkers and the Ancient Aiel that Leafers cannot believe that the world is a Bad Place with Bad People in it.) But anyway, evidence in TFoH closes the case for good. I do not refer to the skinning of Kadere, torturing of Egwene & Aviendha, killing of many, and attempted killing of Rand, although that provides plenty of evidence in itself, insanity or no. I refer to Moiraine's vision in the Rings of Rhuidean. If Moiraine had not jumped Lanfear, and let her have her way, Rand would be a)dead, or b)Lanfear's love-slave, with the crippled mind of LTT. These were Lanfear's plans. They are not the plans of a good person. Oh, and if you need further proof, recall the ecstasy with which she describes bathing in the DO's presence at Shayol Ghul. Note that Lanfear did NOT send the Trollocs who fought Sammael's trollocs in TSR. They were sent by Semirhage, on order of the DO. The DO, it seems, has been giving Rand aid for some time now, probably in the hopes of eventually turning him to the Dark Side. Any "help" Lanfear has done for Rand was probably in view of this end. Taking credit for rescuing him is certainly not past her. Carolyn F. adds, that in a letter she got from RJ, he said that Lanfear fixated on possessing a man who never loved her. (I guess LTT was just using her for sex, eh?) Her desire for Rand is as much desire for power as for him personally. She could get her hands on the remote-control ter'angreal for the kick-ass sa'angreal, get credit for turning the Dragon Reborn over to the DO. She power for power's sake, not for Rand's sake. 1.26.....................................................WHAT'S WITH SALDAEA There could be some major plot development coming up, with regards to Saldaea. We have been getting hints for six books now. In TEotW, in Baerlon, there are rumors about trouble up in Saldaea. But they say, oh--that's the borderlands-- there is always trouble in the borderlands. When we first meet Bayle Domon, he is running from Trollocs and Saldaea . Then again in TGH and TDR Saldaea is mentioned that something is going on there. Plus that is where Mazrim Taim was operating...Then in TSR,someone in a tavern in Tear says something like Taim was so powerful when he fought the Lord of Bashere's army.Then SS thinks that with all the trouble there, Tenobia might be pushed off the throne--Tenobia is Faile's cousin. And finally, at the end of TFoH, Bashere shows up in Caemlyn and makes an agreement for Saldaea's support of the Dragon Reborn. In LOC, we learn that Queen Tenobia has gone into seclusion at some country palace, and the leader of the Army and a good portion of said army are thousands of miles away, under the command of the Dragon Reborn. There has been speculation that Semirhage's "wilful charge" is none other than Queen Tenobia. (Others say it simply refers to the captured Aes Sedai). Survey Says: Will Faile be the Queen of Saldaea? Yes: 72% (161) No: 15% (34) Undecided: 13% (28) Is Semirhage's "charge" the captured Aes Sedai Cabriana Mercandes? Yes: 48% (107) No: 19% (42) Undecided: 23% (51) 1.27............................................................WHO WAS MAT? It may be that Mat was Aemon of Manetheren, although there is little direct proof. It is certain that, in all his lives, he was a military genius. There has been a lot of speculation that Mat is the reincarnation of an ancient king of Manetheren. It seems to me fairly evident that Mat is the reincarnation of a fairly large number of personalities (I would say "different" personalities, except I suspect that they were all fairly similar). This is evidenced by Mat's pseudo-memories that emerge when Jasin Natael is singing a song about a battle at a river and how the enemy of Manetheren had mercy on the defeated Manetherenites, because they were so brave, etc. Mat remembers himself, the king's advisor, being killed by that foe's treachery; and then he remembers himself, somebody else, seeing that foe, older and grayer, being killed in another battle somewhere else. Additionally, he forms the Band of the Red Hand near the end of TFoH, which was supposedly a band of heroes who went down defending Aemon himself. This looks like another marker, though there's nothing directly of Aemon's memories that Mat has. TFoH also gives details on the span of his memories, from about four or five hundred years before the Trolloc wars and nothing after Artur Hawkwing. What this signifies is another question entirely. It's clear that Mat was not King of Manetheren in his first memory, at least. I agree that Mat is remembering several lives. IMHO, Mat is one of the Heroes that the Pattern spins out every so often, and he is remembering his previous incarnations. Mat was just a brilliant military advisor for the Manetheren kings, not the King. Note: it is possible that Mat's memories are not actually those of his own past lives, but that when he asked the Foxes to fill the holes in his mind, they just put in random memories of various battle commanders through the ages. 1.28................................WHERE HAVE WE SEEN IRONIC FORESHADOWING? Moiraine tells Egwene: "Now you are behaving like a foolish village girl. Most who come to Tar Valon must study for months before they can do what you just did. You may go far. Perhaps even the Amyrlin Seat, one day, if you study hard and work hard." "Aemon's warcry, she said - right? Maybe you're Aemon come back again." Mat says: "You put this Aiel nonsense in his head, on top of what's already there, and the light knows what we'll have. An Aiel lord maybe." Nynaeve, just before entering the first arch a Novice must pass through to become an Accepted : "Vaguely, Nynaeve thought about her nervousness concerning spiders" Moghedien is also known as 'the Spider'. Perrin, looking at Ingtar : "Sometimes, to Perrin's eyes, the crescent crest on the Shienaran's helmet looked like a Trolloc's horns." Ingtar is revealed at the end of TGH to be a Darkfriend seeking to walk in the Light (he sought the Horn for his personal salvation). "I am not Aiel, Lord Barthanes, and I am not of the [Andor] royal line, either." (Rand to Lord Barthanes, at Barthanes' manor) I was re-reading the part in TSR where Ny talks to Birgitte and Cain is around. He reminds Birgitte how mad Spider was when she found out Birgitte would fight on the side of LTT. She told Birgitte then something like "I will make you weep alone for as long as the wheel turns". Birgitte says that Spider said it as just a fact that had not happened yet. We know in TFoH that Spider makes good on this threat, but un-binding her to the Wheel. At one point, early in the book, Ny wishes she could have SS alone for just 5 minutes when SS could not channel - she gets her wish with her little scuffle in Tel'aran'rhiod. Elayne told Egwene in T'A'R' : "Egwene, you will be Amyrlin when I am Queen of Andor!" 1.29......................WHY ARE WE SURE THAT BA'ALZAMON IS REALLY ISHAMAEL All the Forsaken seem to think that Ba'alzamon was Ishamael. e.g. see Mog's thoughts in . Verin reads a scrap of paper to Egwene when giving her the twisted stone ter'angreal. "Heart of the Dark. Ba'alzamon. Name hidden within name shrouded by name. Secret buried within secret cloaked by secret. Betrayer of Hope. Ishamael betrays all hope. Truth burns and sears. Hope fails before truth. A lie is our shield. Who can stand against the Heart of the Dark? Who can face the Betrayer of Hope? Soul of shadow, Soul of the Shadow, he is -" , Eg, Ny, Mat, El and Moiraine are discussing that Rand could not have killed the Dark One himself because a _man's_ body was left. They speculate that Ba'alzamon was Ishamael. : Ba'alzamon tells Rand: "I stood at Lews Therin Kinslayer's shoulder when he did the deed that named him. It was I who told him to kill his wife, and his children, and all his blood, and every living person who loved him or whom he loved. It was I who gave him the moment of sanity to know what he had done." Lanfear makes some comment that "Ishamael thinks he controls events, but I do, really" or something like that. The only other forsaken taking an active hand in events is Ba'alzamon. the rest are either still bound, or are skulking around in various kingdoms. "In the Trolloc tongue, 'Heart of the Dark.' Believed by most, erroneously, to be the Trolloc Name for the Dark One." ^^^^^^^^^^^ Moghedien says: "The other [Forsaken in Tear beside Be'lal] sounds like Ishamael to me. All his pride at being only half-caught, whatever the price-- there was less human left in him than any of us when I saw him again; I think he half-believed he was the Great Lord of the Dark--all his three thousand years of machinations, and it comes to an untaught boy hunting him down." She states right out that Ish was only half bound, and as well confirms Egwene's guess that Ish=Ba'alzamon. 