A Memory of Light - Chapters 21-24

In this section, Demandred finally appears in person, and the day dawns twice as Rand enters Shayol Ghul.

Siuan and associates escaped the Sharan attack by diving through a pre-existing Gateway to fall hundreds of feet to the ground, and readers are informed of this via a short flashback. The flashback allows the author to skip right to the introspection by Bryne, which is the key element of the scene. A scene with Siuan falling towards a crash landing even as she surveys the battle from above could have been awesome, but longer than the 2/3 of a page for the flashback. A narrow escape might also have raised the reader’s spirits a bit, and the intent here is to keep them very low.

Lyrelle gives a solid example of just how self-serving some people can be, even in crisis times when altruism is the desired virtue. She gets her Warders, but only because there were enough men who actually wanted to be Warders. The point once again, is that the Asha’man choose their own path, marching to the Last Battle not because they must, but because they want to. It’s a nice mirror to Rand’s own storyline.

Egwene witnesses Bao the Wyld, Demandred, as he executes prisoners and questions Leane. There are so many hints of an epic back story to his dominion over the Sharans, but thankfully it’s used to tantalize and not bog down the story with exposition.

The Sharan culture is a sharp downturn from even the Seanchan culture which readers and characters have grudgingly had to accept. In Shara, there is no hope of rising, only fear of falling to an even worse position. Even the ‘lords’ “had hollow, haunted expressions. They slumped forward, eyes down, faces wan. Their arms seemed thin, almost skeletal. So frail. What had been done to these people?”  This culture symbolizes what Demandred and the Dark One offer. Nothing.  Had they been introduced earlier, the symbolism would not have been as effective as now, when the other Nations and their various cultures stand together in opposition to a nihilistic way of life.

Perrin confronts Graendal in Tel’aran’rhiod, bending balefire as a matter of course. Lanfear, the Age of Legends’ premier researcher into space-time, then tells him how time is being affected by the Last Battle, even in the waking world. The use of time distortions, with the Bore acting as a black hole where time runs slowest is a brilliant way to make the battles in each location last an appropriate amount of time, and to pass off any disparity as a random fluctuation instead of author error. It also speaks to the finality of the Last Battle, if time itself can no longer be counted on and reality frays away.

Lanfear offers Perrin even more aid, and a chance to be her consort. She scorns his refusal, jabbing him with the revelation that his father-in-law was Graendal’s target. Now readers have the big piece of the puzzle they were missing, and know that the generals are subject to the Forsaken’s influence. Bryne’s bond with Siuan ought to protect him though…

In desperation, Gawyn uses the Seanchan Bloodknives’ rings to move Egwene from the Sharan camp. Leilwin helps her along the way. When confronted with a Sharan who has captured her, Egwene is able to let herself feel intense fear and then control it.

At Shayol Ghul, Aviendha leads the channelers against the first Forsaken and Dreadlords who appear to thwart the strike. She finds ways to defend against balefire, and devises methods to fool their opponents should they strike again.

Rand enters the cave with Moiraine and Nynaeve, Duty and Conscience, at his side. They have always played these roles, nagging at him to do what he knows he must. He has found a way to balance the two driving forces in his life. He wasn’t certain if he should be pleased that the two of them had started to get along. Nynaeve’s new short-haired maturity shows how Rand’s conscience has found a way to adapt to the other moral frameworks he has encountered, staying the same but just a little different because of that exposure. Rand wears a coat bearing the thorns representing Manetheren, a reminder of the tale Moiraine told long ago to give Rand the bedrock of confidence he needed to face his greatest opponent.

Thom guards the entrance as an eclipse occludes the sun. The sun’s return heralds Rand’s victory, a symbolism that is so obvious that the author spends only two paragraphs dwelling on it each time a character sees it in their location. Except Elayne, who makes a speech that would fit Manetheren’s last stand as easily as the defense of Cairhien she now leads.

Moiraine gasps as a voice shakes them, the voice of the Creator. It portends no victory, only the inevitable confrontation that the Pattern has pulled Rand towards with thousands of threads. As with Rand’s own drive to save mankind so they can continue trying to live their lives and solve their problems, the Voice can’t or won’t help Rand, it can only give him the opportunity to do things right this time.

