Partially masking ability to channel?

[Feral]

I know there is a weave to hide your ability to channel, but is there one that can make you seem weaker than you really are? What got me thinking about this is Masaana. We know she's in the White Tower, but wouldn't she be stronger than any of the Aes Sedai there? So she'd kinda stand out unless there was a weave to make her seem weaker or maybe she's masked her ability completely and is posing as a clerk or servant? Thoughts please...

[Guest cwestervelt]

I've always suspected her of posing as someone who isn't actually in the Tower, just someone who has regular business there.  That would significantly reduce the chances of a small slip up being noticed as out of character.

[Hagazussa]

I agree there is 1000 Aes Sedai or so all in all right, now that they are split 500 in each Tower? That is not that many, and it will be noticed if someone they do not know and have never seen suddenly pop up and claim to be an Aes Sedai. Think of a high school, it can easy have 1000 students, now one might not know every member of the school, but one will notice if someone new comes along for one have seen everyone at the school before.

 

Much more easy for a forsaken to masquerade as a simple servant, none looks at servants and she can get almost everywhere in the Tower unnoticed. 

[Trib4l]

It's pretty obvious that there is such an ability. I believe that RJ has confirmed this to be true, but as evidence goes Lanfear was masquerading as Else Grinwell for a while and nobody said, "Holy crap that girl is strong!" They all assessed her at an average ability.

[Guest cwestervelt]

I agree there is 1000 Aes Sedai or so all in all right, now that they are split 500 in each Tower? That is not that many, and it will be noticed if someone they do not know and have never seen suddenly pop up and claim to be an Aes Sedai. Think of a high school, it can easy have 1000 students, now one might not know every member of the school, but one will notice if someone new comes along for one have seen everyone at the school before.

 

Much more easy for a forsaken to masquerade as a simple servant, none looks at servants and she can get almost everywhere in the Tower unnoticed. 

 

A lot of Aes Sedai left Tar Valon when Siuan was deposed who did not join the Salidar opposition.  Neither did they return to the Tower.  There are only about 300 Aes Sedai in Tar Valon roughly the same number that went to Salidar.  Around 1/3 of the Aes Sedai have been waiting things out to see which side will win.  Those who arrived in Cairhien with Cadsuane are from that 3rd group.  The Aes Sedai among the Borderlanders probably are from that group too.

[Feral]

It's pretty obvious that there is such an ability. I believe that RJ has confirmed this to be true, but as evidence goes Lanfear was masquerading as Else Grinwell for a while and nobody said, "Holy crap that girl is strong!" They all assessed her at an average ability.

 

Ah right. It's been ages since I read that book and completely forgot about it. Thanks.

[Guest cwestervelt]

I believe the ability to appear weaker than they really are has been confirmed.  I just feel seeing how many people I can piss off by being contrary though.

 

We really don't know how many people actually saw Lanfear at that time.  It may just have been Egwene and Nynaeve as that part of the tower was rather empty at the time.  Neither Egwene or Nynaeve are really that adept at recogonizing ability or judging power yet so for all we know, Lanfear had the ability completely masked or even not at all.  By the time Egwene got a few paces out of the room, she Lanfear already gone, or at least let the Else disguise drop.  I think Egwene did see Lanfear did actually see Lanfear undisguised, but I can't remember exactly.

[Charlz Guybon]

It's pretty obvious that there is such an ability. I believe that RJ has confirmed this to be true, but as evidence goes Lanfear was masquerading as Else Grinwell for a while and nobody said, "Holy crap that girl is strong!" They all assessed her at an average ability.

 

I also remember reading somewhere that this ability existed, and IIRC Alvarin speculates that Mesaana must be using it.

[Ealdur Tinuviel]

By the way, RJ has told us that we have seen her persona on screen, and that we should be able to figure it out, especially with the clues in CoT.

 

Anyways, it would be pretty easy for Mesaana to pose as someone who was relatively friendless, who hadn't been to the Tower in a while, and didn't look that much different from her in RL.