1.30.........................WHEN WAS RAND'S POWER ACQUISITION FEVER SYNDROME 1. OP use: cleansing Bela Reaction: Baerlon encounter w/Children of the Light, Time: about a week. 2. OP use: Hitting Trolloc with the boom of Domon's boat. Reaction: Mast/trapeze stunt on Bayle Domon's ship Time: about four days. 3. OP use: calling lightning to escape the inn in Four Kings Reaction: fever/chills at the inn in Market Sharan. Time: about two days. 4. OP use: at the Eye of the World. Reaction: Forgetfulness, others? Time: nearly instantaneous. 1.31...........WHY WILL THE BRACELETS WILL BE USED ON LOGAIN OR MAZRIM TAIM? We assume that they will be used on a faux dragon because the real one isn't available. Luke Mankin tells us more about the bracelets: I think that the collar and bracelets are not all one piece, and that they will enable a women to control a male channeler for a distance! Here are all the places where it is physically described that I could find. Notice that they never mention a -leash-! "Egeanin touched the collar, pushed the bracelets away from the collar. If she felt the emotions trapped in them ... ability to channel. `It is not a'dam,` the Seanchan woman said. `That is made of a silvery metal, and all of one piece." "...-a necklace and two bracelets of jointed black metal-..." " ...dull black collar and bracelets... ...wide jointed collar..." Since we assume that the Seanchan will get the collars, what will they do with their male channeler? OR, will the BA get the collar and bracelets through the Darkfriend connection? Wouldn't the best means of destroying them be separating them and throwing them in say the sea, a volcano, and such? Now, of course, the sad bracelets can be used on any of the poor sods who signed up to become asha'man. Survey Says: Who will the Sad Bracelets be used on? Rand: 33% (75) Demandred: 3% (7) No One: 31% (69) Sammael: 3% (7) Taim: 7% (15) Mat: 2% (4) Logain: 5% (13) Will/did Bayle Domon lose the Sad Bracelets in the ocean? Yes: 29% (64) No: 56% (126) Undecided: 12% (26) 1.32........................................IS MAT STILL LINKED TO THE HORN? There are two points in the story where Mat could be considered to have died: when he was hung from the tree in Rhuidean, and when he got hit by lightning in the raid on Caemlyn in TFOH. So, is he still linked to the horn? Firstly, in Tear, [Snakey Answers to "What fate?] "'To die, and live again, and live once more a part of what was!' Secondly, in Rhuidean, "Letting sword and Power go, he ripped the rope away from Mat's neck and pressed an ear to his friend's chest. Nothing. Desperately, he tore open Mat's coat and shirt, breaking the leather cord that help a silver medallion on Mat's chest. He tossed the medallion aside, listened again. Nothing. No heartbeat. Dead. No! He'd be all right if I hadn't let him follow me here. I can't let him be dead! "As hard as he could he pounded his fist against Mat's chest, listened. Nothing. Again he hammered, listened. Yes. There. A faint heartbeat. It was. So faint, so slow. And slowing. But Mat was still alive despite the heavy purple welt around his neck. He might yet be kept alive. "Filling his lungs, Rand scrambled around to breathe into Mat's mouth as strongly as he could. Again. Again..." He had no heartbeat! He wasn't breathing! He was clinically dead. On that evidence, I really don't see how anyone can doubt, at the very least, that Mat actually died. I do grant that we can disagree and quibble over the binding of the Horn, but that's a different matter. And on that note, Judy is correct-- the phrasing that the Amyrlin used at any rate was "So long as you live." I just wonder if anyone ever actually linked themselves to the Horn before, then died and then came back to life. In other words, is their knowledge absolute in this matter, or is this just a turn of phrase? Survey Says: Is Mat still linked to the Horn? Yes: 69% (155) No: 21% (46) Undecided: 8% (19) 1.33.............................................THOUGHT AND MEMORY TAKE TWO Just another thought while re-reading. Our favorite heros all seem to have unusual memories available to them. Meaning: 1) Rand has memories of the past through the experience at Rhuidean, plus LTT lurking (screaming, more like it) inside his head. 2) Mat has memories of the past through the past lives he has had, which he can now remember. 3) Perrin has the memories of the wolves. In TEotW, Elyas tells him that wolves remember from the first wolf on, so I think that means that wolves have the memories of all wolves ever. So conceivably, Perrin would have access to these memories. 1.34........................................................MORE OF THE FAIN Padan Fain was a Lugard peddler, who moonlighted as a Friend of the Dark. When it came time for the Dragon to be reborn, Fain was taken to Shayol Ghul and made into the Dark One's Hound, to search out the Dragon Reborn. Followed the boys to Shadar Logoth and had a run-in with Mordeth. Mordeth tried to devour Fain's soul, but couldn't, because of the hold the DO had on him. So Fain became part Mordeth, part minion of the DO. This is basically what the books tell us. Roy Navarre and Tony Z came up with a theory that Fain is actually the avatar of the DO. Roy says: First, if you check the glossary, you will see that the DO is described as the source of _all_ evil. Hence Mashadar must flow from the DO or the glossary is wrong. (We had pages and pages of discussion on this in the past). Next, Myself and Tony Z presented detailed evidence suggesting that Fain is the avatar of the DO. With each broken seal, Fain gets stronger. Thus, the DO has been in our midst all this time but we just didn't know it. At first only a trace of him in Fain, but growing stronger and stronger until now his presence in Fain seems unmistakable. Eric Ebinger counters: Fain no longer exists. Padan Fain was summoned to Shayol Ghul, was broken and reformed into a bloodhound for the DO, as part of which he was imprinted by the DO. This happened twice at Shayol Ghul and once in a dream. Padan Fain/DO bloodhound went to Shadar Logoth and fell prey to Mordeth. Normally, Mordeth would just destroy the existing "soul/personality", but Padan Fain's having been "remade" by the DO seems to have changed things sufficiently so that there was a slow gradual merging of *all* of the different personalities (Fain/Mordeth/DO's imprint). The most accurate term for the combination is the name that he took: Ordeith. Over time, the Mordeth portion has gained more and more control over the gestalt. The DO's imprint has given Ordeith the unreasoning hatred of Rand, Perrin, and Mat. There doesn't seem to be much of anything of Padan Fain left. As the Mordeth fragment has gained more complete control of the gestalt, Ordeith has increased in power. The seeming relationship between the breaking of the Seals and Ordeith's power is due only to the fact that as time passes Ordeith gets stronger and as time passes the Seals break. The same relationship is evident with Rand, Perrin, Mat, Elayne, Egwene, Aviendha and Nynaeve. Survey Says: Is Fain currently the DO? Yes: 0% (0) No: 99% (221) Undecided: 1% (3) Will Fain BECOME the DO? Yes: 14% (32) No: 70% (156) Undecided: 17% (37) What is he up to now? Not much, for somebody who is supposedly as dangerous as the Shadow. He went to the Fortress of the Light and the White Tower to sow seeds of dissension, and make sure Pedron Niall and Elaida would never join Rand. He seems to be currently involved in causing Rand trouble, in little instances which could, admittedly, build up. He instigated a failed assassination of Rand by his ex-WCs in Caemlyn. He might also have been responsible for the attack on the Brown AS in Caemlyn which ended up driving a rift between Rand and the Salidar AS, and sending him into the hands of Elaida's AS in Cairhien, but this could just as easily (and more probably) have been part of some Forsaken's plot, or a plot by the Tower AS & the Shaido to alienate the Salidar AS from Rand. He still has his pet myrddraal. 