There is a .... in the Blight...

[FarShainMael]

I'm wondering if it's another portal to 'finnland. Mat saw three spires (TSR15) in Aelfinnland, and in ToM they find themselves in one of those spires after apparently leaving the Tower, a spire that seems to be in Eelfinnland. So if there's one portal per spire, where is the third?

 

And who are those red-veiled 'aiel'?

 

Why is there just one spire on the RL though. And

 

good point, that's pretty valid. But I think their story is finished.

 

We don't know that there's only one spire in Randland. There are windows in Aelfinnland (TSR15) through which Mat saw the three spires, but none IIRC in Eelfinnland (TSR24).

 

I would have agreed about that arc being over, but for those red-veils. (Though they prob will turn out to be Aiel..)

[Morden]

Cant remember if it was in tGS or KoD where the forsaken meet in Moridin's fortress and one of them looks out the window to see a town/settlement and how one of them mentions the guards (because they have to guard against the creatures of the blight, many of which only take orders from the DO and no other.)

 

so could well be a city, but dont think that would have been such a major reveal

[Zorlon]

So then the blank in the blight could very well be a structure of some sort. Castlevania+FarmVille somewhere near SG/pit o' doom. Why wouldn't the cavern be protected by a fortress?

 

what kind of madman would be willing to live at Shayol Ghul?

 

Besides, the DO doesn't trust people, not even the Forsaken would be allowed to spend any unnecessary time at Shayol Ghul.

 

Also re: Blight and Trollocs, even with a nation or what not, there are still far too many Trollocs to be sustained in the Blight. Brandon has said that they are getting their food from another source.

 

INTERVIEW: Dec 5th, 2009

TGS Signing Report - kavorka (Paraphrased)

 

QUESTION

Trollocs. Question was how many Trollocs did the Dark One have access to?

 

BRANDON SANDERSON

He stated definitively that there are lots and lots of Trollocs. The Dark One has access to either "orders of magnitudes more" or "an order of magnitude" more Trollocs that can be supported in the Blights (I can't remember whether there was an "s" there. Sorry). He wouldn't comment on how or where, but was very clear that there was going to be a big, big Trolloc army.

I am assuming he meant more Trollocs than can be supported by living off the land.

 

The nation, if it exists, would be the secret so iSanderson wouldn't be at liberty to speak of it, thus when he says more than can be supported in the Blight he is referring to the Blight as we know it.

 

We've also been told there hints in ToM as to what the secret is. All I saw hints for was a nation up there, what with the Blightland farms and red veiled dagger toothed folk. I expect those folk are Blightlanders.

 

Whatever the source of Trolloc food it has to be something which has been around since at least a few Trolloc generations before the Trolloc Wars. The Shadowspawn numbers were also humongous then.

[Zorlon]

would have agreed about that arc being over, but for those red-veils. (Though they prob will turn out to be Aiel..)

Is there any reason to think this other than the veils?

 

Sure the veils had the poor murdered dude thinking Aiel, but that was only until they got up close and he saw they looked nothing like Aiel.

 

I think the veils are just a matter of practicality and the dagger mouthed veiled folk are something completely different. Citizens of the Blight Nation, perhaps.

[XoMeltdownoX]

I think BBM is saying that they are bringing in trollocs from mirror worlds to bolster the numbers.

 

[Suttree]

would have agreed about that arc being over, but for those red-veils. (Though they prob will turn out to be Aiel..)

Is there any reason to think this other than the veils?

 

Sure the veils had the poor murdered dude thinking Aiel, but that was only until they got up close and he saw they looked nothing like Aiel.

 

I think the veils are just a matter of practicality and the dagger mouthed veiled folk are something completely different. Citizens of the Blight Nation, perhaps.

 

They had short spears on their back as well and they moved in a similar manner...it pretty clearly was meant to be a subversion of the Aiel. I would be surprised were it something else.

[Tiberius]

Maybe they're mirror world aiel?

[Story Archer]

This is the actual story that's being referenced in Wilson's own words:

 

'It was late Saturday evening and [Robert Jordan and I] were talking about this and that, whatever he wanted to. He stopped short, got very serious and quiet. He leaned toward me and whispered these words that will be forever are etched in my mind, “There’s a (Blank) in the Blight.” His revelation took me completely by surprise so I asked, “There’s a what in the Blight?” He repeated, “There’s a (Blank) in the Blight and no one knows about it, not even Harriet.” He then explained the (Blank) in extreme detail and the significance it would play in things yet to come. For the next two hours the book flew off his tongue at a staggering pace. Wow! I’ve spent countless hours with [him]. None were better than that magical night.'

 

So...

 

A Dragon?

 

No, its been established that there are no 'real' dragons.

 

A Stedding?

 

No surprise to anyone and hardly worthy of comment.

 

A Sa'angreal/ter'angreal?

 

Possibly... there has been hints that another big one exists and is unaccounted for.

 

A tower?

 

I suppose... it could be Sanderson's sense of humor to have the clue actually be IN the title Towers of Midnight... but its hardly dramatic enough to warrant exclamation or discretion.

