Chapter 1 "Apples First"

[Lisa Campbell]

"Read the Pattern" - Something I started thinking about as an argument against myself straight after last post.

 

What do you think he will see? Something akin to Min's viewings? What benefits could come from it?

[Tom Sawyer]

"Read the Pattern" - Something I started thinking about as an argument against myself straight after last post.

 

What do you think he will see? Something akin to Min's viewings? What benefits could come from it?

 

What I was thinking about was early on in the series (I think during the DF social), Ishamael was saying that soon there'd be a bend in the Pattern where Rand could be turned to his side - referring to Falme. He couldn't tell you what Perrin was having for breakfast or anything, but he had some kind of awareness of major events that were about to occur. Egwene taking the Tower was a major event, so Rand may have some kind of awareness of that now that he's Super Dragon.

 

It's probably more likely that he expects Egwene to be outside Tar Valon with the rebels, though.

[Lisa Campbell]

Yeah can see some logic in both points. I remember a very early FS POV (not sure who) about Ishamael thinking that finding taveren was not easy. Perhaps a lost Talent?

[TreeJoe]

Based upon the writing in the walls of Fal Dara's dungeon, I'm guessing that the Dark Prophecies knew that Falme was pre-destined.

 

One thing I've always found interesting is that in The Great Hunt, Rand battled Ishamael in the sky viewable across a very wide area of land. I.e. Maybe viewable from 25-50 miles away. And, obviously, larger than life in size. I'm guessing this had to do with Rand being transported somewhere by the Horn of Valere, and Ishamael following him to that location. But beyond that, DarkFriends knew about Falme 4-5 months before it happened, and Fain went there in advance of Rand...

 

They definitely have some awareness of major events.

[Lisa Campbell]

So you think Rand can use it to strategise where to send his troops or something like that. That seems a bit mundane to me.

[Red Hand Man]

So nobody is going to acknowledge that BrS basically said, "don't read too much into what is written..."?

 

“I wouldn’t say that,” the stranger said, glancing over his shoulder. “There are always things of use around, if you look closely enough. You can’t stare at them too long. To learn but not be overwhelmed, that is the balance.”

 

Does anyone else see it the same way I do?

[mossman87]

So nobody is going to acknowledge that BrS basically said, "don't read too much into what is written..."?

 

“I wouldn’t say that,” the stranger said, glancing over his shoulder. “There are always things of use around, if you look closely enough. You can’t stare at them too long. To learn but not be overwhelmed, that is the balance.”

 

Does anyone else see it the same way I do?

 

Yep.

[Tom Sawyer]

Well, we only have a couple of chapters released and a month to go before anything else comes out.

 

It seems to me that our two choices are:

 

A) Read too much into what's written

B) Stay off of the forum until November

 

I prefer A.

[OptimusPrime]

I think destroying the Choeden Kal was symbolic for Rand. It represented him crushing dark Rand so that light Rand could rule. I have a feeling that strength in the OP will not be the key to the Last Battle. Strenght in the One Power is what will and has allowed Rand to survive/prepare for the battle.

 

I agree with this. I think the key to the Last Battle us Rands understanding of how the Pattern alters around him, and figuring out how to use Mat and Perrin. Maybe when Rand tries to bend the Pattern with his will he will be able to do more if Mat and Perrin are thinking of him at the sane time. What if, say if the Bodyswap does happen, it involves a battle of wills between Rand and Moridin and Rand can draw strength of will from Mat and Perrin if they are thinking of him when it happens???

[Dolphineus]

Things Rand can say that could make Egwene angry. That they need to break the seals on the prison of the Darn One. That she needs to be more understanding of Gawyn.That he's going to marry 3 women .

 

I can't see Egwene the Amrylin being upset at any of those. Egwene from EotW might, but not Egwene the Amrylin.

 

Instead how about

Saidin has been cleansed and you must accept men into the white tower

You will accept a truce with the Seanchan

We must remove the three oaths from all Aes Sedai

Did you know Messana is your Mistress of Novices?

[Dolphineus]

Is there no way in which two equally matched entities can end up winning alternate bouts? I seem to be able to recall sporting contests where that happens.

To your argument about sporting event - that is true but what also is true is that such outcome results in no changes. If two teams play and draw they will either play until one wins or reschedule the game. Now, imagine that they will continue to play until one wins - that means that if they are truly equal no one will ever win. If one team wins, lets say even after two days of straight game, that means that the victor was better (maybe by a very little margin, but better none the less).

