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A WHEEL OF TIME COMMUNITY

It Works in Theory: Life and Beauty Swirl in the Midst of Death


hazelkrs1

Ba'ax ka wa'alik, my brilliant wanderers of Dragonmount! Welcome back to "It Works in Theory," Dragonmount's theory blog, which I am privileged enough to get to write. I apologize for the extended delay between entries; it's been a hectic holiday season for me, and the blog seemed like it could use a nice little winter hibernation to get a little bit leaner (luckily it had been storing up on enough fat to help it sustain itself long enough without me for a bit). Since you have had to wait so long for another entry, let's go right ahead and knock our disclaimer out of the way so we can get started:

 

WARNING!!! Spoiler Alert!!! WARNING!!!

 

This blog is based on theories that will include facts and material from the latest books in the series, so if you have not read through Towers of Midnight, continue reading at your own risk! The entire physical universe, including this blog, may one day collapse back into an infinitesimally small space that may or may not be bigger than a studio apartment available for rent in New York City. Should another universe subsequently and spontaneously re-emerge, the existence of this blog in that universe cannot be guaranteed. It is guaranteed, however, that if there are deadlines for said blog, they will more than likely not be met in a timely manner.

 

First of all, I hope everyone had a great holiday season, and that you are all having a happy new year so far! I'm not sure how many take any stock in this at all, but if those pesky Mayans (google this week's greeting for an easter egg) end up being right, 2012 could end up being our last year on this planet. I doubt it is, but just in case, I decided to make my resolution this year to ensure humanity's survival for another millennium. Everyone cross their fingers that I stick to my resolution for once! Even if the world doesn't end, this will be the year that A Memory of Light will come out, which will mean the end of the fantastic epic series we've all been following for various amounts of time. I'll pause to give everyone time to sniffle into some tissue paper.

 

...

 

Since we're discussing all kinds of different ends, I thought it might be fitting today to discuss something I'm sure many are wondering about with the release of the last book coming closer and closer upon us: which main characters will survive, and which ones get the axe? Since I wrote a similar type of blog not too long ago discussing which Forsaken might end up turning to the Light (to read that entry, click here), it seemed like a good idea to do this one in a similar format, and lo and behold, I think we might even have the same number of good guys to examine! We'll be basing the likelihood of death on a 1-10 scale, with 1 being they'll almost certainly stay alive, and 10 being they'll be as dead as a doornail. In not necessarily any specific order:

 

Mat (AKA Prince of Ravens, AKA Lord of Battles, AKA Toy)

 

Matrim Cauthon

Occupation: General, Ta'veren, Gambler, Loveable Degenerate

 

I wanted to go ahead and get our favorite rapscallion out of the way first because I think he's probably the main character who's flirted with death more so than any other. Hung and left for dead after his second trip to the land of the 'Finns, killed by a Forsaken and resurrected by Rand's balefiring of said Forsaken, pursued by an invincible killing machine of a gholam for several books, and oh, let's not forget the treatment he got from Queen Tylin when she was grooming him to be her pet; he's definitely had his fair share of close calls with death. Plus, there was a time when Robert Jordan had been tossing around the idea that there might be some "outrigger" novels after the series ended which would feature Mat and Tuon in lands not featured very much in the Wheel of Time. So, I think it's safe to say Mat should be safe in the last book.

 

Verdict: 1 out of 10

 

Egwene (AKA The Amyrlin Seat, AKA The Flame of Tar Valon)

 

Egwene al'Vere

Occupation: Amyrlin, Dreamer, Punching Bag for Aes Sedai-haters

 

Egwene has grown before our eyes into an incredibly powerful woman in the world of the Wheel of Time, training as a Wise One apprentice, learning what it is to be able to interpret one's Dreams as a Dreamer, and also tripping and falling into the Amyrlin's seat (well, it might have been a little more complicated than that, but not much). She's one of the most powerful female channelers of her generation, her iron will and fortitude have helped to bring the White Tower from general disrepair back into a more respectable position, and she strives to use her position of leadership to help the forces of Light win the Last Battle.

 

To be honest, we haven't gotten many glimpses of foreshadowing of her death, and you kind of figure that as a Dreamer, we might have gotten some of those if her death was imminent. She's had her close calls as well, having been kidnapped and held prisoner a couple of times, and has faced down some Forsaken to boot. Realistically, I don't see her dying since her position now puts her somewhat further from the battlefield than she would have been before, and it was more than likely the intent of the author to have Egwene lead the White Tower back to glory. She has been compared several times to some of the greatest and most powerful Amyrlins in history, and even though she's done quite a bit in her short tenure, I doubt she's done yet.

