My Plot Related Q&A With Maria Simons + New MAFO

[Luckers]

So Maria was kind enough to answer some questions for me. There is some amazing stuff in there--including the death of one of my pet theories *sigh*. Enjoy.

 

Also, this is Maria being extremely kind to me, and to all of you by extension. So appreciate her! ;D

 

New MAFO

 

Note: Maria is claims the right to ammend this later.

 

Question--His other question was. Did Egwene squeeze Moggy for info on the Dream World? That was our First MAFO( Maria And Find Out). He also said that Egwene is a powerful dreamer and it seems unlikely that she didn't squeeze her for the info.

 

Maria Answers-- this one is basic enough that I feel pretty confident that Egwene would have certainly asked Moggy about Tel'aran'rhiod.  Egwene threatened to execute Moggy if she lied; I would think that with the knowledge that Egwene gained from the Aiel Wise Ones she might use that as the occasional test, and see where it went.  I think that Egwene asked Moggy about pretty much anything that popped in her head.

 

Plot Related Q&A

 

1. The Above MAFO on Souls, Channeling and Talents [this can be found in the MAFO thread stuck at the top of the Gathering Storm Forum].

 

Question--Beyond the MAFO, I was going to ask for a clarification on this. Firstly I would point out a curiosity—in KoD: 23, Call to a Sitting, Tiana notes that many of the women who are strong in Nynaeve’s method of healing used to be village Wise Women. She wonders why that should make any difference, and indeed it does seem to imply that their life experience in some way affected their degree of Talent. How would this work out under the understanding of Talent as a soul-ability? Does life experience change the strength of the Talent, whilst soul-ability decides if you have it? Or should we make a distinction between Talents which are Skills—like Healing, or that Shielding Talent Berowin of the Kin has—and Talents which are Abilities—like Foretelling, Wolfbrothering or Dreaming?

 

Maria Answers--Okay, let’s look at this.  Why did these women choose to be  village Wise Women?  Maybe they haven’t sparked, but the Talent is there.  They may not understand it, but they feel that they should be healing the sick.  So, instead of life experience affecting the Talent, I think that it’s more that the Talent affects the life experience.  

 

Also, Aes Sedai have been taught that Healing is done one way, and that way is the only proper way.  It’s sort of like the gesture limitation; if an Aes Sedai learns to make weaves using gestures, she’ll have a really hard time making the weave without making the gesture.  I think that the former Wise Women are more open to learning the new way, and that gives them another advantage at it.

 

 

2. Question--Another curiosity would be that in Rand’s portal stone experience in tGH: 37, What Might Be, Rand sees versions of Egwene who are better at healing than Nynaeve. The Egwene of the story can barely heal. Are then the Egwene’s of the mirror worlds different souls with different abilities and Talents? Or would this again be evidence that experience can temper Talent?

 

Maria Answers--This one I have no clue on.   I lean towards the first explanation, but have no evidence to back it up, other than Jim’s assertion that Talents are something one is born with and cannot be learned.

 

 

3. Question--This is also from one of Brandon's hash outs with Matt from Theoryland. In it Brandon speaks of the nature of Parallel Worlds.

Brandon: Extrapolations of this question get us to: is there one Dragon for all different Parallels or are they all different Dragons. Traveling through the Portal Stone seems to indicate that there are many different lives Rand could have led. The same thing happens with several of the Ter’angreal that people go through. The question then is, are those all separate Universes? Do we have a multi-verse sort of concept? Or are they possibilities and do these worlds all exist or could exist, what is the difference. In some of those Rand failed. So, is Rand the Dragon in all of them or is Rand not the Dragon in some of them? What happens in the ones where Rand failed? Are they real worlds? Are those different worlds where there is a different Dark One who then takes over and destroys that world or maybe not, maybe he makes it has he wishes. Or are those just possibilities, reflections of this world that don’t really exist except when we touch them? Those are all very good questions. Robert Jordan said that T’A’R is a reflection of all different worlds, which implies other worlds continue to exist. The World of the Finns is something different…

 

Matt: ...he called it a Parallel World…

 

Brandon: Yes, the Parallel World, that one and also the one Rand and Lanfear visited are persistent regardless of someone from this world visiting. Yet, many of those seem almost shadowy and reflections of the real world, some of them seem as real just strange when visiting them. What happens in these different world, that sort of thing, those were never questions that Robert Jordan answered…

 

Ok, my request for clarification is mainly concerned with that last paragraph—specifically it left me confused about whether Brandon is speaking about Parallel Worlds or Mirror Worlds. Brandon seems to lump both in together, describing some as shadowy, some as solid. Brandon describes the Finn world as THE Parallel World (we also know the Ogier world is a Parallel world), but in the same paragraph Brandon seems to define it as a persistent Mirror World of some form, and grants that same allocation to the world Rand and Lanfear visited in tGH.  

