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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!
As you may have noticed there have been Fantasy Reviews for the past two months. This month's book is The Black God's War: Splendor and Ruin by Moses Siregar III. This review will contain slight spoilers. Synopsis: The story revolves around a war between two groups, the Rezzians and the Pawelon. The kings of both countries won’t settle for peace easily. They want annihilation of the other group. Caio, the spiritual leader of the Rezzians joins the war at the same time Rao, the Pawelon prince, joins it. Both sides hope that it would help in victory of their side. But both princes want peace. Lucia, daughter of the Rezzian king, gets a message from the Rezzian god of death, Lord Danato, that the war would continue on for another ten years unless she journeys to his Underworld. Lord Danato has been plaguing Lucia for years ever since her mother died while giving birth to Caio. Lucia doesn’t believe what he says but it may be the only way…. The Pros: The story has an interesting plot. It keeps you interested as you try to figure out the plot, Lord Danato’s role, and who will win the war. The characters also keep you interested. Lucia’s life, her pain, her struggle, her choice make for an interesting read. Then there is Caio, a gentle person who channels the power of the goddess Mya to heal others. Rao, who wants peace for his people. Naryani, Rao’s lover who would do anything to protect him. Aayu, Rao’s bhai, who would help Rao with anything. Indrajit and Brirarji, two Pawelon generals with less than clear motives. Both races don’t understand other’s magic and think them to be superstitious. The Rezzians believe in ten gods (though Lord Danato is mostly forgotten) and pray for the gods to help them. The gods do listen to their prayers and answer them. On the other hand, the Pawelon magicians are sages who have their sadhana for magic. The story arouses sympathy for both the sides. The events are introduced through Lucia at first, and the incidents which happened to her could make anyone feel for her. So, the story starts with sympathy towards the Rezzians. As the story introduces us to Rao and the Pawelons, and we come to know about what all they have suffered, it makes us sympathize with them. Through the whole story, I wasn’t able to decide who to support. The Cons: The story can go slow at times. Some events stretch for too long and suspense is kept for too long that it starts to lose its effect. There are too many references from places. The chapter titles hint at Greek Mythology, the Pawelons hint at Indian, and there are more that I didn’t figure out. While they are interesting, I put them here in cons because I don’t know if everyone will like the terms from foreign languages. Most of the Pawelon names are Indian names and many words you may not understand are from Hindi/Sanskrit. Conclusion: I kept drifting from the story and had to leave it at times. But for all the faults the story kept me interested and thinking about it at weird times. My Rating: 4.2 out of 5 If you want to read it, you can buy it here at Dragonmoun'ts eBook store.
Welcome back to another edition of "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog. I hope you all waited with anticipation for the announcement I have for this week. So here it is, without further ado, "WoT If?" will be starting a complete series re-read! With the series finally completed, now is the perfect time to start over, looking at everything with the ending already known. There will be clues we missed before that we can pick up on now. There will be plot points that seemed insignificant, but within the bigger picture, will make more sense. We will still have theories along the way, so this is only a slight change in the format. And of course, I encourage all of you to re-read with me. But don't worry if you don't have the time for a re-read. I'll give a brief synopsis over which chapters I'll be covering, so you'll be able to follow along without difficulty. 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. Before I jump into The Eye of the World, I want to say a few things. I'm in love with The Wheel of Time. It's one of the greatest passions in my life. I have been consecutively re-reading the series since I first started in 1999. I own five copies of The Eye of the World: a trade paperback edition signed by Robert Jordan, two paperbacks (both filled with bookmarks marking important passages), the first volume of the Japanese paperback, and the first volume of the young adult version released in 2002 (From the Two Rivers). Why do I bring all this up? Well, mostly because I like to brag—especially about my Japanese version—but mostly because it helps illustrate my