 

Verdict: 2 out of 10

 

Logain (AKA Guaire Amalasan?)

 

Logain Ablar

Occupation: False Dragon, Asha'man of the Black Tower

 

In my last blog (A Halo of Gold and Blue), I focused on Logain and what his glory might end up being. I also focused on what his possible "lineage" might be, and how that might be pertinent to what ends up happening with him. The thing is, his glory might involve him doing some great deeds which would require him to stick around for awhile, like possibly becoming Tamyrlin for the male section of the new "Gray Tower" I've talked about. However, it might also involve him sacrificing himself for some greater good, which means that he might not have that long of a shelf life at all. I'm leaning more towards the former, however. I think he'll be in relatively good condition at the end of the book.

 

Verdict: 4 out of 10

 

Aviendha (AKA The Wise One apprentice formerly known as a Maiden of the Spear)

 

Aviendha of the Nine Valleys sept of the Taardad Aiel

Occupation: Wise One apprentice, First-sister to Elayne, Heartthrob of the Dragon Reborn

 

Of all Rand's lovers, Aviendha is definitely my favorite. Way back in my very first blog on the website, I talked about Aviendha and the visions she saw in Rhuidean of the future of her people. I find the time we've spent with her character to have been invaluable; her heartfelt sentiments and musings have helped paint the picture of her being a very reluctant hero. She is extremely humble, but after seeing what she saw in the pillars in Rhuidean, she knows she will do anything she can to help prevent the awful fate that might be in store for her people. If that meant taking the mantle of leadership for her people to help direct them down a different path, I think she would do it, but I suspect that something else might be in store for her. I believed at the time of writing that blog and still do that she is a perfect martyr character, and it seems likely to me that she might think the best way to help preserve her people's honor is to help them rediscover their roots and use the lost Talent of Singing to help fight the Dark One in the last book. This passage comes to mind very easily:

 

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 2, "The Dedicated"

 

Ten Thousand Aiel linking arms and singing, trying to remind a madman of who they were and who he had been, trying to turn him with their bodies and a song. Jaric Mondoran killed them. He stood there, staring as though at a puzzle, killing them, and they kept closing their lines and singing. I am told he listened to the last Aiel for almost an hour before destroying him. And then Tzora burned, one huge flame consuming stone and metal and flesh. There is a sheet of glass where the second greatest city in the world once stood.

 

Verdict: 7 out of 10

 

Lan (AKA Aan'allein, AKA Lord of the Seven Towers, AKA The OG BA Gaidin)

 

Lan Mandragoran

Occupation: Warder, uncrowned King of Malkier, Nynaeve's Bonded

 

Let's face it, Lan would like nothing better than to expel his last breaths in the last book, as long as it meant his sword was glistening in the blood of his enemies and his ears were filled with the cries of their painful deaths all around him. This stony-faced Warder has been battling his own one-man war against the Shadow since he was sixteen, and he has more reason than most because he's the last remaining lord of Malkier, a nation that was completely annihilated by forces of the Shadow when he was still a babe in swaddling clothes. While he was Moiraine's Warder, Moiraine could barely keep him from going off and surrounding himself with insurmountable odds just to seek comfort in vengeance and death. Once his bond passed to Nynaeve, she showed him that flowers could be grown where he "cultivated dust and stone" and his demeanor lightened slightly, but his goal of retribution against the forces of the Dark One had not been hampered one bit.

 

He now has a force of Malkieri with him, riding to what he thinks is his death, galloping into the maw of his enemy like he's part of a great Shakespearean tragedy. So, all is said and done, and we shall soon see Lan's dying throes of bittersweet vengeance? Not so fast, my friend. The whole scene has been set up for too long and with too much build up for things to go down like we imagine. I doubt Nynaeve has used up all her tricks to try and keep him from dying without more aid, and Logain himself might be tied to Lan's rescue as well, so it seems very possible we might have a Gandalf-riding-down-the-hill-at-first-light-of-the-fifth-day type moment on the horizon.