 

Maria Answers--Cut Brandon a break, here.  I had to look it up to make sure that I had which one was which correct.  The ‘finn worlds are parallel worlds, the Ogier world is a parallel world.  The place that Lanfear, Rand, Loial and Hurin went to was a Mirror World, as were all of the ones in the Portal Stone incident.  [sorry Brandon! I am an uber geek and get carried away and never meant to attack you! Mea culpa!]

 

 

4. Question—On RJ’s Q&A on the Mirror/Parallel worlds from DragonCon ’05.

Q53: Are Parallel worlds and Mirror worlds the same thing?

RJ: No, they are different.

Q54: Do Parallel Worlds have their own reflections?

RJ: Possibly.

Q55: Do Portal Stones lead to Parallel Worlds, Mirror Worlds, or both?

RJ: They lead to Mirror Worlds, the Portal Stones can take you to Mirror Worlds, not to Parallels, which are separate.

My thought was always that Mirror Worlds are reflections no matter how solid, whilst Parallel Worlds were completely distinct universes. As real and vital as our own. That was how Rand could lose in the Mirror Worlds and it not result in the Dark One winning. But that’s all my thoughts, I was mainly just wondering at the distinctions between the two, and whether the world Rand visited was special, or if that’s just my own stupidity in play.

 

Maria Answers—I think that you are correct, but I can’t back it up

 

 

5. Question--On Falme, Rand and the Seanchan.

Question: In Falme we saw Rand fighting Ishamael and the Heroes of the Horn and the Seanchan were mirroring the progress of the battle.  Does this mean that there is something inherently evil about the Seanchan Empire?

Answer: Nobody in WoT is inherently evil, except for Shadowspawn.  At the time, the Seanchan were being led by a Darkfriend.

I almost didn't include this, it's so nitpicky, but you said you liked that. Feel free to ignore.  Is this then to imply that the reason the Seanchan were paralleled with Ishamael in the fights was because Suroth was leading them? I always assumed that it was Rand’s personal enmity that caused the correlation—he saw both Ishamael and the Seanchan as the bad guys, and therefore, under the effect of the Wheel’s push for the Dragon event, combined with the influence of Rand’s ta’maral’ailen and the ‘loose reality’ resulting from the sounding of the Horn, the two got linked in the weaving of the moment? Was it then more involved with the links between Suroth and Ishamael?

 

Maria Answers--I can’t really add anything to Jim’s answer.  It certainly seems to indicate that it was the link between Suroth and Ishamael.  

 

 

6. Question--1. At the end of tGH after the Horn is sounded, Hawkwing goes to ride off, then states that ‘something is wrong’ and that ‘something’ holds him, and says to Rand ‘you are here, have you the banner?’ This has led to the perception that the Horn requires the Dragon or the Dragon banner to work. Is this perception correct, or is this a result of the Weave of the Moment, or just plain Hawkwing’s sense of romanticism?

 

Maria Answers--I would think, given that the banner was hidden with the Horn of Valere, that it might indeed be very necessary for it.  I have no idea why, though, or how.

 

 

7. Question--What was in Corianin Nedeal's notes (the ones Verin considers both giving to Egwene and destroying). Or will we find out?

 

Maria Answers--RAFO

 

 

8. Question--Why did Verin tell Rand that damane may feel him channeling at Falme? Did she truly fear it might be possible, or was she manipulating him? And if so to what purpose?

 

Maria Answers--I don’t know if it was ignorance, or just sneaky Verin being sneaky. Either is possible; if the latter, I have no idea what her purpose was.

 

 

9. Question--In [LoC; 30, To Heal Again - 617] Siuan, after being healed, says to Nynaeve that ‘if she could heal her to half of what she was’ she would be better off. This has led to the perception that Siuan and Leane are less than half their original strength. Yet in [CoT; 19, Surprises – 459]  we find out that both women stand several steps above the Aes Sedai minimum strength. This seems problematic—the range of Aes Sedai strength does not appear to be so great as to allow for this. So the question is, did Siuan and Leane in fact lose such a large amount of strength as they appear to have?

 

Maria Answers--Yes, they did lose a large amount of strength.  The range of strength is greater than you think, I believe.  At the beginning, Siuan was near the top (and Leane close behind); if she were half the strength she used to be, she’d be in the middle. Instead, she’s somewhere in the lower half, but not absolute rock bottom, nor nearly as low as Daigian Moseneillin.

 

 

10. Question-- Was Cyndane's new body originally Cabriana Meccandes?

 

Maria Answers--No.  [alternately, I could RAFO this, although it seemed so far-fetched to me that it seems okay to answer it]

 

 

11. Question--What was the item that could help tie the Aes Sedai to Rand and help Rand that Nynaeve and Elayne found in the Tower via Need in tel’aran’rhiod (just prior to finding the Bowl of the Winds).

 

Maria Answers--You don’t really think I’m going to answer every single question, do you?

