Victory Conditions for the Dark One

[Diamond Prince]

I guess it comes down to two questions...

 

What would let him win (ie, enable him to win)?

What would enable him to destroy the Pattern?

 

A lot of balefire...(no, but seriously...that would work right...XD)

 

I think it is pretty simple and has already been stated. The only way for the DO to really "win" or essentially accomplish his goal of destroying the pattern and ending time is to turn the most powerful ta'vern. AKA Rand, and his boys. If he could make them weave shadow through all of their actions it would unravel and the DO would be loose. If he wasn't fully lose after Lanfear bored into his prison. It would have to take much more to do so.

[Bridge]

Contrary, Rand must break the seals in order to win the Final Battle

It seems to me that neither side needs to break the seals to win since they are already breaking.

 

The 100 Aes Seday who aided Lews Therin to seal the DO were all men, thus they failed to succed.

From what I recall from the Guide, I take Lews Therin and his companions did win/succeed since they accomplished their plan.

 

They did not win, not realy. Lews Therin told as much (if I recon well... than soething went wrong, verry wrong). More than that, Rand said he want to kill DO, or to seal him forever, in order to never to be able to touch the world not merely 3000 years!

[MikeRiley]

They didn't succeed. The seal was not strong enough because only men were involved. Which of course means that it was the female Aes Sedai's fault all along and the men got double screwed both with the madness and being blamed for the breaking!

[Beer Rot]

They didn't succeed. The seal was not strong enough because only men were involved. Which of course means that it was the female Aes Sedai's fault all along and the men got double screwed both with the madness and being blamed for the breaking!

 

Even when its the women's fault, the men eat the blame.

 

What do you expect?

[OneDragon]

Great topic!

 

I think that the dark one does not want to unravel the pattern, that it is just a lie, to draw people like Elan to the shadow.

(by the reason that all will soon end anyways, might aswell rule under the dark one the last days)

 

If the dark one wanted to unravel the pattern, why did he not allow the chosen and all the dreadlords to Balefire the pattern apart, let it all end?

 

No I think he wants something    more...

Impossible to tell what, but it can't be the end of everything, for that he could have achieved long ago.

[mb]

The counterstrike might be considered a failure, yet that 'failure' I consider very little to do with gender; more their (both male & female) attitudes directly before the men went.

If both genders had been involved, there could have been a chance that both halves of the Source might have been tainted.

 

I still consider that it was not an actual failure since the Dark One had became presently sealed.  If Lews Therin and his companions failed, the Dark One would likely have been released and likely all humanity dead.  If they did not go at all, that same result/results might have occurred.

 

[rubbernilly]

If the dark one wanted to unravel the pattern, why did he not allow the chosen and all the dreadlords to Balefire the pattern apart, let it all end?

 

It's a good question, though asked about the wrong person/being, I think. What I mean is... was it the DO or the Dreadlords/Forsaken who decided not to use balefire? My impression was it was the Dreadlords themselves, specifically for fear of tearing apart the pattern. If the DO really wants to destroy the Pattern, then I'd say that the Dreadlords/Forsaken (save for Ishamael) just didn't understand that fact. They were all seduced by the lure of ruling under the DO, unaware that he wanted to actually destroy everything.

 

But like I said, your question is valid, but it needs to be asked of Ishamael and those like him. Why wouldn't they be out just tearing things up with balefire?

 

Sure, it might draw the ire of the other Forsaken who don't understand why Ishi would just be hosing cities out of existence, but he could stick and move.