 

Verdict: 5 out of 10

 

Nynaeve (AKA Wisdom of Edmond's Field, AKA leader of the "Wondergirls," AKA Braid-puller, AKA Ol' Battle Axe)

 

Nynaeve al'Meara

Occupation: Aes Sedai, Healer, Herbalist, Scolder

 

Of course, we have to cover Nynaeve now that we just covered Lan. Who would I be to try and come between the two? Nynaeve has also gone through a great journey throughout the series, at first seeming to be a nearly one-dimensional scolder who never let up on those she was admonishing. She overcame her block (with Moghedien's help), is now married, and shows many more emotions than she once did. Some think that she has lost her edge, but I just see that she has matured more as a person and no longer sees anger as the only way to deal with her peers. But how likely is she to croak?

 

One of the things that stands out to me is the vision of Nynaeve crying, and that her grief must be important. Some think this grief might be over Rand's death, which we might cover in a future blog, but I think it more likely has to do with Lan. Let's say she decides to shirk her duties at Rand's side and goes off to try and help Lan, which no one could really fault her for, but arrives to find that she has arrived too late. I don't see her being able to move on so easily and resume her responsibilities in Tarmon Gai'don. It seems more likely that she will instead pursue her own goal of vengeance, and this might lead to her not surviving Lan long. The only thing is, she still seems to have a special role in other events to come, but we don't know if she will be able to fulfill those roles yet still live on. I believe her fate is somewhat connected to Lan's.

 

Verdict: 4 out of 10

 

Perrin (AKA Young Bull, AKA Goldeneyes)

 

Perrin Aybara

Occupation: Blacksmith, Wolfbrother, Ta'veren, General

 

Perrin is a character many actually can see departing the physical realm in the last book because of one main reason: as a Wolfbrother, he'd be able to assist the forces of Light even if he died because of his abilities in the wolf dream/Tel'aran'rhiod. It's also not far-fetched at all to see him dying in battle since he leads his men from the trenches; he fights right there at the front line neck and neck with his foe and often puts his life in danger. That being said, I actually don't think it's a definite that Perrin will perish because he still has to fulfill the "Broken Crown" part of Min's vision of him (for a more in depth explanation, visit this past blog entry), and he still seems to need to play his part in the lost Talent of Singing resurfacing. Not only that, but Min's vision about the sparks flying around Rand, and the sparks growing larger with either of his ta'veren buddies around him seems to indicate that Rand, Mat, and Perrin will need to be near each other during a climactic moment for the Light to succeed, and this probably would not be possible even with Perrin in the same location in the wolf dream.

 

Verdict: 2 out of 10

 

Gawyn (AKA Egwene's Bonded, AKA Leader of the Younglings)

 

Gawyn Trakand

Occupation: First Sword of Andor, Warder, Holder of irrational grudge towards Rand

 

As Elayne's brother, Gawyn is acting First Sword of her Court, although the title is mainly just in name only. His true duties lie at Egwene's side, as both her Warder and as her love interest. Although very young, he is unbelievably skilled with a blade, and proved his worth when he dispatched not one, not two, but three Bloodknives sent to dispatch Egwene while she was sleeping. He very nearly died on that occasion, and would have died if Egwene had not awoken and Bonded him as her Warder. After recovering somewhat, he took the three ter'angreal rings from the would-be assassins and held onto them for later. It is mainly because of these rings that he holds, and the properties they share, that his death seems more imminent than most.

 

The rings grant unnatural speed and aid in keeping the bearer hidden, making it so it is in fact very difficult to look directly upon someone wearing the ring. However, this gift comes with a steep price, because once the ring is adorned, the owner will die within a manner of weeks. Gawyn has held an unnatural grudge towards Rand for much of the series, and though in the last book he appeared to be reconciling somewhat with the fact that Rand was now his brother-in-law, he still seems to have some deep-seated issues with the Dragon Reborn. There is even an idea out there that Gawyn might take on a "Mordredesque" type role and take Rand out, whether it's Light Rand or Dark Rand. It's somewhat hard to believe that Gawyn himself would survive such a feat, though. Either way, his chances of surviving the last book look grim.

