DRAGONMOUNT

I still love them; something about them just makes me laugh.  So here are a couple of my favorite Wheel of Time light bulb jokes.   1.) How many Tinkers does it take to change a light bulb?      They don't. Tinkers wait for the sun to rise.   2.) How many Aiel does it take to change a light bulb?      Aiel don't know how to change light bulbs. 3.) How many Forsaken does it take to change a light bulb?      None, Forsaken like it in the dark.   4.) How many Two Rivers folks does it take to change a light bulb?      About 20. Everyone on the Village Council will insist that he should take part of the responsibility, so it will take them a long time to find the right person to do it. Meanwhile, the Women's Council will be debating which brand of light bulb they should install, comparing unit prices and MTBF ratings. The plans of the two groups will ultimately conflict, leading to much use of names like "stubborn" and "woolhead".   And my personal favorite:   5.) How many Aiel does it take to change a light bulb?      There's more ji in finding ones way in the the dark.

Harriet McDougal, Robert Jordan's widow and the editor of The Wheel of Time series, recently told Dragonmount that she expects the WoT Encyclopedia to be handed into Tor Books for publication later than originally expected.   While attending the first annual JordanCon In 2009, Harriet said that she was under contract with Tor to create an Encyclopedia which described the world, its characters, and its history in greater detail (!). Also likely to be included are things like ranking lists of channelers, and rosters of Aes Sedai Ajahs.  Harriet also said that the Encyclopedia was due to be handed into Tor "one year after A Memory of Light was completed".  If that were true, then the Encyclopedia would be handed into Tor by January, 2014, and likely published a few months later.    But Harriet is now saying that she currently estimates the Encyclopedia will be handed into Tor around June of 2014, for a later summer or Fall 2014 release. This timeframe is by no means set in stone, but that's currently where things are at.   We'll have more news as it comes in.

Welcome back to another edition of "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog.  We are going to continue our reread of The Eye of the World, chapters 1 - 4.    Before we start, I do want to say that there will still be SPOILERS!  With the ending in sight, much of what I point out could allude to things that happen in A Memory of Light, so keep that in mind as you read.  Don't continue if you don't want to be spoiled.   Synopsis: Chapter 1: "An Empty Road"   Rand al'Thor and his father Tam are walking down the Quarry Road, delivering cider and brandy to the Winespring Inn for Bel Tine.  As they walk, Rand has the sensation that someone is watching him.  He turns around and sees a rider, dressed all in black, atop a black horse.  Rand tells his father, but when Tam looks the stranger is gone.  Rand felt hatred from the strangers gaze and he is scared.  He also realizes that the man's cloak did not move in the wind.   When they arrive in the Two Rivers, the town is getting ready for the festival, and the arrival of spring, even if winter weather is still hanging on.  Wit Conger stops them to complain about Nynaeve al'Meara.  Tam says the Wisdom is "women's business," and pushes on towards the inn.   Outside, they run into Bran al'Vere, the Mayor and owner of the inn.  As Bran and Tam talk, Cenn Buie—another member of the Village Council— joins them.  They talk of ill omens and bad weather.  Cenn thinks Nynaeve's ability to listen to the wind tells her that winter will never end.   Rand pays attention to the adult's conversation until his friend Mat Cauthon shows up.  Mat says they have strangers in town, and Rand immediately thinks of the black rider on the road.  Mat has seen the man as well.  They think about telling someone, but decide against it.   They learn that a gleeman has arrived for the festival, and the Council has ordered fireworks—if the first peddler of the season ever arrives.  Mat and Rand help Tam unload the casks of cider.   Chapter 2: "Strangers"   As Mat and Rand unload the cart, the Village Council is assembling in the inn's common room.  Once finished with the task, Ewin Finngar appears to tell Rand and Mat about the strangers who arrived in town.  They are the people—a man and a woman—Mat meant to tell Rand about: Lady Moiraine and Lan.  Ewin says Lan is "in her service" and he wears a sword.   Outside, the boys continue to talk about all the happenings of town, when they see a raven staring at them from the roof of the inn.  Mat and Rand both throw rocks at it, but it dodges them and continues to stare.  The Lady Moiraine shows up and the bird screams and flies away.  She talks to Rand, Mat, and Ewin, giving each a coin in exchange for any work she might have of them while she is in town.  Ewin is given a silver penny, but Mat and Rand are given larger silver coins.   Moiraine says she is a collector of stories, and she will talk to them in more detail later.  When she leaves, they see Lan—who has a cloak that changes colors—following her.  Commotion on the street shows that the peddler has finally arrived.   Chapter 3: "The Peddler"   As Padan Fain, the peddler, pulls onto the village green, many of the townsfolk assemble to hear news from the outside.  Perrin Aybara, Rand's other friend, shows up.  Together, they listen to Padan Fain tell a story about a man proclaiming himself to be the Dragon Reborn in Ghealdan.  This causes an uproar from the crowd, so the Village Council calls Padan Fain into the inn so they can question him further.    Rand, Mat, and Perrin talk about the possibility of war, Aes Sedai, and false Dragons when Nynaeve, with Egwene al'Vere in tow, comes up and scolds them.  They tell her why they were talking about such topics and she storms off to the inn to question the peddler herself.    After she goes inside, Egwene and Rand talk a bit.  Egwene has her hair braided, which means she is of an age to be married; Rand is also at the marriageable age.  Egwene says she is learning the arts of a Wisdom from Nynaeve, and that she might leave the Two Rivers to be a Wisdom to another town.  Rand thinks the only way to get her to stay is to marry her, but he's not willing to take that step at the moment.    