News items
An opportunity to win a War of the Dragon: The Wheel of Time® - The Dragon Reborn Edition and a Padan Fain miniature reveal!
Read More...
Ba'ax ka wa'alik, my brilliant wanderers of Dragonmount! Welcome back to "It Works in Theory," Dragonmount's theory blog, which I am privileged enough to get to write. I apologize for the extended delay between entries; it's been a hectic holiday season for me, and the blog seemed like it could use a nice little winter hibernation to get a little bit leaner (luckily it had been storing up on enough fat to help it sustain itself long enough without me for a bit). Since you have had to wait so long for another entry, let's go right ahead and knock our disclaimer out of the way so we can get started: 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! The entire physical universe, including this blog, may one day collapse back into an infinitesimally small space that may or may not be bigger than a studio apartment available for rent in New York City. Should another universe subsequently and spontaneously re-emerge, the existence of this blog in that universe cannot be guaranteed. It is guaranteed, however, that if there are deadlines for said blog, they will more than likely not be met in a timely manner. First of all, I hope everyone had a great holiday season, and that you are all having a happy new year so far! I'm not sure how many take any stock in this at all, but if those pesky Mayans (google this week's greeting for an easter egg) end up being right, 2012 could end up being our last year on this planet. I doubt it is, but just in case, I decided to make my resolution this year to ensure humanity's survival for another millennium. Everyone cross their fingers that I stick to my resolution for once! Even if the world doesn't end, this will be the year that A Memory of Light will come out, which will mean the end of the fantastic epic series we've all been following for various amounts of time. I'll pause to give everyone time to sniffle into some tissue paper. ... Since we're discussing all kinds of different ends, I thought it might be fitting today to discuss something I'm sure many are wondering about with the release of the last book coming closer and closer upon us: which main characters will survive, and which ones get the axe? Since I wrote a similar type of blog not too long ago discussing which Forsaken might end up turning to the Light (to read that entry, click here), it seemed like a good idea to do this one in a similar format, and lo and behold, I think we might even have the same number of good guys to examine! We'll be basing the likelihood of death on a 1-10 scale, with 1 being they'll almost certainly stay alive, and 10 being they'll be as dead as a doornail. In not necessarily any specific order: Mat (AKA Prince of Ravens, AKA Lord of Battles, AKA Toy) Matrim Cauthon Occupation: General, Ta'veren, Gambler, Loveable Degenerate I wanted to go ahead and get our favorite rapscallion out of the way first because I think he's probably the main character who's flirted with death more so than any other. Hung and left for dead after his second trip to the land of the 'Finns, killed by a Forsaken and resurrected by Rand's balefiring of said Forsaken, pursued by an invincible killing machine of a gholam for several books, and oh, let's not forget the treatment he got from Queen Tylin when she was grooming him to be her pet; he's definitely had his fair share of close calls with death. Plus, there was a time when Robert Jordan had been tossing around the idea that there might be some "outrigger" novels after the series ended which would feature Mat and Tuon in lands not featured very much in the Wheel of Time. So, I think it's safe to say Mat should be safe in the last book. Verdict: 1 out of 10 Egwene (AKA The Amyrlin Seat, AKA The Flame of Tar Valon) Egwene al'Vere Occupation: Amyrlin, Dreamer, Punching Bag for Aes Sedai-haters Egwene has grown before our eyes into an incredibly powerful woman in the world of the Wheel of Time, training as a Wise One apprentice, learning what it is to be able to interpret one's Dreams as a Dreamer, and also tripping and falling into the Amyrlin's seat (well, it might have been a little more complicated than that, but not much). She's one of the most powerful female channelers of her generation, her iron will and fortitude have helped to bring the White Tower from general disrepair back into a more respectable position, and she strives to use her position of leadership to help the forces of Light win the Last Battle. To be honest, we haven't gotten many glimpses of foreshadowing of her death, and you kind of figure that as a Dreamer, we might have