1.35.......................................JAIN FARSTRIDER: WHERE IS HE NOW? Jain seems to have a cult following among the Jordanites. "Jain lives!" they proclaim. So, as promised, here is a list of all the suspects in "who is Jain in disguise" contest. 1) Elyas Machera--Both Borderlanders, Elyas is pretty old. 2) Tam Al'Thor (It is very unlikely that Tam==Jain. Malkier fell a little less than 50 years before TEOTW (say 45-50 years), according to Lord Agelmar. At the time, Jain was a young man, say between 17 & 20. Thus,at the start of TEOTW, Jain would be 62-70 years old. I would put Tam at 50, tops, probably younger. definitely not older than 60.) Plus, RJ has said that Tam spent his time away from the 2 Rivers in Illian, which precludes his running around the Borderlands and the Blight. At a signing in Atlanta, RJ said that Tam & Rand were originally the same character--a soldier come home to a small town. This pretty much precludes his being Farstrider, no? 3) Graendal's old man in wrinkled coat. (This is more likely the Domani king she displaced, or that famous general she has working for her.) 4) Bayle Domon, because he seems to be very well traveled and likes to collect old things, and his talk to Mat about it being "the strangeness you see that pulls you to the next horizon." . I cannot think of any more, offhand, although I know there are many more. Survey Says: Jain is... No one: 50% (112) Tam: 2% (5) w/ Graendal: 1% (2) dead: 29% (66) Bayle D.: 2% (4) Elyas: 4% (9) Thom: 1% (3) 1.36.........................................................WHO WAS SILVIE? Most likely, 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 (see section 7.6) which matches Egwene's dreams about "puppets" in (see section 7.1). Lanfear was playing along with Ish, but working to her own designs. There's no doubt (in my mind) that Silvie was Lanfear. And the reason for ripping off the 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 drove Lanfear bonkers. Survey Says: Who was Silvie? Lanfear: 52% (116) Liandrin: 1% (2) Mesaana: 6% (14) Semirhage: 1% (2) Moggy: 1% (3) 1.37..........................................WHO ORDERED MELINDHRA, AND WHY? Nynaeve and Birgitte were eavesdropping on the Forsaken Conference in Tel'aran'rhiod. Rahvin says, "He [Rand] will concentrate on you [Sammael], ... If need be, one close to him will die, plainly at your order. He will come for you. And while he is fixed on you alone, the three of us, linked, will take him. What has changed to alter any of that?" So, it seems Melindhra was ordered to kill Mat with a golden bee dagger if the need arose. Mat let slipped to her that Rand's going to Caemlyn, instead of "concentrating of Sammael", and she attacked Mat right away . 1.38..........................................WHY MOIRAINE IS NOT BLACK AJAH I thought this was a dead issue, but apparently it is not. sigh. Okay, why would anybody think Moiraine was BA? well, during TGH, RJ seems to be putting down clues in that direction. namely, she was missing during the time of the DFS. Also, she was wearing her ring on a different finger than she had before (oh no! not that!!!!). Well, this was all a red herring, because since then, we have been privy to Moiraine's thoughts, which show that she walks in the light. Okay, maybe she has multiple personalities, but I doubt it. 1.39.......................................................CAN THOM CHANNEL? Here are the reasons why some people think Thom can channel: 1) The mysterious blue flash in Whitebridge/random burns after the Fade fight. 2) The White Ajah hypothesis that channeling has a genetic link, and that Thom has at least one relative who can channel (Owyn) 3) His comment that he "could have done *something*" for Owyn. 4) Nynaeve says "she could not channel any more than Thom". This is taken to be "ironic foreshadowing." Objections: 1) The blue flash is an artifact of TEOTW, we also see it when Lan battles a Fade. It is probably just something that Jordan dropped after the first book. As for the fires, it seems likely that there was some sort of riot after the fight, which is why people didn't want to talk about it. 2) The genetic basis for channeling is not a simple matter at all, in the whole series, we've only heard of one channeler who is closely related to another--Elayne (if she's Taringail's kid, she's related to Moiraine, if she's Thom's, she is related to Owyn). 3) The "something" comment is probably just wishful thinking. 4) If Thom was a channeler, he would have to have the "spark inborn," since nobody goes around teaching men to channel. Thus, he'd have started channeling at about 20, a la Rand. Even if he had a block, like Ny, he would have channeled quite a bit in the 30 or so years since then, more than enough for him to be showing sign of madness and the rotting disease. 5) Noting that we have seen of Thom's thoughts gives any indication of him being able to channel. 6) Rand should probably be able to sense some channeling ability in Thom, a la the AS. Then again, maybe he doesn't know what to look for. >From a signing in Seattle, Edward "potato" Liu tells us: Now, regarding Thom, RJ said a man will not go mad or sick away if he never channeled. Thus, he agreed that a male channeler who could be taught to channel (as opposed to having the inborn ability) and has never channeled would not die from the taint. BUT, when I asked him if he ever intended to make people think that Thom could channel, he said no. I brought up the hereditary point (i.e. Owen) but he said just because your parents have a particular gene doesn't mean you'll receive that particular gene. Also he made a point that Owen was his nephew so therefore not necessarily very similar gene-wise. When I pressed him again on it, he said (I'm quoting) "There is no way in hell Thom can channel." All he offered for explanations is that Thom is a "mysterious man." Enough said. 1.40..................................................IS SHERIAM BLACK AJAH? 1) PRO: The scene with the Gray Man in the Tower. Nynaeve points out that Sheriam never once wonders about who killed the Soulless. She acts rather suspicious in general during that whole scene. . CON: She was just being brusque with the kids because she wanted them to keep quiet. And why _should_ she wonder who killed him in front of the Accepted? 2) PRO: Mistress of Novices would be a plum position for a Black Ajah, in terms of recruiting (voluntarily, or through the assistance of a few Fades). CON: Just because it would be a good position, doesn't mean the Black Ajah got one of their own into the job. 3) PRO: Sheriam's also the perfect operative of the Shadow for the tower-in-exile in Salidar. There were many suspicious things about her treatment of Elayne and Nynaeve when they arrived in Salidar. Sheriam seemed to be the most ardent about confiscating the ter'angreal. It won't be too surprising if it's Sheriam who gives Nynaeve the hardest time when Nynaeve claims that she's captured Moggy in Salidar. Sheriam, by her refusal to believe Nynaeve, will be the reason Moggy escapes. CON: Again, she's just being Aes Sedai. Why should she let the kids keep the ter'angreal, or approve of them galavanting about the glove, instead of studying like they should be? 4) PRO: Egwene's Accepted test: she says something like "He said they could turn him to the Shadow, against his will. Can they?" Sheriam then tells her about the 13 Dreadlords + 13 Fades trick, but she doesn't wonder who "he" was. Could she already know, from the Darkfriend Social? CON: Why would a Darkfriend tell Egwene about that trick, so that she'd know to watch out for it? If Sheriam was a DF, isn't it probable that Halima/Aran'gar would've attached herself to her, the Keeper of the Chronicles, instead of a DF Sitter of the Hall? or possibly to both? Survey says: Is Sheriam BA? Yes: 13% (29) 1.41................................................WHO IS NOT A DARKFRIEND? There are several characters who we know cannot be Darkfriends. We know because Jordan has shown us their thoughts when they are thinking about their motivations, their opinions towards the Shadow and the DO, or something similarly indicative. These people are: Rand, Mat, Perrin, Moiraine, Egwene, Nynaeve, Min, Elayne, Elaida (see Section 1.11), Morgase, Thom, Egeanin, Bayle Domon, Pedron Niall, Dain and Geofram Bornhold, Siuan Sanche. 