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

[yoniy0]

What about the Ways?  Shadowspawn can move through them OK unless they meet the Black Wind.

Yes, the Ways could work. (It's probably immune to the Machin Shin anyhow, if it doesn't have a soul.)

I agree, only Rand probably has the Waygates close to Cairhien (that's been bugging me, so I checked the correct spelling) under guard by the end of LoC, and he would be notified if something slipped through.

Plus, there's always the possibility that it's just that fast on its feet.

But as I said I tend to agree that these are different gholams.

[althoritis]

So Melaine is pregnant since 1994 (when LoC came out)? Is there a rough estimate how much time since the end of LoC to TGS? How much time was spent IN TGS?

[Sharaman]

Steven Cooper has a timeline at http://www.stevenac.net/wot/tl1000.htm. According to that, LOC epilogue is in early Jan 1000 while TGS starts in April 1000.  The last events are supposedly June 1000.

 

 

[OptimusPrime]

Simple answer: The gholam is actually spock, transporter on the enterprise in space, wham, bam, thank you Tam.

 

Leonard Nimoy or Zachary Quinto?

 

*cough*cough* Bruce Willis as Tam. Robots DO cough, honest.

[althoritis]

ONLY 4 MONTHS?! Ok, I am NOT going to blame my time sense too much.. just a little. Anyway, thanks.

[mb]

How is Mat able to use Traveling gateways when he's wearing the foxhead medallion that nullifies weaves?  If he'd had to take it off before Traveling to Caemlyn in tGS, he'd have kicked up an almighty fuss, and you'd think the medallion still couldn't have gone through.  It appears that using these gateways won't get rid of the gholam, which also nullifies weaves, so this should apply to the medallion.

Just to make clear: the medallion nullifies only direct weaves; and then only when the medallion touches the person's skin.

A Gateway (both Traveling & Skimming) I count as an indirect weave.

 

[yoniy0]

Do we have any way of supporting the assumption that a Gateway only uses weaves on the frame?

[algspkr]

Do we have any way of supporting the assumption that a Gateway only uses weaves on the frame?

An interesting idea. There may be some evidence against it when Avienda and Rand return from their romantic evening in Seanchan; I do not remember the exact description of the gateway but Avienda seemed to think that Rand had turned her weaves invisible which would seem to imply that the weaves encompass the entire gatway; not just the edges.  Your idea would explain why Mat, Cadsuane and possibly Nynaeve can pass through gateways.

[Sharaman]

Asmodean turned the Gate invisible. Rand prevented it shutting earlier. From the descriptions, the Gate starts as a "point weave" that expands into clear space in the middle with the edges being held open by the weaves of power.

 

 

[yoniy0]

I agree about that business in Far Snows (or whatever the episode was named).

And about the expanding weave. But where does the rest (clear space, edges held by the weaves) come from?

[bronnt]

Funny, another "kill the gholam" discussion.

 

It always seems to come to either gates and tricky ways to use the power.  I guess those would be fine, but I'd really like to see the characters of WoT forced into a new-tech solution instead of a OP solution for this one.  Specifically, since the gholam is following Mat, it's also following Aludra.  It doesn't have any bones, so swords/knives don't hurt it, but perhaps you can blow it apart with artillery.

 

It certainly would be a challenge based on its physical attributes, but it would be awesome to solve a OP-related problem without using the power.

[Crossroad]

Who thinks the series is more about the Women especially Egewene and Rand and the boys are just there for the assist?

I do ;D

[Sharaman]

I agree about that business in Far Snows (or whatever the episode was named).

And about the expanding weave. But where does the rest (clear space, edges held by the weaves) come from?

 

Just the description of how a Gate opens - it starts as a sort of point of light, then a vertical line that widens into a rectangle with shining edges.

The edges are razor-sharp. In-between you have a hole in the air through which you can seen the destination.

When Elayne is picking a Gate apart, (TPoD) she's pulling at the edges.

The space in-between remains open - the Seanchan nearly come through and Avi keeps chucking fire, Brdget shoots arrows, etc.  

Also negative evidence, Mat can walk through a Gate - the weaves don't melt.

