It only takes one arrow or crossbow bolt

[Jblaylock]

Okay, it seems that time and time again I read dialog where Aes'sedai talk about being careful and not being too brave, because it "only takes one arrow" or "crossbow bolt" from the shadows to take them down, yadda yadda. Okay, here's my problem wit dat. When Taim is training the male channelers (not yet Asha'man) on the farm (not yet Black Tower) somewhere in the first half of Lord of Chaos, to explode stones with the OP, he maintains a shield of air over himself to keep the exploding fragments from killing him, and he instructs the students to do the same. In fact, he tells them to remember to put up their shield at the same time as making the stones explode. Keep in mind that they are new to the One Power and pretty incapable of much yet. So, if he deems them able, in their ignorant and semi-incapable state, to weave the weaves both to blow up a stone and to shield themselves from it simultaneously, then weaving that personal shield of air must not be too difficult and must not take much effort.

 

So... if that is the case... why the hell don't the far more experienced Aes'Sedai wake up every morning, weave a nice shield of air around themselves, tie it off, and go about their daily business not worrying about arrows and crossbow bolts and whatnot? Or at least when they are in publicly crowded places, where they mention this fear and need to be careful.

 

Keep in mind that the One Power-retarded newbie farm students were supposed to be able to do this shield simultaniously with blowing up stones the size of heads. And they were incapable of doing much with the one power at that point.

[Feral]

I believe we saw Rand weave a "cocoon" of air around himself to protect him at some point, and the problem was it stopped EVERYTHING getting in, including oxygen.

 

The shields the Ashaman used probably only protected from one side or they only maintained them for a short time.

[Colonel_Sanders]

A fully encasing shell would limit air supply and would also make it impossible to interact with anything not already inside said bubble. If it wasn't a bubble then it would also be useless as a passive defensive device.

 

 

Edit: Ninja'd

[Jblaylock]

I believe we saw Rand weave a "cocoon" of air around himself to protect him at some point, and the problem was it stopped EVERYTHING getting in, including oxygen.

 

Ah. That presents a problem. Well, you could always release the weave to refill the oxygen, then put it back up. Or make some sort of a Saidar-straw to suck air into your bubble.

[Jblaylock]

A fully encasing shell would limit air supply and would also make it impossible to interact with anything not already inside said bubble. If it wasn't a bubble then it would also be useless as a passive defensive device.

 

Taim was still interacting with Rand just fine when he had his sheild up. It didn't effect their conversation at all.

[capuga]

A fully encasing shell would limit air supply and would also make it impossible to interact with anything not already inside said bubble. If it wasn't a bubble then it would also be useless as a passive defensive device.

 

Taim was still interacting with Rand just fine when he had his sheild up. It didn't effect their conversation at all.

 

But it might effect their ability to shake hands or exchange a sheet of paper. It's also possible that the shields aren't mobile.

 

But it seems strange that the Aes Sedai don't ask more of these types of questions. They are not very innovative with the One Power.

[jwillis7]

A fully encasing shell would limit air supply and would also make it impossible to interact with anything not already inside said bubble. If it wasn't a bubble then it would also be useless as a passive defensive device.

 

Taim was still interacting with Rand just fine when he had his sheild up. It didn't effect their conversation at all.

 

But it might effect their ability to shake hands or exchange a sheet of paper. It's also possible that the shields aren't mobile.

 

But it seems strange that the Aes Sedai don't ask more of these types of questions. They are not very innovative with the One Power.

but we know Aes Sedai dont try new things with the power until the wonder girls showed up. So i think it logical that they would not try new things like this but i think Asha'man will find things out like think and then maybe Aes Sedai might be able to work it out

[Xader]

I've always wondered this exact thing.

 

Regarding mobility: if a weave of air can be use to move objects, then it stands to reason that a solid weave of air is movable.

 

Regarding air circulation: tiny holes perforating it would allow airflow, but restrict larger objects, like arrows. Ore leave a small hole at the very top, and a crack near your feet. Every problem has a solution.

 

As to interaction; if they let down the weave to interact, that would still leave them protected most of the time, which is most of the time more than they do now.

 

I call it laziness and denseness...

[Colonel_Sanders]

Once people were aware of this they would simply wait until they took it down to shoot. Not really all that practical especially since controling the weave in said fashion would require concentration and you couldn't tie it off as this would be dangerous as would mean they couldn't react as they might need without first taking it down.

[Xader]

But it would still afford a great deal more protection at times it is most desperately needed.

 

I don't necessarily think all could or would do it, or that they would do it all the time, but there is a time and place for all things, and this has potential to be very useful.

[blazetheearth]

It is said over and over again that using the OP is addictive. The more you use it, the more you want to use it. The more you want to use it, the more you draw when you do use it. Eventually you don't just stop at the most you can hold, and you burn yourself out in an attempt to draw more. Carrying a Shield of Air around with you 24/7 is just not feasible under the circumstances (or even just during waking hours). That being said there is no reason not to do it in dangerous situations.

[buckeyebull64]

From what I can tell, doing something with air requires active weaving. you can lift something with air, but if you tie it off, it says in one place, it doesn't keep going up. This means that if one wanted to move about under an umbrella or air, one would have to hold the source and channel non-stop, which as we know can get extremely tiring and dangerous, resulting in death or severing. The shield is no substitute for being aware.

 

Also, it would be a beacon to one's enemies who could channel, who could throw something the umbrella couldnt stop at them without them seeing it first.

