Rand after the Last Battle

[jack of shadows]

Post last battle,rand is definitely not in dream reality.

[BFG]

[Stephen Hawkwing]

Rand doesn't care a whit about his previous power,he returned from the last battle with the ability to alter reality, his powers evolved,in my opinion,he is even more powerful now,so who needs channeling?

[BFG]

Post last battle,rand is definitely not in dream reality.

This is probably true, but I dislike the 'ability to alter reality' ending. It feels like the 'price' paid in the Last Battle was comparatively little, even ignoring Game of Thrones, there are larger consequences in Harry Potter and Enders Game

[Stephen Hawkwing]

It was never about power. The one force is like a drug. No more being able to consume that drug leaves you pretty sad and longing for it and simply replacing it with another drug (or not even that since altering reality doesn't necessarily have that joy effect) won't change that. If he could, he would defenitely want his ability to channel back.

[BFG]

Rand doesn't have the after affects that come from being gentled as Logain (who afaict was depressed/suicidal if not immediately then very soon after), equally Siuain and Leane were depressed immediately afterwards. The closest we see in the books is Setalle, who when we meet her is resigned, and even relieved that she couldn't be healed (according to the wiki) and that's after 25 years.

 

What we know is that rand does not regret or apparently feel any negative effects from being burned out, I don't think he'd want it back even given the choice

[Stephen Hawkwing]

 

Post last battle,rand is definitely not in dream reality.

This is probably true, but I dislike the 'ability to alter reality' ending. It feels like the 'price' paid in the Last Battle was comparatively little, even ignoring Game of Thrones, there are larger consequences in Harry Potter and Enders Game

Little? 3/4 of all borderland men are dead, the Aiel lost all their leaders (excluding the wise ones, of course), the Aes Sedai lost half their sisters, the ogier gave up their peace.... Whatever happened to Rand, to many people sacrificed too much to call these sacrifices little.

[BFG]

 

 

Post last battle,rand is definitely not in dream reality.

This is probably true, but I dislike the 'ability to alter reality' ending. It feels like the 'price' paid in the Last Battle was comparatively little, even ignoring Game of Thrones, there are larger consequences in Harry Potter and Enders Game

Little? 3/4 of all borderland men are dead, the Aiel lost all their leaders (excluding the wise ones, of course), the Aes Sedai lost half their sisters, the ogier gave up their peace.... Whatever happened to Rand, to many people sacrificed too much to call these sacrifices little.

That's fair, but on the other hand we don't know them, the emotional impact of lots of people who haven't really affected the story dying is relatively small. And at the end the hero rides into the sunset with no apparent lasting impacts

[Stephen Hawkwing]

That's your personal opinion. Deaths like those of Hurin, Ruarc or Egwene really gave me chills.

I think RJ mixed tragic and happy ending to please everyone. You can't expect him to kill off a character after announcing his death from day one. That would be soooo boring.

[BFG]

That's your personal opinion. Deaths like those of Hurin, Ruarc or Egwene really gave me chills.

I think RJ mixed tragic and happy ending to please everyone. You can't expect him to kill off a character after announcing his death from day one. That would be soooo boring.

I don't mean to imply that it's anything other than an opinion

 

Yet of the thousands of deaths you refer to three that we knew because in the context of the books those are the ones that matter most

 

Of those three Rhuarc was the most emotional/impactful for me, because he lost everything he was before he died, and it's this type of thing that I ~wanted more of

 

There were emotional points in the last battle (and not all of them involve loss, Olver blowing the horn is an example) but too many happened off screen for me

[BFG]

On a different note it's possible that Rands acceptance of the loss of his channeling is affected by the threads of gold that countered the taint in his brain

[jack of shadows]

It's more than acceptance of loss,i urge you to reread the last 3 pages of a memory of light,rand is carefree and extremely happy,there isn't a shred of doubt or unhappiness in his mind,and yes,at the end our legendary hero rides into the sunset with a new body,bag of gold and a good sword...*grinning*.

Edited October 22, 2017 by jack of shadows

[Sabio]

The wonder girls don't even feel any pain/loss that would be associated with being gentled/severed/ etc.  So it's not like he is feeling the loss like his arm and simply accepts it.

 

Few facts we know.

Channeling is tied to the soul

He could still channel after stepping back into reality

He didn't die since his connection to the wonder girls is still there, and they don't feel any loss that would be associated to losing him.

So whatever happened to him occurred after he sealed the DO and the big flash of light,.

The body swap was occurring as he carried Ishy out of the cave and was laying on the ground when the strange lady appeared.  But didn't seem like Rand was in any condition to be actively doing it. 

[jack of shadows]

According to this mysterious woman,rand was doing..well,something "yes,a woman whispered,he(rand)did not recognize the voice.yes,that's good,that is what you need to do".rand certainly wasn't doing anything physical,but he was doing something with his mind?

[Southpaw89]

The wonder girls don't even feel any pain/loss that would be associated with being gentled/severed/ etc.  So it's not like he is feeling the loss like his arm and simply accepts it.