 

 

12. Question--In [LoC; 20, Heading South] Mat finds a Tinker caravan where the Tuatha’an have all been slaughtered. One of the Tinkers wrote ‘tell the Dragon Reborn’ in his own blood... Mat thinks, ‘tell him what’? And that is the question—what did one of the tuatha’an have to tell Rand that was so important? Also, was this done by the Whitecloaks?

 

Maria Answers--I mean, come on.  There are still two books to come

 

 

13. Question--On the issue of Cuendillar. It is stated that the One Power makes it stronger. Brandon said there is another way besides the True Power. Were the AOL aware of this, and is this why they could equate the relative strength of something indestructible?

 

Maria Answers--And an encyclopedia.

 

 

14. Question--Why was there a flash of blue when Thom fought the Myrrdraal in tEotW

 

Maria Answers--To quote Robert Jordan himself, RAFO.

 

 

15. Question--When were the Oaths implemented. Were they all done at the same time. If not, when were each put in place?

 

Maria Answers--From the BBoBA: “These oaths were not always required, but various events before and since the Breaking caused them to be necessary. The second oath was the first adopted after the War of the Shadow.”

 

And according to Sheriam, "Once, Aes Sedai were not required to swear oaths. It was known what Aes Sedai were and what they stood for, and there was no need for more. Many of us wish it were so still. But the Wheel turns, and the times change. That we swear these oaths, that we are known to be bound, allows the nations to deal with us without fearing that we will throw up our own power, the One Power, against them. Between the Trolloc Wars and the War of the Hundred Years we made these choices, and because of them the White Tower still stands, and we can still do what we can against the Shadow."

So we have the second oath was adopted first, and the other two added between the Trolloc Wars and the War of a Hundred Years (if we believe Sheriam, anyway, and I can see no reason for a lie on this one).

 

 

16. Question--Was Egwene's one-eighty on the issue of the Oath Rod a natural change of mind, or was she influenced to it by Halima?

 

Maria Answers--That was Egwene, influenced by Siuan, doing her best to be the best Aes Sedai EVAR.

 

 

18. Question-- Min says she was never able to master the ‘ignoring heat/cold’ trick. And we’ve never seen any non-channeler master it. Is it something only a channeler can do?

 

Maria Answers--It shouldn’t be. Of course, it’s been kept secret from most non-channelers, so that’s not really evidence. I think that part of it is that a channeler is used to controlling things more – they have to have more focus and self-discipline just to manage the One Power, so they are better at controlling their reactions in general, and the trick works better for them because of it.  

 

 

19. Question--In the same note is that why Min couldn’t mask her bond?

 

Maria Answers--Yes.

 

 

20. Question--Is strength in the power evenly distributed? Would on a scale of one to one hundred the most channelers be on the 50 mark? (within a gender, of course).

 

Maria Answers--Jim described it as a bell curve, with most channelers in the middle.

 

 

21. Question--Of the really strong channelers we know the nature to, all but one have been sparkers. This has led to the belief that sparkers are on average stronger than learners. Is this belief justified?

 

Maria Answers--No.  “Having been born with the inherent spark apparently is not an indicator of strength.  There are as many with weak potential who will channel whether they are taught or not as there are of great potential” (from Jim’s notes).  The stronger ones just get more attention.

 

 

22. Question--Do stronger sparkers stand a better chance of surviving touching the Source unaided?

 

Maria Answers--It depends on what you mean by “stronger” sparkers.  If you mean strength in the One Power, not really.  If you mean strength of will or character, perhaps. Jim said of touching the One Power unaided:  “if you have not learned some sort of rough control, conscious or not, you will die screaming and writhing in agony.”  

 

 

23. Question--Is the old man we see serving Graendal in an earlier book Alsalam?

 

Maria Answers--RAFO

 

 

[Shard]

Which theory died this time Luckers?

[Luckers]

Not an entire theory. The Siuan and Leane aspect of my theory about Cyndane was what got the boot. Check the Brandon's Confusion thread. Unlike the Sylvase Theory I'll probably drop the thread from the Database and construct a new thread for Cyndane.

 

My thoughts.

 

Maria Answers--Okay, let’s look at this.  Why did these women choose to be  village Wise Women?  Maybe they haven’t sparked, but the Talent is there.  They may not understand it, but they feel that they should be healing the sick.  So, instead of life experience affecting the Talent, I think that it’s more that the Talent affects the life experience.  

 

Fascinating. This would never have occured to me, but it makes sense that a Talent would influence a persons inclinations. Explains alot!

 

Cut Brandon a break, here

 

Eeep. *hides face in shame*.

 

7. Question--What was in Corianin Nedeal's notes (the ones Verin considers both giving to Egwene and destroying). Or will we find out?

 

Maria Answers--RAFO

 

Drat!

