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Fellow Wheel of Time fans, hold onto your shawls and raise your Warder bonds, because something absolutely epic is happening!
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Hello, all! Welcome back to another edition of Dragonmount's Theory Blog, "WoT If?". After a long summer break, the Theory Blog is back! We'll pick up where we left off, covering chapters 31 and 32 of The Eye of the World. Synopsis, taken from Encyclopaedia-WoT: Chapter 31, "Play for Your Supper" Rand and Mat travel the road from Whitebridge to Caemlyn. They hide when mounted patrols pass. Rand keeps hoping to see Thom come up from behind. Mat keeps fingering his ruby dagger. They spend their first night out of Whitebridge outside on the ground. They are running out of money and cannot afford to stay at an inn. Rand asks Mat about selling the ruby dagger, but Mat gets angry. They stay at several farms and get some meals in exchange for a few hours work. After several days they arrive at the Grinwell farm and Master Grinwell invites them to stay the night. The eldest daughter is Else Grinwell. She starts flirting with Rand. Mistress Grinwell has yellow hair, which Rand has never seen before. The Grinwells suggest that Rand and Mat play at inns. Mistress Grinwell is suspicious of Rand's intent for her daughter and is happy to see him leave. The next day, at dusk, they enter the village of Arien. There is only one inn, and the innkeeper lets them stay there and have a meal in exchange for them performing. The next morning, Eazil Forney gives them a ride out of town. Rand and Mat continue traveling in this manner for several days and then they arrive at Four Kings. Chapter 32, "Four Kings in Shadow" Rand and Mat arrive at Four Kings at dusk. The Caemlyn Road runs through the center of town. It is a rougher town than Rand and Mat are used to. They finally stop at the fourth inn, The Dancing Cartman. Saml Hake is the innkeeper. Jak and Strom are the bouncers. Rand and Mat have to bargain harder for their room and board than they have at any other place. They play for a very rough crowd. They figure out that Saml Hake is going to rob them. They take notice of a noble in the back of the room who is watching them. Rand overhears that he stopped and looked in all the other inns, including the Royal Inn, then came here. Rand steps outside and sees the man's carriage. The man's name is Howal Gode. Rand remembers seeing him in Whitebridge. Eventually all the patrons leave except for Howal Gode, who takes a room there for the night. Rand and Mat are shown to their room. After Saml Hake, Jak and Strom leave their room, Rand and Mat block the door. They try to escape through the window, but find it is nailed shut. Howal Gode comes to their room and tries to enter. Gode tries to get them to surrender. Rand and Mat look outside and see men outside, watching the window. Lightning then strikes their room. The wall with the window has a hole in it. Mat cannot see but he and Rand take their belongings and leave. My take: First off, let me apologize for taking such a long summer break. I was still reading, but unable to get the time to write anything! I'm sure you all understand. Second, I apologize for taking my summary from an outside source. I like to phrase my synopsis in my own words, paying attention to certain things I noticed while reading. However, Encyclopaedia WoT is such a fantastic source, and all the major facts are there. Using this is easier on me, which makes it easier to get the writing done. Now we can get to the story. With the last two chapters focusing on Perrin and his conflicts, it's a nice change of pace to see Rand's and Mat's woes. Perrin's struggles are mostly internal—except the little Whitecloak problem. With Rand and Mat, all their problems are physical—except the nightmares of Ba'alzamon. This is a good juxtaposition of emotions. Both groups are running, but Mat's and Rand's adventure is a bit more reactive; they constantly have the Darkfriends nipping at their feet, forcing them to move on. I also like the fact that Perrin discovered some inner talents and ran from them, while