The Field of Merrilor

[didymos]

So has the significance of the Field of Merrilor as Rand's chosen meeting place been discussed at all? Why did he choose that particular place?

 

My first thought, the ruins near the field are the ruins of Lews Therins house where he went mad and killed his family.

 

Actually, would LTT's house ruins not be pretty much under Dragonmount? If not, then surely blown to smithereens during the Breaking...

 

As mentioned, he Traveled before offing himself. You're right about his palace though:

Netherlands tour April 2001, Rotterdam - Aan'allein reporting

 

Kurafire: Are the ruins of Lews Therin's palace still in the [current] world?

RJ: Ah, no.

Kurafire: They are really gone?

RJ: They are really gone.

[f3llyn]

So has the significance of the Field of Merrilor as Rand's chosen meeting place been discussed at all? Why did he choose that particular place?

 

My first thought, the ruins near the field are the ruins of Lews Therins house where he went mad and killed his family.

 

Actually, would LTT's house ruins not be pretty much under Dragonmount? If not, then surely blown to smithereens during the Breaking...

 

As mentioned, he Traveled before offing himself. You're right about his palace though:

Netherlands tour April 2001, Rotterdam - Aan'allein reporting

 

Kurafire: Are the ruins of Lews Therin's palace still in the [current] world?

RJ: Ah, no.

Kurafire: They are really gone?

RJ: They are really gone.

Ah well, I had nothing to base my thought on. But I do think it would have been interesting for that to be the reason why he chose that particular place. Coming about full circle almost from the Age of Legends.

[Cyf]

I'm wondering if the Field of Merrilor is where the old Hall of the Servants sat, before the Breaking, myself. :)

[f3llyn]

That actually makes more sense. I think you may be onto something.

[Baelorn]

I'm wondering if the Field of Merrilor is where the old Hall of the Servants sat, before the Breaking, myself. :)

 

I don't think anything was ever there. When LTT Traveled he went somewhere where he could be absolutely alone. Nothing, and no one, around for hundreds of leagues. Now if the field is just N of Tar Valon then it isn't far NE of Dragonmount so I doubt there was anything of significance there.

 

I could be wrong but I think Rand's motivation was as simple as wanting a place big enough to hold all the armies Egwene could gather.

[f3llyn]

But that's the thing, we just know that it's North of Tar Valon, not how far north. It could be 5 miles or 500, it's never said and the place isn't shown on the maps that I could find.

 

Anyways, I was never suggesting that it really had some special meaning, just what if any there could be.

[randsc]

No, we know it is "near Sheinar."

[dwn]

Rand recognized Far Madding as being the remnants of the AoL city Aren Deshar. It's quite possible that there's some significance in the Field of Merrilor.

 

We get a slightly better description of the ruins from Egwene's PoV (a moss and vine covered tower fortress). The presence of a fortress suggests it was important at some point.

 

-- dwn

[Byzantine279]

Perhaps the fields is the spot where he organized the Strike on Shayol Ghul. It would certainly be fitting.

[kes]

I think Egwene could not do that even if she tried. As she said, Rand could have broken the shield holding him at any time.

 

I don't have it in front of me, but that is just how Egwene feels about it.

 

Although I am in the firmly Egwene is ill-prepared and a terrible leader camp, I think she was "ta'verened" just as much as everyone who was kept quiet - Rand wants her to oppose him there and so she was allowed to speak and she had this feeling because of ta'veren twisting not because it was necessarily true.

[Charlz Guybon]

Egwene invited the King of Murandy to this meeting. Since there's a good chance that he's Demandred or controlled by him, what do you think the consequences of that will be?

[Deadsy]

Egwene invited the King of Murandy to this meeting. Since there's a good chance that he's Demandred or controlled by him, what do you think the consequences of that will be?

He'll kill Moiraine right before she enters the pavillion

[Kaznen]

During the Compact of Ten Nations TV directly controlled a large amount of Territory being a county in itself. And we also know TV was besieged several times and even sacked twice. The Fortress ruins at the FoM could just be ruins of a fortress used by the Tower Guard from the Trolloc Wars or before Hawkwing's fall.

 

When the WT was first founded the AS needed to take a more direct approach to "guiding" kings and queens.

