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

[Waldo]

Some of the early WoT glossaries say that the Keeper of the Chronicles position is chosen by the Hall.  Yet by TFoH Elaida's certainly picking her own Keeper, as does Egwene in LoC (and TGS, for that matter).  Is this/was this a gaffe?  (I'm reading the ebook versions, if it matters.)

I asked Maria about this at the signing Monday/Tuesday -- it's an error that was corrected in later versions.

 

Mari also said she doesn't have the ebook versions; it sounds like the ebook versions are generally not nearly as fully-corrected as some of the more-recent physical printings.  So on the error-front in the ebooks, for anyone else wondering, it's probably not worth trying to pick out all the individual errors, because the source material just isn't as up-to-date as the most-corrected text.    (This seems to apply even to the newer books -- my ToM from Amazon has Birgitte carrying a sword in two places, and I definitely remember seeing that as an error people'd successfully pointed out and gotten corrected for the paperback release.)  I asked her how to submit corrections, and she suggested a thread on one of the major forums, so I might draw up the list sometime soon (I've been highlighting them as I encountered them), but I've also been rereading for an awful long time right now, so I might put it off until a few weeks after I finish reading AMoL.

[mb]

About the inscription, not sure who did it.

I take all of their items came from people that went through the doorway or the tower. Not sure if the Eelfinn would modify any item they received.

The Big Unnoticed Thing, there is a thread about it in this forum forum.

 

About Alvairin, the FAQ site has a page about the scene.

I think the home page is linked to at this site in the links section.

The encyclopaedia site for sure links to the site.

[BlueSun]

About the inscription, not sure who did it.

I take all of their items came from people that went through the doorway or the tower. Not sure if the Eelfinn would modify any item they received.

 

About the inscription, not sure who did it.

I take all of their items came from people that went through the doorway or the tower. Not sure if the Eelfinn would modify any item they received.

 

Hmmm.... I can accept that people enter, die, and donate their worldly possessions to the Goodwill of A/Eelfinn World.... But the probability that some poor schmuck delivered such a supremely unique weapon so perfectly fitted to Mat's situation is a bit of a stretch..... Also, if it was brought in from the outside, then the inscription was unique for that original owner and only related to Mat by coincidence.

 

There seem to be only two possible explanations: (1) the A/EF have the ability to effect and/or create Power-wrought metal; if this is the case, discussion closed. Thank you all.... But I don't remember mention of this, hence the original question.

 

A second explanation is that the AoL AesSedai made the exact ashanderei that Mat received due to a Foretelling, and also made a bargain with the A/EF to deliver/safeguard it. His medallion, too.....

 

Anyhow, I'm new here and don't really know where to post this thinking. Any advice/guidance would be appreciated.

[Whizbang]

This is excerpted from a longer transcript.

 

Matt Hatch

...would the Finns have the ability to accentuate someone’s beauty and/or quantity or access to the One Power through their own capabilities and talents?

 

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, but it might involve third party ter’angreal, angreal, this sort of thing...

 

Matt Hatch

...so, they don’t have power to affect the soul’s capability of increasing its total channeling?

 

Brandon Sanderson

Certainly not permanently, as far I understand, that is outside the realm of their ability…

 

Matt Hatch

...from a beauty perspective can they affect the outer body of some individual?

 

Brandon Sanderson

I would say that, yes they can, but they may have to be using some type of ter’angreal or...

 

Matt Hatch

...some item of power?

 

Brandon Sanderson

Some item of power, something like that...of which they have great stores...[what???]

 

Matt Hatch

...Really...heh, so the obvious question, where did the Finns get great stores of ter’angreal, angreal, and is that part of the Pact they made.?

 

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO...but if you just think about it, we don’t even have to go to the notes for this if you think about it logically, we know of them providing certain items of power to certain individuals that they were able to match very nicely with certain requests very easily. If you run the statistics on that its either a huge coincidence or they have very many to choose from.

 

 

This means that the Finns have a very large repository of ter'angreal and angreal, and maybe even other "items of power", which may not be related to the One Power. Not all of this could have come from the AoL Aes Sedai, I feel. Some must've been crafted by the Finns, or through agents from still other worlds.

