DRAGONMOUNT

It's winter holiday time! Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, or "Saturday," we can all agree that December is a depressing time of year unless you hang up some shiny decorations and eat some cookies. Unfortunately, there is not much in the way of holiday fan art, so this is a short entry this week.     Ravenwing136 has this cute sketch of Rand and Egwene dancing together at Bel Tine. In the series, Bel Tine represents the beginning of spring. It's a time of hope and renewal. I'm sure Linda Taglieri would have something clever to say about the symbolism of the story beginning with an interrupted Bel Tine festival, but I'll leave that for her. (P.S. Go check out Linda's blog. It is amazing.)   The picture itself has a great composition, with Egwene and Rand front and center. You can see the joy they feel while dancing. I believe this is a couple that cares for each other very much, as Egwene and Rand do at the beginning of the story. The background is full of nice details, like banners billowing in the wind and Two Rivers folk cleaning out their homes to get ready for Winternight. You can even see Cenn Buie lurking in a doorway as some goodwife fusses over him.   And that's all I was able to find. Hopefully, some of you will get inspired and create some new art for me next winter.

The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon   There are never enough books, so I have another you could have a look at. I read the omnibus, so the review is on the entire trilogy.   The story follows a young woman by the name of Paksenarrion, who leaves home to escape an arranged marriage and joins a mercenary army. She seems to be just another soldier, if more focused and intent on becoming a good warrior. But stranger and stranger things continue to happen, and the eye of evil is drawn to Paks. It does take quite a few unexpected turns and the story takes quite the road of development.   I have decided that this is a book that I have to reread to figure out my opinion. The novel is less like a magic inspired fantasy book, despite the magical elements within it, but more like war fiction. What I found strange about Elizabeth Moon's style of writing is that she seems to describe a lot and explain things in depth. And then suddenly before you know it, you have a few action packed pages and it goes back to normal. Another thing that really grabbed me was that extremely emotional passages (well, they definitely were for me) would sneak up on you, and before you knew what was happening, you'd be bawling your eyes out. The war and fighting scenes are written very well and pull you right in, and I must honestly admit that I rarely had to make myself read the less interesting parts. In a world like Tolkien's Middle-Earth, with Orcs, Elves, and the like roaming the land, Elizabeth Moon takes her character from a naive young girl to such a likable and, in her own ways, wise character. I don't think you could easily find someone who dislikes the character of Paksenarrion. She is driven, kind, honest, and despite all the things she achieves and all the fame she gains, she never rests on her laurels and stays as down to earth as she always was.   The next bit contains a slight spoiler. One thing that moved me so immensely and simply made me love Paks was the fact that she realized how much her suffering meant and how much it shaped her. She had the wisdom to see the positive things about her scars as opposed to only remembering the pain. As such, when the Lady of the Forest offered to heal them for her, she declined.   Paksenarrion becomes a real character to any reader. Elizabeth Moon managed to balance her triumphs in equal measure as her wounds. Paks makes mistakes like any of us would and faces choices that are so easy to relate to. She's definitely a great character.   I think that this is definitely a must read. You can even read the first book for free (and legally!) online at Baen Books.

This morning, Brandon Sanderson reported on Twitter and Facebook:     Sanderson's estimate of a fall release date is consistent with earlier statements he made on Twitter, comments made by Justin Golenbock, his publicist at Tor, and hints dropped by Orbit UK that we reported on earlier. As soon as we have an official release date from the publishers, we'll be sure to update our A Memory of Light info page to reflect that.   While writing the final scene, Sanderson linked on Youtube for inspiration. We've linked to it, in case anyone would consider it a spoiler.   For more A Memory of Light speculation and theories, please join us on our forums or check out our weekly theory blog.

MacMillan Audio, the company responsible for publishing The Wheel of Time audio book series, is hosting a sweepstakes this week. Two winners will receive a copy of each currently publishedWheel of Time novel in audio format. The sweepstakes runs from Monday, December 19th to Saturday, December 24th and is open to US residents only.