 

And it was mentioned several time FoM were not that far from TV.

 

And BTW:

I always just thought LTT lived in Parren Disan because he worked at the "main branch" of The Hall of Servants. So I thought when that city was destroyed by that crazy male AS LTT's house would have been destroyed with it.

[Ashaman Kovan]

When I first read the words "Field of Merrilor" I thought it sounded very Lord of the Ringsy in my head lol.

[seasnake]

Anywho, the Field of Merrilor.

The "force her hand" thought of Egewne's doesn't sit well with me. I'm not an Egewne hater by any measure but this just seems like a stupid, ridiculous thing to be planning. It makes me wonder if the Halima = Compulsion theories are right.

It also makes me wonder what on earth she could be planning. She already knows that Rand isn't bothered by shields or anything like that.

 

I'd say she's planning on spanking him. It's the Aes Sedai thing to do, after all.

 

-- dwn

 

Seriously, what's up with that? We spank and spank and spank and spank, until we like it ...

[didymos]

Seriously, what's up with that? We spank and spank and spank and spank, until we like it ...

 

This is another one of those things that people blow way out of proportion. Barring Egwene's imprisonment, it really doesn't happen nearly as often as people like to make out. And as to what's up with it, well, Randland cultures all use various forms of corporal punishment, which is to be expected given their overall level of development in comparison to real world history. They also tend to emphasize shame much more than we do. Combine those factors, and it's not that surprising that people find it effective to punish adults in a manner that is both painful and shaming due to the implication that the person being punished is a child.

 

That or RJ was just really into spanking.

[FarShainMael]

Freud would probably call that transference, given what RJ has said about the women in his family.

 

Personally I'd probably call Freud a DoM.

[fborch]

When I first read the words "Field of Merrilor" I thought it sounded very Lord of the Ringsy in my head lol.

 

Not surprising. Did so myself. It does after all have a phonetically resemblance to the Fields of Pennelor from LOTR.

[Charlz Guybon]

During the Compact of Ten Nations TV directly controlled a large amount of Territory being a county in itself. And we also know TV was besieged several times and even sacked twice. The Fortress ruins at the FoM could just be ruins of a fortress used by the Tower Guard from the Trolloc Wars or before Hawkwing's fall.

 

When the WT was first founded the AS needed to take a more direct approach to "guiding" kings and queens.

 

And it was mentioned several time FoM were not that far from TV.

 

And BTW:

I always just thought LTT lived in Parren Disan because he worked at the "main branch" of The Hall of Servants. So I thought when that city was destroyed by that crazy male AS LTT's house would have been destroyed with it.

They're probably from the country that used to be south of Shienar, Hamera?

 

Trollocs managed to enter the city and burn the library, but they were pushed back and forced back across the bridges. That doesn't count as a sacking.

[Bob T Dwarf]

nah all he need to do is be raised above an army and he can channel markers above the DF's and then move to the next army. or he could do some super channelling again causing all DF's to go blind

 

Well, nobody can use OP on himself, so it'd have to be a circle of others who did that.

 

All he really needs to do is hold nearly as much OP as he can and he'll burn so brightly that any DF's there will do a Torkumen whether they have direct sight of him or not.

[Ashaman Kovan]

When I first read the words "Field of Merrilor" I thought it sounded very Lord of the Ringsy in my head lol.

 

Not surprising. Did so myself. It does after all have a phonetically resemblance to the Fields of Pennelor from LOTR.

 

I've never even read LotR or heard of that field. Was in in the movies?? lol

[Haran]

Ok this is how I see the meeting turning out;

 

 

Rand: Hey everyone, I know why you are here. You are here because a month ago I told the Amyrlin that I intended to break the seal on the dark one prison. You are here because she has quite skillfully gathered you to persuade me to not do so. Before you begin though I just want to say, rest assured, no one in this tent is a Dark Friend. Well that’s good. Anyway. I surrender. If you can get one of your sisters to get the oath rod or maybe a male a’dam or some such ill swear to obey all your commands.

 

Everyone: What? No, you can’t?

 

Rand: What do you mean I can’t? That’s why you are here, isn’t it? Well, I surrender. I am yours to command. I will be your weapon, your sword. I only have one hand now, true. But im sure I can still be of some use.