 

9. Question--In [LoC; 30, To Heal Again - 617] Siuan, after being healed, says to Nynaeve that ‘if she could heal her to half of what she was’ she would be better off. This has led to the perception that Siuan and Leane are less than half their original strength. Yet in [CoT; 19, Surprises – 459]  we find out that both women stand several steps above the Aes Sedai minimum strength. This seems problematic—the range of Aes Sedai strength does not appear to be so great as to allow for this. So the question is, did Siuan and Leane in fact lose such a large amount of strength as they appear to have?

 

Maria Answers--Yes, they did lose a large amount of strength.  The range of strength is greater than you think, I believe.  At the beginning, Siuan was near the top (and Leane close behind); if she were half the strength she used to be, she’d be in the middle. Instead, she’s somewhere in the lower half, but not absolute rock bottom, nor nearly as low as Daigian Moseneillin.

 

*screams in anguish*

 

If one of you laughs at me I will slam you with the banhammer so hard you'll be banned from the internet.

 

10. Question-- Was Cyndane's new body originally Cabriana Meccandes?

 

Maria Answers--No.  [alternately, I could RAFO this, although it seemed so far-fetched to me that it seems okay to answer it]

 

Poor Sylvase Theory. The Powers That Be have walked all over you this week.

 

16. Question--Was Egwene's one-eighty on the issue of the Oath Rod a natural change of mind, or was she influenced to it by Halima?

 

Maria Answers--That was Egwene, influenced by Siuan, doing her best to be the best Aes Sedai EVAR.

 

Shiny! This question has been around for YEARS! Good to have a resolution. Also this may mean Egwene might potentially contemplate the removal of the Oaths if the nature of their meaning to being Aes Sedai is pointed out to her in the right way.

 

 

[SuperFade]

11. Question--What was the item that could help tie the Aes Sedai to Rand and help Rand that Nynaeve and Elayne found in the Tower via Need in tel’aran’rhiod (just prior to finding the Bowl of the Winds).

 

Maria Answers--You don’t really think I’m going to answer every single question, do you?

 

I had totally forgotten about this. The Chapter this occurs in is Under the Dust in LoC, in case anyone wants to find it. What was in the Tower that will bind the Aes Sedai to him?

[Shard]

That question is the "big unnotcied thing" something that Rand needs is in the Tower. Maybe THATS how Gawyn kills Rand. lol

 

Poor Luckers.

 

Wow so what was Halima's purpose to give Eggy headaches? What a waste.

[Luckers]

That question is the "big unnotcied thing" something that Rand needs is in the Tower. Maybe THATS how Gawyn kills Rand. lol

 

Yeah that's what made me ask--it was my first thought when I heard of the BUT. Peter Ahlstrom ruled it out so I figured I'd ask.

 

 

[Silentvoice]

Maria Answers--Cut Brandon a break, here.  I had to look it up to make sure that I had which one was which correct.  The ‘finn worlds are parallel worlds, the Ogier world is a parallel world.  The place that Lanfear, Rand, Loial and Hurin went to was a Mirror World, as were all of the ones in the Portal Stone incident.  [sorry Brandon! I am an uber geek and get carried away and never meant to attack you! Mea culpa!]

 

Ogier world? Did I miss something really important?

[Nightstrike]

1. The Above MAFO on Souls, Channeling and Talents [this can be found in the MAFO thread stuck at the top of the Gathering Storm Forum].

 

Question--Beyond the MAFO, I was going to ask for a clarification on this. Firstly I would point out a curiosity—in KoD: 23, Call to a Sitting, Tiana notes that many of the women who are strong in Nynaeve’s method of healing used to be village Wise Women. She wonders why that should make any difference, and indeed it does seem to imply that their life experience in some way affected their degree of Talent. How would this work out under the understanding of Talent as a soul-ability? Does life experience change the strength of the Talent, whilst soul-ability decides if you have it? Or should we make a distinction between Talents which are Skills—like Healing, or that Shielding Talent Berowin of the Kin has—and Talents which are Abilities—like Foretelling, Wolfbrothering or Dreaming?

 

Maria Answers--Okay, let’s look at this.  Why did these women choose to be  village Wise Women?  Maybe they haven’t sparked, but the Talent is there.  They may not understand it, but they feel that they should be healing the sick.  So, instead of life experience affecting the Talent, I think that it’s more that the Talent affects the life experience. 

 

Also, Aes Sedai have been taught that Healing is done one way, and that way is the only proper way.  It’s sort of like the gesture limitation; if an Aes Sedai learns to make weaves using gestures, she’ll have a really hard time making the weave without making the gesture.  I think that the former Wise Women are more open to learning the new way, and that gives them another advantage at it.

 

 

2. Question--Another curiosity would be that in Rand’s portal stone experience in tGH: 37, What Might Be, Rand sees versions of Egwene who are better at healing than Nynaeve. The Egwene of the story can barely heal. Are then the Egwene’s of the mirror worlds different souls with different abilities and Talents? Or would this again be evidence that experience can temper Talent?

 

Maria Answers--This one I have no clue on.  I lean towards the first explanation, but have no evidence to back it up, other than Jim’s assertion that Talents are something one is born with and cannot be learned.

