Nakomi!!

[Scarloc99]

Just now, wotfan4472 said:

That information makes me wonder if Brandon meant that the false Dragon that Hawkwing battled, Guaire Amalasan, was in fact Rand's soul reborn then. The timing is correct if that is true, because Amalasan was precisely 1000 years previous to Rand's birth.

 

It is even more telling if Yurian Stonebow was also a rebirth for Rand's soul, and he was 1000 years before Amalasan, and exactly 1000 years after LTT himself.

 

Brandon may have exposed some info that we did not have before that in that interview.

I think maybe your grasping here, I think Brandon made a mistake, or was mis quoted (although a mistake is probably more likely). I also have never been convinced that the stuff Brandon made up that was not in RJ's notes, the gaps he filled or the things he added in, where as closely thought through as he likes to make out. I don't find his own work to be deep or clever enough to show that he could do that with someone elses. 

[wotfan4472]

I agree with the issues.

 

It is just that whenever it comes out that Rand was born 1000 years earlier to the books, it always brings in Amalasan by default. Stonebow is a further connection whenever there is deeper research.

 

Add in Ishamael being out in the world at those exact times, in each case, it is a fascinating thought that the Wheel may have been actively trying to fix what was broken and getting it wrong each time.

Edited November 25, 2022 by wotfan4472

[Stedding Tofu]

1 hour ago, wotfan4472 said:

One major point in all this. Jordan stated in a book signing that Shaidar Haran was not introduced in Lord Of Chaos.

 

I thought he stated that the myrddraal talking to Bors / Carridin in the prologue to TGH/TDR(?) was not Shaidar Haran but an earlier version of him, Shaidar Haran v0.5 if you will.  I took that to mean he had the idea of the avatar quite early on but did not commit to it until LoC when Shaidar Haran is introduced and is made unambiguously different to other myrddraal (who do not have names).

 

The explanation being that the seals are weakening throughout the series but only after a certain number break does he seem able to project an avatar.

 

https://wot.fandom.com/wiki/Shaidar_Haran

 

1 hour ago, wotfan4472 said:

That information makes me wonder if Brandon meant that the false Dragon that Hawkwing battled, Guaire Amalasan, was in fact Rand's soul reborn then. The timing is correct if that is true, because Amalasan was precisely 1000 years previous to Rand's birth.

 

If The Pattern is spitting out Champions every 1,000 years and these Champions are failing, does not The Dark One win?

 

More likely, they are like Logain or Hawkwing, men with ambition who, at least in Logain's case, can claim the mantle of prophecy in trying to remake the world as they wish.

 

This is the quote from the article that prompted this thread.  It's BS speaking

 

“I decided that this woman was the Creator’s version of Shaidar Haran, something Jordan had explained a little in the notes. A vessel, kind of an avatar, but not quite. Shaidar Haran for the Dark One, Nakomi for the Creator. But again, not actually the Creator. … As many have guessed, her birth is Jenn Aiel. Yes, they’re still around. A few of them. And providing the vessel who was the counterpart to Shaidar Haran was part of their purpose, lore, and identity. Nakomi (which is her birth name among them) is the latest in this line.”

-- “The Real World in the Wheel of Time,” Origins of the Wheel of Time

 

It still doesn't clearly address what RJ intended (we know he only wrote the Shayol Ghul scene, where Nakomi is unnamed, unidentified and unexplained) and how much BS "decided" then extrapolated based on his decision.

 

Take Rand's visions in Rhuidean both of Deindre's prophecy during the breaking that the Aiel still have a role to play - but she cannot foresee what - and her later prophecy of He who Comes with the Dawn.  Is this just misdirection to make us think that it's another sign that Rand is the Dragon Reborn and the purpose of the Aiel (The People of The Dragon) is to survive to ensure his birth and then to follow him in TG?  I mean that's well and good and very handy but it's not why the real Aiel - The Jenn - must be preserved, the real purpose being to produce avatars for The Creator.  But if that's the case, the Aiel who strayed from the path of the Jenn are as irrelevant or as "Lost" as the Tuatha'an - so why does Nakomi intercede with Aviendha?

