DRAGONMOUNT

Greetings.  May you find water and shade this day.  This is the first of my Forum Roundup pieces, and my aim is to bring you the best, and most interesting items, from around Dragonmount.   I'll begin with sharing a link to a brilliant video I found doing the rounds in the Warders Guild: "The art of archery."  It shows a modern day archer using ancient techniques for better speed and accuracy.  The video is pretty amazing and shows you what may have been possible in the past, or in the Age of Legends. However, I'd still put my faith in a Two Rivers longbow if it came down to it!  Let me know your opinion.   You may recognize this verse ?     This is of course Mat Cauthon's old favorite, "Jak o' the Shadows," best served post-battle and extremely drunk.  The Band of the Red Hand Social Group is attempting to pen new verses, and is open to suggestions.  Mirth, oosquai, and black humor will all be needed to write a good verse!  Post your efforts on the forum and let's extend this classic!   The Shayol Ghul Social Group is looking for a new Shadar Haran.  But remember, only members of Shayol Ghul can apply.  This may be the coolest sounding job ever!  Anyone who doesn't want to run thakan'dar and lead the Shadowspawn is, in my opinion, on the wrong website!   A new game has come to my attention through the Black Tower. This game allows your favorite fantasy novels to go head-to-head, toe-to-toe, mano-e-mano, to see who comes out on top.  The Wheel of Time is sadly not included because it wouldn't be fair.... We had to give the others a chance.   From Dragonmount's Facebook page:     To stay up to date on everything Wheel of Time, follow Dragonmount's Facebook page and Twitter account.

Good day and well met! The Wheel has turned all the way around to Thursday and it is time for my first installment of the Rotating Feature blogs, “A Roll of the Dice.” “It is not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor ends to turning of the Wheel of Time, but it is a beginning.”   As this week winds down millions of people, especially in the United States, are getting ready for the Great Game. No, not Daes Dae’mar, but the professional American football championship game. Many people will find themselves going to or planning parties for the big game. While this is well and good, what if you or some of your friends are not big sport fans? This is why I have put together a few suggestions on ways to make your party enjoyable for all! Since this is Dragonmount, I will cover some ways to make the party more "themed" towards the Wheel of Time book series; however, with a little tweaking and some imagination you can use any theme you want! The possibilities are endless!   So let us get started on our Wheel of Time themed Party!   Have the party take place somewhere you will all be comfortable. Many people go to pubs and sports bars to watch big games, but a themed party is better held at a home or private venue. This encourages guests to be themselves without the worry of the pub populace wondering why everyone is wearing different colored shawls!   Food is a huge deal at any party and you can use your menu as a means to further immerse guests into theme of the party. This can be done by making foods from the series such as meat pies and honey cakes or by creating your own recipe and name it after someone or something in the series. Personally, I would love some "Red Ajah” velvety cupcakes! Potlucks are always a hit and a great way to save a little time and money while also having a huge food spread.   Beverages are also important, wether containing alcohol or not, drinks are another way to add fun and atmosphere to the party. Try making different teas, perhaps a cool slightly sweetened goosemint tea or a more refined hot tea with hints of berries and honey, or perhaps kaf (coffee). Of course many wines and brandies are mentioned in the books, but if you want to be creative with mixed drink area, go for it! One of my new favorite drinks is "Blood and Bloody Ashes" which I tried at JordanCon 6.  A friend and I came up with a very simple beverage we call “Tam’s Hard Spiced Cider” which consists of one 12 ounce bottle of hard apple cider and two or three ounces of cinnamon whiskey.   Party games are a great way to spend time before the big game and avoid four hours of pre-game sportscaster commentary. One simple idea is to change well known party games to meet the theme. A few examples are Wheel of Time Charades, Find the Darkfriend (based on the party games Mafia and Werewolf), and even some Wheel of Time trivia. If you are around very close friends, and are not easily offended, Cards Against Humanity is a great game. It is basically an R-Rated version (so play with caution) of Apples to Apples and comes with some blank cards so you can personalize the game to your party’s theme or include inside jokes about your friends.   There are so many things one could do for a party to include costumes, invitations, decorations, and party favors; I cannot cover them all. Hopefully, this week’s blog has given you a few ideas to make your party the best it can be. Thank you to the Dragonmount staff for choosing me to write this blog, and to all of you whom are reading it. I look forward to trying to find things to interest this wonderful community of Wheel of Time fans each week.

