DRAGONMOUNT

It's the shirt many of us have been waiting for--the new "Servant of All" shirt from Ta'veren Tees.  The shirt comes in every Ajah color, so you can proudly show your allegiance.  Read more in the press release below:

Before we begin, I want to give you a heads up about our upcoming blog hiatus.  Since Dragon*Con is this weekend and a lot of us are gone then, we won't be having a Fan Art Friday this week, a weekly roundup next week, or a theory blog next week.  Everything will be back to normal after that.  If you're going to Dragon*Con and would like to meet some of our Admins and Staff, feel free to stop by the Wheel of Time track and say hi! Which character perspectives (POVs) would you like to see in A Memory of Light?  Which perspectives do you not want to see, but think will be in the book anyway?  Let us know in this thread from our A Memory of Light Spoiler Discussion forum.  Be sure to read these rules before posting in that area of the site.   Calling all empathetic people!  The folks in our Movies and Games Discussion forum want to know which movies have made you cry.  If you're a movie crier like me, it's interesting to compare your list with the lists of others. The Band of the Red Hand Social Group has started a new series of monthly discussions.  This month, they're talking about why Mat created the Band.  Keep an eye on this Social Group, because they are planning several new activities.  The Ogier Social Group is having a discussion that will make you drool...over books.  They'd like to know what your ideal bookstore would be like.  What would the store look like?  What sorts of books would be there? Last, but not least, we'll be using our Twitter and Facebook accounts to keep you informed of our Dragon*Con shenanigans.  Follow us to watch the craziness unfold!

Few Wheel of Time fan artists are as skilled at bringing the characters to life as this week's featured artist, Ashley Luttrell (a.k.a. PollyUranus). Her painstaking attention to technique allows her to create unique character portraits that practically step off the page.     Lan Mandragoran   I was dying to know more about her approach to digital painting, so I asked her about it. She told me she does all the sketching and painting directly on a graphics tablet. Although she used to do some photomanipulation, she now only uses photographs as references when developing character poses and proportions.       Faile Bashere   She often uses many references for a single piece to ensure the painting has a unique, original quality. She also makes all her own textures and her own special effects brushes, such as those used to create the print on Min's outfit below.       Min Farshaw   Given Ashley's mastery of light and composition, it will probably come as no surprise that she's a professional artist. (In fact, she is a professional face and body painter as well as a professional digital artist! Her art has been shown and sold in galleries and print shops from New York City to Berlin.) What may come as a surprise is that she is self-taught.       Nynaeve al'Meara   Although I love her Wheel of Time art (go here to see more!), her most impressive pieces to my mind are her varied and creative original works. Therefore, I'll end for once with some non-Wheel of Time art. I chose these two pieces because I think they really demonstrate her range as an artist.       The Broken Treaty       Malisha DeWalt   If you're curious to know more about her approach, this YouTube video shows the digital process for her painting The Broken Treaty (shown above), while this one shows her process for Prequel: The Broken Treaty. Watching these videos, I was really impressed by her manipulation of light, color, and composition, as well as her taste in music!

I have one of the Dragonmount Admins with me today. Verbal32, the Ewok of the Wheel of Time fandom, has taken some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions. For those of you who don't know, his schedule consists of grooming walking teddy bears, speaking gibberish, and worshiping golden robots. Verbal is the Social Groups Admin, so any and all questions about the Social Groups can be answered by him.     Q: When did you start reading The Wheel of Time?   A: In 2001, when a co-worker slapped a copy of The Eye of the World on my desk and said, "Read it. You'll like it, I promise."     Q: How did you find out about Dragonmount? How did you become part of the Admin team?   A: I was lurking in 2006 for a site that contained Wheel of Time info, and found Dragonmount. I lurked for a while and then joined. Almost a year and a half ago, Kivam PMed me and asked me if I was interested in becoming an Admin. I thought about it for a few days and then decided I'd go for it and blame whatever mistakes I made on Barm. Working as intended thus far.     Q: Can you tell people a little bit about yourself outside of Dragonmount?   A: My name is Steve, and I'm an accountant. God, that sounds like a bad intro at an AA meeting.... >_> I play a TON of ice hockey, and have done so since I was 3. I also play World of Warcraft. And I'm married with a 3-year-old son.     Q: Where did the Ewok joke come from?   A: Valentine's Day of 2008, lol. The Red Ajah hosted a ball in the White Tower & Warders Social Group, and everybody was "attending" with a pic in their post of what they were wearing. Basically, some light RP going on. After a while, I finally posted with a picture of Wicket from Star Wars--and from there, the Ewok references were born. I was always hanging out in the Blue Ajah, so they named me their official mascot.     Q: If you were in Randland, which faction would you prefer to be in?   A: I'd be one of the Chosen. Evil ftw.     Q: Outside of Dragonmount, are you active in any other parts of the Wheel of Time fandom?   A: No, but that's only because of having a kid. If I didn't, my ass would be showing up at every damn *Con out there! But, saving $$ for his college and not making my wife strangle me in my sleep take priority, heh. She's not a big fan of online fantasy communities...oh, well.     Q: Who is your favorite character in the series?   A: Moghedien. Always loved the Spider.     Q: Most memorable Wheel of Time moment?   A: When Ingtar revealed and Rand gave him the blessing from the Borderlands. First time I ever got shivers up my spine from a book.     Q: Can you share a little bit about the Social Groups?   A: h8themall. Kidding, they are awesome. They function like little families, and people grow really close. Each has their own little quirks, which serve to make them unique compared to the others. Great groups, and great leaders. The best leaders are the ones that don't let Barm in their group. He can post there anyway, but we beat him regularly for that.     Q: Is there anything else you wish to share?   A: I love lamp. That is all.