1.42.........................................WHO ARE ARAN'GAR AND OSAN'GAR? We've been told since TEOTW that the DO is Lord of the Grave. It is about time he started acting it. In , we see "Aran'gar" and "Osan'gar," two minions of the Shadow brought back from the dead and put into new bodies. It is a good first approximation to assume that they are reincarnated Forsaken, and not some random Dreadlords. After all, if the DO is going to bring people back to life, why not Choose the strongest of his servants? So, what Forsaken are available for reincarnation (i.e. are dead)? Aginor and Balthamel, the Terrible Two from the TEOTW finale, Ishamael, Rahvin and Be'lal, and possibly Asmodean and Lanfear. Well, Rahvin and Be'lal died of balefire, and their souls are beyond even the reach of the DO. Asmodean was a traitor, and the DO apparently lumps him in with Rahvin as having "Died the final death" , so it probably wasn't him. Aran'gar is not Lanfear, because of Osan'gar's statement "Lanfear seemed cautious in contrast [to Aran'gar]." Furthermore, Osan'gar cannot be Lanfear because his Forsaken-name had been "given in scorn and adopted in pride." Lanfear was the only Forsaken to have chosen her own nom de guerre. This leaves us with Aginor, Balthamel, and Ishamael. Now, Ishamael was not bound like the other Forsaken during the Third Age. He was "partly bound," or maybe not even bound at all. There are references to this throughout the series, starting with the prologue to TEOTW, where Ishamael appears to LTT during the Time of Madness (chronologically _after_ the sealing of the Bore). However, Osan'gar makes reference to "waking from the long sleep" with an aged body. The long sleep is obviously the time spent sealed between the universe and the DO's dungeon dimension. Thus, Osan'gar must be either Aginor or Balthamel. As to which one, all we really have to go on is his comment on having helped make the Trollocs and not liking the Halfmen who were an unexpected effect of that experiment. We know that Aginor was very involved in creating the various Shadowspawn, and that he was unnerved by Fades, spending lots of time trying to discover how they "fade." So if we have to choose one or the other for Osan'gar, I'll say he was Aginor. Now for Aran'gar. She is extremely upset at being put into a woman's body, and Osan'gar thinks it is a "fine joke." From TEOTW, we know that Balthamel enjoyed "the pleasures of the flesh." That is to say, he was a real lech. Thus, it would be a great joke to put him in a female body. Furthermore, it is stated that Aran'gar was always rather rash. I really wouldn't classify Ishamael as "rash," not with his centuries of careful planning. So, it is a good bet that Aran'gar was Balthamel. Still, it is not 100% certain; we don't have enough evidence to narrow it down to which of the two is Aginor and which is Balthamel for certain. And even though Ishamael probably isn't either of the two, I would bet that he has been reincarnated in a similar fashion, we just haven't seen him yet. (Or, maybe we have, but don't know it :). Survey Says: Who is Aran'gar? Balthamel: 57% (128) Asmodean: 1% (3) Aginor: 12% (26) Lanfear: 1% (2) Who is Osan'gar? Aginor: 58% (129) Ishamael: 1% (3) Balthamel: 4% (10) Lanfear: 1% (2) 1.43..........................................MAZRIM TAIM--IS HE REALLY HIM? So, is the Mazrim Taim in LoC the real Mazrim Taim, the Saldean False Dragon, or is he the Forsaken Demandred in disguise? Here, MT=the character in LoC, general of the Asha'man. Taim=the False Dragon we heard about, captured after Falme. Demandred=Forsaken. A Scenario for MT to be Demandred: 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. Now, Demandred either 1) Looks kind of like Taim in the first place, or 2) Looks very different from Taim and is using a 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. Here are the indications that MT == Demandred, and arguments against: 1)MT knows too much. The test, how quickly he picks up gateways, how well he teaches the Asha'man, etc. ANSWER: He's supposedly been channeling for 15 years. He had to have learned _something_ in that time. Plus, MT mentions to Bashere that he used compulsion on two people . Since the real Taim did that, the real Taim DID know stuff. 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, er, AS, 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. 2)The Seal. The story about finding it in a Saldaean farmer's house is pretty fishy. Could be that Demandred (posing as Taim) gave it to Rand in order to try to gain his trust? ANSWER: 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 . As mentioned, it could be that Demandred would want to give it to Rand to get him to trust him, but that failed utterly. Or there could be some mysterious reason why the DO _wants_ to stay sealed up, at least for the time being. (The origin of MT's seal story is somewhat backed by Bashere's story to Perrin about a farmer in Saldaea who claimed to be the ancestor of the kings of a 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 claim before Rand declared himself) 3) MT claims to not be affected by the Taint, after 15 years of channeling . This seems pretty unlikely (cf. Owyn, who was going mad after only 3 years of seldom channeling at all). The only Taint protection we know of is linking to the DO. ANSWER: 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. Plus, Logain, who is not a Forsaken, has been channeling for six years, 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 , and Logain has lasted for 6 . 4) MT's reaction to Rand's badges and awards--not pleased to be seen as subservient to Rand , just like Demandred . ANSWER: It is entirely possible that Taim is just plain arrogant. Nothing says the Forsaken have a monopoly on over-weaning pride. 5) LTT thinks of Demandred, and killing him, every time MT is around. Is there a method in his madness? ANSWER: Possibly, but 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. Plus, LTT seems to get this way about all male channelers who are not him/Rand. 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 Rand/LTT. MT, in building the Asha'man, has certainly helped Rand in gaining control of the world. ANSWER: From Sammael's speech with Graendal , we know that Demandred may be involved in the Seanchan invasion in Tarabon. Maybe this has something to do with it. (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? I don't think anybody mentioned anything about MT vanishing. Maybe some of his recruitment trips were to the west coast?) Or, John Schwegler points out, Remember the intricate setup that occurred on the way to the White Tower ... including the Shaido Aiel. Perhaps Demandred had a major hand in manipulating the Shaido, and orchestrating a scenario that puts Rand at odds with the rest of the Aes Sedai(White Tower & Salidar). Neither Egwene nor Elaida will be pleased to hear that Rand made their Aes Sedai swear allegiance. Or, this could also have been a set up wrt "Let the LOC Rule"--it got the AS to swear allegiance to him, plus it probably helped MT gain some favor in Rand's eyes. 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, since MT gates in oh-so-conveniently just in time to waste the Gray man. ANSWER: Doubtful Rand could get much information from a Gray Man. The Gray Men have no souls--they're basicly 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 channeler 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. Survey Says: Who sent the Grey Man? Demandred: 25% (56) Graendal: 4% (8) Fain: 1% (2) Sammael: 24% (53) Lanfear: 2% (4) Taim: 4% (9) Osan'gar: 1% (3) 8) MT's remark on "These so-called Aiel". If he hadn't been around in the AoL, why are they "so-called"? ANSWER: Well, if Taim knew the old tongue, he might be simply saying that he doubts the Aiel are truly "dedicated" to Rand. (weak, I know, but I couldn't think of anything better.) William Smit says, "Lanfear, who was in the AoL, never doubts that the Aiel are the same Aiel, she only says "So different than they once were", so I doubt that Demandred would claim the Aiel were only "so-called"" Then again, it could just be a turn of phrase. Another possible explanation is that, if Taim is about 35, which seems reasonable, then he was alive for the Aiel War, although probably too young to go east to fight. He probably heard tales about Aiel--10 feet tall, breathing fire, &c. Here he sees some in Caemlyn peacefully patrolling the streets. Not what an average wetlander would expect of Savages From the Waste. 