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

[myn0s]

Can't remember where this was mentioned and it's been bugging me for a while now.  What caused the blue flash when Thom fought the Myrddral in Whitebridge?

[Aquarius]

Can't remember where this was mentioned and it's been bugging me for a while now.  What caused the blue flash when Thom fought the Myrddral in Whitebridge?

Metal / metal violent contact can do that.

[yoniy0]

Can't remember where this was mentioned and it's been bugging me for a while now.  What caused the blue flash when Thom fought the Myrddral in Whitebridge?

Metal / metal violent contact can do that.

Not exactly. We only see that happening in Randland when specific kinds of weapons are used. While RJ wasn't completely consistent on that one (or maybe he was, and I just can't make sense of it), I'll add everything relevant I found on the interview database (http://www.theoryland.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=372):

Letter to Pam Korda from RJ - 1995

Q: When Fades use their swords, we often see blue flashes when the Fade blade hits another weapon. Is this an interaction between the Fade blade and a specific sort of weapon (such as other Fade blades, or Aes Sedai-forged swords), or an interaction between the Fade blade and any iron, or is it just a special effect with no special basis?

RJ: The reaction is specific. The Fade's sword striking Power-wrought metal.

 

Netherlands tour, Dromen and Demonen chat - 6 April 2001

Malivar: Do Myrddraal blades flash blue lightning regardless of the blades they strike? Or does it require a power wrought blade? If so, why do the two Fades fighting in the Stone make the flashes?

RJ: Myrddraal blades produce the blue lightning only when they strike their own kind of blade or a blade wrought with the One Power, not simple steel.

Malivar: If a Fade's blade will not produce lightning except against other Thakan'dar wrought blades, and power-wrought blades, why do Thom's daggers produce it when he attacks the Fade at Whitebridge?

RJ: Thom's daggers did not produce the effect. It was produced before Thom reached the Fade.

 

USAToday Chat - 5 January 2004

NY, NY: Why was there a blue light flashing when Thom met the Fade in Whitebridge?

RJ: Because Thom's best knives are very special indeed.

 

DragonCon 3 September 2005 - Emma reporting

Emma: I started asking him about the two conflicting chats. [This is referring to the USAToday and Thus Spake quotes about the blue flashes Rand saw in Whitebridge as Thom fought the Fade.  - Terez] The question was already sent to him, but he declined to answer it for the Q&A session. I was wondering about why he would do it, but as you might guess when reading his answer, it's because its a RAFO question.

Both answers on the chat are RIGHT!!!! He knows exactly how Thom managed to escape with only a limp and how he managed to survive that. But he might use it in the next book and doesn't want to give away anything. So we have to do it with the knowledge that both answers, although seemingly conflicting are both CORRECT.

[JakeBarnes]

Is it impossible to enter Finnland from TAR, or impossible to enter TAR from Finnland?  I remember reading that one of the two can not be done.

[yoniy0]

Is it impossible to enter Finnland from TAR, or impossible to enter TAR from Finnland?  I remember reading that one of the two can not be done.

Here you go:

Q: Also, what was going on in Aelfland when Mat went round and round and round the same location? Were they traveling in time? 

RJ: Not traveling in time. the physical laws of nature differ. Mentioning the Dark One here is bad luck. In Aelfland, it is really bad. You can not go to Aelfland in Tel'aran'rhiod (similar to stedding).

[saidarisnowtainted]

I wonder if thom's knives are terangreal with some projectile ability either physical or energy/power-thus te flashes b/f he reached the fade and how he managed to win the fight

[yoniy0]

Oh, my first guess is that once again (or, actually, this would be the first time) someone has sent more trollocs and myrrdraal to fight the ones that were sent after Rand and co. I'm not sure if that makes sense, after all Ishamael is probably the only free Forsaken at the time, and supposedly he sent the original ones, but I still think that's most likely what happened.

[Durinax]

I wonder if thom's knives are terangreal with some projectile ability either physical or energy/power-thus te flashes b/f he reached the fade and how he managed to win the fight

Thom never won the fight with the fade, the only reason he did so well against it was the shock value of his attack

[yoniy0]

Durinax, you don't know that. Thom said the myrrdraal wasn't really after him, and that's why he got out of it alive. RJ said what I quoted above, and there's still the question of how Thom servived the wound he received if the myrddraal used a Thakan'dar-made blade (as they usually do). Other than that, we know squat about what happened there.

[saidarisnowtainted]

I wonder if thom's knives are terangreal with some projectile ability either physical or energy/power-thus te flashes b/f he reached the fade and how he managed to win the fight

Thom never won the fight with the fade, the only reason he did so well against it was the shock value of his attack

 

consider something caused the flash before Thom engaged the fade and RJ said Thom's knives are indeed special when asked about this.  What else do we know that could point to something else?

 

[saidarisnowtainted]

Durinax, you don't know that. Thom said the myrrdraal wasn't really after him, and that's why he got out of it alive. RJ said what I quoted above, and there's still the question of how Thom servived the wound he received if the myrddraal used a Thakan'dar-made blade (as they usually do). Other than that, we know squat about what happened there.

 

anyone that fights a fade and lives, i would loosely state that they "won". 

[Durinax]

Durinax, you don't know that. Thom said the myrrdraal wasn't really after him, and that's why he got out of it alive. RJ said what I quoted above, and there's still the question of how Thom servived the wound he received if the myrddraal used a Thakan'dar-made blade (as they usually do). Other than that, we know squat about what happened there.

I know that when Thom ran out from the alley that the fade stopped in its tracks and thom threw a knife I believe then proceeded to tackle the fade with daggers in both hands, while telling Rand and Mat to run. Then we hear that the fade wasnt really interested in thom and left him with a stiff leg. I think that if the fade saw thom coming he would have done worse to thom and just went after mat and rand after cutting up thom quickly.

