A new thought on the Blank

[Story Archer]

...I've seen many thoughts as to what the Blank may be and the 'lesser consensus' seems to be a City, but with the epilogue at the end of ToM and the teaser from the prologue about to be released, I'm wondering if the word we're looking for is 'Clan'...

 

I seem to remember an allusion to people who filed their teeth to points long before the end of ToM, but I can't remember where, perhaps it was in the companion that got published years ago, or perhaps I'm just channelling the Imortals from 300. Has there been any specific citing of who these 'red-veiled' people are that would exclude them from being a clan either corrupted or made up of those who ventured into the Dark One's domain?

[Neophyte]

No. There has been nothing specific which would definitively exclude that. At least as far as I know.

[phoenixtrinity]

What about a Forsaken we haven't seen before? Going off of this:

 

"A man who loves the hunt begins a new pursuit, red veils appear, and one of the Forsaken stands newly revealed."

 

I feel like these all may tie in with the Blight: The 'man who loves to hunt' being Isam, the red veils being last seen in the Blight, and the Forsaken possibly being the "blank" in the Blight?

[Southpaw89]

No I strongly believe the blank is a city and the red veiled Aiel are the male Aiel who went to the Blight and went mad and they formed city

[MountaineerWV]

With Warders and AS, Bordermen, and Aiel going into the Blight to fight, scout, and prove themselves - how would a city ever escape notice?

[Neophyte]

With Warders and AS, Bordermen, and Aiel going into the Blight to fight, scout, and prove themselves - how would a city ever escape notice?

 

None of them ever get very deep into the Blight, at least not the ones who come back.

[rand4747]

None go very deep into the blight. Most probably never reach the Blasted Lands.

[Zorlon]

Just want to state again that I believe it's an entire nation. The veils I think are just coincidence.

 

The red veiled men, IIRC, didn't even really look like Aiel from up close.

 

And it just seeems kinda cheesy, the bad guys at the last moment saying "ho ho ho, I have a clan of Aiel too" In my mind it doesn't mesh thematically with the rest of the series.

[MountaineerWV]

With Warders and AS, Bordermen, and Aiel going into the Blight to fight, scout, and prove themselves - how would a city ever escape notice?

 

None of them ever get very deep into the Blight, at least not the ones who come back.

 

Sure they do.

 

Lan and Moiraine say that the creatures in the Blight are afraid of creatures in the Mountains of Dhoom. The Green Man is never found on this side of the mountains and one does not have to start in any particular Borderland to begin the search. Jain walked the slopes of Shayul Ghul.

 

Three examples of people going deep into the Blight and returning.

[Neophyte]

With Warders and AS, Bordermen, and Aiel going into the Blight to fight, scout, and prove themselves - how would a city ever escape notice?

 

None of them ever get very deep into the Blight, at least not the ones who come back.

 

Sure they do.

 

Lan and Moiraine say that the creatures in the Blight are afraid of creatures in the Mountains of Dhoom. The Green Man is never found on this side of the mountains and one does not have to start in any particular Borderland to begin the search. Jain walked the slopes of Shayul Ghul.

 

Three examples of people going deep into the Blight and returning.

 

Three extraordinary exceptions - and only Jain, so far as we know, went all the way to Shayol Ghul and back, and he was deeply affected, mentally and otherwise, by the Shadow.

 

What if the "blank" is on the north side of Shayol Ghul? The Blight has not been thoroughly or systematically explored. There is plenty of room for anything to be hidden up there.

[snooze1128]

Just want to state again that I believe it's an entire nation. The veils I think are just coincidence.

 

The red veiled men, IIRC, didn't even really look like Aiel from up close.

 

And it just seeems kinda cheesy, the bad guys at the last moment saying "ho ho ho, I have a clan of Aiel too" In my mind it doesn't mesh thematically with the rest of the series.

 

I like the idea that, if there is a hidden city in the Waste, then it comprises of the male Aeil who are sent away because they're channelers. So if this is the case, then they don't necessarily work for the foresaken or the dark one, they may just be a bunch of rebel misfits who will represent another wild card in aMoL.