gotten some of those if her death was imminent. She's had her close calls as well, having been kidnapped and held prisoner a couple of times, and has faced down some Forsaken to boot. Realistically, I don't see her dying since her position now puts her somewhat further from the battlefield than she would have been before, and it was more than likely the intent of the author to have Egwene lead the White Tower back to glory. She has been compared several times to some of the greatest and most powerful Amyrlins in history, and even though she's done quite a bit in her short tenure, I doubt she's done yet. Verdict: 2 out of 10 Logain (AKA Guaire Amalasan?) Logain Ablar Occupation: False Dragon, Asha'man of the Black Tower In my last blog (A Halo of Gold and Blue), I focused on Logain and what his glory might end up being. I also focused on what his possible "lineage" might be, and how that might be pertinent to what ends up happening with him. The thing is, his glory might involve him doing some great deeds which would require him to stick around for awhile, like possibly becoming Tamyrlin for the male section of the new "Gray Tower" I've talked about. However, it might also involve him sacrificing himself for some greater good, which means that he might not have that long of a shelf life at all. I'm leaning more towards the former, however. I think he'll be in relatively good condition at the end of the book. Verdict: 4 out of 10 Aviendha (AKA The Wise One apprentice formerly known as a Maiden of the Spear) Aviendha of the Nine Valleys sept of the Taardad Aiel Occupation: Wise One apprentice, First-sister to Elayne, Heartthrob of the Dragon Reborn Of all Rand's lovers, Aviendha is definitely my favorite. Way back in my very first blog on the website, I talked about Aviendha and the visions she saw in Rhuidean of the future of her people. I find the time we've spent with her character to have been invaluable; her heartfelt sentiments and musings have helped paint the picture of her being a very reluctant hero. She is extremely humble, but after seeing what she saw in the pillars in Rhuidean, she knows she will do anything she can to help prevent the awful fate that might be in store for her people. If that meant taking the mantle of leadership for her people to help direct them down a different path, I think she would do it, but I suspect that something else might be in store for her. I believed at the time of writing that blog and still do that she is a perfect martyr character, and it seems likely to me that she might think the best way to help preserve her people's honor is to help them rediscover their roots and use the lost Talent of Singing to help fight the Dark One in the last book. This passage comes to mind very easily: Verdict: 7 out of 10 Lan (AKA Aan'allein, AKA Lord of the Seven Towers, AKA The OG BA Gaidin) Lan Mandragoran Occupation: Warder, uncrowned King of Malkier, Nynaeve's Bonded Let's face it, Lan would like nothing better than to expel his last breaths in the last book, as long as it meant his sword was glistening in the blood of his enemies and his ears were filled with the cries of their painful deaths all around him. This stony-faced Warder has been battling his own one-man war against the Shadow since he was sixteen, and he has more reason than most because he's the last remaining lord of Malkier, a nation that was completely annihilated by forces of the Shadow when he was still a babe in swaddling clothes. While he was Moiraine's Warder, Moiraine could barely keep him from going off and surrounding himself with insurmountable odds just to seek comfort in vengeance and death. Once his bond passed to Nynaeve, she showed him that flowers could be grown where he "cultivated dust and stone" and his demeanor lightened slightly, but his goal of retribution against the forces of the Dark One had not been hampered one bit. He now has a force of Malkieri with him, riding to what he thinks is his death, galloping into the maw of his enemy like he's part of a great Shakespearean tragedy. So, all is said and done, and we shall soon see Lan's dying throes of bittersweet vengeance? Not so fast, my friend. The whole scene has been set up for too long and with too much build up for things to go down like we imagine. I doubt Nynaeve has used up all her tricks to try and keep him from dying without more aid, and Logain himself might be tied to Lan's rescue as well, so it seems very possible we might have a Gandalf-riding-down-the-hill-at-first-light-of-the-fifth-day type moment on the horizon. Verdict: 5 out of 10 Nynaeve (AKA Wisdom of Edmond's Field, AKA leader of the "Wondergirls," AKA Braid-puller, AKA Ol' Battle Axe) Nynaeve al'Meara