 

In CoT, Alviarin sees Mesaana's disguise stripped, and can almost recognize her, but cannot put a name to the face. This points to the likelihood that she was a sister, and that the reason she could not be recognized was that the ageless face she had kept up as an illusion was not there.

 

And for the record, I believe, quite firmly, that Mesaana is Tarna Feir.

[Charlz Guybon]

By the way, RJ has told us that we have seen her persona on screen, and that we should be able to figure it out, especially with the clues in CoT.

 

Anyways, it would be pretty easy for Mesaana to pose as someone who was relatively friendless, who hadn't been to the Tower in a while, and didn't look that much different from her in RL.

 

In CoT, Alviarin sees Mesaana's disguise stripped, and can almost recognize her, but cannot put a name to the face. This points to the likelihood that she was a sister, and that the reason she could not be recognized was that the ageless face she had kept up as an illusion was not there.

 

And for the record, I believe, quite firmly, that Mesaana is Tarna Feir.

 

What! Why? I haven't seen any evidence that she isn't who she says she is. I don't even think she's black, given the way she rebuffed Galina's advances.  (On the other hand, Galina took an early interest in her and beat her until she lost her block)

[Ealdur Tinuviel]

Click Me

 

There's some points for and against Tarna in there.

 

Also, I did an exhaustive post on the old boards, concluding that Tarna or Danelle was Mesaana, though I believe Tarna is more likely.

[Cybertrolloc]

There's some points for and against Tarna in there.

 

Also, I did an exhaustive post on the old boards, concluding that Tarna or Danelle was Mesaana, though I believe Tarna is more likely.

KoD chapter 25 is Tarna PoV. She remembers something that's at least older than FoH...it would be pretty lame if she did turn out to be Mesaana.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Indeed, Danelle is alot more likely, in my opinion.  For alot of reasons.

[Ealdur Tinuviel]

Like...? :(

[RobertAlexWillis]

Grr ... I was hoping you'd let me get away with being lazy.

 

Fine.  Here.  ;)

 

1) Alviarin almost recognizes Mesaana's face, but not quite.  This reaction could be caused by seeing a her face without an "ageless" disguise.  However, having an "ageless" face as her disguise would mean that Mesaana is impersonating an Aes Sedai. 

 

2) Danelle has blue eyes.  So does Mesaana, when her disguise is stripped from her.

 

3) Danelle played an important, but not very public, part in Siuan's deposing and the resultant split in the Tower. (It was Danelle who brought soldiers into the Tower in the diguise of masons to assist in Siuan's arrest.) (TSR ch 47)

 

4) Danelle is Brown Ajah, and Mesaana's dresses (the few times we see them) have a tendency toward bronze/brownish colors.

 

5) Danelle is dreamy (even for a Brown) and friendless, according to Alviarin (ACoS Prologue).  She would be relatively easy to replace (in fact, given all that, its odd that she is on Elaida's little post-split Council.  She is the only member named who is not a Sitter besides Shemerin, who is later demoted to Accepted and runs away.  Of course, nothing bad ever happens to Danelle ... even when things start going bad for Elaida and her "Council".  Its almost as if Danelle took a prominent hand just long enough to make sure the split was unrecoverable ... then faded back into the background.  Hmmm ...)

 

There is also a highly speculative construction on how Danelle's reporting to Elaida on events in Shienar and the Borderlands, as well as her involvement in an offer made by the Tower to Alliandre Kigarin, Tylin Quintara, Mattin Stepaneos, and Roedran a'Naloy, are part of Mesaana's effort to help with Demandred's destabilization of the Borderlands in the north and Semirhage's Seanchan invasion in the south.  But that is highly, highly speculative (even if Danelle does turn out to be Mesaana).

[BrainFireBob]

Tarna's POVs pretty much cinch it.

[Luckers]

Indeed, moreover Danelle's contributions in deposing Suine not only assisted in the deposal, but can be directly linked to the events that led to the escalation of that situation into open violence (concider Gawyn's accounts of the actions of the 'masons'. It's subtle, but its there. They began the fighting).

 

And Tarna is pretty much out of the running, as of KoD (though I too concidered her very possible prior to KoD). Simply speaking, her concideration of her time as a novice makes it impossible.