9) MT is very strong in the Power. Forsaken-class, even (almost as strong as Rand himself) ANSWER: The real Taim was thought to be very strong. Just because he's strong doesn't mean he's evil. Nynaeve is Forsaken-class, but she's on the Good Guys' side. 10) In the prologue, it is said that Demandred never smiles , . 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." ANSWER: 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. ANSWER: This could be the Gray Man, as Rand thinks. Or, it could still be MT, who is not to be trusted, even if he isn't Demandred. 12) LTT says to Rand, (approx. wording), "Yes, we should kill Sammael. But Demandred first, then Sammael." LTT and Rand know where Sammael is. But how does LTT propose to go about killing Demandred if he doesn't know where he is? Therefore, they _do_ know where Demandred is; i.e., he's MT. (Dash W.) ANSWER: I wouldn't take anything LTT says too seriously. He wants to die forever and end his suffering, but he doesn't want to die . 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. 13.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. ANSWER: Maybe he went out of TAR to someplace that was not Caemlyn. (problem here: I don't think we've seen anybody enter/leave TAR via any means except gating to the spot in the real world corresponding to the spot one is in in TAR.) Also, Maybe Demandred is gutsy enough to enter into Rand's turf. 14) 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. And MT sometimes disobeys Rand and frequently does things Rand doesn't expect, as with the Asha'man. ANSWER: 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." Another possibility, which hasn't been debated as fully, is that Demandred was always Taim. I don't know if the time scale is right, and there are other problems wrt his capture by the AS, etc. Yet another question which has been discussed is that Osan'gar is Taim. Survey Says: Taim is: On the enemy's side: 63% (140) On Rand's side: 23% (51) Who is Taim: Demandred: 51% (115) Aginor: 1% (2) Taim: 33% (75) A Forsaken: 1% (2) Osan'gar: 4% (9) 1.44.......................................................WHO IS MESAANA? . Naturally, this begs the question of _who_ she is. 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. The two most-often-mentioned candidates are Galina (the head of the Red Ajah, and the one involved w/capturing Rand) and Alviarin (Elaida's Keeper of the Chronicles). The reason for these guesses seem to be, in Alviarin's case, that she is in an important position, and thus ideal for controlling the Tower. This reasoning applies in Galina's place, also, and there is the additional point that she somehow managed to escape capture at Dumai's Wells . However, there is much evidence against Mesaana being either of these two. 1. Why Mesaana is Probably Not 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 as it does almost a total control of oneself, and the ability to copy the tiniest habits. Especially in the Tower, where Aes Sedai can doubtless read meaning in the tilt of an eyebrow or the tapping of a finger. And 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). No real easy way to replace either one. (Admittedly, Mesaana could just be a very good actress, but there wasn't really any need for it because of point #4.) 2. The real clincher: we have a Galina POV episode late in the book, where (among other things) she thinks that Min might be a useful tool to "net Elaida like a swallow"; "caging [Elaida] would surely weaken Alviarin." . Mesaana doesn't need any tool to pull down Alviarin; Mesaana can just say, "Call me Great Mistress," and Alviarin would be on her knees rather rapidly (or be taught why doing so was a good idea -- compare with Moghedien revealing herself to the Black Ajah in TFoH.) 3. As for Alviarin, when Fain tried to steal the dagger she caught him and asked him "Did one of the For- Chosen send you?" No Forsaken would use the term Forsaken instead of Chosen. And if she WERE Mesaana, she wouldn't just let him go methinks. The DO wants Fain's hide. (Recall Slayer's original mission in the Two Rivers--to slay Fain.) 4. From , we know the way the BA is run: "Before we left the Tower, I knew only Liandrin, Chesmal and Rianna. No one knew more than two or three others, I think." [Amico being questioned by Nynaeve and Egwene.] From this huge amount of secrecy, we can see that it is possible for somebody to run the BA from any position within the Tower. Mesaana (who does seem to be pulling strings there, since it is implied the capturing-Rand-and-bringing-him-to-the-Tower plot was her plan to get her hands on the Dragon Reborn .) could be anybody, an AS, or an Accepted, or a novice, or a maid. Since it would be much easier to pose as a new student or a servant, instead of impersonating somebody else, and possibly being caught out. As an additional idea, it has been suggested that Tarna, the Red emissary to Salidar is Mesaana in disguise. Not a lot of evidence for this, except that in the chapter where Tarna talks to Ny & El 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 LOC with that icon has a Forsaken, or reference to one, in. Tarna is good friends with Galina , 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 is evidence against this, too--why would Mesaana run her own errands? The problem of a previous history raises its head, here, too. Survey Says: Who is Mesaana? Scullery Maid/functionary: 47% (109) Silviana (new Mistress of Novices): 5% (11) An Aes Sedai: 4% (10) An Accepted: 3% (6) Laras: 2% (4) Danelle: 1% (3) 1.45...............................IS LTT FOR REAL, OR IS RAND INSANE? So, Rand is hearing voices. Is Lews Therin a real entity, or is he a product of Rand's taint-maddened imagination? OPTION ONE: Two minds inhabit Rand's body; Rand and LTT. Implies that Rand is relatively sane still and his problems can be attributed to stress, paranoia, fear and another mind trying to take him over and that Lews is completely insane. However, it doesn't make much sense for LTT to be talking to Rand. If we look at the other people who have lived past lives, we don't see this happening. Mat's memories of his past life/lives are integrated into his own personality. Same with Birgitte--she doesn't talk to "Marion," she says she was once called Marion. If LTT _is_ a separate entity, it could imply that Rand is just some poor sod who happened to be born into the same body that LTT was reborn into, and that not Rand, but LTT is the actual Dragon Reborn. OTOH, it was _Rand_ who pulled the Sword that Ain't, not LTT; he hadn't even shown up then. There is only one case in which we definitely know that two entities coexist in one body: Ordeith. However, this wasn't a rebirth. This theory also neglects to explain the fact that there is no manifestation of LTT prior to Rand channeling. OPTION TWO-- b) The LTT personality is the manifestation of Rand's encroaching insanity. "...everybody has been telling him he is Lews Therin reborn, so he starts perceiving Lews Therin is in his head. Not only that, but he finds the voice responds to him. Now he's trying to carry on conversations with this voice. It all seems logical to us, but then it seems logical (sort of) to Rand, as well. I found myself thinking he should tell somebody he was hearing a voice in his head. When I thought how absurd this sounded, it struck me that I had been fooled into thinking Rand was still completely sane." (James Beavens, beavenj@holmes.ece.orst.edu) Then, there is also, "He raised the point that Rand's creeping insanity may manifest in much more subtle ways than the