That in itself is a curious quote, an interesting little piece if anyone is interested in that kind of triva.

In EotW only those 5 Forsaken are mentioned. 3 of them because they were actually in the book (Ishamael, Aginor and Balthamael) and then Lanfear and Demandred.

All of the others are only mentioned when they appear, or when one of the characters stumbles into their domain or upon their plans ala. Sammael, Rhavin.

Ishamael (who, while he appeared, we did not know it was him first time round) and Lanfear have turned out to be the two most important Forsaken in the series. What to make of Demandred's random mention in EotW, when we don't get a sentence from/about him until LoC, when he actually appears?

If you are like me, you would think it was Foreshadowing by RJ. As mentioned, excluding Aginor and Balthamel, who were directly involved in EotW - thus the obligatory mention - the other 3 are seemingly "random" mentions. We can semi-exclude Ishamael, as he was actually posing as the DO, but we are not supposed to know that until tDR. So Ishamael and Lanfear went on to become two of the most important Forsaken in the series. I would say this is Foreshadowing that Demandred was the third of the most important Forsaken, Foreshadowing of what was to come.

You could also say that he was mentioned just so that the fans knew he even existed, considering his considerable absence for most of the series. However, at the time EotW was written, RJ had planned it to be a much shorter series, so you would conclude that we would have seen a lot more of Demandred if it was - say - 6 books. Thus, the only reasonable conclusion you can reach is the former, a Foreshadowing of the 3 most important Forsaken.

The Creator bound the Dark One outside of reality at the moment of creation.

 

Or so the characters believe. But now it seems someone in a differnet age, possibly even Rand himself, actually made or remade the prison that contains the DO, at some point between Rand's time and when then Age of Legends comes around again. People keep saying things like "how could any person re-create what the Creator made", but I don't know if the Creator ever did actually make the Dark One's prison.

I agree with you on this completely.

It has been very firmly established that the Creator DOES NOT TAKE PART (see what I did there?). RJ was always emphatic on that point. The Creator will not help, not a chance.

We know the Wheel is endless and has turned countless times before this. This is not the first rotation of the Wheel.

Thus, if the Prison was whole when the AoL came around again, the Prison must be made complete again before the next age of legends. The Creator will not fix it, thus it must be that either a) it fixes itself naturally after a while of the DO being held back or b) humanity (or some other race in some other age) makes the prison whole again.

There is very good reason to believe that Rand will indeed fix the DO's prison, make it whole until it is drilled through in the next AoL.

He is restricted because when he touches the Pattern, he has to (temporarily) abide by it's rules, which is time. Once he breaks into the pattern, he can do anything.

My own view on the DO's prison is that the Pattern is protected by a "shell" for the lack of a better word. Which the DO cannot penetrate. So to use the house metaphor, the DO is trying to break into a house, the Pattern, but so far he can only reach a hand through the window. Thus he is restricted in his ability. However, once he is inside the house, he can go round and do whatever he wants.

However, the discussion goes beyond simple answers, I recall there being a few threads on the subject if you want to continue the discussion.

I am not sure if it has been established. There might be hints to who it was but no Cyndane killed XXXXX.

I am also not sure if the identity is important. It may be a hint of what Cyndane is up to (which we learn is rallying DF's with Moghedien) rather than it being about the actual DF.

Alright, this isn't the place to debate the pros and cons of ta'veren. Create a thread (ha) about it if you want, but it seems it has become more than a simple question and a simple answer.

Ahh ok.

Well, my answer stands.

Yes and no.

No, because it probably doesn't serve the purpose you would think.(having first read it and nothing more)

But it does serve a purpose, it wasn't a random throwaway plot.

Is this your first read? Because it is hard to answer and I don't want to assume it is and look stupid.

Hmmmm, hard to answer the question. Yes and no.

I suppose being Elaida supporters puts them in the "Old Guard". I mean, the Rebels are doing random unprecedented things just by rebelling, they are more malleable to change. The Elaida-moles are (by their choice of sticking with Elaida) traditionalists.

So I can see where both of your conclusions are correct. It is because they are Elaida's henchmen that they disagree, and that fact makes them "traditionalists" who would be against change anyway, not just by Elaida's order, but by their own nature.

I agree, I think whoever added the footnote was mistaken.

FORKROOT

If cuendillar is brought into Tel'aran'rhiod, can it be destroyed in a nightmare (the same way Perrin destroyed the dreamspike)?