That means weaves aren't touching his foxhead medallion. Hence, no weaves in the middle.

 

 

 

 

[yoniy0]

Just the description of how a Gate opens - it starts as a sort of point of light, then a vertical line that widens into a rectangle with shining edges.

The edges are razor-sharp. In-between you have a hole in the air through which you can seen the destination.

Yes, but that's how non-channelers see them as well, we don't ever get a description of how the weaves look, except perhaps in the scene you mentioned next.

 

When Elayne is picking a Gate apart, (TPoD) she's pulling at the edges.

The space in-between remains open - the Seanchan nearly come through and Avi keeps chucking fire, Brdget shoots arrows, etc. 

I didn't remember that, so I went back and checked. I could find nothing about her pulling at the edges of the weave:

There was only one way to stop it. Elayne plucked one of the discernible threads free of the weave; it wavered and flailed like a living tentacle; it fuzzed and spluttered, tiny fluffs of saidar breaking off and fading away. She had not noticed that when Aviendha unmade her weave, but she had only seen the tail of that, really.

[...]

Elayne found out as soon as she began again. "Slick" was what you would get if you coated a live eel with grease. She gritted her teeth just holding on to that first thread, and that was on top of trying to pull it free. All that stopped her from gasping in relief when the thread of Air began whipping about, finally loose, was that there were more to go. If they became much more "slick," she was not sure she could manage it. Aviendha watched closely, but did not say another word, though she always had an encouraging smile when Elayne needed one. Elayne could not see Birgitte—she did not dare look away from her work—yet she could feel her, a small knot of rock-solid confidence in her own head, enough confidence to fill her.

Sweat slid down her face, down her back and belly, until she began to feel "slick" herself. A bath tonight would be most welcome. No, she could not think of that. All attention on the weaves. They were getting harder to handle, quivering in her grip as soon as she touched one, but they still came free, and every time one thread began to lash about, another seemed to leap out of the mass, to suddenly be clearly perceptible where there had only been solid saidar before. To her eye the gateway resembled some monstrous, distorted hundred-heads on the bottom of a pond, surrounded by flailing tendrils, every one thickly haired with threads of the Power that grew and writhed and vanished only to be replaced by new. The opening visible to anyone flexed along its edges, changing shape and even size continuously. Her legs began to tremble; strain stung her eyes as much as sweat did. She did not know how much longer she could go on. Gritting her teeth, she fought. One thread at a time. One thread at a time.

That's everything about the actual unweaving of the Gateway. I've marked the part about the edges, and I don't understand it as implying the weave only consist of the frame of the Gateway (not that I can deduce it doesn't, as well).

 

Also negative evidence, Mat can walk through a Gate - the weaves don't melt.

That means weaves aren't touching his foxhead medallion. Hence, no weaves in the middle.

Yes, definitely, that would be a proof if our understanding of Mat's medallion was perfect. However, this whole issue was suggested as the reason why Mat was able to use Gateways, so I'd prefer something else to support the claim. Also, there's always the possibility that that one got past RJ.

 

Who thinks the series is more about the Women especially Egewene and Rand and the boys are just there for the assist?

I do ;D

It's about how they relate to each other, I think.

[Crossroad]

Will Rand have all of Lews Therin Telamon memories and abilities now?

[Sharaman]

The opening visible to anyone flexed along its edges, changing shape and even size continuously.

That's everything about the actual unweaving of the Gateway. I've marked the part about the edges, and I don't understand it as implying the weave only consist of the frame of the Gateway (not that I can deduce it doesn't, as well).

 

I assumed it meant she was picking at the edges. 

 

Also negative evidence, Mat can walk through a Gate - the weaves don't melt.

That means weaves aren't touching his foxhead medallion. Hence, no weaves in the middle.

Yes, definitely, that would be a proof if our understanding of Mat's medallion was perfect. However, this whole issue was suggested as the reason why Mat was able to use Gateways, so I'd prefer something else to support the claim. Also, there's always the possibility that that one got past RJ.

 

There's a lot of people saying "the weaves melt when they touch you" at various times to Mat.

