DRAGONMOUNT

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! For many readers of The Wheel of Time, the Blademasters are some of the most interesting characters in the books. Sure, we may fantasize about what it would be like to wield the awesome power and the fine subtleties of saidin or saidar, but skill with the sword, a master of the blade, is something very relatable, something we can cross reference with history and other fantasy series, and even something we can experiment with in real life. The whole notion of being a Blademaster is a fascinating one. The sword forms are, I think, one of the most interesting concepts that Robert Jordan introduced into the series, and one I can't off the top of my head think of something similar to in another work of fantasy fiction (feel free to leave a comment below if you can think of a parallel idea in another book or series). And the sword forms, it should be noted, whilst possibly learned and of some use to an experienced fighter, are actually the Blademaster's forms, designed to be learned by those seeking to reach mastery of sword fighting, duelists and purists in the use of the the katana-like curved swords of Jordan's world. One only becomes a Blademaster if they either defeat in single combat another known Blademaster or are judged on their skill by a panel of five Blademasters, being declared as one only by unanimous vote. There are said to be fewer than 100 Blademasters within the Westlands. A big part of the fantastical desire to earn this title for myself (and, I am confident, many other readers) is being able to carry a Heron-marked sword, one which is designed to proclaim to all your skill as a weapon, a wielder of the sword. You can imagine that to carry one would be the kind of thing to cause a room to fall silent as you enter, to cause your opponents to reassess you with a vague uncertainty, to strike fear into the hearts of your foes. "He carries a Heron-marked sword. Blademaster! Blademaster!" The whispers would almost certainly go along in your wake wherever you passed. Sublime. So. Where can I get me one of those? I have selected a link for you to take a look at. I have chosen one from Amazon because it is an officially licensed replica, seems to be at a saving, and of course Amazon is an international supplier. Leave a comment below if you know of a better place to find one or a wider selection online. If you want to own your very own Heron-marked sword, then have a look online, there are plenty out there. Not only will you look and feel like a total boss, but it would be great for meets and conventions, and in general, anyone who recognized the significance of it would be another Wheel of Time fan, and that would be a great way to meet new fans. If you do get one, or have one already, please be sure to sign up here at Dragonmount to the forums and spread pictures of you with your gorgeous blade! I would certainly like to see it over at the Warder's Guild! Have fun! Until next time, friends!

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Welcome back to another exciting edition of "WoT If?".  This week's topic is Lanfear/Cyndane, but before we jump into the theory:   SPOILER WARNING.  This will include content from A Memory of Light. Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.   As I said last week, the idea for this theory came from the Looney Theories panel at JordanCon.  It was proposed by Jenson, a member of the audience, and immediately struck down as too plausible.     He said that Lanfear is still alive.  We know that Perrin overcame her Compulsion and killed her before she could attack Rand, Nynaeve, and Moiraine.  However, Jenson pointed out that her cour'souvra is still intact.  That means her soul is still in the world.    We've talked before about the nature of the soul; rebirth is a major theme throughout the series.  But we don't know exactly what happens to a soul after a person dies.  We see the Heroes of the Horn go to Tel'aran'rhiod to wait, but what of normal souls?  We also know there is only a short time that the Dark One has access to a soul.  But if the soul is still in the world, the Dark One wouldn't be able to touch it or reclaim it—plus, he's cut off from the world now, so he couldn't even if it were possible.  Perhaps the Creator could take the soul from the cour'souvra and place it with the other waiting souls.   Most likely, I think Lanfear's soul would be stuck in the cour'souvra until someone comes along and releases it.  She wouldn't be able to be reborn at all until she was released.  There's no way her soul could be woven back into the Pattern if it's still alive in one form or another.   That opens up a lot of possibilities.  First, how long can a cour'souvra survive?  Perhaps Lanfear's soul inside would die eventually, after her normal lifespan was used up—another 600 years or so?  Or, would it be stuck in a state of limbo for the rest of existence?  Or, if we want to take this into the crazy theory category, maybe Lanfear's soul could be used in a construct—like the Nym.     At JordanCon, I asked Maria about the Nym's souls.  We talked about it in a blog last year, and I was wondering if she knew where the souls came from and how the ancient Aes Sedai got them into the construct.  She didn't have an answer.  Maybe this is where Aes Sedai got the souls.  Perhaps Aes Sedai who went to the Shadow could use this as a last resort to come back to the Light?  If they had their cour'souvra they could give it to the Light Aes Sedai and have it transplanted into a Nym's body.   Even I'll admit that's a bit of a stretch.  Regardless, I think it's quite possible for Lanfear to still be "alive" through her cour'souvra.  And there's even more of a twist when you think of where Lanfear's soul might be.  The last time we saw it…     So, if it was still around Moridin's neck, that means Moridin likely had it with him in Shayol Ghul.  Which means it was there when Rand and Moridin switched bodies.  Which means it was around Rand's neck when he woke up and rode off.  Which means Rand has access to Lanfear's soul!   The irony of this makes me grin.  What would Rand do with it?  I think he forgave her—or at least let go of his anger—so that he would be willing to release the soul, either into a construct, or out of the cour'souvra and let it die.  Rand might see releasing it as a mercy, instead of allowing it to be stuck for eternity in the mindtrap.   That's all for this week.  Don't forget to post your comments below about your thoughts on Lanfear's fate.  Next time we'll talk about something along the same lines—or at least with a connection to the Nym: seed singing and the Voice.  Thanks for reading!