 

BRANDON SANDERSON

If you were strong enough in Tel'aran'rhiod, you could probably force it to break, but it would remanifest itself pretty quickly. (He compared it to how Perrin was able to force Hopper back together for a moment, but no more—it snapped back to "reality" pretty fast.) RJ was pretty strong on this point—it's really, really hard to destroy the stuff. Even an opening gateway wouldn't do it—either the edge would push the cuendillar object out of the way, or the object would block the gateway from opening or closing. (You could actually block a gateway open by sticking a piece of cuendillar in it.) RJ was firm: there are only two ways for cuendillar to be destroyed: the Pattern unraveling, and... one other thing. (From the way he said "one other thing" I think we'll be learning about it in A Memory of Light. He enjoyed that question too.)

 

FOOTNOTE

Brandon said in another interview that the second way to destroy cuendillar is with the True Power.

Also, I would think that if a man who can channel bonds a woman who can channel as his warder, and then he goes insane, she would probably go insane as well.

 

I was about to say that it doesn't work in reverse as neither Alanna, Min, Elayne or Avi are insane. But their's no evidence to suggest that any of them are crazier as a result of the bond.

Well Elayne and Alanna certainly have been a bit erratic, but that is a bit of Elayne being pregnant. Still, might be a cover.

In reality though, I don't think that they would go insane.

Is CoT worth reading on a reread? Ive read it before so I know what hapens, but are there any really good scenes in it that warrant a reread?

 

I think it was better then Path of Daggers and Winter's Heart. A lot of the plotlines that were kind of stalled in book 9 finally get moving somewhere.

 

The scene where Perrin forms an alliance with the Seanchen was pretty awesome. The Egwene rebel aes sedi stuff finally starts to go somewhere. And the clensing of saidin scene was great.

 

Yeah, I think it's worth a re-read.

I think you're getting your books mixed up, the cleansing was in WH. The allaince with the Seanchan was in KoD.

Could the TP be accessed in a stedding?

No.

 

INTERVIEW: Oct 20th, 2005

KOD Signing Report - Robert Mee (Paraphrased)

 

 

ROBERT JORDAN

 

Stedding: Neither the One Power NOR the True Power will work in a stedding.

 

 

 

 

I bet even DO isn't as arogant as Egwene.

 

Not that I agree with the sentiment behind the statement, but it is probably technically true. The Do is entirely alien, and arrogance isn't in it's nature.

I think a lot of it comes down to one thing.

She does a good job in her plotline and has good skills and ideas. She does some good things for the story and helps out the LIght.

She does stupid things, just like all of the characters, but why people don't like her is simple: She is not a likeable person. Plot-wise, she has done an overall good job, and you would go to her for help. But apart from that, you would just want to avoid her because of her crappy personality.

She is like an unlike-able cousin. You know she is there for you, and you would help her out, but you just don't want to spend much time with her.

Remember also she was among the first BA hunters. She reswore the Oaths when they outed Talene as Black Ajah.

 

 

AFAIK there is no definitive answer to it in the interview database, someone correct me if I'm wrong. What we know for certain is ability to channel or being a wolfbrother is tied to the soul. Perrin will always be reborn as a wolfbrother in an Age where wolfbrothers exist and Egwene will always be reborn as a channeler where channelers exist.

 

There is in fact an answer. The ability to channel at least, is a matter of both soul and genetics.

 

INTERVIEW: Oct 2nd, 2005

Robert Jordan's Blog: ONE MORE TIME

 

 

ROBERT JORDAN

 

For Papazen, while I have spoken of souls being born with the ability to channel in response to questions, I think of it as being genetic also.

 

 

Yoniy0: RJ has commented on both channelling and wolfbrotherness. Apparently they can channel in every life (see quote 1). (in ages without channelling, I would say it means they are all born learners, which just doesn't develop) Wolfbrotherness only happens in an age where the possibility exists, but I take it that the soul is always a wolfbrother, just doesn't display those properties all the time. (see quote 2)

INTERVIEW: Sep 3rd, 2005

DragonCon Report - Isabel (Verbatim)

 

ROBERT JORDAN

I don't think I have said if you are born with the spark you would have the have the spark again. I have said if you were born with the ability to channel, to learn or with the spark, you will, when your soul is born again, you will have the ability again, whether with the spark or without.

INTERVIEW: Jan 25th, 2005

TOR Questions of the Week Part II (Verbatim)

 

ROBERT JORDAN

Women certainly can be wolfbrothers, though the term would be wolfsisters. A wolfbrother or wolfsister reborn in another age would only be a wolfbrother or wolfsister again if that were possible in that Age. The ability to speak with wolves doesn't exist in every Age.

