Ask A Simple Question, Get a Simple Answer (No AMoL Spoilers)

[Finnssss22]

 

Lanfear is definitely weakened. Mesaana mentioned this to Demandred (WH, Ch 13) and Cyndane remarks on it herself in her only POV at the cleansing. BS also said so in interviews.

 

 

Huh? Who said she wasn't weakened? I didn't.

I said there were differing theories as to why she's weakened.

sorry, my fault. I misread that sentence. I thought you were saying that there are different theories as to whether or not Lanfear was weakened.

 

In any case, as I said, I personally think that Lanfear was weakened because she was drained not because of transmigration because neither Osan'gar nor Aran'gar were apparently weakened.

 

 

I tend to agree with that.

RJ has always said that channeling comes from the soul. A soul that channels will always be able to and vice-verse. Don't think it would be much of a leap to infer that how strong a channeler is also remains the same with a given soul.

So it makes sense to me that it doesn't matter what body is used. The ability to channel and their strength would be only based on their soul.

Seems to be supported by Aran'gar, unless of course you believe that the DO waited to find a woman for him to inhabit that could channel Saidin

 

Yeah, odds are in my book, that what the Finns did to her is the most logical explanation.

[Mats Spare Hat]

Could be beating a thoroughly dead horse...but I'm rereading TSR, just past the Rhuidean/Finnland chapters. I know the ole big unnoticed thing was how the spear's the masterkey for getting out of Finnland, and the prompt was that Mat asked for a way out - the spear fulfilling that request?

 

Anyway, re-reading...Mat never asks for a way out. He says '...and I want to be away from you and back to Rhuidean, if you will not answer me'

 

Reading too far into something already covered? Ouuuuwhatup?

[Finnssss22]

Could be beating a thoroughly dead horse...but I'm rereading TSR, just past the Rhuidean/Finnland chapters. I know the ole big unnoticed thing was how the spear's the masterkey for getting out of Finnland, and the prompt was that Mat asked for a way out - the spear fulfilling that request?

 

Anyway, re-reading...Mat never asks for a way out. He says '...and I want to be away from you and back to Rhuidean, if you will not answer me'

 

Reading too far into something already covered? Ouuuuwhatup?

 

 

The Eelfinn grant requests as they interpret them though. Doesn't matter so much exactly what Mat asked for or thought he did or didn't ask for. It's how they took it and they clearly took it as his request to leave.

 

"Wise to ask leavetaking, when you set no price, no terms."

[Puny]

I´m rereading WH and a couple of chapters after Rand and Elayne had sex Narishma runs to get Cadsuane cause there is something wrong with Alanna. She is laying limp in a bed and they can´t make contact with her. Cads is fearful cause she is afraid they will lose a connection with Rand and Verin is all horror and big eyes.

 

What was Verin so afraid of? Did she think someone would discover Alanna had been Compelled, did she think Alanna was a DF, what is me missing?

Edited July 10, 2011 by Logains Pet

[yoniy0]

Before Towers of Midnight was released, a number of names were revealed; quoted name portion of the post a number of pages ago in this thread. What happened to the names?

Do you mean the people who won a cameo in the book? They're there, albeit a little differently (Brandon attempted to WoTize their names).

 

In Path of Daggers, Anaiyella comments to Rand about his "particular care for women". Her knowledge of it had to have originated from one of the Forsaken.

I do not accept your premiss. Every Cairhien noble of note saw how hard it was for him to deal with Colavaere; the Maidens (and all Aiel, I take it) know of his issues; Moiraine knew of it, and nobody told her. All goes to show that it could be figured out, and it's not exactly something that one would hide, so the word might've gotten around.

 

I personally think that Lanfear was weakened because she was drained not because of transmigration

I agree with your reasoning. One more thing to take into account is that Brandon was well aware of the different theories when he wrote ToM. Some lines in it read to me as (sometimes not so) veiled answers for questions he's been asked in the past. Moiraine's explanation of her weakened state included.

 

RJ has always said that channeling comes from the soul. A soul that channels will always be able to and vice-verse.

Hmm, I think he actually had conflicting quotes. For one thing, there are Ages where nobody channels, so either an entire batch of souls are never woven in those, or the body might contain an on/off switch or something like that.

 

I´m rereading WH and a couple of chapters after Rand and Elayne had sex Narishma runs to get Cadsuane cause there is something wrong with Alanna. She is laying limp in a bed and they can´t make contact with her. Cads is fearful cause she is afraid they will lose a connection with Rand and Verin is all horror and big eyes.

 

What was Verin so afraid of? Did she think someone would discover Alanna had been Compelled, did she think Alanna was a DF, what is me missing?

What triggered Alanna's reaction wasn't the sex, it was the Bonding. Verin was likely worried for the same reason everyone else was - it might've been a reaction to his death for all they knew.

