Demandred (Full Spoilers).

[bronnt]

I was talking about this with my friend the other day and I came up with two possibilities:

 

1) He is in Shara, since it is one of the only places that could have an army on the move that we wouldn't know about.

 

2) (and this seems the most likely to me) He is a Sea Folk leader.  I'm not sure when RJ said we hadn't seen Demandred alternate personality, but I believe him to be the Mistress of the Ships.  For several reasons.

a)  We know that one day the Cairhein Wavemistress will take the position, so the one currently in power has to be dethroned at some point.

b)  Having Demandred as a woman would be the perfect cover.

c)  Demandred tells Moridin that his army is assembled and ready to move just as the SEa Folk are preparing to set out to bring grain to Arad Doman's capital (can't remember the name of that place).

d)  Sammael's 'south' comment fits.

 

Sorry, but nice try.  According to RJ, we hadn't seen Demandred's alter-ego on screen as of CoT.  The current Wavemistress, as we learn in tGS for certain (though suspected earlier), is Zaida din Parede Blackwing, who we meet in both Winter's Heart and CoT.  She was in Caemlyn and negotiating with Elayne while Harine was negotiating with Rand.

 

Creative, but running into the same old problems.

[Wingendosering]

Ahh, we'll see.  I still say he fits in there somewhere, I mean, Graendal messed around in Shara and every other nation was controlled by a Forsaken in some way.  One of them had to have taken some interest in the Sea Folk.

 

And the Caramoor is the only title Rand has that doesn't demand reverance.  He who comes with dawn must be followed.  The Dragon Reborn is a legend to stand in awe of.  Demandred seems like he would be drawn to the people who think Rand needs to be bargained with...

 

I'm sure you're right Luckers, but he could still be involved with the Sea Folk somehow.  I suspect he was somebody at that large Sea Folk meeting that Logain walked in on.

[Aagaard]

Sorry if this has been mentioned earlier....

 

We have some clues from the other forsaken as do Demandred's actions.

 

Sammael tells Graendal that he did not have a hand in the kidnapping of Rand and states that Messy was behind it, and then goes on to say that demmy and semi also might have been involved regardless of the end... From this I have always thought that Sammael was sure that the Ashaman rescuing Rand was somehow under either semi or demmy's control. Either that or in Perrin's group. Semi then is revealed in the Seanchan camp which only makes it more apparent that Demandred could be the one with control of the sith  dark ashaman.

 

I agree with the people who writes that many events have demmy written all over them, including Masema, Roedrin and this new savior in Andor, who's name I somehow have forgotten. We know that he like proxies so it is more than possible that he also set up the black tower, even though I believe Taim to be a new-age forsaken by now, because he has been able to make the dark black tower so strong and we know from Graendal that the DO always liked people who could rally people to the DO's cause.

 

Sorry that seem like ranting 

 

AS of Winter's heart, though, Demandred doesn't know enough about the Asha'Man to have been associated with them at Dumai's Wells.  He doesn't recognize Flinn, who's among the first to show up for testing, and he doesn't recognize the significance of Flinn's black jacket, which should have pointed out an Asha'Man to someone who recognized it.  Therefore, anything connecting Demandred to the Asha'Man has to be discounted.

 

Sammael thinks that the other two might be involved because of their connection with Mesaana.  And I think he might be right-we don't know who was giving orders to the Aiel who attacked Demira Sedai in Caemlyn.  Sammael used the Aiel at various points, but he says he played no part in the kidnapping.  Those Aiel were certainly Darkfriends.  I think that much was probably Demandred, since Semirhage was probably on board a ship around that time, and would have had a tough time Traveling.

Sorry but I just don't by that one...'

 

 

Just because Demandred don't recognize Flinn in the suit does not disprove that he was helping Taim in the beginning, and helping rounding Ashaman up. The suits and the pins were something rand gave them, and as I said earlier Taim has his one forsaken mark now so goes his own was but in the beginning Demandred was influencing him in my opinion

[JakeBarnes]

 

2) (and this seems the most likely to me) He is a Sea Folk leader.  I'm not sure when RJ said we hadn't seen Demandred alternate personality, but I believe him to be the Mistress of the Ships.  For several reasons.