Fortuona makes an observation about Mat which mirrors what has happened with Rand: He has changed, yet is the same. Mat is chaos, Fortuona order. The ability of Seanchan to accept a change in station is funnily portrayed with Mat’s response to being renamed, told from Fortuona’s perspective: “Knotai?” Knotai said. Knotai convinces Fortuona to send aid to the Aes Sedai.

Elsewhere, Agelmar, Bashere and Ituralde seem to be doing everything right. The Sea Folk make their last appearance of any import when Zaida reports the Bowl of the Winds is all that is keeping the Dark One from scouring the valley of Thakan’dar.

Writing Lessons:

Know what your characters represent so that you portray them consistently.

New Theory - The Bore is in Tel'aran'rhiod

A small part of the reason my posting is sporadic of late is that I’ve been working on a theory. I’ll send it to Theoryland shortly, but as loyal readers of this blog, you get the first look. I think this is a winner!

The Bore is in Tel’aran’rhiod

The importance of Tel’aran’rhiod to the story is such that I believe it is pivotal to the Last Battle. I have concluded that the Bore which Rand must seal is in Tel’aran’rhiod.

The Bore is not in the real world

Demandred stands in the Pit of Doom and thinks: Physically, this place was no closer to the Bore than any other in the world, but here there was a thinness in the Pattern that allowed it to be sensed. 

The Bore is equally distant from every place in the world.

Where else the Bore could be

Verin explains the structure of the Pattern to Egwene: Let these [parallel lines] represent worlds that might exist if different choices had been made, if major turning points in the Pattern had gone another way: The Worlds reached by the Portal Stones. Some in the Age of Legends apparently believe that there were still other worlds – even harder to reach than the worlds of the Portal Stones, if that can be believed – lying like this [cross-hatching the first set of lines]. In all of these worlds, whatever their other variations, a few things are constant. One is that the Dark One is imprisoned in all of them.

In all of them? How can that be? Are you saying there is a Father of Lies for each world?

No, child. There is one Creator, who exists everywhere at once for all of these worlds. In the same way, there is only one Dark One, who also exists in all of these worlds at once. If he is freed from the prison the Creator made in one world, he is freed on all. So long as he is kept prisoner in one, he remains imprisoned on all.

The point is that there is a third constant besides the Creator and the Dark One. There is a world that lies within all these others, inside all of them at the same time. Or perhaps surrounding them. Writers in the Age of Legends called it Tel’aran’rhiod.

There is a simple way to remove the supposed paradox from Verin’s explanation. Place the Bore in the world that surrounds all the others; in Tel’aran’rhiod. One Dark One, in one Bore, for one Tel’aran’rhiod, in one Pattern.

This placement also explains how the Dark One can win in various Mirror worlds yet still be imprisoned. He is taking them down, one by one, until there is only Rand’s world left. No paradox!

I drew a map! (hyperlink included in case of image posting problems)

Simplified Cosmological Map of the Pattern in the Wheel of Time

How the Bore was drilled in Tel’aran’rhiod

In the Age of Legends, two researchers, Mierin Eronaile and Beidomon, found a new source of Power that was not split like the One Power, but could be used by either sex. They drilled a hole in the Pattern to be able to touch this Power, and released the Dark One. Mierin later chose the name Lanfear. She claimed dominion over Tel’aran’rhiod because she was the pre-eminent Tel’aran’rhiod researcher of her time. The fact that it was Lanfear who drilled the Bore infers its connection to Tel’aran’rhiod.

In Tel’aran’rhiod, things can be done through sheer force of will. Things such as finding an elusive power source, and boring a hole to a place outside the Pattern. The Bore was drilled using the properties of Tel’aran’rhiod itself.

How to seal the Bore

Lews Therin was able to seal the Bore by precisely placing seven seals over it. Each seal had a real-world focal point made of cuendillar. The seals were not completely effective because they were only powered by the will of men; no women helped.