 

Not to mention that Shaidar Haran is purely a vessel that crumbles to dust when the last seals are broken.  What of the Jenn Aiel?  BS has decided Nakomi is the latest in the line but is she just a regular person who received the holy spirit for a few minutes?  What would the status of an individual be who received the essence of God, if only briefly? Or is she a version of a God walking the earth (living among the Jenn) for millennia? Given the Aiel Waste is harsh and the clans contend over every water source how can they not know that the Jenn still exist and where they are?

 

I just don't think this fits together well.  The more it tries to be explained, the less satisfactory I find it.  I think RJ kept his touch light wisely, though the mysterious Shayol Ghul scene in isolation does intrigue or frustrate the reader.

[wotfan4472]

It is possible for the Wheel to spin out Rand's soul earlier, and it is possible that not all of those lives lived will be as the Creator's Champion facing the Dark One, just a person with that specific soul trying because of the prophecies. 

 

As for RJ's intentions, there are many religions and cultures that have this aspect that Nakomi shows.

[gd3123]

4 hours ago, Stedding Tofu said:

 

I thought he stated that the myrddraal talking to Bors / Carridin in the prologue to TGH/TDR(?) was not Shaidar Haran but an earlier version of him, Shaidar Haran v0.5 if you will.  I took that to mean he had the idea of the avatar quite early on but did not commit to it until LoC when Shaidar Haran is introduced and is made unambiguously different to other myrddraal (who do not have names).

 

The explanation being that the seals are weakening throughout the series but only after a certain number break does he seem able to project an avatar.

 

https://wot.fandom.com/wiki/Shaidar_Haran

 

 

If The Pattern is spitting out Champions every 1,000 years and these Champions are failing, does not The Dark One win?

 

More likely, they are like Logain or Hawkwing, men with ambition who, at least in Logain's case, can claim the mantle of prophecy in trying to remake the world as they wish.

 

This is the quote from the article that prompted this thread.  It's BS speaking

 

“I decided that this woman was the Creator’s version of Shaidar Haran, something Jordan had explained a little in the notes. A vessel, kind of an avatar, but not quite. Shaidar Haran for the Dark One, Nakomi for the Creator. But again, not actually the Creator. … As many have guessed, her birth is Jenn Aiel. Yes, they’re still around. A few of them. And providing the vessel who was the counterpart to Shaidar Haran was part of their purpose, lore, and identity. Nakomi (which is her birth name among them) is the latest in this line.”

-- “The Real World in the Wheel of Time,” Origins of the Wheel of Time

 

It still doesn't clearly address what RJ intended (we know he only wrote the Shayol Ghul scene, where Nakomi is unnamed, unidentified and unexplained) and how much BS "decided" then extrapolated based on his decision.

 

Take Rand's visions in Rhuidean both of Deindre's prophecy during the breaking that the Aiel still have a role to play - but she cannot foresee what - and her later prophecy of He who Comes with the Dawn.  Is this just misdirection to make us think that it's another sign that Rand is the Dragon Reborn and the purpose of the Aiel (The People of The Dragon) is to survive to ensure his birth and then to follow him in TG?  I mean that's well and good and very handy but it's not why the real Aiel - The Jenn - must be preserved, the real purpose being to produce avatars for The Creator.  But if that's the case, the Aiel who strayed from the path of the Jenn are as irrelevant or as "Lost" as the Tuatha'an - so why does Nakomi intercede with Aviendha?

 

Not to mention that Shaidar Haran is purely a vessel that crumbles to dust when the last seals are broken.  What of the Jenn Aiel?  BS has decided Nakomi is the latest in the line but is she just a regular person who received the holy spirit for a few minutes?  What would the status of an individual be who received the essence of God, if only briefly? Or is she a version of a God walking the earth (living among the Jenn) for millennia? Given the Aiel Waste is harsh and the clans contend over every water source how can they not know that the Jenn still exist and where they are?

 

I just don't think this fits together well.  The more it tries to be explained, the less satisfactory I find it.  I think RJ kept his touch light wisely, though the mysterious Shayol Ghul scene in isolation does intrigue or frustrate the reader.

I think for many of us, it fits together quite well, and the explanation has always made sense.  Just because Nakomi is somewhat of an analog to Shaidar Hagan doesn’t mean all the same exact rules need to apply to her.

 

it’s funny, I remember very spirited discussions on this forum years ago when AMOL came out, when a small minority screeched to the heavens that there was no way nakomi was an an avatar of the Creator.  They have been proven wrong, and RJ and BS made a good choice 

[DojoToad]

8 minutes ago, gd3123 said:

I think for many of us, it fits together quite well, and the explanation has always made sense.  Just because Nakomi is somewhat of an analog to Shaidar Hagan doesn’t mean all the same exact rules need to apply to her.