 

Kinda like they are locked in a struggle through countless turnings of the wheel? Sorta like Ishy and LTT have battled each other thousands of times with the turning of the wheel? Sorta why the DO wants to break the wheel of time and end the struggle for all time?

[lilltempest]

The one thing I have not understood since KoD is why exactly Egwene and the other AS are so pissed about the Asha'man bonding sisters. Those AS came to gentle and kill every male channeler in there and hang them on sight if possible (in complete violation of Tower law and custom, never mind that it would have been a massive failure), and they're lucky they weren't killed in self-defence. Instead they were left alive and were restrained in the easiest possible way. Let's face it, simply saying "Do not channel unless instructed" is a lot easier than guarding and shielding 50+ sisters at all times. Exactly what would Egwene want done differently? The way I see it it seems to be Elaida's fault, not in the least bit Rand's.

 

Egwene - and all of the Aes Sedai - would have preferred that the Asha'man allow themselves to be slaughtered by the sisters than to have even one of them inconvenienced or treated like anything other than a god. That they broke Tower law only means one thing - that the Tower had the right to punish them for it after the fact. However, while the atrocity was occurring, not one of them believes that the men had a right to defend themselves. After all, in public Aes Sedai can not be shown as wrong or weak and should be yielded to no matter the circumstance...otherwise, the White Tower might not be seen as all-powerful, all-knowing, and always correct. If a slew of men must die to keep that image, even if it means sisters breaking Tower law and not being dealt with until all is said and done, then so be it. With the exception of Nynaeve, I don't think you could find even one Aes Sedai who would disagree with that sentiment, and Egwene would be the least likely of all to disagree with it.

[NetSlider]

Is there no way in which two equally matched entities can end up winning alternate bouts? I seem to be able to recall sporting contests where that happens.

To your argument about sporting event - that is true but what also is true is that such outcome results in no changes. If two teams play and draw they will either play until one wins or reschedule the game. Now, imagine that they will continue to play until one wins - that means that if they are truly equal no one will ever win. If one team wins, lets say even after two days of straight game, that means that the victor was better (maybe by a very little margin, but better none the less).

 

Kinda like they are locked in a struggle through countless turnings of the wheel? Sorta like Ishy and LTT have battled each other thousands of times with the turning of the wheel? Sorta why the DO wants to break the wheel of time and end the struggle for all time?

 

 

From what we were told now is the "after game" time, so DO already lost originally.

[lilltempest]

Instead how about

Saidin has been cleansed and you must accept men into the white tower

 

Am I the only one who doesn't want the Asha'man to join the White Tower? I think it would be best for the male channelers, and for the world, if the Asha'man remained in a separate organization. There needs to be balance, and for much too long the White Tower has played puppeteer to the Westland's leaders. There needs to be something to balance it out, to negate their hold on the world so nations can move forward and progress toward a more advanced age.

 

The White Tower has had one purpose - maintain the status quo so they can keep their stranglehold on everyone and maintain their position as "we're better than everyone and you had better obey us". Look how much advancement there has been while the Tower has been busy battling itself. There has been a ton of inventions that would have been stomped to dust by the Aes Sedai had they had their focus outward instead of inward. Unless stagnation was RJ's goal for the world (which is precisely what the Tower has striven for), then something needs to change. Since Egwene intends to force all female channelers to be "tied" (aka, subservient) to the Hall and to her, there is absolutely zero chance that any female channelers will be able to bring about change. Throw in the fact that Egwene was all gung-ho in TGS about making kings and queens dance to her tune (something along the lines of 'we've manipulated everyone to our will for three thousand years, yay us!') and there is no way there will be a change. That leaves the men...

 

If the men are all bonded as slaves as the Reds wish to do, then they're worthless to the world. If the men are forced to join the White Tower and become Aes Sedai according to the present Aes Sedai's definitions (puppeteers, not servants), then they are worthless to the world. The best way they can serve the world is to keep their organization separate and show the world what being "servants to all" really means. Not only could they go out into the world and actually assist people (something the AS see themselves as being too superior to do...if people want help, they can come beg for it and dance on AS strings) but they could keep the White Tower from squashing innovation and forcing people to their own ends (Tower superiority is always the main thing they're worried about). The world needs them to remain separate. I'm not saying they should not ally with the WT - they should, given that TG is here - but allying with them and being indoctrinated into or enslaved by their organization are different things. They need to stand on their own and make a name for themselves. Otherwise, the men will always be seen as nothing but AS lapdogs and there will be nothing to loosen the WT's hold on the world.