Rand and Mat are able to use their talents to get meals and rooms at inns. Obviously talking with wolves and juggling are two very different things, but it shows that Perrin is able to hide his skills, let them go unused because he is afraid of them. Rand, on the other hand, uses all that he has. This is very closely related to his attitude once he starts channeling. He does try to hide from it, at first, but he quickly accepts that it's a tool, and he must use it. Of course, Rand also gets to the point where he views people and friends in this same light. And, of course, Perrin wouldn't use people or friends—especially Faile—even when it was the logical thing to do. Looking at it this way, Rand and Perrin are almost complete opposites. In literary terms, I think Perrin could be Rand's foil, a character that's used to highlight both their differences. Only when you look at them side by side do you see how drastic their distinctions are, and how strong their characteristics are. Despite growing up in the same town and raised on the same values, their innate personalities are nowhere near the same. And where does Mat play into all of this? He's just the comic relief. At least, he is at this point in the story. He gets more important as the story progresses, but he's not as developed as the other two in this book. And I don't blame Robert Jordan at all for keeping Mat in the shadows at this point. That's what makes his rise to stardom in The Shadow Rising all the more interesting and fun. Actually, Mat does function as more than just the comic relief. He's a red herring for the one Moiraine is looking for—when he randomly speaks the Old Tongue, we're forced to wonder if the Shadow wants him. And he also serves as a companion for Rand, aiding in Rand's character growth. The way Rand reacts to Mat's paranoia, and his blindness, and his weaknesses shows us more about him than about Mat. Personally, I love the way Rand cares for Mat during the next few chapters (one in particular, we'll talk about next time). This shows us Rand's true core. How deeply he loves his friends. Rand is so tender in these moments, and it's a great contrast to how callused and distant he becomes in later books. Now, talking about all their troubles, we know that the Darkfriends are drawn to the ruby-hilted dagger from Shadar Logoth. We'll talk about this more later when we reach the end of the book—remember Aginor's "An old friend, and old enemy" line? But we can touch on it now. It's curious that there are men who are so far in the Shadow that they can feel the dagger. Gode says he can feel it coming off them in waves, that they are already halfway turned to the Shadow. That's a very creepy thought. Is the dagger so powerful, or is Gode so evil? And could you imagine what would have happened if Rand had grabbed the dagger instead of Mat? For him to be corrupted so much would definitely be a bad thing! Also, this part of the journey is really teaching Rand and Mat about the real world. Before, they were pretty sheltered in the Two Rivers. When the innkeeper means to rob them, I think they learn some important lessons. Poor country bumpkins need to grow up quickly. Rand channeling is another main part of chapter 32. I think it's interesting here that he's beginning to wonder where his luck is coming from. After the lightning hits the window, he thinks, "Luck. The Light's own ... Is it?" So even Rand is wondering if it's the Dark One's luck that's helping. Or could it be that he's wondering about channeling? Maybe that Mat is channeling? Or that he is channeling? It seems odd that he wouldn't notice the signs of the reaction. But, we see Nynaeve's point of view when Moiraine tells her she can channel, and it's very easy to understand how they could be in denial. But still, with Darkfriends and worse after them, wouldn't Rand begin to wonder a little? To look at the weird experiences his body has had over the past two weeks or so? Maybe. Maybe not. But I think we'll stop there for now. I really like the next few chapters, with Rand's arrival into Caemlyn and the events that follow—especially meeting Loial. See you next time and thanks for reading!
