DRAGONMOUNT

This weekend, representatives of JordanCon will be attending FenCon/ DeepSouthCon 49 in Dallas, Texas. JordanCon is bidding to host the fifty-first DeepSouthCon in 2013 and the voting will take place at the annual business meeting of the Southern Fandom Confederation at that convention.   What is DeepSouthCon? DeepSouthCon is the South's regional fan convention. Each year it's hosted by a different southern city or convention. Previous DeepSouthCon guests have featured authors such as Larry Niven, Lois McMaster Bujold, Orson Scott Card and many more. Each year, DeepSouthCon awards the prestigious Phoenix and Rebel awards to the fans and professionals who have done the most to bring positive attention to the South, its fans, and the writers connected to this region. It also plays host to the annual Hearts Tournament of the Universe, a fun and social event.   JordanCon is thrilled at the possibility of hosting this unique event. As JordanCon was founded in honor of one of the most famous and successful fantasy writers in memory, it seems only natural that we host a DeepSouthCon. Additionally, DeepSouthCon has not been hosted in Atlanta, Georgia since 1988 and hasn't been in Georgia since 2000's "Son of the Beachcon" held on Jekyll Island. JordanCon feels it is past time for Georgia to take its turn hosting again.   To participate in the site selection for the 2013 DeepSouthCon you must be a registered member of Fencon/DeepSouthCon 49 and attend the business meeting at 10AM on Sunday, September 25th.   JordanCon 2012, "Car'a'con," will take place April 20-22 at the Doubletree Inn Roswell, just outside of Atlanta, GA. Guests will be Hugo award winning author Mary Robinette Kowal and Chesley award winning artist Sam Weber. Pre-reg for JordanCon 2012 is $45, discounted from $65 for the whole weekend.

Ni Hao, die-hard devotees of Dragonmount! Welcome to another weekly installment of "It Works in Theory," Dragonmount's theory blog, in which I get to unload all my various rambling! As you've probably noticed, Dragonmount's front page has been very busy lately, and we're also celebrating our birthday, so check in often just to make sure you don't miss out on any updates or announcements. To help alleviate the extra traffic, please visit our store and buy stuff so we can continue giving you such a great place to revel in your Wheel of Time fandom! And now for our disclaimer:   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! Side effects of reading "It Works in Theory" may include abnormal dreams, anxiety, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, flu-like symptoms, flop sweat, night chills, loss of appetite, the "itis," increased appetite, loss of limbs, and severe abdominal distensions. Should any of these side effects not occur, please consult a physician immediately as your eyesight probably needs to be checked.   I'm particularly excited about today's entry. We shall be discussing the Seanchan and their role in the Last Battle. I was always fascinated by the Seanchan, but became even more transfixed with them once I found out their accents were supposed to be somewhat Texan sounding. Here's the link to the old WOTFAQ concerning nations and their real life counterparts. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see a list of some of the accents Robert Jordan imagined each nation to have. I'm from Texas myself (even though I don't have much of an accent), so I was very happy to see the quote by Johan Gustafsson and decided to use it for the title of this week's blog.   Okay, so where to begin? We know the Seanchan have attacked the White Tower once and are planning a second, larger attack. We know Tuon resisted Rand's ta'veren pull when he tried to intimidate her into submission. This means the Seanchan must be dealt with in some way before the forces of Light face the forces of Shadow, unless they want a two-pronged war that would most likely help the chances of the forces of Shadow winning. We have a good idea that the Seanchan practice of leashing damane may soon be changing, in light of the recent revelations concerning their handlers, the sul'dam, and their potential in being able to learn to channel themselves. This last little tidbit has potentially dire consequences which will threaten the stability of the entire Seanchan empire: the Empress herself has the innate ability to learn to channel, and I find it unlikely she'll submit to being leashed herself.   