....

b)  Having Demandred as a woman would be the perfect cover.

 

I don't think you can MoM the masculine muscle (thank you Walt), or a set of potatoes.  I don't have any quotes to defend this statement, but still. 

However, if you are right, we have found our first WoT cross-dresser. 

 

Seriously though, I hated the idea of Shara at first, because I wanted very badly for it to be someone that we've at least heard about (aka Roedran), but the more I sit and think about it - Shara makes sense.

 

I'm not saying that his instructions from the DO were to 'Go to Shara, Do my bidding', but that duing LOC, he was starting plot lines that have covered the past 6 books, and then as his greatest feat, duped the entire land of Shara into thinking he is the Dragon Reborn. 

 

This is not supporting evidence for any theory, but it's interesting that Cooper's timeline doesn't put a date to his second meeting with the DO (LoC Epilogue). 

[balefireruinssteaks]

haha that thought and imagery just made me laugh.

 

Demandred is the Mistress of the Ships, and Harine discovers this, unmasks him and destroys him and then ascends to Mistress of the Ships herself.

 

It all makes sense now...haha

[Beer Rot]

didn't Graendal steal the king and queen of shara?

[Dida]

didn't Graendal steal the king and queen of shara?

 

  Yes, Graendal did do that. She was trying to distract Sammael from her really goals & plans in the Westlands, in Sammael's judgment:

 

Source: The Lord of Chaos book - Chapter 6 "Threads Woven of Shadow" - Sammael pov with Graendal in Arad Doman

 

The male acrobat turned slowly to give them a good view; he held a woman straight-armed to either side while they hung by one hand from the grip of the one on his shoulders. Graendal had already moved on, to a very dark-skinned man and woman with curly hair, both of great beauty. A slender pair played oddly elongated harps, with chimes that resonated to the plucked strings in crystalline echoes. “My newest acquisitions, from the lands beyond the Aiel Waste. They should thank me for rescuing them. Chiape was Sh’boan, a sort of empress, newly widowed, and Shaofan was to marry her and become Sh’botay. For seven years she would have ruled absolutely, then died. Whereupon he would have chosen a new Sh’boan and ruled absolutely until his death in seven years. They have followed that cycle for nearly three thousand years without a break.” She gave a small laugh and shook her head wonderingly. “Shaofan and Chiape insist the deaths are natural. The Will of the Pattern, they call it. To them everything is the Will of the Pattern.”

 

Sammael kept his eyes on the people below. Graendal prattled like a fool, but only a true fool took her for one. What she seemed to let slip among her babbling was often planted as carefully as a conje needle. The key was picking out why, and what she meant to gain. Why would she suddenly have snatched pets from so far away? She seldom went out of her way. Was she trying to divert him toward the lands beyond the Waste by making him think she had an interest there? The battlefield was here. The Great Lord’s first touch when he broke free would land here. The rest of the world would be whipped by the fringes of storms, even racked by storms, but those storms would generate here.

 

  Shara became formally leaderless at that point in time. Its unknown what occurred there since then. There's been news of fighting in Shara since at least this time, according to Rhuarc in LoC, Chapter 17 "The Wheel of a Life".

 

 

  I suspect Cyndane's own prior failure had to do with events originating in Shara...a different part of Shara than where the Sh’boan and Sh’botay kidnapped from, by Graendal.

 

 

  In regards to Demandred, he could have activities in one or more these places:

 

- in Cairhien and Tear (good chance here based on Clothing worn & the past kidnapping of Rand in LoC),

- in the Blight across from Saldaea, Kandor and in the Borderlands nations including the Black Hills area by the Spire,

- scouting out the Aiel Waste for invasion purposes, Rhuidean was mentioned once by him,

- Jarid's missing Andoran army which left Caemlyn,

- Shadowspawn in the Shadow Coast mountains area,

- Shara.

 

 

  But considering Demandred once thought Cyndane was Lanfear not someone else, unlike Semirhage, Mesaana, Graendal...it seems that Demandred has not been to the part of Shara, where Cyndane I believe is from originally.

 

One hint that Cyndane might be from Shara, is her use of "great lady" as a type of title when seeing Alivia appearance, that phrase is found literally nowhere else in the series (database text word search). The only other place with an unknown civilization in place is Shara, so its not hard proof but a correlation.