[BananaOnDrugs]

When Mat escapes from Ebou Dar in WH he shows a sea folk windfinder how to remove the collar. He doesn't remove it himself, just teaches her how to do it. However if I remember correctly from Egwene's capture one can't even touch the collar/do something as a means to escape.Then is this an author's mistake or am I just missing something here?

PS:Sorry if this was already answered. I couldn't find it anywhere.

Edited July 10, 2011 by BananaOnDrugs

[WhiskyJack]

One question on TP:

 

 

How did forsaken learn to channel TP? Is it exactly like OP (five elements) and weaves are exactly the same? But that couldn't be since weaves are not the same for Saidain and Saidar. So how did Rand know what to do in tGS?

[David Selig]

When Mat escapes from Ebou Dar in WH he shows a sea folk windfinder how to remove the collar. He doesn't remove it himself, just teaches her how to do it. However if I remember correctly from Egwene's capture one can't even touch the collar/do something as a means to escape.Then is this an author's mistake or am I just missing something here?

PS:Sorry if this was already answered. I couldn't find it anywhere.

Mat removed the collar of the Windfinder, then showed her how to do the trick which opens it so she could release the others after the waiting period has passed. It's a bit vaguely written, admittedly.

[Superhal]

When Mat escapes from Ebou Dar in WH he shows a sea folk windfinder how to remove the collar. He doesn't remove it himself, just teaches her how to do it. However if I remember correctly from Egwene's capture one can't even touch the collar/do something as a means to escape.Then is this an author's mistake or am I just missing something here?

PS:Sorry if this was already answered. I couldn't find it anywhere.

 

The way I took it is that the a'dam only prevents removal if you are trying to run away, like how it prevented Egwene from touching the washbasin pitcher after she thought about using it as a weapon to harm her sul'dam. So, the windfinder's reason to remove it was to free her sisters, not to run away.

Edited July 10, 2011 by Toy'varen

[ironisles]

In TSR Perrin see's a vision of Rand in ragged clothes, with a bandage around his eye's carrying a begger's staff.

What do you think this portends to? Before TG or after?

[Superhal]

In TSR Perrin see's a vision of Rand in ragged clothes, with a bandage around his eye's carrying a begger's staff.

What do you think this portends to? Before TG or after?

 

I took that to mean the time after he almost killed his father and he took the CK to destroy the Seanchan in Ebou Dar or Tanchico or somewhere:

 

1. Beggar's staff: He picked up a plain staff along the way.

2. Ragged clothes: he traded his cloak for a plain brown cloak.

3. Bandaged eyes: he was still getting blurred vision after channeling the True Power. There were several references to sunlight hurting his eyes, iirc.

 

edit: in tGS.

Edited July 10, 2011 by Toy'varen

[Superhal]

One question on TP:

 

 

How did forsaken learn to channel TP? Is it exactly like OP (five elements) and weaves are exactly the same? But that couldn't be since weaves are not the same for Saidain and Saidar. So how did Rand know what to do in tGS?

 

We know very little about it, but what we do know I can hazard some guesses:

 

1. Ishy has been using it for many years, which is why Moridin has saa.

2. In the death of Mesaana scene, we know Rand channeled Fire to break the Domination band and balefire Mesaana and Elza.

 

So yes, expertise in one transfers to the other, they both use the same elements and weaves, and it is simply an alternate source of the OP.

 

But this leads to disturbing speculation about the relationship between saidar, saidin, and the DO.

Edited July 10, 2011 by Toy'varen

[Thorgan]

Does Thom ever feel bad about causing a civil war?

He only seems to care about not being able to protect his girl.

[WhiskyJack]

One question on TP:

 

 

How did forsaken learn to channel TP? Is it exactly like OP (five elements) and weaves are exactly the same? But that couldn't be since weaves are not the same for Saidain and Saidar. So how did Rand know what to do in tGS?

 

We know very little about it, but what we do know I can hazard some guesses:

 

1. Ishy has been using it for many years, which is why Moridin has saa.

2. In the death of Mesaana scene, we know Rand channeled Fire to break the Domination band and balefire Mesaana and Elza.

 

So yes, expertise in one transfers to the other, they both use the same elements and weaves, and it is simply an alternate source of the OP.

But this leads to disturbing speculation about the relationship between saidar, saidin, and the DO.

 

 

So you can use two weaves of completely different nature to achieve same result in TP, like Traveling? Difference in weaves based on Saidar and Saidin is due to their totally different nature. How do you transfer that? TP accepts everything?

[Superhal]

Does Thom ever feel bad about causing a civil war?

He only seems to care about not being able to protect his girl.

 

It's symptomatic of all men in Randland. For whatever reason, the way men protect women is largely irrational and borderline psychotic, even towards women who tried to kill them.

[Manscher]

Actually, it's only Two Rivers and Borderland men who have that mentality, for everybody else it seems rather subdued. In Thom's case he's just pissed that she got killed without reason.

