Taim the good guy?

[RandA lThor]

I think that Taim is Moridin's "special" tool. He gets to use one of the three dreamspikes which is really rare and the same thing that Graendal got. He also has some of his expressions which can easily be explained as him just getting used to Moridin saying that.

Also, the sigil can just proclaim to any Darkfriend that knows that that Taim is also a darkfriend and he may just be showing off Moridin's symbol. Moridin also said that the other dreamspike is in good use, which means that he may have personally given it to Taim because he is his "pupil".

I can imagine a twist where Moridin takes Taim in to become another Forsaken and be his second in command. Taim is also in an ideal place making Moridin like him even more. Taim also has some of the logic that Moridin has such as when he first Rand. He said that it made sense to proclaim himself as the dragon because it was a possibility and he might have been.

In short, Taim may be the person Moridin is looking for to help him and I think that he is at the level of Forsaken and may become higher.

[IAlsoEnjoyTheSeries]

i hate the fact that Demandred is ruled out of being Taim from Robert Jordan's comment that he wasnt....i just KNOW that Taim is a forsaken or is somehow linked to the AoL. all those signs of "so-called aiel" and contempt for Aes Sedai and the lord of chaos thing cant be from just being a darkfriend. A character like Taim, hiding his supposed alliance to the dark one wouldnt let any of the information slip unless it is knowledge he has possessed for a long time. when you live knowing one thing and are shown the opposite (aiel for example) Taim could have easily slipped, but not if he was just told by moridin about it all.

 

That also raises the question of why teach someone all of these AoL retoric? its information know inheirently, not taught....BUT WHO!!!???

[Barid Bel Medar]

i hate the fact that Demandred is ruled out of being Taim from Robert Jordan's comment that he wasnt....i just KNOW that Taim is a forsaken or is somehow linked to the AoL. all those signs of "so-called aiel" and contempt for Aes Sedai and the lord of chaos thing cant be from just being a darkfriend. A character like Taim, hiding his supposed alliance to the dark one wouldnt let any of the information slip unless it is knowledge he has possessed for a long time. when you live knowing one thing and are shown the opposite (aiel for example) Taim could have easily slipped, but not if he was just told by moridin about it all.

 

That also raises the question of why teach someone all of these AoL retoric? its information know inheirently, not taught....BUT WHO!!!???

 

Have a look for the many Taim=Moridin theories, should like that.

[FarShainMael]

2. 13X13 is something that the forums has thrown up. Somewhere around Siuan's stilling we get to hear about it (if I remember correctly). This is to covert someone from Light into Darkness - I don't think anything about eyes having dead look is mentioned. I'd say what we see are the effects of Compulsion rather that 13x13.

3. Which leads to ... are Taim and all his cronies under Compulsion?

 

I think the people in ToM are under 13x13. We've seen people under Compulsion, and none of them had the weird dead eye effect of the people in the Black Tower. With the exception, maybe, of people who were so gone under Graendal that they were basically brain dead. If Compulsion was so easily recognized, it wouldn't be very effective. Rand also wouldn't have needed Nynaeve to Delve for it in Ramshalan.

 

I don't think they were 13*13ed, or Compelled. That dead-eyed look to me suggests that they've been mindtrapped, and the cour'souvras destroyed. We know from ACoS25 that crushing a cour'souvra leaves the mindtrapped person a mindless puppet.

 

[Vardar]

2. 13X13 is something that the forums has thrown up. Somewhere around Siuan's stilling we get to hear about it (if I remember correctly). This is to covert someone from Light into Darkness - I don't think anything about eyes having dead look is mentioned. I'd say what we see are the effects of Compulsion rather that 13x13. 3. Which leads to ... are Taim and all his cronies under Compulsion?

I think the people in ToM are under 13x13. We've seen people under Compulsion, and none of them had the weird dead eye effect of the people in the Black Tower. With the exception, maybe, of people who were so gone under Graendal that they were basically brain dead. If Compulsion was so easily recognized, it wouldn't be very effective. Rand also wouldn't have needed Nynaeve to Delve for it in Ramshalan.

I don't think they were 13*13ed, or Compelled. That dead-eyed look to me suggests that they've been mindtrapped, and the cour'souvras destroyed. We know from ACoS25 that crushing a cour'souvra leaves the mindtrapped person a mindless puppet.

 

Yea but if it's a mind trap, and their a mindless puppet, who is controlling? I mean controlling 1 puppet easy. Controlling dozens? All signs point towards 13*13, turned against their will. Nothing else fits.

 

As to the Taim doing nothing evil on screen, well if he did, and there was no question of it, what kind of storyline would it be? I mean if he did something so obviously evil that another character saw it, who wasn't his minion, Rand would be forced to swoop in with an Army to kill him and his minions. We can't have that now can we? So what we get are foreshadowings. Sure they're pretty obvious, but like the OP proves, some part of you thinks, wellllll maybe not. That's good writing right there.