 

Source: Winter's Heart book - Chapter 35 "With the Choedan Kal" Cyndane pov with Alivia fighting

 

The woman was plainly dressed in wool, but incongruously decked with gems as if she were a great lady. With saidar in her, Cyndane could see the faint lines at the corners of the woman’s eyes. Not one of those who called themselves Aes Sedai, then. But who? And why did she stand there as if she would bar Cyndane’s way? It did not really matter. Channeling now would give her away, but she had time.

 

Cyndane also does not know how to hide her weaves, unlike Lanfear who knew how too. There are other attitudes, behavior which show that Cyndane is not consistent at all with what is previously known about Lanfear before her disappearance.

 

Back to Demandred now, Mesaana who's a member of his faction gives us one small clue about Demandred:

 

Source: Lord of Chaos book - Chapter Prologue "First Message" - Mesaana pov of Demandred, with Graendal & Semirhage

 

A bright vertical line appeared in the air, then widened as the gateway turned sideways to open long enough for Demandred to step through, giving them each a small bow. He was all in dark gray today, with a little pale lace at his neck. He adapted easily to the fashions and fabrics of this Age.[/i]

 

  One can narrow down the places Demandred is, or was, by his cloths, according to Mesaana pov. 

 

  Cairhien, Andor, part of northern Altara et la have this type or style of dress iirc too.

[Knobs Mahoney]

In Chapter 35 of Winter's Heart, there are instances of Cyndane's perspective where it states she was more powerful before her encounter with the Aelfinn and Eelfinn, whom Lanfear certainly met if she survived fighting Moiraine through the twisted red door ter'angreal, and mentions her intent to challenge both the Dark One and the Creator at Rand's side, which Lanfear proposed to him...just what in that perspective makes you think Cyndane is anyone other than Lanfear?

 

Or did I miss the other woman in the series who mentally rages about how Rand rejected her offer to rule by her side, supplanting both the Dark One and the Creator?

[lillcheese]

Re Cyndane not knowing how to invert weaves:

 

Since Cyndane was already holding saidar she must have already masked it, otherwise that quote makes no sense.  My guess is that you have to start the weaves first before you can invert them.  Maybe just channeling enough to start the weaves so they could then be inverted would be enough to attract Alivia's attention at that range.

[Sharaman]

Alivia doesn't know how to reverse and hide weaves.

Cyndane does.

From WH At the Choedan Kal

"Cyndane prepared a small present for her, a reversed web she would not even see until it was too late."

Again from Cyndan's PoV a para or two down the same chapter.

"Shock lasted only the time it took her to slice the other woman's flows. She (Alivia) did not know how to reverse them. Maybe that would be enough advantage. She (Cyndane) would see Lews Therin die!"

 

According to Dida's thesis, Lews Therin obviously specialised in many psycho ex-girlfriends, who were all monstrously strong channelers that got captured at some time or another by the Finns, and all offered to help him wield the CK access keys and fight the Creator and the Dark One.

Perfectly plausible. 

 

[Oneiros]

Demandred must have been Taim's Forsaken handler, at least at the inception of the Black Tower.  The opening and closing chapters of LoC demand Demandred's heavy involvement in what transpired in between, and the only available significant player that served a critical role is the Black Tower.  Nothing else meshes well with that.  And I've always thought Demandred's pondering where Mesaana and Semirhage had placed themselves seemed to be placed in context, as together the three would effectively be in control of the three major channeling institutions.  (Of course, Aran'gar would come to influence the rebel Aes Sedai, but it's indicated in KoD that Aran'gar was moving according to some scheme that was ultimately authored by Mesaana.)

 

Demandred was physically hanging out around Caemlyn as of LoC, as he was seen stepping into the real-world reflection of the Royal Palace after spying on Elayne.  To me, this also points to him being the instigator of the attack on Demira, which set everything in motion, and it seems far-fetched that that single event would be his sole accomplishment for that entire book.