First of all, let's examine something that looks to be impossible in a way, or at the very least, confusing. Here's a snippet from one of Egwene's first dreams:     There's a slight problem here: Aes Sedai who have been collared are still unable to use the One Power as a weapon, except against Shadowspawn and Darkfriends, due to the Three Oaths. So, how are they being forced to call lightning against the White Tower? One explanation might be that the ones channeling against the Tower are Accepted who have not sworn on the Oath Rod yet. I find this somewhat unlikely, however, because Egwene's dream indicates there will be a large number of women wearing Great Serpent rings. Plus, the Seanchan may think the Aes Sedai who are unable to use the One Power as a weapon are doing so out of spite and will bring them to watch their Tower crumble and hopefully break their spirit even more. There is also the possibility this wasn't a true Dream and was just a nightmare like Egwene hoped, yet I once again find this unlikely.   While we're discussing Egwene's dreams, there are a couple more that are relevant to this issue:         It's apparent that Egwene will end up forming an alliance with a Seanchan woman and will, in fact, be saved by one. There's some debate about a couple of these quotes; some think the golden hawk in the second quote refers to Berelain since the golden hawk is featured on Mayenne's standard. It seems more likely that it signifies the golden hawk of Artur Hawkwing's empire, which the Seanchan use for the royal line. The last quote is even more obscure in its own way, as it's not clear if the woman who helps Egwene is one woman in particular (Leilwin Shipless or Tuon) or instead representative of a multitude of women since the faces are constantly changing. All things considered, I feel it makes the most sense for the woman who ends up being so connected with Egwene to turn out to be Tuon.   It would make sense that when Rand confronts Egwene, if she had Tuon with her, it would be a huge bargaining chip in trying to convince Rand not to break the seals. Rand will break the seals regardless, but he might see the only way he can do this once he sees Tuon is to get Tuon to come to his side by kneeling to her, satisfying Tuon's interpretation of her land's Dragon Prophecies.   So, if the Seanchan attack Tar Valon again, why in the world would Egwene turn around and ally with the woman who ordered the attack?! Okay, I think this is as good a time as any to reveal what I think might happen: Yes, the Seanchan will march on the White Tower, but after Traveling there they will find the Tower occupied with another invading force: a mini-horde of Shadowspawn and Dreadlords sent to destroy Tar Valon while it is at its weakest. The sudden revelation that the tales of Trollocs and Myrddraal have not been mere myth and superstition will force Tuon to drastically alter her plans, and she will end up giving aid to the Aes Sedai by helping to eradicate this surprise attack force of Shadowspawn. Her collared Aes Sedai will be able to channel lightning against the forces of the Shadow, fulfilling that part of Egwene's dream.   There's some other huge plot points that can happen in this potential confrontation. What if Suffa, the "loyal" damane (you might remember her as Elaida, the previous Amyrlin Seat), is part of the Seanchan force, and her sul'dam is conveniently killed during the fight? Freed from her enslavement by Shadowspawn, perhaps even by a Dreadlord or even a Forsaken, who's to say that she might finally switch allegiances after everything she's been through? Another confrontation between Egwene and Elaida, who has recently turned to the Shadow, would most likely be pretty epic.   Here's another thing I could see happening with this idea that I love: Mat still has to go back to Tar Valon to retrieve the Horn of Valere. It would truly be kismet if he were to arrive at the Tower at the same time the attack is happening, and while trying to rescue the Horn, is mortally injured. Who happens upon him but none other than Tuon, who in an emotionally charged scene embraces the side of her that has the spark and Heals Mat (and later Bonds him as her Warder). This event leads her to confront the "ancient wrong" her people have been committing and decree that all damane shall be freed and all a'dam destroyed.   Alright, I think I might be enjoying this whole wild predictions thang a little too much. Till next week, folks! Y'all come back now, y'hear? I'm fixin' to show y'all a thing or two about some dang 'ol Forsaken!