 

A city?

 

This seems to be the most popular theory and the most likely. Perhaps the Makier capital, Lan's home city?

 

Whatever it is, it can't be just a 'thing', it would have to be something that the author might go on 'in great detail' about, something who's full significance might not be immediately obvious. Of all the possibilities I've read suggested, a city seems to be the only one that could fit. Moreover, when Jordan said 'no one knows about it, not even Harriet', he's clearly talking about people here in this world, not people in Randland - a character, or characters, might be well aware of it.

 

Side note: It seems pretty likely that the unimaginable numbers of trollocs have been bred on other words and brought into the blight through the portal stones for the last battle, this one place where the tipping point of reality at the one time when the Shadow makes its bid towards oblivion.

[Wool-headed lummox]

Country? As in, several cities, towns, villages, crops and so on - all populated by Darkfriends, and completely cut off from the rest of the world? A country big enough to form a human army fighting on the Dark One's side.

[thisguy]

How about if it is a city from the Age of Legends, complete with Age of Legends defenses? There's that one city in the Jangtai (Jingtai?) Pass.

[Matrim-Bloody-Cauthon]

How about if it is a city from the Age of Legends, complete with Age of Legends defenses? There's that one city in the Jangtai (Jingtai?) Pass.

Thought it was Janghai Pass. Not sure myself tho honestly

[Barid Bel Medar]

How about if it is a city from the Age of Legends, complete with Age of Legends defenses? There's that one city in the Jangtai (Jingtai?) Pass.

 

While I am not sure about the technology still working, or it being fully in tact it is not a bad idea.

 

Just remembering my conjecture on the Land of Madmen, I thought that perhaps it never recovered from the Breaking because it was one of the Shadow Controlled territories in the AoL, with Forsaken Aes Sedai rather than good ones, so that recovery was harder.

 

It occurs to me that the area around Shayol Ghul would have been heavily controlled by the Shadow, as it was the HQ. Now I am not sure how much of the surrounding area is still the same as the AoL, but it may be possible that the area around Shayol Ghul, or somewhere in the extended Blight, may be a territory that is still under the control of the Shadow. WIth the possible protection offered by the Dark One, it could be that there is a whole city/nation loyal to the Shadow, relatively untouched by the Breaking, or at least, if not untouched, still loyal to the DO. (remembering that in the WoP entire territories, millions, possibly billions, were loyal to the Shadow, not like the occasional DF we have now)

 

Most likely still is that there has been a community built over the years by the male aiel channelers and other Aiel who go to the blight to kill the DO mixed with captured borderlanders.

[Zorlon]

It occurs to me that the area around Shayol Ghul would have been heavily controlled by the Shadow, as it was the HQ. Now I am not sure how much of the surrounding area is still the same as the AoL, but it may be possible that the area around Shayol Ghul, or somewhere in the extended Blight, may be a territory that is still under the control of the Shadow. WIth the possible protection offered by the Dark One, it could be that there is a whole city/nation loyal to the Shadow, relatively untouched by the Breaking, or at least, if not untouched, still loyal to the DO. (remembering that in the WoP entire territories, millions, possibly billions, were loyal to the Shadow, not like the occasional DF we have now)

 

Most likely still is that there has been a community built over the years by the male aiel channelers and other Aiel who go to the blight to kill the DO mixed with captured borderlanders.

I wonder if human Blight dwellers will be as physically corrupted by the Blight as ever other living thing is.

 

I recall someone once mentioning it is taboo for pregnant women to enter the Blight. Interesting to wonder what form the corruption might take after 150 generations.

[Barid Bel Medar]

I would say that if there is some kind of oganized community, there would be a certain extent of protection, the DO would want relatively in tact humans. Or they live in an area not so Blight-y (like the Blasted Lands) But it is a good point. It reminds me of those crazy, vaguely humanoid creatures in the EotW that attack the fellowship (yes, I went there ) in the Blight. They could be the effects of the corruption of humans.

[Tiberius]

Hmm. All good thoughts. January. So close yet so far.

[Vardar]

How about if it is a city from the Age of Legends, complete with Age of Legends defenses? There's that one city in the Jangtai (Jingtai?) Pass.

 

While I am not sure about the technology still working, or it being fully in tact it is not a bad idea.

 

Just remembering my conjecture on the Land of Madmen, I thought that perhaps it never recovered from the Breaking because it was one of the Shadow Controlled territories in the AoL, with Forsaken Aes Sedai rather than good ones, so that recovery was harder.

 

It occurs to me that the area around Shayol Ghul would have been heavily controlled by the Shadow, as it was the HQ. Now I am not sure how much of the surrounding area is still the same as the AoL, but it may be possible that the area around Shayol Ghul, or somewhere in the extended Blight, may be a territory that is still under the control of the Shadow. WIth the possible protection offered by the Dark One, it could be that there is a whole city/nation loyal to the Shadow, relatively untouched by the Breaking, or at least, if not untouched, still loyal to the DO. (remembering that in the WoP entire territories, millions, possibly billions, were loyal to the Shadow, not like the occasional DF we have now)

 

Most likely still is that there has been a community built over the years by the male aiel channelers and other Aiel who go to the blight to kill the DO mixed with captured borderlanders.

