DRAGONMOUNT

Earlier this month we posted on Facebook about 16-year-old Ben Wolverton, son of fantasy author David Wolverton (aka David Farland).  Ben was in a terrible long boarding accident which left him with severe brain trauma and other serious injuries.  Unfortunately his family doesn't have health insurance and the medical bills are stacking up.    Dragonmount, along with several other websites and authors, are trying to spread the word about ways you can help Ben and his family. Please join us in contributing in one or more ways.   Book Bomb A "book bomb" is where we encourage as many people as possible to buy a specific book in a short period of time. Not only does this provide money via direct sales, but it also helps push the book up the charts, thereby increasing exposure to as many people as possible.  The authors and fans organizing this event have chosen David Farland's Nightingale. Please go to Amazon and purchase a copy. Not only will you help the Wolverton family, but you'll get a fantastic novel. Direct Donation If you would prefer to make a direct donation to Ben's recovery, you can do so here.   Spread the Word Whether you're able to help financially or not, we ask that you consider sharing news about Ben's accident on your Facebook, twitter, email, or just word of mouth.    The Wheel of Time community is large and has always proven to be generous. By helping the Wolverton family, you will be upholding Robert Jodan's legacy of charity and kindness.     Thank you for joining us to help. 

The name is al'Thor, Rand al'Thor.   My instructions were explicit. I was to prevent the Dark One from breaking free of his prison at Shayol Ghul. Licensed to break the world.   (Bond Music)     (Private study)   Moiraine:  Your mission is of the utmost importance, al'Thor. Try to take it seriously.   Rand:  I'm always serious, M. Have I ever let you down?     Watch as he battles the world's most feared villains   Rand:  Do you expect me to just hand control over to you, Forsaken?   Aginor:  No, Lews Therin, I expect you to die.     With amazing devices from an Age long past   Thom:  And if you press this part here, the head of the ter'angreal will shoot out flames up to thirty feet. This one will allow you to open any lock, and this sword also doubles as a flute.   Rand:  And how much use do you think a flute will do in the Last Battle?    Thom:  Just try to bring it back in one piece, al'Thor.   And with beautiful women at every turn   (Tavern) Min:  I know I'm not the only girl in your life, al'Thor, but do you have to be so cavalier?    Rand:  Elmindreda, what would I do without you?   (Courtyard)   Elayne:  Well, well, and what have we here?   Join Rand al'Thor in    "Eye of the World"   Coming soon to a theater near you     (Tavern)   Rand:  Mother's milk in a cup. Shaken, not stirred.

Welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog. Once again, I set out with the intention of examining the body-swap at the end of A Memory of Light.  Again, I got distracted by other things.  Sorry to get your hopes up, but I'm pushing body-swap back for the next edition.  Rather, I want to look at something else that deals with Moridin and his ties to the Shadow.  Before we start, though:   SPOILER WARNING.  This will include content from A Memory of Light.  Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.   In Chapter 2, "A Dangerous Place," Pevara and Androl are preparing to con the Asha'man Dobser to get information on Logain's whereabouts.  As they are doing so, Pevara says, "The accounts seem to agree. The more dedicated a person was to the Light before being taken, the more dedicated they'll be to the Shadow after falling."   Several questions popped into my head when I read this the first time.    1) How would they be able to gauge this? Is there some way to give a person's dedication to the Light a value?    2) What accounts are there of this transition?  Would they have to follow around Black Sisters and witness their evil deeds to see how far they'd gone to the dark side?    3) If they have this information, and know the Forsaken are loose (thirteen channelers), why wasn't there some Tower alert system warning of the possible danger?  Especially since three separate parties went to the Black Tower where there were channelers galore.    So, let's look at each of these questions and see what we can learn.  First off, how to gauge this.  It seems to me like most people in Randland are indifferent to the Creator.  They claim to "walk in the Light," which means they try their hardest not to do bad things.  But the definition of "bad" isn't very well defined in Randland terms.  In the Two Rivers, they have a pretty strict upbringing where everything from boys who "did not keep out of their elders’ way," to polygamist relationships that would cause "the Women’s Circle [to swallow] their tongues" are considered "bad" (Path of Daggers, Chapter 22, "Gathering Clouds" and Winter's Heart, Chapter 12, "A Lily in Winter", respectively).  But do these constitute as the Shadow?  Most would agree they don't.   Then how would one gauge a person's devotion to the Light or to the Shadow?  There aren't any concrete definitions of what is of the Light and what of the Shadow.  We see several instances where characters do what they feel is right, despite the cost to them or others.  Galad does this regularly, as do Mat, Perrin, and Rand.  They feel they do the Light's work by sacrificing themselves for a greater good.  By Wheel of Time standards, I think they all are dedicated to the Light.  On the flip side, we see the Forsaken act out of greed and malice, hurting anyone and everyone they can get their hands on.  Naturally, they would be devoted to the Shadow.    But if this trick of thirteen channelers and thirteen Myrddraal is so well known there are records of it in the White Tower, maybe it was common in the Age of Legends as well.  I'm getting ahead of myself, though.  On to point number two.   The records themselves baffle me.  As I said earlier, how would the Light side know all that the Shadow does in order to track how dedicated a person would be to the Shadow?  And since the definition of Light and Shadow vary by town, how could the White Tower specify which acts are which?  Was Toveine's part in the "vileness" after the Aiel War an act of the Light or the Shadow?  What we see of her as a Turned Aes Sedai seems pretty bad, so she must have been dedicated to the Light.  Yet her actions of gentling men before reaching the Tower were condemned and got her exiled, despite her belief that they had "been necessary and right" (Path of Daggers, Chapter 26, "The Extra Bit").  Because of this, there seems to be no way to accurately judge a person's intent.  These records probably couldn't prove anything one way or the other.   For number three, why wasn't the Tower put on high alert when they realized the Forsaken were free?  And doubly so when they found out Rand had started a school for male channelers.  Since most Aes Sedai foolishly doubt the existence of the Black Ajah, when other channelers come into the world, they should have had the sense to be afraid, yet they weren't.  Toveine leads fifty Aes Sedai to the Black Tower, knowing that thirteen of them could turn someone to the Shadow.  I can't believe there wasn't more caution in this endeavor.   Of course, there is the argument that this information is in the Thirteenth Depository, only known to Sitters, Heads of the Ajahs, the Keeper, and the Amyrlin.  But Pevara is a Sitter and apparently has access to the "accounts."  On top of that, they were ordered to bond Asha'man by Tsutama, the Head of the Red Ajah, who would also know of these records.  And Toveine was also a Sitter before her exile, so she would know this information too.  And Reds would be the first to think that male channelers were Shadowspawn—or at least Shadow sworn.  Yet no precaution was taken in either case.   All of this speculation leads me to two conclusions: Taim was not Turned; Moridin/Ishamael might have been.   Before, I always maintained that Taim had been turned by the 13x13 combo.  It seemed most likely because of Bashere's inability to recognize him right away in Lord of Chaos (Chapter 2, "A New Arrival").  However, Brandon Sanderson was asked this very question:     If Taim was not very nice before, that means he lacked a dedication to the Light, which means his dedication to the Shadow would have been just as weak, if Turned.  We see by his elevation to one of the Chosen that Taim's dedication to the Shadow is strong.  From this logic, I don't think Taim was Turned.  I'm going to change my official stance on that.   But what about the other Forsaken?  We see time and time again that they are evil to their bones...except Moridin.  The other Forsaken have their own reasons for going to the Shadow, and they seem to do it willingly.  Yet we never get a convincing reason with Moridin, other than the fact that he wants the whole world to die.  In the comments for other blogs, we talked about Moridin having an epiphany similar to Rand's in "Veins of Gold" (The Gathering Storm, Chapter 50).  But, since Moridin didn't have the love Rand did, he was unable to find that last sliver of hope to keep fighting.  But I'll offer another reason.  What if Ishamael—or Elan Morin—was just as dedicated to the Light as Lews Therin, but was caught by servants of the Shadow and Turned?  I think this would explain better how Elan Morin could have flipped sides so easily and quickly.  He was so dedicated to the Light that he became just as dedicated to the Shadow.  That could be the reason he was trusted above all the others, because his own ambitions were eradicated by the Shadow's will.   That will be all for today's edition.  I'm going to have a break next week (for school work) and the week after (for JordanCon).  But we'll return on the 30th, and hopefully, I'll have time to talk with Brandon Sanderson and ask a few questions.  If anyone is going to JordanCon, make sure to say hi to me.  And, as always, thanks for reading!