 

Verdict: 8 out of 10

 

Elayne (AKA Caryla, AKA Morelin)

 

Elayne Trakand

Occupation: Queen of Andor, Aes Sedai, One of Rand's cadre of lovers

 

Speaking of Trakands, we might as well cover Gawyn's sister Elayne, the golden-haired beauty herself. As Queen, she should never be near any frontlines of battle, yet she seems to love throwing herself in danger's way as often as she can. She uses Min's vision as an excuse to do so; Min saw in one of her visions that she would give birth to two healthy twins, so as long as Elayne is still pregnant, she thinks it's completely okay to tempt fate as often as possible. Honestly, though, I don't think it's likely that she will actually die in the last book because she seems to have accomplished too much in uniting Andor and Cairhien to die now. Also, if I'm not mistaken, there's some references to her surviving the Last Battle during Aviendha's visions in the pillars at Rhuidean, making it somewhat more far-fetched to see her die. One thing that does make me think there might be a possibility is that if Aviendha dies, then should Elayne die too, Rand's love life would suddenly be simplified to a normal one on one relationship with Min, so I guess there could be some reasonable doubt...

 

Verdict: 2 out of 10

 

Moiraine (AKA Alys, AKA Mari, AKA The OG BA Aes Sedai)

 

Moiraine Damodred

Occupation: Aes Sedai, One-time holder of Lan's bond, Soon to be holder of Thom's bond

 

Moiraine was our introduction to Aes Sedai, and boy she set the bar high. She is an incredible schemer and weaver of intricate plots, and even though she was always protective of our heroes when they first set out on their journey, you always got the feeling she would sacrifice them in a heartbeat if it would help defeat the Dark One. For much of the series, we had actually thought her dead already, but it turned out that she was instead just held captive in the world of the 'Finns and required Mat, Thom, and Jain Farstrider himself to rescue her from there. Once rescued, it became evident that she and Thom had actually held interest for each other for quite some time, and they now plan on marrying. It doesn't seem likely that she was rescued just in time for the last book just to die off again, and she's far too intelligent to blunder her way into a mishap that would cause her death.

 

Verdict: 2 out of 10

 

Thom (AKA...too cool for aliases)

 

Thomdril Merrilin

Occupation: Gleeman, One-time Court Bard, Skilled player at Daes Dae'mar

 

Thom has long been one of the most beloved characters of the series, serving for breathtaking moments of awe when he utilized an unexpected way of saving someone else, or when he gave us a good chuckle with his sharp wit. He started out as an old man, but a spry old man at that, and with his upcoming bond to Moiraine, he shouldn't have to worry about dying of old age anytime soon. He isn't particularly fond of putting himself directly in the path of danger and would much rather play his cards from the sideline or manipulate the situation to his desire, but if the situation calls for it, he is more than able to handle his foes. He also has a knack for surviving situations it seems he shouldn't with ease, so this makes it seem like he wouldn't be an easy adversary to take down. Rand and Mat themselves thought him dead for awhile when Thom took on a Myrddraal single-handedly in order to help them escape. I wouldn't say he's very likely to pass in the last book, but as Moiraine's bonded he might see more grave situations than even he is used to, so I'd still keep wary if I were him.

 

Verdict: 3 out of 10

 

Min (AKA Serenla, AKA Jaisi Trakand)

 

Elmindreda Farshaw

Occupation: Seer of visions, Would-be scholar, One of Rand's milksops lovers

 

When Rand first met Min, she seemed to be characterized as a street-smart, quick-witted, and nimble-fingered gal of the alleys; in fact, for some time I wondered how much Brandon Sanderson might have based the famous heroine of his Mistborn novels, Vin, after her. She has changed somewhat into being a little more dependent on Rand than might first be believed, and has her nose buried in a book more often than she would have guessed long ago. Her visions help her see what lies in store for other's futures, so she is one of the main tools we use for determining how likely it is for other characters to kick the bucket soon, but we don't have much to guess about for whether or not she will actually make it. She already almost had a pretty awful death when Semirhage took control of Rand through the use of one of the male a'dam and had him start to choke his own lover, but luckily Dark Rand snapped quickly enough to stop this from happening and saved Min's tush. Anyway, I don't see much either way to convince me she might die, but it wouldn't surprise me to see her in danger again.

 

Verdict: 2 out of 10

 

Rand (AKA The Dragon Reborn, AKA the Coramoor, AKA He Who Comes With The Dawn, AKA Shadowkiller, AKA Nuli, AKA Lews Therin Telamon)

 

Rand al'Thor

Occupations: See aliases; he's the Dragon Reborn for cryin' out loud!