 

There's also Sammael's comment on what transpired at Dumai's Wells, in which he suspected Semirhage or Demandred may have had a hand in it in addition to Mesaana "despite how it ended."  My interpretation: The Shaido (courtesy of Sammael) had thrown a wrench into the Aes Sedai's (Mesaana's) plan, and so in order to salvage the situation for themselves to some degree and to let the Lord of Chaos rule, Demandred dispatched Taim.

 

He may have been involved with Masema at some point, but since he's been axed (and had a rag-tag mob of an army to boot), it's unlikely that was Demandred's master plan.  Murandy might've been an option several books ago if it had been consolidated, but it's military strength is out-matched by most of its neighbors, let alone the hordes of channeling and hundred-thousand-strong armies running around.  The most he could hope for with the Borderlanders, I think, is to try to keep them from their stations, as it's horribly unlikely they'd fight alongside Shadowspawn or against Aes Sedai.  And I don't know how Demandred would convince the Ayyad to suddenly invade the west.

 

The Seanchan: I admit I kept looking askance at Galgan in paranoia, but if he was even a Darkfriend, it probably would've been much easier for Semirhage to seize complete control of the Return.

 

As for Osan'gar and violating Forsaken interpersonal space, I always figured his was a sort of parallel to Aran'gar's role with the Aes Sedai, as in one of the 'gars would be installed with some sub-group within each organization to hedge the Shadow's bets--the rebels and those Asha'man not in Taim's clique--to carry out some function that serves the ultimate plan.  It's only by luck (good or bad) that Osan'gar was chosen for Rand's entourage.

[FarShainMael]

It's only by luck (good or bad) that Osan'gar was chosen for Rand's entourage.

 

Yes, that was passing strange, wasn't it. Rand chose Osan'gar/Dashiva by pointing without looking, and then is surprised by his own choice, which he shouldn't really have been knowing that it was a random choice. Had he sensed something about the man? Taim is also surprised, and irritated, possibly because he wanted his own man in place according to Demmy's instructions.

 

 

[Knobs Mahoney]

Alivia doesn't know how to reverse and hide weaves.

Cyndane does.

From WH At the Choedan Kal

"Cyndane prepared a small present for her, a reversed web she would not even see until it was too late."

Again from Cyndan's PoV a para or two down the same chapter.

"Shock lasted only the time it took her to slice the other woman's flows. She (Alivia) did not know how to reverse them. Maybe that would be enough advantage. She (Cyndane) would see Lews Therin die!"

 

According to Dida's thesis, Lews Therin obviously specialised in many psycho ex-girlfriends, who were all monstrously strong channelers that got captured at some time or another by the Finns, and all offered to help him wield the CK access keys and fight the Creator and the Dark One.

Perfectly plausible.  

 

 

Talk about life-long bad choices in women...jeez!  :D

 

Oh--I know! Maybe Cyndane and Lanfear crossed their balefire streams in an attempt to assassinate the Sharan royal family and sew chaos, and as a result are the first hard evidence for the Body Swap theory. Lanfear must have exited the Tower of Ghenjei through an Ayyadi broom-closet at just the same time that Cyndane decided to rise up against the Ayyad who enslaved her family when they tried to hunt water buffalo outside the gates of the main trading port in Shara. She learned balefire from a set of golden plates that she found while digging in the muck (coz that's what peasants do, dig in the muck, just watch Monty Python).

[Dida]

In Chapter 35 of Winter's Heart, there are instances of Cyndane's perspective where it states she was more powerful before her encounter with the Aelfinn and Eelfinn,

 

Lanfear went to only the Eelfinn's realm, not both the Aelfinn AND Eelfinn's realms.  Two different places, as we saw through Mat's pov.

 

Cyndane's memories are faulty.

 

Cyndane never is or was Lanfear in a new body.

It's a con created by Moridin to cover-up how he gains knowledge about Rand's moving, when he's forced to give information to the other Chosen. Moridin is keeping secret his very own direct connection into Rand's mind. That connection is "how" Rand gained the used of the True Power in tGS book as well.

 

If Demandred knew of this connection between Rand & Moridin, he have rebelled already from Moridin and gone after Rand far earlier in the story, for example.  Demandred would not have sacrificed Semirhage and left her in Rand's hands either, if he knew of this connection between Moridin & Rand.  Moridin by killing off Semirhage killed off a Cyndane=Lanfear doubter, weakened the alliance of Mesaana, Demandred, Semirhage big time; and hardened Rand's heart.  It's a win-win-win from Moridin's pov. Demandred got conned by Moridin in tGS....

