Two Irritating Inconsistencies

[HighWiredSith]

The first - the Black Tower. So gateways have been disabled...but what about skimming? Has this weave been lost? I find it odd the red aja think themselves trapped in the Black Tower simply because they cannot channel gateways? They are Aes Sedai and all other weaves work. I can think of a dozen different ways, using the one power, that they could escape: disguises, skimming, distractions, try using the power to create an escape tunnel out of the city.

 

The second - after Matt, Tom, and Moiraine escape the Tower of Genji Matt tells Moiraine that Morgaise Trekand is dead. Galad and Morgaise were both in Caemlyn when Tom and Matt were there. I find it hard to believe someone like Tom, who is aware of so much, missed this tidbit of information: the former queen is alive! It also seems unlikely that Perrin, in his meeting with Matt and Tom, would have failed to mention that Morgaise was in his employ and judged his trial with the Whitecloaks. There's very little chance that Tom and Matt would not have known.

[Luckers]

The first - the Black Tower. So gateways have been disabled...but what about skimming?

 

Skimming and Traveling both utilize gateways, which the Dreamspike blocks.

[David Selig]

Skimming also doesn't work within the range of the Dreamspike, Grady explained it to Perrin IIRC.

 

Agreed on the rest. Thom definitely must've known that Morgase was alive at this point, since it was publicly announced in Caemlyn at least a few days before they left for the Tower of Ghenjey.

[b3arz3rg3r]

The first - the Black Tower. So gateways have been disabled...but what about skimming? Has this weave been lost? I find it odd the red aja think themselves trapped in the Black Tower simply because they cannot channel gateways? They are Aes Sedai and all other weaves work. I can think of a dozen different ways, using the one power, that they could escape: disguises, skimming, distractions, try using the power to create an escape tunnel out of the city.

 

The second - after Matt, Tom, and Moiraine escape the Tower of Genji Matt tells Moiraine that Morgaise Trekand is dead. Galad and Morgaise were both in Caemlyn when Tom and Matt were there. I find it hard to believe someone like Tom, who is aware of so much, missed this tidbit of information: the former queen is alive! It also seems unlikely that Perrin, in his meeting with Matt and Tom, would have failed to mention that Morgaise was in his employ and judged his trial with the Whitecloaks. There's very little chance that Tom and Matt would not have known.

The first one isn't an inconsistency at all. The Aes Sedai in the BT know neither Travelling nor Skimming. Besides considering the effect a dreamspike has even on TAR I'd say it's certain that Skimming doesn't work either. Also all of them are bound by Asha'man and compelled not to leave without approval I think.

 

About the second one, we don't know for how long both Perrin and Mat were together in the city or do we? When Perrin arrived in Caemlynn Mat already been waiting more than 20 days and Mat left immediately after the 30 day limit was over. I figure Elayne would make some sort of public announcement about Morgaise as soon as possible, afterall she wanted to celebrate her mother's return and since she didn't have time to make one I would assume that it may have only been two or three days Mat and Perrin were in town together.

[Sharaman]

The AS in the BT know both Skimming and Travelling but as somebody mentioned above, Grady tried both and neither method works within the Dreamspike's range.

Yes, Mat and Thom should have known Morgause was still alive - unless Perrin omitted to tell them and Thom failed to ferret it out anyhow.

[WhiskyJack]

Morgase arrived in Camelyn after Mat's meeting with Elayne. So not a big deal if Thom didn't know about Morgase (was her return truly announced?). Besides, I doubt Mat and Perrin ever discussed Morgase, dead or alive so really not a big issue again.

[sandoz12]

The one irritating inconsistency that always annoys me on re-reads. This when Elayne and Nynaeve board the ship for Tanchicho, in TSR, and call them themselves Elayne and Nynaeve Sedai of the Green Ajah. Then in TFoH Chapter 9 Nynaeve, in the meantime they haven't been back to a tower, Nynaeve recognises a message from a yellow agent. She says she got told this because someone in the yellow knew she was going to choose yellow. So if before she left the tower she already knew she was going to be yellow why did she pass herself off as a green sister in TSR - surely would have made more sense to pass herself off as yellow.

[WhiskyJack]

She was undercover;)

[Jon Paul]

The one irritating inconsistency that always annoys me on re-reads. This when Elayne and Nynaeve board the ship for Tanchicho, in TSR, and call them themselves Elayne and Nynaeve Sedai of the Green Ajah. Then in TFoH Chapter 9 Nynaeve, in the meantime they haven't been back to a tower, Nynaeve recognises a message from a yellow agent. She says she got told this because someone in the yellow knew she was going to choose yellow. So if before she left the tower she already knew she was going to be yellow why did she pass herself off as a green sister in TSR - surely would have made more sense to pass herself off as yellow.

 

Sisters of different Ajahs have never really been in the habit of travelling together?

[sandoz12]

The one irritating inconsistency that always annoys me on re-reads. This when Elayne and Nynaeve board the ship for Tanchicho, in TSR, and call them themselves Elayne and Nynaeve Sedai of the Green Ajah. Then in TFoH Chapter 9 Nynaeve, in the meantime they haven't been back to a tower, Nynaeve recognises a message from a yellow agent. She says she got told this because someone in the yellow knew she was going to choose yellow. So if before she left the tower she already knew she was going to be yellow why did she pass herself off as a green sister in TSR - surely would have made more sense to pass herself off as yellow.

