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News
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Wheel of Time Cage Match: Interested in discussing the Week 1 winners? How about the Week 2 winners? Also, don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the Week Three Line-up:
Asmodean vs Alivia
Siuan vs Narishma
Galad vs Faile
Tam vs Sulin
So, Min Fairshaw has an interesting, and seemingly unique, power of reading the threads of the Pattern surrounding other people. In the General Wheel of Time Discussion board, there is an ongoing discussion of the usefulness of her power. Is her power just a plot device, or something more?
Interested in playing Quidditch? What about Battleship? People wanting to play games but seeking an alternative to Mafia can find these games in our Social Groups.
Roleplayers would be interested to know that a position as the Role Play Group Leader for the Children of Light is now open for applications. Those interested in the position must have an interest in the Children of the Light Roleplay.
That about wraps it up for this week’s Weekly Roundup. I hope you have a safe and happy summer, and a great Bastille Day! (July 14).
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Galad defeated Uno
Tam defeated Slayer
Sulin defeated Tuon
Faile defeated Berelain
All the winning fighters will advance to Round 3, which starts right now! Here's the line-up:
Asmodean vs Alivia
Siuan vs Narishma
Galad vs Faile
Tam vs Sulin
Go to the Cage Match board to vote for your favorite character. Or discuss more of Week 2's fights here.
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Seanchan are the people from across the Aryth Ocean. Artur Hawkwing sent his son to conquer the Seanchan lands. As time passed, the Seanchan and Luthair Hawkwing's people merged into one. The Seanchan are known for their damane, collard women born with the spark, and sul'dam, who are women who can learn to channel, control the damane. The nobility or Blood are marked by lacquered nails and shaved heads.
Important incidents with the Seanchan include Falme, the capture of Amadicia, and the attack at White Tower, among several others.
This edition brings to you the Empress, may she live forever, damane, the battle at White Tower, Seanchan insect-like armor, and a symbol representative of Seanchan.
Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag by PollyUranus
The Seanchan Raid by Sango1013
Damane by SicilianValkyrie
Seanchan by tjsavolainen
Seanchan by DonXavier
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Have you recently finished The Wheel of Time series and would like to do a re-read, but the thought of finding time to wade through such a big series is a little off-putting? Or have you not yet finished the series and just don't seem to be able to get through it, but you're dying to see how it all ends?
Well, have no fear because help is very, very near!
Here at Dragonmount we have our very own eBook store.
It has all of the books by both Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, so you can choose which ones you need to read or re-read, and download them to a variety of devices--which you can then easily carry about with you to read a little when you can. So there really are no excuses!
What is great about the store is that the eBooks are offered digital rights media (DRM) free--which means you can download them onto more than one device, and that makes it even more convenient for you. Whatever gets you reading The Wheel of Time is fine by us!
The prices are very reasonable and what's more, you can buy a gift voucher for a friend you may know who would really appreciate help reading the books as well... Whatever gets them reading The Wheel of Time, too!
Dragonmount has partnered up with Tor, the licensed publishers of The Wheel of Time eBooks. In fact, we also stock many other eBooks from Tor, if you wanted to check out some other works of fiction--but only if you have finished The Wheel of Time first. Twice!
I jest, of course. Check out the store and see if it offers anything of interest to you.
If you have questions, you can learn more in our eBook FAQ.
Have fun!
Until next time, friends!
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Elayne:
Rand al'Thor, Rand al'Thor. Wherefore art thou Dragon Reborn?
Deny thy madness and refuse thy fate,
Or be but sworn my love, and I suppose I'll just have to get alone with those two other girls...
Hamlet
Matrim:
To run, or not to run, that is the question. Whether 'tis easier to avoid the slings and arrows of those charging armed men, or to take flight against the sea of troubles, and by running away, delay them. Or to cheat, to cheat perchance to win. Ha, there's a laugh.
Macbeth
Rand:
Is this Callandor I see before me, handle towards my hand?
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SPOILER WARNING. This will include content from A Memory of Light. Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.
Since time is a Wheel, and all things come and go, we know the ability to channel must eventually be lost. Or else, we'd have channelers in our own time—and as far I know, we don't. One of the panels at JordanCon, "After the Last Battle," touched on this topic a bit, but I'd like to expand it further.
