Seanchan a'dam inconsistencies?

[bustycops1987]

It just struck me when I reread Winters Heart that the entire book lowballed the hell out of A'dam in order to let the Sea Folk escape.

 

In the end of The Great Hunt, for example, Nynaeve comments about how Eqwene didn't try to escape, Eqwene explains how even after she figured out how to unclasp it yet touching the clasp with the intention of opening it forced her hand to knot up.

 

Fast forward to chapter 31 of Winter's Heart and that apparently doesn't exist anymore. The Seanchan always felt way too perfect and indomitable in the first books anyways, but books 8-11 really do seem to undersell how insanely powerful A'dam were and tend to backtrack or ignore the properties they carried in The Great Hunt.

[Shini]

I'm sorry, I just read the summary for the chapter 31 of WH, and I really cant see anything that would revert the knowledge that you can't unclasp the a'dam from your neck. Could you quote the sentance for me?

[Aulduron]

Matt took the first Adam off, on the condition that she wait a certain amount of time before escaping. That windfinder then took other adams off her sisters.

[Shini]

Myeah, and for me that seemed so obvious that I didn't really even consider that bustycops would've meant that particular thing.

[Aiel Heart]

In TGH, Egwene was trying to take it off of herself.

 

In WH, Mat takes it off of her, then she is no longer controlled by her a'dam and is able to take a'dam off of the others.

 

I'm not seeing the problem here? The sul'dam also have the ability to channel and would be able to take the leashes off of others but not themselves.

[Hagazussa]

Actually I was confused about that scene as well for it sounds like if Matt takes the Sea Folk woman's a'dam off and show her how to open and close it and then put it back on and ask her to wait. But after having read this section again and again, I think that there is no inconsistency, Matt takes the a'dam off the woman, show her how to open and close it and then ask her to wait and leaves, he do not put the artifact back on her neck, which leaves the Sea Folk woman free to go and free others as much as she likes. The scene is a little unclear, but Matt leaving the a'dam off the Sea Folk channeler is the only thing that makes sense.

 

Also there is a clasp meaning that anyone who know how to find it can take an a'dam off, but not the woman who is actually held by it, as soon as someone if free of the a'dam they can open and close it for others as much as they please.

[Leatherleaf]

Thom claims that Mat has the fastest hands he's ever seen. Combine that speed with Mat's ability to declothe women (unlike Perrin, who constantly pops buttons off of Faile's dresses), and I see no reason why Mat couldn't remove a simple necklace. Jewelry is simple to take off compared to shifts and coursets!

[Hagazussa]

Thom claims that Mat has the fastest hands he's ever seen. Combine that speed with Mat's ability to declothe women (unlike Perrin, who constantly pops buttons off of Faile's dresses), and I see no reason why Mat couldn't remove a simple necklace. Jewelry is simple to take off compared to shifts and coursets!

 

It do not matter how dexterous he is, an a'dam look like it is one piece but it is not, if you know where the latch is anyone can remove it but the channeler chained by it. As long as Mat know where the latch is and how to open it he can easily do it. When that is said I would think that a corset is easier to get off than a magickal artifact with a latch so well hidden as to give Pinhead a happy if he even took a peek at one. (if you have not seen Hellraiser that joke would not make any sense.) However it can be done so I do not see that this is a problem in the scene in question, the only thing that confused me about it at first is that it is not written as being clear that Matt takes the a'dam of the Sea Folk channeler and leave it off, but if you assume he did then there is no problem with the scene what so ever.

[Orderofolde]

It just struck me when I reread Winters Heart that the entire book lowballed the hell out of A'dam in order to let the Sea Folk escape.

 

In the end of The Great Hunt, for example, Nynaeve comments about how Eqwene didn't try to escape, Eqwene explains how even after she figured out how to unclasp it yet touching the clasp with the intention of opening it forced her hand to knot up.

 

Fast forward to chapter 31 of Winter's Heart and that apparently doesn't exist anymore. The Seanchan always felt way too perfect and indomitable in the first books anyways, but books 8-11 really do seem to undersell how insanely powerful A'dam were and tend to backtrack or ignore the properties they carried in The Great Hunt.

Think about it for a minute. Once Mat opens the clasp on the Seafolk windfinder's A'dam it reverted back ready for a new user. As he didn't don the bracelet and will her to not touch it, she was able to open it and thus open others of her kin's A'dams. I also believe that when Egwene was rescued it was opened then she had to wear it while the girls led her out, but was able to open it again as she hadn't been forbidden not to once they escaped the city

 

I think the big question should be that if the making of Ter'angreal was lost to all, even in Seanchan, how are the A'dam and the Bloodrings being made? Despite the fact that it is an obscene amount of silver, the making has been lost. Also if none of the forsaken know the making, how did Semirhage make the male A'dam copies? I think there will be a reveal coming up in AMOL.

[Hagazussa]

I think the big question should be that if the making of Ter'angreal was lost to all, even in Seanchan, how are the A'dam and the Bloodrings being made? Despite the fact that it is an obscene amount of silver, the making has been lost. Also if none of the forsaken know the making, how did Semirhage make the male A'dam copies? I think there will be a reveal coming up in AMOL.

 

The making of Ter'angreal is not lost in Seachan, it is just rare. Remember Renna at one point say to Egwene that perhaps since she can feel metals she will be able to make a'dams in which case she would be pampered. Seancan is pretty much isolated from the rest of the world until they decide to invade so it makes sense that what is lost in other parts of the world might not be lost to them and vice versa.

[Mr Ares]

A'dam are the only ter'angreal the Seanchan know how to make. The making of all others has been lost. The bloodrings are unknown at present - it could be that someone in the empire simply found a big stash of them.

[Hagazussa]

Good point, yes they can only make a'dam, but they can make those so they are unlikely to run out of them anytime soon.

 

As for the bloodrings, do we know when they where made? Could not they be older and the Empire just happen to have a few in storage. I mean there was an Aes Sedai who discovered how to make a'dams, but do it say the bloodrings where made at the same time? We know that the Aes Sedai tried for a few hundred years to find more humane ways to deal with male channelers then to gentle them right after the breaking, could not the bloodrings have been made then as a part of those attempts, or just be some leftovers from the Age of Legends like most of their artifacts are.

[jsbrads]

the amount of blood rings don't have be many, cause up until now, they remained in the empire a were recovered