people of Randland expect..." (from Emmet O'Brien's account of Jordan's talk at Trinity College in Dublin) This doesn't take into account that "LTT" knows things that Rand could never have known on his own--stuff about the AoL, &c. Possibly, Rand's taint-maddened subconscious could be constructing the LTT voice out of past life memories like Mat's. That is to say, the memories and knowledge expressed by LTT are real effects of being somebody Reborn, but the LTT voice is not, Rand has multiple personality disorder. Survey Says: Rand is: Going insane, but not there yet: 54% (121) sane now, and will not go mad, ever: 30% (68) Sand now, but will go bonkers: 12% (27) Totally insane right now: 1% (3) LTT inside Rand's head is: LTT reborn into Rand--he's not really mad, there _is_ somebody in his head: 67% (150) An effect of both Rand being LTT reborn, and going mad: 20% (45) A manifestation of Rand's madness: 8% (17) None of the above: 4% (10) Will Rand lose control to LTT? Yes: 62% (139) No: 31% (69) Undecided: 5% (12) 1.46......................WHY DID SAMMAEL CLAIM HE HAD A TRUCE W/ RAND? 1) Andris died in a pool of blood, delivering the message to Sammael that there would be no truce and 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 -- hiding behind a column -- Aviendha. CON-Rand should have been able to feel another man channeling or have experienced goosebumps if Aviendha channeled, and Sammael's thoughts about manipulating Graendal don't make sense if he isn't lying. Survey Says: Regarding Sammael and the Truce: He knows Rand rejected the offer, and was lying to Graendal: 80% (180) He thinks Rand accepted the offer: 10% (22) 1.47.......................WHO WILL BE THE DREADLORDS IN THE LAST BATTLE? {defn OF d-LORD, HERE. FROM GLOSSARY} 1) Black Ajah. Pro: loads of channeling experience, and bossing people around. Con: not much battle experience, except for Reds who hunt down False Dragons, and Greens, who do that sort of thing for fun. 2) Darkfriend sul'dam, with a damane or two as a Power source. Pro: Battle experience. Con: depends upon a possibly non-loyal damane for Power. This could cause problems in the middle of a fight. No experience in using the OP by oneself. 3) Runaway DF damane. Pro: knows how to use OP in battle. Con: not much experience in commanding things, making decisions, etc. 4) Asha'man. Pro: big motivation to be sworn to the shadow--protection >from the Taint. Very skilled at OP in battle. Possibly, a recruiting agent right in the camp (Mr. Taimendred? I'd like to join the BLACK tower, if you know what I mean.). Con: Some have less experience in command, and thus would make poor commanders. 5) DF Windfinders. Not much to say pro or con, since we know next to nothing about the Sea Folk or Windfinders at all. 6) Male Aiel Channellers: Pro: tradition is to go into the Blight to fight Shadowspawn until you die. (ObStupidIThinkRJCopiedFrom: Reminds you of Klingons, no?) Maybe some don't die, but get picked up and offered a second chance at eternal life, sans taint. Con: the Blight is NASTY. It's doubtful even an Aiel could survive a long time there, if he was bent on fighting. Not likely that many survive long enough to get recruited/13-converted. Plus, nobody has ever SEEN these supposed Aiel Dreadlords, either in the Blight, at SG, or in Randland. 7) Random Joe Randlander who finds out he can channel. Pro: why not? again, a great incentive to join up--no taint. If Joe is already a DF when he discovers channeling, all the more reason. Con: With all those other great candidates, why would the Shadow bother searching the populace for the 1:10000+ men who channel? 8) Dreadlord Search Program: Darkfriends are screened for the ability to channel, and then put into a Dreadlord Training Program. (Liandrin was recruited as a DF before she ever went to the Tower. She learned some channeling, too (?)) 9) Non-Channelers. Pro: In TGH, Bors thinks he has a chance of being a Dreadlord, even though he cannot channel. Con: You need to be Fain or a channeler to have enough power over a fade to command him. We already know J. Carradin never stood a chance with a Fade. (Beginning of TDR). 10) No Dreadlords--the DO has something better. Pro: Look at that shiny new Myrddraal the DO has! Even the Forsaken are frightened by it. It can scare channelers, channelers can scare normal Fades, Fades scare Trollocs. Cut out the middlemen, and make a bunch of Super-Fades to be dreadlords? What Lord of Evil needs humans anyway? It's not like he's going to leave them around after he wins, after all. Con: Shadar Haran is special, we've only seen one of his kind. Maybe the DO can't make any more like him. Maybe the DO doesn't want to. SH is too much of a mystery to assume he is the first of a new model of Fade. So, who are the New Dreadlords? I pick a mix of choices 1-7, with the majority being Black AS & DF Asha'man. 1.48.................................WHO IS THE "ONE WHO IS NO LONGER"? "The key to finding the bowl is to find the one who is no longer." Most people think that the One Who Is No Longer is a person. A popular suggestion has been Moiraine: "I assumed that what they are referring to is Moiraine. Lan cannot feel her any more, and since most of us assume she still is alive somewhere, I took it that she qualified as "one who is no longer." Most of us believes that Thom is supposed to rescue Moiraine at some point in time, and since he is down there, along with Mat who as been to A/E land twice already, why not now?" says Jim Ford. Other suggestions have been Gaidal Cain (the one who is no longer in T'A'R), Shemerin (the one who is no longer Aes Sedai), LTT (the one who is no longer sane/alive), and Luc (The one who is no longer in his body, and maybe even totally dead). Obviously, we need to know "the one who is no longer" what? Another possibility is that the one who is no longer is not a person, but a thing--a building, a landmark, something like that. 1.49.............................................SHADAR HARAN, SUPERFADE What do we know about Shadar Haran? 1. The DO holds him in high regard(see the prologue). 2. He has considerable amount of power in his own right. The DO's favor can be capricious and the forsaken sometimes to not obey him absolutely (Graendal believes she can get Sammael to kill Rand even though it is forbidden). Since SH taunts and insults the forsaken he probably can take care of himself. 3.He may or may not have the ability to keep people, or maybe just people sworn the the Shadow from channeling. (If the DO had a great ability do it to other male channelers or bestow the ability on someone else, he would not have let them seal the bore.) (RE: the prologue of LOC where Aran'gar & Osan'gar cannot channel. Both channel Saidin.) 4. The DO trusts him to give directions to the forsaken and manage things. 5.He apparently has knowledge of the world to organize Halima's scheme in Salidar. 6.He has not been visibly active until recently. 7.Unlike the rest of the forsaken he is apparently absolutely secure in his position One possibility that has been brought up is that he is Ishamael re-incarnated. This would fit criteria 1,2,4,5,6,7 and possibly 3 (we know from the end of TDR that Ishy has a number of abilities from the DO). Furthermore, assuming Aran'gar & Osan'gar are Aginor & Balthamel, this makes us wonder, "If the DO reincarnated those two yutzes, why didn't he reincarnate his greatest servant, Ishy?" Assuming he _did_ reincarnate Ish, then SH is the only new Evil Dude in LOC, besides Osan'gar & Aran'gar. However, Shadar Haran has neither done nor said anything to indicate that he has had a previous existence, and isn't just a new model of Fade. All of SH's attributes can be explained by assuming that he was specially created by the DO to have those attributes. 2.0:::::::::::::::::::::::::WORLD STUFF::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 2.1..........................................................THE OLD TONGUE What is the basis for the Old Tongue? A mix of Gaelic, Russian, Spanish, Japanese. Lots of different sources not traditionally used to make up fake languages. RJ has only a few phrases and a few small guides on usage written down." Why doesn't the Old Tongue bear any relation to the New Tongue spoken by Rand & Co? It probably does, but RJ has kindly "translated" the New Tongue into English so that we can read the books and he can make lots of money :). The Old Tongue is not "translated" in order to add "flavor" to the story. Think of Tolkien. (Who _did_ create entire languages.) Even he didn't write The Lord of the Rings in Middle-Earthish. 