It's been stated several times in the series that most Aes Sedai are under the impression that the Power is being culled out of the population. Since they've been gentling male channelers for nearly 3,000 years, it seems logical that this would be the outcome. However, I'd like to counter that argument by pointing out they are only gentling men with the spark, the ability to channel no matter what. We know that fewer channelers have the spark; most have the ability within and need to be tested for it to mature. So most of the male channelers are not being gentled, and are living their lives, passing on their genes, without knowing they can learn to touch the True Source.
I think this is evident by how many Asha'man there are by the end of the series. In almost no time at all, the Black Tower accepted and trained so many channelers. And now that male channelers aren't going to be hunted down, it stands to reason that the number of channelers overall would increase.
So what other reasons are there for the Power to be lost eventually? I've got a few theories that might work.
1. Disease
It's quite possible that disease could be the cause. If a strain of bacteria or a virus erupted that only attacked the channeling population, there would be almost no hope for them. Since channelers tend to group together—in the Black Tower and the White Tower, at least—it could spread through them quickly.
There might be some hope if the Yellows, and those Asha'man dedicated to Healing, could think of a way to combat the strain. But if it only attacks channelers, maybe it would be immune to flows of the Power.
If a vast majority of the channelers were wiped out—like the Towers, or the kenneled damane—and only random patches of channelers still existed—like the Kin, the Wise Ones, or the Sea Folk—the smaller patches would likely die off over time. The ability, if not widely spread and having a larger breeding pool, would definitely be culled.
2. Channeling outlawed
There may come a time, far down the road, where channeling could be seen as a bad thing. We all know of historical examples of "witchcraft" being outlawed and punishable by death. If somewhere along the way, the channelers lose sight of being focused on service, they could become a group of selfish, or evil, people. It's typical that people in powerful stations eventually become corrupted. I could see this happening quite easily.
If the channelers began to become enemies of the people, no doubt the people would rise up and demand a change. The channelers would become hunted and killed. The only difficult part would be catching them. Since forkroot tea is common knowledge now, it might still be well known at some point in the future.
If the people are able to kill a majority of channelers, the same effects from the disease scenario would hold true. The smaller groups, who must go into hiding, would eventually stop channeling all together, or lose the ability over time.
3. The world becomes a Stedding
This idea has been around a long time. I've seen dozens of theories on this over the years. Because of this, I won't spend a lot of time on it, but I also didn't want to leave it out.
What happens in this scenario is that the Steddings begin to grow—perhaps the Ogier are able to make it grow at some point, before they open the Book of Translation and leave this world. With a Stedding covering the whole world, the ability would be lost completely. The channelers would probably go mad from losing the Source—it would be the same as stilling and gentling: they would sense it but could not touch it.
Or, in other forms of this theory, ter'angreal, like the ones in Far Madding, could be invented to make channeling impossible. The same would be true, channelers would die off from losing the Source.
4. Evolution
Credit for this thought goes to Matt Hatch from Theoryland. He proposed that the human body could lose the ability to channel. When Nynaeve heals gentling and stilling, she is able to sense the connection inside the body. There is something physically there for the person to be able to touch the Source.
If humanity evolves over time, that connection could be lost. The Source still exists. It's still driving the Wheel of Time, but we've lost the ability to sense it, let alone touch it. Then, when the Wheel turns once again, the body evolves to encompass the ability. The Power could become lost and found several times as the seven Ages come and go.
Of the four, I like the evolution one best. It keeps with what we know of human anatomy. Science will show us how we have evolved over the past 3,000 years—about the length of an Age. It's easy to see that in another 3,000 years, when our Age ends and another begins, we could be completely different physically.
That's all for this week. Let me know if you have other theories about losing the One Power. I look forward to hearing more. Next time, we'll examine the standing flows in the Age of Legends and see if it's something that can be duplicated in the world after the Last Battle. Thanks for reading!
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First up, the Wheel of Time Cage Matches are in full force! Week Two, the non-channelers bracket, pits Tam vs Slayer, Uno vs Galad, Faile vs Berelain, and Sulin vs Tuon. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites!
At the Kin, July is Gleeman’s month! This is your chance to stretch your writer senses, tap your inner Thom Merrilin! Participate in a nanofiction challenge, tell a story with random words, and even participate in an anagram challenge. Those of you who are planning on participating in NaNoWriMo later this year may also want to visit CampNaNoWriMo.
The monthly challenge for the Artist, Writers, and Crafter’s Guild is Reinvention. Reinvent or re-purpose something, and make an artistic creation!