Thirteen years ago today, someone started spamming the existing Wheel of Time message boards with links to his "cool, new site" called Dragonmount. The Path of Daggers was about to be released and all the Wheel of Time discussion sites were buzzing with theories and conversation. Dragonmount wasn't very pretty, it wasn't fully staffed yet, and I didn't know any better, so I volunteered to be the site's Amyrlin Seat. Thirteen years, some staff shuffles, some more releases, and more ups and downs than I care to count later, I'm proud to call myself Jason Denzel's partner in running Dragonmount.   We've had some rough times, and there have been days both of us wanted to pack it all in and go home, but overall, the good times outweigh the bad and we both feel that we've done our part to make the online Wheel of Time community a better place. Whether it's organizing volunteers for book signings, producing the first Wheel of Time podcast, running one of the largest Wheel of Time role-play forums, or just providing a place for fans to hang out and share their love of the series, Jason and I have been honored that so many fans have chosen Dragonmount as their Internet home.   To celebrate our thirteenth birthday, we've partnered with Tor Books to give away one copy of the recently released The Eye of the World graphic novel adaption. To enter, visit our dedicated birthday forum and post why you enjoy Dragonmount so much.   Sound the Horn! The Hunt is on, and may Dragonmount be your hunting-place!

Brandon Sanderson's latest Mistborn novel, The Alloy of Law, will be released on November 8, 2011. This story is set three hundred years after the Mistborn trilogy ends. The dates for Sanderson's signing tour have been announced, and yes, he is coming to Canada!   Here is the full schedule:   Tuesday, November 8th – Midnight (doors open 9 PM) BYU Bookstore Wilkinson Student Center (WSC) / University Hill (Brigham Young University) Provo, Utah 84602   Wednesday, November 9th – 7:00 PM Mysterious Galaxy 7051 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard San Diego, CA 92111-1040   Thursday, November 10th – 7:00 PM Barnes & Noble 7881 Edinger Avenue Huntington Beach, CA 92647   Friday, November 11th – 7:00 PM University Books @ University Temple United Methodist Church 1415 NE 43rd St. Seattle 98105   Saturday, November 12th – 2:00 PM Chapters Metrotown Metropolis, Metrotown 4700 Kingsway Burnaby, British Columbia V5H 4M1   Monday, November 14th – 7:00 PM Joseph-Beth Booksellers 161 Lexington Green Cir # B1 Lexington, KY 40503-3323   Tuesday, November 15th – 6:30 PM Murder by the Book 2342 Bissonnet St Houston TX 77005   Wednesday, November 16th – 7:00 PM Barnes & Noble Park Slope 267 7th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11215 **Signing Only**   You can pre-order The Alloy of Law now at Amazon.

Today, September 16th, 2011, marks the four-year anniversary of Robert Jordan's death. He is remembered fondly by those who knew him, and gratefully by those who read his books.   Our warmest regards go out to Harriet, Wilson, and Jordan's entire family during this bittersweet remembrance.   One of our longtime members, Isabel, posted one of his quotes today, which I gladly share with you here:     RIP, Robert Jordan. Your legacy lives on.   If you are interested, here's the written report from Robert Jordan's funeral back in 2007.

Towers of Midnight, book thirteen of The Wheel of Time, will be released in paperback form in the USA on October 4, 2011. It was the second Wheel of Time book published after Robert Jordan's death, and thus the second book in the series featuring the writing of Brandon Sanderson.   Go here to pre-order your copy from Amazon.   Here are some more helpful links about Towers of Midnight: Book Information Read Our Review Watch Our Book Trailer

The last time I brought you information on Wheel of Time fan paraphernalia, it was all about jewelry and accessories. Well, this week, I'm going to bring some Wheel of Time clothing retailers closer to your home.   Despite my intense Internet searches, I only found two places other than Amazon which sell Wheel of Time themed t-shirts. The first and only officially licensed retailer is Ta'veren Tees, which you might recognize from other blog articles on the Dragonmount front page. They are a fledgling retailer, but are steadily increasing the amount of designs that they have for their shirts. There are seven female and six male ones. Whether you're a steadfast supporter of the Band of the Red Hand or Loyal to Loial, I'm sure you'll find a suitable shirt at Ta'veren Tees. If there isn't one to your liking, just keep an eye on their site and you might find new designs that get released or some specials to spice up the designs currently available.   Another place that has some Wheel of Time themed clothing is the TarValon.Net CafePress store. Their products are not aimed at the general Wheel of Time fans, though, but rather members of TarValon.Net. I'd say still give it a look and see if there isn't possibly something to your liking.   So, get out there, buy a shirt, and flaunt your love for the Wheel of Time on a shirt for all to see.