That was a bit surprising. Aiel & Dreamwalkers? Of course, there were really few of them.

 

 

[Dida]

Maria thanks for the RAFO's  ;)

 

 

14. Question--Why was there a flash of blue when Thom fought the Myrrdraal in tEotW

 

Maria Answers--To quote Robert Jordan himself, RAFO.

 

 

  Luckers, did you really read the 'the Gathering Storm' and miss Rondel Ituralde story of Thom in Chapter 10?

 

Rodel shook his head.  "That last 'ball' wasn't actually a ball at all.  It was some kind of Illuminator's trick; once it got halfway to the bard, it flashed and gave off a sudden burst of light and smoke. By the time our vision cleared, the bard was gone, and ten balls were lined up on the floor.  When I looked around, I found him sitting at one of the tables with the rest of the dinners, drinking a cup of wine and flirting with Lord Finndal's wife."

 

The Gathering Storm, Chapter 10 "The Last of the Tabac" - Rondel pov

 

 

 Thom's had Illuminator training in the past, its obvious based on this and other past clues--e.g. the scene with Aludra, Mat, Thom in tDR book,Chapter 40.  

 

 

 So this question was not really needed to be asked....

[Luckers]

Actually it needn't be asked for an entirely seperate reason. I sent these questions months ago, and since then I found that an entry in the Eye of the World has been corrected for later printings. Specifically, Thom throws two knives at Trollocs when escaping Shadar Logoth then complains that they were his best knives. The correction was to change this to 'his second best knives'. The implication of this change is clear--why must it not be his best knives? Because they did something important later that would be contradicted by his having lost them. Ergo his best knives were Power-wrought, hence the blue lightning in this scene.

 

But seriously Dida? You'd have Thom playing tricks while fighting for his life? Your willingness to concot wild theories from the most innocuos of evidence is coming to a definate middle.

[Cirin]

But seriously Dida? You'd have Thom playing tricks while fighting for his life? Your willingness to concot wild theories from the most innocuos of evidence is coming to a definate middle.

 

To be fair, I don't know that I'd really call it "playing tricks" if he did use a firework of some kind to escape.  It would not really be all that different from dropping a flash bang and then high-tailing it out of there.  Not saying that that's what happened, necessarily, but it's not a bad theory, although he could certainly have Power-wrought knives as well.  I put nothing past Thom Merrilin.  :D

[Kadere]

[Malivar>If a Fades blade will not produce lighting except against other Thakandar wrought blades, and power-wrought blades, Why do Thom's daggers produce it when he attacks the Fade at Whitebridge?

 

[@R-JORDAN> thoms daggers did not produce the effect. It was produced before thom reached the fade.

 

Yeah, it still needs to be asked.

[Luckers]

Oh wow.

 

Where is that from? I've not seen that before. It makes the correction of the Eye of the World very peculiar.

[Cirin]

Maybe they just made the change because Thom knew his two best knives are his razor wit and his sharp appearance.   ;D

[Kadere]

It's from the "Dromen & Demonen Chat April 6, 2001" I can't find a link that works to it anymore. It looks like it's possibly in Theoryland's archives though, and I have a copy of the full text.

[Luckers]

Could you PM the full text to me?

[Thorum]

This is the text in Dutch. Babelfish or Google can help with that ;D

[jemron]

I think that the argument that Thom may have just been using some sort of illuminator "trick" is very relevant.  It may seem like a cheezy comparison, because I'm not fighter and this is the best reference I can come up with, but don't Ninja's learn things like slight of hand and/or "smoke and mirror" type tricks to use to distract their opponents?  It seems like someone like Thom Merrilin would literally have some tricks up his sleeve that he could use in a fight to either distract or confuse his opponent long enough to either kill them or make his escape.

 

I think that's exactly what he did.  Maybe he used his "second best knives" to do that.

 

 

[FarShainMael]

*screams in anguish*

 

I think a lot of us will be doing that come October..  ::)

 

[Isabel]

First of all i wanted to say: fantastic questions Luckers. And ofcourse fantastic answers.

 

Yes, that quote from the Dromen and Demonen chat still stands ;)

On DragonCon 2005 I asked him about this chat and the chat in which he said that Thom's best knives were very special indeed. He said both answers were correct. :) So we just have to rafo.

 

 

Hereby the whole chat:

 

Redactie> Welcome mister Robert Jordan, in our Dutch chatroom. We're very pleased you're here to answer the questions of your fans. I'd say, let's start with some questions.

 

[sander>The Prophecies of the Dragon are a fairly sized book. Do the prophecies of the Sea Folk, the 'Jendai Prophecy', have a similar size, or is it much smaller? And who or what is or was 'Jendai'?

[@R-JORDAN> the jendai prophecies are smaller in length but similar in scope to the dragon profs but limited to the sea folk

 

[??>How many books will there be, and when's the next one published?