Finally, in the White Tower and Warders, a discussion is going on involving the royal baby name! What do you think Prince William and Duchess Kate will name their child? What name do you think the new baby should have?
That about sums it up for this week's Weekly Roundup! I would like to conclude with a friendly reminder to all Social Group members to sign in their various Social Group forums.
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Asmodean defeated Grady
Narishma defeated Halima
Alivia defeated Moghedien
Siuan defeated Elaida
If you've got more to add about the outcome of these fights, you can talk about it in the Week 1 thread.
Round 2 starts today with the battles between the non-channelers. Here's the line up:
Uno vs Galad
Tam vs Slayer
Sulin vs Tuon
Faile vs Berelain
Go and add your vote for your favorite character and help decide the winners of Round 2! Voting for Round 2 ends at 9pm EST on July 13th.
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Taim by merriya
The Wheel of Time: Mazrim by darlinginc
WOT: Mazrim Taim by ReddEra
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I'll begin by holding up my hand and saying that the title of this article isn't really true. Sorry about that! I drew inspiration this week from a couple of things, firstly, Dragonmount is holding its annual Cage Match again. You can read about it in this article.
Secondly, I remembered reading a while back that both Brandon Sanderson and George R. R. Martin had composed a write up for a Rand Vs. Jaime Lannister cross-world cage match, which I thought was pretty epic! Martin's takes the form of an actual piece of fiction, whereas Sanderson's is more a collection of ideas.
Now, I thought this was pretty epic, to be honest. The creator of one world and the heir to the creator of another, their respective one-handed champions, their respective predicted outcomes. If you haven't yet clicked on the links above, do so now because spoilers are below.
Martin's write up was quite nice, and he certainly found a way to level the playing field, because of course with the One Power, Rand would be unbeatable by the likes of Jaime. A Trial of Seven also gave it a nice way to allow Rand the chance to show some of his power before losing. I don't agree with his conclusion on the grounds that I don't think Jaime is taller and heavier than Rand, although I suppose in his armor he would be taller, so that at least makes sense. I did like that it came down to man to man at the end.
Is Jaime the better swordsman? I suppose that's the million dollar question. So get involved and post your thoughts on it below. And don't forget to go and check out our own Wheel of Time only Cage Match, too! Have fun!
Until next time, friends!
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Does playing Maiden's Kiss involve you getting poked until you leave?
Is your mouth as dry as the Aiel Waste?
Try New
Rhuidean Gum
Made from the leaves of the Avendesora tree,
it's the gum that gives you peace of mind as well as fresh breath!
Now Available West Of The Dragonwall!
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<p> </p>
<p>First off, the <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/82824-welcome-to-the-wheel-of-time-cage-matches-2013/'>Wheel of Time Cage Match</a> is back! Wear a special forum signature to show support for your favorite fighter. Two of this week’s fights are <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/83057-week-1-asmodean-vs-grady/'>Asmodean vs Grady</a> and <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/83056-week-1-narishma-vs-halima/'>Narishma vs Halima.</a> Don’t forget to vote in the polls for your favorite!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Looking for a Mafia game? Two games are in sign ups right now: <a><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' class='bbc_url' href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/83049-underworld-mafia-basic-mafia-sign-ups/'>Underworld Mafia</a></a> in DM Mafia board, and <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/82734-friends-mafia/'>Friends Mafia</a> in Thakandar, Shayol Ghul. For those of you new to Mafia: this is a game where players are pitted in teams and try to determine who “mafia” is and who belongs to the “town.” It can be an excellent way to get to know other DM members.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>An ongoing discussion of actors for a <em><a>Wheel of Time HBO Series</a></em> has heated up this week in the <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/forum/203-the-wheel-of-time-in-other-media/'>Wheel of Time in Other Media</a> forum. What actors could feasibly work in a <em>Wheel of Time</em> series? How would it be changed for television? Should the Forsaken be condensed?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Do you have any hobbies? Skills? The Wolfkin want to know <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/83021-what-do-you-do-to-relax/#entry2958681'>what do you do to relax?</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>And, a friendly reminder to all you Social Group members: as July begins, don’t forget to sign In to your Social Groups’ roll call threads.</p>
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Narishma vs Halima
Asmodean vs Grady
Siuan vs Elaida
Moghedien vs Alivia
We need your vote to help decide who the winner is.
Voting for Round 1 closes on Saturday, July 6th, at 9:00pm EST.
