Darkfriends -- bum deal

[GUTB]

Face it, being a Darkfriend is a horribly poor vocational choice. Darkfriends get terrorized, slaughtered in suicidal infantry charges, murdered, killed accidently, brow-beaten, drugged, and fed to Trollocs. What do they get in exchange for all this abuse? The right to boss around other Darkfriends.

[Roxinos]

Just think how fanatical religious people feel.

 

Reading tWoT, you get the very distinct feeling that Jordan hated radical Fundamentalism.

[GUTB]

Serving the Dark One is really a terrible job, too. You aren't allowed to fail, sometimes aren't allowed to succeed, either. You are constantly being pitted against your co-workers because the Dark One wants to kill everything and everyone. He is a incredibly miserly with handing out special powers, only giving access to one person at a time, and everyone else is left to their own devices.

 

The Dark One doesn't do jack-all to support his own forces -- the Forsaken made all the shadowspawn, and if they weren't there to lead them the trolloc hordes would be nothing more than a nuisance to the borderlands. And now they are so inferior to the forces of the Light you wouldn't WANT to be leading a trolloc army. Not with Jordan's elite Aiel supermen, ridiculously buffed Asha'man, hundreds of linking AS, and the world's most powerful angreals.

[Angel of Death]

They BELIEVE they will gain power and immortallity when he is free. In reality they are just a means to an end for the DO.

[Yllek]

I wonder all the time if some of the Forsaken that we don't hear about very much might, at the last minute, do something to aid Rand and thus damage the shadow.  After all, "No person is so far in the shadow that he can't once again come to the light".  Do you think, after 3,000 years, any of them regret their choice, and change to the light's side?

[GUTB]

I would certainly switch to the light if I were a Forsaken. At least when it was clear the good guys out-number and out-power the Shadow by a large margin, even if I didn't think the Dark One was going to kill me anyway after everyone else is dead. Power and wealth? I'd have it either way, but with the Light there's a chance I'd actually get to keep enjoying it after the Final Battle.

 

[Angel of Death]

Didn't Asmodean start to 'come around' before he was off'd.

[erickm001]

My take on Dark Friends is that they are sociopaths and psychotics. In our society they would be serial killers, mass murderers and politicians. Lower ranking Dark Friends would be thugs, muggers and thieves.

[Mr Ares]

Didn't Asmodean start to 'come around' before he was off'd.

No, he still thought of Shai'tan as Great Lord, and he wanted the Shadow to win. He just couldn't go back, so he wanted Rand to remove his competition, and to survive as long as he could.

 

My take on Dark Friends is that they are sociopaths and psychotics. In our society they would be serial killers, mass murderers and politicians. Lower ranking Dark Friends would be thugs, muggers and thieves.

Darkfriends are greedy and selfish, doing what they do because they want power and immortality, and all the other things they've been promised. And because they can't back out without being killed. Also, I resent politicians being put on the same level as serial killers and mass murderers.

[Sab]

Like MR. Ares said DF's are basicly greedy and selfish, doing what they do because they want power and immortality.  In the BWB it says "Not all DF's are the same some are extremists dedicated to obtaining freedom for the DO while those on the lowest level simply want to belong to somehting greater then themselves, something dark and naughty.  Many of the latter do not truely believe they might actually be held to their oaths.  Some may not even believe in the exsistence of the DO."

 

Most find out they are basicly cannon fodder for the DO.

 

 

[erickm001]

  I resent politicians being put on the same level as serial killers and mass murderers.

 

Given that political leaders have been engaged in wholesale slaughter and have been the cause of many millions of needless deaths, its too bad you resent my comment. However, the Dragnonmout forum is not the place to debate this. I’ll voluntarily remove “politicians” from the “serial killers” and “mass murderers” list and put them in with “thugs”, “muggers” and “thieves.”

[mb]

  I resent politicians being put on the same level as serial killers and mass murderers.

 

Given that political leaders have been engaged in wholesale slaughter and have been the cause of many millions of needless deaths, its too bad you resent my comment. However, the Dragnonmout forum is not the place to debate this. I’ll voluntarily remove “politicians” from the “serial killers” and “mass murderers” list and put them in with “thugs”, “muggers” and “thieves.”

 

I think you maybe over generalizing.  Not all political leaders engage in slaughter.

And to me Randland's Darkfriends are not really distinguished in ranks since all of them do almost any kind of wrong.

 

[erickm001]

 

Given that political leaders have been engaged in wholesale slaughter and have been the cause of many millions of needless deaths, its too bad you resent my comment. However, the Dragnonmout forum is not the place to debate this. I’ll voluntarily remove “politicians” from the “serial killers” and “mass murderers” list and put them in with “thugs”, “muggers” and “thieves.”

 

I think you maybe over generalizing.  Not all political leaders engage in slaughter.

And to me Randland's Darkfriends are not really distinguished in ranks since all of them do almost any kind of wrong.

 

 

Yeah, I probably am overgeneralizing, but the ranks of government are riddled with dark-friends and death-eaters. Just in my lifetime, the body count from my government's wars is staggering, and for little or no gain. However, this is off-topic, and I'll say no more.

[Mr Ares]

  I resent politicians being put on the same level as serial killers and mass murderers.

Given that political leaders have been engaged in wholesale slaughter and have been the cause of many millions of needless deaths, its too bad you resent my comment. However, the Dragnonmout forum is not the place to debate this. I’ll voluntarily remove “politicians” from the “serial killers” and “mass murderers” list and put them in with “thugs”, “muggers” and “thieves.”

That's just making things worse. You're supposed to say that politicians are far more evil.

[CUBAREY]

 

would certainly switch to the light if I were a Forsaken. At least when it was clear the good guys out-number and out-power the Shadow by a large margin, even if I didn't think the Dark One was going to kill me anyway after everyone else is dead. Power and wealth? I'd have it either way, but with the Light there's a chance I'd actually get to keep enjoying it after the Final Battle.

 

If they switched sides in those circumstances the likely outocome would be that after the last battle was won the rest of the forces of light would thank them for their help and then execute them for their past crimes. The problem with the Choosen is that they would wait until the last possible moment when it was clear the DO was going to loose before switching sides. Ynder that scenerio Rand and the rest would have little trouble about showing them the mercy they deserve(none).

[Fryn]

Is there any proof that a person can turn back away from the DO once they have made the oaths? I was under the impression it was not possible. One of the forsaken thinks about some of the people that thought the oaths were just words, and made them learn otherwise. For what ever reason DFs are identifiable by the forsaken at the very least. We also know that channelers can be forced to join the DO, but we haven't heard of any channeling that would bring a person back to the light. I would think if a person were able to freely switch back, then those that were forced by a circle of 13 wouldn't be possible, or at the very least they would just switch back.

[Mr Ares]

Is there any proof that a person can turn back away from the DO once they have made the oaths?

Ingtar? Although, turning your back on the Shadow is most likely going to result in the Shadow killing you.

[Sab]

Well the BWB brought up a good point as to why so few turn from the DO.  You turn away from the DO but many would still face punishment for what they did while serving him.  Why join the forces of light again for the good chance of being executed for your crimes?  Many figured best to just stay with the DO.