Theoryland of the Wheel of Time

Day 1—Saturday 21 April, approximately 10.20am. Theoryland questions + 1 Felix + 1 Zombie + 1 Terez

Is Taim's palace made of [Shayol Ghul rock]?

Yes.

ELEANOR

Brandon looked a bit uncomfortable/hesitant answering this one. Not sure I should have warned him it was a Terez one, but he answered all the same. Theories, anyone? ALSO: Followup question asked Sun 22. Can someone ask how the stone got there? Was it dragged by teams to where it was safe to gateway?

FOOTNOTE—TEREZ

This question was also asked by another person. I was going to ask about the stone that Taim used as his podium, a symbol of his office, beginning in Lord of Chaos, but I figured the description was too complicated for a question I had to pass on to be asked by someone else. I was thinking everything at the Black Tower was made with that same rock, so I said to ask about Taim's palace. Turns out only the walls are made out of that rock, and the original podium is still used as a podium in the palace. The palace is white marble, though it has black stone columns. Brandon probably knew the walls were made out of Shayol Ghul rock, and assumed I knew what I was talking about with the palace. (I didn't.) I didn't expect him to answer the question with a 'yes', or I might have put more effort into looking it up first. So we can probably assume that the podium and the walls are made of Shayol Ghul rock, and possibly also Moridin's Blightfortress and the Towers of Midnight in Imfaral. The significance is probably mostly symbolic, like the red-and-black floor tiles in Taim's palace.

taim

,

moridin

,

shayol ghul

,

black tower

Is there a Waygate near Lugard?

As far as I recall, yes. But I'm not a hundred per cent sure.

ELEANOR

No notable expression changes. Can someone check that map on Deviant Art?

demandred

,

roedred

,

murandy

,

waygates

,

the ways

,

tarmon gai'don

,

ogier

,

a memory of light

,

unsolved mysteries

Do we have any clues to guess what the ____ in the Blight is?

Yes.

ELEANOR

Asked if there was anything else he could give us on this one and he said he could not be more descriptive. Perhaps if someone was more pointed/specific?

the blight

,

unsolved mysteries

,

wilson

What is the exact location of the Fields of Merrilor?

There will be a map in A Memory of Light. (Added something along the lines about not being aware of debate on the location.)

ELEANOR

I wish I'd had the full background on the debate on this one with me. As it was, I didn't have enough to describe with any clarity. I know the basics of the contradiction but not the full story.

geography

,

maps

,

merrilor

,

a memory of light

Will all the questions Rand and Moiraine asked of the Aelfinn be revealed in A Memory of Light?

No.(Will we know more?) They will be partially revealed.

ELEANOR

This one I can't remember too well from the notes taken, so the wording may be a little off. He looked certain and a little cheerful on this one.

a memory of light

,

rand

,

moiraine

,

finns

,

aelfinn

We know access to the True Power is a matter of wanting it and the Dark One letting you. Are there any other conditions?

Well... (This is not quite verbatim.) You have to be human of course, and all the other things as with the One Power. I don't believe so, but I am not sure. (Don't take this last sentence as gospel as I may not recall it correctly.)

ELEANOR

I think we need to clarify what sort of conditions so he can say yes or no to them. Maybe MAFO?

rand

,

moridin

,

dark one

,

true power

,

channeling

Why is such a big deal made about the silence from the Black Tower when Nynaeve reached them without fuss?

Myrelle wasn't inside the grounds. They had been locked out.

ELEANOR

This one should have been caught on my filters. Realised it as soon as it came out.

FOOTNOTE—LUCKERS

This isn't actually the answer; this is the problem. Why is there a silence when the Rebel embassy can be easily reached by gateway and vice versa? To quote Romanda, "They should have at least sent word. This silence is disturbing." That was the point behind the question—why is there such a big deal made when Nynaeve could reach them without fuss?

myrelle

,

nynaeve

,

towers of midnight

,

black tower

,

asha'man

,

aes sedai

Who is Edorion's father?

MAFO.

ELEANOR

Amusing reaction upon the warning it was a Felix question.

mafo

,

tear

Event—Seminar—Wheel of Time.