Cuendillar is unbreakable. But it could be broken in Tel’aran’rhiod, with enough will. Altering the nature of cuendillar is impossible without some reality-altering power. If the true seals are placed in Tel’aran’rhiod, over the Bore, and are subject to its rules, then any degradation in them caused by the Dark One’s force of will (or humanity’s lack of it) can affect the seals in the real world, causing unbreakable cuendillar to weaken and become brittle. The very name cuendillar, or heartstone, implies that its ability to resist damage comes from the heart, or from force of will.

Herid Fel gives Rand two pieces of advice to explain how to make effective seals. First, belief and order give strength. Have to clear rubble before you can build, meaning Lews Therin’s seals must be removed. Second, the Dark One’s prison must be whole again, not simply sealed. The One Power cannot do this alone, it must be done with force of will in Tel’aran’rhiod, and made permanent. It is known that this will take place at Shayol Ghul itself.

Shayol Ghul, the epicenter of the Dark One’s presence in the waking world, is a place where unreal weather exists and caverns can change shape; where reality is malleable in the Dark One’s hands. The unnatural Blight radiates outward from it. Just as if this place had the features of Tel’aran’rhiod and was an extension of it. The closer to Shayol Ghul, the more it is like Tel’aran’rhiod, and the more the immediate environment is under the Dark One’s command. Things can be done there that cannot be done anywhere else. Things could happen there that could happen nowhere else. Shayol Ghul has these properties and has a thinness in the Pattern because it is a place where a permanent similarity between the real world and its reflection in Tel’aran’rhiod was created, making a place where it is possible to simply step from one to the other. It is a place that has the malleability of Tel’aran’rhiod, and the permanence of the waking world. Tel’aran’rhiod spills over into the real world from this spot, altering reality outwardly as the Dark One desires, increasing the size of the Blight, for example, or giving Shayol Ghul and the Pit of Doom their unique properties.

From this spot where they overlap, this threshold between worlds where they are one and the same, the reality of the waking world can be shaped, and perhaps the Bore in Tel’aran’rhiod itself can be permanently sealed. Here, it is possible to will the Bore not to exist at all, as it was before, if done with sufficient willpower.

The nature of the Dark One’s powers

With the Bore in Tel’aran’rhiod, it makes sense to consider if the Dark One’s powers can be explained by comparing them with what can be done in Tel’aran’rhiod. The Dark One alters reality, which is also a property of Tel’aran’rhiod.

Rand saw the drilling of the Bore in the glass columns of Rhuidean, and the destruction of the Sharom floating above the blue and silver domes of the Collam Daan, a prestigious research facility.

The drilling of this Bore had several symptoms. First, the ground and air rippled. A similar effect happens in Knife of Dreams from a bubble of evil, and again from the balescream in The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight. These are events where reality is being altered. Second, the Sharom burst apart in gouts of black fire. It broke apart like an egg and began to drift down, falling, an obsidian inferno. Third, darkness spread across the sky, swallowing the sun in unnatural light, as if the light of those flames was blackness. Unnatural events can be created in Tel’aran’rhiod or by the Dark One. The only known way to alter the reality of an environment is when it is done in Tel’aran’rhiod.

Bubbles of evil stemming from the Dark One can alter the reality of random places in the world, just as nightmares do in Tel’aran’rhiod. The effects of a bubble of evil would not be odd in Tel’aran’rhiod. All examples of bubbles of evil can be explained by the Dark One doing what is considered to be impossible; using Tel’aran’rhiod to affect the waking world.

Using the True Power granted by the Dark One allows one to create weaves with the same effects as those of the One Power, but which are undetectable. All True Power effects could be attributed to being able to use Tel’aran’rhiod properties, for example, to tear a hole in the Pattern for Traveling or creating balefire.

The Dark One’s luck, if it truly exists, can be explained by altering reality. Mat’s luck would come second in a contest where the results are not dependent on random chance but on the force of will of the participant.

Upon her release from the vacuole, Moghedien believes Moridin’s base of operations is near by Shayol Ghul, since the only other possibility she sees is that it lays in Tel’aran’rhiod. The strange ‘castle’ in which Moridin convenes the Forsaken has certain properties that are like Tel’aran’rhiod: They could as soon make shocklances or sho-wings as view-walls outside of this place, so close to Shayol Ghul. It was far from anywhere, in any way that most humans would understand.

