A Countdown. Things we love.

[CaddySedai]

So I'mma tag this with book and TV show spoilers just incase we want to say stuff that some might consider spoilers.

 

But starting tomorrow Nov 1, 2021 Lets start counting down things we love about the Wheel Of Time. Sort of like the 12 Days of Christmas but to countdown to our new show.

 

We'll Call it "19 Days in Nesan", lmao

 

Today’s goal: 18 annnnd 19

 

DAY 1: Padan Fain - This was a tough call. All entries had merit but props to @Rand the Plumber with a super persuasive argument!

Day 1 Honorable Mentions: Bela, Rand's Flute, Ba'alzamon, Sullin's Soup, Mat's Fated Marriage, Lan Killing Demandred.

 

DAY 2: Choedan Kal. - This was even tougher. I was torn between the Hammer and Axe by @SinisterDeath and the Choedan Kal by @DaddyFinnbut I do like that they were featured literally from the start of the series. Continued to exist as this huge possible McGuffin. Then became a real thing with so many uses. Then did something huge but became 'sploded in the end. And after all that... Their initial use (presumed) ended up unnecessary because of...events ? Perrin's stuff was easily the best weaponry in the series. So either could have won.

Day 2 Honorable Mentions: Perrin's Hammer and Axe. Two Rivers. Gawyn & Galad

 

DAY 3: 3 Towers. @SinisterDeath with the nod. Honestly there were SO many great answers I just kinda let fate decide and roll an actual die to determine this one. Yeah yeah, I cheated…so what. ?

Day 3 Honorable Mentions: 3 Oaths, 3 arches/rings, 3 Ba’alzamon fights, 3 Demandred kill attempts, Rand/Mat/Perrin threesome/ta’veren, Rand’s harem.

 

DAY 4: 4 Amyrlin's @Pandemonium with the win. Yes it's entirely because they appealed to my vanity. Cadsuane being the best character, best Amyrlin, and just best me ever ? Look, I said I was a fair judge. I never claimed impartiality. lol.

Day 4 Honorable Mentions: Borderland Nations, Fourth Age, 4 Kings, All of Ralph's suggestions ?

 

DAY 5: 5 Great Captains @Pandemonium. This one actually got people voting and agreeing in thread. How can I ignore the masses?

Day 5 Honorable Mentions: 5 Elements, Five Riders at Falme, Morgase's relationships, 5 reborn Chosen, 5 named horses, 

 

DAY 6: Six Pointed Star ter'angreal. @SinisterDeath knows my weakness. Me. Lol. But legit the Paralis-net did raise an already impressive Cadsuane up to the level of power that the best male channelers wielded. So that alone makes it an amazing thing.

Day 6 Honorable Mentions: Six Bridges of Tar Valon, 6 swordsment Lan defeats, 6 stolen ter'angreal (love it - this is deep cut knowledge lol) Six named places on Caemlyn Road (also deep cut knowledge ?) First six books.

 

DAY 7: 7 Seals of the Dark Ones Prison. @MasterAblarThis one gets the nod because not only does it encompass the entirety of the book series - but the fact they became less of a "Oh they all broke now the DO is free" - to a "Break them now Sealbreaker - so Rand can do his thangy thang". A cool twist that they get broken on purpose, and that a badass title is given because of it.

Day 7 Honorable Mentions: 7 spokes of the wheel, 7 false dragons, 7 towers of Malkier, 7 Ajahs, 7 Ages, 7 Seals

 

DAY 8: CO-Winners: 8 Blademasters Killed in Duels @Pandemonium & Cadsuane's 8-pointed star @SinisterDeath. One, because its a great answer and shows deep knowledge of the series... the other because its Caddy related. And SD just constantly now trying to name parts of my character's Paralis-net to score cheap points lmao - and having it work... is just too funny to pass up.

Day 8 Honorable Mentions: 8 male Forsaken, 8 Ajah's (lol), 8 stone dogs retreating, 

 

DAY 9: 9 Golden Bees @Rose I love this one!

Day 9 Honorable Mentions: Council of Nine, Nine horse hitch, 9 Rods of Dominion, Winter's Heart, Rand's 9 Visions.

 

DAY 10: “Ten Years Betrayer” @Ralph

Day 10 Honorable Mentions: 10 Days of the Week, 10 Nations, 10 types of shadowspawn, 10 swordsmen defeated (Jearom) 10 dead Chosen.