The holidays are upon us! As a result, your friendly neighborhood front page bloggers are going to be on hiatus from writing our regularly featured articles during the week of December 25-31. We hope that none of you experience withdrawal symptoms next week.   If you enjoyed last week's theory blog about Logain, visit our General Wheel of Time Discussion forum to speculate further about his future glory. I strongly recommend reading the theory blog first, since Despothera gave us plenty of interesting ideas to consider.   The holiday season is a popular time for movie releases. Which new films are you most likely to see this December? Visit our Movies Discussion forum and let us know.   If you've stopped by the Artists, Crafters, and Writers Guild lately, you may have noticed a thread about an opportunity to design the base of the prestigious Hugo Award trophy. Yes, you will have to enter a competition in order to do this, but there is still time to enter, and it is a fantastic way to get your name out there as an artist.   If you are a member of the Shayol Ghul Social Group and want to help its leaders make it the best group it can be, report here and give them your feedback. You'll even get points for doing this!   The Wolfkin Social Group wants to hear all about Christmas from you. What was the best present you ever received?   Rumors of Trollocs that are too close for comfort lead some sisters of the Green Ajah to abruptly leave the White Tower. See where this role play, Rumors Outside the Shining Walls, takes these brave women.   As always, if you want to keep up with us over the holiday break, keep an eye on our Twitter, Facebook, and Google + accounts. Happy holidays, everyone!

I had a hard time this week settling on a theme for Fan Art Friday. I'm fried from grad school, and it's the end of the semester at work too. (For those who don't know, I work at a small, private school for kids with autism spectrum disorders. My day is not boring.) So, instead of beating my head against the wall, I'm just going to browse Dragonmount's Gallery and see what folks have uploaded recently.     And immediately, I am rewarded! Check out this beautiful black and white digital sketch by Mandersen. This is such a great depiction of Mat and Tuon, and their courtship throughout Crossroads of Twilight and Knife of Dreams are some of my favorite scenes in the series. Well done.     Ooh. I really like this version of Moiraine by Zephyrus. The textures and shading on this one really bring it to life. Those are such small details, but they matter so much.     Here's a really nice painting of Egwene al'Vere by KatrinSedai. I don't usually picture Egwene wearing a slinky, off the shoulder number like this, but other than that, it's a very well done piece. The eyes are very striking, which I think is perfect. Egwene's eyes are her most frequently mentioned physical feature. KatrinSedai nailed that.   And speaking of browsing...Did you know there used to be a Wheel of Time collectible card game? And did you know that we have high res images of all 500 cards in our gallery? If you've got a free hour or two, you should check it out.

It's that time of the year again, and you are probably rushing to the store to try and find the perfect gift for that special someone. Well, does that special someone like the Wheel of Time? If so, then I suggest your search stops here. In some of my previous articles, I have discussed Wheel of Time jewelry, clothing, and weaponry. Those would be a good place to start.   Other than getting a Great Serpent Ring, an Asha'man's Dragon Pin, or a Wheel of Time shirt, you can buy an adorable Barbie-sized Accepted dress for your daughter or a stuffed animal version of a Corlm or Torm. All of those are available at Arafel's Dreams. A classic present for an aspiring Aes Sedai is naturally a shawl in the color of her Ajah. I suggest Elishafaerie's Workbasket, or you can head to your nearest tailor and have them make one for you! Last but not least, a great gift idea for those who have not yet read or not completed the Wheel of Time series would be buying the actual books or audiobooks.   At most of the places I listed, you can get awesome specials or discounts on shipping, seeing as we are in the holiday season. So, I suggest that this year, don't be boring and get normal jewelry or a box of chocolates. Think out of the box and buy something fantasy themed and unique for your loved ones.

<p>Our Towers of Midnight read-through and commentary continues in the 109th episode of The 4th Age Podcast. Your hosts for this episode are Andrew, Virginia, and Spencer.</p><p>Chapter 1 – Apples First Chapter 2 – Questions of Leadership Chapter 3 – The Amyrlin’s Anger</p><p>(This episode, like most of our talks, is chock full of spoilers if you haven’t read Towers of Midnight yet!) <strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">Warning: SPOILER ALERT!</span></strong></p><p>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.</p><p><strong>ATTENTION! THERE ARE TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT SPOILERS</strong> 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, <strong>THERE WILL BE SPOILERS</strong> 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.</p><p>Hosts: Andrew, Virginia Editor for this episode: Ken S. Editor-in-Chief: Spencer</p><p><a href="http://www.dragonmount.com/Podcast/Media/dm-4thAge-109.mp3">Download this Episode now</a></p><p>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.</p><p><strong>We are in need of editing help</strong>; we have over a dozen podcasts recorded that just need to be edited. 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.</p><p>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 <em>Floodgate</em>. Thanks, Josh!</p><p><a href="../../Podcast/Media/dm-4thAge-109.mp3">Download this Episode now</a></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/4thAge/~4/8Qejvg5MntE" height="1" width="1"/>

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!

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.