starting point. Where would be the best place to start a re-read? With New Spring, which is chronologically the first book in the series? I thought about that. However, for me, it's not the start of the story. The story—Rand's, Mat's, Perrin's story—begins in The Eye of the World. So, that's where I want to start. We will get to New Spring. Perhaps we'll look at it in between Crossroads of Twilight and Knife of Dreams—when the novella length story was published. Perhaps we'll read it before that. Perhaps we will wait until the very end. It would be nice to have the "tangent" tales read all at one: The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time (the Big White Book, to some), River of Souls, and "The Strike at Shayol Ghul." Those stories, as well as New Spring, are supplements to the main plot lines, not necessarily part of the main plot lines. New Spring, especially, is better read with some background knowledge about the world, the White Tower, and Aes Sedai. So, with that settled, there's still another question in regards to the "beginning." The young adult version I mentioned before—From the Two Rivers—includes a new prologue written by Mr. Jordan. I'm not sure how many fans out there have read this new bit of the story. For me, it was the reason I bought From the Two Rivers. The new prologue, titled "Ravens," takes place a few years before the first chapter of The Eye of the World. And one interesting fact is that this prologue leads into the original prologue, "Dragonmount." In the From the Two Rivers version, Tam gathers up the children and tells them a bit of background information on Lews Therin—which leads into the story of "Dragonmount." I debated with myself whether or not to include the pre-prologue. In the end, I decided to begin with it. It is the very beginning of the Dragon Reborn's story—though it's told through Egwene's point-of-view. I've rambled enough, so let's jump into the story! "Ravens" Synopsis: This prologue is told from Egwene al'Vere's point-of-view. She is nine-years-old and is helping to carry water during the sheep sheering event. Everyone from the Two Rivers—excluding those from Taren Ferry—participates in the sheering. Egwene has ambitions to be the best water-carrier ever—her ambition deriving from being promoted to the position a whole year early. As she circles the gathered Two Rivers folk—letting them drink water from her bucket—she is keeping an eye out for Perrin Aybara or Mat Cauthon. She wants to follow them to Rand al'Thor. She has heard people say that she and Rand will eventually be married, so she wants to learn more about him. Throughout the day, Egwene spies ravens up in the trees, acting curious. She thinks it is weird that they seem to be looking at the people, not the food laid out on the tables. She remembers they are said to be the Dark One's eyes, but tries to concentrate on her task. After encountering a lot of people from the village, Egwene finally stumbles upon Rand and his friends. She eavesdrops a bit, until all the boys are summoned to Master al'Vere—Egwene's father. Egwene follows. The boys were promised a story, and Tam al'Thor—Rand's father—tells them a little about Lews Therin Telamon's strike on Shayol Ghul, and how he sealed the Dark One away. Upon hearing this, Egwene is confused because she knows Lews Therin was responsible for the Breaking. She thinks Master al'Thor has the story wrong. The boys are dispersed, and Egwene sees another raven—staring at her. It flies away, and she goes back to focusing on the being the best water-carrier. As the next few years pass, Egwene gets promoted to helping with the food tables a year early as well. This starts her goal of being the youngest girl to ever have her hair braided. My take: This new prologue is a device used to get young adult readers acclimated to the world within The Wheel of Time in a more natural way. Because of that, we get a lot of contextual information—what a Wisdom is, what superstitions they believe, bits about the Forsaken and Aes Sedai. This helps with the overabundance of information at the very beginning of The Eye of the World. I remember on my first read through, even the concept of a Wisdom was hard to figure out. Because of that, it could be the best place to start the series. However, there is also a counter argument. With this section being from Egwene's point-of-view, and the next prologue (the regular prologue) being from Lews Therin's (with a bit of omniscient at the end), when we get to Rand in the first chapter we might be a bit overwhelmed. With the original story, we know Rand is the main character. Someone reading "Ravens" first might think Egwene is the main character. Egwene is definitely important in the series, but ultimately, this is Rand's tale. Regardless, I was