Welcome to another edition of Dragonmount’s Fantasy Review. For this edition, I am examining The Emperor’s Blades: Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne (Part I) by Brian Staveley. The sequel, The Providence of Fire, is due to be published in January, 2015. Synopsis: The Emperor of the Unhewn Throne has been assassinated by an unknown murderer, leaving behind three children: two sons and a daughter. His heir, Kaden, has been away for eight years, training with monks in a distant, remote monastery, learning the ways of the “Blank God” and the mysteries of the vaniate, or “nothingness.” His training is spiritual and emotional, and deemed necessary to rule in the Unhewn throne. Mysterious creatures have returned, killing off monks and novices, and suddenly, the monastery is no longer a safe place for the new Emperor. Meanwhile, during the last eight years, the younger son, Valyn has been training to join the Kettral--a group of fierce warriors who fly enormous birds into battle. After hearing of his father’s murder, Valyn becomes suspicious of the other Kettral Cadets, afraid for his life and that of his dearest friend. His driving goal throughout the story is to complete his training and go warn (and possibly rescue) his brother from would-be assassins. While her brothers were away learning to be a monk and a soldier, the late emperor’s daughter Adare has become finance minister. She is bright, intelligent, and fierce. She holds the kingdom together after her father’s murder, and is seeking vengeance against his killer while patiently waiting her brothers’ return. Pros: I like the shifting points of view between the three siblings of Kaden, Valyn, and Adare. I enjoyed that Adare seems to be a strong, competent, independent girl. Yes, she’s a princess, and yes, she becomes a minister of finance for the Empire upon her father’s death, but she is competent enough an individual that no one seems to question the appointment as nepotism. It is through Adare’s POV chapters that we learn about the intricacies of the Empire. I also enjoyed that there was a younger brother without overt “jealous of big brother” tendencies. Valyn has his own dreams, to become a Kettral, and he does not seem to care that he won’t inherit the Unhewn Throne. Cons I wish that we had more of Adare’s perspective. Her POV chapters were scattered throughout. The concept of vaniate is a little esoteric. I really hate the idea of the “army without a family” like Staveley uses for the Kettral (or that George R.R. Martin uses with the Night’s Watch and the Kingsguard). That’s a personal preference, however, and does not interfere with my enjoyment of the story as a whole. Rating 4/5. I’m excited to see what happens in the next adventure of the story! If you are interested in reading this book, it can be purchased from Dragonmount's eBook store here.
I'm sure many of you have already seen or briefly glanced at the Wheel of Time Wiki's Drinking Game, but if not I thought I would share the glorious hilarity of it here. Since this has been around a while, I suppose this is kind of another Throwback post? Throwback Thursday (on a Wednesday) Part 2! First of all, the disclaimer: Sounds like something Nynaeve would say. Just that right there is enough to knock a person out in the first 20 pages! The wiki page goes on to mention events requiring two, three, and four drinks, but I won't list them all here. Hopefully you got a good laugh today. The Light illumine you!
A trend has popped up in the Tumblr community of "ask blogs," which are blogs where you can ask a question and you will get an answer in the character of whoever is being portrayed. There have been some great posts as a result of this, and I wanted to feature just a few. At the end, I'll include a master list of all the ask blogs I know of right now (but more are being added just about every day). First off, from askgraendal: There have also been some great posts from ask blogs of our favorite steeds: Mandarb and Bela. From askmandarb: And from belathehorse: Finally, I'll end with a great ongoing saga from askmoridin (the beginning of the ask has something to do with a previous conversation) Hearteater now makes frequent appearances in many of Moridin's answers. That's all for this week, just a small taste of the many great things that have been happening on ask blogs. Here is the master list that I mentioned before, hopefully I get most of them: Asmodean Moridin Lanfear Graendal Mat Cauthon Gaul Nynaeve Elayne Rand Egwene Lews Therin Ingtar Mandarb Bela Aelfinn Shaitan
The semi-finals are over and now we're at the Championship! And our fighters are: Graendal--winner of the Channeler's bracket And Rhuarc--winner of the Non-Channeler's bracket If you want to vote in this week's match, go here. And as a bonus, Dragonmount's own Barid Bel Medar has written an epic match up between Rand and Demandred. Fans waited for this in the series, but were left wanting. So, if you want to vote, or talk about this match, go here.