Brandon Sanderson gave a reading from a recent piece (going through production for a TV series?) about a man whose aspects take form as visions. Based on a brilliant friend. This took some time—only 10m left for questions. Two Reds from Dragonmount asked Terez' question again and he answered without hesitation or worry this time, what with the cat out of the bag. No other notable questions—another amusing reenactment of him getting the phone call for completing WoT as well as questions about linking his worlds with some discussion of Asimov's attempts in that regard. We also heard of the Sherlock-themed Asmodean theory sent in by a fan to RJ, which he left on a pile with a post-it saying "This is right", and how Sanderson wanted fans to find out the same way he did—in a glossary, with nothing more than "This is right".

asmodean

,

taim

,

black tower

,

shayol ghul

Day Two—Sunday 22 April—approximately 11.50am. Lupus only questions.

Brandon Sanderson was late this day and had suitcases with him, so he may have been a little frazzled. I got the rest of my books signed and waited for the queue that had built to massive size get down to a reasonable length before starting his torment. I've tried to address the major theories I can recall off the top of my head, but given I've had about 10 hours sleep in the last 4 or 5 days, and the longest continual stretch 3.5 hours on Saturday morning, I was not as successful at avoiding RAFOs, and most of my slyness was...well, blatant.

First off, I forgot to say yesterday, Jason says hi.

Jason from Dragonmount?

ELEANOR

Yes!

BRANDON SANDERSON

(Grins)

Luckers claims this was actually him.

lol

,

fandom

I had Warbreaker and The Way of Kings parts 1 and 2 for him to sign today and I had slipped a pack of MTG cards in Warbreaker; given he wasn't there at 10.50am, I thought he'd need them. He was happy.

magic: the gathering

Why Shayol Ghul stone? What are its properties?

Uh, um, uh. I'm going to allow you to theorize on this one.

ELEANOR

A RAFO by any other name is still a RAFO, although this pretty much means it IS weird...

shayol ghul

,

black tower

Will the Sherlock Asmodean thing be published online somewhere?

Oh, it already is. Have a look on Dragonmount or something.

ELEANOR

I wish I'd had internet properly the night before. But I will hunt for this...

asmodean

,

fandom

If Rand dies, or seems to die, or almost dies, will there be a secondary reason other than cool factor or him being loved for bringing him back?

RAFO.

ELEANOR

I thought I'd manage to dodge a RAFO with this setup, but of course to answer it he would have to confirm Rand's death or otherwise.

rand

,

how will it end?

Did you write the Mat/Hinderstap sections first?

(This is not verbatim.) Yes, I did, and I know there is a flow issue there. They were amongst the first chapters I wrote and at that stage I had not realized that most of Mat's humor is in how he reacts to his surroundings.

ELEANOR

There was a bit more to this; I wish I could recall more, but a lot of cues I need are missing from these notes, although what I have has been brilliant so far. Many thanks to my faithful Gaidin.

mat

,

brandon on writing wot

,

characterization

,

the gathering storm

What information can you give me on how the Seanchan/damane/channeling thing will pan out in A Memory of Light?

I can tell you it will be addressed in the book. (A bit more was said, but not much save me acknowledging I had not expected much of an answer from this one.)

ELEANOR

Yes, you ask a terrible question...and you actually get a better, less pitying answer than it merits. I was not very hopeful with this question but could not think of a way to de-RAFO-worthy it.

seanchan

,

damane

,

a memory of light

Are there any Darkfriends—you'll be able to see where I am going with this—amongst the Wise Ones, the main Wise Ones with names, we have seen on screen and know?

(Laughs.) RAFO.

ELEANOR

Again, you ask a terrible question...BUT THERE IS MORE ON THIS.

I think he felt a little sad about my Sorilea attempt and his inevitable RAFO, and thus offered the following tidbit:

BRANDON SANDERSON

"At least one of the named characters is an unrevealed Darkfriend."

ELEANOR

I know that this is pretty much a given anyway, but the way he said it—the way he presented it (with this gleam in his eyes and an invisible flourish) it suggests it is...not any old named character, but one with some importance. Of course, that is just my opinion and as such is...debatable.

But have we a list of second- and third-tier named characters who could possibly be Darkfriends?

aiel

,

darkfriends

,

sorilea

,

a memory of light

Did Verin reveal any Darkfriends to anyone other than Egwene? Like in the little red-sealed letters or something?

Yes.

ELEANOR

(Blinked.) Can you...I don't know...?

BRANDON SANDERSON

(Laughs) No.

ELEANOR

Did this for the Weiramon eyes thing people, to see if we could rule out her letters to Rand. Nope.

rand

,

darkfriends

,

weiramon

,

verin

Will we see Suffa again, onscreen or in her POV?

Um, RAFO.

ELEANOR

Expression when answering gives possibility of another appearance some merit.

elaida

,

a memory of light

Mistcoat tassels—were they once mistcloak tassels? Are they hereditary?