[Kaznen]

The channeler would effectively be blind it they held up a shield 24/7. The weaves are still seen by the channeler and are not going away, and to be a shield they would need to weave a blanket with the OP. Even if they inverted the weaves the person who did the weaving would still see it right in front of their eyes.

 

It's just not practical. Like it is better to let the smiths make knives instead of using the OP it is better to exercise caution and be able to see the world around you.

[dovien]

From what I can tell, doing something with air requires active weaving. you can lift something with air, but if you tie it off, it says in one place, it doesn't keep going up. This means that if one wanted to move about under an umbrella or air, one would have to hold the source and channel non-stop, which as we know can get extremely tiring and dangerous, resulting in death or severing. The shield is no substitute for being aware.

 

Also, it would be a beacon to one's enemies who could channel, who could throw something the umbrella couldnt stop at them without them seeing it first.

This guy is correct.

Also, weavings of the Power don't necessarily obscure a channeler's view.

[Thanatos]

Alright...

 

Has there ever been a point in this series where ANY channeler has been brought down by an arrow??? I know it is said time and again, but IIRC the only time anyone was foolish enough to try an "arrow in the dark" was at Rand. And how did that work out for them?

 

Stupid Aes Sedai.

[moratcorlm]

[G. Bornhald] was still not sure which of the two arrow-riddled women he had stared at afterwards had been the Aes Sedai.

[ituralde] did not need the looking glass to see the sul’dam and damane and the officer suddenly sprout arrows.

Pedron Niall also mentions in LOC9 that two Aes Sedai were recently killed in Amadicia, one would presume by arrows. Aviendha is shot with an arrow in TPOD6; Rand is shot with an arrow in TPOD23; both are Healed. Several Asha'man at Dumai's Wells are speared to death. Moiraine stabs Merean in the back with a knife in NS. Padan Fain kills a novice with a knife in TFOH19. Several false Dragons have been killed by ordinary means.

 

Possibly there are others.

[Jblaylock]

[G. Bornhald] was still not sure which of the two arrow-riddled women he had stared at afterwards had been the Aes Sedai.

[ituralde] did not need the looking glass to see the sul’dam and damane and the officer suddenly sprout arrows.

Pedron Niall also mentions in LOC9 that two Aes Sedai were recently killed in Amadicia, one would presume by arrows. Aviendha is shot with an arrow in TPOD6; Rand is shot with an arrow in TPOD23; both are Healed. Several Asha'man at Dumai's Wells are speared to death. Moiraine stabs Merean in the back with a knife in NS. Padan Fain kills a novice with a knife in TFOH19. Several false Dragons have been killed by ordinary means.

 

Possibly there are others.

 

 

Excellent research!

I'm not good at finding the evidence, so it's nice to have someone else find it when it just happens to support my theory.

[redcastle9]

Didn't Siuan take an arrow meant for Rand?

[Jblaylock]

Didn't Siuan take an arrow meant for Rand?

 

Yes.

[Mats Spare Hat]

A gift from Adeleas *stab

[Kaznen]

The point of the quote is even with the OP AS are not invincible. And they can still be killed from an attack they don't see coming. Common arrows are not some kryptonite against those with the OP.

[Arani Lepenque Aes Sedai]

The shield that Rand wove was designed primarily against fire and weapons that were thrown at him by Asha'man and as such these things were woven using not only Air, but also Earth and Fire and required a more powerful and effective form of shields. The normal AS shields used which are comprised of simply Air, are good against mundane weapons.

 

Of course, they don't allow air in, but AS shields are much larger and encompass a certain amount of air, whereas Rand's shield encompassed his body and his body ONLY.

[Jblaylock]

The shield that Rand wove was designed primarily against fire and weapons that were thrown at him by Asha'man and as such these things were woven using not only Air, but also Earth and Fire and required a more powerful and effective form of shields. The normal AS shields used which are comprised of simply Air, are good against mundane weapons.

 

Of course, they don't allow air in, but AS shields are much larger and encompass a certain amount of air, whereas Rand's shield encompassed his body and his body ONLY.

 

 

What about the giant forcefield the Asha'man wove at Dumais'wells? It encompassed their entire army and then some.

[Arani Lepenque Aes Sedai]

The shield that Rand wove was designed primarily against fire and weapons that were thrown at him by Asha'man and as such these things were woven using not only Air, but also Earth and Fire and required a more powerful and effective form of shields. The normal AS shields used which are comprised of simply Air, are good against mundane weapons.

 

Of course, they don't allow air in, but AS shields are much larger and encompass a certain amount of air, whereas Rand's shield encompassed his body and his body ONLY.

 

 

What about the giant forcefield the Asha'man wove at Dumais'wells? It encompassed their entire army and then some.

 

Pure weaves of Air, I'm guessing. But remember that Asha'man know much more devious and powerful weaves than Wise Ones, and as such many shields of Air made by hundreds of Asha'man could stand against that onslaught. And remember that it wasn't one shield of Air. It was HUNDREDS of shields of air, formed by hundreds of Asha'man standing in a circle, that produced the effect of a giant shield of Air.

[moratcorlm]

The Aes Sedai had been doing the same thing previously.

The spears encircled the wagons, pressed in on them, showered arrows toward them, but those at the front seemed to push against an invisible wall. At first the arrows that arched highest passed over this wall, but then they too began striking something unseen and bouncing back.

It's worth keeping in mind that the Shaido Wise Ones knew virtually nothing about military uses of the Power at this point.