When the Forsaken flee to escape Rand or trap him, even those with no apparent facility in Tel’aran’rhiod choose to go there. It is a place of ultimate safety for these cowards. They always take minimal risks, so when faced with destruction, they seek shelter in a place close by their lord and master, where his power and ability to aid them is strongest: Tel’aran’rhiod.

Transmigration of dead souls, who wait in Tel’aran’rhiod until their rebirth, is that much simpler to explain if the layer of the Pattern closest to the Dark One is Tel’aran’rhiod.

Entering Tel’aran’rhiod in the flesh is evil, but it is never explained why. The risk stems from the danger of being unmade or altered, such as Moghedien does to turn Birgitte into a child. The evil stems from getting used to having reality bend to your will, from beginning to believe that your desire is sufficient reason for a thing to exist in the way you imagine it.

Conclusion

Tel’aran’rhiod did not feature prominently as the setting for the final confrontation of the first 5 books, or in the most recent books, and in various other significant places throughout the series, only to be ignored in the Last Battle. All of the characteristics of Tel’aran’rhiod have been patiently held back so as not to give away the means by which Rand will defeat the Dark One. The Last Battle will not simply involve using powers and abilities, but can only be won by Rand choosing an identity and embracing it with all his will, in a place where thought becomes reality. When he stands at Shayol Ghul on the precipice between worlds, his sheer force of will, bolstered by humanity’s collective will, can repair the Dark One’s prison such that you would never know it had ever been drilled.

Lord of Chaos - Prologue

In this section, many villainous forces are arrayed against the heroes, and so many secrets are kept.

The prologue shows 11 different points of view, each of them with some threat to the heroes. The objective is to set the stage for the rest of the novel, displaying the main plotline which bookends this section and relates to Demandred and the Dark One’s message. Other sections are tangentially related.

The overarching theme is that there are plots within plots, and no one knows the full plan. Demandred worries that the Dark One is withholding information, then makes the other Forsaken worry that he is doing the same to them. The Dark One is keeping secrets, in particular related to two resurrected Forsaken, whose existence is secret from everyone but Shaidar Haran.

Nynaeve worries about what Moghedien is withholding, even as she and her friends keep Moghedien’s captivity secret form the Rebel Aes Sedai. Nynaeve and Elayne and Siuan and Leane lie and lie about everything, and strangely, the need to talk with each other forces them to reveal all of it in Moghedien’s presence.

Min and Elayne have to keep Min’s Viewings from Rand, lest he try to escape them for the women’s own good. Even as they tally Rand’s past victories, the oppressive and unnatural heat makes them wonder about whether he is truly winning so far.

Faile cannot stop Perrin from leaving the Two Rivers. His departure provides a necessary explanation for his later arrival at Caemlyn, but also introduces the concept that Rand is in a terrible danger that only Perrin can stop.   

Gawyn leads the Younglings as they accompany an Embassy from the White Tower. When he learns that Rand may have killed his mother and sister, he vows to kill Rand, displaying the trademark disregard for authority that had Elaida arrange for their removal from the White Tower.

The Embassy itself has instructions to deliver Rand into Elaida’s hands, which fits with orders the Black Ajah has received. At least two of the Aes Sedai in the Embassy are Black Ajah.

The Shaido are temporarily and loosely allied with Elaida’s Embassy. Sevanna considers betraying that alliance to get her hands on Rand, so she can make him obedient. She has also been contacted by a funny man who must be a Forsaken…

Morgase is in a predicament that may force her to cede rights in Andor for the Children of the Light to do as they will. Her only way out is with the help of a Darkfriend.

Pedron Niall moves soldiers around a lot, but prefers playing the Game of Houses. Even if not a single Whitecloak makes it to Andor, in the meantime he will spread rumours and cause strife in neighbouring kingdoms such that no man would be comfortable declaring for Rand.