happy for this extra information. There's quite a bit we learn about Egwene, Nynaeve, and Rand from this prologue. Of course, it's only foreshadowing if you've read the rest of the series already—or at least the first book. New readers wouldn't pick up on any of it. 1. Egwene makes mention that her oldest sister—Berowyn—lost her husband and child to breakbone fever the last fall. Berowyn says she is glad that Egwene also didn't die. Later in the book (Chapter 21, "Listen to the Wind") we learn that Nynaeve had Healed Egwene with the Power. Nynaeve says that Mistress Barran—the Wisdom at the time—had things under control, but Nynaeve believed Egwene was dying. But here, we see that the fever claimed at least two lives. So, it's quite possible Egwene could have died without Nynaeve intervention. There's also a brief mention of Nynaeve being able to tell it's Egwene without looking—a residue of her using the Power on Egwene. With it mentioned here, it's not such a big shock when Moiraine mentions it later. 2. We learn more of Nynaeve's family details. She was recently orphaned—and taken in by the Wisdom as an apprentice. But only after Mistress Barran's current apprentice died from a "mysterious illness." Again, this is more foreshadowing about how many of the Two Rivers girls can channel. 3. We see that Egwene has a strong desire to leave the Two Rivers. With the beginning part of the story focusing on Rand, we don't know about Egwene's ambitions to leave the Two Rivers. Rand is completely shocked when she wants to accompany them when they leave. This addition helps us get used to her decision. We see that she had the desire all along; it was only Rand who failed to notice it in her. 4. Mat tells his friends that he will "rescue an Aes Sedai" who will "reward" him. This is the first introduction to Mat being… Mat. To be honest, I hated Mat at the beginning of the story. I thought it was awful the way he treated Rand after learning he could channel. Mat was so selfish and uncaring. It wasn't until The Dragon Reborn that I fell in love with Mat. Looking back on scenes like this, with the knowledge of where Mat winds up and who he turns into, makes me so happy. 5. And one major question: why does Tam decide to tell the story of Lews Therin? Lews Therin's tale, and the link to Lews Therin's death on Dragonmount, had to remind Tam of where he found Rand. Tam knows so much of the world, yet he was unable to recognize the fact that his adopted son was the one mentioned in the prophecies. It seems so bizarre that he wouldn't make the connection, especially since this addition to the story makes us know that he knows. Yet in Knife of Dreams, Tam needs confirmation from Perrin that Rand is the Dragon Reborn: Also, when Tam is telling the story, Egwene thinks about how Tam says it with a sense of knowledge; she thinks, he tells it "almost as if he had been there." Could it be possible that Tam is someone important reborn? Maybe one of the Hundred Companions? That would be an interesting twist. If you haven't had a chance to read "Ravens" yet, I really suggest giving it a try. It does give some interesting insight to Egwene. We'll end the blog here for today. Next week, we'll look at the next prologue, "Dragonmount." Please feel free to discuss any of the ideas I mentioned, or perhaps some I left out. Thanks for reading!
Hello! The Wheel turns, and September is coming to a close. School is back. Halloween is just around the corner, and stores are already stocking up for the Holiday season. Time for another edition of Weekly Roundup! This week in the general Wheel of Time Discussion board is a discussion of Siuan’s Warder. How was Alric killed without Siuan noticing? Does the official explanation of Siuan being distracted fit? In the Band of the Red Hand, two exciting discussions started this week. The first was about a film that is a personal favorite, the Tenth Kingdom. This film, a miniseries from 2000, is about a magical world where our fairy tales are real. The second exciting tale came from Starrik, who tells the story of his Travels in Australia. This week, the Black Tower discusses Stormtroopers vs Red Shirts. Would the crack-shot precision of Star Wars Storm Troopers win verses the keen survival instincts of Star Trek Red Shirts? Weigh in on the discussion! In the Ogier, a discussion about quality Sung wood creations. Here you can see some amazing Ogier-crafted products. And now from the Dragonmount Facebook Feed: (the link to the article mentioned in the Facebook feed is here!) Don't forget: by following Dragonmount on Facebook or @Dragonmount you can get up-to-date information. That's it for this week's Weekly Roundup! I hope you all had a safe and happy September, and don't forget as October begins: sign in at your Social Groups!