Perrin tells Mat and Rand that he's seen the black rider, and that Moiraine also gave him a fat silver coin.  Egwene begins to argue about the stranger not being a monster from a gleeman's tale, when the gleeman comes out of the inn.   Chapter 4: "The Gleeman"   The gleeman—feeling huffy for being kicked out of the inn by the Council—comes to talk to Rand and the others.  He is Thom Merrilin, and when he notices a crowd gathering around him, he juggles and tells them what kind of stories he will share.  Moraine appears in the crowd and Thom stops abruptly.  He tells her she won't object to any of the stories he will tell.   At that moment, the inn door's open and the Council and Nynaeve exit.  Thom rushes off to get a brandy.  The Mayor and Nynaeve argue about the strangers—Moraine and Lan—and she storms off again.   Tam tells Rand and the other boys that the town will start a watch, with riders traveling the roads to Deven Ride and Watch Hill.  The boys want to volunteer.  Tam says they are going home, and though Rand argues, he winds up doing as his father says.  Back on the Quarry Road, Tam tells Rand that two other boys saw the black rider, and that he might be a refuge from the war in Ghealdan.  The watch will either find him or scare him away.  Knowing that they have a plan makes Rand feel safer about the whole thing.     My take:   A couple of thoughts on Chapter 1:   First, I love the opening paragraph: "The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass...".  And I love even more how Robert Jordan started every book in the series in the same format.  The repetition is beautiful and—though simple—helps form a connection through all the books.   Moving on, what is the nature of the long winter?  None of the seals of the Dark One's prison should be broken at this point.  Is the weakening of the seals responsible?  Because he can touch the world quite a bit to be able to manipulate the weather.  Also, later when they use the Eye, green things begin to grow, but then summer lasts until the Bowl of the Winds is used.  So perhaps even the switching from eternal winter to eternal summer was the Dark One's plan all along.  Or was it just him making the best of a bad situation?   Rand thinks to himself that there are more wolves around than usual.  If there are so many of them, what are the chances of Perrin coming into contact with one, and discovering—like Noal—that he has wolfbrother abilities?  I think he would have found out even if he hadn't left and met Elyas.  Remember in The Great Hunt when they travel by Portal Stone and they all see visions?  Perrin said, “We don't have many choices really, do we, Rand? Whatever happens, whatever we do, some things are almost always the same.”   While Tam and Rand are walking down the Quarry Road, I really like how Tam's solidness makes Rand go back on task.  This is the Rand we fell in love with—the innocent farm boy who needs that reassurance of his father.  I think this is also echoed in The Gathering Storm when Rand sees Tam again.  Tam's presence makes Rand relax.  And that relaxation makes him have a sort of panic attack—an attack where he realizes he can't relax, so he lashes out.  Funny how this is what actually led to Rand's epiphany on Dragonmount.  It was always Tam's job to get Rand on track.   Rand thinks of his mother, Kari, who died when he was only five.  Isn't it strange that we don't know the cause of death?  I'm racking my brains, trying to think of any reference to what killed her, and right now, I can't think of a single one.     We've had multiple discussions about whether Kari was a Darkfriend, and whether it was really her soul at the end of The Eye of the World, but I haven't seen any theories about why, or how, she died.   Rand's ta'veren-ness waxes and wanes as the Pattern weaves.  However, was the Pattern aware of him as a child?  Did it realize he was the Dragon early on and twist and turn events around him?  Something had to have pulled Tam to Dragonmount after the Blood Snows.  It was only chance that led him to finding the baby at all.  And we know, in The Wheel of Time, there are no coincidences.     Another note on this same topic: how are Rand, Mat, and Perrin the closest friends?  Growing up in the village, there are several other children around their same age.  And we know—since we were once children—that sometimes your best friend is even a year ahead or behind you.  So why were these three boys drawn to one another?  Again, their ta'veren-ness isn't supposed to come into play until Moiraine takes them away from the Two Rivers, but something made the be friends.   If you look at it, Rand lives far from town, and Perrin becomes an apprentice (with a job), so when would they ever have time to spend together?    Mat and Perrin, I could see them becoming ta'veren later.  But to me, it makes sense that Rand has been ta'veren all his life.   Which brings me back to Kari.  Why wouldn't the Pattern want Rand to grow up with his adopted mother?  What sort of things did he gain by her absence?  Did he need to have a strong male figure only?  Would a mother have pampered him more than he needed—making him softer, unable to do the harsh things he needed to do?  There had to be a reason for her to be taken.   When we read "Ravens" a few weeks ago, there was one part where Egwene thinks of the litany they say about the Forsaken.  Rand brings it up in this chapter:     Egwene, when she thinks of it, leaves off the bit about them being bound at the moment of Creation.  Which is funny, because Tam tells the story of how the Forsaken were imprisoned in Shayol Ghul by the Dragon not the Creator.  And if the Forsaken are bound since Creation, bound till the end of time, why do older people frighten children with tales of the Forsaken?  Mat says, "My mother always said the Forsaken would come for me if I didn't mend my ways."   I think people would argue it's the same as how we tell children about Santa Claus, or how we scare them with stories of ghosts.  But the adults don't believe in Santa or ghosts—usually.  In Randland, that prayer is what they all believe.  So it's very contradictory when their threat goes against the natural order of the world, or so they see it.   