Kushiel's Chosen is the second book in Phedre's Kushiel's Legacy trilogy. The review of first book can be found here. The review will contain spoilers from both books.     Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey     Synopsis The book begins almost after the incidents in the first book. Phedre is living in Montreve as a comtessa. A merchant and acquaintance had chanced upon Phedre's cloak which she last worn when she was betrayed by Melisande. Fearing Melisande's return, she decides to return to Terre'd'Ange to the service of Namaah and find out Melisande before she could destroy the kingdom. In Terre'd'Ange, Phedre tries to resolve the mystery of Melisande's escape and this causes her to distrust those who would have been her allies. What follows is a journey fromTerre'd'Ange to La Serenissima to La Dolorosa, being captive and escaping and hoping to stop Melisande in time.     Pros This books is a lot faster than the first book and less chances of wanting to leave in the middle. This book has more adventure and can keep you up for late nights if you get caught up. The relationships are quite interesting. I especially liked Phedre and Melisande's complicated relationship where Phedre loves and hates Melisande. It gives a complexity to the villain.  The similarities between Phedre's world and the real world are fun to observe. Its easy to get involved comparing different regions of that world to this world.     Cons I was not happy with the ending. the first book had ended on a note that made me want to read the next book but this one ended on a happier note than I would prefer in second book of a series.  Phedre's and Joscelin's way of thinking became irritating at times.   Conclusion Most second books in series cannot match up to the first book, but this is better than the first book in some ways. There are parts which don't satisfy me and some parts which I would have not read at all so it is not a perfect book. But if you are in mood for something romantic with lots of adventure, give it a try. My rating I would give it a rating of 4/5.   Kushiel's Chosen can be found here, at Dragonmount's eBook Store.

The nomination period for the 2015 Hugo Awards has opened. This prestigious award recognizes the best in science fiction and fantasy each year and is voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Society. Many famous authors have been recognized with a Hugo, including Robert Heinlein, Lois McMaster Bujold, Anne McCaffrey, Brandon Sanderson and Issac Asimov. In 2014, Robert Jordan was nominated for the Wheel of Time series.    If you were eligible to vote in the Hugos last year, you are eligible to nominate this year. If you were not, then you will need to become eligible by January 31st. This year's Hugo Awards are hosted and administered by the 73rd annual WorldCon, "Sasquan", held in Spokane, Washington August 19-23. Further information about the awards and how to nominate can be found on their website. Nominations are open until March 30th.     

Today Tor Books released new information about the Wheel of Time Companion, the upcoming encyclopedia-style supplement to the Wheel of Time series.   Here's what we know about the book so far: It will be released in November 2015. It's organized alphabetically, like an encyclopedia, with entries for all 2,000+ named characters in the series. It includes a complete dictionary for the Old Tongue. It includes other information about the characters, history, and world such as the relative strengths for many channelers. It includes new maps and character illustrations (although we are not sure if they are color or black and white. No artists have been announced). It includes all of the maps previously found inside the books. The complete book is over 350,000 words, which makes it as longer than an average-sized WoT novel. The Companion will have spoilers for the entire series.   The image seen here is the book cover. Harriet McDougall is, of course, Robert Jordan's widow and the editor of the entire series. Alan Romanczuk and Maria Simons are their assistants, who've had an intimate role in organizing and tracking the lore of the series for many years.     