 

DAY 11: The 11 Sitters who illegally deposed Siuan Sanche as Amrylin by @themann1086

Day 11: Honorable Mentions: 11 Main Novels, 11 Darkfriend Corpses kneeling to Rand, The funny thing SD said. 11 Clan Chiefs who had been the Rhuidean.

 

DAY 12: 12 Aiel Warrior Societies @MasterAblar - I have not shown any love to the Aiel lately. So here's my penance.

Day 12 Honorable Mentions: 12 Trolloc bands, Lanfear's power level, 12 high lords, 12 wavemistresses/sailmistresses, 12 Aes Sedai escaped Dumai Wells, Book 12, 12 Strings on a Bittern.

 

DAY 13: 13 Chosen by @DaddyFinn - Like they said in another book series: "After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things. Terrible! Yes. But great."

Day 13 Honorable Mentions: SD's sillyness, 13 Towers of Midnight, 13th Depository, 13 Nicknames Matt had, 13 waits between books :p, 13 Knitting Circle members, 13 High Lords/Ladies, 13 (the number...just the number).

 

DAY 14: 14 Years Between RJ passing and the TV Adaptation finally happening @ManetherenTaveren - any time to honor RJ's memory gets a nod. Its automatic. 

Day 14 Honorable Mentions: 14 Major Houses of Andor that support Elayne, 14 Heroes of the Horn, 14 Nations of the Westlands, 14 letters in the title, 14 books that tell the tale of the EF5.

 

DAY 15: 15 Named Members of the BotRH @MasterAblar

Day 15 Honorable Mentions: The 15 Books in WoT. 15 named members of the Younglings, 

 

DAY 16: Lord of Chaos, Chapter 16, was the last time Kari al'Thor was mentioned. Since LoC took place during the year 999, Kari al'Thor had been dead for ~16 years. @SinisterDeath

Day 16 Honorable Mentions: 16 named boats, 16 total Chosen deaths, Number of warders accompanying Perrin to Dumai Wells, 

 

DAY 17: the number of independent governing bodies in the Westlands @themann1086

Day 17 Honorable Mentions: How old Faile was when she began the Hunt, Perrin's aging, 17 Blademasters, 

 

DAY 18: TBD

Day 18 Under Consideration: 

 

DAY 19: TBD

Day 19 Under Consideration: 

Edited November 18, 2021 by CaddySedai

[Pandemonium]

19 pillowfriends playing

[Ralph]

18 Forsaken ?

 

Am I right that five of them are revived - Aran'gar, Osan'gar, Cyndane, Hessalam and obviously Moridin? 

 

So eighteen lives total

[Rose]

2 hours ago, CaddySedai said:

So I'mma tag this with book and TV show spoilers just incase we want to say stuff that some might consider spoilers.

 

But starting tomorrow Nov 1, 2021 Lets start counting down things we love about the Wheel Of Time. Sort of like the 12 Days of Christmas but to countdown to our new show.

 

We'll Call it "19 Days in Nesan", lmao

 

Anyhow I figured to post it a day early to decide how we want to do this. Do we maybe want to build our own lists? Adding on to our own each day? Do we want to collab somehow and the first person to post their fav each day gets it added to the "song"? Or maybe each day we have to come up with enough things that we love of that number? 

 

Like on Day 12 we love 12 Bands of Trollocs? lol

 

Thoughts? All is safe till tomorrow anyhow ?

 

I think you should post a question/prompt each day and everyone responds to it. We need some leadership so it doesn't devolve into chaos lol

 

Also, love the idea!

 

[Rand the Plumber]

Great idea.  But Dragonmount without chaos is just Wrong.  Let the Lord of Chaos rule.

 

My first favourite thing about tWOT is that Jordan managed to combine my two favourite genres - political thrillers and high fantasy.  I love the White Tower plots (for example) as much as I like the magical underpinnings.  I am hoping that both styles will be given prominence in the show.

[CaddySedai]

So 19 days and counting. 

 

Lets begin today with a single thing.

 

What is one item, place, Character you love from the series. Is it Callandor? Is it Lan? Do you love a particular place mentioned?

 

Put one thing you love and why. I will at the end of the day choose my favorite based on your persuasive argument and put it in the initial post. Counting down to the release of the series!

[DaddyFinn]

Rand's flute. It's one of the few things that help him get a moment of "peace" whenever he decides to play it. Sadly he does that so rarely.

[CaddySedai]

Rand and his flute always reminded me of Picard and the Ressikan Flute from "The Inner Light". Good choice! Any challengers?

 

 

Edited November 1, 2021 by CaddySedai

[AnAshaman]

BA'ALZAMON

 

 For without him the story doesn't happen when and where it does. "The Wheel Wills..."