 

 

Besides Moridin pushed Rand to use Balefire to kill off Graendal in Arad Doman as too...who was yet another Cyndane=Lanfear doubter.  Very early in the series Graendal, Lanfear, and Asmodean were all working together...even Birgitte told Nynaeve (pov) that Graendal and Lanfear were shadowing Rahvin and Sammael early in the story. The point is Graendal learn Lanfear better than most Chosen, and she knew Cyndane was not Lanfear: too many differences, and gaps.

 

 

mentions her intent to challenge both the Dark One and the Creator at Rand's side, which Lanfear proposed to him...just what in that perspective makes you think Cyndane is anyone other than Lanfear?

 

  Moridin/Ishamael already knew that Lanfear was not a party to his plans (Perrin pov in TAR). Everything Cyndane has spoken in her point of views, was already known among various other Chosen and Asha'man. 

 

Or did I miss the other woman in the series who mentally rages about how Rand rejected her offer to rule by her side, supplanting both the Dark One and the Creator?

 

Ever heard of Compulsion?

[Calderis]

[stuff removed]

 

Edit: That was crossing the line. Disagreeing with theories is fine, namecalling is not. /Maj

[KefkaPalazzo]

...

 

Thank you.  I had no idea whether he was serious, and if he was, where to begin.  

 

On topic: I doubt that our boy is in Shara.  It's so far separated from the rest of the world, the last battle could come and go before he gets the news (I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea).  My money is and always (at least since KoD) was on Murandy.  

 

I highly doubt that he's Roedran, since it is such a break with Forsaken MO.  None of them that gathered political power did it by seizing the power themselves.  Instead, they all were the man/woman pulling the strings (reference Sammael, Be'lal, Semirhage, and even Ishamael under Hawkwing)  My money's on Demandred being an advisor.

[Muad Cheade]

Murandy has insufficient troops to challenge the major powers that it's surrounded by. King Roedran has about 35-45,000 men. Elayne/Andor, Tuon/Seanchan, Rand and the Borderlanders all have 200,000+ men along with channelers.

[Sharaman]

In Chapter 35 of Winter's Heart, there are instances of Cyndane's perspective where it states she was more powerful before her encounter with the Aelfinn and Eelfinn,

 

Lanfear went to only the Eelfinn's realm, not both the Aelfinn AND Eelfinn's realms.  Two different places, as we saw through Mat's pov.

 

She definitely went to the Eeel realm.  

She may also have gone to the Ael realm. We know the realms are inter-connected through ToG at the least.

 

It's easy to believe that she went to the other Finn-realm as well.

Easier at least than to believe that, than to believe that one hot, strong channeler, who remembers being an even hotter, stronger channeler, who hates her ex-boy-friend, with whom she discussed using the CK access keys, is actually not that same awesomely hot, strong channeler we know hates her ex-boy-friend with whom she discussed using the CK.

 

Compulsion of an order "you've heard of", would have turned Cyndi into a drooling vegetable.

 

 

 

[Knobs Mahoney]

LOL. That made up theory I mentioned in jest is almost as believable as what you just came up with, Dida.

 

In which part of which book do we witness any of the Forsaken eavesdropping while Lanfear tempts Rand with the Choedan Kal? Yes, Ishamael has his suspicions about Lanfear's allegiances, but they are just that: suspicions. No hard evidence, just speculation based upon him knowing that Lanfear still has the hots for Lews Therin/Rand. And he definitely didn't know the inner workings of her mind enough to use COMPULSION on some random Sharan Ayyadi person to make her think she is Lanfear reborn. The level of compulsion you are talking about would necessarily have to eradicate any consciousness the target had of their former self...which is impossible if (as you say) the person that Cyndane was is able to remember titles from their former life like "great lady" that could dubiously be from Shara (I'm still wondering where in the name of the Wheel you latched onto that. That title could just as easily have been from the Age of Legends as from Shara).

 

Furthermore, where does it mention the tattoos on Cyndane's face if she is in fact a Sharan Channeler, one of the Ayyad? Oh I know--she must be using a Mask of Mirrors. Why not stretch your scenario even further?