 Altogether, there are too many substantial threats to Rand to say which ones will be predominant in the story. So why show so many? In this case, the idea is to have the reader as confused as the characters as to which plots are relevant, what the villains are up to, and who is really in charge. The effect is dizzying, yet it’s only Demandred’s appearances in the first and second-last sections that tie it together, implying that all the intermediate sections are in some way part of the plans he, the Forsaken, and the Dark One have been carrying out. The unnatural heat, Elaida’s Embassy to Rand, the Shaido’s mysterious visitor certainly all fit that implication. Other lesser plotlines with Morgase and Perrin show where other pertinent actors are and how they will fit in to the villain’s schemes. The whole proposition that Demandred is the next Nae’blis is turned upside down when it is revealed that two Forsaken have been resurrected without any of the other’s knowledge, and that one of them is now in a woman’s body. Clearly, the Lord of Chaos rules.

An important element of building excitement is creating the feeling of discovery, of showing something new. The forgers, the descent into the Bore, and Shaidar Haran’s appearance do this, but seeing the Dark One speak tops that. Importantly, reality near the Bore is the Dark One’s to control. Lightning shoots up, stalactites have variable lengths depending who walks under them, and the sky in the Bore is not the sky of Thakan’dar. Physically, this place is no closer to the Bore than any other in the World. Another place like that is the ‘palace’ where the Forsaken meet, which is ‘far from anywhere, in any way that most humans would understand’.

At this point, there are only 6 Forsaken left alive: Demandred, Semirhage, Graendal, Mesaana, Sammael, and Moghedien. Amongst the dead: Ishamael, Be’lal, Aginor, Balthamel, Lanfear, Rahvin, Asmodean. The plan appears to involve Demandred using balefire, letting the Lord of Chaos rule (The Lord of Chaos is Rand, if it is considered that there are still orders to keep Rand alive), killing some people and letting others live, or perhaps to live again. Whatever the plan may entail, it surely involves minimal risk to the Forsaken, who are so cautious they will not risk being caught by modern weak Aes Sedai while trying to steal angreal. Therefore, Mesaana’s insistence that the plan will require luck to work means only that its success is no sure thing.

Does the plan depend on Osan’gar and Aran’gar? Since their existence is supposedly secret, at first glance it seems not. However, Aran’gar is told that her refusal will result in another taking her place. Since we’ll soon learn that she is to be placed amongst the rebel Aes Sedai, and strife between the factions is the desired outcome, it seems likely that another Forsaken would have been given orders meant for her. This implies that the other Forsaken do already know, or will soon be told of their existence, and the role they will play.

Writing Lessons:

Build excitement by letting the reader discover something new.

The Dragon Reborn - Chapters 21-24

In this section, Egwene learns about the World of Dreams and passes the test for Accepted.

Dreams have played a significant role in the series so far, and their prevalence will only increase, as indicated by Perrin’s and Egwene’s newfound abilities. Despite having seen the World of Dreams several times, in climatic battles at the end of each of the first two books, and in short bursts elsewhere, little has been revealed about how the World of Dreams works. Verin provides the first real insight.

Along with the Creator and the Dark One, the World of Dreams is a constant, permeating all other worlds, whether a Mirror World or some stranger world that runs (metaphorically) perpendicular to them. The Ways and the World of the Aelfinn and Eelfinn may be examples of such worlds. There is only one World of Dreams for all existence. Mastery over it would be extremely advantageous, so it is little surprise that the Forsaken have made use of it to overcome real world obstacles, mainly by communicating with human minions through it. The Forsaken are a cautious bunch, else they would not still be alive, and they would rather meet in the World of Dreams where escape is quicker and they hold the advantage of knowledge and power, than in the real world where unforeseen circumstances may trap them.