[??> Are you related to Michael Jordan?

[@R-JORDAN> there will be at least 3 more books the nxt books will be in bookstores v shortly after i finised writing it and michael jordan is my kid brother whom i tought to play basked ball

 

[sarah-Kayan> Does the ashanderei come from the Age of legends?

[@R-JORDAN> yes the ashandarei comes from the aol

 

[@Moridin> When/ If Rand manages to remove the taint placed on saidin, are the people infected with it cured? or does their condition remain the way it is?

[@R-JORDAN> when/if the taint is removed from saidin further ill effects are stopped but what has already occured remains

 

[sarah-Kayan> If mat only has memorys from around the Trolloc wars how does he know how to use it?

[@R-JORDAN> mat does not have memories only from the trolloc wars. Mats memories extend all the way into the time of artur hawkwing 1000 years later

 

[Vanin> Was WH originally intended to be longer?

[@R-JORDAN> winters heart was originally intended to be longer yes but every book was intended to be longer when i started. i have always been overly optimistic about how much of the story i can put into any one book. remember in the beginning i thought it was onlygoing to be 4-5 books maybe 6 at the most. as for emperor who thinks i am not robert jordan i don' remember meeting but i do rembember someone from the dragonmount site which i think is very good

 

[Lupis> is the Shara world going to be changed a lot now that their male channelers won't go mad? Will they even find out because they kill them so early anyhow?

[@R-JORDAN> SPOILER IF YOU HAVENT READ WINTERS HEART to lupis: shara will not be changed by the fact that male channelers wont go mad because they kill man who might possibly be able to channel at a very young age those guys are nothing but breeding stock kept utterly innocent and utterly ignorant until they are killed

 

[sanne-Liandra> ?? You said time after time that Lan will die if Nynaeve dies. What about her? She's Aes Sedai, so she will live very long. And he's much older than her anyway. Would she be able to live without him??

[@R-JORDAN> lan is undergoing the severing effect of his bond to moiraine which means that he has lost the desire and will to live which is being restored to him by nyneave on top of which he loves her. if she dies he really really has no reason to stick around. as for nynaeve, and lan dying, women are always a lot tougher, emotionally, then man are. Nyn will cry for a very long time when L dies and she will go on living.

 

[Pytr> why do rand, mat and perrin see colors when they think of each other?

[@R-JORDAN> the acronym is RAFO - read and find out

 

[Zakath> RJ, what is you favourite book?

[@R-JORDAN> if you mean in TWOT series: my favorite book is always the one i',m writing right now and when im finished with that i go to another favorite book

 

[Munda> What got you started on writing the Wheel of Time? Did you have a beginning and an end in mind and did the story grew while you wrote it...or what?

[@R-JORDAN> when i started writing TWOT I knew how it was going to begin and end plus the major things i wanted to happen in the middle. I had a rough outline of the whole story.

 

[Genoveva> Mr. Jordan, do you have a favourite character from the Wheel of Time?

[@R-JORDAN> my favorite character in TWOT is always the character from whos POV im writing at the moment whether that is rand or nynaeve or semirhage

 

[Punisher> Mr. Jordan, my question is not directly related to your books. I wrote one myself, and I am working through an online company to make it available until I can get it published properly. Through this company, I'm hoping to get a copy in your hands. Will you read it if they get you one? And perhaps review it?

[@R-JORDAN> sorry i really just don' have time to read manuscripts

 

[Vanin> what did Aginor meen in tEotW when pointing towards Mat and saying sth about old history, old friend,old enemy?

[@R-JORDAN> rafo you horsethief!

 

[rafelrag> when you are writing, do you have music at the background?

[@R-JORDAN> when i am writing i almost always have music playing usually classical music, some jazz and some ethnic music primarily japanese and african

 

[RV_NL> What exactly are Mats memories, are they from his ancestors, as they all seem to be connected to Manetheren??

[@R-JORDAN> mat' memories are NOT from his ancestors. He said I want to have the holes in his head filled but he did not specify exactly what he wanted them filled with and so he received scraps and bits and pieces of memories stolen from other men.

 

[spellweaveruk> Do the 'lesser' characters in the books have any real significance in driving the story forward or are they just there for packing? I like them myself, but many on the sites seem not to. Are they there just to add a touch of relief from the main players?

[@R-JORDAN> the lesser characters usually have real significance in driving the story forward. I am not talking about someone who appears for 4 pages and then vanishes but secondary and tertiary characters have real purposes

 

[VickiLee> R-JORDAN....since I have not read any of your books, what book would you recommend me reading first and why?

[@R-JORDAN> you must start with the eye of the world. MUST. Start anywhere else and you will only get confused and discouraged.

 

[Rand> At what age did you start to think that you were going to write books and where did you get you're inspiration

[@R-JORDAN> I knew from the age of 5 that i was going to write books one day and the inspiration were actually jules verne and mark twain.