[Zorlon]

Just want to state again that I believe it's an entire nation. The veils I think are just coincidence.

 

The red veiled men, IIRC, didn't even really look like Aiel from up close.

 

And it just seeems kinda cheesy, the bad guys at the last moment saying "ho ho ho, I have a clan of Aiel too" In my mind it doesn't mesh thematically with the rest of the series.

 

I like the idea that, if there is a hidden city in the Waste, then it comprises of the male Aeil who are sent away because they're channelers. So if this is the case, then they don't necessarily work for the foresaken or the dark one, they may just be a bunch of rebel misfits who will represent another wild card in aMoL.

I have a few practical problems with that idea.

 

The signs of habitation we've seen in the blight point to the human inhabitants working for the Shadow, like Ishy's fortress and farm. Note that the PoV character in that scene wasn't surprised at seeing people farming up there, just a little surprised at what part of the Blight they were in.

 

There are signs that there is more than just one settlement up there. The patch of transported Blight Perrin came across included a few houses.

 

Where would a city settled by exiled Aiel male channelers get breeding stock for a stable population? How would a city of madmen remain organized? It could work if the the city where comprised of channelers who had been turned to the shadow and were supplied with women to breed more channelers for an army of Dreadlords.... but I think a nation up there would fit the evidence better, and mesh better thematically.

[MountaineerWV]

With Warders and AS, Bordermen, and Aiel going into the Blight to fight, scout, and prove themselves - how would a city ever escape notice?

 

None of them ever get very deep into the Blight, at least not the ones who come back.

 

Sure they do.

 

Lan and Moiraine say that the creatures in the Blight are afraid of creatures in the Mountains of Dhoom. The Green Man is never found on this side of the mountains and one does not have to start in any particular Borderland to begin the search. Jain walked the slopes of Shayul Ghul.

 

Three examples of people going deep into the Blight and returning.

 

Three extraordinary exceptions - and only Jain, so far as we know, went all the way to Shayol Ghul and back, and he was deeply affected, mentally and otherwise, by the Shadow.

 

What if the "blank" is on the north side of Shayol Ghul? The Blight has not been thoroughly or systematically explored. There is plenty of room for anything to be hidden up there.

 

Again, they are not that extraordinary. We know of 12 people that have visited the Eye. The party from tEotW, the Ogier Elders ,Arent and Haman, and the two Forsaken.

 

In tEotW, it's clear that Warders are scouts within the Blight. They at least scout Tarwin's Gap and probably further north towards Shayul Ghul on the traditional routes.

 

I wish I could remember the exact quote, but Lord Agelmar said something along the lines that young men go questing for the Eye often but in the last generation (or maybe 100 years) only ~5 have found it. That makes 17 people that we know of and Rand was the first to EVER find it south of the Mountains of Dhoom. Everyone else found it north of the mountains, but we have no idea how far north. A mile...500 miles? Regardless, still north of the mountains.

 

Another flaw is how there has NEVER been a shred of evidence such as a person, a weapon, a piece of cloth, food, or writing of a city or nation in the Blight. Rand was able to find evidence of Ruidean in the libraries in Tear and no one is really even that interested in the Waste. The 4 currently existing Borderlands and over 3k years of Malkeir's existence has a very real interest in knowing what's up there. The White Tower and Warder's have an interest as well - whether by a Brown's curiosity, a Green's desire to fight/test her warders, or a Blue following a cause in that direction.

 

The Black Ajah and Darkfriends would have an interest, they would probably be in charge or at least coordinating with those in charge when Ishy wasn't around. Unless no one from the city/nation EVER went south and ALL missions were conducted by Trollocs, then in 3,000 years there would been at least one person captured with knowledge of this city/nation.

 

I don't buy there is no contact because a nation would no be able to survive such an isolated existence. They would not have the logistics or infrastructure. Additionally, going by examples from the Age of Legends of countries ruled by the Shadow, those nations were used up. There was no planning, no farming, no research, no trade - nothing except for weapons production and people/trollocs thrown into combat. Darkfriends and Trollocs are not capable of building or maintaining a nation. What we saw around Ishy's palace was only able to happen because of Ishy's direct oversight.