L.E. Modesitt, Jr., the bestselling author of The Saga of Recluce and other popular series, will be visiting Dragonmount! He will be here for an entire week participating in a Q&A session hosted by our Artists, Crafters, and Writers Guild. The Q&A will run from Monday, September 19th through Sunday, September 25th in our General Discussion forum. Anyone may post questions for Mr. Modesitt during this time, and he will answer them throughout the week.   Here is more information about Mr. Modesitt from his website:     Don't miss this exciting opportunity to pick the brain of a famous author!

I made it back from Dragon*Con in one piece and am ready to resume my weekly updates. All of you should consider coming to Dragon*Con sometime. It's a great way to meet fellow Wheel of Time fans.   It looks like plenty of exciting things have happened on the forums since I last was here. One interesting thread you should check out is in our General Wheel of Time Discussion forum, where people are talking about references in the Wheel of Time to real-world pop culture and history. The thread has a very comprehensive list so far.   Who is the best movie director of all time? Visit our Movies Discussion forum and see if you agree with anyone's picks.   The theme for the September Challenge in the Artists, Crafters, and Writers Guild is "Swap." The goal is for everyone to swap their usual creative medium for something new this month.   The Aiel Social Group is discussing holidays and their meanings. What do various holidays mean to you? Do you know the history behind why some holidays are celebrated around the world?   The Wolfkin Social Group is discussing their favorite autumn foods. My mouth is watering just from reading this thread!   Our role players have been hanging around the Blight lately. Check out "Discovery of a Puzzle" to see what adventure unfolds.   If you want to see some of our Twitter updates from Dragon*Con, go here. It looks like we have quite a few pictures from our Wheel of Time costume contest.   That's it for today! I'll see you all next week.

Bonjour, my brilliant boarders of Dragonmount! Welcome back to another weekly installment of "It Works in Theory," Dragonmount's newish theory blog, which just so happens to be entrusted to my hands. I apologize for the extended delay between new entries; as many of you are aware, Dragon*Con was held this past weekend in Atlanta, Georgia, and I had the privilege to go this year for the first time. In short, it was simply a blast, and particularly exquisite because my birthday fell on the last day of the event. It was, in fact, the first convention of any kind that I had ever attended, and it did not fail whatsoever to impress me. I greatly urge any fans of the Wheel of Time series to try and make it out next Labor Day weekend or even this coming spring when JordanCon will be held in the same city. And now, onto our disclaimer:   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! This weblog of "It Works in Theory" is copyrighted by Despothera and Dragonmount for the private use and enjoyment of our audience. Any other use of this weblog or any pictures, descriptions, or accounts of the blog without consent from Despothera "signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, lost, found, queried, subjected to public inquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighter" (from Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) is greatly encouraged. To be honest, I don't really think it is copyrighted per se anyway, but just to be on the safe side, maybe just include a link back here or something.   Alright, here's one more thing I wanted to get out of the way that I hope my editor won't mind terribly: I don't believe many of you know this, but in addition to having somewhat of a penchant for writing, I also happen to pretend to have minor musical talent as well. I am in a band that goes by the same name as my handle here on Dragonmount (Despothera). We recently got our website up and running to feature our newly recorded EP, so if anyone would like to check it out and see if you like it, just visit www.despothera.com. We play hard rock and metal, but have a broad spectrum of musical influences so many might be able to enjoy the songs on the site. I'm particularly proud of the song which I wrote, a 9-minute instrumental which I named "Tarmon Gai'don" in reverence of The Wheel of Time. Now that I have finished shamelessly self-promoting my band, let's go ahead and move on to the subject of today's blog.   