Calling all Perrin fans!  Our friends at Ta'veren Tees have a great new shirt for you.  It features artwork from popular artist Seamas Gallagher.  Check out the press release:   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   NEW PERRIN AYBARA SHIRT WITH ART BY SEAMAS GALLAGHER AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER   The trio of ta’veren shirts by The Wheel of Time® artist Seamas Gallagher is finally complete with the addition of the “Perrin Aybara by Seamas” tee, now available for preorder at www.TaverenTees.com/perrinbyseamas.  Preordering this shirt ensures it will be shipped as soon as it is in stock on April 11. In addition, this shirt will be on sale for $26 during the pre-order period.     “Perrin Aybara by Seamas” is available in sizes S-5XL on an adult tee shirt.   Until now, only Gallagher’s versions of Rand (www.taverentees.com/randbyseamas) and Mat (www.taverentees.com/matbyseamas) were available for purchase, and fans of the blacksmith-turned-wolfbrother have been anticipating the release of the final ta’veren. Ta’veren Tees is happy to release this homage to the Wolf King at last. Why the wait? This shirt features updates to the art that cannot be found elsewhere. Older versions of Gallagher’s Perrin depict him with an ax. Ta’veren Tees, along with Seamas, decided it was time for this Perrin to give up the ax and take up the hammer.   The back of the shirt reads “If you could see through these golden eyes of mine, you’d find the world a different place.”   This shirt is available through 5XL on a forest green, adult, cotton tee. All “Special Edition” designs have the snake/wheel logo on the left sleeve.   Seamas Gallagher   Seamas Gallagher started working on The Wheel of Time® as a personal side project. However, he was able to contribute art for The Wheel of Time® graphic novel, and is excited to have his art on Ta’veren Tees, as well. Seamas is an officially licensed WoT artist, whose art can be found at: www.seamasgallagher.com. To read more about Seamas, visit www.taverentees.com/artists.    

I said last week that we were going to look at the body-swap occurrence, but I got sidetracked in my research.  For this edition of "WoT If?",  I want to look at something that's very easy to miss.  Something Pevara said in A Memory of Light. But before we start:   SPOILER WARNING.  This will include content from A Memory of Light.  Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.   We all know Pevara is not Black Ajah.  She would have been outed by Androl—who can read her mind—or by Taim and his lackies—who attempted to turn her towards the Shadow.  Both of these, I think, are ample proof she is not of the Black.  But there is one line in A Memory of Light where Pevara appears to lie.  Let's take a look at the passage:     There are only a few paragraphs of text separating Emarin's request and Pevara's refusal; this happens very quickly.  In the first exchange, Emarin clearly states that he wants the prisoner to hear, and Pevara agrees.  She knows she has released the weaves a bit; she knows he can hear.  How can she—by the Three Oaths—answer "No" to Emarin's question?   The first time I read this, I went into a near panic.  It has the sound of a lie to me, and I thought Pevara might really be Black Ajah.  However, there are other likely reasons why/how she was able to answer the way she did.   One explanation might be Aes Sedai trickery.  The phrase—the way Emarin words it—uses a negative question: cannot.  Pevara's answer is also a negative: no.  These two negatives, by the laws of the English language, cancel each other out, winding up with a positive: he can hear.  However, that's not the way most people speak.  If asked the same question, many would reply with, "No, he cannot hear," answering Emarin's intended question (if their captor was capable of listening) rather than the actual phrase of the question.   Wow, that got way too technical.  Regardless, it could be a trick of the language Pevara was using to make their captive think she answered differently than she did.  It would be an example of the saying, "The truth an Aes Sedai says isn't the truth you think it is."   But there may be another explanation as well.  We know Pevara and Seaine took turns releasing themselves from the Oath Rod (shown in The Path of Daggers, Chapter 26, "The Extra Bit").  Every account we see of them releasing themselves, we also see them reswearing.  Notice those few key words: every account we see.  How many times did they take the Oath Rod?  How many times did they have the opportunity to release themselves?  What if Pevara was tempted to not reswear?   Egwene, when she reclaimed the Tower, made every sister go through the reswearing process and prove they were not Black Ajah (The Gathering Storm, Epilogue, "Bathed in Light").  However, Pevara and her group heading to the Black Tower left in Knife of Dreams (Epilogue, "Remember the Old Saying").  So, Pevara missed this forced reswearing.  For all we know, she may have removed the Oaths at some point and kept them off.   This might seem unlikely, but she was planning on going to the Black Tower to bond Asha'man.  Perhaps she felt she needed more protection than what the Oaths offered.  The Asha'man could tear an Aes Sedai apart, and the Aes Sedai wouldn't be able to do anything until the Asha'man struck first.  They would be in a ton of danger if they still kept to the Oaths.   Plus, people say that if you do something once, it's easier to do the next time.  We have three instances in the books where Pevara and Seaine release themselves and reswear.  With that way of looking at the situation, what harm could come from a fourth time, or a fifth?  Especially if you may need to use the One Power as a weapon against people who aren't Darkfriends.   Again, it's unlikely.  Pevara probably used a language trick.  We know Aes Sedai aren't forbidden to lead people astray.  But still, I think it's curious.  The phrase just jumps out at me and I can't help but doubt her.  And I'm extra surprised none of the Asha'man called her on it.  I think she lied.  But I want to know what everyone else thinks.  Is it possible that Pevara actually lied or not?   I'll keep it short and sweet this week since some of that consisted of heavy reading.  I promise, next week we'll look at the body-swap occurrence and the significance it played.  Thanks for reading!