[TheDreadReader]

Sullin and her soup.

 

 

[Rand the Plumber]

Padan Fain, who starts out as a simple pedlar and casual Darkfriend and then, over fourteen books, becomes a hound of the Dark One, merges with Mordeth, greets Machin Shin as a friend, scares myrddrall, and then gets killed by a loophole and forgotten about in all of a page and a half.

 

Many words have been written debating the merits of Fain's life and ignominious death (most of them on this website), but I have come around to the opinion that his story arc is perfect, and being tricked and then killed by Mat was the crowning underachievement of a life which never rose above mediocre.

[Elder_Haman]

"Fated to marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons" --

The worst possible thing that could happen to Mat Cauthon. Marriage and monogamy. The fact that Mat's luck has no bearing on it and, in fact, works counter to Mat's own desires in this regard is exquisite irony. The fact that his fate is to become "a bloody Lord" is just the delicious icing on top.

[Ralph]

Lan killing Demandred, and the denouement of the battle that follows (though I'd have preferred it without the Seanchan) 

[CaddySedai]

So I'm gonna have to go with Padan Fain on this one. That was a great argument on why his character deserved the nod.

 

For day 2... something in Two.

Can be a couple. A pair of items. Something mentioned exactly twice then forgotten. Is Two in the name?  The sky is the limit...if the sky is two ?

Edited November 2, 2021 by CaddySedai

[SinisterDeath]

Has to be Bela.

Single most important character in the series.

[SinisterDeath]

Hammer and Axe.

It took many books for Perrin to decide, before ultimately crafting one of the coolest weapons in the wheel of time.

[DaddyFinn]

Choedan Kal. They were made to be the ultimate weapon and even challenge the Creator but in the end they were not needed. They served their purpose in cleansing of the saidin and therefore made the world's future a lot brighter. The male one also helped Rand make his peace on top of the Dragonmount. The world was on the brink of total annihilation and nobody knew a thing. The fact that the Last Battle was won without them is brilliant.

 

*These are what I remember so I apologise if there's some false stuff*

[Ralph]

Rivers!!! 

[TheDreadReader]

Elayne's Two brothers.  Gawyn and Galad. 

 

They have generated decades and multiple generations of love (to hate) discourse online. 

 

From rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan, to web forums like dragonmount.com, to twitter.... where would the fandom be without Elayne's Two Brothers.

 

?

 

[Orel P]

On 11/1/2021 at 2:04 PM, Elder_Haman said:

The worst possible thing that could happen to Mat Cauthon. Marriage and monogamy.

 

Let's not overlook the fact that his full name is only three letters from the word "matrimony" ?

 

I do wonder if that was intentional by RJ. Must've been right?

[CaddySedai]

Todays Goal: Name something that you love that there is three of. Now it gets a bit tougher. Many things in the Wheel of Time come in certain groupings but three? A challenge to you all! And yes... Rand's wives count ?

[MasterAblar]

The three arches and the three rings.

[Ralph]

The Rand Mat Perrin threesome. Especially since it seems that is something new for this turning, and Moiraine is surprised by it

[SinisterDeath]

The 3 Towers.

The Tower of Women (White Tower)

The Tower of Men (Black Tower)

And the Tower of Finn (Tower of Genji)

[themann1086]

A little late to this but I want to put my answers for the previous days as well!

 

1. The Horn of Valere

 

In the last, lorn fight

'gainst the fall of long night,
the mountains stand guard,
and the dead shall be ward,

for the grave is no bar to my call.

 

2. Yeah the Choedan Kal, especially for their use in the cleansing

 

3. The Defeats of Ba'alzamon

 

I really enjoy the way the first three books can somewhat work as a stand-alone trilogy, where each book ends with a climatic showdown with the Heart of the Dark.

• First, Rand channels pure, untainted saidin somewhat-intentionally for the first time and defeats him, also saving the Sheinaran army at Tarwin's Gap in the process
• Second, and my personally favorite encounter, when Rand unfurls the Dragon banner and battles Ba'alzamon in the skies of Falme ("I will never serve you, Father of Lies. In a thousand lives, I never have. I know that. I'm sure of it. Come. It is time to die.")
• Lastly, the confrontation in the Heart of the Stone of Tear, when Rand pulls the Sword That Cannot Be Touched and uses its unfathomable power to overcome Ba'alzamon, pursue him through the World of Dreams, and blast him into ash.

Solving the problem of the Dark One once and for all, I'm sure!