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Hello, all! Welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog. Today's topic is a little speculative, but I'm convinced I'm on the right track to how Rand's "to live you must die" riddle will be solved. As always:   Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.   Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, or Chapter 11. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light spoiler discussion board can be found here.   Let's start with a little background information about the Nym. This might seem off topic, but I'll tie everything together. According to The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, Nym are artificial constructs, like Trollocs (Chapter 21, "The Ogier"). The Nym were created to aid the Da'shain Aiel in seed singing.     In the actual series, we see the Green Man, the last Nym, in The Eye of the World (Chapters 49 and 50). He teases us with knowledge (using phrases like "Child of the Dragon" in reference to Rand, and "wolfbrother" to Perrin), but his memory's not what it used to be due to the wound he suffered in the Age of Legends. This scene really piques our curiosity with all the tantalizing information we're almost given. And it makes us want to know more about what the Nym did before the Breaking.   We see the same Nym, Someshta, in the glass-column ter'angreal in Rhuidean (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 26, "The Dedicated"). In this scene, we see him given the task of protecting the Eye of the World. Going back further, we see an actual seed singing, with Someshta, Ogier, and male Aiel. This is the important part:     Seed singing uses the One Power to strengthen the crops. Ogier can't channel. The Aiel can't channel (those who can are taken to be Aes Sedai). Is Someshta the one who is channeling? It does say Someshta takes the threads and weaves them.   If the Nym are artificial constructs, how are they able to access the One Power?   Well, last week I talked about how Myrddraal might be able to access the True Power, and they are artificial. It's not too far of a stretch to apply the same logic to the Nym. Let's look at a quote from Robert Jordan in regards to constructs and souls:     So many things leapt out at me from this statement.   1. "One of the best questions I've ever gotten!"   I think Robert Jordan's enthusiasm for the question suggests the importance of it. Why would he get so excited about the concept of Nym souls unless it has some bearing on the future plotlines? Of course, his typical RAFO answer is used for really important things, but perhaps he thought he could disguise something important in this statement?   2. Pure construct vs. animal/human hybrid construct   Trollocs, made from animal and human mixtures, are not pure constructs. They are organic, made from living things, but morphed into something else. Nym are pure constructs, completely artificial—they are made from plants, but not sentient beings. If that's correct, why are they attuned to plants and growth? I'd say it's because of the soul inside them; the soul is able to amplify their nature. Since they are constructed from plants, when the soul is added, those plants are given sentient life.   3. A Nym's soul is a human soul   Wolves are always reborn as wolves, Trollocs are always Trollocs, but Nym aren't always Nym. That is such a strange concept, which leads me to the conclusion that Nym would be reborn as humans. And the only reason I can think of to explain it is, that since Nym are filled with a soul artificially, the souls come from the Pattern's pile of waiting, human threads.   4. "Borrowed…from the supply of souls"   This makes my eyes pop! Only the Dark One seems to have the ability to snatch a soul after it's dead and place it inside a body (a dead body, which is like a construct!). But this quote seems to imply that the Aes Sedai had access to souls that they could store inside the Nym bodies.   Anyone could sit around and make constructs all day. Make a body out of clay, make a body out of snow, make a body out of grass and leaves and vines. But something has to be done to the body to make it alive. Someone needs to give it a soul. The Creator wouldn't say, "Oh, here's a construct that looks okay, I'm going to send the next waiting soul into it." That's taking too much action, and the Creator doesn't get involved. Also, why would the Creator fill the Nym, and not a snowman?   That means it is the Aes Sedai. There's no other way it could work. And if Aes Sedai in the Age of Legends found a way to access the "souls awaiting rebirth," there's no reason one of the channelers of this time (Nynaeve) couldn't figure out how to do it too!   If Rand dies, as we all know he must, it seems plausible that someone will simply grab his soul and place it back inside his body. I speculated in my first post that Nynaeve might learn how to Heal death, but I think it's just as likely she will learn how to grab a soul that's outside the Pattern.   That's my prediction for this week. It's not too different from other theories already circulating, but I like to back it up with plausible proof. Post your thoughts, whether you agree or disagree. We won't have too long to wait until we find out.   That's all for this edition. Next time, we'll take a close look at some of Min's later viewings. Thanks for reading.