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More questions and answers can be found on their Facebook page.
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Warhammer is a tabletop strategy game using miniature figures which has been produced by a UK based company called Games Workshop since the 1980's. Its setting is a fantasy world which has often been said to be largely inspired by the high-fantasy genre of fiction largely crafted and made famous by J.R.R Tolkien--as such it includes very familiar settings of Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and humans as a younger race, although from there it is fair to say they have expanded and made their own world.
The book I am reviewing today, Trollslayer (written by William King and printed by The Black Library, Games Workshop's own publishing house), is the first book in a series focusing on the adventures of a Dwarven character, Gotrek Gurnison, and his human companion, Felix Jaeger. Gotrek is a Dwarf Slayer, who's unspecified crimes demanded that he dedicate his life to trying to find a glorious death in battle as a form of atonement. As such, he often goes on highly dangerous adventures and quests, with Felix in tow to record his legacy.
Although it is set within the Warhammer world, you don't need to be a fan of the game or know much about the background to enjoy the book, as the author does a good job of fleshing out the world and the races in it and some of the background history in a very natural way. I have only a passing knowledge of Warhammer and yet I did not feel lost at all in the book. The book is relatively lighthearted--there are a few laughs--yet the main reason I describe it that way is because it is perhaps not to be taken too seriously; the main characters accomplish some pretty heroic feats. It is fairly well written, and engages as a series of short sections, each outlining an adventure the pair undertake. While it may not be an epic fantasy classic like The Wheel of Time or A Game of Thrones, I did enjoy reading it. It is action packed and adventurous.
As a side-note to explain why I began reading this novel--I recently downloaded a game called Warhammer Quest on to my iPad, which I believe is also available on other devices. It is an adaptation of a board game of the same name and is very good, and very playable, a real dungeon-crawler in which you control and level up a party of characters of various backgrounds and skills. So I recommend that as well to any gamers out there, and it piqued my interest to get this novel on my tablet as well to read during commutes. Have fun!
Until next time, friends!
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Evil Bubbles
In the world
Tear up the Pattern
As it's unfurled
Evil Bubbles
Popping up all over
Got me feeling sure that the
Dark One wants to end all time
So here's to the end of an Age
And the sealing of the Bore
But mostly I'm hoping that
It won't kill me
Evil Bubbles
Across the land
Have me quite fearful
For what Shai'tan has planned
Evil Bubbles
Showing up all over
Got me feeling sure that the
Dark One wants to end all time
So here's to the Dragon Reborn
Who'll save us all some day
Here's hoping when he does
These Bubbles fade away
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SPOILER WARNING. This will include content from A Memory of Light. Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.
A few weeks ago I suggested that Nakomi might be the equivalent of a female Dragon—someone who went through the same thing as Rand and therefore has the same abilities. Doing my research for this week however, I found a helpful interview with Brandon Sanderson:
There are a few other things Brandon has flat-out denied, like this one:
And this one:
With those few tidbits, a lot of choices for who Nakomi might be get eliminated. And I think the only answer we have left is that she is a "magical" force. Perhaps magical isn't the right word, but let me explain. There won't be a natural explanation for Nakomi. In the world of Wheel of Time there are things we accept as being natural, even though there is a magical reason for them begin there. For instance, we can rationalize that Aviendha might have been in Tel'aran'rhiod and that makes sense to us. The answer still involves magic—or something we don't have in our normal lives—but we don't question it because we accept Tel'aran'rhiod as being part of their world. But Nakomi won't have logical explanation. Her existence won't make sense.
One of the reasons I've come to this conclusion is following Brandon's other endeavors. If you aren't aware, Brandon—along with Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, and Mary Robinette Kowal—hosts a weekly podcast called "Writing Excuses." He and the other podcasters talk about the dos and don'ts of writing fiction. One of the things they talk about regularly is the act of foreshadowing.
In another interview, Brandon has said he wrote the scene with Aviendha and Nakomi:
This, to me, means that the only appearance of Nakomi would have been at the Bore, when she talks Rand through the body-swap. From a literary standpoint, that would have seemed odd to most readers. The foreshadowing wasn't there. We would have been very confused, wondering why there was a random woman in the Bore. With the added scene, we see Nakomi actually exists and that she is working for the side of the Light—or at least working for the good of the Aiel. Sure, we are still confused about her identity, but we don't feel like it was deus ex machina.