 

While I love the idea, how much would that piss people off to have to explain that backstory. A city or a nation makes the most sense, in the context we're given, but it's going to be a huge gap in the plotline because they won't be able to explain it very well, so they'll just gloss over it and do a accept it cause you have too type thing.

 

Although it's still not as bad to me as the idea tha the red veiled Aiel are all male channelers they've built up over the years.

[thisguy]

Yeah, I'd have a problem with a city made up entirely of captured aiel and borderlanders. Let's say it's a city of DFs, I'd have a bit of a problem with that too, I think. If they've been protected by the DO for like 3000 years, you'd think they'd be powerful enough to rain destruction down on the borderlands. Just weird. We'll see, though. We might be wrong and if we're not maybe there's a decent explanation. But, at the very least, you'd figure they'd be used as spies and there's been nothing in the story to show that yet.

[Vardar]

Yeah, I'd have a problem with a city made up entirely of captured aiel and borderlanders. Let's say it's a city of DFs, I'd have a bit of a problem with that too, I think. If they've been protected by the DO for like 3000 years, you'd think they'd be powerful enough to rain destruction down on the borderlands. Just weird. We'll see, though. We might be wrong and if we're not maybe there's a decent explanation. But, at the very least, you'd figure they'd be used as spies and there's been nothing in the story to show that yet.

 

Exactly.

 

Of couse the general idea is that the Dark One needs Rand to break free, and nothing else will suffice. I don't get that, I mean the Bore was made without the dragon, the seals can be broken without the Dragon, so...

 

I'll take the idea of a city over the idea of hundreds if not thousands of channelers in an army that no one ever thought to use.

[Woolheaded]

Personally I think it's obvious there's some sort of city/nation in the blight, for food purposes and because we got snippets of them from Moridin and the like. Now something that would really give somebody pause if they were hearing it for the first time would be: "There's a rebellion in the blight." I mean, there's darkfriends in Randland, why not lightfriends in Blightland?

 

Perhaps a little out there, but at least a little 'cooler' than just a city or nation.

[thisguy]

Personally I think it's obvious there's some sort of city/nation in the blight, for food purposes and because we got snippets of them from Moridin and the like. Now something that would really give somebody pause if they were hearing it for the first time would be: "There's a rebellion in the blight." I mean, there's darkfriends in Randland, why not lightfriends in Blightland?

 

Perhaps a little out there, but at least a little 'cooler' than just a city or nation.

 

Could be. Makes sense. But, as far as RJ's talk with the other guy goes, since the discussion (I believe) came before the scene where Moridin is watching the blight farm it would be a bigger deal than it seems now.

[jwood01]

I just hope that this is actually something really shocking....not like the BUT.

 

However, what would I be shocked about now that we've been warned?

 

A blight twisted Aiel Sept?...meh...we've already been introduced to those weirdos in the ToM epilogue.

 

A blight twisted city or civilization? ...meh...we saw blight resistent crops out of Moridin's window

 

A portal stone? ...a super meh...how else did the shadow move so many trollocs to attack Algarin's manor in KoD?

 

 

A Sa'Angreal would probably shock me, just because i don't think it fits very well.

[Neophyte]

My comic side wants it to be a strip mall.

 

My wants-to-be-freaked-out side wants it to be a "research facility" (but if that was it, the DO would have been stupid not to put Osan'gar there, so ... sigh)

 

Hmm ... a Sharan embassy? The Blight does stretch all the way over there, and they claim the Trolloc Wars didn't mess with them ... and the Trollocs apparently have some other food source ... I'm shooting in the dark there though. The forces of the DO haven't seemed to be very worried about Shara all along though. They seriously messed up Seanchan, and all of the Aiel+Randland are getting plenty of attention. Maybe the Ayyad were already in the Shadow's pocket, so to speak?

[thisguy]

My comic side wants it to be a strip mall.

 

My wants-to-be-freaked-out side wants it to be a "research facility" (but if that was it, the DO would have been stupid not to put Osan'gar there, so ... sigh)

 

Hmm ... a Sharan embassy? The Blight does stretch all the way over there, and they claim the Trolloc Wars didn't mess with them ... and the Trollocs apparently have some other food source ... I'm shooting in the dark there though. The forces of the DO haven't seemed to be very worried about Shara all along though. They seriously messed up Seanchan, and all of the Aiel+Randland are getting plenty of attention. Maybe the Ayyad were already in the Shadow's pocket, so to speak?

 

That's not a bad thought. Shaara's the one place that's mentioned several times but we see nothing of it. It would be just pulling it out of the blue for the story but it would still be a surprise.

[jwood01]

How about a nuclear missle? Now that would shock me!

[Neophyte]

A library.