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Welcome back to "WoT If?". This week will conclude our in-depth look at The Eye of the World. There are only a few more pieces of information that need to be examined, so there might be some hopping around from subject to subject. 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.   First off, there's something curious about these last few chapters with regards to Moiraine having been to the Eye of the World before.     I think there is a lot of information here. But let's take a step back and try to figure out when Moiraine went to the Eye the first time. We know that she goes up to the Borderlands right after being raised to Aes Sedai.     So, after leaving the Tower, Moiraine has traveled for three months. During this scene, she's in Kandor—which lies between Arafel and Saldaea. The whole second half of the novel takes place in Kandor. It's not very close to the location in the Blight where she takes the Emond's Fielders. However, it's been three months, so that's plenty of time to get up there.   I'm also assuming Moiraine went without Lan. Notice how Agelmar addresses her only. Maybe Lan would keep quiet about it, letting Moiraine hold onto that Aes Sedai secrecy, but when the Green Man first appears, he says:     The Green Man would have included Lan in this statement if he had been with her the first time. Also, note that the Green Man calls her "Sedai," so her visit to him would have been after being raised, but the lack of Lan's presence would suggest that it was before she bonded him. That only leaves the three month window for her to go up to the Blight—alone?—to seek the Eye of the World.   Why would she go there? She heard the Foretelling about Rand's birth, and is one of the few searchers who wasn't killed. Obviously, she's looking for signs that would indicate which child he is, but she's also looking for answers. There are several instances throughout the series when Moiraine disappears to find answers. Would the Green Man have any answers, though? His memory is fading and tattered because of his injury. He remembers enough to recognize Perrin as a Wolfbrother, and he remembers the hair and eye coloring of the Aiel. But, when pressed, he can't recall any specific details about anything.   Also, there's no reference to the Eye of the World in the prophecies of the Dragon. Moiraine doesn't even plan on going there until Perrin, Loial, and Rand all bring it up while staying at The Queen's Blessing (The Eye of the World, Chapter 42, "Remembrance of Dreams"). Was she just desperate, searching any possible place for leads? Her need was great enough to summon the Green Man the first time, so maybe he was able to give her something helpful.   What of Moiraine's statement, "I have something those other seekers have not"? Rand notes that she half-looks at Loial as she says this. Is there something significant about having an Ogier among the group? Loial notes that the Green Man doesn't avoid Ogier the way he avoids humans (The Eye of the World, Chapter 46, "Fal Dara"). So, maybe Loial's presence will help draw the Green Man, but would it be enough that it would counter Moiraine's meeting him already? I think it's more likely that Rand is mistaken and she was actually going to look at him. Since he is the Dragon Reborn—and Moiraine knows that by this point—he would be the best to summon the Green Man and the Eye.   Here's another unanswered question: is there a possibility the Eye could be refilled? I'll admit, with the taint cleansed from saidin, there might not be a need for a second Eye of the World. However, Moiraine puts a lot of emphasis on the fact that both men and women channelers are needed to make a pool of the Power.     This balance between men and women is a reoccurring theme throughout the series. With the addition of Light-aligned Asha'man and fealty-bound Aes Sedai, we are beginning to discover what happens with the combination of saidar and saidin. But why would Moiraine get so wordy about how females alone can't "fill a spoon with the Power"? I'd call this foreshadowing.   What would be the purpose of a second, or refilled, Eye of the World? As discussed two weeks ago, I think it's possible the Eye is a connection to a) the Creator, and b) Rand's past lives. If the Power inside is restored, Rand could hear the ALL CAPS voice again. Either that, or he could allow someone else to be connected to their past lives. Would it be necessary for the Last Battle? Probably not. But it could help the Light side by giving Rand access to the Creator or other channelers' past memories.   Another unanswered question at the end of The Eye of the World revolves around Rand's channeling abilities. He uses many weaves as he fights off the Shadowspawn in Tarwin's Gap, and some when he's fighting Ba'alzamon. There's even the Traveling/Skimming weaves Rand uses to get from one place to the next. How does he make these weaves?   I see two possibilities: either it's Lews Therin's memories Rand's acquired through the Power of the Eye, or it's the instinctual channeling that wilders typically learn. We see examples of Egwene and Nynaeve using weaves instinctually. There is a good example of Egwene doing this, and knowing she's doing this, in The Dragon Reborn.     Because of this, it's easy to see that Rand could be doing all these weaves based on instincts. However, it could also be argued that Egwene and Nynaeve can do so many things without being taught because they are remembering fragments of their past lives too. The Old Blood is strong in both of them, and if they are able to draw on Manetheren's strength, they might be able to draw on Manetheren's memories as well.   I think this is plausible because of the fact that Egwene is aware of this happening. When Nynaeve was channeling by instinct as Wisdom, she didn't know she was using the Power. Moiraine points out how the channeling works as the result of the channeler's will, subconsciously.     This shows that wilders, who don't know they can channel, use the Power instinctively. This is a big difference from Egwene—and Rand—using weaves they haven't learned. I think this is good evidence that Nynaeve and Egwene are important people reborn. Personally, I believe Nynaeve is Eldrene ay Ellan ay Carlan, Queen of Manetheren.   Let's move on to the final mystery: what are those cords that connect to Rand and the Forsaken? Rand first sees the cord attached to Aginor when the Forsaken is drawing on the Eye of the World.     During this scene, the cord transfers from Aginor to Rand. And once Rand has it, he burns from the Power and Light it gives him. Because of this, the cord must be the Power of the Eye. The cord is the metaphysical connection from Rand to the Power. This raises the question of whether it's a specialty of the Eye to have this sort of connection, or if it's Rand's actual connection to saidin. We know there is no physical link between a channeler's body and the Source—Nynaeve muses on this when she Heals stilling. And Rand admits that "it was not there to see." So, what is he actually looking at?   Rand sees a cord connecting to Ba'alzamon too:     Ba'alzamon's seems to be the exact opposite of Rand's, except it doesn't dwindle as the Power is used. The more Rand channels, the smaller his cord gets. Ba'alzamon's doesn't shrink at all. So, if the cord is Rand's connection to the Eye, what is Ba'alzamon's attached to? Could it be that the cord is similar to the "wires" Rand removes from Asmodean in The Shadow Rising?     Rand's assuming that he cut Ba'alzamon off from the Dark One when he severed the black cord at the end of The Eye of the World. Does that mean Ba'alzamon was reconnected later? Or, if not, is it the reason Ishamael uses so much True Power now? And if the black cord/wire is the link to the Dark One, the cord of Light must be the connection to the Creator. This could be more evidence that the ALL CAPS voice is the Creator.   Well, there weren't too many definite answers, and it only led to more questions. That will conclude my ramblings for this week. Next week, we'll take a look at the glass columns ter'angreal and Aviendha's journey through it.

Hi, everyone!  I'm feeling great today and hope you're all feeling great too. Most people enjoy talking about couples from The Wheel of Time, and the denizens of our General Wheel of Time Discussion forum are no exception. Which couples make such odd, awkward, or terribly matched pairs that you just want to bang your head against the wall in frustration?  Let us know what you think. It's getting closer and closer to this year's Dragon*Con!  If you're going, please stop by this thread in our Meets and Conventions board to let us know.  It's nice to get an idea of who is going, and it will give newbies to the Con an idea of who will be around to help if they feel lost or confused. The Black Tower Social Group has posted a speculative thread where they are musing about what might happen to the Black Tower in and after A Memory of Light.  Be forewarned that there will probably be some spoilers in the thread. It's Book Month at the Kin Social Group!  Some of this month's events include discussions about what you like to read, your favorite Wheel of Time books, and urban fantasy.  Follow the guide in this thread to keep track of all the events. There have been some updates to the This Is Some Rescue role play since I last featured it here.  It's one of the main plotline role plays, so be sure to check it out if you haven't already.

Dragonmount is a dangerous place. Spend enough time prowling the forums here, and I guarantee there will come a point--in my case, halfway through explaining the Compact of the Ten Nations to my husband (His response? "Okay, now tell me the history of India.")--when you realize your obsession with The Wheel of Time has become a supermassive gravitational singularity not unlike a black hole.   Fortunately for Fan Art Friday, there's a fine line between insanity and genius. This week, I asked the Dragonmount staff to share some of their more brilliant Wheel of Time-themed art projects. It turns out I'm not the only staffer that's turned their obsession into a bit of good artistic fun.   I asked everyone to answer the following questions: 1. What is your position on Dragonmount staff? 2. How long have you been on staff? 3. Where are you from? What do you do in real life? 4. Who's your favorite Wheel of Time character? 5. Tell us something random about yourself.   I tried writing up everyone's responses in neat little paragraphs, but the post ended up reading like a page of personal ads for a date to JordanCon. So, I think I'll just let everyone speak for themselves!     Elgee Staff position? I'm the White Tower and Warders Social Group Leader, White Tower Role Play Group Leader, and White Tower Role Play Red Ajah Head.   Time on staff? At the Role Playing side, I was appointed as Mistress of Novices and Red Ajah Head in 2008. I was eventually appointed as Group Leader in September 2009. At the Social Side, I was appointed as Keeper in October 2009 and then as Amyrlin in February 2011.   How about real life? I'm from Cape Town, South Africa, and I'm a Rental Administrator (we rent out residential properties). I started out my working career as Archivist and Librarian at the largest Church Archives in the Southern Hemisphere.   Favorite character? Oh Lordy, that's hard...I like so many! At the top would probably be Cadsuane, Tarna Feir, Pevara Tazanovni, and of course the complete nutcase Red Ajah Head, Tsutama Rath :P   Something random about yourself? I carry a knife (and know how to use it!) and I used to have a Real Life Warder (a.k.a. bodyguard and good friend). He unfortunately moved to the West Indies, and I miss him terribly, though we do chat online.   Upper left: Moiraine Upper right: Lan as Warder Lower left: Elayne as Queen of Andor, with Birgitte as her Captain General Lower right: Cadsuane   (All these dolls were made using Doll Divine. It's an awesome site and you should definitely check it out. But be warned--it's really addictive!)         Mashiara Sedai Staff position? Theory Blogger.   Time on staff? A little over 1 month.   How about real life? I'm a native Arizonian. I'm going to school part time to get an English degree, and plan to graduate next year. For my day job, I'm a dog bather at an animal hospital.   Favorite character? Nynaeve was my favorite from the very beginning.   Something random about yourself? My biggest fear is of dinosaurs. Honestly.   Above: Cairhienin flag mosaic Below: Wheel of Time flags (from top left to bottom right: the Banner of Light, Cairhienin flag, Tairen flag, Illianer flag)         reyler (deviantART, photobucket) Staff position? Fiddlesticks moderatrix.   Time on staff? A little over a year.   How about real life? Originally the Detroit area, but now residing in Columbus, Ohio. I work at a sign shop.   Favorite character? I...don't think I really have one. Maybe Loial?   Something random about yourself? Besides drawing, I also like building papercraft models.   Upper left: Lanfear Upper right: Loial Lower left: Perrin Lower right: Rand's Trinity   (Her Wheel of Time art is over five years old at this point, but I loved it and wanted to share anyway!)         Nynaeve Staff position? Children of the Light Role Play Group Leader.   Time on staff? Probably around 8 years, give or take.   How about real life? I'm from Israel and I'm a Vet student. About to transition into my last (clinical) year.   Favorite character? Nynaeve. Closely followed by Lan and Mat.   Something random about yourself? I watch Korean shows because I find them fascinating. And I really hate mint. :P   Above: Fade Below: Hedgehog! (Hey, there are hedgehogs in the world of the Wheel!)   (Cool fact: Nyn makes signatures on request. Check out her gallery here!)         peregrine (~Alsdale on deviantART) Staff position? Fan Art Friday blogger!   Time on staff? Four months and sixteen days, but who's counting?   How about real life? I'm from Pittsburgh, PA (read it and weep!). I'm there for doctoral studies in Engineering and Public Policy, which means I spend most of my waking hours banging my head off a computer desk for one reason or another.   Favorite character? I'm obsessed with Mat. Seriously, if he were real I would stalk him. I'm also a fan of Egwene (What? She's got flair.) and Rand.   Something random about yourself? I live on a stress diet of instant coffee and frozen dinners. That, and I've got a peregrine falcon tattoo on my lower back.   Above: Watcher of the Seals Below: Eldrene (Sketch for a work in progress! Never before seen! Oooh! Aaah!)  