Along with its newly launched Epic Fantasy mobile alerts, Tor is currently running a sweepstakes to win advanced copies of Brandon Sanderson's soon-to-be-released YA novel, The Rithmatist.   And for those of you who still haven't signed up for Tor's Epic Fantasy mobile alerts, it's not too late.    

At JordanCon V, I had the distinct privilege to purchase one of Michael Whelan's original concept paintings for A Memory of Light.  The story behind is this image is that it’s one of several concepts that Michael provided to Tor Books. From what I understand, this particular painting was one of the top choices to become the actual book cover, but the publisher wanted an image which included the lunar eclipse.  If this image had been selected, Michael would have re-painted it, and added a significant amount of more detail.   The painting depicts Rand, holding Callandor, outside the cave at Shayol Ghul, right before he descends to face the Dark One.   Detail:   More images and details about how I acquired the painting can be found on my personal website. Also, be sure to look at Tor.com's behind-the-scenes feature at how the AMOL cover was designed.   What do you think?

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! This week, I thought I would begin a series of articles I plan on continuing from time to time in this blog. It will highlight some of the different areas of Dragonmount which you may not yet have begun enjoying, just to see if we can tease you into that direction... We begin by appealing to you hardcore Wheel of Time enthusiasts out there. First, I'll highlight something which you may enjoy if you have perhaps finished reading the series now, maybe even more than once, and then we will look at something that will appeal to all fans of the series, even if they are on their first incomplete read through. One of the sections of our Dragonmount forums is the Wheel of Time Discussion area, and within that you can find the Full Spoiler Discussion board for A Memory of Light, the final book in The Wheel of Time series. Now, I won't highlight any of the articles on this board to you in case I spoil something you haven't read yet (and also because I haven't read A Memory of Light myself yet...Shhh...Don't tell!), but if you have completed the series and the final book, or if you are adventurous enough not to mind being told about things you haven't read in the series, then dive right in and see what everyone is discussing! The series may have ended, but the crazy theories from the minds of fans everywhere certainly have not! Within the same section of Dragonmount, you can also find the General Wheel of Time Discussion forum. This has all sorts of interesting discussions ongoing, and is spoiler friendly to those who may not have finished the series yet. For example, right now, there is an engrossing debate about who the deadliest Blademasters in Randland may be, an interesting discussion on the way Brandon Sanderson wrote compared to Robert Jordan, and a great thread that has been going strong for some years where you can ask a simple question, get a simple answer to anything you have come across in the series you found confusing, and that's just a brief selection of the topics on offer. There really is plenty to get involved in on these Dragonmount boards and they are one of the most popular features of the site, so feel free to join in and have your say or benefit from hearing other people's opinions. As a final note, be sure to read the pinned topics at the top of each board to familiarize yourself with any of the posting rules that may apply. Other than that--have fun! Until next time, friends!

(Deep Voiced Movie Announcer) In a time when trouble was spreading across the land   (pan across a field of dying wheat being marched across by an army)   A simple blacksmith had his own problems   (Arnold) "Sometimes, especially in the dream, I forget I'm a man, not a wolf. If one of these times I don't remember quickly enough, I'll lose hold, I'll be a wolf. In my head, at least. A sort of half-wrong image of a wolf. There won't be anything of me left."   He stood against the tides of darkness for the love of his life (scene outside village square with armed villagers standing around a wolf's head banner)   (Faile) I'll not have you bleeding to death on me. That would be just like you, to die and leave me the work of burying you. You have no consideration.   (Arnold) Faile. My falcon.   But then they took her    (Arnold) Faile! Nooooooo!!   He will make them pay     (Arnold) "A Warder once told me Trollocs call the Aiel Waste 'the Dying Ground.' I mean to make them give that name to the Two Rivers."   Wherever they go   (pan across the ruined city of Malden, cut to Sevanna scolding Faile)   (Sevanna) You will do as I say or I will have you beaten again and again.   With any weapon that comes to hand   (Sam Elliot as Elyas) "You'll use it, boy, and as long as you hate using it, you will use it more wisely than most men would. Wait. If ever you don't hate it any longer, then will be the time to throw it as far as you can and run the other way."     And with a ragtag band of misfits to help him find her     (scenes of wolves running through a snowy forest, then cut to Aiel and Two Rivers bowmen marching over a hill)    (Gaul)  Get on a horse? Me? Must be wetlander humor.  What'll you think of next, Perrin?               Arnold Schwarzenegger   is     "The Wolf King"   (Arnold) Tell her I love her. Tell her I’m coming.  

Welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog.  I've come back with renewed vigor, thanks to a wonderful weekend at JordanCon.  It was an incredible experience, talking with Brandon, Harriet, Maria, and Alan, as well as other fans who love the series as much as I do.  I also sat through several of the theories/spoiler panels, letting ideas grow in my mind of topics to explore.  For this edition, I want to look at the comical side of The Wheel of Time fandom and talk about "The Grave is No Bar to My Looney Theories" panel at JordanCon.  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.   The Looney Theories discussion included Kristy Lussier, Sarah Nakamura, Billy Todd, Matt Hatch, and Alan Romanczuk on the panel.  This discussion wasn't meant to be taken seriously, so any idea someone presented that could likely be true was marked with a "Too Plausible" stamp and pushed away.  We'll talk about one of those for next week, but I'm jumping ahead of myself.  I just want to give fair warning that these theories will be a bit on the crazy side.   My favorite of the bunch involved Berelain and Rhuarc.  Here's the theory:  In A Memory of Light, romantic couples seemed to live or die together: Siuan and Bryne, Gawyn and Egwene, etc.  But the only couple that didn't fit this criteria was Amys and Rhuarc.  The theorist claims that this proves that Rhuarc was not really in love with Amys, and that he was gay.  This is further collaborated by his relationship with Berelain, that she is one of those young women who liked to hang out with gay men.  It may be a stretch, but I could see it happening.   The next one comes from the idea that peach pits are poisonous in Randland.  The theory says that peach pits are actually saidin, and they are poisonous because of the taint.  So, with the cleansing of the source, peaches won't be poisonous anymore.  It's plausible.   Another suggested that Rand is really Charlie Sheen.  I think some part of this theory derives from Charlie Sheen's sudden descent into madness, but mostly it was because it would mean Tam is Martin Sheen—which seemed to make many of the women attendees sigh.  Charlie Sheen as the Dragon Reborn is hard to swallow, though.   This may be the looniest, in my opinion.  Rand didn't die during his fight with the Dark One because Rand didn't have a soul.  The theorist pointed out that Rand is a ginger—someone who has red hair—and everyone knows gingers don't have souls. (I must point out, once again, that this is all in jest.  There is no offense meant to anyone with red hair.)   And our own ed2funy submitted one for the panel's consideration.  He said that Rand wasn't the Dragon Reborn from the start.  His powers only came to him the night they were fleeing the Two Rivers.  On that night, Bela was in danger, and so she—who was really the Creator—searched for a way to save herself.  She released the Power into Rand, allowing him to become the Dragon and channel to save herself.  Also, at the end of A Memory of Light, Bela did not die.  Rather, she allowed her Power to go into the Horn of Valere and caused Olver to sound it.  She lost her body, but the Creator doesn't need it.  Everyone knew from the start that Bela was either the Dark One or the Creator, so this makes sense to me.   Ed came up with another one, though not in time for the Looney Theories panel.  He said that the Ogier will use Seed Singing on people before they use the Book of Translation to flee the land.  When they Sing to the people, the humans will grow into giants, creating another one of our modern world's legends.  Harriet was sitting at the table next to us, though, and when Ed asked her if it was possible, she said flat out, "No."  Sorry, Ed!   I think the tradition of looney theories will still continue, even with the conclusion of the series.  There are so many ways to analyze and evaluate all the characters and their interactions with each other.  Plus, it's a lot of fun thinking outside of the box, and just enjoying the silliness that can come from friends talking together.   That's all for this week.  Next week we'll examine another "looney theory" that sounds really plausible to me: Lanfear is still alive.  So, join us then, and don't forget to post your own looney theories in the comments.  Thanks for reading!

It is said that the Ogier are great builders. The cities they build seem to have a life of their own. Among the Ogier built cities, Tar Valon is said to be the most beautiful. Tar Valon is followed by Caemlyn in terms of beauty. People of Caemlyn say that Tar Valon could not be more beautiful than Caemlyn, but that is so because they have not seen Tar Valon.   In honor of these two cities, this week's fan art is focused on Caemlyn, Tar Valon, and places in and around them.     The White Tower by humite     Caemlyn from Tar Valon Gate by artguyjoe     Dragonmount by NuttyMonk   That's it for Part 1 of Architecture and Scenery. Part 2 will be here next week, and you are free to guess what will be in store for you.

Hello, friends! It's Thursday again, which means two things: the weekend is not too far away, and it's time for our Rotating Features blog! This week, we are taking a look at another form of Wheel of Time media, for those of you addicted to The Wheel of Time but with no way to get your fix now that the series has ended... This particular website holds a special place in my memory because it was something I read avidly in the years I first joined Dragonmount way back when I was in school. It is an unofficial, tongue-in-cheek comic series called WoT now?, which is an especially apt name now that the series has been completed. Its author is known as Burnout, an avid fan of the Wheel of Time series. The artwork is fairly basic and based on the old Megaman gifs. It can be a little irreverent and as stated, tongue-in-cheek, but it should provide a good giggle to its readers once you get into it. It was definitely done with the best of intentions by a fan who loved The Wheel of Time and Robert Jordan as much as we all do. Sadly, the series has not been continued for a while now, but there are plenty of panels to read in the meantime. Have fun!