 

I believe the Finns took a standard power wrought spear and engraved it. Power wrought does not mean indestructable, merely very hard to damage (as seen by Rand's sword melting when battling Ishy at Falme). Sufficiently powerful and knowledgeable people would be able to engrave a power wrought weapon.

[ROB_88]

This is excerpted from a longer transcript.

 

 

this got me wondering.

do the Finns have any actual powers of their own, or are they just a warehouse of other peoples powers and items?

[Whizbang]

In Crossroads of Twilight, when Mat takes Tuon shopping, they are leaving the show and the road is crowded. Tuon and Selucia walk on calmy, but Mat has to doge around the crowd of people to keep up with them. Tuon then asks if he is dancing, and he stops and look around and there is no one on the road but the three of them.

 

Obviously this is as a result of the Pattern warping and coming apart under the DO's influence, like the ghosts as So Harbor, but why can't Tuon and Selucia see the people? What is special about Mat that allows him to see them? The only reason I can think of is because he is Ta'veren. Can a Ta'veren see the pattern more clearly than others?

[BlueSun]

]

 

Matt Hatch

...Really...heh, so the obvious question, where did the Finns get great stores of ter’angreal, angreal, and is that part of the Pact they made.?

 

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO...but if you just think about it, we don’t even have to go to the notes for this if you think about it logically, we know of them providing certain items of power to certain individuals that they were able to match very nicely with certain requests very easily. If you run the statistics on that its either a huge coincidence or they have very many to choose from.

 

This means that the Finns have a very large repository of ter'angreal and angreal, and maybe even other "items of power", which may not be related to the One Power. Not all of this could have come from the AoL Aes Sedai, I feel. Some must've been crafted by the Finns, or through agents from still other worlds.

 

 

Thanks, Whizbang.... I guess one of the great things about this series is that not everything has perfect explaination. The mysterious origins of the ashanderei is but one of many. Still, this feels like an itch I can't quite satisfy, or maybe I just like thinking about it all. Perhaps the Finns inscribed it; that's the most obvious/easiest answer, but on the MoL re-read I noticed no evidence beyond assumption. And the path the weapon took to reach Mat was intruguing (the doorway to make deals was inaccessible during the bulk of the 3rd Age, after all)....

 

Ah, well: I guess I'll let this one go.....

 

[BlueSun]

Sorry about poor formatting: I'm new

[mb]

In Crossroads of Twilight, when Mat takes Tuon shopping, they are leaving the show and the road is crowded. Tuon and Selucia walk on calmy, but Mat has to doge around the crowd of people to keep up with them. Tuon then asks if he is dancing, and he stops and look around and there is no one on the road but the three of them.

 

Obviously this is as a result of the Pattern warping and coming apart under the DO's influence, like the ghosts as So Harbor, but why can't Tuon and Selucia see the people? What is special about Mat that allows him to see them? The only reason I can think of is because he is Ta'veren. Can a Ta'veren see the pattern more clearly than others?

The Encyclopaedia page of the chapter tells that it was ghosts.

http://encyclopaedia-wot.org/books/cot/ch29.html

http://encyclopaedia-wot.org/books/cot/ch29.html#footnote1

 

Edit:: As for why Toun & Selucia seem to not notice them; not entirely sure.

The guess (taveren being able to see Pattern more clearly) in your question might be likely.

Another possibility might be that the people were somehow acquainted with Mat and/or with one or more men of his memories. In that book's other ghost appearances, the live people that see them were acquainted with them.

Edited January 24, 2013 by mb

[Mr Ares]

Got to Dumai's Wells in my relisten.

 

Two questions on that fight:

 

- How did Taim know where to be?

He Travelled along the road until he found the AS, then went back for help. He was suspicious after Rand disappeared. (And that's the answer RJ gave.)

 

the male adam, Semirhage called it the Domination Band; I recall it being called the sad bracelets.  Not sure where originally it was called that later term.

Which name did Robert Jordan prefer for it?