The voting period for the 2014 Hugo Awards ends on Thursday, July 31st PDT. The Wheel of Time series, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson is nominated for "Best Novel" this year. To vote, you must be a member of this year's WorldCon, held August 14-18 in London, United Kingdom. The awards ceremony will be held at at 8PM on Sunday, August 17. You must be a member to attend. Harriet McDougal, the editor of the series and Jordan's widow and Maria Simons, one of the continuity editors for the series will be in attendance, along with many other authors, editors, artists and industry professionals. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live online, details of that will be published later on the convention website. If you are in Atlanta, Georgia, JordanCon is hosting a "Hugo Watching Party". Harriet and Maria will both speaking at the convention on Saturday, Aug. 16th at 12PM on the influence of the series in a panel discussion titled "The Road Goes Ever On and On". Our friend Leigh Butler recently wrote an essay on why she thinks the Wheel of Time deserves a Hugo. Brandon Sanderson also published his thoughts back in April, when the nomination was announced. Regardless of if you agree with us on the Wheel of Time Hugo nomination, the Hugos are still one of the most prestigious awards in science fiction and fantasy literature. They are also one of the few decided by popular vote. If you have the means, please participate in the process, regardless of how you intend to vote. If you do vote, please participate fully in the process. Try to read as many of the nominated works as you can and vote in as many categories as you feel confident in.
The next round of Cage Matches are up. This weeks fights are the semi-finals, including: Graendal vs Deepe and Elyas vs Rhuarc We're down to the best of the best, so help us decide who is going to take home the title this year! And it's not too late to show your support (even if your favorite character is already out of the running); wear a special forum signature. You can also check out who is leading in the Prediction Competition. Or, talk about the earlier battles: Week 1, Week 2, or Week 3.
Welcome, everyone, to the latest edition of the Weekly Roundup, where I cover the weekly events of Dragonmount! First, The Hugo Awards! The deadline is fast approaching for those interested to become members and vote. You don’t even have to attend Loncon to vote! While we are on the subject, this year’s Worldcon is expected to have a strong Wheel of Time presence. On Saturday, August 16 there is a (planned) panel that will include Harriet McDougal, Maria Simons and Dragonmount user Werthead! And to those thinking of going to Worldcon, here's a discussion thread! Second on our agenda: Dragonmount’s annual Cage Matches. Week 3 had several exciting lineups. The winners from week 3 were Deepe, Graendal, Rhuarc and Elyas, and discussion about those battles continues here. This week’s lineup has two epic battles: Elyas vs Rhuarc and Deepe vs Graendal Remember, if you don’t vote, your favorite might be defeated! Next up, news from the Social Groups: In the White Tower, the Amyrlin is discussing the new Full Shannara Television Series ordered by MTV. Have you read the books? Do you think they will be adapted fairly? Do you plan on watching? Discuss! With the return of boy genius RandA lThor, Mayhem continues to ensue in Shayol Ghul. While you are checking out the mayhem, sign up for LilyE’s Mall Madness mafia game! The Ogier have two ongoing discussions that seem to be very intriguing. First, what is on your “to read” shelve? What books are you dying to read? Second is a serious discussion on the Book of Translations. Join the Ogier and discuss these two fascinating topics! Finally, our Weekly Facebook/Twitter update: The article mentioned is here (and includes a Brandon Sanderson favorite series!) Remember, you can get updates like these by following Dragonmount on Twitter and Facebook. (And to keep seeing the updates, Like, Share, and Comment on Facebook). That’s it for this week. Tune in next week for the Cage Match Finals and more Dragonmount awesomeness!
Just like the title says, this week we're going back to the future to our fandom past. So many funny things have happened over the years, and I thought I'd bring back just a few. For instance, remember all those years spent not knowing who killed Asmodean? (I know some of you reading might still not know, so don't worry, I won't give it away). Our curiosity spurred some amazing theories, and also some hilarious ones. And of course, Some of my other favorites are "Alternate Universe" type images which were featured on this Fan Art Friday a couple years ago. First, an email inbox for Mat Cauthon by sleepinghour and a magazine cover featuring Mat In that same post, some folks in the comments mentioned that there is also an inbox for Rand, so I've tracked it down from here: Lastly, a true classic, and I'm sorry but I have no idea who made this. I originally found it here, I believe. (Original source is here.) That's all, folks! The Light illumine you; have a nice week!