Welcome back to another edition of Dragonmount's Theory Blog, "WoT If?".  We're continuing our reread of The Eye of the World, with chapters 39 and 40.   Synopsis (taken from Encyclopaedia-Wot.org):   Chapter 39, "Weavings of the Web" Apparently, Rand and Mat have been in Caemlyn for several days. Today is the day that Logain is brought into town. Rand is going to go see Logain. He asks Mat if he wants to go as well, but Mat declines. It seems that Mat has not been out of their room since they arrived. Master Gill had told Rand of a woman named Mother Grubb who sounded a bit like a Wisdom, but Rand does not visit her. He meets Master Gill at the foot of the stairs and Master Gill says he heard that some beggar is looking for him and Mat and that there are rumors of strange shapes creeping around outside the city at night. Master Gill recommends leaving by the back way, which Rand does. At the end of the alley is Lamgwin who has been hired to help keep the inn safe. Rand has found out the meanings of the red and white cloth that everyone is wearing. The red is support for Queen Morgase and white is for those who believe her involvement with the Aes Sedai is to blame for everything going wrong. The outer part of the city is called the New City. He makes his way into the Inner City and finds a spot to watch for Logain. He is not there for long before a beggar bursts through the crowd on the other side of the street. The beggar looks around and then points directly at Rand. Rand backs out of the crowd and runs the other way. He finally finds a wall where he thinks he can see Logain pass by and he scrambles to the top of it. He scrapes his hands and knees on the way up. He is just in time as the procession comes into view. Eventually Logain comes into view on a wagon inside a large cage with iron bars. There are two Aes Sedai at each corner shielding him. They are accompanied by a dozen Warders. Logain has the presence of a king. The crowd goes quiet as he passes and then resumes screaming after he passes. Logain throws his head back and laughs and then his wagon enters the Palace grounds. He wonders aloud "Why were the Aes Sedai watching him?" A girl's nearby voice says "They're keeping him from touching the True Source, silly." He is startled, falls off the wall, and gets knocked unconscious.   Chapter 40, "The Web Tightens" Rand awakes on the ground with a bleeding head. Elayne and Gawyn climb down from a tree. Elayne starts to tend to Rand's injury, bandaging his head with a silk scarf. Gawyn mentions Elaida, Lini and Gareth Bryne. He served under three Queens and as Captain-General and First Prince Regent for two. Rand asks who their mother is and Gawyn tells him she is Morgase. At that, Rand starts for the wall to leave. Gawyn asks Rand to tell them his name and where he is from, which he does. Gawyn says "Elayne ought to choose her husband from there," meaning the Two Rivers. Galad walks up. Rand tries to remember what Hyam Kinch and Basel Gill told him about Galad. Galad distrusts Rand and wants to arrest him, but Elayne stops him. Galad then leaves. Soon after, guards arrive led by Tallanvor. He and the rest of the guards escort Rand, Gawyn and Elayne to Morgase. On the way, Rand notes only one cat. Elayne explains that Elaida hates rats and keeps them away. With Morgase are Elaida and Bryne. Morgase chastises Elayne and Gawyn, mentioning that they will be going to Tar Valon in two days with Logain's escort. She saw him up close and thinks he is still dangerous. Elaida comes over to study Rand and notices his heron-marked sword. Elaida asks Rand where he got his sword. He replies that his father gave it to him. Elaida is suspicious, but Bryne says the sword belongs with him. Elaida asks where Rand is staying. He lies and says The Crown and Lion. Elaida has a Foretelling:   "From this day Andor marches toward pain and division. The Shadow has yet to darken to its blackest, and I cannot see if the Light will come after. Where the world has wept one tear, it will weep thousands." She whispers the rest to Rand, "Pain and division come to the whole world, and this man stands in the heart of it."   Morgase questions him and then decides to release him, much to Elaida's displeasure. She recognizes Two Rivers speech from when she was young. Tallanvor, Elayne, Gawyn and several guards escort Rand to the front gate. Gawyn tells Rand he looks like an Aielman. Rand runs away from the Royal Palace.     My take:   There's not a lot in these two chapters that leads to things we don't already know.  These scenes are for building up tension, to spark more conflict between Rand and his surroundings, as well as inside Rand himself.  But for us who have read the series a dozen times and counting, they seem almost common now.  Especially the foreshadowing of his relationship with Elayne, and his Aiel heritage.   Still, there are a few things that always amaze me about these chapters as well.  First, Logain.  It was this scene of Logain trapped in a box and laughing that made me love him as a character.  There is something so insanely awesome about Rand noticing how, even though Logain's caged, he's nowhere near beaten.  Logain has so much spunk left in him, and we know that as early as book one!  That's amazing!    And I just can't help but laugh at the irony, even now, of Logain's behavior on seeing Rand.  From Rand's perspective, he can't tell Logain is looking in his direction.  And it's not till much, much later that we find out why Logain laughed the way he did (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 30, "To Heal Again").  But here, it makes Logain seem totally badass.  