 

And then we arrive at the big Enchilada himself, the guy the whole series is pretty much wrapped around, the...wait, what am I doing, this guy has enough nicknames as it is. Rand al'Thor is the Champion of the Light, and the fate of the world of The Wheel of Time rests upon his shoulders, to a degree. Prophecies hint about his death countless times; his blood seems to be very significant indeed in deciding the Last Battle. To me, it seems like a given that he will die in A Memory of Light, but somehow be resurrected anew and with a healthy new body to fight the Dark One with. Some others disagree and think that instead he will merely fake his own death, citing the Dream Egwene had that I quoted in my last blog which shows Logain stepping over Rand's body and laughing.

 

I don't really see what purpose there would be in Rand faking his own death, though, and since it doesn't seem to satisfy any prophecies, it seems like a false interpretation of that Dream. More of the debate about Rand might be about whether or not Rand is resurrected, or the method in which he could be, but that topic is its own can of worms and I'd rather save that for later. For now, suffice it to say that I have a very strong feeling that at some point Rand will be no more in the last book.

 

Verdict: 9.999999 out of 10

 

Well, that's all for this week, everyone. I hope you continue to enjoy your new year. As always, let me know what you think in the comments section! Batik Che'e!




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I believe that Rand Al'thor Will survive Tarmon Gaidon. He received the answer from the Aelfinn for how to win the last battle and survive, And He has already died to himself. He will live through Tarmon Gaidon.

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Love this blog. I need to read past entries. I think RJ has led us to believe that Rand will die but I think he just may survive.

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gotta say, i disagree almost completely... i highly doubt min, perrin&faile will survive... lan and nyaneve are 50% to my mind, tho, if one dies, both probably will...

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tho id say if perrin dies, it will happen after the resealing... i see the sealing as the tipping point for the light... not the end of TG...

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I don't think Rand's plan (we were left 24 hours from his planned rendezvous at Shayol Gul) will materialize yet. He still has to kneel before the Crystal Throne; and there is Lanfear's trap to overcome. So, he's on a very busy schedule.

 

But we have Aviendha's quadruplets in Min's vision and the mother's trip to the columns. And we have Rand's dreams of him swimming in a pond with Elayne and Min while trying to teach Aviendha how to swim.

 

The Blind Man will weep at his own grave. The blind man (Rand before the top of dragonmount) has already wept. And he did the two Tear lords (darkfriends) to tell their masters that he is no longer blind. So, I think the death is that of Rand al-Thor denying his past. His rebirth is his acceptance of what he is.

 

My hunch is that he will be battered in the fight with the DO; but he'll survive. But I don't know how a "black hand" holding Callander plays into that.

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Lets see... This isn't George RR Martin... great characters won't be killed without some sort of notice (nothing wrong with that, just a different type of writing.

Rand as we know him will buy the farm.. not Two Rivers either. He might switch bodies, get pulled out of TA, fake his death, get beamed up by a scotsman(Tairen?) or some such. He will 'die'.

Rand, 9.999/10

The girls of Rand 2/10

They will all survive. RJ doesn't go that dark. In fact, I would add a reformed Lanfear to his harem.

Mat and Perrin 1/10

Too much has been spent setting these kids up for after the LB...

Lan, Nyn and Moraine and Thom 3/10

Only giving a three here, cause Lan really has been asking for it...

Gawyn 6/10

I doubt RJ would do him in, after finally getting bonded and bedded and the such, though he has to pull the trigger a few times

Logaine 2/10

The guy is seen stepping over rand and wrapped in glory, "as he rallies the troops to victory in the LB while Rand is using his Morph ability (or would it be Persist)"....

Just mild speculation

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Your blog is awesome. I just have to say that first. Second though, I think you are way off on Min. I have had her pinged to die for a while and for one main reason. The LACK of foretelling about her. We know she can see visions of herself and she only saw one. That she would fall in love and share Rand. One vision. Where as you have prophecy nearly popping up ALL OVER the place for nearly every other supporting character. I believe the absence of prophecy is her death knell. Everyone else pretty spot on. I don't know who it's goin to be but I am bettin at the least 3 are offed.

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you are wrong about rand,he will survive tarmon gaidon.our legendary hero,and he

is our hero(we the people called the wheel of time universe randland!!!!!) will

be in a memory of light until the last word of the last sentence.

rand's women will survive too,all three of them.

now regarding lanfear,in the last year or so,i read many times that her call for

help is a trap,i dont see it that way,and truly believe that it was a genuine cry for help,an s.o.s via dream world,and rand will save her,from her trap and from herself.

so i agree with st rukos,she will survive the last battle,fighting with rand.

after all,he has a soft spot for damsels in distress ha ha ha.....

