Mat and his silver fox head medalion

[RobertAlexWillis]

You are assuming that Rahvin actively aimed the bolts. The lightning could have been part of a pre- weaved trap that simply struck with unguided lighting in every direction near an opening gateway in the city. By creating the initial charge, and then simply discharging in multiple directions, there would have been no guiding weaves for the medallion to stop. After all, he didn't hit Rand directly, and Rand would have been the easiest to aim at (if Rahvin was aiming), since he was holding Saidin. It's not very LIKELY, but ta'veren doesn't always work in good ways.

[Paul]

Not sure if this has been discussed before, but as Mat was killed is he still linked to the Horn of Valere? (The Horn being just a normal horn to anyone but the person who first sounded it, until that person dies.) Asmodean also died but after being "reborn" thanks to Rand Balefiring Rahvin, 'immortality was gone' and 'drawing the little of saidin he could was like drinking sewage'. So if Asmodean's links to immortaility and the Dark One's protection from the taint are no longer then does the same go for Mat's link to the Horn and is it now possible that someone else can sound it to call upon the fabled heroes?

[TheDiceAgain...]

Yes, this has been discussed before(but that's okay) and yes he is still linked to the Horn. Think of what Balefire does. It burns the subject out of the pattern for a given length of time prior to the balefiring proportional to the amount of power used. In doing that, it erases the actions of the balefired person. Therefore, Mat never actually died though he would remember dying(enter the time continuum paradox...). The link to the Horn was never broken because the action that killed Mat was subsequently canceled by Rand's balefiring of Ravhin.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Yes, the explanation of balefire is that the actions never occurred, only the memories remain. So, Mat has never died. Which make me wonder if he has fulfilled the Aelfinn's prophecy to "die and live again, and live once more a part of what was".

[TheDiceAgain...]

According to RJ, the episode in Camelyn was what that answer was referring to. Therefore, that lovely little bit of prophecy has been fulfilled.

[RobertAlexWillis]

What a shame ... and I had a whacked out theory all ready to spout ....

[Luckers]

I don't believe you can just start a chain reaction and push electrons in a direction and strike a target perhaps a mile away without guiding it to exactly where you want it to go.

 

Well... don't believe it then, it still happens. It's how cathode ray tubes work, for instance. The entire photoelectric effect is based on it.

 

Also, clarification of terms, i never suggested it was a chain reaction or any of the other jargon you used. If you give electrons energy, they are going to jump to the nearest positive charge--earth, in the case of lightning. And they will follow the path of least resistance. It would take very little to create the point of origin of that path, and once on it they wouldn't have the energy to divert--not all of them, though likely some would jump to different paths. Its why you get fork lightning.

 

Now, if you'd read my post on the previous page where i initially discussed this you would have noticed that i did comment on the creation of an annode-effect at the target as being another possible method of achieving focused lightning stirkes, it would be more accurate, i just doubt the knowledge of certain channelers to achieve that. More then probably, though, in the spark weave of kod, and individual lightning bolts, this is what happens to a certain effect. But i was speaking on Rhavin's lightning, which wasn't focused beyond hitting an area of hundreds of meters square, which could be achieved by simply inciting electron movement, and providing a basic positive funnel at the top

 

Additionally, from a distance it would likely be hard to ionize the atoms around mat without hitting the field of protection he has around him. Rhavin likely couldn't have even if he was trying, though its probably possible if done carefully.