It's a bit off-topic but I've been wondering something for some time. Maybe someone knows the answer to it.

 

How similar are the 2nd and 3rd Ages in the current cycle to the ones in the previous cycle? Is the Second Age always a utopia in each cycle while the Third is marked with strife? Does the 2nd Age always end with a Breaking and the flawed sealing of the Bore? I know there are levels of victory in the war between Light and Shadow but is it always roughly the same in the same age of different cycles?

RJ has described it like this.

INTERVIEW: Nov 30th, 2000

WH Signing Report - Matt Peck (Paraphrased)

 

MATT PECK

I asked that as the Wheel turned, each time an Age rolls around, is the Pattern exactly the same each time, or does it change?

 

ROBERT JORDAN

He seemed to like this question. He likened it to a tapestry. When seen from a distance, each Third Age (to make it easy to track) has exactly the same pattern as the previous Third Age. However, when seen up close, there are differences. Threads are different, different nations exist, geography is different, different personalities rise to prominence. These changes, while minute in the grand scale of the Pattern, affect the Pattern enough so that while two iterations of an Age are almost the same, the first "Third Age" may be wildy different from the hundredth "Third Age".

There was an entire thread dedicated to that question. I can't recall anything that went on over there, but I'm sure someone could fish it out.

 

What question? The one about whatever or not weaves can be drawn or if they can be in other ways represented? If so yes I would love to read that discussion for it is an interesting topic.

http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/66949-could-one-learn-a-weave-from-a-book/page__hl__%20can%20%20weaves%20%20drawn

 

So you're introducing a third evil into the mix...

 

Have them gamble too: "I'll see your trolloc and raise you a myrddraal."

I raise all-in with a Jumara.

Question: Everyone hates on Hinderstap. Why? Is it purely the WTF, left-field, never-to-be-seen-again element to the whole thing? Or is it a certain resemblance to the Zed word?

 

Personally, I found those pages, as the sun went down, to be a fine, almost poetic counterpoint to the night in Tar Valon in TDR, when Mat is assaulted by "footpads".

I loved the slow build of: something's wrong; no, something's really wrong; stop it, Mat, pay attention, something's REALLY wrong; MAT YOU FREAKING IDIOT GET OUT OF THERE!

I think that most of the dislike comes from the fact it had pretty much nothing to do with anything. The plot advancement (what little there is) could have been done in a more realistic (for the Wheel of Time, anyway) and relevant manner.

Personally I didn't hate it, it was fun enough to read, just not much point in it.

Hey Yoni (Or whoever)

 

Random question: Why did Avi hate Rand so much? (Was it because she saw that she would fall in love with him and she didn't want too)

Pretty much. It was a mixture of things, but mainly because she had promised Elayne to "watch" Rand for her, then subsequently saw her future + fell in love with him. It made all sorts of problems with ji'e'toh and her having to do crap that she didn't want because of Rand.

I see no reason to believe that the 'new fog-thingy' is not Mashadar.

Reading ToM (or, actually, the sample material), that was my initial thought as well. I'm under the impression I've since read a quote of Brandon's saying it isn't, but as it turns out I can't find anything of the sort.

Might be remembering this quote?

INTERVIEW: 2010

Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)

 

BENJAMIN MOLDOVAN

Mashadar is gone, isn't it? Would it really hurt to say whether the True Power would be affected?

BRANDON SANDERSON

Have we ever confirmed that Mashadar is dead? :)

I agree with Terez, Mashadar isn't a sentient being from Shadar Logoth, it is the result of Mordeth's power. Mordeth himself was the power that destroyed Aridhol. (and why he still "lived" in the ruins)

Fain = Mordeth, one would assume that he would be able to use Mordeth's power, Mashadar. Or at least capable of producing the crazy fog, which came to be known as Mashadar.

don't get me wrong, I agree with you guys that it is wrong, both what Alanna did and Compulsion is basically wrong, however it is not something that is impossible to do with the oaths.

 

I'm still bothered by what Eliada was able to do to Eggy in the tower. I guess it really means that if you can convience yourself something isn't true, you can cut someone's head off with the power. It's like a lie detector test I guess.

Yeah, now THAT is something that strains the boundaries. I think it was accurate though, Elaida was kind of insane at that point (via Fain) and wasn't really thinking normally. She really did think what she did was ok.

I would hate to see what Fain would be able to do, I don't think the Oaths would have any affect on him.