[Impressive Bosom]

Just something i wanted to point out about the apple tree's and Rand's effects on them. This wasn't merely a case of lifting the blight and allowing the trees to bloom as they normally do... the trees bloomed far faster than they would have been able to do naturally and rather than produce dozens of apples as they might normally, each tree produced hundreds.

 

You know all of those 'impossible' things that have been happening everywhere that Rand has been since TGH, both good and bad, always in extremes but ultimately equal on the balance? I think now that he has come into his own, he is actually able to bend the pattern consciously rather than subconsciously and control the nature of reality in his immediate area and time. This is exactly the kind of protective 'bubble' if you will that would be necessary for a mortal to face an entity like the DO, particularly once all of the seals have been broken.

[Noreallyjustsomeguy]

So, I'll admit from the start that I didn't read all sixteen pages of this thread. That means I may be repeating something that someone else said, or raising an issue someone else dealt with. If so, please point me in the right direction, and I will humbly take it.

 

All that said, I find myself disappointed with the mystical tone of apple-miracle. One of the reasons that I enjoy this series so much is because of the very rules-based manner in which Jordan has developed his "magic" ... the use of the One Power, the True Power, and all the other forms of what we would call supernatural have followed rules which are traceable from the very first books, with the exceptions or apparent errors so few and far between that they truly do establish the rule. This incident, however, follows from nothing that we have seen, unless Rand was channeling because he had suddenly remembered an apple growing weave. It doesn't fit ta'veren at all, unless his ta'veren-ness went SO wild that all the trees mutated simultaneously into Carolina Red Junes and then time sped up.

 

Which brings me to my point ... the spreading decay of the Dark One probably has something to do with his effect on time, and maybe a separation of time from space. None of the things that have happened are truly unnatural, rot and decay are just the normal accelerated effects of time. The shifting of halls seems to be their relocation in older (or maybe even future?) positions. Even the dead walking is an effect of a sort of collapse of time, the past intersecting with the present. After all, it isn't a case of the dead walking like zombies (except in that ridiculous episode in Hinderstrap which is the first part of WoT I wish I could unread ...) The point is, these things seem to be the effects of the Pattern wrinkling, as if time is somehow wrinkling independently of space, or the Wheel is ...stuttering? wobbling? And the apple-miracle seems to then be the effect of the Dragon operating in harmony with the Pattern restoring things not only to their proper order in the present, but to what they would have been if the proper order had been maintained all along, sort of a reverse balefire, putting things back into that Pattern. I don't know ... but I really want it to be explained in such a way that it comes clear. If it ends up staying this misty-mystical, I'll remain disappointed.

[DottieGirl]

 

Am I the only one who doesn't want the Asha'man to join the White Tower? I think it would be best for the male channelers, and for the world, if the Asha'man remained in a separate organization. There needs to be balance, and for much too long the White Tower has played puppeteer to the Westland's leaders. There needs to be something to balance it out, to negate their hold on the world so nations can move forward and progress toward a more advanced age.

 

The White Tower has had one purpose - maintain the status quo so they can keep their stranglehold on everyone and maintain their position as "we're better than everyone and you had better obey us". Look how much advancement there has been while the Tower has been busy battling itself. There has been a ton of inventions that would have been stomped to dust by the Aes Sedai had they had their focus outward instead of inward. Unless stagnation was RJ's goal for the world (which is precisely what the Tower has striven for), then something needs to change. Since Egwene intends to force all female channelers to be "tied" (aka, subservient) to the Hall and to her, there is absolutely zero chance that any female channelers will be able to bring about change. Throw in the fact that Egwene was all gung-ho in TGS about making kings and queens dance to her tune (something along the lines of 'we've manipulated everyone to our will for three thousand years, yay us!') and there is no way there will be a change. That leaves the men...

 

If the men are all bonded as slaves as the Reds wish to do, then they're worthless to the world. If the men are forced to join the White Tower and become Aes Sedai according to the present Aes Sedai's definitions (puppeteers, not servants), then they are worthless to the world. The best way they can serve the world is to keep their organization separate and show the world what being "servants to all" really means. Not only could they go out into the world and actually assist people (something the AS see themselves as being too superior to do...if people want help, they can come beg for it and dance on AS strings) but they could keep the White Tower from squashing innovation and forcing people to their own ends (Tower superiority is always the main thing they're worried about). The world needs them to remain separate. I'm not saying they should not ally with the WT - they should, given that TG is here - but allying with them and being indoctrinated into or enslaved by their organization are different things. They need to stand on their own and make a name for themselves. Otherwise, the men will always be seen as nothing but AS lapdogs and there will be nothing to loosen the WT's hold on the world.

