Dark One's promise of eternal life

[Alric]

Exactly how do Darkfriends and the (at least somewhat) smarter Forsaken imagine that this would work? We have to my knowledge not seen the DO make anyone stop aging. Sure, he can grab people's souls when they die and put them into new bodies (but the grabbing depends on luck and the right circumstances to even work). Do they have to depend on him doing this each time they die of old age or crash their jo-car into a cuendillar wall? I don't believe the Forsaken even saw body migration until after they were released from the sealing. Do they simply just trust the DO on this claim?

[Hagazussa]

Well the Dark One is a extremely powerful supernatural creature who know what he can do. Perhaps he can stop someone from aging or perhaps it is just a boast, or perhaps he mean after he have broken the Wheel and reshaped the world in his image. It is possible that if the Wheel go down time go with it and no one will age. I always just assumed it was a power that he had, that he could stop or reverse aging, that seams minor compared to some of the other things he have done.

[Ferdawoon]

"Father of lies", as they call him..

ishy / Moridin is the only real brainiac here. He argued (think this was from the BWB, but might have been from the wiki or another fansite) that sooner or later the Dark One would win. As time goes towards infinity, the chance / risk that the Dark One will win also go towards infinity.

It was only really a matter of time.

 

So he reason, why not let it end now, why go through all the struggle? He had the kind of thoughts that Rand had before Veins of Gold.

[Alanna]

Yeah, Moridin appears to be the only one who actually gets what's gonna happen when the DO breaks free. I'm sure Darkfriends and the Forsaken think the DO will be able to do what he promises once he's free - and it's possible he would have that power - but that wouldn't happen anyway, because he wants to destroy the Wheel. There isn't going to be any kind of world or life for the Darkfriends/Forsaken to rule or have.

 

For Moridin, that's what he wants. Sometimes I think the others are a bunch of idiots not to get this, though.

[Barid Bel Medar]

The DO can grant immortality.

 

Firstly, Transmigration is something all of the Forsaken know about, and have witnessed. (they knew of it in the AoL, they are not surprised at it after the sealing, and guess that the DO has brought back Aginor and Balthamael - who were the first to be brought back in this age) He can ressurect the dead, some would say that power alone would convince anyone of the veracity.

 

However, the DO has shown himself capable of reversing the aging process. The DO rejuvenates Aginor in EotW, from his decayed state to a relatively healthy body. Of course, he dies soon after, but he was rejuvenated in the first place.

 

Take into account the fact that the DO can destroy souls (Gray Men), has his own source of power comparable to the OP (the TP), literally destroys the Pattern with his touch, changing seasons, creating bubbles of evil etc. and all this while he is still "imprisoned", no doubt it would be easy to believe he could grant immortality.

 

RJ has also confirmed that the DO can grant immortality (via the TP). So it is entirely possible.

 

Of course, according to Moridin, that is not His plan, that the world will be cast into nothingness. Which is certainly a possibility (I think it is the truth, but personal opinions aside) Or it could be the DO giving Moridin what he wants to hear, just like He does with the rest of the Forsaken.

 

In any case, there is ample evidence of the DO's power, and granting immortality is very real. Even so, they do not all trust the DO completely. However, for the chance of immortality, they would risk it.

[pamela]

 

However, the DO has shown himself capable of reversing the aging process. The DO rejuvenates Aginor in EotW, from his decayed state to a relatively healthy body. Of course, he dies soon after, but he was rejuvenated in the first place.

 

 

One small thing: it's not the DO who rejuvenates Aginor, it's the Eye.

[OptimusPrime]

When Rand severs Asmodeans connection to the Dark One, Asmo thinks to himself he can feel time wearing away at him. Only a sensation of course, but I dont think anti-aging would be that hard to do with the Power and/or True Power.

 

Plus as Barid said, the Chosen all know he can bring back the dead. Immortality doesnt mean you dont age, it means you live forever, or at least there is potentially no time limit. If you have an infinite amount of generations to follow, you have an infinite amount of bodies you can be transferred into. Immortality through bodyswapping is the same (perhaps even better) than staying in the original, especially for the likes of Moridin.

