Afternoon Tea with Brandon Sanderson

[Terez]

Didn't the tower end up taking back her original angreal?

 

Luckers and I discussed that, and she used it in TDR for sure, so apparently not. The best time for the Tower to take it back would have been in TGH, either when Siuan went to Fal Dara or during Moiraine's black time during which she apparently returned to the Tower briefly.

 

I think the reason they couldn't break the wards on Callandor in the stone was because of their nature. That is to say they were made by full links by both men and women, and it likely would have require cooperation between them in order to break the wards, but we all know how well the Forsaken cooperate, particularly when the women have nothing to gain by freeing Callandor. Or perhaps they simply didn't want to try beating the prophecy yet.

 

The wards on Callandor are a little easier to understand than the wards on the Great Holding. It all fits except the assumption that Be'lal should have taken the fat man. If he'd found a better angreal, it's possible he might have left it there. But as Rand says, it's not like they ever do inventories. The dust is proof of that. It's possible that there were wards on the Holding that were connected to the wards on Callandor, and that they were broken when Rand took the sword, but it requires a lot of assumptions. For one thing, the Tairens have supposedly only been collecting objects of the Power because they fear the Power. It may be that the Great Holding was actually intended as a safe place for 'angreal to keep them away from channeling men, which was the logic behind sending all the 'angreal with the Aiel, which was before the Stone was built. It was warded only against channelers, and was untied only when Rand took Callandor. That way, Tairens could continue to pass through the wards easily to keep objects there, but channelers could not, and the mistrust Tairens have for channelers actually originated in the problems they had with channelers wanting to take things. Or something. And then when Rand broke the wards, Moiraine put her own wards on it. Or Rand did. Or both of them.

[Cybertrolloc]

Bleh, that's some really totured apologetics.

 

There's a some mentions (Mesaana in LoC prologue and Dem somewhere I think), that worked fine until Egwene just traveled into the WT storeroom. I don't see fixing that.

[Mats Spare Hat]

Also the answer about the time frame is interesting. Different for different parts of the world. Does this mean like the catch-up with the Black Tower like Mat/Perrin difference with Rand/Egwene in ToM, or actual time distortion, possibly at Shayol Ghul or time starts messing up?

 

As I told Luckers, I assumed it was the first. Which is not to say that other possibilities don't come to mind.

 

---

 

I actually thought he might be getting at TAR playing a big role, what with the repeated mentionings of how time passes differently in that part of the world - WoT world on a whole, as opposed to different parts of the world, geographically.

 

*shrug

[Terez]

Also the answer about the time frame is interesting. Different for different parts of the world. Does this mean like the catch-up with the Black Tower like Mat/Perrin difference with Rand/Egwene in ToM, or actual time distortion, possibly at Shayol Ghul or time starts messing up?

 

As I told Luckers, I assumed it was the first. Which is not to say that other possibilities don't come to mind.

 

---

 

I actually thought he might be getting at TAR playing a big role, what with the repeated mentionings of how time passes differently in that part of the world - WoT world on a whole, as opposed to different parts of the world, geographically.

 

*shrug

 

That's probably the most likely of the possibilities that came to mind, particularly considering the legend of Boann and the Dagda, and how it ties in to Rand's resurrection. But it's stretching the meaning of 'different parts of the world', from our perspective. It would work as an Aes Sedai answer for Brandon.

[Luckers]

Dida's been spamming my twitter, but he actually made me realise something in the go. Specifically, this...

 

Question Five

 

Luckers: Was the Shiny Dragon… was she manipulating Masema before Perrin met him?

 

Brandon: Umm, when did Perrin meet Masema? Was it in the scene where Alliandre is kneeling and giving her jewellery to him?

 

Luckers: No, that was…

 

Brandon: Nynaeve, yeah. Right.

 

Luckers: Perrin met him at the same time Faile was getting kidnapped.

 

Brandon: Right. Then in that case, yes, the Shiny Dragon was manipulating him before.

 

It's curious that he picked up on Alliandre first, because that was precisely the time Moghedien was in Somara preparing her disguise and assigning what remained of Liandrin's thirteen their various tasks. It even sounded at the time like he was about to say no, if Perrin met Masema in the Alliandre moment in time. :-)

[Terez]

Yeah, I have been assuming that it was probably Moghedien since he gave the 'female' answer.

[Suttree]

Dida's been spamming my twitter, but he actually made me realise something in the go. Specifically, this...

 

Question Five

 

Luckers: Was the Shiny Dragon… was she manipulating Masema before Perrin met him?

 

Brandon: Umm, when did Perrin meet Masema? Was it in the scene where Alliandre is kneeling and giving her jewellery to him?

 

Luckers: No, that was…

 

Brandon: Nynaeve, yeah. Right.

 

Luckers: Perrin met him at the same time Faile was getting kidnapped.

 

Brandon: Right. Then in that case, yes, the Shiny Dragon was manipulating him before.