 

it’s funny, I remember very spirited discussions on this forum years ago when AMOL came out, when a small minority screeched to the heavens that there was no way nakomi was an an avatar of the Creator.  They have been proven wrong, and RJ and BS made a good choice 

Have they been proven wrong?  BS decided to create Nakomi on his own based on a single line from RJ - which may or may not have been RJ's intention at all.  No one on Jordan's team had any idea what it was or what it meant, so BS made a decision.  You may be right, but there is nothing definitive to back you up - so you could also be wrong...

[gd3123]

9 minutes ago, DojoToad said:

Have they been proven wrong?  BS decided to create Nakomi on his own based on a single line from RJ - which may or may not have been RJ's intention at all.  No one on Jordan's team had any idea what it was or what it meant, so BS made a decision.  You may be right, but there is nothing definitive to back you up - so you could also be wrong...

Unless BS is lying, based on the Companion the avatar idea did come from RJ.  

[DojoToad]

7 minutes ago, gd3123 said:

Unless BS is lying, based on the Companion the avatar idea did come from RJ.  

According to 'Origins' BS decided to make Nakomi the opposite of Shaidar Haran.  Where in the 'Companion' did it say Nakomi was an avatar?  Not under her name...

Edited November 25, 2022 by DojoToad

[gd3123]

10 minutes ago, DojoToad said:

According to 'Origins' BS decided to make Nakomi the opposite of Shaidar Haran.  Where in the 'Companion' did it say Nakomi was an avatar?  Not under her name...

Sorry, you’re correct that it was in Origins.  I misspoke when I referenced the Companion.

 

in Origins it says “I decided that this woman was the Creator’s version of Shaidar Haran, something Jordan had explained a little in the notes. A vessel, kind of an avatar, but not quite.”

 

so I read this as the idea of an avatar of the creator was in RJ’s notes.  Perhaps BS took the extra step of analogizing her to SH, but the avatar concept for her was explained in the notes 

[DojoToad]

2 minutes ago, gd3123 said:

Sorry, you’re correct that it was in Origins.  I misspoke when I referenced the Companion.

 

in Origins it says “I decided that this woman was the Creator’s version of Shaidar Haran, something Jordan had explained a little in the notes. A vessel, kind of an avatar, but not quite.”

 

so I read this as the idea of an avatar of the creator was in RJ’s notes.  Perhaps BS took the extra step of analogizing her to SH, but the avatar concept for her was explained in the notes 

It certainly wasn't explicit in RJ's notes.  In fact it states outright that there was 'a single line of instruction' in relation to Rand while leaving Shayol Ghul --- "An unknown woman says to Rand, 'Yes, that's good, that's what you need to do.'  She hurries off."  You and BS may have drawn a correct conclusion, but that is hardly definitive - especially to say something like: 'They have been proven wrong.'

[gd3123]

Just now, DojoToad said:

It certainly wasn't explicit in RJ's notes.  In fact it states outright that there was 'a single line of instruction' in relation to Rand while leaving Shayol Ghul --- "An unknown woman says to Rand, 'Yes, that's good, that's what you need to do.'  She hurries off."  You and BS may have drawn a correct conclusion, but that is hardly definitive - especially to say something like: 'They have been proven wrong.'

I don’t think that’s true. We know that RJ specifically wrote that passage from AMOL, which included an unnamed mystery woman passively assisting Rand.  All indications is that is SEPARATE from what BS found “in the notes”, which he is saying relates to the idea of an avatar of the Creator.
 

in any event, if BS says this was the intent, it’s white definitive at this point   

[DojoToad]

1 minute ago, gd3123 said:

I don’t think that’s true. We know that RJ specifically wrote that passage from AMOL, which included an unnamed mystery woman passively assisting Rand.  All indications is that is SEPARATE from what BS found “in the notes”, which he is saying relates to the idea of an avatar of the Creator.
 

in any event, if BS says this was the intent, it’s white definitive at this point   

Not when BS said that he decided and no one else on team Jordan knew anything about it.  But you draw you're own conclusions...