[Suttree]

However, the DO has shown himself capable of reversing the aging process. The DO rejuvenates Aginor in EotW, from his decayed state to a relatively healthy body. Of course, he dies soon after, but he was rejuvenated in the first place.

 

 

One small thing: it's not the DO who rejuvenates Aginor, it's the Eye.

 

In a way it was the DO, it was the TP not the eye.

 

Interview: Aug 27th, 1999

Melbourne Film Festival - Mark Erikson (Paraphrased)

Robert Jordan

 

 

I asked him about Aginor getting younger at the end of The Eye of the World, and he said 'no, he doesn't get younger, he dies'. So I actually looked up the reference and read it to him. He said 'oh, that,' and then went on to explain that it is actually the True Power, not the saidin from the Eye, that rejuvenates him. He did describe the saidin in the Eye as a 'mother-lode', however, I didn't think to ask him what he meant by that until I was in the car going home. I instead asked him whether the True Power was the source of the Forsaken's immortality. He said: yes.

[Hagazussa]

Immortality is a powerful motivator, all the Dark One would need to do is revere the aging of one Darkfriend every now and again to make sure the rumors that he can do it still circulate and many would fall in line just for the hope that it might be true. I do not think he would give immorality to every Darkfriend all he would need is do it to a few and he have other's loyalty. I think it have been showed in the books that the Dark One do have the powe to both bring back the dead and reverse aging for the living, the question is how much doing these things cost him.

[jsbrads]

When Rand severs Asmodeans connection to the Dark One, Asmo thinks to himself he can feel time wearing away at him. Only a sensation of course, but I dont think anti-aging would be that hard to do with the Power and/or True Power.

 

Plus as Barid said, the Chosen all know he can bring back the dead. Immortality doesnt mean you dont age, it means you live forever, or at least there is potentially no time limit. If you have an infinite amount of generations to follow, you have an infinite amount of bodies you can be transferred into. Immortality through bodyswapping is the same (perhaps even better) than staying in the original, especially for the likes of Moridin.

 

But not so much for Lanfear

[pamela]

However, the DO has shown himself capable of reversing the aging process. The DO rejuvenates Aginor in EotW, from his decayed state to a relatively healthy body. Of course, he dies soon after, but he was rejuvenated in the first place.

 

 

One small thing: it's not the DO who rejuvenates Aginor, it's the Eye.

 

In a way it was the DO, it was the TP not the eye.

 

Interview: Aug 27th, 1999

Melbourne Film Festival - Mark Erikson (Paraphrased)

Robert Jordan

 

 

I asked him about Aginor getting younger at the end of The Eye of the World, and he said 'no, he doesn't get younger, he dies'. So I actually looked up the reference and read it to him. He said 'oh, that,' and then went on to explain that it is actually the True Power, not the saidin from the Eye, that rejuvenates him. He did describe the saidin in the Eye as a 'mother-lode', however, I didn't think to ask him what he meant by that until I was in the car going home. I instead asked him whether the True Power was the source of the Forsaken's immortality. He said: yes.

 

Thanks, I knew I was lacking this specific quote.

[Barid Bel Medar]

Whoops, sorry I didn't put the quote. I thought it was evident in the text, but just went back and realise it didn't really show it at all.

[Vardar]

Exactly how do Darkfriends and the (at least somewhat) smarter Forsaken imagine that this would work? We have to my knowledge not seen the DO make anyone stop aging. Sure, he can grab people's souls when they die and put them into new bodies (but the grabbing depends on luck and the right circumstances to even work). Do they have to depend on him doing this each time they die of old age or crash their jo-car into a cuendillar wall? I don't believe the Forsaken even saw body migration until after they were released from the sealing. Do they simply just trust the DO on this claim?

 

I asked this question in my thread about the forsaken and their reasons for going over to the dark side. Basically, I'd think it would be hard to recruit DF's after thousands of years of them dying. I mean, sure eternal life is a good deal, but if you've been offering it for thousands of years, and you can't show me one guy who had it work for him, I'm pretty sure I won't believe you.