The new "WEAPON" discovered by Elayne

[yellie1107]

In The Path of Daggers, Elayne and the others are running away from the Sanchean and she messes up trying to unweave the gateway which explodes into a thousand pieces killing everyone. And then she and the Sanchean call this a "Weapon"? How is it a weapon if you are sure as dead on either side of that thing? If it wasnt for Brigette, they would all be dead.

[Luckers]

The Seanchan don't know the realities of what occurred--from their perspective a force was sent to leash some marath'damane and those marath'damane responded by destroying the entire farm and everyone in it with unprecedented destructive force.

 

The fact that that was a side-effect of Elayne's attempt to keep the Seanchan from learning how to travel makes it humerous. It becomes even more silly when you consider the fact that the weave could have fallen apart with no more than a 'woosh' of air.

[yellie1107]

Luckers, agreed! But why is Elayne calling this a weapon? Its like blowing up a nucelar reactor and standing right next to it while pushing the button. Sounds stupid.

[Luckers]

She did not understand either.

 

"At least we've found a new weapon. Perhaps I should not be happy about that, but with the Seanchan back again, I am."

 

"You do not understand, Elayne." Aviendha gestured toward the center of the meadow, where the gateway had been. "That could have been no more than a flash of light, or even less. You cannot tell until it happens. Is a flash of light worth the risk of burning out yourself and every woman closer to you than a hundred paces or more?"

 

Elayne stared at her. She had stayed, knowing that? To risk your life was one thing, but to risk losing the ability to channel. ... "

[JenniferL]

Yeah, Elayne is just being ignorant. She doesn't realize that unweaving is so unpredictable.

[ROB_88]

The fact that that was a side-effect of Elayne's attempt to keep the Seanchan from learning how to travel makes it humerous.

 

did she do it just so they wouldn't learn it?

does that mean that you can learn a weave after it is done and even gone by normal means?

 

if so, how come the seanchan didn't learn it when Aviendha did a gateway to Seanchan and the damane stood by it for an unnkown amount of time.

[Arath Faringal]

It is a very rare talent, but some channelers have the ability to read the residues left by weaves.  So yes, it is possible to learn a weave after it has been released, or at least to reconstruct and sort of reverse engineer it.  Aviendha can do it, which is why she picked apart her gateway out of Ebou Dar.  She knew that someone else with the talent would be able to reconstruct her gateway exactly and follow her group.

 

The seanchan didn't learn from Aviendha's first gateway because most channelers need to see the weave being formed.  The fact that the thing was trying to close itself might have complicated matters as well.

[yellie1107]

Wait, to the point of Avi's gateway. Wasn't it still open the next day or kept open by Rand's holders put in place by him when he followed? Or did Rand make his own gateway to where Avi was? And if that is so, how did he know where she went? If not, and Avi's gateway was still open the next day, why didn't the Seanchan learn the weave from it?

[Ashaman Kovan]

Wait, to the point of Avi's gateway. Wasn't it still open the next day or kept open by Rand's holders put in place by him when he followed? Or did Rand make his own gateway to where Avi was? And if that is so, how did he know where she went? If not, and Avi's gateway was still open the next day, why didn't the Seanchan learn the weave from it?

 

Rand held it open. The Seanchan didn't learn the weave because for one, I'm pretty sure that the one or two Damane they encountered were shielded at first and two like Arath said. It's a very rare talent, so the Damane that were around probably didn't posess it. Also it's not like the residues stick around forever. So by the time the Seanchan were able to make it back to their basecamp and try and find someone who may have been able to do it, the residues had probably already disipated. I would think.

[Charlz Guybon]

Speaking of Elayne and weapons, I'd like to see her make a powerwrought blade, she or maybe Egwene (and her strength with earth) seem like the most likely ones to do so, if anyone does.

[Luckers]

Whilst Rand's act may have done something to Avi's residue it would make no difference--the gateways themselves have very little to do with the Power, and residues of the weaves that made the gateway form were half the world away in Cairhein. The Seanchan could not have seen them through Asmodean's shielding even if they had the talent.