DRAGONMOUNT

Got a Black Ajah Sister Got a Black Ajah Sister I got a Black Ajah Sister She's got me so blind I can't see But she's a Black Ajah Sister and She's trying to make a Darkfriend out of me   Don't turn your bond on me, Sedai Don't turn your bond on me, Sedai Yes, don't turn your bond on me, Sedai Don't mess around with your weaves Don't turn your bond on me, Sedai 'Cause you might not like what you achieve   (flute solo)   You got your bond on me, Sedai You got your bond on me, Sedai Yes, you got your bond on me, Sedai Turnin' my heart into stone I need you so bad Black Ajah Sister I can't leave you alone

Welcome back to another edition of "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog.  For this week, I've got some questions about the standing flows in the Age of Legends.   SPOILER WARNING.  This will include content from A Memory of Light.  Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.   The standing flows are only mentioned in passing once, but they are alluded to a few times throughout the series.  They are a product of the Age of Legend, a mixture of One Power and technology that allowed non-channelers to use ter'angreal.  It's not clear how much of their technology ran on the One Power.  Or if it was just for frivolous things, not really worthwhile.  But let's take a look at the actual quote about them from the series.     Not much to go on, but the Wheel of Time Wiki expands on it a bit:     It's interesting that Alviarin thinks of the standing flows only in context of the ter'angreal—as if only ter'angreal can access the standing flows.  However, current knowledge of the Age of Legends is very scant, and mostly wrong.  Alviarin's understanding would most likely be incorrect, no matter how much Mesaana told her.  That means the One Power—through the standing flows—could be used for other things.   Or, it could mean that all the technology used was developed through ter'angreal.  Making angreal, sa'angreal, and ter'angreal was common in the Age of Legends.  Many people had the Talent.  It would make sense for them to develop new ter'angreal, ones that could use the standing flows, to better the lives of the common citizens.   Either way, I think a vast majority of items were One Power based.  Even sho-wings and jo-cars.  The One Power is an endless energy supply.  The Aes Sedai would be stupid to not harvest its power and put it to practical use.   But how would the standing flows be harnessed?  I can see two ways.  First is that the Aes Sedai make pools of saidar and saidin for the ter'angreal to feed off of.  If there are vast pools all over the world, the weaves could be tied off—connecting the ter'angreal and the pools—making all the items work without someone actively channeling into it.   It's implied that men and women working together could form these pools without difficulty (The Eye of the World, Chapter 50, "Meetings at the Eye").  The only reason the ones who made the Eye of the World died was to make saidin pure and clean.  If creating pools of pure Power could be done, Aes Sedai could regularly refill the "reservoirs," allowing all the items linked to it to draw on the Power stored within.     Or, taking on a more sci-fi perspective, the standing flows could be pure Power left to run wild.  It's all around, and all the devices programs to feed off the flows would work.  Maybe a good analogy would be a wind generator.  The wind is all around, and the device—the windmill—can access that power as long as the wind is there.   This might seem a bit confusing, but let me elaborate.  When we see scenes from the Age of Legends during Rand's trip into the glass-column ter'angreal, we see a group of Aiel, Ogier, and a Nym seed singing.  During this scene, it's speculated that the Nym uses weaves of the Power (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 26, "The Dedicated").  The phrase is that the Nym, "took those threads and wove them into his dance," which sounds a lot like channeling.  So, where is the Nym getting the flows?  From the standing flows, the Power that is surrounding them.  It's like wind all around them, and the Nym—a construct, like a ter'angreal—can access them.   Another point I'd like to touch on is whether or not the standing flows will come back.  They disappeared when the Bore was breached.  The Wheel of Time Wiki has something interesting on this that might shed some light on how they disappeared:     If sho-wings are running off the standing flows, they stopped working "immediately" after the Breaking.  If the standing flows are pools of the One Power, that makes sense since the Aes Sedai wouldn't go about refilling the reservoirs.  And if the standing flows are wild threads of Power running free, their threads could have been disrupted by the appearance of the Dark One.  He could have broken the weaves.  He could have taken away the wind.   But is it fixable?  Alviarin's comment of why such a thing had been allowed is telling.  I think most Aes Sedai would feel the same way.  The Power is for them, not for others.  The White Tower may claim to serve all, but I don't see them wanting to give up even an ounce of their power. The Asha'man might be more likely to create standing flows again.  They learned the lesson that they are men, not weapons, so they might want to be more of a help to society.  But it would require the cooperation of women, if the standing flows are pools.  Men and women need to work together to accomplish that task.     Two of the female Forsaken are still alive, Graendal and Moghedien.  Graendal is under compulsion, and fawning over Aviendha.  A lot of information might come of that.  Moghedien is a collared damane, captured and taken back to Ebou Dar.  Some information might come from that.  Honestly, I don't think the Seanchan would want to use any items that use the Power, so they wouldn't want the standing flows to reform.   But Graendal could be key to setting up a lot of wonders from the Age of Legends.  I wouldn't be surprised if she could help recreate the standing flows as well, if there were willing participation among the current channelers.   The last idea is that—if the Dark One blocked the flows, his resealing could heal the weaves on their own.  The standing flows could instantly be reinstated, without any help from another source.  That would lead to a lot of confusion, but probably some advances in civilization pretty quickly.   That's all for this week's edition.  Next time, I want to look at the Aiel and their new role in society.  Thanks for reading!