 

I do agree that they're going to have to really explain his story, because he knows too much and thinks too much like a Forsaken. Remember we haven't seen any Dreadlords on screen yet (Confirmed at least), but the channelers we have seen, off screen, who are dreadlordds are always accounted as weak. Remember in the battle in the borderlands, they had weak channelers against them. Same with Perrin, a weak channeler against him. The new recruits are generally all prety powerful in the one power, Taim is no exception. I don't think the Forsaken would have a dreadlord who was as powerful, or more powerful as them (Rand ranks him just below himself, Logain as well) as a mere dreadlord. In fact, I would go sofar as to suggest that the dreadlords are all chosen as middlingly weak because the Forsaken are jealous of their positions, and they want malable fools to do their work for them. If you were a forsaken, and you discovered a channeler nearly as powerful as yourself, and then a few others still powerful, but a lot less powerful than you, who would you pick up? Duh, the less powerful ones who will be easily cowed.

 

Just my thoughts.

[IAlsoEnjoyTheSeries]

2. 13X13 is something that the forums has thrown up. Somewhere around Siuan's stilling we get to hear about it (if I remember correctly). This is to covert someone from Light into Darkness - I don't think anything about eyes having dead look is mentioned. I'd say what we see are the effects of Compulsion rather that 13x13. 3. Which leads to ... are Taim and all his cronies under Compulsion?

I think the people in ToM are under 13x13. We've seen people under Compulsion, and none of them had the weird dead eye effect of the people in the Black Tower. With the exception, maybe, of people who were so gone under Graendal that they were basically brain dead. If Compulsion was so easily recognized, it wouldn't be very effective. Rand also wouldn't have needed Nynaeve to Delve for it in Ramshalan.

I don't think they were 13*13ed, or Compelled. That dead-eyed look to me suggests that they've been mindtrapped, and the cour'souvras destroyed. We know from ACoS25 that crushing a cour'souvra leaves the mindtrapped person a mindless puppet.

 

Yea but if it's a mind trap, and their a mindless puppet, who is controlling? I mean controlling 1 puppet easy. Controlling dozens? All signs point towards 13*13, turned against their will. Nothing else fits.

 

As to the Taim doing nothing evil on screen, well if he did, and there was no question of it, what kind of storyline would it be? I mean if he did something so obviously evil that another character saw it, who wasn't his minion, Rand would be forced to swoop in with an Army to kill him and his minions. We can't have that now can we? So what we get are foreshadowings. Sure they're pretty obvious, but like the OP proves, some part of you thinks, wellllll maybe not. That's good writing right there.

 

I do agree that they're going to have to really explain his story, because he knows too much and thinks too much like a Forsaken. Remember we haven't seen any Dreadlords on screen yet (Confirmed at least), but the channelers we have seen, off screen, who are dreadlordds are always accounted as weak. Remember in the battle in the borderlands, they had weak channelers against them. Same with Perrin, a weak channeler against him. The new recruits are generally all prety powerful in the one power, Taim is no exception. I don't think the Forsaken would have a dreadlord who was as powerful, or more powerful as them (Rand ranks him just below himself, Logain as well) as a mere dreadlord. In fact, I would go sofar as to suggest that the dreadlords are all chosen as middlingly weak because the Forsaken are jealous of their positions, and they want malable fools to do their work for them. If you were a forsaken, and you discovered a channeler nearly as powerful as yourself, and then a few others still powerful, but a lot less powerful than you, who would you pick up? Duh, the less powerful ones who will be easily cowed.

 

Just my thoughts.

 

And i like your thoughts, thats a great fact to bring up up about how the forsaken would never tag along with a channeler as powerful as them. They have know and worked with teh forsaken for centuries and they are BEYOND wary of them so why wouldnt they of Taim? he is definently something more, i cant find the disscusion board but i heard many theories of him being either somehow another forsaken not mentioned or a channeler from the AoL that somehow also survived and has taken the persona of Taim. They arent backed up by any real evidence but they lead to some interesting questions about who he really is?

 

As for him being Moridin, Which i totally could see happening (red and black being his sigil), i have seen much evidence to support and refute that. Moridin is gathering the DO forces and seems preoccupied in the Blight at all times since the forsaken always go to see him in that black tower of his. thats the strongest evidence i have noticed that disagrees but hey...he IS moridin, the biggest of all badasses, who knows that he can do?

[Sharaman]

Taim's origins are shrouded in mystery.

He's assumed to be Saldean.He's a man of some learning. He has a powerful personality.

Every Borderlander including commoners like the cobbler Narishma learns to use weapons.and most have hard-core experience fighting the Shadow,

We know that Saldeans at least have few problems about commoners becoming military commanders, both from ToM and Bashere's initial conversation with Perrin.

Yet, there's been no reference to Taim's family or military experience - unlike Logain.

Taim claims he's hopeless with a sword - unlikely given that he's a physically well-coordinated man who must have received some training.

Then he escapes mysteriously from AS custody, turns up and surrenders in Caemlyn and after that, he plots against Rand.

Clearly, by WH, he is on the Darkside.

Yet, his behaviour indicates he's not been 13x13.

We've never had a single PoV from him. So RJ and BS have very deliberately heightened the mystery.

.