I get the impression you don't like Egghead or the AS too much, but I might be wrong ;). Seriously, I think your wish will be true. Nicola's Foretelling about events after Tarmon Gai'don seemed to indicate that the Aes Sedai and Asha'man will balance each other ("the guardians will balance the servants.") Whether or not it will be as separate, competing organizations or one combined leadership structure remains to be seen. I too would like to see a Taimless BT remain a separate organization, under the control of Logain or Narishma, serving as a counterbalance to the AS. Egghead's plan to bring in other female channelers to be associated with the WT likely means that the AS will have growing influence, so the men will need to do something to keep up.

[Slick Mongoose]

Rand could be going to say:

 

I appear to have trained up an entire army of darkfriend male channelers. Please help.

[lilltempest]

I get the impression you don't like Egghead or the AS too much, but I might be wrong ;). Seriously, I think your wish will be true. Nicola's Foretelling about events after Tarmon Gai'don seemed to indicate that the Aes Sedai and Asha'man will balance each other ("the guardians will balance the servants.") Whether or not it will be as separate, competing organizations or one combined leadership structure remains to be seen. I too would like to see a Taimless BT remain a separate organization, under the control of Logain or Narishma, serving as a counterbalance to the AS. Egghead's plan to bring in other female channelers to be associated with the WT likely means that the AS will have growing influence, so the men will need to do something to keep up.

 

Gee, I don't know where you get the idea I don't like Egghead or the AS! *innocent look* :P I agree that the men will have to step it up to keep up with Egwene's growing Empire of channelers, but there should be just as many male channelers as female channelers, so it should not be a problem as long as whoever runs the BT keeps the men out of the clutches of the AS. As for who should run it, I say Logain. Since Narishma is nothing but Merise's lapdog and slave, he'd be as bad of a choice as Taim was to lead the BT. Merise would order him to force the AM to enslave themselves to AS and he'd do it, lest she beat him some more or snap her fingers and send him scurrying to a corner like a whipped puppy as she has done in the past. The man is a wuss and an AS slave. The BT needs a leader with strength, someone who can go toe to toe with Egghead and not back down. The only one who fits that description is Logain.

[Frostmuse]

While it will probably be good for the world as a whole to have a Black Tower to balance the White Tower, should the Black Tower over-compensate and become more powerful... we'd probably not like the effect of that. Their current policy is "kneel or be knelt" and while that works well against their enemies, people they should be treating as friends (such as other nations and unaligned female channelers) will probably end up objecting to it. That, and their mortality rate will eventually end up turning back on themselves. (Aes Sedai are feared in the outlying countryside even without the implication that, "If you go there, you'll probably die.") Their training style is necessary to get ready for Great Battle, yes. Good preparation for the future, not so much. Essentially, Black Tower diplomacy would consist of introducing themselves before they start kicking ass and taking names (they do that well), with the White Tower following around after to clean up the mess.

 

Unrelated, I actually liked the more mystic take on the whole apple thing. The first book, and the second to a degree, kept the characters almost completely in the dark regarding the nature of reality and what the power could and couldn't do. Rand doesn't even know what he's weaving, much less how, for several books until he gets his hands on Asmodean.

[jemron]

So, I'll admit from the start that I didn't read all sixteen pages of this thread. That means I may be repeating something that someone else said, or raising an issue someone else dealt with. If so, please point me in the right direction, and I will humbly take it.

 

All that said, I find myself disappointed with the mystical tone of apple-miracle. One of the reasons that I enjoy this series so much is because of the very rules-based manner in which Jordan has developed his "magic" ... the use of the One Power, the True Power, and all the other forms of what we would call supernatural have followed rules which are traceable from the very first books, with the exceptions or apparent errors so few and far between that they truly do establish the rule. This incident, however, follows from nothing that we have seen, unless Rand was channeling because he had suddenly remembered an apple growing weave. It doesn't fit ta'veren at all, unless his ta'veren-ness went SO wild that all the trees mutated simultaneously into Carolina Red Junes and then time sped up.

