What did the forsaken contribute to the shadow?

[Obligatory WOT Reference]

What did they contribute in their broadest sense, before they were sealed in the Bore?

 

Aginor- biologist, invented shadowspawn

Asmodean- ?

Balthamel- ?

Be'lal- General

Demandred- General

Graendel- Governor?

Ishmael- DO's right hand man/Nae'Blis

Lanfear- Obsessing over LTT/T'A'R

Mesaana- Governor/Teacher

Moghidean- T'A'R

Rahvin- ?

Sammael- General

Semirhage- Doctor/Torturist

 

Feel free to add and change the list

[Graendals favourite]

Lets see, this is a little gleaned from the Big White Book.

 

Aginor created troops for the Shadow.

Asmodean was a good administrator for the Shadow, no field commands though did take part in battles on some level.

Balthamel possibly either held posts as administrator, but perhaps more likely ran an intelligence network competing with that of Moghedien.

Be'lal a good general, and he had at least one governance.

Demandred a better general, and only short governances.

Graendal was a more of an espionage force, manipulating people's minds, causing enemies to fall to the Shadow by damaging them from within, through subversion.

Ishamael was the first commander under the DO, it is not clear if he did anything practical himself.

Lanfear was also an espionage force, attacking people's dreams, as well as an assassin. Held at least one governance.

Mesaana adequate general and a very good governor. Established a recruit system to enlist young people as darkfriends.

Moghedien headed an effective intelligence and sabotage network, dreams were a good tool for her.

Rahvin was a fair general, but better administrator and espionage force, causing several regions to fall to the Shadow without invasion.

Sammael a good general.

Semirhage headed a secret police network to root out traitors and spies. Average general, held governances, was responsible for many high profile people joining the Shadow.

[ROB_88]

Lets see, this is a little gleaned from the Big White Book.

 

Mesaana adequate general and a very good governor. Established a recruit system to enlist young people as darkfriends.

 

what, you mean like Leafblighter-jugend?

[Graendals favourite]

I suppose so, this is what is said on that:

During the war she [Mesaana] held several field commands for the Shadow, showing herself to be an adequate general at best but as a governor of conquered territories she blossomed. Her administration was orderly and efficient, as such things were reckoned among the Forsaken, which meant that atrocities were as well regulated as taxes and garbage collection. To the usual atrocities, Mesaana added her own refinement. Calling on her considerable skills as a teacher, she set up educational systems that were copied by others of the Forsaken; it is also possible that she administered education in territories other than her own.

 

These schools corrupted or damaged much of a generation of children in the conquered territories. They were required from the earliest age to spy and report not only on each other, but on their parents and neighbours; this was the least of her harm. Under her direction mobs of children and adolescents were encouraged to destroy anything which they felt might detract from the Dark One's glory, especially museums, libraries, and research facilities. The old order, the old world, was to be rooted up and obliterated. These mobs hunted down teachers from the old schools and institutions and museum curators, and officials of the former government. Many members of these mobs betrayed their own parents and relatives, and in the second half of the war even carried out executions, often impromptu but at times using "courts" comprised entirely of children. The lasting effect on the memory of humankind can be seen in one fact. During the Breaking, bands of brigands looted, killed, and destroyed almost as if in a race to see whether they could smash the world before the male Aes Sedai could; the common name for these brigands was "Mesaana's children."

Seems there were both older and younger children there, and that they were more organised as mobs that armies, though.

 

Oh, I see I had, in trying to be as brief as possible, changed Mesaana's abilities as general from adequate at best to simply adequate, but hopefully I did not make many similar mistakes, don't think so.

[Obligatory WOT Reference]

Thanks, I don't have the BWB and was kind of curious as to what they did to help out the cause, per say.

[balefireruinssteaks]

Also, Lanfear had specific knowledge of Lews Therin that others did not because she obsessed over him so much.  That came in handy for the Shadow, as well as her ability within Tel'aran'rhiod.

[Builder]

After reading this thread, I thought to myself how awesome it would be if they all had to go to a trial, and then be convicted to a lifetime in prison or something. Wouldn't that just be seriously sweet?

[CUBAREY]

The old order, the old world, was to be rooted up and obliterated. These mobs hunted down teachers from the old schools and institutions and museum curators, and officials of the former government. Many members of these mobs betrayed their own parents and relatives, and in the second half of the war even carried out executions, often impromptu but at times using "courts" comprised entirely of children.

 

Replace childdren with students and RJ could have been talking  about the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the late 1960's.

[Thorum]

After reading this thread, I thought to myself how awesome it would be if they all had to go to a trial, and then be convicted to a lifetime in prison or something. Wouldn't that just be seriously sweet?

 

Especially since they'ld get like 400 years old.

[CUBAREY]

Especially since they'ld get like 400 years old

 

It would be ironic if the DO kept their "immortality" intact as punishment for failing him. Being held prisoner for an entire Age, without even the hope of death,  now that would be a truly horrendous punishment.

[Builder]

Not only an Age. I wouldn't know how long an Age would last, and if the prison would be destroyed or something. I would make it so that after a couple of hundreds or even thousands of years, I would simply execute them. The worst thing about the execution wouldn't be the execuation itself. I would tell them when the execution would be before I send them to prison. That way, they can have lots of years thinking about what they did until the day comes...

[Durinax]

why execute them?

I would make cuendular cages for them, and still them, feed them the worst kind of food and rancid water

[zanotam]

Well, Ishamael is well known to be a master of a certain board game (sha'rah?) and we know that that game is far more complicated than stones, and the best stones players are all master of the Great Game or Great Generals. Ishamael presumably is a master strategist, he appears to have played Rand like a harp, manipulating him and getting him to think what he wanted.

[Durinax]

sha'rah is that the one with the kingfisher as the most important piece?

[Thor]

it's the game with the kingfisher as a trap.