And it's also so impressive that Robert Jordan knew that Logain, first, had the Talent for seeing ta'veren, and had the ability to bring this reference full circle (letting us in on the joke) in Lord of Chaos.  I don't know how many times I've said it, but Mr. Jordan sure had a lot of skill in making his plotlines synch.  And it's also what makes these re-reads so much fun!   We also get a glimpse of a few characters who come into play later—another instance of Mr. Jordan's wonderful planning.  We see Lamgwin, who helps Morgase escape Caemlyn with Basil Gill, and we see Tallenvor, Morgase's eventual husband.  It's strange to see Tallenvor like this, because of how low in the ranks he is here.  How weird to think how much he and Morgase go through as the series progresses.  Right now, Morgase is still in love with Gareth Bryne, and Tallenvor is way below her notice.  My, how things change.   And one other thing to note is that Rand compares Elayne to Nynaeve and Moiraine.  He's saying it in relation to her "self-possession," but I wonder if he's able to sense her ability to channel.  Because Nynaeve doesn't have much self-possession, at least nothing like the nobility inside Moiraine and Elayne.  Nynaeve is strong willed, but she often—or always—lets her emotions control her, flying off the handle about anything and everything.  That's not the definition of self-possession; almost the opposite, in fact.  Nynaeve does always believe she is right, and will bully anyone who doesn't agree, but that's still not the same thing.   I'm sure Elayne—under Elaida's supervision—has probably touched saidar before.  We know Moiraine channeled in the Sun Palace in Cairhein before going to Tar Valon herself (The Eye of the World, Chapter 53, "The Wheel Turns"), so it would make logical sense that Elayne could be touching the True Source, even if still subconsciously.  And I wouldn't doubt for a second that Rand is able to feel that inside her already.   And there is always a stab of regret when reading about Gawyn and Rand.  They could have been friends so easily, but Gawyn messed it up so badly.  And seeing Rand come into contact with Galad is a bit funny too.  We don't know it yet, but the "handsomest man Rand had ever seen" turns out to be his half-brother.  Sometimes, this feels like a soap opera.    That's all I've got to say about these two chapters.  We'll pick up next time with the arrival of Moiraine and company, and a flight from Caemlyn!  Thanks for reading!

I am calling for applications for two people to join my staff as bloggers. Applications for these positions will be open until Monday, January 19th.   Description of the Job Positions:   1. The first position currently open is for the Forum Roundup Blogger.  This person will be responsible for doing a brief recap of some of the important events/threads happening on the forums.  Please look here for past examples of this column. 2. The second open position is for a Rotating Features Blogger. This person will be responsible for a short weekly column that will have different types of content each week. This person will work off a list of ideas for features (partly ideas that have already been thought of for you, and partly ideas you can make up and run by me for approval) and rotate the features. For instance, the first Thursday of the month could be for interviews with people who have contributed to the fandom, the second Thursday of the month could be for tips about WoT merchandise (e.g. where to get the best Aes Sedai rings), the third Thursday of the month could be a contest, etc.  Please look here for past examples of this column.   Job Duties for Both Front Page Blogger Positions:   1. Bloggers are expected to produce content in their respective areas for the front page twice per month. They must be able to meet deadlines in a timely manner.   2. Bloggers occasionally will be called upon to assist the Front Page Admin with brainstorming new ideas for features.   3. Bloggers are expected to dedicate time each week to the Front Page Bloggers Staff Board and the DM Staff Board. As members of DM Staff, they act as representatives of the members of DM and their input is vital in the decision making process. Bloggers should be actively engaged in discussions on staff boards.   4. Bloggers must be able to give at least a 6 month commitment of approximately 5 hours per week. LOAs will come up, of course.   Anyone who thinks they can fulfill the requirements may apply. Strong candidates are people who possess the following qualities: efficiency, writing ability, organizational skills, creativity, maturity, and the ability to work well with others.   The Application Process:   If you are interested, please send an email to frontpage@dragonmount.com.   In each application, please include:   * Your DM Handle. * Some details about who you are in real life, including anything you think will have prepared you for leadership (including past online leadership experience). * A sample of your writing consisting of at least three short paragraphs. This can be in the form of a brief essay, a blog, a school paper, a newspaper article, a forum post, a short story, or a role play. You do not have to write something new for this application; in fact, many of you already have forum posts that are long enough to count. I mainly want to get an idea of your writing style. * Anything else that you think would set you apart from other applicants.  Why are you the best candidate?   Note: Please specify the position for which you are applying (Weekly Roundup Blogger or Rotating Feature Blogger) in your application.   If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will try to answer them.