 

Few facts we know.

Channeling is tied to the soul

He could still channel after stepping back into reality

He didn't die since his connection to the wonder girls is still there, and they don't feel any loss that would be associated to losing him.

So whatever happened to him occurred after he sealed the DO and the big flash of light,.

The body swap was occurring as he carried Ishy out of the cave and was laying on the ground when the strange lady appeared.  But didn't seem like Rand was in any condition to be actively doing it. 

What makes you think it was occurring as he carried Moridin out of the cave, and not while still inside? Are you basing that on what Nakomi said about that being what he must do (swap body)? Because if so, I took her comment to mean he's doing what he's suppose to do with carrying the other body out.

[solarz]

I think people get too hung up on Channeling and forget that it is not the only kind of magic in the Wheel of Time universe.

 

The Horn of Valere does not require channeling.

 

The Portal Stones predate the Age of Legends (when Channeling was discovered).

 

Ogier come from another world (how? where?) and in their steddings, the One Power does not seem to exist. The same thing occurs at Shayol Ghul.

 

Neither Dreamwalkers nor Wolfbrothers are tied to Channeling.

 

Bubbles of Evil does not require Channeling.

 

The effects of the Dragon Reborn upon the land does not require Channeling. Rand did not channel when he turned an entire orchard of withered apple trees into trees laden with fruits.

 

The effects of Ta'veren has nothing to do with Channeling.

 

How did Rand light that pipe? No one knows, but it's certainly not unprecedented. The books had been hinting at magic older than the Aes Sedai throughout.

[Ravenprince]

I simply believe Rand will begin to train himself with his new powers and master them same as he mastered the sword and channeling.  Let's not forget Rand has the power of what Moridin had!  And Rand is Master level swordsman. He may be still one of the strongest people on the planet in regards to strength and its a unique strength plus he has the element of surprise as he no longer looks like Rand, the Dragon Reborn.  He can walk almost anywhere unnoticed except to the ones who are bonded to him.  I am also suspecting Perrin would know who he was as well. 

 

I also believe he would stay very close to Elayne and her children (his children) to protect them prior to getting trained up themselves.  Aviendha would flourish as a New Wisdom, fully accepting her place with the Aiel.  Duty is everything to her and should would not abandon that for a "man"  ...lol... she  would take him to bed when she felt the need however. Quick gateway to where he was for a booty call would be her nature....

 

Min, I think would be hanging with  Rand and perhaps Mat.... as Tuon may, or may not be dead... and either way Mat's story has just started in many ways... as I think he will affect the Seanchan greatly,  becoming of the blood and given Royalty status, may affect change from within with the Seanchan. 

 

 

 

 

[Sabio]

Some of his powers were as he explained because the pattern demands balance.  The DO was doing all the evil stuff so the pattern was using him to do the good, like turning the grain good again.  He no longer has that ability.  

 

Rand doesn't have Moridin's power.  At the end Rand tried to use the one and true power and both didn't work.  Rand only has Moridin's body and channeling is tied to the soul.  He can't channel the one power and the true power has to be granted by the DO, who is sealed away.  We simply will never know the extent or limits of Rand's new power.  

[Thrasymachus]

We don't even know if Rand has any power at all that persisted past his funeral.  Channelling the One Power is certainly an aspect of someone's soul, but there's got to be some kind of biological component as well, else burning out, severing and Healing severing would be a far more mysterious, and serious event.  They're not cutting off the soul's ability to channel in subsequent lifetimes, after all.  And I can't recall if Moridin ever channelled the One Power; he seemed to use the True Power exclusively.  It's possible that that body, or the soul previously inhabiting it, couldn't channel the One Power, but the reincarnated soul of Elan inhabiting it maintained the ability to channel the True Power because of that soul's innate channelling ability, while losing access to the One Power.  If the withdrawal effects stem from the damage done to the biological side, and Moridin never could channel the One Power, that would explain why Rand doesn't feel the typical loss from burning out.  

 

I'm largely of the opinion that Rand doesn't have any special powers at all post-MoL.  The pipe-lighting thing was a last lingering effect of the merging of realities and Tel'aran'Rhiod during the final phase of the Last Battle; it was probably the most significant thing he was able to do, and he wouldn't and won't be able to do even that if he had waited much longer to try or tried doing it further away from Shayol Ghul.  He'll live out the rest of his life as a normal man, though still Bonded to an Aes Sedai, a Wise One, and a Doomseer.  He'll likely avoid politics as much as any normal man can.  He'll probably want to try to be a good father to his kids, but he may also justify being absent considering they won't really need him, and he turned out ok in spite of having a father that wasn't really his, and that it's not worth the risk of throwing the world into turmoil if it's accidentally revealed that he survived the Last Battle.  After all, the Dragon's Peace was made in exchange for the Dragon's life.  If he didn't die, some rulers may see that bargain as null and void.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Thrasymachus