No.

ELEANOR

Something I had always wondered...ah well. Who makes the mistcoats/mistcloaks, anyway?

mistborn

,

first mistborn trilogy

,

alloy of law

On the Shaido—will we see them again in A Memory of Light?

RAFO.

ELEANOR

Will there be fighting in the Waste? That is, Shadowspawn?

BRANDON SANDERSON

RAFO.

ELEANOR

For Shaido = remnant of a remnant. I think he knew EXACTLY what I was not asking.

aiel

,

shaido

,

tarmon gai'don

,

a memory of light

This one I basically composed on the spot, so it got the answer it merited.

QUESTION

The darkness surrounding Bashere—can you give us any info on that? Was it caused by his past actions or by his future actions, or is it a result of someone else's actions against him?

What I can tell you is that being surrounded by darkness is rarely a good thing in the WoT world.

ELEANOR

Was trying to attack the Bashere = Darkfriend uncertainty, but, uh...This was in direct response to the tidbit he considered tasty mentioned earlier on.

bashere

,

darkfriends

,

min's viewings

,

a memory of light

Here's something you can't RAFO! This has probably been asked elsewhere, but how do you think your experience writing these books has influenced your own style?

Oh! RAFO! Ok...just kidding.

ELEANOR

This was a long response, but I have managed to capture the gist of it in this summary, I think. It boiled down to it made him more aware of the littler things, and how aware he became of RJ's extreme subtlety and his skill in very delicate foreshadowing. I really, really wish I had a dictaphone or some such at this point, as it was absolutely fascinating. If this question could be asked again once A Memory of Light and one more of his own books is published, it'd be absolutely fascinating to see his answers then and compare them. He may even (he said nothing of this; this is just me pondering) write a blog post once it is out and done.

brandon on writing

,

brandon on writing wot

So, to summarise:

Taim's palace is [or actually, the walls of the Black Tower are] made of Shayol Ghul stone and it's likely got properties that will have some effect beyond fulfilling prophecies. There's likely a Waygate near Lugard. We have clues on the ____. There will be a map in A Memory of Light giving the proper and exact location of the Field of Merrilor. We will have to keep on guessing at some of Rand and Moiraine's Aelfinn questions until the end of time, or until someone puts us out of our misery. There aren't any special requirements for touching the True Power other than the known ones (so no mandatory touching of Forsaken etc.) As stated in the books, the Salidar Aes Sedai team are still locked out of the Black Tower. Edorion is either fatherless (shush Felix) or we'll have to ask Maria. The Seanchan sul'dam issue will be addressed (does addressed mean solved or just mentioned?) in the book. I have no tact or ability at deception. We might just see Suffa/Elaida again. There is a possibility still that the remnant of the Shaido will be the remnant of a remnant (but how would he save them?) Bad things are in Bashere's future. Brandon has been influenced by the completion of WoT in areas of foreshadowing etc. At least one of the named characters is an unrevealed Darkfriend, and by his excitement, it's not some random foot soldier.

I've some images too.

On the first day, D and I arrived a bit late—the queue for people with tickets to get in when we got there would have been about 400-500m long, and it quickly spiralled on the grass outside (like a poorly-played game of Snake!) to somewhere in the vicinity of 700m. (That's 437-546 yards and 765 yards for you crazy people.) As the Weasley twins from Harry Potter, Wil Wheaton, Summer Glau, and "that dude from Twilight" Peter Facinelli (as well as Janet Fielding, Kylie Chan, Alan Dean Foster, and a few others) were all there, there were a lot more people than I had seen on prior attendance two years ago (Many, many Potter cosplayers, but surprisingly few Twihards, although we did have a few Twimoms). The next day we made sure we were there MORE than an hour early and so, whilst there more people, we got in fairly quickly.

The first day was Mistborn day for me; twitter followers would have seen me ranting about it during construction (I had no sewing machine), and D wore a Ta'veren Tee. The second day was WoT day—Aes Sedai and Warder. Yes...my photo is online. The second day we had to leave early as I have to be back up in Rockhampton (800km up the coast, 10h on trains) for work Monday. The first day's seminar as noted was for The Wheel of Time, the second day's seminar was on Warbreaker (of all things) but I was unable to attend that session due to my early leaving.

Question count: 22
Question source breakdown: 1 Terez, 1 Zommael, 1 Felix, 13 Lupusdeusest, 5 Forums (including one Luckers) (I've missed one somewhere?)
RAFO content: 4
RAFO by another name: 2
MAFO content:1

I think I've covered everything!