It's October, when visions of pumpkins, candy, and costumes dance in people's heads. Let's see how the denizens of our forums are kicking off this month.   "To live, you must die." It seems everyone is trying to solve this riddle nowadays. What implications does this have for the Last Battle? Come discuss it in our A Memory of Light Spoiler Discussion forum. As usual, please read the forum rules before posting.   The Aiel Social Group would like to hear all about your harvest traditions. How do you typically celebrate this time of year? Do you have any special autumn traditions or family rituals?   It's time for the Black Tower Social Group's Shadow vs. Light One Power Tournament! Come sign up if you want to join a bunch of zany Asha'man in destroying their opponents. You don't have to be a member of this Social Group to play, but you do need to learn the rules.   The Red Ajah from the White Tower & Warders Social Group just posted several event threads for their annual Autumn Festival. Follow this forum to keep up with all the activities as they are posted.   Calling all Wheel of Time costumers! Badali Jewelry is holding a Halloween Costume Contest on Facebook. The prizes look really neat! Go here for more information.

Ten years ago, fan art of Fortuona was few and far between. Now that she's the Empress and Mat "I am not a bloody lord" Cauthon is First Prince of the Ravens, she's finally gotten her share of the spotlight. Who am I to deny her more?   Daughter of the Nine Moons by *Astriex     Empress Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag (formerly High Lady Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag, Daughter of the Nine Moons) is the second daughter of the late Empress Radhanan. As heiress to the Crystal Throne, she was in charge of leading the Return. She declared herself Empress after Semirhage slaughtered her entire family, and has since established Altara as the seat of Seanchan power in the Westlands. Her homeland is now mired in civil war.   Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag by ~StarOfAstaroth (Noah Sheldon) (Pointillism! This took 40 hours of work.)     Fortuona's childhood was sad and difficult. She saw her mother only twice a year before her sixteenth naming day (Winter's Heart, Chapter 14). We know only that her father "died of a bad wager" (Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 28), ostensibly in one of the deadly plots she and her siblings were forced to execute to prove themselves worthy of one day ruling the Empire (a struggle in which two of her siblings were made da'covale, and in which she herself had a brother and a sister killed). She is a skilled fighter and wrestler, in spite of her tiny stature. She has survived many assassination attempts, the earliest of which occurred the year she was born. Twice, she has intentionally vanished and been presumed dead, down to the arrangement of her funeral rites (Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 4). Her closest companion is her bodyguard, Voice, and Truthspeaker Selucia, who is also the closest thing to a mother she has ever known. Although hardened by the events of her childhood, she has a good heart and a deep-rooted sense of justice (albeit a Seanchan sense of justice). For this, she has earned the undying loyalty and love of those who serve and protect her.   Tuon by ~vild (Anna Ekman)     In many ways, she is as hard as Rand. I am still struck by the scene in Knife of Dreams (Chapter 11), in which she casually drives a blade into the chest of an assassin that Mat (haunted by memories of Melindhra, Tylin, and Renna) shows clemency. But the ultimate proof of her willpower is her ability to defy Rand's will.   Tuon by J. Seamas Gallagher (blog)     Fortuona has the ability to learn to channel. Although she chooses not to learn, she is trained as a sul'dam and takes great pleasure in training both damane and horses. Early on in her relationship with Mat, she views him as property as well--in their very first encounter, she tries to buy him from Tylin (Winter's Heart, Chapter 17). Soon after he kidnaps her, she expresses an interest in taking him on as a cupbearer. Even shortly before she completes the marriage ceremony, she still isn't entirely convinced she doesn't want to break him.   Above: WoT Doodles by *RoseMuse Below: Reasons for Kissing--Tuon by ~Evil-is-Relative     Her feelings for him have clearly deepened since. Although their odd relationship is endearing and funny, I find their partnership unsettling. Mat's mercilessness as a military commander and his role in sparking the invention (or reinvention) of firearms pair strangely with Tuon's determination to conquer the Westlands. They may be an odd couple, but underestimating either of them is likely to be the last thing their enemies ever do.   WoT--card teasers 1 by Ariel Burgess (deviantART, personal website, Facebook page for the Wheel of Time poker deck) (In the interest of fitting with the theme, I didn't include Olver. The full version is a triptych and can be found here.)  

