Ripples

[LemonPastie]

When Rand balefires Natrin's Barrow, we get a series of three ripples expanding around the ex-Barrow. We have already seen these ripples at other times and I'm wondering if there has been much speculation if they are all connected to the one event.

 

In chronological order (from here) we have;

 

Aine 19 (April 3rd) - Faile is chatting to someone in Malden (Northern Altara) when the world ripples three times

 

She had just reached Therava's arrival with Galina when everything in front of her eyes ripples. She rippled! It was not imagination. Meira's blue eyes widened as far as they could go; she had felt it, too. Again everything rippled, including herself, harder than before. In shock, Faile stood up straight and let go of her robe. A third time the world rippled, harder still, and as it passed through her, she felt as if she might blow away in a breeze, or simply dissipate in a mist.

 

Aine 24 (April 8th) - Perrin is in Brytan (Northwestern Altara) chatting to Tylee when the world ripples three times

 

Suddenly everything seemed to ripple in Perrin's sight. He felt himself ripple. Breane gave a cry and dropped the pitcher. The world rippled again, and Berelain clutched his arm. Tylee's hand seemed frozen in that odd gesture, thumb and forefinger forming a crescent. Everything rippled for a third time, and Perrin felt as if he were made of fog, as if the world were fog with a high wind coming. Berelain shuddered, and he...

 

Saven 11 (May 21st) - Rand balefires the fortress (Eastern Arad Domon) and the world twisted

 

Something hit Min, something like a shocking wave in the air. It wasn't a physical blast, and it didn't make her stumble, but it twisted her insides about. The forest around them - still lit by the glowing access key in Rand's hands - seemed to warp and shake. It was as if the world itself were groaning in agony.

 

Saven 11 (May 21st) - Graendal jumps to just outside the fortress and experiences the world groaning in the after effects of the balefire. (I don't have the last book with me so I don't have a quote for this one)

 

The best map I've found is this one and this shows that maybe Faile is closer to Natrin's Barrow than Perrin in Brytan.

 

Are these occurances related? what did Aran'gar do in that area to make only these guys feel it, but we haven't heard of any rippling from our other heroes?

[Terez]

Wait...Aran'gar? Where did that come from? Also, the timeline is sometimes off but typically it's never off that far.

 

Anyway, Demandred was given orders to use balefire by the Dark One in the LOC prologue, presumably to unravel the Pattern. Brandon has hinted that this is correct. Presumably it's usually done off-continent. In this case...who knows? Semirhage and Demandred are probably the biggest suspects, but it could have been any of them. As to what they were destroying...we have no idea. Nothing we've seen yet.

[LemonPastie]

I say aran'gar only due to her being balefired by rand. It obviously wouldnt have been something graendal did that causes those ripples

[Finnssss22]

Saven 11 (May 21st) - Graendal jumps to just outside the fortress and experiences the world groaning in the after effects of the balefire. (I don't have the last book with me so I don't have a quote for this one)

 

She calls it a "Balescream".

[ShenAnCalhar]

I think the first two occurrences are distinctly different than the last two. I've come to believe that they refer to two of the remaining three seals on the Dark One's prison breaking (Davian93 originally proposed on Theoryland that it was the remaining 3 breaking). There's a similar rippling effect when the bore is drilled through in TSR - "...the ground rippled under their feet. The air rippled too, in spreading waves." I'm guessing the first two are DO related, and the last two are Balescream.

 

Which begs the question of why there weren't any ripples for the other seals breaking, which could possibly be answered by the fact that there were still enough remaining whole seals to block the rippling effect. However, this would also indicate the penultimate seal breaking should have a stronger effect, which it doesn't seem to.

 

I suppose we'll find out when Rand goes to check on his seal stash.