constructs and gateways...

[Guest Chad'din]

Ok, I have a question or two for the WoT philosophers out there...

RJ Stated that trollocs couldn't go through gateways because they are artificial constructs. So, how is it that trollocs can use the ways? The way gate is just a Ter'Angreal that allows a form of Traveling so how can the trollocs survive passing through one?

Also, how can trollocs be considered artificial constructs when they reproduce on their own? I can see the first trollocs being constructs but the succeeding generations, not so much. Of the shadowspawn that we know of trollocs fades and worms are the only ones that reproduce and have a "natural" lifecycle. The Nym and Gholam were not able to reproduce that we know of, so I can see them being called constructs.

Speaking of the Gholam, how could it survive the passage through the skimming gateway if constructs cannot withstand the passage through a gateway? I don't think that it's ability to ignore the One Power would be a factor there because the weave is not directly affecting it... We also know that lightning can kill Matt despite the Foxhead. That being the case why didn't Mat have the Kin's Woman blast the Gholam to oblivion with a lightning bolt instead of the elaborate ruse with the skimming gate.

Lastly Gateways and Death Gates, would it not be more efficient to open a gateway parallel to the ground at waist height on the trollocs thus slicing all of them in the radius of the weave in half rather than trying to get them all to hop gleefully to their doom into a Death Gate? Taking into account the time a Death Gate remains open you'd kill more trollocs in this fashion.

Better yet, I did this in the WoT RPG...

Open the gateway at ankle height and let the footless bodies fall into the space between places... no trolloc bodies to clean up and plenty of hooves for glue and free shoes that are a few sizes too big.

[Sharaman]

Ok, I have a questionor two for the WoT philosophers out there...

RJ Stated that trollocs couldn't go through gateways because they are artificial constructs. So, how is it that trollocs can use the ways? The way gate is just a Ter'Angreal that allows a form of Traveling so how can the trollocs survive passing through one?

Also, how can trollocs be considered artificial constructs when they reproduce on their own? I can see the first trollocs being constructs but the succeeding generations, not so much. Of the shadowspawn that we know of trollocs fades and worms are the only ones that reproduce and have a "natural" lifecycle. The Nym and Gholam were not able to reproduce that we know of, so I can see them being called constructs.

Speaking of the Gholam, how could it survive the passage through the skimming gateway if constructs cannot withstand the passage through a gateway? I don't think that it's ability to ignore the One Power would be a factor there because the weave is not directly affecting it... We also know that lightning can kill Matt despite the Foxhead. That being the case why didn't Mat have the Kin's Woman blast the Gholam to oblivion with a lightning bolt instead of the elaborate ruse with the skimming gate.

Lastly Gateways and Death Gates, would it not be more efficient to open a gateway parallel to the ground at waist height on the trollocs thus slicing all of them in the radius of the weave in half rather than trying to get them all to hop gleefully to their doom into a Death Gate? Taking into account the time a Death Gate remains open you'd kill more trollocs in this fashion.

Better yet, I did this in the WoT RPG...

Open the gateway at ankle height and let the footless bodies fall into the space between places... no trolloc bodies to clean up and plenty of hooves for glue and free shoes that are a few sizes too big.

 

There are relevant quotes out there from various RJ / Brandon interviews in Theoryland and other places.

Trolloc DNA was a mix of human DNA and various animals put together using True Power.

Although they can breed, they just die if they go through Gates.

Presumably the DNA falls apart or crystallises, or something mysterious and deadly.

According to Brandon, the gholam is an "improved Shadowspawn" so it can go through Gates.

Aginor was a biogenetic genius so he must have worked out how to do this.

[Byzantine279]

The ways are more a Portal stone than a gateway, and Trollocs can use portal stones.

[Sharaman]

That's how RJ constructed the WoTVerse.

The Ways had to be guarded by wards against Shadowspawn but those were gradually tainted by machin shin because the Ways were created by men using tainted saidin. So the wards failed.

Other travelling-related stuff - trollocs can dream hence, they can enter TAR. Fades cannot.