The transformation of Emond's Field

[badhead]

I love the way we see Emond's Field change from a small village into a town. With new buildings, crafts and cultures.  But does anyone eles think that it happens a bit too quickly?

[Durinax]

not really, I think its rather accurate, many refugees coming in and bringing their trades with them. my only issue is how did they get to emonds field

[bigdoug1971]

I think it's accurate too.  When all the craftsmen and refugees were flocking in with their new ideas, Perrin was there the whole time as a Ta'veren drawing people to him.  Just like when he was crossing the country hunting for Faile and facing the Whitecloaks.  This was a very good example of ta'veren pulling in what they needed. 

[badhead]

But when Egwene vists in Telanrhiod later. Its a large ara, with lots of stone buildings, a large war memorial, a wall and pathed streets. In a middle ages level world. I just think the pace of change and the buildings would be a bit slower.

[HorustheSilver]

not really, I think its rather accurate, many refugees coming in and bringing their trades with them. my only issue is how did they get to emonds field

I seem to remember that a lot came over the Mountains of Mist. Supposedly nigh impassable many would have died on the journey.However with so many refugees on the move in Randland the few who survived that jorney equals a significant population growth for Emonds Field.

[szilard]

You are right, badhead, this is one of Mr. Jordan's biggest mistakes. The time is just too short to create a huge leap like this. They build a huge city from ashes in a couple of months. Not realistic at all.

[Durinax]

well the have already done a lot of the work of clearing the area of trees and such, so that would have sped things up. The stone buildings does throw it off though.

[he who comes with a bong]

it was magic of course. a wink , a nod and some hair pulling and bam. EdmonsField reborn.

[HorustheSilver]

Ahh but many hands make light work and Two Rivers Folk are nothing if not hard workers.

[Rhienne]

You are right, badhead, this is one of Mr. Jordan's biggest mistakes. The time is just too short to create a huge leap like this. They build a huge city from ashes in a couple of months. Not realistic at all.

I don't think they built a huge city, just a reasonable sized town from a fairly large village to begin with.  I don't think the growth is quite as big as some people seem to think it is - remember that all of these places are on much smaller scales than what we are used to today, e.g. Caemlyn is a massive city in Randland, but in today's real world it would probably be the size of a small town.  So for Emond's Field to be considered a sizeable town by Egwene it probably isn't actually that big.  

 

I think there are passes through the Mountains of Mist that are relatively safe, but just quite hard going.  Rand, Moiraine and co. hid out in the Mountain's of MIst at the beginning of the Dragon Reborn and were able to receive messengers.  I think Verin, Egwene, Nynaeve, Elayne, and Mat also passed through the Mountains of Mist on their way back to Tar Valon.  The large number of refugees would probably make construction go fairly fast.  They don't have homes and don't really have anything to do other than set up their houses and businesses (which would require construction).  Many of the structures that are built probably went up relatively quickly too - they must just be one or two room, single storey dwellings.

[balefired-ed2]

The growth of Emonds Field is, like so much of the series(namely the size of armies), a very trying test of my willing suspension of disbelief.

 

Why?

 

What the crap are all these people eating?

 

The region suffers over the course of the entire series an abnormally long winter that would delay planting, a massive drought that would kill crops dead, and an extremely devastating period of war where Whitecloaks and Trollocs went around burning fields and infrastructure, not to mention the whole food randomly rotting due to the growing power of the Dark One.

 

Yet despite all of this, the whole of the Two Rivers population seems extremely well fed and healthy.

 

Barring absurdly fantastic food preservation techniques, farming methods, or a miracle crop that we weren't told about, these folk should look like survivors of Auschwitz, not Iowa farm-folk.

[Pokeriser]

The growth of Emonds Field is, like so much of the series(namely the size of armies), a very trying test of my willing suspension of disbelief.

 

Why?

 

What the crap are all these people eating?

 

The region suffers over the course of the entire series an abnormally long winter that would delay planting, a massive drought that would kill crops dead, and an extremely devastating period of war where Whitecloaks and Trollocs went around burning fields and infrastructure, not to mention the whole food randomly rotting due to the growing power of the Dark One.

 

Yet despite all of this, the whole of the Two Rivers population seems extremely well fed and healthy.

 

Barring absurdly fantastic food preservation techniques, farming methods, or a miracle crop that we weren't told about, these folk should look like survivors of Auschwitz, not Iowa farm-folk.

 

You're forgetting that Perrin is ta'veren. The food spoilage doesn't occur around him (as we find out in Towers of Midnight) and the Pattern bends around him - who's to say that there was no miracle crop? It seems likely that the Two Rivers experienced some pretty amazing luck while he was there, and it doesn't seem beyond belief that his effects would continue while he was away due to his connection the place. Why, Rand affects the whole world - or at least the whole continent. When he was "becoming cuendillar" the effects of his influence on the Pattern was causing worse food spoilage across the world, not just the touch of the Dark One.

 

Because the Pattern says that Perrin needs the Two Rivers to be strong and bountiful, the Two Rivers will be strong and bountiful. This is why we call ta'veren powers "author magic".

[SylvanFox]

I never really got the impression that Emond's field became a real city. I thought it was just a small, bustling town. Like the old Emond's Field, only with some more places sort of added in, and more people, of course.

[Rhienne]

The growth of Emonds Field is, like so much of the series(namely the size of armies), a very trying test of my willing suspension of disbelief.

 

Why?

 

It grew because of the influx of refugees from the lands to the west, and also possibly in the wake of the trolloc and Whitecloak problems they had where people from the outlying farms and villages moved inside the village/town.  I guess some of them may have decided to live in the village permanently.

 

 

 

The region suffers over the course of the entire series an abnormally long winter that would delay planting, a massive drought that would kill crops dead, and an extremely devastating period of war where Whitecloaks and Trollocs went around burning fields and infrastructure, not to mention the whole food randomly rotting due to the growing power of the Dark One.Yet despite all of this, the whole of the Two Rivers population seems extremely well fed and healthy.

 

Everywhere suffers from these problems.  Its no reason not to come to Emond's Field, and the lack of food doesn't seem to affect progress in other parts of the world, e.g. the Seanchan are still capable of restoring order, Rand is able to set up his academies, Mat is able to feed his Band, etc.  I don't think its ever stated in the text that the people of Emond's Field are exceptionally well fed and healthy compared to everyone else.  I would possibly expect them to do a little better than city dwellers anyway though as they would have the option of hunting and foraging as well as relying on crops.

[NewJeffCT]

I never really got the impression that Emond's field became a real city. I thought it was just a small, bustling town. Like the old Emond's Field, only with some more places sort of added in, and more people, of course.

 

That was my impression as well - the initial waves of refugees that started the town expansion was due to the Seanchan invasion at Falme, no?  So, the length of time from those initial refugees arriving was not long after the trolloc attack on the town.  So, I'm guessing it was still a pretty good length of time before the last battle.  Granted, it probably grew faster than it could have under "normal" circumstances, but Perrin was also ta'veren, so that probably helped out quite a bit.

[Thorum]

Double, triple, quadruple the working population of a small, isolated village anywhere. You'll see similar effects.

 

And of course, it being the birth place of a king, a prince, and the Amyrlin Seat would have sped things up a bit.