DRAGONMOUNT

Welcome to a new edition of Fan Art Friday! This week is about The Wheel of Time card teasers by ReddEra, and there's a surprise bonus at the end.   The Wheel of Time card teasers--made for Taveren Tees by artist Ariel Burgess--feature most of the important characters and they are some of the most beautiful artworks of the characters at present. This edition features some of my favorites. You can see others at the Wheel of Time Card Teasers Gallery.   Sammael He looks like a general ready for a fight.   Moghedien She sure looks like someone who manipulates from the shadows.   Galad Domodred No one can mistake Galad for anyone but a Whitecloak.   Berelain Sur Paendrag Paeron Beautiful! One word says it all.   Aludra Aludra looks fiery, ready with her dragon.     Now here's a bonus, an interview with artist Ariel Burgess (or ReddEra) herself.   To see more of Ariel's work, here are some links: Ariel's Website Ariel's Facebook Page Wheel of Time Facebook page

In the past, Dragonmount has occasionally featured reviews for other books within the sci-fi/fantasy genre.  We're going to start that up again!  So, on the first Wednesday of every month, one of the Front Page Bloggers will feature a book they recently read.  Feel free to add your thoughts about the book in the comments section.   This review will contain slight spoilers.   The Six-Gun Tarot By R. S. Belcher   Synopsis: The setting is Gulgotha, Nevada in 1869.  Jim, a fifteen-year-old, is on the run from the law, trying to find a place of safety.  Or, is it the mysterious jade eye, the last memento of his dead father, that's drawing him to the town of Gulgotha?  When he gets to town, Jim is taken under the wing of Mutt—a Native American deputy—and Sherriff Highfather.  But magic is in the air, and Jim's arrival might be the only thing that will save the people from an ancient evil.   A battle that predates the world—a battle between angels and demons and the darkest evil—is about to unfold in the small town.  The folk need to band together, each with their own abilities, and save Gulgotha from the clutches of darkness.                                  The Pros: This book's main drawing feature is the character development.  Each character is unique, with a rich back-story and relatable motives.  Jim—arguably the main character—has trouble in his past for killing a man.  He's so young, but still so tortured by his decisions.  Mutt, the deputy, is only part human—the other half comes from his deity father, Coyote.  This makes him an outcast with the humans, and his supernatural family.  Sherriff Highfather has saved the town from countless evils, including giant bats and a ghoul in the graveyard.  He is interesting because he cannot be killed.  He's been hanged three times, and still has not died.  The rumors around town say it's because "it's not his time."   There are other great characters too.  Maude Stapleton trained with a pirate queen in her youth and passes on her skills to her daughter.  Harry Pratt, the mayor, hides his homosexuality behind multiple wives.  And there are even angels: Biqa, who refused to fight for God in His battle to gain supremacy over the cosmos, and Lucifer.   The way the characters interact with each other and their surroundings is what makes this story so incredible.  Everyone has their secrets, most of them dark; as dark as the evil that surrounds their town.   The Cons: One of the few things I disliked about the book was the point-of-view switches.  It was written in omniscient point-of-view—meaning the reader can see and hear every character's thoughts.  This made it difficult to tell which thoughts were attributed to which character.  There were no scene breaks to let the reader know they were in someone else's head.   Still, Belcher did a fairly good job with the difficult point-of-view.  It hampered the story, but didn't crush it.   Conclusion: This book kept me interested for every page.  It had a dark, and sometimes gritty, story line, but also humor, and the possibility of redemption.  There were themes of faith, of letting go, of forgiveness, and of revenge.  It had something to please any reader.    My Rating: 4 out of 5     If you're interested in trying out this book, you can buy it from Dragonmount's eBook store.

Hello, all!  Welcome back to another edition of "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog.  The topic this time is the walking death—or the ghosts—that pop up in several places in the series.  We have instances where this phenomenon is attributed to the Dark One, and in other places it's attributed to the Pattern.  So, which is it?  But first:   SPOILER WARNING.  This will include content from A Memory of Light.  Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.   I think most of us would think that the ghosts, or spirits, are a result of the Pattern beginning to unravel.  Reality is getting warped.  First off, could it be because of all the balefire?   With the importance of balefire in A Memory of Light—and Egwene giving her life to combat it—balefire might be one of the main causes.  It is what frays the Pattern; it removes threads and threatens the existence of life itself.   Or is it just the Pattern?  An article on the WOTFAQ, "What's Up With the Ghosts?", has this to say about the dead's connection to the Pattern:     However, the unraveling of the Pattern is also blamed on the weakening seals, and the Dark One.  Look at this quote between Rand and Egwene about breaking the seals:     Here, Egwene is blaming the walking dead, not only on the seals, but on the Dark One.  She's implying his touch is what is causing the Pattern such turmoil.  She also thinks that breaking the seals would make everything worse.   By that logic, we can assume Egwene believes the Dark One is in control of all the dead.  That's a belief that's very debatable.  We know the Dark One is also called Lord of the Grave, but it's also a common belief within Randland that people who walk in the Light are protected from the Dark One after death.   There is a lot of conflicting information about this topic.  A lot of it is based on what characters believe, and it's been pointed out to us time and time again that the characters are not always right—in fact, most of the time they are wrong.   So, how much access does the Dark One have to souls?  The WOTFAQ also talks a bit about this.  They speculate that Ishamael—when impersonating Ba'alzamon in The Eye of the World—really had access to Kari al'Thor's soul.     However, even if that were true, how would Ishamael have access to the souls?  He is not the Dark One.  In fact, during this scene, none of the seals had been broken yet.  It isn't broken until after Rand's fight with Ishamael.  Therefore, the Dark One wouldn't be able to touch the land at all, let alone bring Kari al'Thor's soul back to talk to Rand.   The proposed idea that it isn't an illusion has some other flaws as well.  We know that the battle with Rand and Ishamael is taking place in Tel'aran'rhiod.  Ishamael is a very skillful manipulator of the World of Dreams; there's no reason Kari al'Thor can't be an illusion made by him.  Naturally, Ishamael would want her to say things that would convince Rand.  Having her say, "Join the Dark One," would key Rand in that it's a fake; Kari would never say that to her son.  So, he needed her to say things that sounded convincing; things that would make Rand believe she was real, giving Ishamael power over Rand.  If Rand believes it's true, in Tel'aran'rhiod, it is.   But her last line—"The Light. The blessed Light."—could be another trick of Tel'aran'rhiod.  If Rand believes it is Kari, Ishamael might lose a bit of control over the illusion.  She could be acting based on Rand's image of her.  We see something similar to this when Nynaeve and Elayne are playing in Tel'aran'rhiod:     Here, their made up creation begins to act on its own.  Obviously, they wouldn't want it to chase them, but their belief in it caused it to act the way they thought it would.     I think that could show that Ishamael didn't really have access to Kari al'Thor's soul.   Another argument against the Dark One having souls is the fact that we see what he can do with them.  Let me try to explain.  The Dark One regenerates the souls he has.  We do not have any example of him holding onto souls and doing nothing with them.  Here's an interview with Robert Jordan that kind of says the same thing:     Robert Jordan emphasizes that the Forsaken have seen the Dark One transmigrate souls, that he can bring the dead back to life.  Accessing souls and putting them into constructs—in this case, dead bodies—is nowhere near letting souls wander free all over the world.     In fact, since the souls cannot touch the world and seem to be doing no harm, I think that shows it's not the Dark One's work right there.  If the dead were roaming on his behest, they woild be causing damage, doing evil, harming people—like the bubbles of evil that originate from him.   I think this also shows that Ishamael is a master manipulator.  He brings up Kari al'Thor, an illusion, to mess with Rand.  In the same way, he told Lews Therin in The Eye of the World prologue that the Dark One could bring back Ilyena.  Again, by that point, the Dark One was already sealed in the Bore.  There was no way he could have brought Ilyena back, even if he could access her soul.  Plus, there is still the debate of the Dark One being able to grab souls of people who walk in the Light.  Personally, I don't think the Dark One could have touched her at all, even if Lews Therin agreed to it.   The conclusion is that the dead have to be a result of the Pattern.  But for what purpose?  Just to fulfill the prophecies?  To be a sign that the Last Battle approaches?  Or is it involuntary?  Does the Pattern, in its weakened state, lose the ability to hold onto the dead?   This is getting a bit long, so we'll take a closer look at a few of those ideas for next week.  That's all for now.  Thanks for reading!