2.2....................................................WHAT IS THE TAMYRLIN? Probably some sort of leader of the Ancient Aes Sedai. The Tamyrlin had a ring just as the Amyrlin has a seat. From Elan Morin grimaced. "Look at you," he said scornfully. "Once you stood first among the Servants. Once you wore the Ring of Tamyrlin, and sat in the High Seat. Once you summoned the Nine Rods of Dominion. Now look at you!" Possibilities--1) Tamyrlin==Male Amyrlin, 2) Amyrlin==corrupted form of Tamyrlin 2.3..........................................HOW DOES BALEFIRE WORK? "When anything is destroyed with balefire, it ceases to exist _before_ the moment of its destruction;, like a thread that burns away from where the flame touched it. The greater the power of the balefire, the further back in time it ceases to exist. The strongest [Moiraine] can manage will remove only a few seconds from the Pattern...For as far back as you destroy [something], whatever it did during that time _no longer happened_. Only the memories remain, for those who saw or experienced it." That pretty much explains it. Something that is BFed is erased backwards in time, the amount of erasing depends on the amount of Power put into the BF. Rand, at full power, managed to erase Rahvin back about half an hour. WHY DOESN'T SOMEBODY JUST BALEFIRE THE DARK ONE? 2.4.........................................................THE SEVEN SEALS 1) in the eye of the world with the Horn, broken; 2) Bayle had one, intact, taken by Turak; Moiraine found it after the fight, and it was broken by then. 3) Turak had one. Moiraine found it along with (2). Also broken. 4) Moiraine found one in the Stone of Tear, intact; 5) She found another one in Rhuidean, and made a scratch. 6) Nynaeve found one in the Panarch's Palace, broken on the way to Salidar. 7) Mazrim Taim gave the last one to Rand, saying it was found in a farmhouse in Saldaea. Survey Says? Will the DO be COMPLETELY freed before the end of the series? Yes: 69% (155) No: 20% (44) Undecided: 10% (22) 2.5...............................................WHO'S WHO IN THE FAMILIES TRAKANDS & MANTEARS / ANDOR D A M O D R E D S/ (rumored to have Aiel blood) C A I R H E I N -=---------------------- +-----------=LAMAN--=BARTHANES | | | | | (cousin) | LUC* (JANDUIN) -+- TIGRAINE(M)m TARINGAIL MOIRAINE | (M) clan chief | (Daughter Heir (heir?) (half sister | of Taardad | of Andor ---+---------+ of Taringail) | | AKA SHAIEL) | | | | | | | | GALADEDRID | | RAND | | | MORGASE(T)---------------------+--------------+ | GAWYN(T)** & ELAYNE(T)** (Daughter Heir of Andor) M A L K I E R I --------------------------------------------- | | LAIN m. BREYAN allied with COWIN AL'AKIR m. EL'LEANNA | | ISAM LAN * Merges with ISAM, son of BREYAN to form SLAYER ** Possibly bastard of THOM MERRILIN, the gray fox = Exact links unknown 2.6....................................................HOW OLD IS EVERYONE? RAND: In TFoH, Moiraine notes that it has been almost 21 years since the search began for the Dragon Reborn. That puts Rand's age at about 21, and so he started at about 19. MAT: the far end of 20 years PERRIN: about same age as Rand & Mat. EGWENE is about the same age as Elayne, 18. ELAYNE is 18. MIN is older than Rand, younger than Nynaeve, say 23, starting at 21. GAWYN, MAT, and PERRIN are the same age as Rand (21). GALAD: Tigraine disappeared in 972 when he was an infant. Puts him at 27. NYNAEVE was just old enough to recall Tam bringing baby Rand back to Emond's field--say about 5. That puts her at 26 now, 24 at the beginning. This agrees with . MOIRAINE was Accepted (and about to be raised Aes Sedai) at the end of the Aiel War. Age approx. 25 (older Accepted Age) + 21 = mid-forties LAN was an infant when Malkier fell, which occurred less than 50 years from the start of the series. So Lan is something under 50, say mid-40s? LIANDRIN is referred to as young, not just young seeming as are all Aes Sedai, about 27. ELAIDA has about 5 years (was one of the Accepted who watched over her when she was a Novice) on Moiraine, late forties-early fifties. SIUAN SANCHE is about the same age as Moiraine--mid-forties, although she looks very young due to stilling. ISAM was a child when Malkier fell, so he is a few years older than Lan, say about 50. 2.7.................................................WHAT DOES EACH AJAH DO? [Aes Sedai may be translated as 'Servant to All' although they were called at times 'Servants of the Light'] Color Purpose ------------------------------------------------------- Blue Meddle in causes Red Prevent another Breaking (i.e., hunt down men who can channel) White Philosophers -"Consider the questions of truth with implacable logic" Green The Battle Ajah - "love men" Brown Seekers of old knowledge, librarians Yellow Healers Gray Arbitrators/Mediators. Black Do ya' really need to ask? 2.8..................................................GEOGRAPHY OF RANDLAND This land is Rand-Land, this land's Egwene-Land, from Arad Doman to the Aiel Waste-Land. From Kinslayer's Dagger, to the Dragon's Fingers, this land was made by LTT. >General Notes on Randland/Randworld Geography< o Illian is approximately at the same latitude as the Florida Keys . o The timing of Rand & Avi MPS in the Snow is not an error. It is properly indicative of where (part of) the Seanchan Empire is located. Seanchan has parts in the north & south hemispheres, Rand & Avi were in the south. Note on Heraldry: Randland heraldry sometimes violates our heraldic rules. According to our heraldic rules, "white" is the same as "silver." "White" is used if the banners are given in their simple version, "silver" is used in their normal version. The same holds for "yellow" (simple) and "gold" (normal). According to our rules, "silver" and "gold" count as "metallic" in opposition to "red," "blue," "green," and "black," which are colors. In banners metal and color have to alternate. That means if the symbol is metallic, it has to be put on a colored field. If the symbol is in color, the field is metallic. Thus, every banner includes "gold" or "silver." >Altara< General: Capital: Ebou Dar. Very wild country, with the women running things. Lots of dueling. Neat daggers, which contain a bit of family information on them. Interesting dress styles. Gov't: Nominal Monarchy. Actually, The monarchy exercises very limited control over the country. Current ruler: Queen Tylin. Current events: Fractious as always. Border disputes with Amadicia and Illian. Salidar AS army marching north, with the Band of the Red Hand paralleling them. El, Ny, Mat, and a few others are looking for a bowl ter'angreal which can bring rain. The Seanchan may be preparing to invade Ebou Dar. Tourist Attractions: [What's the name of the Queen's palace?] Home of: Can't think of anyone important. >Amadicia< General: Capital: Amador. Apparently a younger country, as Amador was not built by the Ogier. Fractious relations with Altara, Murandy, and Ghealdan. Participated in the Whitecloak War against the coalition of Altara, Illian, and Murandy. Banner: Six-pointed silver star on a red thistle on a field of blue. Gov't: Technically a Monarchy, in actuality controlled by Pedron Niall and the Whitecloaks. [What's the king's name? I can't remember!] Current Events: The northern third or so of Amadicia is occupied by the Prophet Masema and his followers, who have routed the Amadician national army and appear to have done well against the Whitecloaks. The border with Tarabon has been sealed (and moved a few miles west). The Whitecloaks are gathering in Amador. Internal tensions between Pedron Niall and the Questioners are growing, including a possible coup d'etat in the planning stage. Pedron Niall has been busy opposing Rand in subtle ways (Tear, Cairhien, Altara, Murandy, Illian, Ghealdan). Morgase is here, and has been pressured into signing a treaty with the Whitecloaks Home of: Pedron Niall, Jaichim Carradin, Jared