Tor Books launched a Wheel of Time mobile text campaign today.  If you text the word Epic to 555111, you'll receive 3-5 trivia alerts per week. Here's the press release: And no, despite this news article going live on April 1, this is not a joke. 

Welcome back!  Before we begin, I want to make a couple of announcements.  First, the blogger application deadline has passed, and I will be revealing the new bloggers shortly!  Second, I know that there are some Memory Keeper reports that didn't make it up during my LOA; the person who was covering for me did not have a chance to get them up.  I'll be gradually sprinkling those in between the regular blogs during the next couple of weeks.   A Memory of Light left a lot of unanswered questions about the Seanchan.  What will become of them now that the Last Battle is over?  Come share your theories in our A Memory of Light Full Spoiler Discussion forum.  Please remember not to talk about spoilers elsewhere on the forums at this time.   There's still time to join in the Aiel Social Group's March Culture of the Month discussion.  They have been discussing the Cherokee.  This thread is full of interesting and well-researched information.   The Shayol Ghul Social Group's popular advice columnist, Narg, is back.  Join him for another exciting round of Ask Narg.    What are your online obsessions?  Whether it's Dragonmount itself, a popular MMORPG, or something else, the Wolfkin Social Group would like to know about it.   That's all for now.  Have a wonderful week!  

The ebook version of A Memory of Light is now available on the Dragonmount eBook store. The AMOL ebook is discounted to $13.99 in our store.  As with all titles in our online store, the AMOL ebook is entirely DRM-Free.  When you purchase it, you'll have access to download both the Kindle-compatible file (.mobi), as well as a standard .epub file which works on Apple iOS devices (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch), all Barnes & Noble Nooks, and most Android devices.  Get A Memory of Light in our eBook store now. By purchasing this ebook through our store, you are helping to support Dragonmount. Click here for more information about our DRM-free ebook store. Unfortunately, due to the way publishing contracts are designed, we only have the ability to sell this ebook to people with a valid U.S. billing address. We wish we could sell it more widely, and may one day have the ability to do so.   Some fans have expressed an understandable frustration regarding the delay between the release of the hardcover and ebook. There were several reasons for this. The primary reason is that Harriet recognized that traditional booksellers were very supportive of Robert Jordan over the years. By initially releasing only physical copies of the book, it helped support their business at a time when eBook sales are becoming more and more normal.  Harriet believes in a world where brick-and-mortar bookstores are pervasive and successful.     