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Does No one remember the Aelfinn's answers to Rand? He HAD to die before He could live through the Last Battle. When He wept over His grave, He died and was practically re-birthed at that moment.

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Another great blog as usual Despothera! I think Rand will make it, if only for one reason: During one of Perrin's jaunts into the wolf dream (don't ask me which) he see's one of his visions in the sky of Rand wandering down a road, his eyes bandaged, using a a cane and looking like a pauper.

 

While it doesn't sound like a glamorous end for our brave champion, it does seems a little fitting, almost Tolkien-esk. Ol' Frodo was never hailed as a hero and revered in his home town for his efforts to save the world either and I figure the greatest gift Rand could receive would be anonymity; the chance to live a quiet, normal life with Min.

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PS: i.e. I think he'll fake his death in the end and let the world think he sacrificed himself to save the world.

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I must agree with Theodril that Rand has already "died".Dragonmount was where LT dies."standing on his own grave".Blind,Perrins vision and the fact as Rand wanders through Seanchan held lands,he sees peace and order,"I have been blind" right before he goes to Dragonmount.I also believe he will"kneel to the Chrystal Throne"to bring peace and order to the lands he has conqured.They certainly have the man power to do that.A remnant of a remnant I believe will be the Tu'athan and any survivors from the last battle.Avi will somehow make a peace with the Seanchan,with Elaynes and Egewnes help.

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Bringing back the old Tiam-Demandred discussion into the mix, the Black Tower needs to be fixed. The dreampike preventing Traveling to and from there has to be dealt with; and Perrin is a key to that. And it might be the last Perrin-Isam fight where Lan's uncle dies.

 

Another vision that Egwene saw was the Amyrlin of Saidar and Saidin ruling the White Tower together. Another possibility.

 

Another key is Fortuona and the Seanchan. Last hints indicate that Graendil starting infiltrating the Empress' circle; and we get a hint that the Empress is considering replacing Seculia. So, Mat, Egeanin, ex-Suldame's, etc. have a role to play there.

 

As to who will die, it is very hard to speculate. I would love to see them all make it; which has been standard procedure so far.

 

One thing I would like to see dead is Elayne's Queen's ego. I hated how she threatened Perrin and Faile with execution.

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Is there a poll on a forum thread somewhere that allows people to choose which characters they think will die? Because it seems like on THIS subject, WoT fans are more divided than the Republican Party.

 

I've seen virtually every character nominated as a Death Candidate, but I'll be surprised if ANY of them actually die. My prediction is that Rand is the only person who dies, but since I think he gets resurrected too, I cannot technically say that "he'll be dead by the end." At the end of Book 14, I think all major and top supporting "good-guy" characters will live, including Lan. Anyone who is NOT a darkfriend will be alive by the end, and I do not count "alive" as having died and woken up in T'A'R. That's dead.

 

If I had a gun to my head and was told to choose one character besides Rand that is MORE LIKELY than the others to die, it would be Aviendha, simply because she wants to prevent everything she saw in her vision, her death would do that, and she is certainly not afraid to die.

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@metalhead... i dunno about aviendha's death... she's yet to have her children... and, as it has been mentioned, the easiest way of preventing what the children do, is to not have them, not to die... tho... from avi's future walk, the children were stuffed up, but, did they really cause the banishment of the aiel? no... i dont see how her death or celibacy would change that future we saw...

 

the problem was, that the aiel wernt included in the peace of the seanchan... THAT is what she has to fix... the aiel are loosing their purpose... rand has to give them a new one...

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If I remember right, Elayne is having triplets. One girl and 2 boys. The night of the viewing from Min, her and Birgitte got drunk and could only remember that Elayne was having more than one baby so they came up with 2.

I agree that Rand will rescue Lanfear and she comes to the Light.

I am hoping that ALL the heroes live. I also believe that Rand will die and be resurrected.

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Before punishing Graendil for her failure, Shadar Haran said that another (presumably of the Chosen) has been tasked with an important mission. Lanfear hates Rand as much as anyone; and she'll do all she can to get back at him for dumping her. Morridin is not angry at her/Cynade for anything; so she should be 100% "evil" without any doubts.

 

It is looking like Rand might be trapped/ambushed in the World of Dreams; and who's better to save him than Perrin, the Master of that World (after killing Isam).