 

In any case, Sharaman's probably right. I think the level of compulsion it would take to do something like that would probably make the victim a mindless automaton for the most part, similar to one of Graendal's pets. I sincerely hope you're just trolling for the sake of trolling and aren't really serious about that point of view; it's downright disturbing to think you might believe all of that.

 

Beware of Ayyadi broom closets!

[Oneiros]

It's a con created by Moridin to cover-up how he gains knowledge about Rand's moving, when he's forced to give information to the other Chosen. Moridin is keeping secret his very own direct connection into Rand's mind. That connection is "how" Rand gained the used of the True Power in tGS book as well.

 

The link between Moridin and Rand, at least as of yet, has never been seen to pass information between the two, a la Rand and Mat and Perrin's ta'veren link. 

 

 

If Demandred knew of this connection between Rand & Moridin, he have rebelled already from Moridin and gone after Rand far earlier in the story, for example.  Demandred would not have sacrificed Semirhage and left her in Rand's hands either, if he knew of this connection between Moridin & Rand.  Moridin by killing off Semirhage killed off a Cyndane=Lanfear doubter, weakened the alliance of Mesaana, Demandred, Semirhage big time; and hardened Rand's heart.  It's a win-win-win from Moridin's pov. Demandred got conned by Moridin in tGS....

 

Moridin was pissed at Semirhage because she blew off Rand's hand and messed with his eyes, which clearly affected Moridin, and for which I assume he is so adamantly opposed to any of the Forsaken going after him.

 

There are undoubtedly other reasons.  I remember immediately connecting Moridin's sha'ra scene in tPoD with Semirhage's LoC torture scene where she thought of the game and how she would refuse to be sacrificed to turn Rand.  Seems that had been in the works for a while.  In any case, Demandred appeared to be aware of what Moridin was doing in tGS.

 

 

The point is Graendal learn Lanfear better than most Chosen, and she knew Cyndane was not Lanfear: too many differences, and gaps.

 

I can't remember any Graendal's points-of-view after their initial encounter in which she thinks anything of Cyndane not being Lanfear.

 

 

  Moridin/Ishamael already knew that Lanfear was not a party to his plans (Perrin pov in TAR). Everything Cyndane has spoken in her point of views, was already known among various other Chosen and Asha'man. 

 

No one besides Lanfear, Rand, and maybe Asmodean knew that she used nearly that exact phrase regarding the Choedan Kal and the Creator and Dark One that she uses as Cyndane.

 

 

Ever heard of Compulsion?

 

Moridin would have to be a vastly superior Compeller than even Graendal in order to completely rewrite a person's mind and not, as stated above, turn her into a vegetable or robot.

 

It seems needlessly over-complicated to presume Moridin went looking for a really strong saidar channeler in order to deck her out mentally as Lanfear to fool the others, when the Dark One could just give him Lanfear herself to mindtrap, as seems evident.  There's also the little thing where Cyndane is able to reverse her spinning, something Moridin would be unable to teach her.  Unless he had Moghedien teach her, in which case she'd know for sure she wasn't Lanfear.

 

 

On topic: I doubt that our boy is in Shara.  It's so far separated from the rest of the world, the last battle could come and go before he gets the news (I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea).  My money is and always (at least since KoD) was on Murandy. 

 

I highly doubt that he's Roedran, since it is such a break with Forsaken MO.  None of them that gathered political power did it by seizing the power themselves.  Instead, they all were the man/woman pulling the strings (reference Sammael, Be'lal, Semirhage, and even Ishamael under Hawkwing)  My money's on Demandred being an advisor.

 

If Demandred's master plan is basically Sammael's/Be'lal's/Rahvin's, except in Murandy, then that's going to be terribly anticlimactic.  Mesaana has the White Tower, and Semirhage had the vast armies of the Return...and Demandred has Murandy.  I don't remember Murandy figuring into Lord of Chaos, either.  Same with Shara, Land of Madmen, etc.

[Paerish Swar]

Ever heard of Compulsion?

 

Moridin would have to be a vastly superior Compeller than even Graendal in order to completely rewrite a person's mind and not, as stated above, turn her into a vegetable or robot.