 

Which brings me to my point ... the spreading decay of the Dark One probably has something to do with his effect on time, and maybe a separation of time from space. None of the things that have happened are truly unnatural, rot and decay are just the normal accelerated effects of time. The shifting of halls seems to be their relocation in older (or maybe even future?) positions. Even the dead walking is an effect of a sort of collapse of time, the past intersecting with the present. After all, it isn't a case of the dead walking like zombies (except in that ridiculous episode in Hinderstrap which is the first part of WoT I wish I could unread ...) The point is, these things seem to be the effects of the Pattern wrinkling, as if time is somehow wrinkling independently of space, or the Wheel is ...stuttering? wobbling? And the apple-miracle seems to then be the effect of the Dragon operating in harmony with the Pattern restoring things not only to their proper order in the present, but to what they would have been if the proper order had been maintained all along, sort of a reverse balefire, putting things back into that Pattern. I don't know ... but I really want it to be explained in such a way that it comes clear. If it ends up staying this misty-mystical, I'll remain disappointed.

 

I think that, just because we don't understand how it works, doesn't mean RJ hasn't come up with a "logical" way of explaining it.

 

I think that logic is as you described. Those apples were supposed to be there. It was the DO's touch that caused them to have issues. Rand is now completely in-sync (I hope) with his purpose and his role as ta'veren, so his ability to fix what the DO has screwed up in the Pattern is no longer being "blocked" by his darkness. Simply put, Rand is now fully functioning as a ta'veren for the Pattern to use as it desires because he A) No longer has the taint effecting him and B) No longer has his other issues (making him Dark Rand) effecting him (I assume).

[Noreallyjustsomeguy]

Rand is now completely in-sync (I hope) with his purpose and his role as ta'veren, so his ability to fix what the DO has screwed up in the Pattern is no longer being "blocked" by his darkness. Simply put, Rand is now fully functioning as a ta'veren for the Pattern to use as it desires because he A) No longer has the taint effecting him and B) No longer has his other issues (making him Dark Rand) effecting him (I assume).

 

I guess my point was that the apple-miracle doesn't really fit the mode of ta'veren. The ta'veren effect doesn't cause things to happen that NEVER happen, it just causes extremely unlikely (but still possible) things to happen. An apple tree blossoming twice in the same year simply does not happen (except with some rare breeds, which is why I brought up the Carolina Red Junes, but these trees are clearly not that species). Almen Bunt thought to himself, "Apple trees didn’t blossom twice," not "Apple trees almost never blossom twice." So if this is ta'veren, its a form we've not seen before, and it would need a new type of explanation. Jordan did explicitly say that ta'veren is not Old Tongue for Deus Ex Machina ... and its use has been sort of creeping in that direction, which I don't like. Assigning this miracle to ta'veren influence would step right over that line, in my opinion.

 

I'm sure you're right, though, that some form of clarification will be forthcoming. I just hope its a good one. It will probably be in relation to the "light-warping" around Rand, as opposed to the "dark-warping" we saw in TGS, rather than ta'veren though, in my opinion. And something in relation to time-space ... thats got to be coming, too much of what is happening seems to be related to the flow of time.

 

(As a side note ... Rand seems totally in-sync with the Pattern now, but, given the comments in the reviews I've read, that doesn't seem likely to last, at least, not without getting really complicated. Which is good ... as cruel as it is to Rand, its too early for him to be settled ... there is at least a book and a half's worth of conflict left. What we may see ... and what would be really, really dangerous, is a Rand that swings back and forth from Dark Rand of the Shadowtwists to Saint Rand of the Glowylight, sort an ultra manic depressive ... now THAT could be bad.)

[jdbond]

So, I'll admit from the start that I didn't read all sixteen pages of this thread. That means I may be repeating something that someone else said, or raising an issue someone else dealt with. If so, please point me in the right direction, and I will humbly take it.

 

All that said, I find myself disappointed with the mystical tone of apple-miracle. One of the reasons that I enjoy this series so much is because of the very rules-based manner in which Jordan has developed his "magic" ... the use of the One Power, the True Power, and all the other forms of what we would call supernatural have followed rules which are traceable from the very first books, with the exceptions or apparent errors so few and far between that they truly do establish the rule. This incident, however, follows from nothing that we have seen, unless Rand was channeling because he had suddenly remembered an apple growing weave. It doesn't fit ta'veren at all, unless his ta'veren-ness went SO wild that all the trees mutated simultaneously into Carolina Red Junes and then time sped up.