 

Everyone: …

 

Rand: Well, of course. I won’t be the Dragon Reborn anymore naturally. The dragon reborn is a man, not a weapon, but I’m sure everything will turn out all right in the end. Boy! This is a weight off my shoulders, let me tell you.

 

Egwene: Rand, that’s not what we want at all.

 

Rand: Well, what do you want from me? I can only fight the dark one as myself, in the way I think best. I don’t really see any other option if you don’t trust me in this. And honestly, I really don’t want to die for a squabbling and manipulative bunch like you, so I guess it’s all for the best.

 

Egwene: sniff sniff

 

Rand: Right. If I am to do this I really want some incentive to win right? Some assurance that you all don’t fall back to squabbling with each other once it’s all over. Some sort of treaty maybe? If one of you attacks another the others will intervene? Call it the Dragons Peace.

[didymos]

When I first read the words "Field of Merrilor" I thought it sounded very Lord of the Ringsy in my head lol.

 

Not surprising. Did so myself. It does after all have a phonetically resemblance to the Fields of Pennelor from LOTR.

 

I've never even read LotR or heard of that field. Was in in the movies?? lol

 

No. But Pelennor Fields was.

[Aagaard]

Ok this is how I see the meeting turning out;

 

 

Rand: Hey everyone, I know why you are here. You are here because a month ago I told the Amyrlin that I intended to break the seal on the dark one prison. You are here because she has quite skillfully gathered you to persuade me to not do so. Before you begin though I just want to say, rest assured, no one in this tent is a Dark Friend. Well that’s good. Anyway. I surrender. If you can get one of your sisters to get the oath rod or maybe a male a’dam or some such ill swear to obey all your commands.

 

Everyone: What? No, you can’t?

 

Rand: What do you mean I can’t? That’s why you are here, isn’t it? Well, I surrender. I am yours to command. I will be your weapon, your sword. I only have one hand now, true. But im sure I can still be of some use.

 

Everyone: …

 

Rand: Well, of course. I won’t be the Dragon Reborn anymore naturally. The dragon reborn is a man, not a weapon, but I’m sure everything will turn out all right in the end. Boy! This is a weight off my shoulders, let me tell you.

 

Egwene: Rand, that’s not what we want at all.

 

Rand: Well, what do you want from me? I can only fight the dark one as myself, in the way I think best. I don’t really see any other option if you don’t trust me in this. And honestly, I really don’t want to die for a squabbling and manipulative bunch like you, so I guess it’s all for the best.

 

Egwene: sniff sniff

 

Rand: Right. If I am to do this I really want some incentive to win right? Some assurance that you all don’t fall back to squabbling with each other once it’s all over. Some sort of treaty maybe? If one of you attacks another the others will intervene? Call it the Dragons Peace.

 

Or:

 

Eggy: You cannot break the remaning seals on DO's prison, risking creation itself

 

Rand: Ok, we do it your way instead

 

Eggy: ehm, I haven't really got a clue

 

Rand: ok, then we do it my way afterall

 

everbody else: Yeah, ok... Maybe some action is better that nothing

[Kidicaris]

During the Compact of Ten Nations TV directly controlled a large amount of Territory being a county in itself. And we also know TV was besieged several times and even sacked twice. The Fortress ruins at the FoM could just be ruins of a fortress used by the Tower Guard from the Trolloc Wars or before Hawkwing's fall.

 

When the WT was first founded the AS needed to take a more direct approach to "guiding" kings and queens.

 

And it was mentioned several time FoM were not that far from TV.

 

And BTW:

I always just thought LTT lived in Parren Disan because he worked at the "main branch" of The Hall of Servants. So I thought when that city was destroyed by that crazy male AS LTT's house would have been destroyed with it.

 

With Traveling LTT could live anywhere on the planet. Alternatively he could have more than one house.

 

Also, I didn't know we got a description of how Paaran Disen fell.

However from the wiki we see that Tzora was melted into a sheet of glass by an insane Aes Sedai named Jaric Mondoran. This is the event where 10,000 Aiel sacrificed themselves to buy an extra hour for he other citizens to escape--I think they sang to him?