Throughout the series, there are several occasions when coincidence saves the day. Most of the time we attribute it to ta'veren luck. But, other times we know it is the Pattern. I've argued before that, although Moiraine says the Pattern is neutral, it has to be allied with the Light. If the Shadow wants to unmake the Pattern, it would naturally align with the side that doesn't want to destroy it. And since so many characters—those who aren't ta'veren—get saved in coincidental ways, it shows that the Pattern is looking out for the Light.
Which leads us back to Nakomi. What if Nakomi is an avatar—not for the Creator, who takes no action—but for the Wheel and the Pattern? She could be the embodiment of Balance, the entity who makes sure things stay on track. The few times we see her are extreme cases, ones that effect the whole world. With Aviendha, Nakomi's words prompt her into to seeing the second vision, and leading the Aiel away from the ruin the glass-column ter'angreal predicted. The second time, she allows Rand—who has given so much to the world—to have a real life. She's setting things into motion that would not have happened without her help. It's like the Pattern was unable to correct these two events without taking direct action, so someone had to step in.
But there can be other explanations. One of the major theories is that Nakomi is the Creator's avatar. This seems quite likely since we see that the Dark One has Shadar Haran. If the Dark One can have a vessel on the planet, it seems the Creator could have one too. This has also been foreshadowed throughout the series, so it doesn't feel like deus ex machina either.
But, we also know that the Creator doesn't take part, so why would he send his avatar to speak with Aviendha, of all people? There were several others who could have benefited from direct communication with the Creator. Egwene, for one, with her battle against Taim. If she knew the details earlier of balefire and the new weave, the Flame of Tar Valon, things wouldn't have ended so badly for her. Why would the Creator only choose to help Aviendha?
Could it be possible that the Aiel are the Creator's chosen people? To bring in the Biblical reference, there are a few similarities between the Aiel and the Jewish religion. Rand, the savior, was born into the Aiel. Jesus, the Christ, was Jewish. Rand was accepted by some Aiel, but the Shaido refused to believe he was the Car'a'carn. In the story of Jesus, he was accepted by some, but rejected by others of the faith. In this comparison, it's easy to see how the Aiel could be special in the eyes of the Creator, and therefore Nakomi would be willing to offer guidance to them only.
But does the Creator have those tendencies? We all know he doesn't take part in the affairs of the world. Robert Jordan said:
Would Nakomi, being a part of the Creator, suggest the same thing? If he needed to come to earth, in any form, and "fix" things, he wouldn't be perfect. Which leads me back to the Wheel or the Pattern. If any of these entities wants the world fixed, it's the Pattern.
There's been some speculation that Nakomi might be answered in the Encyclopedia. But it's not confirmed, that I've seen. With what we have, and if no new information is given, I'm going to say Nakomi is the avatar of the Pattern/Wheel, not the Creator. Even with the Biblical connection, it doesn't make sense for the Creator to take part in only two events. The Pattern, however, would see these events as significant for its own existence. It would want to set things right. And it has also acted on the world, making Pattern Level Events, like the fight between Rand and Ishamael over Falme.
That's all for this edition. Next week we'll talk about the state of Channelers and what might be in store for their future. Thanks for reading!
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" rel="external nofollow">http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/forum/374-wot-cage-match/'>forums.
Here's a list of this years competitors:
Alivia
Asmodean
Berelain
Elaida
Faile
Galad
Grady
Halima
Moghedien
Narishma
Siuan
Slayer
Sulin
Tam
Tuon
Uno
This year, we've added a few special features. First, we have %22team%22" rel="external nofollow">http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/82825-team-siggies/'>"team" signatures for anyone to wear to support their favorite character. We are also having a friendly prediction" rel="external nofollow">http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/82838-prediction-competition-info/'>prediction competition—submit your guesses for each round and you'll win points if you're correct.
Round 1 begins on June 30th, but there's plenty going on right now.
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For those of you that do not yet know me, I’m Moon Sedai, and have been a member of Dragonmount for four years.
Because it has been a few weeks since the last Weekly Roundup, I'm going to tell you what's been happening around Dragonmount during the month of June.
Ever find something weird on Craig's List or Ebay and want to show it off? This month, Shayol Ghul is running a Craig’s List/Ebay summer event. The link I provided is the index link for the event, and is being updated with each new event. There are weird item hunts, personals, an Amazing Race game, and even a thread entitled "Dope or Nope?" where people can discuss the experience of purchasing used items from the Internet.