 

It's curious that he picked up on Alliandre first, because that was precisely the time Moghedien was in Somara preparing her disguise and assigning what remained of Liandrin's thirteen their various tasks. It even sounded at the time like he was about to say no, if Perrin met Masema in the Alliandre moment in time. :-)

 

Isn't it crazy when that happens? Freaking Dida...

[Gabriel Kross]

Didn't the tower end up taking back her original angreal?

 

I think the reason they couldn't break the wards on Callandor in the stone was because of their nature. That is to say they were made by full links by both men and women, and it likely would have require cooperation between them in order to break the wards, but we all know how well the Forsaken cooperate, particularly when the women have nothing to gain by freeing Callandor. Or perhaps they simply didn't want to try beating the prophecy yet.

 

Okay here, the Callandor wards being referred to were the ones Rand set, which he did with Lews Therin memories so it's something the Forsaken knew and possibly feared to touch.

 

Didn't the tower end up taking back her original angreal?

 

Luckers and I discussed that, and she used it in TDR for sure, so apparently not. The best time for the Tower to take it back would have been in TGH, either when Siuan went to Fal Dara or during Moiraine's black time during which she apparently returned to the Tower briefly.

 

I think the reason they couldn't break the wards on Callandor in the stone was because of their nature. That is to say they were made by full links by both men and women, and it likely would have require cooperation between them in order to break the wards, but we all know how well the Forsaken cooperate, particularly when the women have nothing to gain by freeing Callandor. Or perhaps they simply didn't want to try beating the prophecy yet.

 

The wards on Callandor are a little easier to understand than the wards on the Great Holding. It all fits except the assumption that Be'lal should have taken the fat man. If he'd found a better angreal, it's possible he might have left it there. But as Rand says, it's not like they ever do inventories. The dust is proof of that. It's possible that there were wards on the Holding that were connected to the wards on Callandor, and that they were broken when Rand took the sword, but it requires a lot of assumptions. For one thing, the Tairens have supposedly only been collecting objects of the Power because they fear the Power. It may be that the Great Holding was actually intended as a safe place for 'angreal to keep them away from channeling men, which was the logic behind sending all the 'angreal with the Aiel, which was before the Stone was built. It was warded only against channelers, and was untied only when Rand took Callandor. That way, Tairens could continue to pass through the wards easily to keep objects there, but channelers could not, and the mistrust Tairens have for channelers actually originated in the problems they had with channelers wanting to take things. Or something. And then when Rand broke the wards, Moiraine put her own wards on it. Or Rand did. Or both of them.

 

I'm pretty sure the wards to the store room were set post Moiraine exit.

 

 

Also Luckers I'm sure this has been asked many times but I've never seen an answer, who did Rand talk to after Aginor died in TEotW before fighting Ishy?

[yoniy0]

Brandon would never answer a question that got RAFOed by RJ. Whoever it was that talked in ALL CAPS in TEotW, RJ didn't want us to know (by the way, the strangest thing here isn't that it happened, but that in never did again. Whatever RJ said, my mind is set that this is an early-bookism).

[Luckers]

Hey went to the signing in Sydney tonight. Nothing really new, except that both times he spoke of the climax of the series (that Jordan had written) he spoke of it as one chapter (he spoke much the same in Melbourne too, but I didn't really note it then).

 

The second thing is that someone asked whether he had freaked harriet out with how well he channeled Jordan, and he replied that he had freaked harriet out, though not so much for that as for some of his crazy ideas. He said he thought Jordan would have been innovating and creating as the process of writing unfolded, and that he did much the same, throwing thoughts at Harriet, some of which made it into the book. An example of one which didn't end up in the books, and which apparently Harriet 'freaked' out about was that he suggested Perrin might take up the Way of the Leaf.

[Gabriel Kross]

nice I figured he wouldn't end up with the way of the leaf but thanks for confirming it Luckers!

[Gabriel Kross]

Brandon would never answer a question that got RAFOed by RJ. Whoever it was that talked in ALL CAPS in TEotW, RJ didn't want us to know (by the way, the strangest thing here isn't that it happened, but that in never did again. Whatever RJ said, my mind is set that this is an early-bookism).

 

 

I didn't know it got RAFO'd, I'm think it's something that will resurface in AMoL but was curious about it (my theory is Creator) it'd be nice if we got a hint that it might be answered in AMoL though...

[Grig]

Stefan

 

So we know in The Eye of the World, there was somebody who talked in capital letters like how the Dark One did. Obviously you can't tell us who it was, but will we know by the end of A Memory of Light?

Brandon Sanderson

 

 

I know what that was about. Will it be in the next book? Er...RAFO. Sorry.

STEFAN

 

Will we know by the end of the series though?

BRANDON SANDERSON

 

I really can't say yes or no. This is one of the things Harriet has asked me to be very quiet about.

 

From here.