[gd3123]

1 minute ago, DojoToad said:

Not when BS said that he decided and no one else on team Jordan knew anything about it.  But you draw you're own conclusions...

So you think BS is just lying when he says: “I decided that this woman was the Creator’s version of Shaidar Haran, something Jordan had explained a little in the notes” ?

 

 

[DojoToad]

5 minutes ago, gd3123 said:

So you think BS is just lying when he says: “I decided that this woman was the Creator’s version of Shaidar Haran, something Jordan had explained a little in the notes” ?

 

 

No, I'm saying that you are reading BS's decision to create Nakomi as absolute gospel when I believe there is room for alternative explanations for what RJ may have been thinking.  I'm saying you may be right or you may be wrong.

[gd3123]

36 minutes ago, DojoToad said:

No, I'm saying that you are reading BS's decision to create Nakomi as absolute gospel when I believe there is room for alternative explanations for what RJ may have been thinking.  I'm saying you may be right or you may be wrong.

While it may not be absolute gospel as to what RJ would have intended (although the weight of evidence certainly points in that direction), it is absolute gospel in terms of canon since BS was selected by RJ and Harriet to complete the series, and that is what he wrote and intended   

Edited November 25, 2022 by gd3123

[DojoToad]

9 minutes ago, gd3123 said:

While it may not be absolute gospel as to what RJ would have intended (although the weight of evidence certainly points in that direction), it is absolute gospel in terms of canon since BS was selected by RJ and Harriet to complete the series, and that is what he wrote and intended   

So is it what he intended or no, you appear to be saying both...

[gd3123]

10 minutes ago, DojoToad said:

So is it what he intended or no, you appear to be saying both...

It’s definitely what BS intended, if you take him at his word (I don’t see any reason not to)

[DojoToad]

1 hour ago, gd3123 said:

It’s definitely what BS intended, if you take him at his word (I don’t see any reason not to)

Absolutely what BS intended - he said it and wrote it.  But was it what RJ intended?

 

3 hours ago, DojoToad said:

it’s funny, I remember very spirited discussions on this forum years ago when AMOL came out, when a small minority screeched to the heavens that there was no way nakomi was an an avatar of the Creator.  They have been proven wrong, and RJ and BS made a good choice 

Your absolute statement that critics of the Creator's avatar have been proven wrong is still up for debate - both in that they made a good choice (subjective) and is it what RJ intended (possible, but not provable with available information).  The small minority you mention was wrong to eliminate all possibility that Nakomi was the Creator's avatar, but so is saying that she absolutely is - especially give that BS described her as 'kind of an avatar, but not quite'.

[gd3123]

37 minutes ago, DojoToad said:

Absolutely what BS intended - he said it and wrote it.  But was it what RJ intended?

 

Your absolute statement that critics of the Creator's avatar have been proven wrong is still up for debate - both in that they made a good choice (subjective) and is it what RJ intended (possible, but not provable with available information).  The small minority you mention was wrong to eliminate all possibility that Nakomi was the Creator's avatar, but so is saying that she absolutely is - especially give that BS described her as 'kind of an avatar, but not quite'.

I see what you are saying, but since BS wrote it and his word is final when it comes to canon on that point, they have been proven wrong.  That is what I was referring to.  It was an open question as to what BS intended when AMOL was released, but it’s not a question anymore.  Brandon definitively answered it.  From a canonical perspective, there is no other answer 

 

 

[DojoToad]

4 hours ago, gd3123 said:

I see what you are saying, but since BS wrote it and his word is final when it comes to canon on that point, they have been proven wrong.  That is what I was referring to.  It was an open question as to what BS intended when AMOL was released, but it’s not a question anymore.  Brandon definitively answered it.  From a canonical perspective, there is no other answer 

 

 

Canon?  Sure I can accept that.  Good choice, still subjective and still making up my mind.  Thanks for the talk @gd3123

[Stedding Tofu]

19 hours ago, wotfan4472 said:

It is possible for the Wheel to spin out Rand's soul earlier, and it is possible that not all of those lives lived will be as the Creator's Champion facing the Dark One, just a person with that specific soul trying because of the prophecies. 

 

As for RJ's intentions, there are many religions and cultures that have this aspect that Nakomi shows.

 

So the Dragon's soul can be reborn many times but only becomes the Creator's Champion in specific circumstances?  Idk about that but I suppose it's possible, just not something ever touched on in series or explored.