Hello dear friends! Another week has moved by us, and now it’s time for a new edition of the Dragonmount Weekly Update! This week, we’re going to look at the Cage Matches, the Hugo Awards, and examine the goings-on of Dragonmount outside of the Social Groups. First bit of business is our Cage Match updates: Week Two went by with Rhuarc absolutely sweeping away the competition, while Elyas, Tylin, and Aludra each also won their respective matches. If you care to discuss these turns of events, see the Week Two discussion thread. This week is the quarterfinals, with two “Channeler” matches and two “Non-Channeler” matches: Elyas vs Aludra Tylin vs Rhuarc Deepe vs Sorilea Graendal vs Rhavin Who will win and go to the next round? And don’t forget you can also wear a Forum Signature to show your support for your favorite competitors! Next on the Agenda: The Hugo Awards! There is still time to become a member and vote, and you don’t even have to attend London Con to vote! While we are on the subject, this year’s World Con is expected to have a strong Wheel of Time Presence. On Saturday, August 16 there is a (planned) panel that will include Harriet McDougal, Maria Simons and Dragonmount user Werthead! The TV Show & Sports forum continues discussing the World Cup and this bit of news about LeBron James. In the Dragon Reborn Roleplaying threads, there is an interesting post regarding Acceptable Behavior brewing.... I wonder where this will lead? In Other Media, a bit of interesting news: Humble Bundle is putting out the collection of the Wheel of Time Comics! Finally, for our weekly Facebook and Twitter update: (All I can say is I would not get that answer right either!) Remember, you can get up-to-the-minute Dragonmount and Wheel of Time- related news by following Dragonmount on Facebook and Twitter! That wraps it up this week.
Round 3 of the Wheel of Time Cage Match has started! This weeks fights include: Graendal vs Rhavin Deepe vs Sorilea Tylin vs Rhuarc Elyas vs Aludra Go and vote for who you think would win between these challengers. Next week, we'll move onto the semi-finals. And if you still have comments about the fights from the first two weeks, you can continue the discussion here: Week 1 Week 2 Also, see how everyone's doing with the Prediction Competition so far!
Hello, friends! The Wheel has turned all the way around to Thursday again, which means two things: the weekend is not too far away, and it's time for our Rotating Features blog! As I sit here writing this, I am watching the World Cup semi-final but I thought I would take a few moments to introduce you to an area of our wonderful website here at Dragonmount which you may not yet have explored and which may prove to be of use and a lot of fun. Have you noticed the lovely pictures that everyone has at the end of their posts on our forums? These are known as signatures, and are one of the main ways that we can stamp a little bit of individuality on our posts as well as advertise part of our personality, a position we hold on Dragonmount, or a group we are part of. There are a couple of ways to get one of these signatures (or more than one), and one of them is the feature of Dragonmount I want to highlight--our signature requests board. Here, you can request talented and skilled individuals to make a signature to your specifications, or you can choose some that they have already made, and ask permission to wear them. Before you do so, make sure you read the pinned threads on how you should proceed. Hopefully someone will respond quickly and make you a lovely shiny signature to wear with pride! The same pinned threads explain exactly how you can add them to your posts. There's also the signature playground, where you can look at ones already made and ask if you may use them. There are a lot of nice ones there and if the creator is feeling kind, they may even tweak and modify them for you. Otherwise, many people like to make them themselves with artwork they find online. This is fun and satisfying and it's fairly easy to learn how to make simple ones; and who knows, you may find you have a talent for it and become one of our dedicated signature makers as well. One of the best programs to use (in my opinion at least) is Adobe Photoshop. If that is out of your budget, however, never fear! For years I have used a free version called GIMP (Generic Image Manipulation Program) to make mine. If you have any familiarity with Photoshop then you will find that GIMP works almost exactly the same. Make sure you look at the same pinned threads in the signature board as they also have the rules and guidelines for signatures if you're going to dabble in making them yourself! I hope you find the solution to all your signature wearing needs, express yourselves, and make our boards that bit more colorful! That's all for now! Have fun! Until next time, friends!
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