 

What caught my attention was the mention that Moiraine's current angreal is different than the one from the docks. The explanation and reasoning seems odd (granted, he has the notes, but it sounded more like he was reasoning off the cuff). although I suppose Luckers kind of confused the issue, referring to two different prior angreal during the discussion. There's no way the bracelet could be in Cairhien with her stuff, since it appearerd to go through the portal. Probably reading too much into Sanderson's statement.

[Agitel]

Bleh, that's some really totured apologetics.

 

There's a some mentions (Mesaana in LoC prologue and Dem somewhere I think), that worked fine until Egwene just traveled into the WT storeroom. I don't see fixing that.

 

The wards in the White Tower have been weakening and disappearing in the last couple of books, haven't they?

[Luckers]

Stefan

 

So we know in The Eye of the World, there was somebody who talked in capital letters like how the Dark One did. Obviously you can't tell us who it was, but will we know by the end of A Memory of Light?

Brandon Sanderson

 

 

I know what that was about. Will it be in the next book? Er...RAFO. Sorry.

STEFAN

 

Will we know by the end of the series though?

BRANDON SANDERSON

 

I really can't say yes or no. This is one of the things Harriet has asked me to be very quiet about.

 

From here.

 

What caught my attention was the mention that Moiraine's current angreal is different than the one from the docks. The explanation and reasoning seems odd (granted, he has the notes, but it sounded more like he was reasoning off the cuff). although I suppose Luckers kind of confused the issue, referring to two different prior angreal during the discussion. There's no way the bracelet could be in Cairhien with her stuff, since it appearerd to go through the portal. Probably reading too much into Sanderson's statement.

 

To be clear the distinction between the three angreal--Moiraine's original figurine, the bracelet Lanfear picked up, and the bracelet Moiraine was awarded--was made very clear during the discussion, not all of which is recorded here. Brandon never suggested Lanfear's bracelet was left in Cairhien--at that point we were speaking entirely of the the figurine.

 

Mind you, Terez has pointed out that the bracelet that Lanfear picked up and the bracelet Moiraine is given have exactly the same description, whilst Brandon stated they were distinct angreal--and again it was very clear we were speaking of the two bracelets, not of the figurine and the bracelet. This was at the same time Brandon stated that the angreal left Moiraine close to, but weaker than her original strength. The next day when I addressed the contradiction with the text in TofM he acknowledged it, and stated that that section had been written by Jordan, and placed in with next to no change--and thus, presumably, that his knowledge of that section was not as solid as the sections he had written.

 

I'm guessing that this issue stems from the same source.

[Luckers]

Bleh, that's some really totured apologetics.

 

There's a some mentions (Mesaana in LoC prologue and Dem somewhere I think), that worked fine until Egwene just traveled into the WT storeroom. I don't see fixing that.

 

The wards in the White Tower have been weakening and disappearing in the last couple of books, haven't they?

 

Actually not really. Rather, its just that the Dark One's touch has been influencing things warded as well as things that are not warded. The rot, the increase in vermin--these things are simply taking place in spite of the wardings, as opposed to the wards failing and these things occuring naturally.

[Edynol]

Do you have any thoughts on what Rand's plans are for the meeting at the Fields, Luckers? Other, myself included, think it's to discuss the Dragon's Peace as per Avi's vision. Do you think there may be more aside from that?

[Luckers]

Do you have any thoughts on what Rand's plans are for the meeting at the Fields, Luckers? Other, myself included, think it's to discuss the Dragon's Peace as per Avi's vision. Do you think there may be more aside from that?

 

My suspicion is that Merrilor will be a blood bath. ;)

[Edynol]

Oh man I hope not. It's the Dragon's Peace, not the Dragon's Pieces. (Dur! Words are fun!)

[Galium]

Do you have any thoughts on what Rand's plans are for the meeting at the Fields, Luckers? Other, myself included, think it's to discuss the Dragon's Peace as per Avi's vision. Do you think there may be more aside from that?

 

My suspicion is that Merrilor will be a blood bath. ;)

As in the forces of the Light will fight each other or the Shadow will try a large ambush?

[cwbys21]

Well, it would be impossible to keep this gathering secret from darkfriends, so there is certainly a possibility of an ambush. All those people there would be a formidable foe, but they wouldn't have much room to maneuver either. Then again, you have that phrase from the Art of War to make your soldiers fight better, intentionally put them in a situation where they are forced to win or die or something like that, also the saying about cornering wild animals. Would certainly make for a hell of a battle.

[dicetosser1]

I was at the Sydney event too and asked him 2 questions afterwards when he was signing my books.

 

1 Will there be Wolfsisters?

 

A RAFO with a grin

 

2 is speaking to Wolves heriditary

 

A RJs note say it is a soulbound ability which basically means every time Perrin Noam and Elyas are born they will have the ability to speak to wolves.

 

My brother asked something too but i will have to check what and post it later

[Edynol]

A wolfsister? Sounds like real bitch if ya ask me.

[kght22]

A wolfsister? Sounds like real bitch if ya ask me.

i see what you did there

[Edynol]

Heheh I was hoping someone would catch that. :D lol.