Grim Oak Press announced today that it will be publishing Unfettered, an anthology of short fiction from an amazing collection of fantasy writers. One of the included short stories is River of Souls, a short story based in the Wheel of Time world. It's listed as being written by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. The anthology will be available in Spring, 2013, after A Memory of Light is released. Proceeds from the book will benefit Shawn Speakman, a notable member of the fantasy community, who has been struggling to pay the overwhelming costs of his medical bills. About twenty-four well-known authors are contributing their talents to help him out. From the Grim Oak Press website: Lacking health insurance and diagnosed with Hogdkin’s lymphoma in 2011, Shawn quickly accrued a massive medical debt that he did not have the ability to pay. That’s when New York Times best-selling author Terry Brooks offered to donate a short story Shawn could sell toward alleviating those bills—and suggested Shawn ask the same of his other friends. Brandon has confirmed that "River of Souls" will provide deeper background and motives for a character we already know. THe short story will consist of several scenes that were written for AMOL, but cut for various reasons including pacing, and the fact that Harriet felt they weren't appropriate to be included in the full novel. Here's a video of Brandon talking about River of Souls: This will likely be one of the last times we get new WoT material. After AMOL and this short story, the only planned book to be released containing WoT material is the Encyclopedia, which is currently being developed by Team Jordan. Both Harriet and Brandon have repeatedly said that there will be no stories set in the WoT universe after the encyclopedia is released. The print copies of the Unfettered anthology are now available for pre-order. More information will come later regarding the eBook editions.

For those of you hoping for a Wheel of Time related article, I have plans for more of those soon. However, this week will be about video game music. I grew up playing games like the Final Fantasy series, and that music has always made an impression on me. So, this week, I figured I'd share a few of my favorite songs from video games.   I'd like to start with a favorite composer: Nobuo Uematsu. As many people know, he is the composer of most of the Final Fantasy series. The first song I ever heard from Nobuo Uematsu was the Opening theme to FF8, but the name eludes me at the moment. That song was probably the first big push I had into the world of music. I had been slightly involved with chorus and such at that point, but I didn't take music seriously until I heard that. A few other game soundtracks that he composed that I rank up there with it are Terra, which is Terra Brandford's theme from FF6, 1000 Words from FFX-2, To Zanarkand from FFX, Aerith's Theme from FF7, and Distant Worlds from FF11. Some of his work can also be heard if you listen to The Black Mages. They perform several of his more iconic songs.   Another series that had good music was the Zelda series. Regrettably, I am not a fan of the games, so I don't have specifics like I did for Nobuo's work. A new favorite of mine is Jeremy Soule, the composer of the Guild Wars 2 music, namely Fear Not this Night, sung by Asja. If there were anyone that I'd want to see make music for Wheel of Time, it'd be him. One final video game that I felt deserved a mention for its music was Tera Online. While there aren't that many famous songs, the quality of the songs is outstanding. Inon Zur and Rod Abernethy did wonders with their work on the music. Of all the games I've played, these are the games/series that really stood out.

It's time for another giveaway!  Here are the rules again for those who aren't familiar with them:       This time, we will be giving away a copy of Winter's Heart.  Click here for a clip from the audiobook:     This giveaway's question is:  Would you rather wield saidar/saidin, or would you rather fight with traditional weapons?  You have until Wednesday, October 10th to answer in the comments section.  Good luck!  

