So what exactly is the Dark One's power?

[bmunge]

So the DO was free throughout the entire War of Power. This war lasted about 3 generations if you follow the flashbacks in Rand's trip to Rhuidean. That means that the DO had approx. 50-75 years to wreck havoc on the world. So what exactly did he do? Trollocs and Fades spewed forth from the blight and the Forsaken led armies of Dreadlords. Aside from the Forsaken, how is that different than what happened in the Trolloc Wars? The flashbacks show that society was still somewhat functional towards the end of the war. There is a scene occurring right as the bore gets resealed where Nym, Ogier, and Aiel are singing a field of crops. Obviously this means that society was still working okay if agriculture work was still progressing as usual. By the flashbacks, it seems like the most damaging thing the DO did was taint Saindin. The world suffered much more from the Breaking then they did at any point during the War of Power.

 

So I'm curious, what exactly would change immediately in current Randland if the DO broke free? Just more Trollocs and Fades? What exactly is his power?

[Padraic_Seebrr]

The Dark One wasn't really free in the War of Power. There is only a small Bore in his prison, like a window. The prison is still mostly intact. So he didn't have a whole lot of influence, just enough to corrupt, give power, and speak his minions.

[Luckers]

The War of the Power lasted ten years, though the Collapse, the period in which the Dark One could touch the world, laster near a hundred.

 

That being said padraic is right, the Dark One was not free. He could get his pinky finger through the bore, but nothing more.

[bmunge]

So if the seals all break and the prison is open again, it'll just be his pinky finger again?

[Luckers]

Robert Willis had a theory that underneath the patch the bore had grown larger, but yes, essentially, as far as we know it would be his pinky again.

[Red2111]

part of his power is to effect the weather, there are constant referrences to that throught all the books.  in fact the people in Randland judge how weak the DO's prision is by the weather in most cases.  also, they judge the DO's powers by the Blight and how far it's come

 

so part of his being free, pink or entire DO, would be very hot weather, lots of drought and no crops (imagine Blight like conditions).  that alone would have a bad impact on any army fighting against the DO.

 

i would also asume that the power that the Forsaken recieve from the DO (that black cord) would increase more by more as he became free little by little.

 

ex

access to DO's power

sealed - 5% access and weak; slightly more powerful that normal asedia

seals weaking - 20% access and slightly less weak

able to touch world - 50% access and single forsaken yeilds power equivelant of 13 linked male/female asedia

fully free DO - 100% access and utterly indestructable

 

 

i'm probably wrong in this though.

 

 

 

and a question about the taint.  LTT makes referrance that no females went with him and his 100 companions to seal the DO's prision.  we know the result of that sealling was the taint on siadan.

 

do you think that if females had been there to help and the taint still happened, that the taint would have also attached itself to siadar as well??  or doyou hink it's only to do with the DR??

 

i ask this because of how i veiw the taint happened.  i see siadar holding a big plug up to a big hole and forcing that plug in the hole.  when the plug is set, there is a shock wave (the taint) which hits and merges with the source that pushed the plug into the hole.  that shock wave, i believe, also created the start of the actual breaking.  and the mad men only helped further the brekaign along.

 

any thoughts?