Occupation: Aes Sedai, Healer, Herbalist, Scolder Of course, we have to cover Nynaeve now that we just covered Lan. Who would I be to try and come between the two? Nynaeve has also gone through a great journey throughout the series, at first seeming to be a nearly one-dimensional scolder who never let up on those she was admonishing. She overcame her block (with Moghedien's help), is now married, and shows many more emotions than she once did. Some think that she has lost her edge, but I just see that she has matured more as a person and no longer sees anger as the only way to deal with her peers. But how likely is she to croak? One of the things that stands out to me is the vision of Nynaeve crying, and that her grief must be important. Some think this grief might be over Rand's death, which we might cover in a future blog, but I think it more likely has to do with Lan. Let's say she decides to shirk her duties at Rand's side and goes off to try and help Lan, which no one could really fault her for, but arrives to find that she has arrived too late. I don't see her being able to move on so easily and resume her responsibilities in Tarmon Gai'don. It seems more likely that she will instead pursue her own goal of vengeance, and this might lead to her not surviving Lan long. The only thing is, she still seems to have a special role in other events to come, but we don't know if she will be able to fulfill those roles yet still live on. I believe her fate is somewhat connected to Lan's. Verdict: 4 out of 10 Perrin (AKA Young Bull, AKA Goldeneyes) Perrin Aybara Occupation: Blacksmith, Wolfbrother, Ta'veren, General Perrin is a character many actually can see departing the physical realm in the last book because of one main reason: as a Wolfbrother, he'd be able to assist the forces of Light even if he died because of his abilities in the wolf dream/Tel'aran'rhiod. It's also not far-fetched at all to see him dying in battle since he leads his men from the trenches; he fights right there at the front line neck and neck with his foe and often puts his life in danger. That being said, I actually don't think it's a definite that Perrin will perish because he still has to fulfill the "Broken Crown" part of Min's vision of him (for a more in depth explanation, visit this past blog entry), and he still seems to need to play his part in the lost Talent of Singing resurfacing. Not only that, but Min's vision about the sparks flying around Rand, and the sparks growing larger with either of his ta'veren buddies around him seems to indicate that Rand, Mat, and Perrin will need to be near each other during a climactic moment for the Light to succeed, and this probably would not be possible even with Perrin in the same location in the wolf dream. Verdict: 2 out of 10 Gawyn (AKA Egwene's Bonded, AKA Leader of the Younglings) Gawyn Trakand Occupation: First Sword of Andor, Warder, Holder of irrational grudge towards Rand As Elayne's brother, Gawyn is acting First Sword of her Court, although the title is mainly just in name only. His true duties lie at Egwene's side, as both her Warder and as her love interest. Although very young, he is unbelievably skilled with a blade, and proved his worth when he dispatched not one, not two, but three Bloodknives sent to dispatch Egwene while she was sleeping. He very nearly died on that occasion, and would have died if Egwene had not awoken and Bonded him as her Warder. After recovering somewhat, he took the three ter'angreal rings from the would-be assassins and held onto them for later. It is mainly because of these rings that he holds, and the properties they share, that his death seems more imminent than most. The rings grant unnatural speed and aid in keeping the bearer hidden, making it so it is in fact very difficult to look directly upon someone wearing the ring. However, this gift comes with a steep price, because once the ring is adorned, the owner will die within a manner of weeks. Gawyn has held an unnatural grudge towards Rand for much of the series, and though in the last book he appeared to be reconciling somewhat with the fact that Rand was now his brother-in-law, he still seems to have some deep-seated issues with the Dragon Reborn. There is even an idea out there that Gawyn might take on a "Mordredesque" type role and take Rand out, whether it's Light Rand or Dark Rand. It's somewhat hard to believe that Gawyn himself would survive such a feat, though. Either way, his chances of surviving the last book look grim. Verdict: 8 out of 10 Elayne (AKA Caryla, AKA Morelin) Elayne Trakand Occupation: Queen of Andor, Aes Sedai, One of Rand's cadre of lovers Speaking of Trakands, we might as well cover Gawyn's sister Elayne, the