The Aiel Raids are in full-swing this month. Much like the Aiel characters of the books, our Aiel Social Group is taking the opportunity to "visit" the other social groups in the form of "raids," where they host a variety of threads throughout Dragonmount.
The Black Tower is hosting a One Power tournament. Members of the Black Tower are pitted against each other in a battle, fighting with their saidin skills to see who will emerge victorious.
The Band of the Red Hand is hosting an interesting poll and discussion: what item of Mat Cauthon's is the most useful thing he acquires throughout the tale of The Wheel of Time series? Here's your chance to answer the poll and weigh in your answer to this fascinating question.
Well, that's the big news for the Month of June. I look forward to telling you all about July's events in our next Weekly Roundup.
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More answers can be found on their Facebook page.
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This week we re-visit the "Features of Dragonmount," a series of articles which we began a few weeks back by looking at the General Discussion forum here at Dragonmount. This time, let's begin exploring the different Social Groups you can take part in.
Social Groups here at Dragonmount are separate sections of our forums, each with it's own identity based on one of the groups of people found within The Wheel of Time books, located under the Social Community part of the forums. Each one tends to have its own theme or themes and its own individual vibe. I'd certainly encourage anyone to explore them all before deciding which one (or ones!) they would like to settle in.
To provide a bit more information, let's take a little look at a couple of them. The Wolfkin Social Group, for example, is loosely based upon the golden-eyed characters in the books. As such, they have tasks you can complete in order to earn your "name" among them, and fittingly, their overall theme is one of nature and travel. Like all the Social Groups, you can find many good friends there and enjoy good conversation with like-minded people.
The Black Tower Social Group is a crazy, crazy place. If you have read far enough in the books to understand the reference in their name, you'll get why we can say that. To reflect this, the Black Tower tends to have a lot of crazy conversations, and a lot of what we call "spam," which is Internet forum-speak for topics without a set direction, or idle, crazy conversation. They do also have ranks you can progress in, however, and their own "dueling system" where you can duke it out with other members to see who is the strongest or canniest saidin wielder! That's a tough one to explain in brief, so if you want to see how it works, you'll just have to go over there and ask them.... And probably never come out alive, or at least sane.
There are many other Social Groups we haven't yet mentioned, like the White Tower and Warder's Guild, Shayol Ghul and others--they'll probably be the focus of a future "Features of Dragonmount" article. In the meantime, dive right in and begin exploring the Social Groups! I guarantee you will meet a bunch of fun, like-minded people with mutual interests and make some good friends.
Have fun!
Until next time, friends!
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Unrestrained
Dangerous
Trolloc
The newest fragrance from Caemlyn Climb
For that darker you
________________________________________________________
A gentle breeze down a mountain side
The smell of apples blooming
Dragon
From Caemlyn Climb
Be reborn!
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- 1620 views
SPOILER WARNING. This will include content from A Memory of Light. Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.
When Nakomi first appeared in Towers of Midnight, I'll admit that my first thought was she might be Verin. The reasoning for this is that Verin was the one person we saw hopping around from place to place, passing on secret information. Nakomi's appearance and advice seems to be in the same vein as this. There's also the fact that in the audio books, Kate Reading reads Nakomi's voice like she reads Verin's. However, all this evidence—and many fans thought the same—has been debunked. Here's an interview from the A Memory of Light book signing tour where Brandon actually gives us a straight answer.
So Verin is out. But the questions asked lead to another idea. Rand wouldn't have recognized her face, but, as pointed out, he didn't see all of the Jenn Aiel. It could have been someone else from the past who had the longevity of a channeler.
Let's explore that a bit. When Nakomi is first introduced (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 39, "Into the Three-Fold Land"), Aviendha notices the other woman can't channel. This doesn't necessarily mean the woman can't. The characters are often wrong in what that think is "truth." We know it's possible to mask the ability. Aviendha also thinks the woman is "middle aged" and that she has "furrowed skin." Again, this implies that the woman can't channel since she has signs of aging. But, we know from the dealings with the Kin that a woman who can channel—but isn't bound by the Oath Rod—will still age, but slowly.
With that information, I think we can't say one way or the other if Nakomi is a channeler. If she is a Jenn from the past, how old would she have to be to be alive today? Reanne Corly—Eldest of the Kin in Ebou Dar—is 412 years old (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 31, "Mashiara"). Reanne has gray hair and looks middle-aged. If her life is only half over, that means she could live to about 800 or 900 years old. (Lews Therin was also around 400 years old when he died, and he is called "a tall man just into his middle years" (The Eye of the World, Prologue, "Dragonmount"); that would mean he would have lived to about 800 or 900 as well.)
So, if Nakomi is a "middle aged" unbound channeler, she would be about 400 years old, or a little older. The last time we see the Jenn Aiel is in the glass-column ter'angreal in Rhuidean. In the first vision Rand sees, he is the sept chief, Mandien. The Jenn are dying off, so they need some other way to pass on the secrets of the past. But, it's hard to tell how much in the past Mandien's timeline is. There are a few clues, though. The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time (the Big White Book) says that the Aiel made peace with the Cairhienin in 509 NE (Chapter 14, "The New Era"). In the glass-columns, the memory before Mandien is Rhodric, and the scene shown is the Aiel receiving water from the Cairhienin. Because Rhodric is Mandien's greatfather, that must mean that Rhodric's memory is sixty or seventy before Mandien's. Since Rhuarc said, "It took us long to discover who they [the Cairhienin] were," (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 34, "He Who Comes With the Dawn"), I think it's safe to say that Mandien's memory is before 509 NE.
With that logic, if Nakomi was of the Jenn, she would have been alive before 509 NE, making her at least 500 years old. Most likely, Mandien's memories are from much earlier than 509 NE. It just depends on Rhuarc's definition of "long." Probably a couple hundred years—making Nakomi 600 or 700 in this scenario.
But the Jenn's reason for brining the chiefs to Rhuidean in the first place still holds. The Jenn will die off. And it must have been coming soon, if the chiefs were assembled then. One of the old Jenn women said, "A day will come when the Jenn are no more, and only you will remain to remember the Aiel. You must remain, or all is for nothing, and lost" (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 25, "The Road to the Spear"). If even one of the Jenn remained alive, the glass-columns would not be necessary. If Nakomi was Jenn, she could have instructed the Aiel about their past, not relying on the ter'angreal.
Those two points—how old Nakomi would be and the fact that no Jenn should still be alive—makes me assume Nakomi is not Jenn Aiel. So what are some of the other possibilities?
Another idea is that Aviendha is taken—somehow—into Tel'aran'rhiod during this scene. There are several clues that point to the encounter being more than what it seems. First, Aviendha wonders why she hadn't heard the woman approach. Second, Aviendha thinks that it's odd for Nakomi to be wandering around by herself. Third, the coals of the fire appear as if from nowhere. Fourth, the food gets cooked quicker than it should have and tastes better than it should have. And finally, Nakomi disappears abruptly.
These point to Tel'aran'rhiod because of how easily that world is to control with thought. The coals could appear out of nowhere. The food could taste delicious. But Aviendha isn't a dreamwalker. Is it possible she had been pulled into Tel'aran'rhiod against her will, possibly by another Wise One? They say it is an evil thing to pull someone into the World of Dreams, but we know the Forsaken make use of it frequently. Perhaps the Dreams told the dreamwalkers that Aviendha needed to see something in Tel'aran'rhiod. If it was for the greater good, I think the Wise Ones would have broken the rule. Especially because this one event was what caused Aviendha to go into the glass-column ter'angreal a second time, resulting in her saving the Aiel from destruction.
Another explanation could be that, because the layers between the worlds was already becoming thin, Aviendha was caught up in the World of Dreams on her own—without the help of anyone else. In that case, Nakomi could be a Hero of the Horn. Someone waiting in Tel'aran'rhiod and, like Birgitte, willing to break the precepts against aiding those who enter. This would also make sense how she was able to gain access to the Bore and encourage Rand to perform the body-swap. Since she is not physically in the world, she wouldn't have a problem getting into the area. She also didn't come out of the Bore, only Rand and Moridin did. Nakomi, if a Hero, wouldn’t have to. She would just return to Tel'aran'rhiod when the need for them was finished.
Just when it starts to make sense, though, we need to remember that Brandon said Rand wouldn't have recognized her. Would Lews Therin—a Hero himself—fail to recognize another?
There's so much more to discuss about Nakomi, so we'll continue this next week. Of the two options here, I think it's much more likely she's a Hero of the Horn, but even that theory has plenty of doubts. And there are some other possibilities too. So, keep thinking about it and we'll discuss more next time. Thanks for reading!
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