 

I understand the inspiration behind Nakomi (some of it - as you say many cultures have some reference or analogue here) but the point is in the sole scene RJ wrote she is neither named, nor identified so it's moot.  Whatever his ideas or intentions he did not follow through.

 

Does it matter?  Not hugely but I was intrigued as to who / what she was on re-read.  Perhaps if he had had the chance to write LoTR style appendices or the equivalent of The Silmarillion he could have  developed and explained his idea here more but sadly he did not get that chance.  BS is doing his best with the notes available and it just doesn't click well for me.

 

17 hours ago, gd3123 said:

I think for many of us, it fits together quite well, and the explanation has always made sense.  Just because Nakomi is somewhat of an analog to Shaidar Hagan doesn’t mean all the same exact rules need to apply to her.

 

I'm glad it works for you and others: to each, their own.

 

And, no, indeed, the same rules do not and cannot apply, nor are they intended to, I am merely exploring the consequences of the Jenn Aiel bearing avatars of The Creator and what that might mean.  Clearly this is not something touched on in series or any of the supporting works or interviews so those who think it fits together well might have considered these and many other questions.

 

17 hours ago, gd3123 said:

it’s funny, I remember very spirited discussions on this forum years ago when AMOL came out, when a small minority screeched to the heavens that there was no way nakomi was an an avatar of the Creator.

 

Well, I imagine you screeched them down then.

 

17 hours ago, gd3123 said:

RJ and BS made a good choice 

 

This is subjective and you are welcome to your opinion: for me it's as if Iluvatar turned up at Minas Tirith or Mount Doom to give things a nudge in the right direction.  To repeat, the only insertion of "Nakomi" in story by RJ was of a mysterious, unnamed and unidentified woman who may have been Aiel at Shayol Ghul.  This character was introduced at the last minute of the last hour in the 14th of 14 books and in my view is simply not necessary.  BS saw the obvious problem with that so "decided" based on RJ's notes what she should be and to write her in earlier with some more clues to her identity. 

 

I think the story would work fine without Nakomi and don't think BS's attempt to explain her or at least hint at what she was worked particularly well, hence the clarification in Origins.  That's just my view and you are welcome to yours.  Have a nice day 🙂

[gd3123]

16 hours ago, Stedding Tofu said:

 

So the Dragon's soul can be reborn many times but only becomes the Creator's Champion in specific circumstances?  Idk about that but I suppose it's possible, just not something ever touched on in series or explored.

 

I understand the inspiration behind Nakomi (some of it - as you say many cultures have some reference or analogue here) but the point is in the sole scene RJ wrote she is neither named, nor identified so it's moot.  Whatever his ideas or intentions he did not follow through.

 

Does it matter?  Not hugely but I was intrigued as to who / what she was on re-read.  Perhaps if he had had the chance to write LoTR style appendices or the equivalent of The Silmarillion he could have  developed and explained his idea here more but sadly he did not get that chance.  BS is doing his best with the notes available and it just doesn't click well for me.

 

 

I'm glad it works for you and others: to each, their own.

 

And, no, indeed, the same rules do not and cannot apply, nor are they intended to, I am merely exploring the consequences of the Jenn Aiel bearing avatars of The Creator and what that might mean.  Clearly this is not something touched on in series or any of the supporting works or interviews so those who think it fits together well might have considered these and many other questions.

 

 

Well, I imagine you screeched them down then.

 

 

This is subjective and you are welcome to your opinion: for me it's as if Iluvatar turned up at Minas Tirith or Mount Doom to give things a nudge in the right direction.  To repeat, the only insertion of "Nakomi" in story by RJ was of a mysterious, unnamed and unidentified woman who may have been Aiel at Shayol Ghul.  This character was introduced at the last minute of the last hour in the 14th of 14 books and in my view is simply not necessary.  BS saw the obvious problem with that so "decided" based on RJ's notes what she should be and to write her in earlier with some more clues to her identity. 

 

I think the story would work fine without Nakomi and don't think BS's attempt to explain her or at least hint at what she was worked particularly well, hence the clarification in Origins.  That's just my view and you are welcome to yours.  Have a nice day 🙂

The Creator has already showed up and “nudged” Rand in the past by speaking directly to him.  This is consistent with the level of involvement by Nakomi, which was very passive in nature, in the Shayol Ghul.  It’s perfectly consistent with what came before. 