And finally, for Chapter 1, we have the line by Bran al'Vere: "Sometimes I think Nynaeve is right about…".  This bit of a rant is in regards to Cenn Buie.  We know Nynaeve isn't the best judge of character—but sometimes she knows what she's talking about.  What could she have possibly said about Cenn that Bran thinks she may be right about? Remember, in her testing for Accepted, Nynaeve sees the Two Rivers where Cenn is the Mayor, and letting the evil new Wisdom rule over the citizens with fear.  Does this image come from Nynaeve's own mind—and whatever she really thought of Cenn Buie—or does it come from the Pattern, by some sort of dream ter'angreal?   I've also heard speculation that this line means Cenn Buie can learn to channel saidin.  That Nynaeve senses the ability in him, or something.  It seems unlikely, I think.  But I do think that if Perrin hadn't come back to the Two Rivers in The Shadow Rising, Cenn could have turned out to be more evil.  When Perrin became their Lord, all the Two Rivers folk—Cenn included—lost a bit of their stubbornness and found someone they could all follow.   One quick word on Chapter 2:   Like in "Ravens," in this chapter we see more ravens acting odd.  When Rand and Mat throw the rock at the bird, it calmly sidesteps their assault.  When Moiraine comes along, the bird screams and flies off, implying that she channeled at it.  But what if that action is what caused the Myrddraal to attack that night?   We've talked about how it's possible that Myrddraal can channel the True Power—and we've seen in the Towers of Midnight prologue that the birds need to be controlled by the True Power in order to report what they saw.  If a Myrddraal was controlling this raven, felt it be hit by an invisible string of Air, it would know that there was an Aes Sedai in the village—if it wasn't close enough to feel her channeling to begin with.  And if it knew an Aes Sedai was there, it probably wanted to act as soon as possible, hence the quick and poorly formed attack parties.   On Padan Fain in Chapter 3:   At the end of the book, we learn about the process used on Padan Fain… that he was distilled.  This made him able to track down Rand, Mat, and Perrin.  However, do you think he was the only Darkfriend to be used in this manner?  Surely the Dark One had dozens of other people, paying close attention to every village in the world.  He would have distilled all of them.  But why is Fain the only one out for revenge?  He wants to kill the Dark One for what was done to him.     One possibility I see is that the process killed all the others.  Fain only survived because his distilled memories had found the one.  Because of that connection, Fain wasn't killed by the horrible process, and instead it made him a hound.  Just a thought.   And finally, Chapter 4:   Just one thing I want to point out about chapter 4: how bad Thom looks.  He is considered to be arrogant, the Mayor is offended by his attitude, he makes fun of how "travelled" the boys are, the list goes on and on.  Bran himself says, "That man may be fore trouble than he's worth."  And later (in Chapter 8), Lan voices his doubts about the gleeman: "I do not like that man. There is something about him I don't trust."   It seems to me, looking back, that Thom was meant to be a red herring.  If we think of someone leading the Trollocs into the Two Rivers, we don't think of Moiraine, who helped fight, we don't think of Fain, who is familiar to all in the town, we think of the weaselly gleeman who looked down his nose at everyone from the start.   I can't remember if I thought that during my first read—probably not, since my sister read the series first and spoiled a lot of things for me.  But if I had, it would have made his sacrifice at Whitebridge that much more surprising and wonderful.   Okay, we'll wrap things up there.  Sorry for the length; I doubt all will be this long.  That first chapter, in particular, made my brain really think about connections!  Join us next week for more of The Eye of the World, and everyone's favorite Trolloc, Narg!

Ah! The Wheel turns, and another week of activity has gone by. This has been a particularly active week for Dragonmount, so I do apologize for the length of this week’s Weekly Roundup. There is just so much going on this week!   The Debates and Discussion forum has a few interesting topics up for discussion at the moment: the America Shutdown, European Politics, and Propaganda. If you want to talk about the situations, learn something new, or just want to get into a good debate over any of the topics, head over to this forum to share your thoughts.   Walking Dead fans! The Entertainment, TV Show, & Sports Discussion forum has opened a discussion on Season Four! Join this discussion to compare notes, predict character deaths and plot twists, and to find other, like-minded Zombie fans on Dragonmount!   The amazing re-imagined Tuathan’an forum has announced its ranking system, the Way of the Leaf! If you are already a member of the former ACW Guild or looking to become a member, check the thread out to find information about this exciting process.   Meanwhile, in the Aiel, there are still spaces available for their Halloween Mafia game! The Aiel usually don’t have mafia games, so those of you looking for a new mafia game, or wanting to try it out for the first time, can play in this exciting holiday game.   The Kin are celebrating Halloween by sharing creepy images! (Warning… there might be spiders!)   Do you have tattoos? Share them in the Shayol Ghul Tatto Expo! This is your chance to talk about your ink, the artist, and plans for future tattoos.   The White Tower and Warders group has been the host of the Red Ajah Autumn Festival this week. The festival, music themed, has a discussion on folk music, dancing music, a signature contest, corrupt a song, a discussion of favorite music or bands, and a “let’s write a song” thread. What an amazing event!   In the Role-playing forum, a Warder Initiate has asked for help after being wounded by brigands. Will an Accepted or a Sister be able to get to him in time?   Finally for the weekly Dragonmount Facebook update:   :   Remember, you can get up-to-date information about Wheel of Time news from Dragonmount's Facebook and Twitter feeds!  And that wraps it up for this week's Weekly Roundup. Remember to sign in to your Social Groups!