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! Last week, on the 19th of September 2013, Dragonmount celebrated a very special day--its 15th birthday! That's right, this incredible website which has been part of the lives of some of us, for many years now, is 15-years-old and going strong. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we decided that this week's article would feature a very special interview, with Jason Denzel, the founder and owner of Dragonmount and one of his right-hand cronies... that is to say, assistants... Jenniferl, previously known as Kathana, Dragonmount's project manager. Without further ado, here is that interview. I posed a long list of questions, written below in italics, and they gave their answers when they felt they had something to say. I hope you find it interesting! An Interview With Jason and Jenn What problems did you encounter when creating Dragonmount? What was the most difficult time in the history of Dragonmount? How did you overcome those problems? [Jason] The biggest challenges in running Dragonmount has always been overcoming technical hurdles. The original version of the website ran on a shared Windows server sitting on a network connection with a speed of around 700 kbps. That was fast back in 1998, but for comparison, that speed is about 9 times slower than the average home internet connection in the US today. It was housed in somebody's apartment and I had little to no control over it. I knew nothing about hosting websites at the time, so I was completely at the mercy of somebody else. Dragonmount received a lot of visitors right away and the traffic would frequently crash the website. Fortunately, I've always had no shortage of incredible people who were willing to help. In those early years I relied heavily on people like Robert C and Jon J just to keep the website online. Eventually I got to point where I was no longer renting somebody else's server space, but building my own servers to have them hosted in rented data centers. That was a disaster because my hand-built servers tended to fall apart. One time I had two large CPU fans pop off the motherboard during shipping, and it smashed up several internal components. I also went with the cheapest service I could find back then, and got, well… the cheapest service. If the website crashed, it would take half a day or more before somebody near that facility would drag themselves over to press the reset button. I finally surmounted this problem when I moved into my current house about 9 years ago. The house was brand new and had fiber optic lines running to it. As a result, my internet provider offered a fiber service which, in 9 years, has never once gone down. I've had 100% uptime for almost a decade. They offered a reasonably priced package of 35 Mbits (about 4-5 times faster than the average US internet speed). This was a dream come true cause now I could stop paying massive hosting fees and have direct access to the server. To this day, I have no problems with our connection speed. But the final technical hurdle has proven to be the greatest challenge: keeping up with the demand. Dragonmount is a big website with a big community. A lot of people enjoy the Wheel of Time series and we've always been the go-to site for it. As a result, our hardware hasn't always been able to handle the load. Up until the last 3 or 4 years, Dragonmount ran entirely on a single server. I had backup servers, but really, it was just one computer running the entire website. When Robert Jordan died, we got about 2,000 times our normal traffic to his blog. And because we hadn't optimized the website as well as we could have (no caching, no pagination for long lists of comments, etc), our poor little server was simply destroyed. I was invited out to his funeral, so for basically a week nobody could remotely access my crashed server. I remember calling my wife every few hours at home asking her to press the reset button on the server. Those days were our darkest. Just when the community was MOST interested in seeing us online, we were unavailable. Today, we're very prepared for large, perhaps even massive amounts of traffic. DM runs across a pair of separate Dell servers, both loaded with hardware and fully redundant. We were slammed by an ongoing DoDOS attack last year, but now have protection against that (as best we can anyway) due to our partnership with a well known CDN service. 15 years ago, I didn't have a clue what it took to run a website. But looking back, I'm proud of the independent, do-it-our-way approach I've chosen to take. I wracked up some debt in keeping things afloat, but it would have been significantly more had I just paid somebody to take care of it for me. I was a college student with no money back then, so it's wonderful to see that we somehow survived. How closely do you work with team Jordan? How did you come to be noticed by them? [Jason] I first came into contact with Robert Jordan when he sent me a Cease-and-Desist letter. Good times, eh? At the time, I was attempting to make an animated short film based on the "Dragonmount" prologue from the first book. He got wind of it via an online interview where a fan asked him what his thoughts were. Well, his "thoughts" were to shut it down. His agent contacted me and I explained what I was up to. They understood, and RJ agreed to give me a license to produce the short film on the condition that he needed to approve the script, designs, etc. I remember asking the lawyer, "How will he approve the materials?" And the lawyer said, "Oh you can just work via email with him." That was pretty much one of the coolest things anybody had ever said to me. It was 2002. My email exchanges with Robert Jordan began very formal. "Dear Mr Jordan…." We exchanged a few pleasantries, and I sent him a photo of my wife and I cutting our wedding cake with a heron-marked sword. (RJ: "I know some women who would rather cut YOU than the cake!") But mostly we talked about the movie project. He signed all of his emails with a big salutation, "Sincerely, I remain… Robert Jordan". Something like that. Over time, we chatted a little more frequently, and