DRAGONMOUNT

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!

Announcer Reader discretion is advised.     Children   Announcer   Children is filmed on location with the men of the Children of the Light. All Darkfriends will be brought to trial for their crimes.     Chioal Honestly, the best thing about this job is that you get to help the people of the world. I mean, just think of what would happen if these fools went on with their killing and destruction? We can't allow the Shadow to spread, so we go where the Light wills and bring peace and justice.   Rodhor Right, and you get to travel to all sorts of different places. I've personally never been to this area of Amadicia, but it's a beautiful country, and they understand that, even if it doesn't seem pleasant, your duty is yours to do, so they've been pretty helpful to us.   Chioal And respectful too. That's the nice thing about wearing the sunburst; it allows people to see you're someone to be respected, and feared a little. But you have my word that we're out to help the people.   Rodhor Indeed. That's why we're out here. We've heard reports of Darkfriends gathering in the local countryside and we can't be having with that. So, we're traveling the roadways, stopping here and there and seeing if anyone has heard any news.   (Horses pull up outside of an inn) Rodhor Now, we're heading in to this inn because we've heard rumors that a Darkfriend was seen in the area, and may have stayed here plotting his foul deeds.   (Inside)   Chioal Morning, sir! I and my companions here are seeking out the enemies of the Light. We wish to ask you a few simple questions about a traveler that may have passed through here about a week ago.   Innkeeper Yes, yes, of course. I'll tell you anything you wish to know, gentlemen.   Rodhor We'd expect nothing less from one who walks in the Light. Now, sir, was there or was there not a gentleman with a beard and a slight scar on his right cheek?   Innkeeper (Cowering) Yes, sir...I saw him. He came in asking for a room and I noticed the shadows seemed to follow him. I sent him packing on his way, sir. No help for the Shadow here, sir. Honest, sir.   Chioal That's good. Did he mention which way he was headed?   Innkeeper No, sir. Saw him shake his head and head off that way down the road.   Rodhor Thank you, sir. If you don't mind, though, I'll have Inquisitor Vareyn come in here and double check what you've told us, and then we'll leave you to your business.   (Children head back out as a man with a shepherd's crook on his robe enters. Cameraman quickly exits.)   Chioal Well, we'll know by tonight if this man's story can be corroborated, and whether or not he may have been our Darkfriend's contact in this town. Either way, this town may have fallen under the Shadow, so we'll be sending back a messenger to the Fortress of the Light and ask for a banner to be sent here to make sure that these fine folks walk under the Light. (Distant cries of pain)  

Dragonmount's very own Co-Webmasters, Jason Denzel and Jennifer Liang, have been honored recently for their tireless contributions to the Wheel of Time fandom.  Both are extremely deserving of this recognition, and we are proud to have them at the helm of this website. Jason will be a Guest of Honor at Penguicon this year.  Penguicon is a science fiction convention that has a strong focus on computer-related topics.  It will be held in Pontiac, Michigan from April 26-28, 2013.  When he is not on Dragonmount or engaging in other hobbies, Jason works on Linux projects for a network technology company.  He will be the first notable Wheel of Time fan to be a Guest of Honor at a convention.       Jennifer was elected President of the Southern Fandom Confederation last weekend at JordanCon.  The Southern Fandom Confederation is an organization dedicated to celebrating science fiction and fantasy fandom in the Southern United States.  It is affiliated with DeepSouthCon, which is a traveling Southern convention that JordanCon hosted this year.  Jennifer's work as both the Chair of JordanCon and Director of the former Wheel of Time track at Dragon*Con made her an ideal candidate for the position.  When she is not working on conventions or on Dragonmount, Jennifer works as a special education teacher.

Trollocs. Fades. Draghkar. Myrddraal. Twisted Ones. Neverborn. The Shadowspawn have names that differ from region to region. They were created by Aginor during the Age of Legends for the fight against the forces of Light. They are the forces of the Dark One whose numbers are so large that the forces of Light cannot compare. They were formed from twisting humans and animals with the True Power. Every fantasy needs the kinds of creatures it can throw against the good guys (and not mind dozens of them being killed in the process). The Wheel of Time has the Shadowspawn. The Shadowspawn are a varied bunch, including Trollocs, Fades, Draghkar, and gholam. These creatures have been fascinating for me (or I just chose this topic because I call my brother a Trolloc). Now, without further ado, I present to you the Shadowspawn. Goat-horned Trolloc by t-biddy     Myrddraal by BloodRedFullMoon     Draghkar by cadavis3     I suppose my teachers could count as Shadowspawn, but I cannot post pictures of them here since they are not from the Wheel of Time series.   That's all for today!   (Artworks have been used with permission.)  

Hello, friends! It's Thursday, which means two things--the weekend is not too far away and it's time for our Thursday blog! This week, we are looking ahead to JordanCon, which will be held in Roswell, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta. In case you aren't too sure what JordanCon is, it is a convention held in honor of our late, beloved Robert Jordan, which means of course that it will feature a lot about the Wheel of Time books, among other things. Things like what, you ask? Well, if you want the full rundown, here is a link to the Schedule of Events. Let me mention a few highlights for you... This year, JordanCon will be hosting DeepSouthCon. Click on their name if you want to follow a link explaining all about DeepSouthCon, but essentially it is another convention which moves location each year, and this year it is joining up with JordanCon. It's all about Science Fiction, so there will likely be many common interests for those already heading to JordanCon. In particular, it is well known for the Hearts Tournament and the DSC (DeepSouthCon) awards ceremony. There are a whole host of exciting guests, including Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal, who will be doing book signings. Imagine having your books signed by them both! Artist Michael Whelan, who created a masterpiece for A Memory of Light, the final Wheel of Time book, and award winning author Seanan McGuire will also be on the roll of honor, along with many others. Check out the Special Guests list in the link to the schedule provided above for more information on these Guests and on the rest who will be attending. Did you have a crazy theory since reading A Memory of Light? Well, it's your lucky day! There will be several, spoiler-permitted panels throughout the day where the books will be discussed and dissected for as long as time allows. And finally, a nice new feature which will certainly be of use to those of us who are members here at Dragonmount--and to those who haven't joined up yet (hint, hint!)--is the Wheel of Time Speed Friending Service! It's just like speed dating, but instead of looking for romance, you'll be looking for new friends who ALSO love the Wheel of Time series! What more could you ask for? Have your email addresses at the ready. We really hope everyone who is able to attend fully enjoys JordanCon this year. If you haven't been able to attend this year, fear not. Every year gets better than the last, so start planning now!  

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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!