Congratulations to Asmodean!  He won the championship title, beating out Tam al'Thor.  It was tough for Asmodean, he nearly lost to Alivia in Round 2.  But, he proved to be the strongest out of all the combatants.     Also, theLivingNightmare won the Prediction Competition—even guessing that Asmodean would be the champion!  Congratulations!   If you want to continue the Cage Match discussions, you can!  Here's a list of all the threads:   Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Congratulations Asmodean   Thanks to everyone who participated and made this year's event a success.  And a special thanks to all the staff that put in time and effort to produce such wonderful write ups!

Welcome to Fan Art Friday! This week's theme is symbols. Just a note here that many of the artworks used were made as wallpapers.   Symbols are an important part of The Wheel of Time. From the Aes Sedai rings to the Dragon pins; from the servant of all symbol to various flags and chapter icons we see. The most common symbols are the Great Serpent, the Flame of Tar Valon, the Dragon's Fang and the Wheel of Time. Here are some artworks using symbols.   Wheel of Time Wallpaper by Darksider0 Great Serpent with representations of saidar and saidin.   Wheel of Time pile-on by thequiet1k A lot of symbols. How many can you guess?   The Wheel of Time by Darksider0 Another way of seeing the Wheel with saidar and saidin   The Wheel of Time by ajkareze Saidar and saidin are in the center of the Wheel of Time with seven spokes for the seven Ages.   The Fires of the Wheel by SakamotoKaito The Wheel of Time on a background of fire.   Saidin vs Saidar by spiritofthewillow Saidar with Nynaeve, and saidin with Rand, symbolizing the dual forces of the One Power.