Ta'veren Tees has a new shirt available for pre-order.    

Another week has come and gone, and it is time for another Dragonmount Weekly Roundup.   Wheel of Time Cage Match: Interested in discussing the Week 1 winners? How about the Week 2 winners? Also, don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the Week Three Line-up:    Asmodean vs Alivia Siuan vs Narishma Galad vs Faile Tam vs Sulin   So, Min Fairshaw has an interesting, and seemingly unique, power of reading the threads of the Pattern surrounding other people. In the General Wheel of Time Discussion board, there is an ongoing discussion of the usefulness of her power. Is her power just a plot device, or something more?   Interested in playing Quidditch? What about Battleship? People wanting to play games but seeking an alternative to Mafia can find these games in our Social Groups.   Roleplayers would be interested to know that a position as the Role Play Group Leader for the Children of Light is now open for applications. Those interested in the position must have an interest in the Children of the Light Roleplay.   That about wraps it up for this week’s Weekly Roundup. I hope you have a safe and happy summer, and a great Bastille Day! (July 14).

Week 2 of Dragonmount's Wheel of Time Cage Match is finished!  Here's the list of winners:   Galad defeated Uno Tam defeated Slayer Sulin defeated Tuon Faile defeated Berelain   All the winning fighters will advance to Round 3, which starts right now!  Here's the line-up:   Asmodean vs Alivia Siuan vs Narishma Galad vs Faile Tam vs Sulin   Go to the Cage Match board to vote for your favorite character.  Or discuss more of Week 2's fights here.

Welcome to another edition of Fan Art Friday!   Seanchan are the people from across the Aryth Ocean. Artur Hawkwing sent his son to conquer the Seanchan lands. As time passed, the Seanchan and Luthair Hawkwing's people merged into one. The Seanchan are known for their damane, collard women born with the spark, and sul'dam, who are women who can learn to channel, control the damane. The nobility or Blood are marked by lacquered nails and shaved heads.   Important incidents with the Seanchan include Falme, the capture of Amadicia, and the attack at White Tower, among several others.   This edition brings to you the Empress, may she live forever, damane, the battle at White Tower, Seanchan insect-like armor, and a symbol representative of Seanchan.   Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag by PollyUranus   The Seanchan Raid by Sango1013   Damane by SicilianValkyrie   Seanchan by tjsavolainen   Seanchan by DonXavier

Hello friends! The Wheel has turned all the way around to Thursday again, which means two things: it's nearly the weekend, and it's time for our Rotating Features blog!   Have you recently finished The Wheel of Time series and would like to do a re-read, but the thought of finding time to wade through such a big series is a little off-putting? Or have you not yet finished the series and just don't seem to be able to get through it, but you're dying to see how it all ends?   Well, have no fear because help is very, very near!   Here at Dragonmount we have our very own eBook store.   It has all of the books by both Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, so you can choose which ones you need to read or re-read, and download them to a variety of devices--which you can then easily carry about with you to read a little when you can. So there really are no excuses!   What is great about the store is that the eBooks are offered digital rights media (DRM) free--which means you can download them onto more than one device, and that makes it even more convenient for you. Whatever gets you reading The Wheel of Time is fine by us!   The prices are very reasonable and what's more, you can buy a gift voucher for a friend you may know who would really appreciate help reading the books as well... Whatever gets them reading The Wheel of Time, too!   Dragonmount has partnered up with Tor, the licensed publishers of The Wheel of Time eBooks. In fact, we also stock many other eBooks from Tor, if you wanted to check out some other works of fiction--but only if you have finished The Wheel of Time first. Twice!   I jest, of course. Check out the store and see if it offers anything of interest to you.   If you have questions, you can learn more in our eBook FAQ.   Have fun!   Until next time, friends!

Romeo and Juliet   Elayne: Rand al'Thor, Rand al'Thor. Wherefore art thou Dragon Reborn? Deny thy madness and refuse thy fate, Or be but sworn my love, and I suppose I'll just have to get alone with those two other girls...     Hamlet   Matrim: To run, or not to run, that is the question.  Whether 'tis easier to avoid the slings and arrows of those charging armed men, or to take flight against the sea of troubles, and by running away, delay them.  Or to cheat, to cheat perchance to win.  Ha, there's a laugh.   Macbeth   Rand: Is this Callandor I see before me, handle towards my hand?  