talked about other topics. We talked about his writing, of course, or his upcoming book tours, the housing market, even the weather. I know, how cliche, right? He began signing his emails simply, "RJ", and then later, "Jim". (His real name was Jim Rigney if you were not aware.) I never finished that film, but that was all right. It put me in direct contact with Robert Jordan, and from there we launched his blog on DM, and I received early copies of each of the new WoT books. He asked me what I thought of each one, and I'd tell him honestly. But he never sought my input or feedback on anything. The first time I was ever asked for any real input was at his funeral. Harriet hosted a beautiful get-together at her house on the evening of his burial. She and Tom Doherty (the publisher of Tor Books) sat me down on their porch and asked me who I thought should finish the series. I mentioned a few names and gave feedback on the names they suggested. Nobody mentioned Brandon. I'm glad they didn't go with anybody else. When Brandon wrote the final books, Jenn and I were both invited to be one of the beta readers. That's when we really began to work with Team Jordan from a creative standpoint. What made you decide to begin hosting conventions? How easy was it? Do you enjoy it? Will you continue to do it? [Jenn] I went to my first Dragon*Con in 2000. It was my first fan convention ever. I liked it and thought it might be fun to get a bunch of DMers to come. One thing went wrong after another and I ended up starting a new track of programming devoted entirely to the Wheel of Time. After a few years of that, people started pestering me about starting a standalone convention. I demurred for several years, because I thought my hands were pretty full, but apparently I'm a sucker for peer pressure. It's tough to run a con. I've had to learn so many things I never thought I'd need, like running a business, managing volunteers and arguing with the IRS about our tax exempt status. I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it though. I love walking around the JordanCon and seeing the beautiful Art Show, intricate costumes and groups of friends chatting in the hallway and thinking 'Hey, I did this!" I've had lots and lots of help, obviously. But I love the community that has grown up around JordanCon and I feel like we're finally becoming known outside of the WoT fandom as a "must attend!" event. What are some of your favorite memories of Dragonmount? [Jason] I have so many. Running a website like Dragonmount for 15 years is like having a second job. It turned out to be one of the significant things I've done with my life so far. I've loved going to book signings and meeting people, going to conventions, going out to dinner with RJ and Harriet, playing Magic: the Gathering with Brandon, making the Towers of Midnight book trailer, and so on. Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves? [Jenn] I'm 33, married, no kids. I teach at a small private school for kids with autism spectrum disorder. In my non-fannish spare time, I like to refinish old furniture and I have a food blog. I'm married to a Seanchan and we live just north of Atlanta in a small town where Sherman committed some of his worst war crimes. In addition to DM, I'm the 10th president of the Southern Fandom Confederation, the oldest still active fan organization in the southeast, and thus entitled to wear my Presidential tiara at all fannish events. [Jason] I'm 35, married, with two little red-haired boys. My day job is with a major technology company where I work on enterprise-class Linux servers every day. (That's been very helpful for running Dragonmount!) In addition to family, DM, and work, I'm a writer and a filmmaker trying to complete that elusive first "big project." I work very hard every day at my craft, planning to someday have something professionally produced someday. I'm also a student of Choy Li Fut kung-fu, love cartography and writing haiku. I have a personal website at JasonDenzel.com, and am on twitter @JasonDenzel. How did you meet? [Jenn] We "met" when Jason was asking for applications to run the White Tower Organization at DM. I sent him a long email, in character as a loopy Brown sister who didn't quite have it together. Fun fact! It is not hard at all for me to act like that. We finally met in person when Jason and his wife came to Dragon*Con in 2003. [Jason] Yeah, what she said. On a day to day basis, just how much work do you have to put into running Dragonmount? [Jenn] Right now for me it's very little. I check the staff boards every day to make sure no one is on fire, but that's about it. The last five years have been very intense for me as a Wheel of Time fan and I feel like I'm finally taking that vacation I promised myself a couple years ago. Jason does more, but he handles the business side of things and that requires constant tending. [Jason] DM is never far from my mind. I'm always working on something related to the site, even if it's to process an order from our online store, answer questions on our social media, or tweet about a WoT-related link. It's hard for me to put an amount of time on it. Just like a parent doesn't track the hours they raise their kids, I don't track my time at DM. The website, servers, community, relationships, and effort that all go into it is a daily extension of myself. How did Dragonmount begin? Who was involved?What motivated you to start Dragonmount? [Jason] In 1998 I was a college student who was re-reading the series in anticipation of the next book coming out (Path of Daggers). They were, by far, my favorite books and I really had a hunger to speak to people about them. I knew a few other fans, but none of them were really into talking about theories or glossing about their favorite scenes and characters. Around that time, I took a workshop in basic HTML. Since I couldn't find anybody to talk to about the books, I decided to try and make a website to attract fans and see if I could find some people to talk to. Well, I think I was successful! My goal with the first 1.0 version of the website was just to put something online that was visually appealing. Of