 

[Emma-Isabel> Mr. Jordan I would like to know if you would still remember me (Emma) and Sander over a year (grin)

[@R-JORDAN> emma my dear i will remember you in a year. I think I will remember sender in a year. But you emma, I think I will be dreaming about in a year. Please don' hyperventilate!

 

 

[Medin-Sedai> mister jordan: stupid question maybe: but did you like our pipe?

[@R-JORDAN> yes I like the clay pipe. thank you very much!

 

[lowlander> Question concerning Winters Heart: What happened to the fem ter'a Choedan Kal, what didn't happen to the male ter'a Choedan Kal?

[@R-JORDAN> rafo!

 

[aec> where do you get your inspiration from?

[@R-JORDAN> i get my inspiration from almost fifty years of reading everything i can get my hands on and thinking of everything i read.

 

[Lupis> Question: we haven't seen much about Mesaana and Semirhage. I assume they're going to feature somewhere in the future books?

[@R-JORDAN> yes mesaana and semirhage will feature in future books. there are reasons they have been lying low.

 

[Rand> who was the first character you came up with when you were going to write the wheeloftime was it Rand?

[@R-JORDAN> i can' t really say who the first character was that i came up with. i was thinking of a number of types of people and how they would work together. and they coalesced into certain characters.

 

[Munda> And all the rest of the story develooped while you wrote it? Wow Amazing and what an imagination! Hmm I think Im jealous

[@R-JORDAN> it was really only the details that have developed as i write the story. The major part of it was there in my head before I began writing TEOTW.

 

[Lupis> Question Everyone is uncertain about: Will we ever find out definitively who killed Asmodean? *snicker*

[@R-JORDAN> of course you can find out who killed asmo. You just have to be clever enough.

 

[Genoveva> Mr. Jordan, why did you choose a heron as a mark for the dragon reborn (and swordmaster)?

[@R-JORDAN> i chose the heron because that is a quick supple and to its prey very deadly bird. The perfect avian simily for a swordsman

 

[indy> Mr. Jordan, have you done anything else like the short story for Silverbergs' Legends? I loved it.

[@R-JORDAN> I've only ever done one short piece of fiction for a conventions program book I seldom take time to do short fiction.

 

[sanne-Liandra> Is Edeyn still alive?

[@R-JORDAN> rafo

 

[Medin-Sedai> maybe this is a stupid question too: but you told us that when you had your first thoughts about wheel of time tham and rand altor where the same person. Now i have a question about nynaeve. when you first thought about her was she the same person as she is now (did you already thought about her tugging het braid???)ps: you won't answer this one i think: but was it demandred who killed asmodean?

[@R-JORDAN> nynaeve in the beginning was actually going to be the loveinterest for rand'tam but she was the same kind of woman - quickly temperamental and not suffering fools gladly.

 

[Malivar> Do Myrddraal blades flash blue lightning regardless of the blades they strike? Or does it require a power wrought blade? If so, why do the two Fades fighting in the Stone make the flashes?

[@R-JORDAN> myrdraal blades produce the blue lightning only when the strike their own kind of blade or a blade wrought with the OP not simple steel

 

[Arikus> what is "rafo"?

[@R-JORDAN> rafo equals read and find out

 

[Miryenne> RJ: Do you remember Phoenix's fiance's sign at the booksigning?

[@R-JORDAN> no i'm sorry i don't.

 

[Pytr> Do you keep many notes while you are writing? To me it seems that keeping track of all the characters and events is a lot of bookkeeping.

[@R-JORDAN> I keep a lot of notes on characters, cultures, and nations, but the events, the story, that is all in my head.

 

[lowlander> Howcome that foretelling is only for those who can channel?

[@R-JORDAN> howcome breathing under water is only for fish? some things follow natural laws and in this universe fortelling is only for people who can channel.

 

[rafelrag> Do you like it to be in the Netherlands, and what are your feelings about our country? Did you have any time left to do some sightseeing

[@R-JORDAN> I like being in the Netherlands very much. I enjoy Amsterdam and I have a number of days left for sightseeing which I intend to use.

 

[Malivar> If a Fades blade will not produce lighting except against other Thakandar wrought blades, and power-wrought blades, Why do Thom's daggers produce it when he attacks the Fade at Whitebridge?

[@R-JORDAN> thoms daggers did not produce the effect. It was produced before thom reached the fade.

 

[Punisher> Have you ever thought about reinstituting some of the old ideas from earlier books? For example, in "The Dragon Reborn" you had a situation with thirteen dark sisters and thirteen Myrdral to forceably convert someone to the darker side of things. It seems you have abandoned that. Do you think you might have something like that pop up again at some unexpected moment? It doesn't seem realistic for the black ajah to abandon the idea

[@R-JORDAN> I have not abandoned this notion about a circle of 13 AS and 13 Myrddraal can convert someone to the Shadow. It is not an easy situation to set up, in fact its a very difficult situation to set up. It has to be worth the effort, you don't go to all of this effort to just convert anyone. In fact it might be better for your plans to manipulate someone against their will than as a willing ally.