 

Which brings me to my point ... the spreading decay of the Dark One probably has something to do with his effect on time, and maybe a separation of time from space. None of the things that have happened are truly unnatural, rot and decay are just the normal accelerated effects of time. The shifting of halls seems to be their relocation in older (or maybe even future?) positions. Even the dead walking is an effect of a sort of collapse of time, the past intersecting with the present. After all, it isn't a case of the dead walking like zombies (except in that ridiculous episode in Hinderstrap which is the first part of WoT I wish I could unread ...) The point is, these things seem to be the effects of the Pattern wrinkling, as if time is somehow wrinkling independently of space, or the Wheel is ...stuttering? wobbling? And the apple-miracle seems to then be the effect of the Dragon operating in harmony with the Pattern restoring things not only to their proper order in the present, but to what they would have been if the proper order had been maintained all along, sort of a reverse balefire, putting things back into that Pattern. I don't know ... but I really want it to be explained in such a way that it comes clear. If it ends up staying this misty-mystical, I'll remain disappointed.

 

Rand can correct the discrepancy inserted into the pattern by DO, albeit at small level. Time actually is part of pattern and time is what is holding the DO captive. By influencing that (or weakening it), DO is able to change the order of things. I am not sure where space fits into this but time and space are one entity (quoting Einstein) so you cannot actually separate them.

 

P.S: I am not sure how he is doing it. Apparently he is exerting same kind of influence on pattern as DO now.

[jdbond]

Rand is now completely in-sync (I hope) with his purpose and his role as ta'veren, so his ability to fix what the DO has screwed up in the Pattern is no longer being "blocked" by his darkness. Simply put, Rand is now fully functioning as a ta'veren for the Pattern to use as it desires because he A) No longer has the taint effecting him and B) No longer has his other issues (making him Dark Rand) effecting him (I assume).

 

I guess my point was that the apple-miracle doesn't really fit the mode of ta'veren. The ta'veren effect doesn't cause things to happen that NEVER happen, it just causes extremely unlikely (but still possible) things to happen. An apple tree blossoming twice in the same year simply does not happen (except with some rare breeds, which is why I brought up the Carolina Red Junes, but these trees are clearly not that species). Almen Bunt thought to himself, "Apple trees didn’t blossom twice," not "Apple trees almost never blossom twice." So if this is ta'veren, its a form we've not seen before, and it would need a new type of explanation. Jordan did explicitly say that ta'veren is not Old Tongue for Deus Ex Machina ... and its use has been sort of creeping in that direction, which I don't like. Assigning this miracle to ta'veren influence would step right over that line, in my opinion.

I'm sure you're right, though, that some form of clarification will be forthcoming. I just hope its a good one. It will probably be in relation to the "light-warping" around Rand, as opposed to the "dark-warping" we saw in TGS, rather than ta'veren though, in my opinion. And something in relation to time-space ... thats got to be coming, too much of what is happening seems to be related to the flow of time.

 

(As a side note ... Rand seems totally in-sync with the Pattern now, but, given the comments in the reviews I've read, that doesn't seem likely to last, at least, not without getting really complicated. Which is good ... as cruel as it is to Rand, its too early for him to be settled ... there is at least a book and a half's worth of conflict left. What we may see ... and what would be really, really dangerous, is a Rand that swings back and forth from Dark Rand of the Shadowtwists to Saint Rand of the Glowylight, sort an ultra manic depressive ... now THAT could be bad.)

 

 

Thats a valid point. A ta'veren shouldn't be able to do something that could never happen.

[Ozzie Mat]

 

 

Thats a valid point. A ta'veren shouldn't be able to do something that could never happen.

 

I don't think it is ta'veren effect, since the first book there is comment the dragon is one with the land, I think we saw how dark rand was accelerating the dark ones effect on the world, but now we see the counter point. I don't think this effect will last for ever this strongly (maybe come back closer to the last battle) as Rand is still on a high from his epiphany.

 

We never see this connection with the land around Mat or Perrin and they are suppose to be strong ta'veren (not as big as Rand but still strong) and as has been stated ta'veren effect chance not this 'creation' effect (for lack of a better term), but is it all linked to the voice we hear in the first book when Rand channels and Tarwins Gap, is it the Creator influencing the pattern through Rand.

 

I agree with your rules argument 'Noreallyjustsomeguy', just don't know why the 'Rand effect" has to be one power related. There are plenty of examples through the book of abilities that have nothing to do with the one power, such as dream walking, wolf brothers, sniffers, ta'veren etc