There are quite a few questions that were asked over the past year or so, since the release of A Memory of Light, that have been given a "MAFO" (Maria and Find Out) instead of the usual "RAFO" (Read and Find Out).  Basically, whoever answered--be it Brandon Sanderson or even Harriet McDougal--said there might be more details in Robert Jordan's notes, and one of his assistants could be able to supply more information.  There are twenty-three questions that Maria was asked, and she elaborates on many of them.  Enjoy!   [Note: Maria's answers are in red.]     Question One Luckers: Who was behind the attack on Demira Sedai? Brandon: MAFO   That was Padan Fain and his corrupted Whitecloaks. (I gave this answer to James earlier, but I don’t know if he disseminated it.)   Question Two Luckers: Can someone who is leashed by an a’dam touch Tel’aran’rhiod?   Brandon: *blinks at me* Umm. That’s a really good question.   Luckers: I ask, because it’s odd that Moghedien never tried to use the dream to escape, or to capture someone in Salidar and compel her to free Moghedien in the waking world, or anything like that.   Brandon: Yeah, that’s a good question. I’d guess no, but you can MAFO that.   I believe that you cannot touch Tel’aran’rhiod while leashed, but I can’t find anything in the notes that states so outright.   Question Three   Luckers: Okay, so the warding on the Great Holding in Tear… it’s just, Moiraine, Mat, Rand, the Wonder Girls, all come and go with ease, yet Mesaana speaks of there being a nasty warding that stopped her getting in, and there is no sign that Be’lal… I mean, why wouldn’t Be’lal have taken the fat man angreal?   Brandon: *nodding before I finished* MAFO. That was something I was going to look into myself, because it stumped me during my last re-read.   It is my understanding that Rand put that warding on when he was getting ready to leave Tear. As for Be’lal . . . well, he was one of the Chosen; what need had he of an angreal to go up against an untrained sheepherder? That’s my best guess, anyway.   Question Four   Luckers: Sammael claims to have a truce with Rand, even though we see Rand turn him down. Was Sammael lying, or did…   Brandon: I’m fairly sure he was lying. As in, I’ve seen something in the notes at one point, and I’m pretty sure it was… but my memory being what it is, I will say you can MAFO that. But I’m pretty sure he was lying.   Sammael was lying in an attempt to manipulate Graendal. (the other one that I gave to Luckers before)   Question Five   Luckers: What was the stylized raven that Min viewed around Carlinya?   Brandon: I thought that had already been answered. Did Jim not answer this?   Luckers: No. Everyone thought it referred to Carlinya being da’covale to the Empress. But no, it hasn’t been answered. Brandon: Oh. Oh, okay. Well, I will RAFO/MAFO it. You can email Maria and me about it, but I may have to RAFO it.   --Note: This is the question I asked in relation to my critique email.   --Also, I fixed up the horrid formatting of my previous email, with apologies.     The raven is a symbol of the Dark One as well as the Seanchan; Carlinya was killed fighting the Black Ajah.   Question Six (this question was misquoted the first time it was answered)   Original Line of Question Roga: Does Elayne know that Alanna bonded Rand?   Brandon:  Ah...well...I'll have to check that. MAFO. Good question.   Maria: From Winter’s Heart, chapter 12, Rand speaking to Elayne, Aviendha, and Min: “Anyway, Alanna Mosvani got there ahead of you, and she didn’t bother asking . . . I’ve been bonded to her for months now.”   Actual Question Roga: If this question came from the Dallas signing, then it was from me. I asked about Egwene. The reason behind the question was, I wanted to know: if Alanna's name had been on Verin's list in The Gathering Storm, would Egwene have passed over it? However, Brandon pointed out that Verin knew about the bond, so unless she had some reason to keep quiet, I'd think she should've made some kind of special warning note if Alanna had been in her list.   Egwene did not know.   Question Seven   Terez:  There is one case in which I suspect that RJ gave an Aes Sedai answer and the reporter may not have gotten it exactly. Question: Was Else always Lanfear? RJ Answer: No. Else did exist as a separate human but was played by Lanfear after Else was expelled. Terez Question: Strange, because of the personality 'Else' showed, and the Tear trap being Mesaana's trap, not Lanfear's. Any comment?   Brandon: MAFO   I cannot find anything to clarify the question.   Question  Eight   Terez: I thought of a Lan question. Did Elyas really teach Lan anything about the Blight? Or was that a TEOTWism? I have a feeling you are going to MAFO that. Does @MariaLSimons play Magic? Surely we can bribe her with something.   Brandon: I've never questioned that one, so I haven't thought to ask about it or look it up. Is there a reason I should wonder?   Terez: Only that Lan was practically raised in the Blight by the Malkieri. Wouldn't think Elyas could teach him much about it.   Brandon: That is a good point. I'll go ahead and do as you said and MAFO that one. You might be right; might be an EoTWism.   I can’t find anything to clarify this, either. I will just offer up anecdote: I have been reading WoT for 22 years, and went to work for its creator over 17 years ago. I could be said to live and breathe The Wheel of Time. But Terez has taught me much about WoT. It could be a TEOTWism, or Lan could have been thinking of some very specific things that Elyas shared that he found helpful.   Question Nine   Could thirteen Aes Sedai linked shield Rand while he was channeling using Callandor? What about with Choedan Kal at full power?   I really don’t think so, for either, but I cannot find it specifically stated.   Question Ten   How many rounds are there in the Age of Legends game sha'rah?   I don’t know.   Question Eleven   Question: Can you clear up the timeline issues? How do Mat, Perrin, Rand, and Egwene all match up in the timeline?   