 

[wooga> how come the first character you came up with isnt a 30 yr old rand anymore? when did this change?

[@R-JORDAN> the 1st char I came up was not a 30 yr old rand, it was that the 1st version of rand was a 30 yr old man. I changed that because i wanted the character of rand to find everything beyond his village to be strange and new.

 

[Genoveva> Mr. Jordan, do you weave (existing) mythology or archetypes in your books?

[@R-JORDAN> yes, i weave existing mythology into my books but I reverse engineer it rather then simply retell.

 

[Rand> Mister Jordan what do you think about the short movie that there going to make about Lews therin breaking the world (I read it on the dragonmount site). Do you improve that Idea?

[@R-JORDAN> I don't know anything about someone making a short movie about LTT breaking the world but if someone intends that they better talk to me first. I know lawyers who eat shotguns shells for breakfast.

 

[lowlander> Are there any dragons (like real dragons (=animals)) in Rand's world. If not where did they get the idea of dragons?

[@R-JORDAN> there are no animal dragons of any kind in this world. the people speak of a man called the Dragon. They know that the banner that has a certain creature on it was the banner of this man and they have taken to calling this creature the dragon. to them it is a simple association with the name of this man.

 

[TheKro> question: who are the 2 people slayer kills in winter's heart?

[@R-JORDAN> the two people slayer kills are simply a couple who had the misfortune to rent a room that somebody thought was still occupied by rand and min,.

 

[indy> I'll try this question again: I really hope you have a long and happy life, but have you taken any precautions for the finishing of WOT in case something happens to you?

[@R-JORDAN> I have not only not taken precoutions to make sure that TWOT is finished by someone else than me, I have made that as difficult as possible. So if you want to see the end of TWOT, you wish that I live a long and healthy life guys!

 

[Munda> What are your interests and what do you like to read?

[@R-JORDAN> my interest are varied from chess and pool to hunting and fishing and I like to read anything that is well written and interesting.

 

[sarah-Kayan> Is the material of a true heron blade altered the same way as a ter'a?

[@R-JORDAN> the material of a true heron mark blade is altered. It is not simple steel anymore.

 

[@R-JORDAN> guys it seems like my time is up. it's been good talking to you.

Sorry I could not answer more questions. Good night!

 

[Elgee]

[indy> I'll try this question again: I really hope you have a long and happy life, but have you taken any precautions for the finishing of WOT in case something happens to you?

[@R-JORDAN> I have not only not taken precoutions to make sure that TWOT is finished by someone else than me, I have made that as difficult as possible. So if you want to see the end of TWOT, you wish that I live a long and healthy life guys!

 

That just made me cry a little  :(

[Ataxia]

I think that the argument that Thom may have just been using some sort of illuminator "trick" is very relevant.  It may seem like a cheezy comparison, because I'm not fighter and this is the best reference I can come up with, but don't Ninja's learn things like slight of hand and/or "smoke and mirror" type tricks to use to distract their opponents?  It seems like someone like Thom Merrilin would literally have some tricks up his sleeve that he could use in a fight to either distract or confuse his opponent long enough to either kill them or make his escape.

 

I think that's exactly what he did.  Maybe he used his "second best knives" to do that.

 

Maybe we'll see him use this trick again during the tower rescue!

[Ala Rubra]

[@R-JORDAN> nynaeve in the beginning was actually going to be the loveinterest for rand'tam but she was the same kind of woman - quickly temperamental and not suffering fools gladly.

 

Excellent. More fodder for my Rand/Nynaeve crack pairing!

[MikeRiley]

[Malivar>If a Fades blade will not produce lighting except against other Thakandar wrought blades, and power-wrought blades, Why do Thom's daggers produce it when he attacks the Fade at Whitebridge?

 

[@R-JORDAN> thoms daggers did not produce the effect. It was produced before thom reached the fade.

 

Yeah, it still needs to be asked.

 

Maybe the lip of the fade's sheath was made of power-wrought steel and he just likes to quickly draw the sword for dramatic effect.

[Dreamwalker]

[Malivar>If a Fades blade will not produce lighting except against other Thakandar wrought blades, and power-wrought blades, Why do Thom's daggers produce it when he attacks the Fade at Whitebridge?

 

[@R-JORDAN> thoms daggers did not produce the effect. It was produced before thom reached the fade.

 

Yeah, it still needs to be asked.

 

Maybe the lip of the fade's sheath was made of power-wrought steel and he just likes to quickly draw the sword for dramatic effect.

 

Warning: the following theory has been produced by caffeine-fueled insanity:

What if Moiraine used a wish with the Finns to go back and save Thom in the past - the lightning was her channeling.

 

(Yeah, I know time-travel is probably impossible in the WoTverse - but I just had to put it out there because it was so crazy it just might be AWESOME 8))