[David Selig]

To be fair to Thom, given the situation in Cairhien as we saw it in TGH, the civil war was inevitable even without his intervention. He probably still feels somewhat guilty, I guess, or maybe not, who knows, he only has two brief PoV after that.

 

Funny that he got involved in Moiraine of all people after having to kill two other members of the Cairhien royalty for threatening to kill or killing his girlfriends at the time.

 

Speaking of which - does Thom feels guilty for killing Moiraine's brother Taringail?

[Finnssss22]

 

Speaking of which - does Thom feels guilty for killing Moiraine's brother Taringail?

 

Doubtful, it was either kill him or allow him to kill Morgase.

Edited July 10, 2011 by Finnssss

[herid]

 

Speaking of which - does Thom feels guilty for killing Moiraine's brother Taringail?

 

Doubtful, it was either kill him or allow him to kill Morgase.

yes, I don't see why he should feel guilty about that one. and Moiraine didn't seem to hold it against him either. What's interesting is how she knew that it was him who did it.

[Puny]

 

Speaking of which - does Thom feels guilty for killing Moiraine's brother Taringail?

 

Doubtful, it was either kill him or allow him to kill Morgase.

yes, I don't see why he should feel guilty about that one. and Moiraine didn't seem to hold it against him either. What's interesting is how she knew that it was him who did it.

 

=/ When did this happen and how did I miss it. Or maybe I´ve simply forgotten it... But Thom killed Taringail?

[Durinax]

 

Speaking of which - does Thom feels guilty for killing Moiraine's brother Taringail?

 

Doubtful, it was either kill him or allow him to kill Morgase.

yes, I don't see why he should feel guilty about that one. and Moiraine didn't seem to hold it against him either. What's interesting is how she knew that it was him who did it.

 

=/ When did this happen and how did I miss it. Or maybe I´ve simply forgotten it... But Thom killed Taringail?

he didnt do it himself I believe, he just arranged for an 'accident' while he was out on a hunt

[herid]

 

Speaking of which - does Thom feels guilty for killing Moiraine's brother Taringail?

 

Doubtful, it was either kill him or allow him to kill Morgase.

yes, I don't see why he should feel guilty about that one. and Moiraine didn't seem to hold it against him either. What's interesting is how she knew that it was him who did it.

 

=/ When did this happen and how did I miss it. Or maybe I´ve simply forgotten it... But Thom killed Taringail?

Moiraine implies that Thom did it and Thom's reaction strongly suggests that she is right about it. The details are unknown so what exactly happened is unclear. The "official" line was that Taringail died in a hunting accident (FoH, Ch 19).

Her smile was just short of laughter, but she spoke as if reading from a page. “Thomdril Merrilin. Called the Gray Fox, once, by some who knew him, or knew of him. Court-bard at the Royal Palace of Andor in Caemlyn. Morgase’s lover for a time, after Taringail died. Fortunate for Morgase, Taringail’s death. I do not suppose she ever learned he meant her to die and himself to be Andor’s first king. But we were speaking of Thom Merrilin, a man who, it was said, could play the Game of Houses in his sleep. It is a shame that such a man calls himself a simple gleeman. But such arrogance to keep the same name.”

 

Thom masked his shock with an effort. How much did she know? Too much if she knew not another word.

-TSR, Ch 17

[Superhal]

Using the Game to kill is totally different, like in Tear. Suggesting somebody kill another always allows for the other to refuse.

 

Unless there's more evidence, I'd say it's still speculative.

[Clayden69]

id be seriously disappointed if Thom DIDNT kill Galldrian, my opinion is that he definitely did. loved the bit where hes leaving the inn in the Cairhien, after his lover/apprentice (cant recall the name) is murdered, with the evil glint in his eye or evil grin however its put. we all knew Thom could look after himself and had courage (1-vs-1 fight against a Fade anybody, with only a set of throwing knives and a gleemans cloak for armour, no? didnt think so) but this showed a ruthless side to him, being an accomplished player of the Game Thom knew exactly what would happen in Cairhien by killing Galldrian, but he did it regardless. i like my good guys who can b ruthless and do things that can wreak havoc to get revenge, i think this part of Thoms character could have been built up, could have led to some interesting scenes, a la Perrin and the Aiel whos hand he chops off when lookin for Faile.

 

 

EDIT: this post needs editing, i made a mistake when flicking thru the posts above this 1 and confused Taringail with Galldrian (amatuers mistake!!) andthought people were debating whether Thom killed Galldrian while in Cairhien in tGH. i think every1 agrees Thom killed Galldrian.

Edited July 11, 2011 by Darren heron-Mark Clayden

[yoniy0]

Dena. Her name was Dena. She's probably the only one who really ought be on Rand's list, and he never knew of her death. I wonder if that bit of irony was intentional on RJ's part.