Brandon: The Gathering Storm begins sometime in April. It ends around the end of June/beginning of July. However, Perrin advanced very little—only about two weeks. Mat advanced a bit more, but was still about a month behind Rand and Egwene (this gets an asterisk as a MAFO), but Mat traveled to Caemlyn about 30 days before the end of the book—he emphasized 30 days and asked if I understood the significance of that—I said that I do. (Interpretation: Mat will open Verin’s letter very early in Towers of Midnight). Tuon's timeline jumps around the most. In Knife of Dreams, she ended about a month ahead of everyone else. There were probably (MAFO) about two weeks between her meeting with Rand and the launch of the attack on the White Tower.    That sounds about right to me.   Question Twelve   Question: When I was in line, I asked Brandon and Harriet (mostly Harriet, since she was signing my books) if the Andoran royal line is descended from Rand's Aiel line (see this post).    Harriet: I got a lovely smile from Harriet that told me she was pleased that someone had finally figured that out, and she said that she believes I am exactly right about that. She was a little sketchy on the details, though, and so was Brandon, so Brandon said it was essentially a MAFO. So I talked to Maria after that session, and she was taking a break so I didn't want to ask her about it just then, so I asked her if I could message her about it, and the other MAFO we got today, and she said yes, so I will hopefully be hearing more about that soon. Brandon asked me not to put that one in the interview database until I hear from Maria about it.   Oops. I really have been terribly slow with these. I can’t find anything that says yea or nay on this one.   Question Thirteen   Who thought up the mindtrap? Any circumstances you can divulge...?   I know nothing.   Question Fourteen   Can a Dreamer access Tel'aran'rhiod if trapped by the 'Finns?   I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I can’t back that up.   Question Fifteen   What did Cadsuane use to blackmail Flinn, Narishma, and Manfor?   A quote from the notes: “For the men, it would have been at least partly a matter of blackmail. They are distrusting of Rand, and also of Taim to various degrees; none thinks it’s safe to go back to the Black Tower; they are known in Cairhien as men who can channel, and also elsewhere, making them marked to an extent, at least on their own.”   So it wasn’t anything really hidden, it was just “let us bond you and we’ll help you; otherwise you’re all on your own.” And it was Hopwil, not Manfor, who was in the first group bonded.   Question  Sixteen   Are there any rogue Heroes of the Horn? [as in] if a Hero was acting intentionally or not to either advance the goals of the Shadow or to interfere with the actions of other Heroes.   Brandon: I do not know of any. We can MAFO it, but I'm pretty sure that there are none doing that. They don't all get along, mind you. But I don't believe any of them are Darkfriends.   There are no rogue Heroes of the Horn.   Question  Seventeen   Why did Fain say he had to go to Caemlyn first before the White Tower, though he actually went to the White Tower then Caemlyn (as least as far as we see in the books)?   The next time we see him he is in Tar Valon, it is true, but that doesn't mean he didn't stop by Caemlyn on the way.  He could have gone to Caemlyn before Tar Valon, although the timing would be rather tight, I think. There are other possibilities: he intended to go to Caemlyn, somehow learned Rahvin was there, and decided to skip that for the time being. Or he intended to go to Caemlyn, but his baser instincts prevailed and he decided to get his dagger first. I can't find a solid answer.   Question Eighteen   Did Nynaeve realize that Suroth was a Darkfriend from their meeting in Falme, and if so, why didn't she warn Rand after he got the invitation from her?   I think that with the Seanchan being as they were, Nynaeve might not assume that one who does something such as this would have to be a Darkfriend; the Seanchan are different--they collar women who can channel and own other people, two things that most Randlanders find evil. So I can see Nynaeve not making the connection. Egwene and Min were a little distracted at the time, being collared and almost killed, so I can see it not making the impact on them that it does on readers.   Question Nineteen   Why didn't the Seanchan invade Ghealdan?   From Alan: Their plan was to push east quickly through Illian and eventually sweep north into Andor and beyond.  Ghealdan was not a military threat to them for the time being, and it would fall easily to them once they had consolidated control of the southeast.  There are only so many fronts on which an army wishes, or should wish, to fight simultaneously, even an army of great strength.  History is littered with the corpses of generals who made that mistake.   Question Twenty   How many of the Heroes of the Horn are currently "in the flesh"?   Oh, the passage of time. If I had answered these back when I should have, I would have RAFOed. But now that AMoL is out, at least I will say that there are fewer than there were. I don’t have hard numbers on all the heroes.   Question Twenty-One   How did the Eye of the World's location move about?   I don’t know.   Question Twenty-Two    How Moiraine is able to able to learn which Forsaken is in power in Tear and Illian in The Dragon Reborn?   I’ve always assumed research, research, research. I have no better answer.   Question Twenty-Three   When Lan tracked down Myrelle in Lord of Chaos, she used the bond to Compel him to come to her, in such a way that he wouldn't detect it. Did she have to use the bond to seduce Lan, or did he just go along because he didn't have anything better to do?   The question poses a false dichotomous argument: was Lan "seduced" by the bond or did he have nothing better to do?  Suffice to say that Lan was psychologically devastated at this point--not in his right mind, his will to live shattered.  Myrelle took control of him to save his life; he really had no choice in the matter.   And here’s a quote from the notes for you: “She had to use the bond to compel [notice lower case here] him, sometimes, which she found both odd and somewhat insulting.”  But one has to put this in the context of her other Warders, who eagerly complied with her desires, carnal or otherwise.