I thought it fitting today after already bringing up my love of music to go into further detail about a subject I've referenced in earlier blogs: the importance of the Talent of Singing in helping to save the world of Rand and his allies. As I mentioned in my premiere blog entry, we now have a pretty good idea that the "Song" which the Tuatha'an (Tinkers, or Traveling People) have been seeking might not actually be a singularly important song, but rather a longing to return to the happier ways of their people when they were Aiel and used Seed Singing to help promote the health of the land around them. The Tuatha'an practice the Way of the Leaf and have a strong affinity both for nature and music, making them something of an oblique allusion to groups in our own society that dedicate their lives to following peaceful ways and jam bands (any Deadheads out there?). Luckers, one of our own site's admins, has written a very helpful article which talks about this subject in further detail: Demystifying The Song.   Many people, including myself, believe that it might be essential for the Talent of Singing to be rediscovered in order for the forces of Light to have any chance at winning. However, the big question is, how will it be rediscovered? One of the characters who is connected to this mystery most often happens to be my favorite character in the series: Perrin "Goldeneyes" Aybara. We'll get to why so many people believe he will have a central role in rediscovering the lost Talent in a moment, but first, I wanted to examine one of the character parallels that exist in the personage of Perrin.   If you haven't been to The Thirteenth Depository, a Wheel of Time blog headed by Linda Taglieri (who I had the pleasure of meeting this past weekend at Dragon*Con), please take time to visit there at some point. While I have a fantastic time writing my blog and am proud of what I've been able to put out so far, the theories and notions I have presented are a grain of sand on the beach compared to the many musings and thoughts that have been expressed by Linda on her site over the years. I'm particularly impressed by her ability to find the many historical, literary, and mythological references and allusions found in The Wheel of Time; Robert Jordan was simply a master of his trade when it came to selecting various figures and stories throughout the history of mankind and injecting derivatives of them into his tale. One of the connections Linda has made that I particularly enjoy is the parallel between Perrin and the fictional character of the knight Sir Percival from Arthurian Legend and Grail stories (you might have to scroll far down the page to get to that part).   It's my feeling that the story alluded to the most in The Wheel of Time is the story of King Arthur, The Fisher King, and the search for the Holy Grail. We won't get into the plethora of references and allegories to this legend, but it is a good idea to focus on the Perrin/Percival parallels to see how Perrin might end up being involved with the rediscovery of Singing. First of all, it's very easy to notice the similarities in their names. In fact, another name for Percival found in the early writings of Grail legend is Peredur, which is even more phonetically similar to Perrin. Percival was of noble blood but was raised in the forest in a simple upbringing until he was fifteen, when he saw a gallant group of knights that inspired him to become one himself. His genuine interest in doing the right thing is stressed almost to the point of naivete, but it is his purity of heart which singles him out to be the knight who is best equipped to find the grail.   We know about Perrin's modest upbringing in the Two Rivers. Although he wasn't entranced into a life of heroics, he has nonetheless been transformed into a hero, even a lord, by both the nature of him being ta'veren and the circumstances which have surrounded him. In spite of his transformation, he has kept the same noble and modest personality, and the purity of his heart has never come into question. Of the three ta'veren from Edmond's Field, he is easily the most noble; Rand has a constant struggle of internal torment at his role as the Dragon Reborn, and Mat, while very lovable himself, is somewhat of a scoundrel.   In the Grail stories, Percival is plagued by being in constant conflict with temptation in his quest for the grail, as Perrin is plagued by the conflict against succumbing to the wild, violent side of himself represented by the axe he leaves behind in Crossroads of Twilight. Percival was so afflicted with internal struggle in the face of temptation that he wounds himself by piercing his thigh with his own sword rather than lay with a temptress. Perrin is wounded badly in the thigh in one of his confrontations with Slayer in Tel'aran'rhiod in Towers of Midnight. One of the most important congruencies between the two characters, though, is their potential role in saving the health of the land.   