The term sad bracelets was an unofficial designation given by fans, based on Nynaeve' impression of sadness when she first found them. The term male a'dam is used in the books prior to TGS. Domination Band can be considered the "correct" name for it, though whether that name originated from the notes or Brandon is unknown. Given tht the only name RJ used for them was "male a'dam", that can be considered his preferred term.

 

In Crossroads of Twilight, when Alvairin is marked by Shadar Haran... does that mean she is a Chosen now? Or is it because she wasn't marked in Shayul Ghul, the mark is more of a way for Shadow Minions to know she is under the direct supervision and protection of Shadar Haran?

RJ answered that in a Question of the Week: "The mark that Alviarin received from Shaidar Haran was not the same as that given to the Forsaken, though it shares one function: Shadowspawn will recognize her as belonging to the Dark One. They will not obey her as they will the Forsaken, however, but she doesn't have to worry about one trying to kill her, either. She is not any sort of lesser Chosen. You might think of it more like the tattoo some people get put inside the ear of their dog, an identification so others will know who the dog belongs to as soon as they see it."

[Thorgan]

When is the last scene we see Mat, Perrin and Rand on screen at the same time?

[Whizbang]

The beginning of The Dragon Reborn?

[capuga]

The beginning of The Dragon Reborn?

Mat isn't with Rand and Perrin then, he's on his way to Tar Valon to be healed. They all converge at the end of tDR and they are all at the Stone of Tear at the start of tSR.

[Whizbang]

But are they on screen at the same time at the end of tDR or the beginning of tSR? Mat doesn't go see Rand after the bubble of evil, so we only see Rand and Perrin, then later Rand and Mat.

 

I guess the last time the three of them were together on screen, then, was in tGH.

[mb]

In the books that are now allowed to be discussed here, yes Great Hunt; just before the Horn is blown.

I take it was 3 miasma (not 1) since they faced something different from the others.

[jedman67]

 

This is excerpted from a longer transcript.

 

Matt Hatch

...would the Finns have the ability to accentuate someone’s beauty and/or quantity or access to the One Power through their own capabilities and talents?

 

Brandon Sanderson

Yes, but it might involve third party ter’angreal, angreal, this sort of thing...

 

Matt Hatch

...so, they don’t have power to affect the soul’s capability of increasing its total channeling?

 

Brandon Sanderson

Certainly not permanently, as far I understand, that is outside the realm of their ability…

 

Matt Hatch

...from a beauty perspective can they affect the outer body of some individual?

 

Brandon Sanderson

I would say that, yes they can, but they may have to be using some type of ter’angreal or...

 

Matt Hatch

...some item of power?

 

Brandon Sanderson

Some item of power, something like that...of which they have great stores...[what???]

 

Matt Hatch

...Really...heh, so the obvious question, where did the Finns get great stores of ter’angreal, angreal, and is that part of the Pact they made.?

 

Brandon Sanderson

RAFO...but if you just think about it, we don’t even have to go to the notes for this if you think about it logically, we know of them providing certain items of power to certain individuals that they were able to match very nicely with certain requests very easily. If you run the statistics on that its either a huge coincidence or they have very many to choose from.

 

This means that the Finns have a very large repository of ter'angreal and angreal, and maybe even other "items of power", which may not be related to the One Power. Not all of this could have come from the AoL Aes Sedai, I feel. Some must've been crafted by the Finns, or through agents from still other worlds.

 

I believe the Finns took a standard power wrought spear and engraved it. Power wrought does not mean indestructable, merely very hard to damage (as seen by Rand's sword melting when battling Ishy at Falme). Sufficiently powerful and knowledgeable people would be able to engrave a power wrought weapon.

Do the 'Finns have any channelers? I find it suspicious that *any* power-wrought blade can cut a doorway between the 'Finn's realm and Randland. Perhaps as part of the granting of wishes, they simply make what they need, or add their own touch with their version of the power?