Edited November 27, 2022 by gd3123

[DojoToad]

13 hours ago, gd3123 said:

The Creator has already showed up and “nudged” Rand in the past by speaking directly to him.  This is consistent with the level of involvement by Nakomi, which was very passive in nature, in the Shayol Ghul.  It’s perfectly consistent with what came before. 

Here we go with the absolutes again.  Glad Nakomi worked for you perfectly.  RJ and BS did the exact right thing in the best way possible...

 

Just blows my mind that you can't see this is subjective and that others of us can have different opinions without being wrong.  No problem though - get that way myself sometimes.

[Scarloc99]

On 11/25/2022 at 5:03 PM, gd3123 said:

I think for many of us, it fits together quite well, and the explanation has always made sense.  Just because Nakomi is somewhat of an analog to Shaidar Hagan doesn’t mean all the same exact rules need to apply to her.

 

it’s funny, I remember very spirited discussions on this forum years ago when AMOL came out, when a small minority screeched to the heavens that there was no way nakomi was an an avatar of the Creator.  They have been proven wrong, and RJ and BS made a good choice 

BS made this choice not RJ. BS said that he took the very little RJ had in his notes (not a lot) and extrapolated his own idea out. Personally I think this was the wrong thing to do, why is the creator so focused on what becomes of the Aiel post final battle? Once the dark one is sealed away then it’s job done. 

[Stedding Tofu]

On 11/27/2022 at 3:29 AM, gd3123 said:

The Creator has already showed up and “nudged” Rand in the past by speaking directly to him.  This is consistent with the level of involvement by Nakomi, which was very passive in nature, in the Shayol Ghul.  It’s perfectly consistent with what came before. 

 

Well, I tend to think of the ALL CAPS voice of The Creator in TEOTW as an early bookism not to be repeated.  If you think it establishes an in universe rule that The Creator can/will intervene directly at will then there appears no need for an avatar.  I think RJ was well aware of the problem of making an avatar appear at the 11th hour and played around with the idea without committing to it except in one ambiguous scene at Shayol Ghul.

 

If this works with how you see the world from your reading of the series then fair enough but I find it at odds.  Moiraine and Nynaeve can both help Rand / Moridin out of Shayol Ghul after all and the link between Rand and Moridin was established by balefire streams in ACOS - we just don't see the implication until the very end.  Given one of Rand's questions to the Aelfinn was how he could defeat The Dark One and survive there were other ways to show us Rand surviving without The Creator intervening, either directly of by avatar.

 

Beyond that, BS's decision to try and make RJ's notes about the avatar more substantive (both with the Nakomi - Aviendha scene and in interview referenced in Origins) and reveal the purpose of the Jenn Aiel (in Origins) as bearing avatars of The Creator, NOT ensuring the Aiel survive so The Dragon can be reborn and save the world, seems at odds with the story as written.  We don't know if the notes he leveraged were early or discarded ideas for the Jenn but in story the purpose of the Jenn was to remain loyal to the Aes Sedai and assist them in building Rhuidean - intended to be the new Paaren Disen in my view - with the establishment of The Pact of Rhuidean being essential for the survival of the people who will give birth to The Champion of The Light three thousand years in the future.  With this purpose achieved the last two Aes Sedai from before The Breaking pass away and the Jenn themselves die out.  All this is established in TSR though of course the Aiel regard the Car'a'carn as a different matter to The Dragon Reborn.

 

By trying to explain the unexplainable Shayol Ghul scene BS fell into the trap of needing to introduce and flesh out the avatar, then give her a back story and I find the more he tries the more I find it doesn't fit, particularly as the Jenn do not appear in story except in TSR visions of The Breaking, to establish who the Aiel were three thousand years ago and set the stage for Rand's revelations to test and break the Aiel of the present in story.

 

I think the whole chain of consequence: mysterious Aiel woman at SG needs explanation as avatar of The Creator needs explanation of how this comes to be needs re-purposing of the story and role of the Jenn Aiel was better left out.

 

But again, that's just me and for all the virtual ink in this thread it's a minor point.  Incidentally, I was first introduced to WoT in 1996 and read and re-read the early books many times before the series finished.  I re-read the series in full earlier this year and a few things I could not figure out led me to on line searches: Nakomi was top of my list and she was still unexplained until now....🙂