 

But I believe that Thom was able to do this well because he could close the gap between him and the fade fast enough that the fade couldnt recover from the shock fast enough to draw his blade, thus allowing thom to do damage but ultimately we know the fade won the overall fight from what thom has said, but also if things happend like this then it also makes more sense why the fade wasnt on the boys heels after whitebridge

 

Although admittedly we do not know how good thom is with his knives so he might have been able to do better than I give him credit for. how Thom survived the fades blade is a good question though, maybe the fade used one of Thoms knives on him?

[farthammer]

Do we in fact know that the wheel of time isn't already shattered, in the sense that it isn't an immediate world destroying event

[Nightstrike]

Yes, we do know the Wheel isn't already shattered. (It would be a world destroying event, by the way.)

 

For instance:

 

DragonCon 5 September 2005 - Tamyrlin reporting

Question Part 1: In the Wheel of Time there is focus on events occurring again and again throughout history. Is it just history which is circular, or is it time itself which is in a loop?

Jordan: If you think of history being in a loop, then time must be in a loop. The Greeks were the first, as far as we know, to think of time being linear which allows for change. Almost every other culture prior to them had believed in circular time. If time is a wheel there is no possibility of change. Whatever I change now, whatever injustices I correct, the wheel will inevitably return, the inequities will return, there is no possibility for change, therefore there is not impetus to change. So time and history are in a loop in this world, a large enough loop . . . that it is really quite immense.

Question Part 2: So, the sun will never go nova, will never die?

Jordan: In this universe, no.

 

[Nightstrike]

Barnes and Noble chat 11 November 1997

Brandon from Mission Viejo: Mr. Jordan, it's fairly common knowledge that the Dark One was bound by the Creator outside of the Pattern at the moment of creation. Would it then be safe to assume, after concepts brought to light in the new release, that the world before the opening of the prison never knew true evil? If so, then was each Age before the opening of the Age of Legends different facets of some utopia? As well, without major conflict between good and evil, what caused ages to pass? Thanks.

RJ: Given that time is cyclic, you must assume that there is a time when the prison that holds the Dark One is whole and unbroken. There is a time when a hole is drilled into that prison and it is thus open to that degree. And there is a time when the opening has been patched in a makeshift manner. But following this line, the cyclic nature of time means that we have at some time in the future inevitably a whole and unbroken prison again. Unless, of course, the Dark One breaks free, in which case all bets are off—kick over the table and run for the window.

 

[Guest BaLefireP]

Ok, my first post ever. 

 

I've got a vague theory, what if Rand dies, but lives on in the world of dreams. Becoming a hero of the horn. Crazy spin off idea, that's what's odd about Avienda's kids. They were concieved in the world of dreams.

 

If that were to happen, could Rand be pulled out of Tel'aran'rhiod like Birgitte was?

[Shadow Rider]

The only description I can unearth is in Chapter 1.

Long, slightly curved, cloth-tied hilt, centuries old, unearthed recently-- it felt right, he recognised it from his own memories.

We don't know if it's power-wrought, or whether it has herons or not. Rand doesn't think about herons or power-wrought weaponry.

I'll look through that chapter but after 2000 years underwater any packaging would have rotted away, assuming it has been there all that time....even 1000yrs

Not necessarily - there are a lot of water-resistant casings, including plastics, which would have existed in the AoL.

Many high-quality steels such as those used in SAW pipes could last indefinitely, especially under freshwater.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism - this is a (bronze) geared astro- calculator that was buried underwater for over 2000 years and it was easily restored. I've worked as a merchant seaman and you'd be surprised how much marine salvage comes up in near-working order.

The devil would be in the details. It may be power-wrought, it may not. We don't have enough info to know.

 

 

Found it!....not from the book but I didn't even think of looking in the encyclopaedia.

 

Justice

 

The famed sword of Artur Hawkwing. It is One Power wrought. The blade is long and slightly curved. The scabbard is black with a lacquered red and gold Dragon on it.

 

http://www.encyclopaedia-wot.org/

[Sharaman]

Some admin pulled an April Fool by running a script that transforms RaT to RR.

How nice! 

[shadowkiller_001]

It transforms a few others too.

Rand = Richard Rahl

Amrylin = Mother Confessor

Tam = Kahlan Amnell

 

[FarShainMael]

Groan..................

 

[Dreamwalker]

It transforms a few others too.

Richard Rahl = Richard Rahl

Amrylin = Mother Confessor

Tam = Kahlan Amnell

 

 

Others I've found (I'm using weird spacing so they'll actually show up):

D_ark O_ne = Emperor Jagang

A_es S_edai = Confessors

W_oT = SoT

O_ne P_ower = Sword of Truth

E_layne = Kahlan Amnell

 

[Barmacral]

L.uckers = Luckers

[StefanR]

Haha @ Luckers using the forum wordfilter for april fools

[Bela_theDo]

Not a very simple question this time.

 

We know that a channeler can hide his/her channeling by weaving a mask. But do we know if the channeler can arrange the look of strenght in OP? I mean if Nyn weaved a mask and looked as strong as Siuan in OP or something like that. Maybe the opposite too? Is it possible?

[Aquarius]

Not a very simple question this time.

 

We know that a channeler can hide his/her channeling by weaving a mask. But do we know if the channeler can arrange the look of strenght in OP? I mean if Nyn weaved a mask and looked as strong as Siuan in OP or something like that. Maybe the opposite too? Is it possible?

Probably possible. Messaana hides in the White Tower and most people belive she's posing as an Aes Sedai. So she has to have something loke that to look weaker than she is really.