Byar, Geofram Bornhold, Dain Bornhold. Tourist Attractions: Dome of the Light Survey Says: Will Niall reinstate Morgase to the Lion Throne? Yes: 13% (30) No: 77% (172) Undecided: 7% (16) >Andor< General: Capital city, Caemlyn. Oldest city-state in Randland, established not long after the breaking, with Queen of Andor the oldest title in Randland. Unique traditions of sending the heir and expected first prince to train in the White Tower, and having an open Aes Sedai advisor. Banner: White lion on a red field. Rulers: Matriarchy, with a male advisor and head of the army called the First Prince of the Sword. Ruled for the last twenty years by Queen Morgase of House Trakand. Heir to the throne (Daughter-heir), Elayne. Current events: Queen Morgase missing, presumed dead. Lord Gaebril, aka Rahvin dead. The Dragon Reborn is holding the throne for the Daughter-Heir, Elayne, although there are rumors that she is dead. The Two Rivers district has seemingly declared independence. Growing discontent among the nobility. Home of: Morgase, Elayne, Gawyn, Galad, Gareth Bryne, "Lord Gaebril," Tigraine/Shaiel, Lord Luc Tourist Attractions: Palace gardens, reached by climbing Palace wall. Map: (partial map of Andor) (map of Caemlyn) >Arad Doman< General: Capital: Bandar Eban. Currently in total civil disorder. >Arafel< General: Capital: Shol Arbela. One of the Borderlands. Banner: Three white roses on a field of red quartered with three red roses on a field of white. Gov't: Monarchy. Current Events: Clashes between Pro- and anti- Dragon factions. The Blight border is quiet. I believe there was a False Dragon here a few years back. Possible border clashes with Kandor or Shienar. Tourist Attractions: Lotsa military stuff. >Cairhien< General: Capital--Cairhien. National Pastime--Game of Houses, played by everyone from the king to Commoners. The previous king, Laman, caused the Aiel War by chopping down the Tree of Life sapling to make a throne. Highly dependent upon grain imports from Tear & Andor. Banner: Many-rayed golden sun rising on a field of sky blue. Gov't: Monarchy. Last king: Galldrian of House Riatin (assassinated 998 NE by Thom Merrilin). The Dragon, Rand Al'Thor plans to put Elayne Trakand of Andor on the Cairhien throne, soon as he finds her. Current Events: The recent assassinations of Galldrian and the strongest contender for the throne (Lord Barthanes) have left the other Houses fighting one another in a random war of succession, leaving the country in a state of anarchy. Andor was beginning to look at the Cairhienin civil war as an opportunity to expand its borders. To make matters worse, the country was recently invaded by a bunch of renegade Aiel. The Dragon Reborn has taken power, defeating the Aiel, but has yet to find the woman he intends to put on the throne. Tourist Attractions: Largest (& most powerful) male-oriented sa'angreal, Royal Library--largest collection of knowledge outside Tar Valon. Home of: Moiraine, Taringail >Ghealdan< General: Capital: Jehannah Gov't: Monarchy; Queen Alliandre. Current Events: The False Dragon Logain ripped through here at the beginning of the series, defeated some AS sent to stop him, and departed, possibly at the instigation of the Red Ajah. Suffered serious riots due to the presence of the Prophet in which thousands died. Alliandre is the fourth monarch on the Ghealdan throne in the last year (two of the previous three are dead, and one is currently married to some businessman), the others having been toppled by the Prophet's followers (in one way or another). The situation is probably still unstable. Alliandre has secretly communicated her support for Rand. Tourist Attractions: There probably aren't any left standing. Home of: Alliandre, Logain. >Illian< General: Capital--Illian. Starting point for the Great Hunt for the Horn. Traditional enemy of Tear. Climate--Hot and Humid Banner: Nine golden bees on a field of dark green. Gov't: Mixed government, with a King, a House of Lords (the council of Nine), and a House of Commons (the Assemblage) Current events: Outset of the Great Hunt. Escalating hostilities between Illian and Tear (closing of borders, trade forbidden). Council of Nine dominated by Lord Brend, aka Sammael. Really, really big army forming outside its borders to invade them. Construction and occupation of hill fortifications facing the Plains of Maredo. It appears Illian is undergoing full mobilization (it would make sense for Sammael to draft everyone that can hold a weapon). Something going on between Elaida's AS and Illian. Illian agreed to an anti-Dragon alliance with the Whitecloaks. [There might have been problems with Altara recently, but it could have been a rumor.] Tourist Attractions: King's Palace, and its copy, the Hall of the Council Home of: Bayle Domon >Kandor< General: Capital: Chachin. One of the Borderlands. Banner: rearing red horse on a field of pale green. Gov't: Monarchy. Current Events: Clashes between Pro- and anti- Dragon supporters. The Blight border is quiet. Possible border clashes with Arafel. Tourist Attractions: Lotsa military stuff. >Malkier< General: _Was_ one of the borderlands, located N of Shienar. Destroyed due to treachery of the last king's sister-in-law (Breyan) and Cowin Fairheart (Great Lord & Darkfriend). Banner: Golden crane in flight. Gov't: Monarchy. Last king--al'Akir Mandragoran. Uncrowned heir-- al'Lan Mandragoran. Current Events--Doesn't exist anymore, has been swallowed up by the Blight Tourist Attractions: Ruins of the Seven Towers, the 1000 Lakes Home of: Lan, Isam, Jain(m) Farstrider Map: (with Shienar) >Mayene< General: City State on the Sea of Storms, traditionally oppressed by Tear. Banner: Golden hawk in flight on a field of blue. Gov't: Monarchy-like. Current ruler: ``The First'' Berelain sur Pendrag of house Paeron. Ruling line said to be descended from Artur Hawkwing. >Murandy< General: Capital: Lugard. Very fractious country. Allied with Altara and Illian against Amadicia in the Whitecloak War. Hostile to Andor. Gov't: Loose confederation of lands controlled by various lords. Possibly there is a nominal king? Current Events: Unstable as always. Logain was defeated by the AS in Murandy in the beginning of the series. Hasn't declared for or against the Dragon yet, like Altara. Tourist Attractions: The Nine Horse Hitch Inn :) Home of: Padan Fain >Saldaea< General: Capital: Maradon. Banner: Three silver fish on a field of dark blue. Gov't: Monarchy. Current ruler: Queen Tenobia. Current Events: Has been having troubles all throughout the series. The False Dragon Mazrim Taim ripped through here, gave Davram Bashere a hard time, was captured, escaped, and is possibly supporting Rand in Andor and at Dumai's Wells. Tenobia is still in charge, and appears to have consolidated her position, and there are rumors that she has retired to a country estate. Clashes between Pro- and anti-Dragon factions. Davram Bashere is in Andor with a chunk of the army. The Blight border is quiet. Home of: Faile, Davram Bashere, Mazrim Taim. >Shienar< General: Capital city--Fal Moran. Due to its location (borderlands),its society has a strong militaristic streak. Quaint local fashion--fighting men shave their heads, except for a topknot. Banner: Stooping black hawk. Gov't: Monarchy, current king--Easar of house Togita Current events: Held off Trolloc hoard at Tarwin's Gap (with a little help from their friends). Small-scale battles between pro- and anti- Dragon factions. Tourist Attractions: Lotsa military stuff, nice signal towers Home of: Ingtar, Lord Agelmar, Lady Amalisa, Uno, Masema, Hurin Map: >Tarabon< General: Capital--Tanchico. Local fashion: women wear their hair in numerous little braids, men and women wear veils. Symbol--tree. Banner: Tree. Gov't: Monarchy-ish. There are two independent monarchs, the King and the Panarch, each has his/her own duties. Current events: Tanchico (and probably some surrounding territory) has been occupied by the Seanchan. Probable scattered resistance to the Seanchan invasion. Probable desultory civil war with continued Dragonsworn troubles. The Whitecloaks have closed the border between Amadicia and Tarabon. Tourist Attractions: Panarch's museum--artifacts from past ages, Illuminators' Guild Home of: Liandrin, Aludra Map: