Aes Sedai damane

[Nightstrike]

The Seanchan attack will happen in the next book.

Just to make sure, by 'next book' you mean the upcoming one (book 12) or the one after that (book 13)?

I mean book 12.

[Blackhoof]

To'raken can land a considerable force on the roof of the Tower in less than fifteen days after a launch out of Tarabon. Have a one to two thousand damane (or more) amongst that group and thats a force which can take and hold the Tower.

 

Can a fleet of, say, several hundred, or even thousand To'raken fly fifteen days stragiht? Without drawing attention, which landing, or even flying during the day, would do?  Do the Seanchan even have that many to'raken? I remember hearing something about them not having a large amount of raken or to'raken.

[Luckers]

Of course they would need to land, but that's not a problem. They'd be flying accross the Caralain Grass, which is the most unpopulated area in the entire westlands.

 

Do the Seanchan even have that many to'raken? I remember hearing something about them not having a large amount of raken or to'raken.

 

You're thinking of Faloun's comment, and he states that he doesn't have many because they've all been stripped--presumably for the attacks on the Tower and on Interulde respectively.

[Blackhoof]

Actually, yeah, your right, the only populated area they would really be flying acroos would be the TR, and no-one would think to spread the word beyond a bit of panic before its clear the dangers past. But it would still require a LOT of To'raken to do the job; to'raken can only carry a few people, and if they plan on bringing a few thousand or more soldiers, then they will need a thousand to'raken at the least.

[Luckers]

To'raken can carry one thousand pounds upwards of two hundred miles in a day. That's 453kg. That's six or seven people per to'raken--especially if the Seanchan choose lighter people (like damane) for this attack. The BWB also says 'to'raken are noted for their strength and endurence, able to fly up to one thousand miles with one morat'raken aboard without need of rest'.

 

But yes, 1,000 or more to'raken would be needed to pull this off. I have no problem believing that's possible--if they can get hundreds of thousands of people accross the Aryth Ocean, they can get a few thousand to'raken.

[dwn]

The logistics of deploying such a force on top of the Tower quickly seems dicey, though.  I'm more inclined to believe that it'll be a smaller strike force that may fail to entirely achieve its goal, but cause plenty of havoc among the Aes Sedai.

 

What would be more devastating to the Aes Sedai, and more beneficial to the Seanchan than merely collaring more women, would be the theft of the Tower's angreal and sa'angreal. A strike force could easily accomplish that (and collar the few women who get in their way). Except for the changing corridors, the captured damane would have all the information the Seanchan would need to plan something like that.

 

Another possibility would be to attack the Tower structure itself, killing any Aes Sedai rather than trying to capture them. The Dreadlords managed to burn part of the Tower during the Trolloc wars, so I imagine a hundred damane  could do some damage. The stonework is warded and reinforced, though, so it's hard to say how successful they'd be.

 

Except for the morale factor, an attack on the Tower for the main purpose of collaring Aes Sedai seems unwise. Semirhage, and possibly Demandred, have been influencing the Seanchan, so their motives (and Mesaana's) should also be taken into consideration.

 

-- dwn

 

[Jemlin]

From my understanding, the only way a Sul'dam could "channel through the Damane" was if she was conscious of her own ability to Channel.  When Egwene was captured, and throughout her experience, I garnished the impression that, although the Sul'dam was incontrol, it was the Damane who was channeling and controlling the flows.  When Nyn captured Mogh., she was in control of the flows yes, but I think that had to do with her knowing how to channel herself and knowing the deeper intricacies of how the link in the A'dam worked.

The sul'dam don't channel. They are learners, and they never actually cross the line and begin channeling. It's all the damane's own channeling.

 

Yes and No.

 

In a classic Sul'dam and Damane pairing, we've seen that the DAmane weaves the flows of Power.  The Sul'dam only controls whether or not the Damage CAN channel,although some can see the flows the Damane created. 

 

However, when Nyneave was incontrol of Mogh (forsaken) through the Adam, SHE was controling the flows through Mogh directly.  Mogh embraced the source, but it was Nyn who actually wove them.

 

My understanding in this is that it is a mental understanding, i.e. block, in the Sul'dam that prevents them from actually controlling the flows, paired with them having an untrained ability to channel.  If you pair up a Sul'dam who can channel and knows how, with a Damane, they are then able to control the flows from the Damane.

 

Remember that Elayne described it as similar to the voluntary linking of power, just, twisted.  There isn't any reason then that a Sul'dam can't control the flows if they know how to channel themselves.

[Nightstrike]

You're right. I misread (or something). I thought you suggested that the sul'dam contributed with some saidar.

[mb]

The Seanchan attack will happen in the next book.

Just to make sure, by 'next book' you mean the upcoming one (book 12) or the one after that (book 13)?

I mean book 12.

Ok.

The blurbs seem to indicate it (Seanchan attack happening in the 12th), though I do not recall a confirmation (from Sanderson/Harriet/etc) of it.

 

I am hoping for the attack to be before Rand's treaty with the Seanchan.