Incidents I can remember. 1) Elayne describing the effect on the gholam as similar to the effect on Mat 2) The time he spanks Joline 3) Tuon holding the a'dam on AS.

So I'm assuming weaves melt if they touch the medal, at least when he's wearing it. Since he can walk through the Gate and it doesn't collapse, there are no weaves in the middle.

 

[Durinax]

Mat's medallion dispells weaves if he is wearing it touching his skin, there is a chance that he is wearing it but there is a cloth buffer between him and his medallion

[thewalrus777]

Will Rand have all of Lews Therin Telamon memories and abilities now?

 

As far as we know, the LTT voice inside of Rand's head feeding him info, was a manifestation of his interaction with the taint. It just so happened it was also helping him cope with those past memories flowing into his brain. With him merging his personalities, he still should have those memories from LTT available to him. They just won't come to him in the form of that voice inside his head. With those memories will come new findings in the OP that he can use. He's still learning despite how far he's come along in the series. Memories of weaves will just randomly happen when certain situations arise, and are needed. That's my opinion though. It's a theory.

[Durinax]

Will Rand have all of Lews Therin Telamon memories and abilities now?

 

As far as we know, the LTT voice inside of Rand's head feeding him info, was a manifestation of his interaction with the taint. It just so happened it was also helping him cope with those past memories flowing into his brain. With him merging his personalities, he still should have those memories from LTT available to him. They just won't come to him in the form of that voice inside his head. With those memories will come new findings in the OP that he can use. He's still learning despite how far he's come along in the series. Memories of weaves will just randomly happen when certain situations arise, and are needed. That's my opinion though. It's a theory.

That makes a lot of sense though, and it will not be at random. Just think of how often knowledge comes into your head when a situation arrives and you need it, like in your given profession you most likely could not list everything you know about it because some of it is subliminal and will be accessed when a trigger is reached whether that be by sound sight, or another sense

[balefireruinssteaks]

Given that the Ogier and the stedding themselves are constructs/beings that were not necessarily created (such as the Nym or the Trollocs), I wondered about the Talisman of Growing.

 

Was that specifically created to grow the Ways, or did it enhance things like Treesinging?

 

Also...is the Talisman of Growing one of the ter'angreal that Elayne found when she was having Aviendha "read" the ter'angreal?

[Sharaman]

The Ogier at least. are natural beings - originally from another world.

Steddings, one doesn't know.

The Talisman of Growing was given to the Ogier by male channelers who were grateful for receiving shelter in the steddings during the Breaking. They'd already started the Ways and the ToG allows non-power-users to grow Ways.

As far as we know that's all it does - Treesinging etc, long predates the Ways.

We don't know for sure about the ter'angreal Avi read but it could be.

 

[mb]

Masema's POV tells that Rand visited him.  I suspect that was an impostor, is this correct?

If so, who actually came?  I would guess either Moridin or Demandred.

 

[thewalrus777]

Masema's POV tells that Rand visited him.  I suspect that was an impostor, is this correct?

If so, who actually came?  I would guess either Moridin or Demandred.

 

 

It was more likely Demandred doing the DO's bidding by sowing chaos amongst the the DR's followers. Moridin has been consumed with other things in regards to prepping the Shadow for TG. Demandred has had his hands in a lot of things.

[Sharaman]

The false DR could also be a woman.

Mask of Mirrors is being used to conjure a figure of light and can easily conceal voice, etc.

(What bothers me mildly (as I posted elsewhere) is that Masema didn't remark on the accent.

As a lunatic who worships the DR, he would accept a glowing halo, a resplendent, resounding voice.

But would he accept for example, an Ilianer accent, or Domani, Lugard, Seanchan, or AoL?

He knew Rand pretty well as a West Andorman.)

 

[Durinax]

who knew how far over the edge he was. and Mask of Mirrors works better if it is closer fitting to the truth, so it is easier for a man. Although possible for a woman it takes alot more weaves for her.

 

Also in book 3 Masema and the other shienarians are sent away from rand for a time, and masema gets contacted by the 'dragon' in what book