 

Re: Gawyn, Min's viewing was 2 parts. One where he was kneeling before Egwene with her hands on his head; and the other was Gawyn breaking Egwene's neck. I wonder how that will play out. Will he die saving her during the impending Seanchan attack on the White Tower?

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@theodril i agree that perrin may kill isam... tho, i think if he has any chance, he has to enter in the flesh, like isam does... so they'd have an equal footing... perrin and a pack couldnt take isam... i dont see how perrin would be able to take him down alone any other way...

 

and remember... lanfear is also a master of the world of dreams... and, she's the one that made the bore, if she's coming back to the light, she'd be the best one to give rand the key to sealing it right :)

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There was a vision of Rand and 2 others on a hill surrounded by Shadowspawn. That probably is connected to an attempted sealing of the bore. Whether it is successful or not is another story. I hope Rand manages it with the help of Nynave and Alivia. And I hope that Lanfear, Demandred, and co. are balefired out of the pattern.

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Pretty good statements on each of the characters. The only ones I felt differently enough about to post something were Moiraine and Thom. I think Moiraine's having "died" once already and come back just in time to achieve her entire purpose in the story makes her the strongest candidate for martyrhood. She's already proven that she is the most single-mindedly dedicated and willing to martyr herself of the series, having done so once already despite having already knowing in advance what was roughly going to happen and the extremely slight chances of being rescued.

 

Heck she's even more single-minded about it than Lan is, after all he is willing to irrationally throw himself into death without really taking the necessary thought to analyze whether that death will really accomplish anything worth accomplishing in the grand scheme. Moiraine on the other hand is so meticulously calculating about it that we know one thing for sure about her, victory is really the only thing that matters. Of course she will take her romance with Thom while she can have it, and her short period of respite from having the weight of the world on her shoulders, but in the end she is the one character most likely to throw all other considerations to the wind, without more than a half-moment's pause of regret for love, and sacrifice herself once again for the greater good. And the fact that she's already been as good as dead (and with plenty of time to have resigned herself to it while prisoner) means she has less clingingness to her frail thread of life than the others and more appreciation for the short moments that she has been given back after having resigned herself to death.

 

And Thom seems to me a character who considers that he's already lead a thoroughly full life (and with good cause to feel that way) and fully justified in sacrificing it so that those who haven't had so much life to live yet can keep theirs. And being connected to Moiraine with her own proclivities toward self-sacrifice, it seems to me that it would be a perfect crystalization of their romance--i.e. finally having realized their love and spending a short time fulfilling it, then dying together in a tremendous blaze of glory.

 

Sure, we haven't had big, prophetic foreshadowing of such an event, but that makes it that much more impactful when it happens and catches us off-guard. I think there will be something of a collage of painful losses of characters we've come to love dearly, in a way that some of our primary characters will know of these multiple deaths and be heavily moved by them at a crucial moment when their emotional frailty could cost the victory, but instead serves to harden their resolution to make the hard decisions that need to be made at that moment and thus give further meaning to those deaths by taking victory through these sacrifices.

 

(By the way, I haven't done a re-read in some time, and I'm not that heavy a follower of the blogging & any statements RJ has made about future events, so if there have already been any definitive statements as to these 2 surviving post-LB, then I'm sure someone will correct me on this, critically or not as their character dictates.)

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Hah! I can just picture RJ sitting there reading this and responding RAFO.

Thanks for the blog Despothera!

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What about Lan dying and having Nynaeve and Rand working together with a sa'angreal (guess it would have to be Callandor plus one other. My guess would be Moiraine) to bring him back to life. Both have been linked to healing death, first Rand with the little girl in the Stone of Tear (tSR, I think? Maybe the end of tDR?) and Nynaeve has repeatedly said that anything should be healable. She already proved one "impossible" thing possible in healing stilling, so this could be done too. They could possibly throw in Damer Flinn and make it a much larger circle to grant way more of the Power. Something like this would obviously need a LOT of Power. They also both have deep connections to Lan. Rand sees (possibly should be past tense) Lan as a psuedo-father figure, learning everything he knows about the world outside of Emond's Field from him. I don't think I have to explain Nynaeve's connection with him. With Tarwin's Gap coming and Lan's drive to die, I think he will probably end up dead, but like Rand, that won't be the end of him.

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yea... i dont think healing death is possible... it would be akin to adding a thread back into the pattern after it was removed... i dont see the ability for this, beyond the creator's will...

 

as for rands "die and live again", i believe rand will die, and live again in TaR... not dieng and living again in the waking world...

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