 

Sisters of different Ajahs have never really been in the habit of travelling together?

I don't think that's the case. Verin and Alanna in the TR for example. Teslyn and Joline sent to Ebou Dar together. I think sisters of different ajahs would quite commonly travel together. But maybe it was done deliberately since if there were reports of a powerful yellow sister - people in the tower might have instantly known it was Nynaeve. But it always felt more like an inconsistency to me.

 

Though given the size of the series it is a real credit how few inconsistencies there are. That there would be some is inevitable in a work this size.

[icspots]

The Aes Sedai in the BT know neither Travelling nor Skimming.

 

There are technically three groups of Aes Sedai in the Black Tower.

 

Group 1) Group from the WT that was captured and bonded by the BT after being sent by Elaida to destroy it.

Group 2) Group from the WT, only Red Ajah and sent secretly to bond men who could channel.

Group 3) Group from the Aes Sedai Rebels sent to bond men in response to men bonding women.

 

Only Group 1 has lacks knowledge of Traveling/Skimming while both of the other groups do know how to, and given both the natural Aes Sedai habit of secrecy plus all the other Aes Sedai being disgusted by those bonded sisters (or by them being captured) I doubt they'd be sharing such revelations. In fact we have an Aes Sedai POV (was it Pevara?) find out that they were unable to make gateways in ToM

[herid]

The first - the Black Tower. So gateways have been disabled...but what about skimming? Has this weave been lost? I find it odd the red aja think themselves trapped in the Black Tower simply because they cannot channel gateways? They are Aes Sedai and all other weaves work. I can think of a dozen different ways, using the one power, that they could escape: disguises, skimming, distractions, try using the power to create an escape tunnel out of the city.

skimming has already been addressed by others - it does use gateways so is, of course prevented by the dreamspike.

 

"I can try a gateway," Neald said, knuckling his mustache—or, at least, the thin bit of fur on his face that he called a mustache, waxed to points.

"Try it." He concentrated. Nothing happened. The young man blushed furiously. "Doesn't work. Not Traveling or Skimming."

-ToM, Ch 26

The other methods you describe are not tenable. disguise? as who? everybody is checked at the gates, regardless of who they are. distraction? what kind of distraction can possibly work? especially since Pevara seems to be the only one left who is neither Balck nor has been turned. a tunnel? not possible for a number of reasons. and can you imagine something like this happening in WoT anyway?

 

The second - after Matt, Tom, and Moiraine escape the Tower of Genji Matt tells Moiraine that Morgaise Trekand is dead. Galad and Morgaise were both in Caemlyn when Tom and Matt were there. I find it hard to believe someone like Tom, who is aware of so much, missed this tidbit of information: the former queen is alive! It also seems unlikely that Perrin, in his meeting with Matt and Tom, would have failed to mention that Morgaise was in his employ and judged his trial with the Whitecloaks. There's very little chance that Tom and Matt would not have known.

This is a known mistake and I believe I recall seeing a comment by BS that it will be fixed in further printings. certainly there would be no way for Perrin to tell Mat (btw, it's Mat, not Matt) his story and somehow bypass the fact that Morgase was the judge at the trial. This apparently happened because several chapters were moved around a lot when ToM was being assembled. There are several other timeline mistakes that resulted from that but this one is probably the most glaring of the lot.

 

There are other things relating to Morgase's arrival that somewhat strain credulity. She got to Caemlyn and met up with Elayne about 10 days after VoG (ToM Ch 45) so about 18 days before Merrilor. yet she apparently never bothered to let Gawyn (who is within easy reach by gateway) know about her resurrection in all that time. decidedly unmotherly of her.

and in those 18 days the news of her being alive should have spread anyway even if Elayne didn't announce it right away for some reason. Perrin's whole army knew of it so it would not be possible to keep something like that under wraps even if Elayne wanted to.

[David Selig]

When Morgase came to Caemlyn, Elayne told Norry to prepare a proclamation announcing Morgase's return with the intention of making it public ASAP and instructed Dyelin to inform her closest allies immediately. Morgase also appeared in front of a big audience in the palace when Elayne met Perrin and Faile and Elayne declared a day for celebration of her mother's return. It really makes no sense that Mat and Thom haven't heard of this even if Perrin didn't tell them for some reason, since this was clearly the biggest news in Caemlyn at the time and Thom especially always listens for all kinds of news and rumors and has a special interest in Morgase too.

[The Watcher and Wanderer]

The second - after Matt, Tom, and Moiraine escape the Tower of Genji Matt tells Moiraine that Morgaise Trekand is dead. Galad and Morgaise were both in Caemlyn when Tom and Matt were there. I find it hard to believe someone like Tom, who is aware of so much, missed this tidbit of information: the former queen is alive! It also seems unlikely that Perrin, in his meeting with Matt and Tom, would have failed to mention that Morgaise was in his employ and judged his trial with the Whitecloaks. There's very little chance that Tom and Matt would not have known.

 

Well two Ta'veren were involved so some very unlikely events were bound to occur