[raz311]

The answer is revealed in the Prologue to AMoL that got leaked today......check the other spolier thread about the leaked prologue....

[Suttree]

I don't buy there is no contact because a nation would no be able to survive such an isolated existence. They would not have the logistics or infrastructure. Additionally, going by examples from the Age of Legends of countries ruled by the Shadow, those nations were used up. There was no planning, no farming, no research, no trade - nothing except for weapons production and people/trollocs thrown into combat. Darkfriends and Trollocs are not capable of building or maintaining a nation. What we saw around Ishy's palace was only able to happen because of Ishy's direct oversight.

 

The no planning, infrastructure and farming part certainly wasn't true back then and obviously with the new prologue isn't true now. Check out the other thread if you want more info.

[Vardar]

I don't buy there is no contact because a nation would no be able to survive such an isolated existence. They would not have the logistics or infrastructure. Additionally, going by examples from the Age of Legends of countries ruled by the Shadow, those nations were used up. There was no planning, no farming, no research, no trade - nothing except for weapons production and people/trollocs thrown into combat. Darkfriends and Trollocs are not capable of building or maintaining a nation. What we saw around Ishy's palace was only able to happen because of Ishy's direct oversight.

 

The no planning, infrastructure and farming part certainly wasn't true back then and obviously with the new prologue isn't true now. Check out the other thread if you want more info.

 

What was said? I read some hints, but nothing much.

[Suttree]

I don't buy there is no contact because a nation would no be able to survive such an isolated existence. They would not have the logistics or infrastructure. Additionally, going by examples from the Age of Legends of countries ruled by the Shadow, those nations were used up. There was no planning, no farming, no research, no trade - nothing except for weapons production and people/trollocs thrown into combat. Darkfriends and Trollocs are not capable of building or maintaining a nation. What we saw around Ishy's palace was only able to happen because of Ishy's direct oversight.

 

The no planning, infrastructure and farming part certainly wasn't true back then and obviously with the new prologue isn't true now. Check out the other thread if you want more info.

 

What was said? I read some hints, but nothing much.

 

Well we saw blight resistant farming in ToM and now Slayer gets vegetables served to him in a tavern in the "town" and he thinks how veggies are more prevalent than meat there(what meat there is being of dubious source unless you kill it yourself. In addition the community has been around for 2,000 years. It seems now to be mainly made up of the red veiled Aiel clan called "eye blinders". The only time they drop their veils is to kill furthering the perversion of Aiel culture.

[MountaineerWV]

Well Hell

 

Looks like I was wrong and have to stay out of this forum until the book is published.

[Vardar]

I don't buy there is no contact because a nation would no be able to survive such an isolated existence. They would not have the logistics or infrastructure. Additionally, going by examples from the Age of Legends of countries ruled by the Shadow, those nations were used up. There was no planning, no farming, no research, no trade - nothing except for weapons production and people/trollocs thrown into combat. Darkfriends and Trollocs are not capable of building or maintaining a nation. What we saw around Ishy's palace was only able to happen because of Ishy's direct oversight.

 

The no planning, infrastructure and farming part certainly wasn't true back then and obviously with the new prologue isn't true now. Check out the other thread if you want more info.

 

What was said? I read some hints, but nothing much.

 

Well we saw blight resistant farming in ToM and now Slayer gets vegetables served to him in a tavern in the "town" and he thinks how veggies are more prevalent than meat there(what meat there is being of dubious source unless you kill it yourself. In addition the community has been around for 2,000 years. It seems now to be mainly made up of the red veiled Aiel clan called "eye blinders". The only time they drop their veils is to kill furthering the perversion of Aiel culture.

 

Bleh. If that section confirms what I think it's going to confirm, that kinda pisses me off. (Not going to say what I'm referring too here, but I think you know, I've expressed my opinion on it enough)