course it looks terrible by today's standards but you have to think about what it was like in 1998: most websites were just text and animated GIF's. And most Wheel of Time websites were just text back then. I wanted to feature art, and active message boards and foster community. It wasn't until many years later that I began enlisting the help of real designers and artists and web developers. How would you like people to use the website? What would you like people to get out of the website? [Jason] Dragonmount's #1 goal from day one has been to enhance a person's enjoyment of The Wheel of Time. We're here to keep you posted with news, provide commentary, resources, and community. I'd love if people met new friends on our forums, joined a writing group, or shared with artwork. One of our newest features is our eBook store. Aside from being an opportunity to make a little money (and help pay off that debt I mentioned above and offset the costs of our servers!), I really believe in the DRM-free approach to selling books. I'm working hard to expand this, and hoping to one day add new publishers and titles. I hope visitors will check us out and consider buying some eBooks from us rather every now and then. You get multiple versions of the book, so you can read them on Kindle and any other device, and they are fully unlocked so you never have to worry about them expiring or not working in future platforms. What do you see in the future of Dragonmount? [Jenn] I think DM is always going to be a community hub for those who enjoy the Wheel of Time and other fantasy fiction. We have no plans to transition to being a Brandon Sanderson fan site. [Jason] Dragonmount will have an active, thriving community for as long as the Wheel of Time books are in print, and even beyond that probably. These books are still published and selling well worldwide. That means every day there are new readers who are just as entranced by the story like we were. While there's no denying that things might slow down a little, we'll always be around and active. Oh, and if they ever manage to make a movie or TV series based on the books, DM will be flooded with more traffic than we've ever seen. Even if the production tanks, there will be enough marketing interest that we'll see a large rush of new readers. Now that the series has ended, what are you going to read? [Jenn] I read lots of different authors. Off the top of my head, I've recently read things by Pat Rothfuss, Saladin Ahmed, Mary Robinette Kowal, Seanan McGuire, John Scalzi, Lois McMaster Bujold and N.K. Jemisin. They are all excellent authors and I recommend them. [Jason] I read most of the same authors Jenn mentioned. But most of my reading these days is for unpublished or in-progress books. I read a lot of stuff for my writing group, and I often volunteer to beta read people's novels. Even though I've not been published (yet), I think I have a pretty good eye for character development, story, conflict, and the publishing industry in general. I enjoy helping other aspiring authors, especially those inspired by Robert Jordan. And of course, I read my own stuff, every day, over and over in order to try and make something I hope people will want to read someday. What did you think of A Memory of Light? Which was your favorite book of the series? Which is your favorite character? Which is your favorite villain? If you existed in the Wheel of Time world who would you like to be and who would you most likely really have been? [Jenn] That is too many questions. But yes, I did enjoy A Memory of Light. I think it was a worthy ending to the series. The last couple pages make me tear up every time I look at them. [Jason] I loved A Memory of Light. But like the other beta readers, I saw it while it was still imperfect. I saw it, as Brandon likes to say, without its makeup and hair done while it's still in frumpy pajamas. But I thought it was a beautiful and poetic ending to the series, even though there were things that may perhaps could have been better if Robert Jordan had completed it personally. But I sincerely think that nobody would have put as much love and effort into it as Brandon did, and for that, I'll always be grateful. My Favorite character: Rand Villian: Graendal Who I wish I was or suspect I would be: I'd want to be the Rand we see at the end of the series. What do you get out of running Dragonmount? [Jenn] A sense of satisfaction and the occasional freebie from Tor. But mostly satisfaction. [Jason] Pure joy. Fulfillment. The sense of following the course of my river of life. Also, frequent annoyance when the damn servers act up. Have you made any real, lasting friendships on Dragonmount? [Jenn] I met my husband on the forums at DM. So yes, definitely. Other than Jimmy, I've met many wonderful people and had many long friendships with people I've met either at DM or at conventions. [Jason] I met some of my closest life-long friends through this website, including Jenn. But don't tell her I said that. I want her to think I hate her. Which social groups were you most heavily involved in? Can you tell us briefly about any role-playing characters you had on Dragonmount? [Jenn] I ran the White Tower for ten years. To this day, I believe I'm still the longest serving Group Leader at DM. [Jason] Thanks for taking the time to listen to our stories, and I hope we can have this conversation again in another five, ten, and fifteen years. Thank you also to everyone who's visited and contributed over the years to DM. A special shout out to the staff and admins, both current and past. You can never know how much it meant to me that you helped out. In many ways, this site will always be as much yours as it was mine. Jason Denzel, Jason@dragonmount.com Interview Ends I really hope you have enjoyed reading this interview with two people who have given of themselves so much so that we all in the world of Wheel of Time fandom may enjoy this incredible site. And I hope it inspires you to go on making use of it to the fullest and to stick around for many more years to come. That's all for now. Have fun! Until next time, friends!
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