A few weeks ago, a group of Utah Filmmakers called Wheel of 9 Productions released a Wheel of Time fan film called Flight From Shadow. The 20-minute film is based on the chapter from The Eye of the World entitled Four Kings in Shadow. It features a strong cast of actors, strong visual effects, and outstanding costume and production design.  While some aspects of the movie deviated slightly from the books, there's no denying that the film was crafted with a loving hand by a group of fans who cared deeply for Robert Jordan's work.    Some of the Dragonmount staff has had a chance to meet these filmmakers, so we decided to ask them some questions.    DM: Tell us a little about you and your core team and your backgrounds.   Wheel of 9: Our team is comprised of a very diverse group from the artisan and filmmaking communities in Utah. Those of us who came together to create Flight From Shadow represent what I think are some of the very best our state and community has to offer. Ranging from Emmy Award-winning filmmakers to nationally recognized artisans, our group’s individual resumes are too numerous to list here in full. Abbreviated versions will be available on the Wheel of 9 website under the cast and crew bio section plus searchable through Flight From Shadow’s imdb.com page.   DM: How did you decide to make a Wheel of Time fan film?   Wo9: We decided that we wanted to do something to showcase Utah talent, especially artisan talent. The two most challenging genres are science fiction and fantasy because you can’t leave anything un-conceptualized. We decided on fantasy, because at the time, The Hobbit was coming and there was a lot of interest in the fantasy genre. When considering material to be translated into film, we looked at the top contributors to the genre and since Narnia, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings were already being tackled, we decided to undertake a Wheel of Time - inspired project because there are so many Robert Jordan and Wheel of Time fans in our community. The biggest part is that the material was untouched and it gave us the freedom to delve into it without being derivative.   DM: What made you choose this specific chapter from Eye of the World?   Wo9: We chose this chapter because, despite the fact that many things are already in play, it is the first real time that Rand manifests the One Power. We thought that it was an exciting point in the plot and one which the fans would identify with. It was also a character-contained portion of the story where we didn’t have too large of a cast to deal with. Larger cast means more budget.   DM: Tell us more about the Myrddraal costume?   Wo9: The Myrddraal costume was developed and designed by both David Powell and myself. We really went to great lengths to create something which was consistent with the descriptions in the book but was not a reflection of the copiously available fan art. Due to the recent Harry Potter films, we avoided the more snakelike features which some fans have come to expect. We didn’t want him looking like Voldemort. Also, we wanted to avoid too close of an association with Peter Jackson’s interpretation of the Wringwraiths. It was a tall order. So we decided to go for a look consistent with a Myddrraal still in the early stages of transformation. This character also presented us with one of our first substantial challenges in translating Jordan’s work to screen. To create a non-moving cloak, especially within our budgetary constraints, was not only nearly impossible but ultimately not terribly cinematic. With greater time and budget it probably could be accomplished but not within the context of this project. Our apologies to the orthodox fans.   DM: You added a member Red (Black) Ajah to this story. Tell us about the reasoning behind that decision.   Wo9: The entire opening sequence of the film was created to accommodate the over 400 pages of exposition which has already taken place in The Eye of the World prior to where our story takes place. We felt it necessary to create a context which would bring the audience, whether fan or not, into the world we were about to explore. It also created a very dynamic opening and established the threat to the main characters.   DM: What are some of goals you wish to accomplish from this film?   Wo9: The purpose of the project from the beginning was to showcase Utah artisans and filmmakers. We wanted to produce something with wide appeal that could really demonstrate what we’re capable of. My hope is that the attention this project will bring will open doors for the many talented individuals involved and make it possible for them separately as well as us as a group to be taken seriously as a creative force.   DM: What was the process for writing the script like? Did you have any particular challenges?   Wo9: The shooting script was developed over a number of rewrites. The first screenplay, by a different writer, deviated quite a bit from the material found in the book, and was ultimately thrown out. Blake Casselman, a long-time fan of the series, was brought on board to begin the revision process from scratch. His early drafts were closer adaptations of the “Four Kings in Shadow” chapter, but feedback from non-fans of the book series consisted of confusion about the world the script took place in, and toward Rand’s role as the protagonist. The biggest challenge was adapting a later section of the book without the nearly 400 pages of world building, story and character development leading up to it. We decided that the film should be as accessible to the non-fan as possible, so the scene involving the Myrddraal and Aes Sedai/Black Ajah, along with the execution sequence at Four Kings were conceived as a means to introduce the conflict and as exposition for Rand and Mat’s predicament, along with raising the stakes for Rand. We also took liberties in the script to identify Rand as the Dragon Reborn, along with portraying him as the one who clearly channels Saidin inside the storeroom at the Dancing Cart Man, to better establish him as the film’s protagonist. Again, this was more for the non-fan’s benefit.   DM: How many days did you shoot for, and were there any especially interesting stories from the set?   Wo9: Including B-roll, we shot three days at the Castle Ampitheater in Provo, Utah, one day on the Bonneville Salt Flats plus three additional days with the special effects dice table, the book opening, the Caemlyn Road sign and the map transition (a total of 7 days). While every shoot date had its challenges, by far, the most interesting was the Salt Flats shoot. We had anticipated mostly sunny skies but instead found ourselves being pounded by wind and rain for most of the day. At one point, the wind gusts had reached such a strength that we had to stop filming, protect the camera, and struggle to keep the easy-up we were using from being ripped away in the wind. A testament to our team.   DM: What's next for you and your team?   Wo9: With the film’s release still being so fresh, the possibilities and opportunities which may come from it have had little time to manifest. Elements of our team are already working on our next projects and many of us are feeling the positive influence the project is generating. The future is bright.   Indeed it is! Thank you for your time and for sharing this film with the entire Wheel of Time community.   You can watch the full movie here:   In addition, you can view a whole series of great behind-the-scenes videos here:  

Welcome to "Wheel Funny," my first blog as the new Humor Blogger! I'm happy to share all that I find funny with you all! For those who do not know me, I'm lolguy26--but more commonly known as Chuckles. I've been a member of Dragonmount for over a year now. I started reading the series after I found a copy of The Eye Of The World in my favorite bookstore almost three years ago.    Memes are greats, I'm addicted to them, and what better way to enjoy them then mix them with the bestest (totally a word) fantasy series in the world?     These are a couple of my favorites:   A very accurate description of being an Ash'man:   Sometimes I'm thankful I don't have cats....   So Photoshop + internet filled with cats + The Dragon Reborn cover =    This describes the Children of the Light fairly well.   And this brings me memories of reading The Eye of the World.