Hello all, and welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog.  This week's topic is the Horn of Valere and the mysteries, and misinformation, behind it.  Before we start, though:   SPOILER WARNING.  This will include content from A Memory of Light.  Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.   This last book really blew off a lot of preconceived notions about the Horn, even for Brandon Sanderson.  In an interview, Brandon says he was surprised that the Horn couldn't be used by a Darkfriend, and added that Harriet had to edit his work to fix it: "She explained that this was one of Jim's ruses, that the characters in [the] book were wrong and repeating bad information, and that Jim had been very clear with her that it was not the case."  This is only one example of how the truth an Aes Sedai says isn't what you think it is.  There were several others throughout the series.   Another issue that shocked me was the severed link between Mat and the Horn.  When Birgitte calls him Hornsounder in A Crown of Swords (Chapter 21, "Swovan Night"), I thought the link had to be intact.  Birgitte's ripping from Tel'aran'rhiod happened after Mat's balefire "death," so she should have known the link was lost.  In A Memory of Light, Hawkwing is aware that the link was broken when Mat was balefired (Chapter 39, "Those Who Fight"), so Birgitte should have known as well.  But, for argument's sake, perhaps Birgitte was calling him that out of respect.  Hawkwing himself called Mat "Hornblower" (Chapter 43, "Field of Glass").  In the United States, even former presidents are still called Mr. President—it stands to reason that a former Hornsounder could still be called Hornsounder.   Another exciting revelation: the Horn summons dead wolves!  There's plenty to talk about from this scene in A Memory of Light.  First, it seems the wolves only appear after Olver blows the Horn at Shayol Ghul.  Why weren't they summoned when the Horn was first sounded?  Is the location of the Horn important?  Olver first blows it in Merrilor, when he's trapped by Trollocs (Chapter 39, "Those Who Fight").  But the heroes all appear around the battlefield, not Olver—Noal rushes off to Olver right after the Horn is sounded.  And even further away, Birgitte appears standing over her dead body.  Why did Birgitte appear separate?  And if she could, why couldn't the wolves?   It isn't until Chapter 46 ("To Awaken"), that the wolves' spirits are called into the battle.  And it's only after Olver blows the Horn at Shayol Ghul.  Perrin notes that the wolves' spirits are all gathered, and it's only after the Horn calls that they ask Perrin to lead them.  Then Perrin thinks, "Why must the heroes all be human?"   We know the wolves have some sort of knowledge about the Last Hunt, and they must realize they have some role to play.  But Perrin's thought about wolf heroes doesn't seem right, unless every wolf is a hero.  The Horn called every wolf that was there, every spirit of a dead wolf—not only a select few that have proved themselves brave enough.  Perhaps the Horn just summons all the denizens of Tel'aran'rhiod.  If the souls of deer or any other wild beast had been near Shayol Ghul, would they have been summoned for the Last Hunt as well?  Or did the wolves only choose to be there because they have a connection to men and knew they could help?   And if the wolves are bound to—or at least called by—the Horn, how come they didn't appear in Falme?  It seems quite possible that some wolves would have been in the area and got caught up in the pull of the Horn.  But there were none.  Perrin was there, and could have led them.  Does this mean that the wolves could only participate once, in the Last Hunt only?   I looked through all the posted interviews at Theoryland to find any recent (Post-A Memory of Light) interviews about the Horn.  There aren't too many yet, so maybe that's something we'll have to ask Brandon Sanderson about.  Based on the way the Last Battle played out, I'm assuming location does matter.  The Horn summoned the heroes—who are naturally bound to the Horn.  They would have been called from anywhere they roamed in Tel'aran'rhiod.  But the wolves, who are creatures of the World of Dreams, yet not bound to the Horn—as far as we know—had to be in the location for the Horn to call them.  This still doesn't explain why they didn't help in Falme, but it does explain why they had to be called separately.    One other thing I found, not necessarily about the Horn, but more about Tel'aran'rhiod, is a theory by FarShainMael on the A Memory of Light Spoiler Board.   FarShainMael suggests a link between Rand post-Tarmon Gai'don and the Horn's power to summon aspects of Tel'aran'rhiod to the real world.  He says:     I think this raises an interesting concept.  We see that Rand has complete control over his surroundings.  He only has to impose his will in order to light his pipe.  This is very close to the way things work in Tel'aran'rhiod.  Rand is one who is bound to the Horn—after he dies, he will be summoned if the Horn were sounded—so it's possible he could use some benefits from the Horn while alive.  Maybe the same would have happened for Birgitte if she hadn't died.  Maybe an aspect of this will pass into the young Gaidal Cain.  We really have no way to know for certain what the Horn does to the heroes who are already born.  But I like FarShainMael's idea.   That's all I've got on the Horn.  I'm really hoping more interviews with Brandon Sanderson will show up and he'll have a bit more to say on the subject.  Next week, I'd like to look at the body-swap theory more closely and examine what exactly happened at the end there.  Thanks for reading!

Tor Books unveiled a brand new book cover for the print edition of A Crown of Swords.  The artwork is by Tyler Jacobson and depicts the scene where Rand meets Cadsuane for the first time.   Here's the full image. Click to see a larger version in our Gallery:     Be sure to check out the full feature on Tor.com.   This new edition matches the style Tor has been using for the series over the past few years. Most of the second edition book covers feature the same artwork from the ebook editions, but this new artwork is brand new.     Wheel of Time second edition book covers: