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Tsalmoth is a fast-paced fantasy mob mystery featuring Vlad Taltos. Witty dialogue (much of it Vlad's internal dialogue) keeps the plot engaging even as it becomes increasingly complex and eventually reaches a satisfying conclusion.

It Works in Theory: A Halo of Gold and Blue

Aloha, my learned lodgers of Dragonmount! Welcome back to "It Works in Theory," the blog that won't stop swinging, even long after the bell has been rung and the punching bag has thrown in the towel. I hope everyone didn't miss me too much; the Bahamas ended up being a blast and I'm rested and refreshed, ready to deliver some more insights and ponderings your way. I think my fingers might need that extra bounce in their step today to go back to old form and produce a good ol' extra long yarn for your enjoyment. So kick back, spread on your sunscreen, and get yourself a tropical style beverage to enjoy for this week's entry! But first, let's go ahead and satisfy the legal department and get our disclaimer out of the way: WARNING!!! Spoiler Alert!!! WARNING!!! This blog is based on theories that will include facts and material from the latest books in the series, so if you have not read through Towers of Midnight, continue reading at your own risk! I'd like to direct your attention to the front of the blog as I demonstrate the various safety features of this particular vehicle. We suggest you keep your seatbelts fastened in the event of turbulence, or if the captain goes off on one of his particularly sketchy flights of fancy. Emergency exits are located at the front and back of the blog, but your captain requests that you remember to comment before trying to leap to safety. In the event of decompression, oxygen masks will appear before you; unfortunately, you may not see the bags inflate as the captain already had all the air go to his head before I began this speech. Electronic devices are not permitted during the blog's passage to wherever it is we're going; however, abacuses and slide rulers are allowed. Tray tables may be folded out at any time to allow you to headdesk when you feel appropriate. Thank you, and enjoy the flight! Alright, let's go ahead and get crackin! This week, we will be discussing...(drumroll please)...Logain's glory! I have been wanting to cover this topic for quite some time, as the Black Tower is not just the Dragonmount Social Group I am a part of, it's also one of the organizations in the Wheel of Time series that I am most fascinated with, and Logain is a key individual in that organization. It seems many fans of the series have been drawn into the storyline and characters surrounding the Black Tower in particular, perhaps because of those fancy dragon pins (which you can purchase replicas of in our store); it might even have something to do with that whole channeling the One Power business. Without a doubt, Logain has attracted his share of fans as the series has gone on, as he has played the primary protagonist in the Black Tower's storyline for several books. Rand, of course, is off being too busy being the Dragon Reborn and doing Dragon Rebornish type stuff, so is unable to pay the home for male channelers the attention it deserves. Sadly, he left the psychotic Mazrim Taim in charge in his stead, which has created several hardships for Logain and his followers. Yet we have known for several books that glory is in Logain's future, and that has kept us following his story arc very closely in the hopes of figuring out what that glory might end up being. Min's vision of Logain definitely sets the stage for him to achieve some kind of epic redemption in the series' conclusion. The most obvious explanation for what this glory could turn out to be would be a confrontation with Mazrim Taim in the Black Tower. There has been a division between the two for quite some time now, with each gathering their own share of followers. Taim has had the upper hand for quite some time, though, and an impressive advantage at that. He is the M'Hael, so is considered to be on a higher level than Logain. He trains his group of cronies in his own secret classes, which seem to have drastic results on the abilities of those he trains (this possibly could be because of linking with Black Ajah members--it's stated that training can be enhanced or sped up by linking with a female channeler). Even worse, Taim seems to have gained a nasty ability in being able to convert channelers to the Shadow using the circle of thirteen Dreadlords and thirteen Myrddraal trick that Egwene first learned of during her Acceptance test in The Dragon Reborn. Taim has more than likely already used this gruesome ritual in converting Mezar, once one of Logain's most loyal followers, to his side. Needless to say, the odds are stacked so high against Logain's favor that should he somehow come out on top during a confrontation with Taim, it would be glorious indeed. I know y'all wouldn't be happy if I left it at that, however, so let's go ahead and explore other possibilities. One rather obscure idea that I've heard tossed around has to do with someone who apparently might have known Logain even before he was originally captured and gentled. That comes all the way from the first book, yet we never hear of how Lan might know Logain. Lan is definitely not one to openly divulge about anything he doesn't have to' however, so that doesn't mean this excerpt isn't worth noting. As of Towers of Midnight, Lan had prepared an army out of random surviving Malkieri and was preparing to charge to his doom in order to avenge the eradication of his kingdom. Perhaps Logain hears of this at some point in the last book, and remembers a deep connection or debt to the stony-faced Warder and Travels to his rescue with a mini-army of Asha'man with him to help destroy however many countless thousands of Shadowspawn await Lan. The next thing that comes to mind which I have heard mentioned a few times is the possibility of Logain taking the mantle of leadership from Rand, possibly after Rand either dies or stages his own death. This definitely doesn't seem far-fetched, especially considering the dream that Egwene had concerning Logain: Something that stands out to me personally about this quote is how it mentions Logain mounting a black stone; this sounds like the black stone that Taim and Rand stand on to address the Asha'man. This helps lend further support to the idea of Logain being the one who deposes Taim, and not Rand. Moreover, though, it might signify Logain taking the general mantle of leadership of Rand's armies from Rand if he does end up dying, at least until Rand is resurrected somehow. The laughing part does perplex me somewhat; it seems more like something a madman would do, there's nothing to indicate that Logain is crazy, and with saidin cleansed, the Taint will no longer corrupt him. Perhaps he's laughing because he's in on the charade of Rand's death? Another idea that seems to have a lot of merit to me has to do with the subject I brought up in my last blog: The Amyrlin's Anger. The idea is that the White Tower and the Black Tower will be joined after/during the Last Battle, and that instead of Rand becoming the "Tamyrlin," it would be Logain taking the helm of both male and female channelers, or at least the male side of the "Gray" Tower. There's actually a line of the Karaethon Prophecy which might be referring to this event occuring: The forgotten sign would of course be the ancient sign of the Aes Sedai. Logain was exalted at one point as a false Dragon, but could be raised up as Tamyrlin (it's also possible the one cast down was Elaida, when she was captured as a damane). The last line, "Order burns to clear his path," might possibly have something to do with Elaida's Foretelling of the Black Tower being "rent in blood and fire." The last thing I'll mention about possible ways Logain's glory becomes revealed has to do with the possibility that after all is said and done, Logain ends up getting some of the credit for Rand's accomplishments himself, or maybe even ends up as being considered the Dragon Reborn years later after memory has become legend, and legend has faded into myth. I'll come back to that thought later. To be honest, this week's topic ended up becoming slightly frustrating for me to write about. That's only because, after countless hours researching and musing on various possibilities, I really couldn't pick one that stood out to me any more than the others! They all seem somewhat likely to me, and honestly, it seems to me that his glory will most likely be attained through several avenues, not just one. However, I'm never settled with a blog of mine unless I feel it has at least one idea that makes it POP, something which hopefully introduces some excitement in some of my readers as they consider something which they might never have thought of before. Eventually, I found what I was looking for, and the funny thing is it doesn't necessarily have to do with what glory Logain ends up achieving, but why he might have been destined for glory in the first place. Let me first say that this wasn't my original idea; in fact, I have stolen it from the same person I "borrowed" another idea or two from for my blogs in the past. Terez wrote an article entitled Rand's New Sword that discusses the background and origin of the new sword Rand has been seen carrying around the past couple of books. The sword has been all but confirmed as being Justice, Artur Hawkwing's sword from a millenia before. Artur Hawkwing inherited the sword, in fact, from the same man whose defeat helped propel Artur Paendrag to the lofty position he held for decades: Guaire Amalasan. Just to refresh your memory, Guaire Amalasan is the man who proclaimed himself the Dragon Reborn a thousand years before Rand, and started what came to be known as the War of the Second Dragon. At the bottom of the article Terez wrote, she includes something she describes as a theory "from the loony bin," which is, of course, my favorite variety. She presupposes that Logain might actually be Guaire Amalasan reborn. There's actually a lot of evidence to support this "loony" theory. First of all, it should be pointed out that Logain, in spite of the fact that he is essentially Rand's lieutenant, is in fact very independent and almost defiant at times towards Rand al'Thor. He never comes out and says that Rand is the Dragon Reborn, although Taim points it out himself rather eloquently. He almost still seems to believe that he is the Dragon Reborn, and even when Rand tells him how he cleansed saidin, Logain does not believe him, thinking instead that the Taint was removed as a mercy of the Creator. One facet of this theory I really love is the idea that Logain might in fact have his own fractured psyche; a voice which talks to him as if he were a separate person. Rand had the voice of Lews Therin Telamon in his head for the majority of the series, a voice which several times made him question his own sanity. During question and answer sessions, Robert Jordan suggested that the voice developed because of the amount of the One Power that Rand channels, that the fracturing of his psyche came about due to exposure from the Taint. Logain is able to hold nearly as much saidin as Rand can and has been channeling for a good bit longer, so it's possible that he might in fact have the same condition. We've never had a point of view from Logain to confirm this, but we do have this little tidbit from the aftermath of Semirhage's initial attack on Rand when he believes he is to be meeting with the Daughter of the Nine Moons in Knife of Dreams: It is a somewhat amusing coincidence about the Wheel of Time that anytime you see Robert Jordan describe someone's face as unreadable, it actually means there's a lot to be read from it. Logain's reaction, or rather his controlled absence of an outward reaction, could indicate that what he was hearing sounded very familiar, for he hears the voice of his own past self, Guaire Amalasan. There's also the strange thing mentioned in passing when Min, Siuan, Leane, and Logain are traveling on the lam after escaping the White Tower: Logain wants to use the name of a false Dragon for his surname while they are doing everything they can to avoid notice from the White Tower. That's somewhat risky of a move, to say the least. Logain and Guaire are also described in a similar manner, both having a striking gaze and being able to lead by pure charisma, instead of being natural orators. They both favor learning skill with the sword, instead of just relying on their ability to channel the One Power. They're both great strategic generals; Logain had already had some major conquests on the battlefield before being captured by six Aes Sedai, which also happens to be the number of Aes Sedai that captured Guaire when Artur Hawkwing's army had engaged his. In fact, Logain was captured when he was on his way to Tear; Guaire had been sweeping through the westlands conquering nation after nation when his surge slowed down somewhat after sieging Tear. Thirty Aes Sedai helped to fend him and his army off, which is strange considering the attitude that Tear has had towards Aes Sedai for so long. The last piece of evidence I would like to raise is beautiful in both its simplicity and in the way that Robert Jordan could have potentially been setting it up as foreshadowing. Let's examine the vision Min has of Logain once again: And again after he frees Siuan, Leane, and Min from their sentence from Davram Bashere: When Rand encounters Logain again in Lord Algarin's manor house, Logain seems to have adopted a new sigil: Then we have Guaire Amalasan's banner, described to us not in the books but in a guide to the books, entitled The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time: Later in that same chapter we get a description of Artur Hawkwing's sigil and the banner of the nation he represented (bear with me, last quote): It looks to be that Logain remembers Hawkwing from his past life, and perhaps after an entire campaign of battling against the great captain developed a profound respect for the man, and now in his new life pays tribute to him with his new sigil. Either way, the connection between Logain and Guaire at this point seems a good bit less loony to me than it did before, and if Logain Ablar is in fact Guaire Amalasan reborn, there is actually good reason for him to possibly end up getting credit for some of Rand's accomplishments: He may not be THE Dragon Reborn, but he could be a false Dragon, reborn. And if he achieves glory and power, yet uses it to aid the Light in defeating the Shadow in Tarmon Gai'don, who's to say that he shouldn't get part of the credit in the end? Until next week. Thank you for all your comments and compliments. I hope you keep enjoying my blog as I continue to enjoy writing it for you!

By hazelkrs1, in Theory Blog, December 13, 2011

Dragonmount Weekly Roundup: December 11-17, 2011

Welcome back, festive fans! We've had a lot of things happening on both the front page and the forums lately, so be sure to peruse everything when you get a chance. Those of you who have been following our front page and forums know that iconic fantasy artist Darrell K. Sweet has passed away. We continue to reminisce about him in our General Wheel of Time Discussion forum. Feel free to stop by and pay your respects. If you enjoy trying to predict who will survive the Last Battle, stop by our A Memory of Light Non Spoiler Discussion forum. Take the poll and see what others think. The December Challenge in the Artists, Crafters, and Writers Guild is all about Extravagance! Let's see how you can capture this concept in your artistic medium of choice. The Kin Social Group has numerous December activities planned. Check this thread for more information about such events as their party every day threads, Christmas card exchange, and Great Tree, among others. The Aiel Social Group is discussing holiday traditions and celebrations from around the world. Come learn about the traditions from other cultures and share some of your own. Our role players seem to enjoy writing about naughty novices. Check out the outcome of the latest novice prank in Unfortunate Meeting. It's a Darkfriend hunt! See what our role players uncover in Information Gathering. We just added gold plated bronze Asha'man pins to our Dragonmount store. They'd make great stocking stuffers. For more up-to-date information similar to this, keep an eye on our Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ accounts.

By Dwynwen, in DM Website news, December 12, 2011

Podcast: #108 – The 4th Age Podcast – Towers of Midnight Read-through – Prologue

We begin our Towers of Midnight read-through and commentary in the 108th episode of The 4th Age Podcast. Your hosts for this episode are Andrew and Virginia.(This episode, like most of our talks, is chock full of spoilers if you haven’t read Towers of Midnight yet!) Warning: SPOILER ALERT!Be sure to check out <a href="http://www.dragonmount.com" target="_blank">Dragonmount.com</a> for forums, comments, and all the latest news in the Wheel of Time world.ATTENTION! THERE ARE TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT SPOILERS in this podcast! Also, spoilers on ALL the other books are VERY likely! If you haven’t read all the way through the Wheel of Time, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS of all previous books! There may be spoilers of other book series, tv series, and movies as well, too, or anything ELSE we can think of in the known and unknown universe…. We will try to give warning. We can give no guarantees, however.Hosts: Andrew, Virginia Editor for this episode: Richard F. Editor-in-Chief: Spencer<a href="http://www.dragonmount.com/Podcast/Media/dm-4thAge-108.mp3">Download this Episode now</a>A HUGE thanks to all our editors, past and present, from all of us here! We couldn’t make this happen without your help and technical expertise.We are in need of editing help; we have over a dozen podcasts recorded already that lack only editing. Please contact Spencer at <a title="Email the Podcast" href="mailto:podcast@dragonmount.com" target="_blank">podcast@dragonmount.com</a> if you are interested in volunteering.Music by: Josh Needleman. His website is <a title="Josh Needleman" href="http://www.joshneedleman.net/" target="_blank">www.joshneedleman.net</a> and he has the music available to hear on his MySpace page at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/joshneedleman" target="_blank">www.myspace.com/joshneedleman</a> Its title is Floodgate. Thanks, Josh!<a href="../../Podcast/Media/dm-4thAge-108.mp3">Download this Episode now</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/4thAge/~4/Ty7LhXKck5E" height="1" width="1"/>

By Tialin, in 4th Age Podcast, December 11, 2011

Fan Art Friday: Appreciating Darrell Sweet

It was with shock and sadness that we marked the passing of Darrell K. Sweet this week. While I usually focus this blog on fan artists, this seemed like a good opportunity to spend some time looking at Sweet's work. Sweet was an extraordinarily prolific artist. In his hey-day, he was the go-to guy for fantasy illustration. His book covers have been a part of my life, even before the Wheel of Time. His style was distinctive and eye catching. When he was a guest at Dragon*Con 2005, he told us that he considered his covers to be "billboards" for the books and wanted them to be visible from across a bookstore. Tor commissioning Sweet for The Wheel of Time was a mark of how much they wanted it to succeed, much as it was that they asked Michael Whelan to do the cover for Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings last year. We've all taken our share of cracks at "Romance Novel Rand" on this cover, but one of the things we overlook is the sense of grand scale this painting evokes. Sweet used lots of big, bold brush strokes on this one. There's a lot of movement and lurid colors used to bring a sense of the wreckage after Dumai's Wells. Sure, there's some weird details like the random Draghkar flying overhead, but the overall tone fits the book pretty well. This is probably my favorite of all Sweet's covers. Put your inner fanboy away and ignore the Trollocs-are-just-dudes-with-horned-helmets for a minute. This perfectly matches how I picture Rhuidean. And this depiction of Mat has become iconic, repeated endlessly across fanart. Sweet was spot on here. For most of us, this was our first encounter with The Wheel of Time. For me, it was seeing this book cover on the kitchen counter when I was in the sixth grade. My mom is also a fantasy fan and bought the first three books for me, thinking it was the complete series. Ha ha. Anyway, this cover drew us in and made us open that book. Who is this woman on a horse? And what's up with that samurai looking dude? Read and find out. So, what's up with all the hate? Why do we bag on Sweet's art so much? (And believe me, I've made my share of cracks too.) There's a couple reasons, I think. The first and biggest, I think, is that this is the Internet. Internet people love to hate things. I don't know why. But complaining about things on the Internet is just a thing. We all do it. Second, as the fantasy market matured, Sweet's lurid, outsized style became dated. A more realistic style became popular, Sweet got older, and his work started to slip. Put all these together, and you get a climate where it seems like Sweet is the guy we love to hate. But consider this: Despite all the bashing, Sweet was still considered one of the top illustrators up until his death. Brandon Sanderson posted an excellent essay about his influence on illustration. He was nominated for a Hugo award in 1983, he was scheduled to be the Artist Guest of Honor for the upcoming WorldCon in 2013, and was nominated for a lifetime achievement award this year by the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists. These are not small honors. If you'd like to look at more Darrell Sweet's art, we have a complete gallery of his Wheel of Time covers here. He also did some of the cards for the WoT CCG ten years ago. And you can see more of his art on his official website (along with his son, artist Darrell R. Sweet). He did lots of Western art, which is displayed there. Thank you for your work, Darrell. May the last embrace of the Mother welcome you home.

By JenniferL, in Fan Art Friday, December 9, 2011

Christmas Cheer from Ta'veren Tees

Our friends at Ta'veren Tees have plenty of goodies in store for the holiday season! They have lovingly crafted a Wheel of Time ornament that you can buy now. You can even get it for free with a $40+ purchase and a coupon code. For more information on how to take advantage of that offer, follow the ornament link I provided above. Starting on December 9th, you can also take part in their "The Twelve Tees of Christmas" sale. A different shirt will be on sale for each of the twelve days of the event. Keep an eye on the site to see when your favorite shirt is for sale!

By Dwynwen, in Community & Events, December 9, 2011

Thursdays with Tynaal: Interview with Jason Denzel

So, I finally got myself a victim to interview again. To be honest, Jason Denzel turned out to be quite different from what I imagined. I thought he'd be aloof and cold, but he is so friendly and open with a great sense of humor. Other than sharing that experience, I say, read the interview and make up your own mind about him. Q: What do you do in Real Life to earn your crust? A: I have a full-time job with Cisco Systems located in San Jose, CA. I work in escalation support for one of their enterprise server products. This basically means I work with broken web servers every day...something I'm very familiar with due to Dragonmount's notorious server history. (sigh) I've been doing this job for about 10 years now, and enjoy it a lot. What's nice about it is that I've learned to find a very healthy balance with that work which allows me to do things like filmmaking and Dragonmount in the evenings and weekends. Q: You have a wife and two children, right? Why did your wife not let you call one Rand? A: Heh. Yes, I have two little boys, Aidan and Andrew, ages 6 and 3, respectively. They both have red hair from their mother's side. My wife Jennifer (not Jennifer Liang, as others have wondered before) told me outright that I could not name our kids Rand, Perrin, Egwene, Nynaeve, Luke, Leia, etc. And she wouldn't allow the name "Mat" with only one "t". I don't know why she didn't like those names. They're awesome. She hasn't read the books, so that must be why. ;-) I was, however, allowed to name our dog after a character....but only if it was the dog's middle name. So, our dog's full name is Lucy Min Denzel. Q: Have you started your children on the Wheel of Time, or if they are too young still, will you once they are old enough? A: They're still too young. When they get older I don't want to force it down their throats. But I suspect that they'll have an interest. Before he died, Robert Jordan even signed one of his advanced reading copies to Aidan, my older son. Q: What inspired you to start Dragonmount, and what can you tell us about its beginnings? A: The original idea for Dragonmount came about in 1998 when I was looking to talk to somebody about the books. I was away at college and really wanted to discuss theories and other aspects of the story with somebody. I looked around online but was unable to find a community that was very welcoming to newbies. So instead of giving up or forcing my way in, I decided to create my own. The original DM was pretty ugly, but I tried to create a warm atmosphere for people to enjoy. Another fun tidbit about the early site was that I used to play in a lot of online gaming clans. So, the idea for the "Organizations" (now called Social Groups) came from the concept of clans. I hoped that the Orgs would compete and have fun in different sorts of friendly competitions. That exists today, but they really took on a life of their own. Q: In what other ways have you been/are you involved in the Wheel of Time fan community? A: You mean other than LAUNCHING the largest fan community? Heh. In truth, I am involved in just about anything that has to do with the Wheel of Time. I've been to all the big conventions which feature the Wheel of Time. I was the Toastmaster for the 1st JordanCon in 2009, and I've been to Dragon*Con twice. I'm actively working and advising the film producers for the Eye of the World movie adaptation. There's SO MUCH going on there but I simply cannot talk about it....yet. The producers are very interested in what the fans think and want, and they largely look to me for that input and expertise. I talk to Brandon Sanderson on a regular basis about his progress on A Memory of Light, and sometimes look up obscure facts for him if Team Jordan is currently unavailable. (For instance, if he's writing at 2 AM, he knows he can send me a text message and ask for a page reference regarding Jak of the Shadows and I usually get back to him pretty quickly). Again, I can't say much about some of my contributions, but I'm proud of the fact that some small slivers of the Wheel of Time saga came in part from me. I give advice to Tor's art department on all the book covers, including the ebooks that came out last year. I've also worked with their editors and executives on discussing the book and how to market certain aspects of it. Along with Jenn Liang, we came up with the idea for the Storm Leaders and Tower Guards, and run those programs in conjunction with Tor. From what I understand, no other publisher has given fans an opportunity like that before. Q: How has the Wheel of Time influenced your life? A: That's a big question. Not a day goes by when I'm not working on the website, managing relationships with Tor, or Audible, or Amazon, or the Podcast team, taking orders from our online store, or just answering emails from fans. The Wheel of Time has challenged me to learn new skills, and improve my existing ones. Because of the Wheel of Time, I don't simply have a day job at a tech company. I have a side "hobby" which has allowed me to travel the country, make presentations to influential New York executives, create compelling films, and sit next to well-known authors at book signings. And, of course, I've met a ton of amazing people, including some of my dearest friends. Picking up that old copy of The Eye of the World was one of the smartest things I ever did. Q: Do you have any Wheel of Time related fan articles that you are proud to have, be it a tattoo or a special something from the Man himself? A: I own a ridiculous amount of WoT-related collectibles. I own signed 1st edition hardcovers for every book, all personalized by Robert Jordan, Harriet, and/or Brandon. I have an original manuscript page from The Eye of the World with Harriet's hand-written editorial notes on it. This page is framed and kept next to an original manuscript page from The Gathering Storm that Harriet also made comments on. The page from The Eye of the World shows Rand meeting Ba'alzamon for the first time in the dark palace with the fireplace. The page from The Gathering Storm shows Rand meeting Moridin in the same location. The tone of the scenes is the same, and most interestingly, the editorial comments from Harriet are the same! Both Robert Jordan and Brandon used the same language, and Harriet corrected them both in the same way. You can read more about this framed piece on my personal website. Q: What would you tell a new (or even slightly older) member who finds you up beyond their reach? I mean, you seem like a very down to earth person, and I can imagine how having people who look up to you all the time and might even find you a bit scary could prove to be strenuous. A: Just email me. I'm really not a scary guy. Actually, I'm probably "too nice". I love hearing from people. Even if you don't have a question but just want to say hi, feel free to drop me a line: Jason@dragonmount.com. I'm also on Facebook and Twitter (@jasondenzel). Q: Favorite nation? A: Malkier. Q: Favorite character? A: Rand. Q: Favorite Darkfriend? A: Demandred. Q: Ale or wine? A: Beer. Stout. Q: Egwene, Min, Aviendha, or Elayne? A: Ugh. Like I could decide! But that said...Min. Q: If you were a Warder in the Tower, which Aes Sedai would you bond? A: I'd weave a bond around the Amyrlin. Q: Anything else you would like to tell the visitors on Dragonmount? A: THANK YOU! Every single person who visits Dragonmount demonstrates how my efforts are worth it. I've put so many hours of my life into this website, and to the franchise in general, that it's impossible to track. Just knowing that people enjoy it and benefit from it makes a huge difference to me. It's why I keep doing it. I'd also like to encourage people to check out my personal site, JasonDenzel.com, along with my Facebook or Twitter (@jasondenzel) accounts. As WoT winds down, I'm finding myself more and more involved in developing my own fictional worlds and stories. I'm hoping to maybe one day publish a novel, and I certainly plan to release more fantasy-themed films.

By Tynaal Consen, in Rotating Features, December 8, 2011

In Memory of Darrell K. Sweet

Darrell K. Sweet, the artist who painted the U.S. book covers to fourteen Wheel of Time novels, has passed away. He was 77 years old. Mr. Sweet's artwork has graced the covers of hundreds of novels, magazines, and other mediums. An icon of the industry, Darrell became widely celebrated in the 1980's, into the 90's. His style and colorful renderings set the standard for the industry at the time. At the time of his passing, Mr. Sweet was actively working on the book cover for A Memory of Light, the final Wheel of Time novel. It remains unfinished, and it is currently unclear as to whether or not we will ever see it. On a personal note, the highest compliment I can give Mr. Sweet is that his artwork led me to read Robert Jordan's books. I was transfixed by the cover to The Dragon Reborn where Rand is reaching for Callandor. So captivated by this cover, I purchased the previous two novels just so that I would get a chance to read the third book with that great cover. It's quite possible that had it not been for that cover, I would never have read the series which has so heavily impacted my life. Thank you, Darrell, for inspiring me, and so many others. Other Links: Tor.com's tribute to Darrell K. Sweet Darrell K. Sweet's official website Discuss his passing on our forums Article in Locus magazine Article on File 770 Brandon Sanderson's Blog Article on A Dribble of Ink Here's most of Darrell K. Sweet's published Wheel of Time artwork. (Click each one to see it in our gallery) src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_1425.jpg' alt='The Eye Of The World' width="400" border="1" /> src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_246972.jpg' alt='The Great Hunt' width="400" border="1" /> src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_298959.jpg' alt='The Dragon Reborn' width="400" border="1" /> src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_644007.jpg' alt='The Shadow Rising' width="400" border="1" /> src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_134354.jpg' alt='The Fires Of Heaven' width="400" border="1" /> src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_12382.jpg' alt='Lord Of Chaos' width="400" border="1" /> src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_718837.jpg' alt='A Crown Of Swords' width="400" border="1" /> src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_193996.jpg' alt='The Path Of Daggers' width="400" border="1" /> src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_198465.jpg' alt='Winters Heart' width="400" border="1" /> src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_74367.jpg' alt='Crossroads Of Twilight' width="400" border="1" /> src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_250091.jpg' alt='Knife Of Dreams' width="400" border="1" /> src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_832981.png' alt='The Gathering Storm' width="400" border="1" /> src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_342879.jpeg' alt='Towers of Midnight.jpeg' width="400" border="1" /> src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_50363.jpg' alt='New Spring' width="400" border="1" /> And just for fun, here's one more image Darrell did for Dragon magazine years ago: src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_152/gallery_2_152_670694.jpg' alt='Perrin Aybarra: Dragon magazine print cover' width="400" border="1" />

By Jason Denzel, in Community & Events, December 6, 2011

Dragonmount Weekly Roundup: December 4-10, 2011

Happy December, faithful readers! I hope the start of this month has been joyous rather than chaotic for you. In your opinion, what were the top five fantasy books of 2011? Visit our General Discussion forum and share your thoughts. Our thread on HBO's Game of Thrones is still going strong. If you want to join the hype, come to our TV Show & Sports Discussion forum. The Aiel Social Group's Wasteland Auction that I told you about two weeks ago has finally begun! Remember, you don't need points or money to play, but bring your honor. It's time to submit games for the Black Tower Social Group's December Shockwave Competition. You have until December 24th or so to submit games, then voting will commence. The Wolfkin Social Group is hosting a December Competition. Who can design the best snowflakes? The A Bit of Tea on the Dark Side role play is still continuing. Come catch up with the Black Ajah! The drawing to get your name into A Memory of Light recently closed. We'd like to thank everyone who participated.

By Dwynwen, in DM Website news, December 5, 2011

Sneak Peek at Volume 2 of The Eye of the World: The Graphic Novel

You may remember us reporting on The Eye of the World: The Graphic Novel here. As mentioned before, the story will unfold over several graphic novel volumes. Volume 2 will be released on June 19, 2012. Even though the second volume will not be released for several months, Tor Books has kindly allowed us to give you a sneak peek at the cover art and two sample pages from the graphic novel. We would like to thank them for their generosity. You can find the cover art to the side of this article. Here are the two sample pages: Enjoy!

By Dwynwen, in Graphic Novels, December 5, 2011

Thursdays with Tynaal: Our Role Playing Groups

Hey there! So, the last time that I told you a little about our boards here on Dragonmount, it was all about the Social Groups. Now we're going to have a look at the Role Playing Groups. The first stop you should make if you wish to join a Role Playing Group or if you're looking for more information is the Welcome Inn. It contains stickied threads with information that is vital to your possible journey as a Role Player. If you want to RP without the need to write up a whole biography for your character, you can use the Turnings of the Wheel: Revolution One board for that. Your other option is to join a group and write a biography, which then has to be approved. You can begin writing after jumping through all the necessary hoops. The different groups that you can join include the Band of the Red Hand, where you can join Mat's legendary fighting force and live the raucous life of a soldier. Then there's the Black Tower, where the Taint shall sing through the blood in your veins, or its opposite, the White Tower, at which you can fulfill your calling as an Aes Sedai. If you have ever wanted to live in the twisted mind of a Darkfriend, then the Congress of the Shadow is the perfect place for you. If you'd like to join those fighting the Shadow, there's always the Children of the Light or the Warders. Have you ever admired the senses of a wolf? Well, head over to the Wolfkin and give being one of them a go. Last, but not least, we have the Freelanders. Here you can be whatever you wish, be it Ogier, Aiel, Noble, or just some pickpocket finding their way. Yes, there are some boards I haven't gotten to yet, but we're there now. The last lot of boards are the places where you actually role play. The board you play on is determined by where your plot happens. We have from the North to the South, and major places like the Farm for the Kin and the Citadel for the Children of the Light. Now that NaNoWriMo is over, you need an outlet for your creative juices. So, why don't you give role playing a chance? Also, if you don't want to miss the chance for your name to appear in A Memory of Light, get hopping and have a look at the JordanCon website. The competition ends today!

By Tynaal Consen, in Rotating Features, December 1, 2011

JordanCon Fundraiser Ending

Since October, JordanCon, Inc. has been offering Wheel of Time fans a final opportunity to become a named character in the series. Fans who donate $10 will have their names entered into a drawing to be included in the final installment, A Memory of Light. The final number of names that will be drawn is determined by Brandon Sanderson as dictated by the needs of the story. The fundraiser is set to end on Thursday, Dec. 1st. So far, the fundraiser has raised nearly $35,000. While most of the money raised will go towards offsetting JordanCon's operating costs for the next several years, ten percent is being donated to JordanCon's official charity, the Mayo Clinc's amyloidosis research fund. JordanCon is a fantasy literature convention founded in honor of the late author, Robert Jordan. Jordan was the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time series. JordanCon features four tracks of simultaneous programming, a Dealers Hall, and charity events benefiting the Mayo Clinic. Past guests have included Harriet McDougal, Brandon Sanderson, David Wong, Jana G. Oliver, David B. Coe, and Eugie Foster. New to JordanCon this year will be the Art Show featuring art from a variety of fantasy and sci fi artists. Guests this year will include author Mary Robinette Kowal, artist Sam Weber, and Toastmaster Melissa Craib Dombrowski.

By JenniferL, in JordanCon, November 30, 2011

It Works in Theory: The Amyrlin's Anger

Calichniye, my cunning companions of Dragonmount! Welcome to another weekly installment of "It Works in Theory," Dragonmount's wild ride of a theory blog! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving last week, for those who celebrate it. For those who don't, I hope you found some other reason to stuff your belly (it's never hard for me to find a reason to do so). I'm sure everyone is anxious for me to continue with the second part of last week's blog...(crickets chirping), but I have one quick announcement: This week, I'll be venturing forth on a cruise with my newlywed wife, and as such, there's a good chance you might not see a blog from me for the following week. Fear not, though, for I will bounce back again completely relaxed and rejuvenated and should have oodles of new theories for you to masticate upon. And now, for our weekly disclaimer (does anyone actually read these?): WARNING!!! Spoiler Alert!!! WARNING!!! This blog is based on theories that will include facts and material from the latest books in the series, so if you have not read through Towers of Midnight, continue reading at your own risk! "It Works in Theory" is a high velocity, roller coaster-type ride that includes sudden brief stops in hyperbole and sharp turns away from reason. Please secure all loose belongings and keep all attached and unattached limbs and body parts inside the blog at all times during the ride. Don't sway the cabin or rock the boat, that's my job. Due to the nature of the ride, guests with back and/or neck problems, expectant mothers, any who have recently had experimental non-FDA approved surgery, or anyone without an open mind or a sense of humor should not ride this blog. As this is the second part of a two-part entry, I'll go ahead and review what we covered in last week's blog: The Gray Tower. It seems obvious to me that the White Tower and the Black Tower will not exist in the same way after both of their impending altercations. Many signs point to a joint organization being formed, a "Gray Tower," which would combine both of their forces and allow men and women to work together again using the One Power to help their world flourish after Tarmon Gai'don. This week, I'm going to cover exactly how that might occur. It seems like it might be a tall order after all, since the current leader of the Black Tower is an evil maniac, and the leader of the White Tower is somewhat biased regarding the sanity of male channelers. So, who would help these two groups come together to resolve their differences and work together? Why, who else but the Dragon Reborn himself, Rand al'Thor? Back in A Crown of Swords, Elaida a'Roihan had a Foretelling that seemed to assure her of her own control of the White Tower. She ended up drastically misinterpreting the Foretelling, but let's take another look at that vision of the future and see if we can glean more of what it really meant. The White Tower ended up becoming whole again, only it was under Egwene as Amyrlin, not Elaida. The Black Tower section is part of why I think some kind of calamity will ensue there, which will cause the Asha'man to have to find a new home. The part in the middle, about Rand facing the Amyrlin Seat and knowing her anger, is what really interests me. Some suggest that this in fact has already happened, when Rand visited the White Tower in Towers of Midnight. After all, Egwene wasn't exactly happy to hear about Rand's plan to break the seals on the Dark One's prison. However, I don't think this to be the case, as she wasn't nearly as angry as she was awestruck by Rand; she sensed the profound change inside him. There's also another reason I don't think Rand has "known her anger"...yet. So, in one of Egwene's Dreams, she sees Rand taking a woman's seat, and that woman being very upset with him. Could this mysterious woman in fact be the same woman whose anger Rand would be "gettin schooled" in from Elaida's Foretelling? In the Wheel of Time FAQ, they bring up the possibility that this has occured already as well. It's possible that this happened when Rand briefly sat on the Lion Throne after securing the rule of Andor later in the same book as the Dream. Morgase would be considered the rightful owner at the time, and she did become pretty upset with the thought of Rand taking her throne. Another possibility mentioned is that the chair is the Crystal Throne, but at this point I find this to be highly unlikely; I just don't think there's enough time in the series for Rand to visit the continent of Seanchan and rob it from Tuon. So, this dream of Egwene's could be a possible foreshadowing of Rand sitting in the Amyrlin Seat's seat itself, which would cause her to be extremely upset, of course. There's one more piece of evidence that I wanted to cover, and it's a little less solid, but together with the other pieces, it does make the picture slightly clearer. This quote is taken from the Jendai Prophecies. Many might look at the footwashing part mainly as flavor text that would mainly indicate Aes Sedai serving him, but keep in mind the odd ritual carried out during the ceremony of raising someone to the Amyrlin Seat: First of all, let me state that the undressing portion of the ritual is extremely odd and is probably an example of why some have been heard to complain about a possible sexist feel to the series. Moving past that, though, you'll see the part of the ritual I was referring to before. If an Amyrlin is being raised and every Sitter doesn't stand for her, the would-be Amyrlin must go to every one of the Sitters and wash their feet, asking them to let her serve. This seems a little different than the scenario described in prophecy, but let's not forget that several rituals and traditions have changed greatly over the years. The Oath Rod itself, which is used to swear Aes Sedai in after achieving the Shawl, was used as a way of punishing criminals back in the Age of Legends. So, it could be that the ritual became skewed over time and ended up having the Amyrlin doing the footwashing, when originally they were the ones getting their feet washed. A funny little footnote to this theory is the fact that Rand, being Lews Therin reborn, might even have an odd sort of claim to the Amyrlin Seat. After all, Lews Therin was the Amyrlin himself before he committed the most extreme version of hari-kari ever, and for all we know the laws of that time might not have made the Seat automatically pass to someone else upon the Amyrlin's death. In that case, Rand would simply state that he already was the Amyrlin, and proceed to start barking out orders like General George S. Patton, foregoing the whole footwashing business altogether. So, what would cause Rand to do such a thing? Is it the Two Rivers young prankster side of him coming back out for a moment, stealing Egwene's chair for a second just to upset her? I doubt it, but I'm sure plenty of fans of the series wouldn't mind Egwene being brought down a peg or two (judging from the forums, Egwene appears to be an extremely polarizing figure). More than likely, the disaster that will befall the White Tower will end up being placed at Egwene's feet, since she has taken a large percentage of the defensive forces of the White Tower with her to the Fields of Merrilor in an attempt to convince Rand not to break the seals. It goes without saying (which is why I'm typing it) that the fall of Tar Valon would be a huge loss for the forces of Light, not to mention that several important items are being safeguarded there. Should the attack be comprised solely of Seanchan troops, then Tuon would have a powerful edge in negotiations between the two (Rand would likely end up buying the Horn off her with another trinket that would be immensely valuable to her, but that's a story for a future blog). Should the Horn end up being stolen by the forces of the Dark, it would be a very bleak day for Rand and friends indeed. Rand obviously would be very upset at Egwene for committing such a grievous transgression, and combined with the fact that Egwene would more than likely oppose the idea of Asha'man joining the ranks of the White Tower, it might be enough to make him so upset that he temporarily commandeers the Seat in order to help force the Aes Sedai to accept their new peers. Don't forget about the Dream that I quoted in part 1 of this entry, in which Egwene saw the window across from the Amyrlin Seat that had the ancient symbol of Aes Sedai (The Dragon's Fang mixed with the Flame of Tar Valon, making a yin-yang like symbol); this symbol is said to be the symbol under which the Dragon Reborn conquers. Egwene has been dreaming of an important confronation with Rand for some time, and instead of it being over the breaking of the Seals like most of us believe, it could in fact be a confrontation over the leadership of the new "Gray Tower" itself. I have two more things to mention before I go. First, I'll ask you to please be nice when adding comments for this week's blog. As I mentioned before, Egwene can be a particularly polarizing figure, and if you have certain strong feelings about her, just try your best to keep it respectful. Second, I want to remind you that the JordanCon fundraiser is ending on December 1st. Go here if you would like to participate. With that, I bid you adieu for a couple weeks, and I'll send everyone warm, happy thoughts from the Bahamas!

By hazelkrs1, in Theory Blog, November 29, 2011