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to "WoT If?".  This week, I want to look at the state of channelers, and speculate about what's in store for their future.  But before we begin:   SPOILER WARNING.  This will include content from A Memory of Light.  Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.   Since time is a Wheel, and all things come and go, we know the ability to channel must eventually be lost.  Or else, we'd have channelers in our own time—and as far I know, we don't.  One of the panels at JordanCon, "After the Last Battle," touched on this topic a bit, but I'd like to expand it further.   It's been stated several times in the series that most Aes Sedai are under the impression that the Power is being culled out of the population.  Since they've been gentling male channelers for nearly 3,000 years, it seems logical that this would be the outcome.  However, I'd like to counter that argument by pointing out they are only gentling men with the spark, the ability to channel no matter what.  We know that fewer channelers have the spark; most have the ability within and need to be tested for it to mature.  So most of the male channelers are not being gentled, and are living their lives, passing on their genes, without knowing they can learn to touch the True Source.     I think this is evident by how many Asha'man there are by the end of the series.  In almost no time at all, the Black Tower accepted and trained so many channelers.  And now that male channelers aren't going to be hunted down, it stands to reason that the number of channelers overall would increase.   So what other reasons are there for the Power to be lost eventually?  I've got a few theories that might work.   1. Disease   It's quite possible that disease could be the cause.  If a strain of bacteria or a virus erupted that only attacked the channeling population, there would be almost no hope for them.  Since channelers tend to group together—in the Black Tower and the White Tower, at least—it could spread through them quickly.     There might be some hope if the Yellows, and those Asha'man dedicated to Healing, could think of a way to combat the strain.  But if it only attacks channelers, maybe it would be immune to flows of the Power.     If a vast majority of the channelers were wiped out—like the Towers, or the kenneled damane—and only random patches of channelers still existed—like the Kin, the Wise Ones, or the Sea Folk—the smaller patches would likely die off over time.  The ability, if not widely spread and having a larger breeding pool, would definitely be culled.   2. Channeling outlawed   There may come a time, far down the road, where channeling could be seen as a bad thing.  We all know of historical examples of "witchcraft" being outlawed and punishable by death.  If somewhere along the way, the channelers lose sight of being focused on service, they could become a group of selfish, or evil, people.  It's typical that people in powerful stations eventually become corrupted.  I could see this happening quite easily.   If the channelers began to become enemies of the people, no doubt the people would rise up and demand a change.  The channelers would become hunted and killed.  The only difficult part would be catching them.  Since forkroot tea is common knowledge now, it might still be well known at some point in the future.   If the people are able to kill a majority of channelers, the same effects from the disease scenario would hold true.  The smaller groups, who must go into hiding, would eventually stop channeling all together, or lose the ability over time.   3. The world becomes a Stedding   This idea has been around a long time.  I've seen dozens of theories on this over the years.  Because of this, I won't spend a lot of time on it, but I also didn't want to leave it out.     What happens in this scenario is that the Steddings begin to grow—perhaps the Ogier are able to make it grow at some point, before they open the Book of Translation and leave this world.  With a Stedding covering the whole world, the ability would be lost completely.  The channelers would probably go mad from losing the Source—it would be the same as stilling and gentling: they would sense it but could not touch it.   Or, in other forms of this theory, ter'angreal, like the ones in Far Madding, could be invented to make channeling impossible.  The same would be true, channelers would die off from losing the Source.   4. Evolution   Credit for this thought goes to Matt Hatch from Theoryland.  He proposed that the human body could lose the ability to channel.  When Nynaeve heals gentling and stilling, she is able to sense the connection inside the body.  There is something physically there for the person to be able to touch the Source.   If humanity evolves over time, that connection could be lost.  The Source still exists.  It's still driving the Wheel of Time, but we've lost the ability to sense it, let alone touch it.  Then, when the Wheel turns once again, the body evolves to encompass the ability.  The Power could become lost and found several times as the seven Ages come and go.   Of the four, I like the evolution one best.  It keeps with what we know of human anatomy.  Science will show us how we have evolved over the past 3,000 years—about the length of an Age.  It's easy to see that in another 3,000 years, when our Age ends and another begins, we could be completely different physically.   That's all for this week.  Let me know if you have other theories about losing the One Power.  I look forward to hearing more.  Next time, we'll examine the standing flows in the Age of Legends and see if it's something that can be duplicated in the world after the Last Battle.  Thanks for reading!

Hello! It’s time for another Dragonmount Weekly Roundup. I hope all our Canadian friends had a great Canada Day, and all our American friends had a safe Independence Day! I know my July 4th was busy!   First up, the Wheel of Time Cage Matches are in full force! Week Two, the non-channelers bracket, pits Tam vs Slayer, Uno vs Galad, Faile vs Berelain, and Sulin vs Tuon. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites!   At the Kin, July is Gleeman’s month! This is your chance to stretch your writer senses, tap your inner Thom Merrilin! Participate in a nanofiction challenge, tell a story with random words, and even participate in an anagram challenge. Those of you who are planning on participating in NaNoWriMo later this year may also want to visit CampNaNoWriMo.   The monthly challenge for the Artist, Writers, and Crafter’s Guild is Reinvention.  Reinvent or re-purpose something, and make an artistic creation!   Finally, in the White Tower and Warders, a discussion is going on involving the royal baby name! What do you think Prince William and Duchess Kate will name their child? What name do you think the new baby should have?   That about sums it up for this week's Weekly Roundup! I would like to conclude with a friendly reminder to all Social Group members to sign in their various Social Group forums.