[Hagazussa]

I have not read the last book yet so do not shoot me if what I say here is wrong, but I can not remember seeing any Finns who channel the way humans do, however that do not mean they could not have some connection with the Power and perhaps be able to make artifacts with it without them being able to do it the way humans do and toss fireball and so on. We know they can feed of the Power and a channeler's channeling abilities so I think it is likely that they have some link with the One Power but that it work differently than with humans. Fades have some link with the One Power, but they can not channel in the way a human channeler do, I speculate here but I think it is likely the Finns have something similar that they can use the One Power in some way but not in the same way that a human channeler do.

 

In fact I do not think any of the non human races have channelers the way humans do, if I do not remember it completely wrong for example no Ogier could be born with the ability to channel, it only occur within humans.

[Japboix1]

I'm at the part in book 10 where Delana says that the Ajah heads want Egwene's advisors to spy on her. Does that mean the Ajah heads in the Tower (Minus the Blues, obviously, and the Reds) or have the Rebels chosen their own Ajah Heads?

 

Also, I thought Egwene's month of building up was over already. Why hasn't she started the siege yet? I know she doesn't block the harbours because she doesn't want to kill the people on the ships but I thought she was going to do what Arymilla is doing to Caemlyn.

[mb]

About Ajah heads, both factions of the Tower have their own for each Ajah.  Few scenes reveal the exact ones; do not remember the exact scenes.

 

About the Tar Valon situation, Knife of Dreams and Gathering Storm reveal some reasons on why the siege has not happened.

[Whizbang]

What happens if the leader of a circle of 13 is collared with an a'dam? You cannot create a circle greater than 13 women (without a man, of course). An a'dam creates a link. So, what takes precedent, the existing circle or the a'dam? Would there be any other affects?

[mb]

What happens if the leader of a circle of 13 is collared with an a'dam? You cannot create a circle greater than 13 women (without a man, of course). An a'dam creates a link. So, what takes precedent, the existing circle or the a'dam? Would there be any other affects?

That was not attempted in the first 13 books nor in the prequel; with either type of adam.  Not sure if it is attempted in 14th book.

Not sure if either author talked about it.

 

either adam; I would guess it would depend on whether it is added before or after the last saidar channeler joins the circle.

If before, I guess no more saidar channelers would be able to be added (when the maximum is reached).

If after, I have no idea.

[Whizbang]

I suppose the easy answer is that the circle would collapse ande the a'dam would assume control of the collared channeler. It'd be nice to think, though, that a circle of 13 is protected from the a'dam.

 

I also phrased the question "what happens if the leader", but what about anyone else in the circle? I assume that they'd just drop out of the circle, but we've seen that someone just can't quit a circle until the leader lets them go. So, would all 13 be protected, or would a single person being collared break the circle? I gotta think it is an all or nothing deal.

[Japboix1]

Why don't the Seanchan believe in Shadowspawn? They have a blight too, even if it's not the same as the one in the Westlands so wouldn't the Empress and the Royal Family at the least know about them?

[Suttree]

Why don't the Seanchan believe in Shadowspawn? They have a blight too, even if it's not the same as the one in the Westlands so wouldn't the Empress and the Royal Family at the least know about them?

All the shadowspawn were killed off on that continent long ago.

[BFG]

I suppose the easy answer is that the circle would collapse ande the a'dam would assume control of the collared channeler. It'd be nice to think, though, that a circle of 13 is protected from the a'dam.

 

I also phrased the question "what happens if the leader", but what about anyone else in the circle? I assume that they'd just drop out of the circle, but we've seen that someone just can't quit a circle until the leader lets them go. So, would all 13 be protected, or would a single person being collared break the circle? I gotta think it is an all or nothing deal.

 

I know this is in TAR, but when Mesanna collars Eggy she instantly loses the source as she no longer has permission to hold it, this would break the circle (if she was in control), and although a very rough release from the circle, shouldn't hurt any of them.  I think the same happens to Rand when he's collared.

 

I suspect that if somebody in the circle is collared, it would be like them being killed, they'd instantly leave the circle - the others would be aware, but I don't think it would break the circle.  But I can't remember how much detail we get of the Cleansing, the only instance I can think of this happening in the books.

 

So the question I have from this...

 

Is it possible to be collared and not lose the source, if the sul'dam collars you willing/allowing you to use the source (or would this ever happen?)