For our special holiday edition of Gleeman's Tales, I bring to you a delightfully morbid rendition of Winter Wonderland, written by Semirhage and Ishamael:     Happy Holidays everyone! The Light illumine you!

Today's funny feature is brought to you by the blog incorrect-wot-quotes, which combines quotes from various media and applies it to corresponding events or characters in the Wheel of Time.   First, a couple Game of Thrones crossovers:         For anyone who is a fan of the NBC show Parks and Recreation:     Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:   Of course, some Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit:         And a few random ones that I just had to include:           That's all for now! Again, all of these quotes are from the blog incorrect-wot-quote. I hope you've enjoyed; Happy Holidays!

Welcome back to another edition of Dragonmount's Theory Blog, "WoT If?".  We're continuing our reread of The Eye of the World, with chapters 37 and 38.   Synopsis, taken from Encyclopaedia-WoT:   Chapter 37, "The Long Chase" After several days on the Caemlyn Road, Moiraine, Lan and Nynaeve head north following the remaining token. One evening, Moiraine senses the token is gone. A few hours later it is back. One night, Lan returns from scouting and says he found them in a Whitecloak camp. There are wolves around. There is dim moonlight from the waning moon. Nynaeve enters the camp to steal two extra horses and finds Bela. Nynaeve feels certain they will need the extra horse. After cutting the picket lines, lightning flashes causing the horses to scatter. She sees a wolf helping to panic the horses. She rides Bela and leads another horse out of the camp.   Chapter 38, "Rescue" Perrin and Egwene are prisoners of the Whitecloaks. It is nighttime and they are in a tent. Jaret Byar enters and offers them a chance to escape. Perrin thinks it is a trap. Before he can do anything, Dapple tells them that help is coming. He also gets an image that Elyas is wounded, but alive. Lan enters the tent and knocks out Jaret Byar. They reach Moiraine, but Nynaeve has not returned. Lan almost goes after Nynaeve despite Moiraine's orders. Moiraine says that Lan is "al'Lan Mandragoran, Lord of the Seven Towers" and mentions the "oath of a Diademed Battle Lord of the Malkieri." Nynaeve returns with Bela and another horse. They ride for several hours, then make camp. Nynaeve notices Perrin's yellow eyes. She rubs ointment into his bruises and they heal remarkably fast. Moiraine knows what it is, but will not comment further. Lan, who also knows of wolves, asks Perrin if there was an intermediary. Lan knows Elyas. He says that Elyas Machera was a Warder and his teacher before his change happened. He implies that the Red Ajah tried to gentle Elyas Machera. There is a slivered moon. It is a few hard days to Caemlyn.   My take:   We're back to Perrin.  I was so caught up in Rand's affairs that I forgot about poor Perrin and his Whitecloak friends.    The first chapter is from Nynaeve's point of view, and a few things about her character clicked for me while reading it.  First is her budding feelings for Lan (and his returned feelings in the next chapter).  But more importantly is how she deals with fear.  Look at this quote from when she was cutting the Whitecloaks' horse lines:     Notice how she handles the fear.  It's the fear that calms her.  Just think of how much terror she had inside her if it's what causes her to act normal.  How often would she be terrified back home in the Two Rivers, where the women don't respect her because she's too young, and the men don't respect her because she's pretty?  That amount of fear would be staggering.  And it's only logical to conclude that that fear would lead to anger (as wise Yoda once said).     When you view her like this, it's almost impossible to not pity Nynaeve.  And it's no surprise she had a hard time surrendering to saidar.  In fact, I think the first time she was able to come to terms with her fear was when she felt responsible for Birgette being ripped from Tel'aran'rhiod.  It completely broke her, and she had to confront her fear and realize how much it dominated her life.  Once she recuperated from that traumatic event, she really matured as a character.  Yes, she was still angry most of the time, but not to cover fear—just because she has a surly personality.     I also like how she realizes the One Power is inside her no matter what she does.  As I said in an earlier blog, it's so heart wrenching to see how much the One Power is misunderstood and feared, and to see it from Nynaeve's point of view, finding out first hand what that horror feels like.  But then, when we find out Rand can channel just a few chapters later, it's even more shocking.  