golden-haired beauty herself. As Queen, she should never be near any frontlines of battle, yet she seems to love throwing herself in danger's way as often as she can. She uses Min's vision as an excuse to do so; Min saw in one of her visions that she would give birth to two healthy twins, so as long as Elayne is still pregnant, she thinks it's completely okay to tempt fate as often as possible. Honestly, though, I don't think it's likely that she will actually die in the last book because she seems to have accomplished too much in uniting Andor and Cairhien to die now. Also, if I'm not mistaken, there's some references to her surviving the Last Battle during Aviendha's visions in the pillars at Rhuidean, making it somewhat more far-fetched to see her die. One thing that does make me think there might be a possibility is that if Aviendha dies, then should Elayne die too, Rand's love life would suddenly be simplified to a normal one on one relationship with Min, so I guess there could be some reasonable doubt... Verdict: 2 out of 10 Moiraine (AKA Alys, AKA Mari, AKA The OG BA Aes Sedai) Moiraine Damodred Occupation: Aes Sedai, One-time holder of Lan's bond, Soon to be holder of Thom's bond Moiraine was our introduction to Aes Sedai, and boy she set the bar high. She is an incredible schemer and weaver of intricate plots, and even though she was always protective of our heroes when they first set out on their journey, you always got the feeling she would sacrifice them in a heartbeat if it would help defeat the Dark One. For much of the series, we had actually thought her dead already, but it turned out that she was instead just held captive in the world of the 'Finns and required Mat, Thom, and Jain Farstrider himself to rescue her from there. Once rescued, it became evident that she and Thom had actually held interest for each other for quite some time, and they now plan on marrying. It doesn't seem likely that she was rescued just in time for the last book just to die off again, and she's far too intelligent to blunder her way into a mishap that would cause her death. Verdict: 2 out of 10 Thom (AKA...too cool for aliases) Thomdril Merrilin Occupation: Gleeman, One-time Court Bard, Skilled player at Daes Dae'mar Thom has long been one of the most beloved characters of the series, serving for breathtaking moments of awe when he utilized an unexpected way of saving someone else, or when he gave us a good chuckle with his sharp wit. He started out as an old man, but a spry old man at that, and with his upcoming bond to Moiraine, he shouldn't have to worry about dying of old age anytime soon. He isn't particularly fond of putting himself directly in the path of danger and would much rather play his cards from the sideline or manipulate the situation to his desire, but if the situation calls for it, he is more than able to handle his foes. He also has a knack for surviving situations it seems he shouldn't with ease, so this makes it seem like he wouldn't be an easy adversary to take down. Rand and Mat themselves thought him dead for awhile when Thom took on a Myrddraal single-handedly in order to help them escape. I wouldn't say he's very likely to pass in the last book, but as Moiraine's bonded he might see more grave situations than even he is used to, so I'd still keep wary if I were him. Verdict: 3 out of 10 Min (AKA Serenla, AKA Jaisi Trakand) Elmindreda Farshaw Occupation: Seer of visions, Would-be scholar, One of Rand's milksops lovers When Rand first met Min, she seemed to be characterized as a street-smart, quick-witted, and nimble-fingered gal of the alleys; in fact, for some time I wondered how much Brandon Sanderson might have based the famous heroine of his Mistborn novels, Vin, after her. She has changed somewhat into being a little more dependent on Rand than might first be believed, and has her nose buried in a book more often than she would have guessed long ago. Her visions help her see what lies in store for other's futures, so she is one of the main tools we use for determining how likely it is for other characters to kick the bucket soon, but we don't have much to guess about for whether or not she will actually make it. She already almost had a pretty awful death when Semirhage took control of Rand through the use of one of the male a'dam and had him start to choke his own lover, but luckily Dark Rand snapped quickly enough to stop this from happening and saved Min's tush. Anyway, I don't see much either way to convince me she might die, but it wouldn't surprise me to see her in danger again. Verdict: 2 out of 10 Rand (AKA The Dragon Reborn, AKA the Coramoor, AKA He Who Comes With The Dawn, AKA Shadowkiller, AKA Nuli, AKA Lews