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. YOU ARE WARNED!   I decided to start with New Spring for my reread articles because it was the first book I read in the series. I had mistaken it for book one when I bought the whole series on a whim; they were missing The Eye of the World when I went in the first time. I had to go back a day later to buy The Eye of the World. For those of you who haven't read New Spring yet, there will be some spoilers in here. I won't be talking about the whole book, but I will be bringing up points that I felt like mentioning for one reason or another.   I wanted to start with the Aiel's salute to Lan. It doesn't really go into detail about why they do this, but their reasons for calling him Aan'allein are explained elsewhere in the series. When I first read this scene, I thought it was just because of the stand those few men made against the Aiel during those moments. I was impressed by the mood of it. This scene is what really got me hooked on the series.   We see a couple of Foretellings in the series, but none as strange as the Foretelling Gitara has. She basically had a mini-convulsion before she started speaking. I am unsure if this is how her Foretellings usually hit her, but it just seemed odd. Afterwards, she falls over dead, presumably because of the stress of this particular Foretelling. I also wanted to touch on a few more things from the Moiraine point of view section. First, Moiraine has an odd fear of being queen. It does explain her fear, but it really is odd how we see later that Elayne is able to be a queen and an Aes Sedai with no problems. I do like that we get a bit of backstory on her family as well, though, during the hunt for the infant section of the days after the Foretelling. I also have one final sidenote from this section. We see a brief view of Elyas sparring with another Warder, and I like how that was slipped in casually. This wraps up the majority of the Moiraine point of view section except that she completely disobeys the Amyrlin.   Let's cut back to Lan and Bukama traveling back towards the Blight. Bukama basically starts a fight entering Canluum; he makes a promise not to draw his sword while in town. At this point, it's obvious there is going to be a fight in town. The innkeeper practically manhandles Bukama into her bedroom, though, so that was pretty funny. We hear that Edeyn Arrel has raised the Golden Crane, though I'm pretty sure Ryne just about lost his head for mentioning her. The following fight scene was pretty awesome, with Lan against six men alone and only taking a few minor wounds. Lan then decides to go to Chachin.   Moiraine is making visits to people on her list as we cut back to her, and she is also currently in Canluum. Moiraine runs into Larelle and Merean at the inn in which she is staying, and also has a surprise meeting with Cadsuane. I don't much like the meeting, so all I'll say on this is Cadsuane forces Larelle and Merean to travel with Moiraine and threatens Moiraine if she leaves without her. Siuan shows up in Canluum and informs Moiraine of the deaths of the hunters. Moiraine sends Siuan to Chachin ahead of her and plans to leave in the morning to meet up with her in Chachin.   After leaving Canluum, Moiraine follows Lan, Bukama, and Ryne. Moiraine tries sneaking up on Lan and gets thrown into a pond. After that, Bukama swears they will escort her to Chachin. Pranks ensue since Moiraine feels wronged. Upon arriving in Chachin, Lan leaves Moiraine as fast as he can and heads towards the palace while Moiraine searches for Siuan. Lan and Edeyn play her "game"; she wants Lan to marry her daughter. Moiraine enters the palace using her real name to reach Lady Ines. Merean arrives in the palace, talks to Moiraine briefly, and Moiraine goes to Lan. Upon asking Lan to have Bukama follow Merean, she also tells Lan of the failing of the Tower to save Malkier. Merean is Black Ajah and is after Brys' son. Upon finding Merean, she kills Diryk and Brys while holding Moiraine at bay. Lan fights Ryne. While Merean goes to kill Iselle, Moiraine kills her with a knife, but fails to save Iselle. Lan kills Ryne and Moiraine removes all traces of Merean from the area. The book ends with Moiraine bonding Lan.

Trollocs sighted on the border Somebody go and get a Warder Chop off their head Until they are dead How many slices does it take 1 2 3 4...Etc.       Dragon, Dragon, gets reborn In the Dark One's side he is a thorn First he's Therin now he's al'Thor How many times will he seal the bore 1 2 3 4...Etc.       Asmodean, Asmodean, Dark One's disgrace gonna get a balefired face by a Forsaken or an Aes Sedai or possibly Bela wanted you to fry