We know how Percival helps to save the health of the land; by finding the grail, he is able to rejuvenate the Fisher King and, through him, the land. One of Min's visions gives us a glimpse of how Perrin might be connected to the health of the land:     The wolf image is obvious as Perrin is a wolfbrother. The broken crown is a reference to his connection to the Saldean crown, for which Perrin is now in the line of succession since his wife, Faile, is second in line after her father, Davram Bashere. The trees flowering all around him are a strange viewing for Min to have about Perrin. It would make sense if she saw the image about Rand, since we see in Towers of Midnight that Rand now has an aura about him which instantly brings health and vibrancy to the immediate area around him. Being that the image is around Perrin, though, it's likely that he will end up having an important role in rejuvenating the land even as the Dark One's shadow grows strongest. But how will he end up doing this?   We're now going to venture into a subject that was talked about recently in our 4th Age Podcast: the mystery of Nakomi. Just as a quick refresher, Nakomi was the woman who appeared to Aviendha on her journey to Rhuidean, where she saw the bleak future of her people. Many theories have been raised regarding the identity of this strange figure, but one which I particularly enjoy and find to make the most sense has to do with one particular line in the book right before Nakomi's introduction:     Perhaps Aviendha wasn't awake at all during her encounter, but instead had drifted off to sleep with her mind filled with the problems her people faced. Aviendha has a history of doing things "accidentally," as when she first wove a gateway to get away from Rand to try and hide her shame, so it's possible that she slipped into Tel'aran'rhiod. Another possibility is that she was drawn there somehow in her need to find further clarity. Once in Tel'aran'rhiod, she is visited by Nakomi, who happens to be a Jenn Aiel who is a Hero of the Horn and resides in that dream world. It might be against their precepts to interfere or talk to people from the real world, but we already have a precedent for it and since there is a dire need for Aviendha to gain understanding about her people's predicament, it's probably okay in this circumstance to break the rules.   I also like other ideas about Nakomi, such as how she might be a spirit guide, or even possibly the Creator in person (remember how she has to go "see to nature"?), but let's roll with this idea for now. I don't think it's a stretch to imagine there will be a huge confrontation in Tel'aran'rhiod in the last book, especially if Perrin somehow has to save Rand from the clutches of the Dark One after Rand's death. In such an important encounter, the forces of the Light will use any tool they have to help give them an edge, so I expect to see Dreamwalkers, Wolfbrothers, and Heroes of the Horn, possibly including Nakomi.   Even should Nakomi not be present at the battle in the dream world, what if she still finds the time to make another appearance to Perrin at some point when he's traveling through Tel'aran'rhiod? Perrin is not just a warrior, but a blacksmith, and has the ability to create as well as destroy. The title of this week's blog is actually a direct quote from The Shadow Rising, from the last paragraph of chapter 40, and could be important foreshadowing. The music he hears is from a band of Tuatha'an he meets in the Two Rivers, and it turns out he's familiar with this particular group of Tinkers and their leader, Raen, from when he traveled with them for a time in The Eye of the World. Raen hails Perrin with the customary greeting a Tuatha'an will ask upon meeting someone in the world:     Perrin might not know the Song yet, and this might be a stretch, but perhaps Nakomi helps Perrin discover something else hidden deep inside himself. Perhaps, even as Perrin's hammer, Mah'alleinir, sings its own song of destruction as it carves swathes of death through ranks of Shadowspawn, Perrin Goldeneyes will let his voice resound against the Dark One himself at the sealing of the Bore. Leading a heroic grouping of Aiel, Tuatha'an, and Ogier (and maybe even a Nym), he will Sing the Song which ends up being the Light's salvation.   Wouldn't that be something?