[Editor's Note: Ireond, our Humor Blogger, is filling in the role of Rotating Features Blogger because he wanted to share a more in depth look at A Game of Stones with the Dragonmount community.  He's been playing for awhile and has a better insight to the attractions of the game.  Fnorrll will return next week with "The Wheel Turns."]   A Game of Stones is a browser based multiplayer role playing game set in The Wheel of Time universe.  Currently in its eleventh version, players can choose a nationality and class and then go explore, fight, and earn money to their hearts content, or at least until the Last Battle.   The basic overview of the game: Character creation consists of choosing a nationality for your character, and then picking a basic class.  As you gain levels, you open the opportunity to build estates in wilderness areas, gain profession points which can be used to buy businesses in town and gain other bonus, and eventually gain the option to add more classes to your character.  Classes offer a skill tree with various bonus stats, and every level, you are given skill points to customize your character.   Players are ranked by experience, alignment, and Ji. Experience is a pretty standard affair, you attack non-player characters (NPCs) or players, and gain experience accordingly.  Alignment is how your actions have defined you in terms of leaning more towards the Shadow or the Light.  Ji is an interesting factor, and affects a fair amount of game play.  Each action you do brings you honor.  As you rise in honor, your standing in the game rises as well, but the true benefit is when you're a member of a clan, as your gain in honor carries over to them, allowing them to take control of the local towns.  Towns have shops where you can purchase gear and temporary bonus items, as well as restock your stamina; the clans can invest in upgrades, allowing you to gain bonuses from towns that your clan controls.  Lose the town though, and you lose those bonuses. Combat is limited by each character only gaining two combat points an hour, but you are allowed to bank up to a hundred, allowing you to walk away from the game for long periods, if you desire, and not falling behind.  However, movement is determined by stamina, which can be replenished by resting or using an inn at a city, allowing you to move freely completing non-combat quests if you wish. You can play with your stats, change equipment around, and hang out on the clan or world chat boards while waiting for combat points. The early game consists of securing towns for clans and leveling up your character.  You can compete in tournaments, build a commercial empire, or just run around completing quests.  Eventually the seven seals to the Dark One's prison will appear, and then they start breaking.  This is the point the current game is at now, but that means the fun is just beginning. You see, the Last Battle is coming.  Hordes of NPCs will be descending and doing their hardest to make sure the towns are wiped off the map.  Then players will be divided by alignment and fight for all creation. Then, the Age ends.  The next version comes out, where a new Age will unfold, and a new battle for creation will begin. Which side will you fight for? Swing by A Game of Stones and take a look.   I spoke with Tim Jensen, current programmer and administrator for "A Game of Stones."   Q: When did the game first start, and when did you take over?   A: I'm not sure on exactly when the game first started. I first started playing in the Summer of 2003, which I believe was towards the beginning. After a releasing couple different versions of the game, the original Creator, Craig Harrison, decided he wanted to move on and posted the source code online in May of 2007. I took the code, made a few modifications I thought would be nice and launched my first version in September 2007.   Q: What is the one aspect about the game you feel brings in the most players?   A: Honestly I'd have to give credit to the Wheel of Time for that one. I'd estimate about 90% of the vocal users of the site are fans of the books that checked the game out due to their love of the series. Though even if you haven't read the books, the game is still accessible. It's really a pretty standard RPG game with a Wheel of Time skin on it, though I've tried to get as many details right as I can while keeping the game balanced.   Q: What do you feel attracts first time players?   A: Beyond the idea of playing a Wheel of Time game, I'd say that it's the fact that it's an online game that can suck up as much or a little of your time as you want and you can still be fairly competitive. That's something I've tried to strive for with how the game is set up. Some people complain about the limited turns players are allotted, but to make up for it each person can have 3-6 characters. Keeping up with that many characters and fully taking advantage of all the game has to offer with each of them can suck up a lot of time if you let it.   Q: What do you feel keeps players coming back for each new version?   A: This one I have to give to the GoS community. They've kept the atmosphere of the game friendly but competitive. It's always interesting to see how things play out each version. Alliances shift from Age to Age and the new players and clans that pop up add a wrinkle into existing dynamics. Another thing I've tried to do is be responsive to what the players want for the game (within reason). Most of the changes that I have made have been at the suggestion of the players. With each version has come something new and I hope it the thought of seeing what's next keeps players coming back.   Q: If you had a tip for players that are new to the game, what would it be?   A: Don't be afraid to ask questions. I openly admit that my weakest point is documenting how things work, so the game can be a bit overwhelming for new players. Luckily, the existing player base is quite friendly to new players and quick to answer questions. I suggest joining an existing clan your first time through rather than creating your own. That way you can learn the ropes from the more veteran players and hopefully make a few friends in the community along the way.   Q: What made you decide to institute the last battle?   A: Two reasons. One, I originally planned to launch V10 in February of this year, so that would have been within 1 month after AMoL released so that seemed fitting. More importantly was the need that each "Age" of the game needed a firm ending. In previous versions, people would play for a month or so, then gradually let their characters fade into neglect. By adding the Last Battle, there's a point that everything is working towards so people know what's coming and how much longer things will keep going. Hopefully it will keep players engaged to the end.   Q: What do you see in the future for this game?   A: I honestly don't know. I hope the game continues to thrive. This last version has been the most successful yet since I've taken over, so hopefully the trend continues. I still have plenty of ideas on where the game can improve. So as long as people keep playing and I have time to work on it (thanks to my wife for putting up with me!), I'll keep releasing new versions.