It's like Nynaeve's predicament, but a hundred times worse.    I think that makes us, as readers, instantly supportive of Rand.  I think that's why we forgive him so many of his sins.  I think that's why we loved him even when he approached the darkness and madness.  It seems like, with Nynaeve, Robert Jordan was showing us a really sad, pitiful example of a person being wronged.  Then, with Rand, we're shown that those same hurts all over again, except we add rubbing salt and lemon juice on his open wounds.  It makes everything worse.   But when we move onto Perrin's point of view in Chapter 38, we're shown a different kind of pity.  Nynaeve is fighting her destiny tooth and nail, while Perrin has just surrendered almost from the start.  Or, appears to surrender.  His struggles with his wolfbrother abilities surpass Nynaeve's inability to grasp saidar, but Perrin goes about it in such a different way.  But that's beside the point right now.   Perrin is defeated in this scene.  He's so afraid for himself and Egwene that he can't even sleep despite his exhaustion.  And he's probably more scared for Egwene than himself; that's just the kind of person he is.  He understands the hopelessness of their situation, knowing he'd "probably confess to anything just to make the Questioners stop."   I love Perrin so much in this book.  Despite what you think he becomes later, it's very difficult to deny how perfect he is during these few scenes.  He's discovered things about himself that scare him, but he pushes on.  He feels responsible for Egwene, so he does his best to protect her—even to the point of taking her life rather than let her be eaten by Shadowspawn ravens.  His pain just clenches my stomach.   And now that I look at that, this is also something that prepares us for how horrible things get for Rand.  Yes, Perrin's wolfbrother abilities—and his rejection of them—is similar to Rand's own rejection of saidin.  But I think it goes deeper than that.  Perrin claims to have accepted his fate, claims he won't fight against it.  Rand does that same thing, saying he'll go and die at Shayol Ghul, that he'll be the sacrifice the world needs.     It seems to me that every character's hardest challenges are reflected on Rand—that Rand overcomes everyone else's worst situations:   He deals with the fear of the ability to channel, like Nynaeve.   He deals with the burden of leadership, like Perrin.   He deals with past memories in his head, like Mat.   He deals with being made captive, like Egwene.   Everyone's suffering is combined into what Rand al'Thor must face.  He really does confront the burdens of the entire world.   Again, this is why we love and forgive him so easily, I think.  Mr. Jordan did such a beautiful job of making him suffer, and we know it, and pity him.     Well, that got me a bit sidetracked.  There's a few other points I'd like to make on Chapter 38.  One being the changes in Jaret Byar after this encounter with Perrin.  One of the things Perrin is so disgusted by is Byar's lack of emotions:     Byar does not care if Perrin and Egwene lived or died.  But after this, Byar is filled with a vengeance to see Perrin dead.  This vengeance is multiplied when Bornhald is killed at the end of The Great Hunt.  So why would this simple prisoner, and his escape, cause Byar to lose his mind so spectacularly?  Bubble of evil, is my opinion.  Something must have come along the Pattern, drawn by Perrin's ta'veren thread, and landed on Byar.  So many of the plots of the Whitecloaks in the later books are due to Byar—who was poisoned by this evil—poisoning Dain Bornhald's mind.   And we're back to Nynaeve and Lan.  Here's another quote (one of my favorites in this book), from when Moiraine is telling Lan that Nynaeve's not back from the horse lines yet.     And even after all this, Lan still doesn't move.  He is determined to go save Nynaeve, even after Moiraine calls him out on his oaths.  He's obviously very much in love with her already.  It gives me shivers, thinking of him being so defiant to Moiraine, willing to forsake his oaths, just to save Nynaeve.  And when Nynaeve does return, he grabs her by the arm, staring at her.    This is the most emotion we've seen out of the man so far.  And since he is showing emotions, we have to know that they are very strong.   And I like that Nynaeve laughs when he releases her.  She knows she got through his thick wall of faked indifference.  Good for her.   And with that little lapse in Lan's iron-clad emotions, he's almost fond in his discussion with Perrin later.  He really does care about the Two Rivers folk, even if he tires to deny it at first.     I think we'll end at that.  We'll continue with the next few chapters, and Rand's unfortunate fall off the palace walls, next time.  Thanks for reading!