Therin Telamon) Rand al'Thor Occupations: See aliases; he's the Dragon Reborn for cryin' out loud! And then we arrive at the big Enchilada himself, the guy the whole series is pretty much wrapped around, the...wait, what am I doing, this guy has enough nicknames as it is. Rand al'Thor is the Champion of the Light, and the fate of the world of The Wheel of Time rests upon his shoulders, to a degree. Prophecies hint about his death countless times; his blood seems to be very significant indeed in deciding the Last Battle. To me, it seems like a given that he will die in A Memory of Light, but somehow be resurrected anew and with a healthy new body to fight the Dark One with. Some others disagree and think that instead he will merely fake his own death, citing the Dream Egwene had that I quoted in my last blog which shows Logain stepping over Rand's body and laughing. I don't really see what purpose there would be in Rand faking his own death, though, and since it doesn't seem to satisfy any prophecies, it seems like a false interpretation of that Dream. More of the debate about Rand might be about whether or not Rand is resurrected, or the method in which he could be, but that topic is its own can of worms and I'd rather save that for later. For now, suffice it to say that I have a very strong feeling that at some point Rand will be no more in the last book. Verdict: 9.999999 out of 10 Well, that's all for this week, everyone. I hope you continue to enjoy your new year. As always, let me know what you think in the comments section! Batik Che'e!
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable holiday season. Let's see how the various groups around Dragonmount are ringing in 2012. It looks like the members in our General Wheel of Time Discussion forum have already started the new year with a juicy discussion topic: pillowfriends. Come share your thoughts about the possible meanings and implications of this term. We've recently posted about several upcoming conventions in our Meets and Conventions forum. Brandon Sanderson will be attending several of these. Go ahead and check to see if he will be in a city near you! The Kin Social Group has a thought-provoking question for you. What memories of 2011 are you taking with you into 2012? The White Ajah of the White Tower & Warders Social Group is proud to present our annual Winter Carnival! (Yes, for those who were wondering, that's my Ajah.) Check out this thread for information and links to all the Carnival activities. This Carnival will be our biggest to date. The Wolfkin Social Group invites you to play a caption game with them this month. Stop by and join in the fun! After a hiatus, it appears that our role players have continued their Intrigue in Murandy story. It's been awhile since I reported on this story, so be sure to check the updates. If you got any Wheel of Time themed holiday loot, drop by our Twitter account and show us! That's all for this week. We have more exciting events planned for you soon, so continue to watch this space!
As we close out the year, I thought it would be fun to look back and see what the biggest articles we ran this year were. #6. Our Fan Art Friday featuring Elayne really struck a chord with everyone. This surprises me, but I don't know why. We had several very popular Fan Art Fridays, but Elayne is by far the most popular. #5. Our next article was our announcement back in April that Jason Denzel would be making multiple live action trailers for A Memory of Light. Sadly, that project was canceled. #4. Back in February, lots of folks started re-reading the Wheel of Time series in preparation for A Memory of Light. We wrote a short article about some of them, including Brandon Sanderson's. We really ought to do a follow up and see which ones are still updating in 2012. #3. Our article revealing the eBook cover art for Towers of Midnight was very popular. Perrin at his forge was a real crowd pleaser. #2. Our runner up was this edition of Wheel of Time Video News with Kristen Nedopak. Sadly, her schedule doesn't allow her to do these anymore. They were really fun. But what topic had everyone buzzing? Why, speculating on when A Memory of Light might be released of course. #1. Our most popular article this year was... A Memory of Light Release Date Speculation. It's actually the second most popular article on the site, eclipsing nearly all of our Towers of Midnight coverage in 2010. You guys sure are excited to read this book, huh? I can't wait to find out what gets everyone excited in 2012!
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!
-
Stay Connected
-
-
-
Support Dragonmount Get exclusive content on our Patreon. Don't miss out.
-
-
Upcoming Events