SCENE 2. HORN OF VALERE   MUSIC: (BRIDGE) MELODIC THEME, FADE UNDER   Narrator   We now continue with Part Two of The Horn of Valere.   MUSIC: (STING)   Mat   [Frightened] You? NO!   (LIGHTNING FLASH)   Rand   Now, Mat, is that any way to treat two old friends?   Perrin   [Playful] You'd think just because his girl broke up the team, we'd be holding it against him or something.   Mat   [Annoyed] You better come in.   (SOUNDS OF FOOTSTEPS, SHUFFLING, DOOR CLOSES)   Rand   Where is she, anyway?   (SOUNDS OF FLASHBACK. FADE IN SOUNDS OF DOCKYARD, MEN LOADING NEARBY BOAT)   Mat   You have a country to run, and I've a job to do here. Where I'm going you can't follow. What I've got to do you can't help with. Tuon, I'm not a bloody noble. Someday you'll understand that. You've got to get on that boat. If you don't, you'll regret it, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life.   Tuon   But what about us, Toy?   Mat   We'll always have Ebou Dar.   (SOUNDS OF FLASHBACK. FADE IN SOUNDS OF RAIN)   MAT   She's gone to where she should be.   Rand   So there's nothing stopping you from coming back to the team?   Perrin   It's not the same without you. We talked Nynaeve and Egwene into coming with us for a bit, and even Hopper tagged along, but the only case we could find was a haunting of a mill in Devon Ride, and that turned out to just be Old Man Coplin in a mask.   Mat   Alright, fine. [Pause for thinking] I've got a possible client. You guys find Thom. If I know him, he's around here somewhere. With our luck, he's probably downstairs singing.   Perrin   Yeah, Thom's got the rhythmic, improvised music we need.   Mat   Light, we don't need music, we need better writing. Once you get him, meet me at the Horned Stag by the east gate. Expect trouble.   (KNOCK ON DOOR, FEMININE GIGGLE)   Serving Girl   Room service!   Mat   And get out, will ya? My dinner is here.   (FADE OUT ALL SOUND)   MUSIC: (BRIDGE): MELODIC THEME, FADE UNDER   Narrator     This has been Part Two of "The Horn of Valere," an Ear of the World production. What is this team that he used to belong to? Was there, in fact, decent wine with dinner? Just how long will this show continue before we actually get to the plot? We'll be back after a few more commercial announcements.

Welcome back to "WoT If?". The look at Padan Fain two weeks back got me thinking about the baddies in the Wheel of Time world, and what roles, if any, some will have in the final book.   Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.   Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, or Chapter 11. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light spoiler discussion board is found here.   Let's start with a quick look at Mashadar, since he's the odd man out—not being Shadowspawn. We talked a bit about Mordeth in the Fain discussion, but I didn't really focus on Mashadar's powers and aspects.   Mashadar is a stealer of souls and memories, according to Brandon Sanderson. It is able—like Machin Shin—to steal the very core of the things it eats. It's suggested that this is one of the reasons Rand chose to cleanse saidin at Shadar Logoth; the taint siphoned off the Source was consumed by Mashadar. Or, rather, they consumed each other. But was Mashadar really eradicated? Let's look at this interview:     I think this refers to the Mashadar powers that still reside within Fain. We see him using a fog to create zombie Trollocs (Towers of Midnight, Prologue). That's definitely Mashadar, but evolved. I'm not going to go into it all again; look at the Fain post for more details on Fain and Mashadar's possible role in the Last Battle. Or perhaps it's a suggestion that Mashadar will return, even with Shadar Logoth completely gone.   One last thing to note on Mashadar is that, when it touched Sammael, it somehow tainted his thread, which is the reason the Dark One didn't transmigrate his soul. That's pretty tainted if even the Dark One won't touch it. (This, again, reinforces the dueling nature of Shadow evil vs. Shadar Logoth evil.)   Next is Gray Men; though once human, they are listed as being Shadowspawn. They are the Shadow's assassins, people who have willingly given up their souls to the Dark One. First off, I wonder who would be stupid enough to make that bargain. I can't see any benefit for the person in that arrangement. But, apparently, some go through the process.   