Welcome back to another edition of "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog.  For this week, I want to look at the Aiel and how they might be repurposed after the Last Battle.  And as always:   SPOILER WARNING.  This will include content from A Memory of Light.  Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.   When Rand holds the meeting at Merrilor, the Aiel were intended to be left out from the demands.  Since they followed him from the beginning, he wanted to show them he trusted them not to cause problems after the Last Battle.  Through Aviendha's second trip through the glass-column ter'angreal, we see this decision would have left the Aiel to a terrible fate.   Luckily, after Aviendha demands her boon from Rand—to be included in the Dragon's Peace—Perrin is able to come up with an idea to give the Aiel purpose on this side of the Spine of the World.     But with the repurposing, what else will change for the Aiel?  Where will their "home base" be?  How will they interact with one another?  How will they continue to grow as a People?   For the question about their home, I bet the Clans will distribute "home turfs" amongst themselves.  With eleven Clans, and fourteen nations (or seventeen, if you count the city-states and the now-blooming Malkier), it shouldn't be too hard to divide up the land.  However, they could also decide to be travelers, like the Tinkers, never in the same place twice.  This choice would let them be a little more free from the influences of the nations.  Perhaps they could even band back together with the Tinkers.  While the battle is raging, Raen, a Seeker of the Tuatha'an, begins to wonder about condemning violence.     With this knowledge, the Tinkers and the Aiel could rejoin, become one people again, but with two different branches.  If that happened, the Aiel who gave into the bleakness could come back to the Clans, and join the Tinker section, devoting their life to the Way of the Leaf to meet their toh.   As for how they would treat each other, their constant feuds with one another would need to end.  As the Clan Chiefs have spent so much time with each other since The Shadow Rising, I don't see this being as big a problem as they think.  In fact, Rhuarc actually says he will put blood feuds aside: "I have buried blood feuds for you, Rand al’Thor. I would not take them up again. I have friends now that I would rather not kill" (A Memory of Light, Chapter 6, "A Knack").   I don't think the Chiefs will disappear.  The Aiel need a structured hierarchy to follow.  But Societies might change, or morph, to encompass more attributes.  Maybe Clans become less important, and members can travel more as members of Societies—like they did in Rhuidean.  Maidens can be sent, regardless of Clan, to chase down bandits from Andor.  The Stone Dogs can patrol the Borderlands; the Seia Doon can protect the border with Seanchan.  They would be less likely to attack members of other Clans if they separated like this.   Maybe, they would eventually have Society Chiefs, instead of Clan Chiefs.  And the Maidens could have the first female Chief.   What about growing?  I see plenty of ways this will happen.  First off, is the new visions brought by the glass-column ter'angreal.  It isn't clear if the vision is different the first time, or not.  If it requires a second time, I think the Wise Ones—perhaps even the Clan Chiefs—will insist candidates go through a second time.  This testing is very important to them as a People.   With their firm belief in ji'e'toh, the Aiel need something to keep them humble, to keep them working, to keep them focused.  We saw when Aviendha went through the ter'angreal the first time that it was not a challenge for her.  It was nothing new, so it was not a test.  The Wise Ones and the Chiefs need to be the strongest of the strong.  If anyone who went through could survive—as everyone now knows their ancient past—the Chiefs are nothing special.  They need to wheedle out those who would crack under the pressure.  The second trip nearly shattered Aviendha, which shows it was an adequate test of her character.   Another thing they need to do is conquer the wetlands.  Not in the way of kings and dictators, but in the lands.  Any Aiel above the age of five can survive on their own in the Waste.  How many would be able to survive in the wetlands?  It's a different climate, a different terrain, different flora and fauna, different animal life.  Aviendha thinks about this as she arrives at Merrilor:     The Wetlands are a different challenge.  It's something else for the Aiel to work towards, to master.   I would love to have a story thirty or forty years from the current time, just to see how the Aiel have grown.  They have such an interesting culture, and it would be awesome to see them thrive in a new situation, instead of being beaten and surrendering to their life in the Three-Fold Land.   That's all for today.  Next week, we'll look at the walking dead and possible reasons they were returning.  Thanks for reading!

Hello! It looks like July is almost at an end, and it’s time for another Weekly Roundup!   We’re approaching the final round of the Wheel of Time Cage Match! You may, of course, continue discussion of last week's fights, but don’t forget to vote in the final match! And, while you are at it, who would win between Bela and Hopper or Bella and Jacob?   In the White Tower and Warders Social Group, the Blue Ajah is hosting Harry Potter Week! Join the Tower in Quidditch trivia, and keep a look out for more Harry Potter themed threads!   Of course, if the White Tower's Quidditch game is full, you can always join Quidditch in Shayol Ghul!   Do you hate your alarm clock? Do you wake up on your own? Or do you have fuzzy assistants to wake you up in the morning? The Wolfkin are talking about the best way to wake up.   Well, that’s it for July! A friendly reminder as August starts, don’t forget to sign in to your Social Groups! 

Round 4 has concluded, and again, the results are a bit surprising:   Tam defeated Galad Asmodean defeated Narishma   That moves us onto the Final Round:   Asmodean vs Tam   We also have a special consolation match, just for fun:   Bela & Hopper vs Bella & Jacob   Go vote for your favorite character and help decide who will win the title of Cage Match Champion!   Round 5 voting ends at 9pm EST, August 3, 2013.

TarValon.Net has selected a recipient to be awarded the 2013 Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship.      Rachel is also the Senior Director of Operations at JordanCon.  Congratulations on such a wonderful achievement!