This morning Brandon Sanderson launched a new page on his website discussing the process of creating the final three Wheel of Time novels: The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, and A Memory of Light.    The page is intended to be the first in an on-going series of articles chronicling some of the lessons and discoveries he made while writing these books. But Brandon said that a lot of details about why he made certain decisions will have to wait before being shared with us:     Head over to his website and enjoy some of his insights about reading Robert Jordan's notes for the first time. A lot of this is likely to be familiar to long-time fans, but you can expect to see some new insights as time goes by. 

Welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog!  This week, we'll continue our reread, looking at "Dragonmount," the prologue to The Eye of the World.   Before we start, I do want to say that there will still be SPOILERS!  With the ending in sight, much of what I point out could allude to things that happen in A Memory of Light, so keep that in mind as you read.  Don't continue if you don't want to be spoiled.   "Dragonmount" Synopsis:   Lews Therin walks down a corridor filled with dead people.  He calls out for his wife, Ilyena, but she doesn't answer.  Suddenly, a man shimmers and solidifies behind Lews Therin.  The man, Elan Morin Tedronai, says he has come for Lews Therin.   The two talk briefly, Lews Therin's madness becoming more and more apparent.  Finally, Elan Morin uses the Dark One's "healing" on Lews Therin.  This makes Lews Therin lucid, and he finally realizes all his family members are dead.  He blames Elan Morin for the crime.  Elan Morin contradicts him, saying Lews Therin is responsible for killing everyone he loved.   Unable to bear the guilt, Lews Therin Travels to an isolated location.  He draws in the One Power, so much, that it burns him out, and sends a bar of fire into the earth.  The surge of Power creates a mountain that stretches into the sky.   Elan Morin appears nearby and promises that their fight is not over.     My take:   This prologue may be my favorite part of the whole series.  The tone, the mood, the atmosphere all blend together to give it a creepy feeling.  We see how insane Lews Therin is, and the devastating cost the world paid to seal up the Dark One.  But we also see the wonderful skills of Robert Jordan.  His writing style really shines in this section.  We see his attention to detail, and the world within the story comes to life instantly.  His words are powerful, and so expressive that they stay with you long after you have put the book down.   There are no other words for that than beautiful.   Many of the ideas in the prologue we've discussed before.  So I'll just recap a few ideas before moving on.  First, I think it's a funny bit of irony that the first description we get of Elan Morin is that he is "not so tall as Lews Therin."  Their rivalry wasn't born out of the same kind of hatred that Demandred's was, but this is a clear sign that everyone in that Age lived up to the standard of Lews Therin.   I'm also a little surprised at how freely Elan Morin uses the name "Shai'tan."  He says it's not dangerous for him to name the Dark One, but why does he do it so freely?  Isn't it blasphemous for the Forsaken to use his name like that—in an almost familiar way?  Or perhaps Elan Morin is already insane himself by this point, and is already thinking of himself as being the same as the Dark One.   Or, it could be to try to bolster his own spirit.  Really, the Dark One had just suffered a huge blow!  He was resealed in the Bore, cutting off his ability to touch the world completely.  Elan Morin could go in there and talk tough, but could he have backed up all his boasting?  What could the Dark One have done at that point in time?  Absolutely nothing, I think.    And along those same lines, what of Elan Morin's promise to bring Ilyena back if Lews Therin served the Dark One?  Could the Dark One even be capable of doing that when he's completely sealed?  I doubt it.  Even if the Dark One could access Ilyena's soul—which we talked about in length in the past—I doubt he could have done it then.   The seals begin to weaken as the millennia pass, but I don't think the Dark One could actually influence anything until the first seal was broken at the end of The Eye of the World.  It's then that the first Forsaken are killed—and we know they come back later—so at that point the Dark One must be able to at least grab their souls.  But since the time gap between their deaths and their rebirth is so long, perhaps the Dark One's strength wasn't even able to bring their souls back until—according to the Wheel of Time Wiki—at least a year later.   And this leads us to another idea: is Ishamael really caught in the seals?    For a very long time, I thought Ishamael's appearance in "Dragonmount" was an illusion, a projection of himself.  We seen later (Chapter 47, "More Tales of the Wheel"), that an image of Ba'alzamon forced the Myrddraal into Shadar Logoth after Rand and the others.  This would imply that Ishamael is not completely free from the Bore at this point in time.   So how does his sealing and release work?  It's been hinted several places that Ishamael had a hand in many of the more horrible plots that happened over the past 3,000 years: running the Trolloc Wars, forming the Black Ajah, making Artur Hawkwing turn against the Aes Sedai, manipulating Jain Farstrider.  So, during these moments, is he completely free from the Bore, or is he able to make a projection of himself?  Or there is the third option of influencing them in their dreams.   During the prologue, he seems to be there physically: "he stepped carefully, handling his cloak fastidiously to avoid brushing the dead."  He wouldn't bother holding up his cloak if he wasn't really there.   