Verin explains the paradox of the Dark One’s imprisonment. So long as he is trapped in one World, he is trapped in all of them. If he is freed in one world, he is freed in all of them. But this needn’t be a paradox, if the Dark One’s prison is in the World of Dreams. A single prison, accessible from a single place, in tel’aran’rhiod, which itself can be reached from anywhere in reality. Readers will later be told that Shayol Ghul is a place where the thinness can be sensed more than anywhere else in the World, but is no closer to the Bore than any other, which implies the thinness permeates the world, just as the World of Dreams does. There is circumstantial evidence in later books and chapters to support this, notably Lanfear’s expertise in tel’aran’rhiod and other Worlds, how strength of will creates the reality in the World of Dreams, Herid Fel’s study of the Seals and the metaphysical aspects of how they work, and ter’angreal that have effects in both waking world and the World of Dreams. I’ll delve into those more as they come up, for now I’ll end with noting all this emphasis on the World of Dreams is for more than simply to advance the plot and provide easy outs for characters, it is a cornerstone of the story and should figure prominently in A Memory of Light.

Mistrust and paranoia continue to worm their way into Egwene’s heart. She can’t even trust the Aes Sedai she has to. Given the options presented, readers might guess that one of the named Aes Sedai, Siuan, Verin, Sheriam, Alanna, Elaida, Alviarin, Leane, might be Black Ajah. Probably not two. Or three. Or all. To emphasize the mistrust, a short passage from Verin’s point of view is given, and it is deliberately vague as to her motivations. When she outlines her options for Corianin’s notes, the reader is given no reference points to determine which of the options is good or bad. Everything is presented in a neutral moral haze. Such an effort could only work when used on a character who is or who skirts close to being a villain, and is not simply absent-minded.

Egwene’s testing reveals possible elements of the future, and gives insight into her current dilemma. She learns, and Sheriam confirms, that channelers can be turned to the Dark. Much later in the series, readers learn that Black Ajah swear a Fourth Oath, in a ‘distinctive’ process. Is it different from the process Egwene learns of through the testing? My gut feeling is that they are one and the same, that you not only swear the Black Ajah oath on the Oath Rod, but that you do so guided by the circle of thirteen channelers and thirteen Myrddraal, to make the Oath irrevocable. The only difference is whether the swearing of the Oath was done voluntarily. There is no evidence that being turned transforms one into a cackling madwoman wreaking havoc, and Black Ajah should have concern about whether someone turned stands higher than themselves. Alternately, being turned could be a form of compulsion, but a circle is needed to channel that much power. Since Compulsion leaves signs, turning women would introduce a strong risk of discovery, so it could only be used sparingly, with great need.

The resonance between the Dream Ring and the testing ter’angreal shows the link between the World of Dreams and the visions in the test. Were they real? Yes, and the Pattern can use them to feed information to the women who use them, just as it does with Dreams and Viewings. Egwene learned some possible advantages that might come her way, and is now warned of possible dangers.

Wounds taken in the World of Dreams do not heal like other wounds, which explains Rand’s never-healing wound on his side. Ba’alzamon’s burns and stab through the heart should be equally difficult to recover from.

Mat has another encounter with a Forsaken, though neither he nor readers know it at the time. Else Grinwell insists he step aside and not come near her, probably for fear of ruining her Mask of Mirrors, possibly from concern over his Shadar Logoth taint. Mat’s encounter with Galad and Gawyn is used to establish his fighting ability, which he has no good reason for having. Combined with his speaking Old Tongue and memories, Mat is going through the same disorienting changes that his friends did, struggling to understand and adapt to new powers thrust upon him.

An editorial mistake? A deliberate pairing of similar passages, one to end a chapter, the other to begin one? Read the end of Chapter 22 and the Beginning of Chapter 23 for a nifty look at two different ways of conveying the same information. I think chapters may have been reordered, with these two originally intended to be separated. Normally an author might do this to remind the reader what had happened during that cliffhanger, which this book has more of than earlier books. Does the slight rewording change it much? Do you find one better?

Chapter 22 - ends

Light plucked her apart fiber by fiber, sliced the fibers to hairs, split the hairs to wisps of nothing. All drifted apart on the light. Forever.

Chapter 23 - begins

Light pulled her apart fiber by fiber, sliced the fibers to hairs that drifted apart, burning. Drifting and burning, forever. Forever.

Writing Lessons:

Substituting one word for a more meaningful one can change reader perception. Try to be accurate. Every word has its purpose.