The interesting thing I found while researching this topic is the connection between Gray Men and someone who is mindtrapped. Robert Jordan said:     The only difference I can see between a Gray Man and the cour'souvra is the surrender seems to be voluntary with the Gray Man. Also, I wonder what the ability to channel has to do with it. The cour'souvra only works on channelers (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 25, "Mindtrap"). Is the same true for Gray Men?   When Moghedien is first entered into the mindtrap she thinks:     That sounds very similar to what a Gray Man does: utterly obedient, but with no will of his own. Is it possible that Gray Men are people who have been put into a mindtrap, then had it broken? If it's so difficult to take someone's soul, wouldn't it make sense if there is only one way to do it?   When Aginor made Trollocs and accidentally created Myrddraal, both the One Power and the True Power were used. Robert Jordan said so in an interview:     First, this is interesting because of the way the True Power seared out Ishamael's eyes. That's a bit off topic, but I wanted to point it out. Also, notice Robert Jordan's Aes Sedai answer by adding in the "not precisely." While the True Power might not be the entire reason Myrddraal have no eyes, it's probably part of the reason. That raises the question of whether Myrddraal can manipulate the True Power themselves.   We learned in Towers of Midnight that the True Power is used to turn rats and ravens into the Dark One's eyes. Graendal thinks:     Since the True Power seems necessary to control these vermin, wouldn't that mean someone needs to constantly be using the True Power on them? Wouldn't that mean the first raven seen (The Eye of the World, Chapter 2, "Strangers") could have been controlled by a Myrddraal? It most certainly was spying for the Dark One, and we know there are Myrddraal about. I think it seems logical to assume Myrddraal can manipulate—though probably not channel—the True Power.   Isn't it also interesting that it takes thirteen channelers working through thirteen Myrddraal to change a person to the Shadow against their will? Thirteen weaves of the One Power and thirteen weaves of the True Power?   An answer by Brandon Sanderson in reference to Shaidar Haran has me wondering about the phrasing of his answer.     Again, Aes Sedai answers. Just because Elza had been given knowledge of weaves doesn't mean she used them in this circumstance. I'm thinking it was Shaidar Haran, and his use of the True Power, that broke through Cadsuane's wards. He's able to shield Moghedien from the One Power (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 25, "Mindtrap"); perhaps through his ability to touch the True Power, he can overcome the One Power.   On top of that, we know that Shaidar Haran is a sort of "shadowy" version of the Dark One in the world (says Robert Jordan). That means he has some of the Dark One's powers, though not all, according to that interview. It seems likely that Shaidar Haran can at least tap into the Dark One's power, or else what would be the point of having him around? And since he is a Myrddraal, I think it likely others share some of those abilities.   I'll save Machin Shin for another time; I think there's a lot to say about it. But next week, we'll look at a quote about Trollocs and see what implications it can have for Rand's "to live, you must die" riddle. Thanks for reading!

Welcome back, everyone!   Here's an interesting question: Which character from the Wheel of Time series would be your ideal husband or wife? It's a fun thought to contemplate, so head to our General Wheel of Time Discussion board if the topic intrigues you.   We're getting closer and closer to the release of the Hobbit movie this December. Plenty of people are geeking out on our forums already, so join us in our Movies & Games Discussion forum if you want to chat.   It's football season, and the Kin Social Group has been discussing it all month long. How have your favorite teams been doing?   The Blue and Gray Ajahs of the White Tower & Warders Social Group are wrapping up their Harmony Through Service Week activities, but you can still participate in them. See this thread for a guide to the events' activities.   That's all for now. We'll have much more next week once the groups' new monthly events have begun.