However, even in The Great Hunt, Ishamael seems unable to show up in a physical form:   This is one of our first real hints that "Ba'alzamon" is not all he claims.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  We'll talk about that when we get to The Great Hunt.   So, these examples show Ishamael influencing the world, but no being able to do it physically.  However, in "Dragonmount" he seems to be there in the flesh.  Is this a consistency error?  Or is there something more to it?   I think we'll have to come back to that one at another time.  There's just too much speculation and not enough information.   Another thing that makes me wonder is Elan Morin's line, "Yes Betrayer of Hope.  So have men named me, just as they named you Dragon, but unlike you I embrace the name."   From the sound of this, it seems like Lews Therin is not fond of accepting the name Dragon.  We've never seen an instance in the story—that I can recall—where Lews Therin didn't seek fame and recognition for his deeds.  So why would he not want to be called Dragon?  What kind of prophecies did they have in the Age of Legends?  We don't really know much about what they believed, what they feared, what they looked forward to.   But there must have been something that turned Lews Therin off to the idea of being the Dragon.  Perhaps they did have a prophecy that dealt with the Dragon.  The Aiel were called People of the Dragon, and they had to be called that before Lews Therin.  From what we see, the Aiel served the Aes Sedai for generations and generations.  Lews Therin wasn't the first of the channelers—only the most powerful of that time.  So why would the Aiel be named for him?  That seems unlikely; therefore, they would have been named after some prophecy.  And if there were prophecies, or Foretellings, that said the Aiel needed to be named that—and we see that come into play when they serve the Dragon only, not any other Aes Sedai, in The Shadow Rising—then there were probably prophecies about the Dragon.   Lews Therin was most likely picked as the Dragon because of his accomplishments.  But, we saw that many of the Forsaken were nearly as accomplished.  Could it have been likely for one of them—probably Demandred—to have been named the Dragon instead?  How different the world would have been if that had happened.   And the last thing I wonder about in this section is Lews Therin's insanity.  Elan Morin says the Dark One's counterstroke caused the Hundred Companions to go insane.  We can assume that Lews Therin also suffers from that same insanity.  However, why weren't all the male channelers struck instantly insane?  Why was it only those near the Bore?   We see when Rand begins to channel, that the taint comes on slowly.  The more he touches saidin the more the taint affects him.  This seems to be true for male channelers during the breaking as well:   I would say that those who where around the Bore felt the backlash immediately, due to their close proximity to the event.  Or perhaps because they were all channeling at the Bore when the Dark One struck back.  If they were connected to saidin as saidin was tainted, the poison of the taint could have swarmed into them all at once.   So, when Lews Therin is "healed" by Elan Morin, his insanity goes away.  He is completely lucid and remembers everything he did.  Elan Morin says it is not true Healing, but it seems to do the trick.  Was it temporary?  Did the effects of it wear off?   Lews Therin is mad when he starts appearing in Rand's head.  Many attribute that to Rand's own insanity.  However, I think it could be left over from the real Lews Therin.   Elan Morin did heal Lews Therin—he was perfectly rational at the end of their discussion.  However, confronting his guilt and the terrible deeds he did could have made Lews Therin insane all over again.   That sounds pretty insane.  The torment of his actions made his mind break all over again.    There is still so much we could talk about in regards to "Dragonmount."  As I said, it's Robert Jordan's writing at its finest.  But, this has gone on long enough for today.  Next week, we'll start with the beginning of Rand's story, and see how far we can get (probably no more than three or four chapters).  Let me know if you have anything to add to what I pointed out—if I forgot something or completely misinterpreted something, I'd love to hear.  Thanks for reading!

Hello boys and girls! October has started, another week has rolled by, and with it, another edition of the Dragonmount Weekly Roundup!   If you need your mafia fix, there are several games that are currently in the sign-up phase. First, the Dragonmount Mafia Board has two: The Metal, a basic game, and an Advanced Vacation mafia. The Aiel are also hosting a Halloween themed mafia.   In the White Tower and Warders Social Group, the Red Ajah has kicked off their annual Autumn Festival by announcing a signature contest . The festival, which will be music themed, starts on October 7, now is your chance to get an early entry into the contest. Design a signature for the forums with a musical theme!   The Band of the Red Hand has started a discussion about Martial Art training!   While the threads are not new, the Ogier Social Group have two ongoing discussions that are going strong. The first, the Change a Letter Game has been going since June of 2008. The second, about Ogier Gardens, is a great place to discuss home gardening projects.   A new bio has been approved in the Roleplaying Section: it looks like Sherper will be playing Luka Talkend, an Andoran who has decided to join the White Tower’s Tower Guard.     And now for the weekly Twitter/Facebook update:   Remember, you can get daily Wheel of Time themed updates through Dragonmount's Facebook and [twitter]Dragonmount[/twitter] feeds!   That's the news for this week. Don't forget to sign-in to your Social Groups and and to have a safe October!