 

It seems needlessly over-complicated to presume Moridin went looking for a really strong saidar channeler in order to deck her out mentally as Lanfear to fool the others, when the Dark One could just give him Lanfear herself to mindtrap, as seems evident.  There's also the little thing where Cyndane is able to reverse her spinning, something Moridin would be unable to teach her.  Unless he had Moghedien teach her, in which case she'd know for sure she wasn't Lanfear.

 

Exactly.  If compulsion were used to such a great degree on Cyndane, then why the mindtrap?  It's redundant and pointless.

 

The use of the mindtrap indicates that the DO wants her of sound mind (because she has useful knowledge), just completely under his thumb.  Cynane means "last chance" in the old tongue, right?  I doubt some naughty little Sharan girl would be named "last chance" by the DO.  Why would he care?  The name (and the mindtrap) makes a lot more sense for Lanfear.

[cgilbertmc]

Lanfear went to only the Eelfinn's realm, not both the Aelfinn AND Eelfinn's realms.  Two different places, as we saw through Mat's pov.

 

Cyndane's memories are faulty.

 

Cyndane never is or was Lanfear in a new body.

It's a con created by Moridin to cover-up how he gains knowledge about Rand's moving, when he's forced to give information to the other Chosen. Moridin is keeping secret his very own direct connection into Rand's mind. That connection is "how" Rand gained the used of the True Power in tGS book as well.

 

If Demandred knew of this connection between Rand & Moridin, he have rebelled already from Moridin and gone after Rand far earlier in the story, for example.  Demandred would not have sacrificed Semirhage and left her in Rand's hands either, if he knew of this connection between Moridin & Rand.  Moridin by killing off Semirhage killed off a Cyndane=Lanfear doubter, weakened the alliance of Mesaana, Demandred, Semirhage big time; and hardened Rand's heart.  It's a win-win-win from Moridin's pov. Demandred got conned by Moridin in tGS....

 

This would be a most convoluted and pointless gesture. I think you must apply Occam's Razor to this theory...""entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity" (entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem) and the conclusion thereof, that the simplest solution is usually the correct one. "

Cyndane aka Lanfear has had thousands of years in which to have visited not only the Eelfin but also the Aelfin. There is nothing to say that once in one, you cannot move to the other without going via the red doorway ter'angreal. The Tower of Ghenji is visible via windows from both lands and seems to be an anchor point for multiple realities.

If she were under so much compulsion as to give her an alternative identity, why bother with a mind trap? If the mind trap is to demonstrate that she is Lanfear, why hide it?

To say Cyndane (translated Last Chance) is a Sharan Compulsed into believing she is Lanfear, seems to be a contrivance stretching the credibility of even the most gullible. Also, what benefit would Moridin get from such an involved charade? The Chosen already know the DO can bring people back from the dead. In fact, the Chosen already believe that the DO can grant anyone's desires, which is why they turned to the Dark in the first place.

Any errors in memory can probably be ascribed to POV, human fallibility, and trauma.

[Lironah]

Back on topic...I'm going to suggest that we've been seeing Demandred's handiwork all along, without realizing it.  I submit for your contemplation that Demandred is, in fact, in possession of quite a large and savage army right in the southern end of Randland.  An army of Dragonsworn.

 

Think about it.  Masema sees a glorified vision of Rand who gives him orders.  The Dragonsworn have torn the countryside to shreds in the name of the Lord Dragon.  What better way for Demandred, Lews Therin's greatest rival, to thumb his nose at him than to masquerade as the reborn Dragon himself?  Then when Rand gets annoyed and tries to rein them in, all Demandred has to do is convince Masema that Rand's the impostor...

 

Not only that, but any army fighting on the Borderland front is leaving his back wide open to anyone in the midlands.  A tactical high ground in this scenario.

 

I also believe Demandred's the one giving orders to Isam, but that's just the icing on the cake.

[mossman87]

  I suspect Cyndane's own prior failure had to do with events originating in Shara...a different part of Shara than where the Sh’boan and Sh’botay kidnapped from, by Graendal.

 

Explain.

[Terez]

It probably has something to do with Valan Luca and firesticks.