he Black Wires and the True Power
by Ozymandias: 2007-03-08 | 1.43 out of 10 (7 votes)
From the first book, we have have heard mention of black lines or wires, connections to the Dark One. Aginor and Balthamel possess it, or possessed them, since they’re dead, and we hear of if several more times, between Be’lal and Asmodean in their respective encounters with Rand. The commonly accepted fact is that these lines are a connection to the Dark One and a shield against the Taint. However, it is my purpose here to show that this is untrue and most likely impossible, at least in the sense that these wires are a shield against the taint.
I know that Rand says the wires are a connection to the Dark One, but I don’t see this being the case. Rand is often wrong and speaks in ignorance, maybe not nearly so much as characters like Nyn, Elayne, or Egwene, but enough nonetheless that we can doubt his word. He says here:
TITLE: Shadow Rising
CHAPTER: 58 - The Traps of Rhuidean
Somehow Rand managed to stand, still holding the stone-and-crystal figure to his chest. He would not continue on his knees in her presence. "You Chosen"-he knew taunting her was dangerous, but he could not stop himself-"gave your souls to the Dark One. You let him attach himself to you." How many times had he replayed his battle with Ba'alzamon? How many times before he began to suspect what those black wires were? "I cut him off from the Dark One, Lanfear. I cut him off!"
Now, based on Lanfear’s reaction, this is a totally unexpected twist. We know that there ARE things the Forsaken are unaware of in this day and age, things like the Warder bond and others, but to assume their ignorance in this is foolish. Every single thing they lack knowledge of is a development of recent years (with the possible sole exception of Healing stilled channelers… though we have no evidence stilling was a common practice in the AoL, only that channelers were “bound†in some way). And in something that would concern them so intimately? Come now. We cannot seriously assume that men and women whose very existence depends on the Dark One’s favor would be so ignorant as to this particular weakness.
We hear of these wires a few times, usually when Rand confronts one of the Forsaken. I won’t bother to name every one, but I think for the most part its in EotW, tDR, and tSR. Here’s one:
TITLE: Shadow Rising
CHAPTER: 58 - The Traps of Rhuidean
The dark-haired man stood at his ease, one hand on a hip, pensively fingering his chin. A spill of white lace dripped from his neck; more half-hid his hands. His high-collared red coat seemed shinier than silk- satin, and was oddly cut, with tails hanging almost to his knees. What seemed to be black threads, like fine steel wires, ran off from the man, disappearing into the surrounding dark- Those Rand had surely seen before.
For any doubters that this is a repetitive sight, notice Rand comments to himself that he’s seen those wires before. Anyways… these wires are not a lifeline to the Dark One; not a protection against the madness that comes with channeling saidin. There are a few reasons to disbelieve this.
Firstly, we don’t see these mysterious lines in every case. In the fight against Rahvin, there is certainly no evidence of the black wires. And there is no reason for Rand not to visualize such wires. Cutting Asmodean off from the protection of the Dark One, as he said, was immensely profitable for Rand. He gives no thought to it with Rahvin, even though this is one of the first things he notices in all his other fights with the Forsaken. IF these lines represented a true connection, we would see them invariably, especially among male Forsaken. But we do not. There is no explanation to this other than that those lines do NOT represent a connection.
What they do represent is access to the True Power. There are several justifications for this explanation. Number one is that every time we see a man channeling at the same time we see Rand fighting a Forsaken, we see the black lines (with one telling exception). We have already heard explained that these lines are just a visualization, which makes sense; Rand does not see this every time he looks because it he needs to be specifically visualizing it to see the lines. This is why in the case of Rahvin, he sees nothing; Rahvin is not tapping the True Power at that moment. It is very much within the realm of possibility that Asmodean was, in fact it is likely. We know it takes a significant amount of power to make a gateway; enough that it can be sensed at a fairly great distance. Asmodean would not endanger his own plans by letting Rand know of his presence when he went to fetch the Choedan Kal from Rhuidean; instead, he uses the True Power to make his Skimming thing so Rand won’t know. In this case, we see him channeling the True Power at the same time we see the black lines, and we do not hear that Rand is aware of another channeler.
This gives us interesting insights into other situations. It has been theorized by others that in the battle in the Stone, Rand was able to deflect the balefire Ba’lal shoots at him with Callandor because Callandor is of the One Power and the balefire is of the True Power. I support this claim, and also can support it by pointing to the incident in Shadar Logoth, where the balefire streams connect. In that instance, the True Power and One Power have merely bounce off each other, albeit with certain side-effects. In the Stone, Rand does not feel that Be’lal is channeling, which he should. The only explanation? The True Power.
Another, more tangential piece of evidence can be found in the fight with Aginor. In this instance, Rand does not see black wires, but a white cord.
TITLE: Eye of the World
CHAPTER: 51 - Against the Shadow
Suddenly he felt something, saw it, though he knew it was not there to see. A glowing rope ran off from Aginor, behind him, white like sunlight seen through the purest cloud, heavier than a blacksmith's arm, lighter than air, connecting the Forsaken to something distant beyond knowing, something within the touch of Rand's hand. The rope pulsed, and with every throb Aginor grew stronger, more fully fleshed, a man as tall and strong as himself, a man harder than the Warder, more deadly than the Blight. Yet beside that shining cord, the Forsaken seemed almost not to exist. The cord was all. It hummed. It sang. It called Rand's soul. One bright finger-strand lifted away, drifted, touched him, and he gasped. Light filled him, and heat that should have burned yet only warmed as if it took the chill of the grave from his bones. The strand thickened. I have to get away!
If the black wires are a connection, than it makes sense that the white cord is a conduit to the One Power. This is reinforced by Rand’s ability to access this power. This dichotomy reinforces the idea that the cords represent access to the two differing powers, and there is a reason why we no longer see the cords: none of the Chosen have access to the True Power any more! Since Moridin’s appearance we have no evidence of the black wires, and simultaneously no evidence of the True Power being channeled in Rand’s sight.
There are other peripheral considerations, of course; important ones. For example, all the Darkfriend Asha’man do not have these wires, and they certainly should. What else could the Shadow offer a male channeler except protection from the Taint? Immortality is worthless if you’re too insane to enjoy it, not to mention that there must be some kind of strong enticement to bring someone to the Shadow, especially at a time when Rand seems to be winning everywhere (politically, at least). Some will certainly say these men were darkfriends beforehand, but can it seriously be believed that sheerly by coincidence at least 5 of the most advanced Asha’man are Darkfriends? That is excepting Dashiva/Demandred, of course. The only obvious answer is that the Dark One offered these men, already some of the most powerful alive (much as a Sitter would be considered powerful) the ability and protection to enjoy that power with continued sanity. This does NOT mean he granted them access to the True Power, by all accounts a sure sign of his favor.
All of these circumstances point firmly to the fact that the black wires represent a connection to the True Power, rather than a connection which implies a protection from the Taint. Make of that what you will.
If any of my facts are wrong (and its highly probable… I haven’t read the books in at least a few years) blame the search engine. But seriously… point them out, I’m pretty sure there are a few slip ups in here.
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1
Tamyrlin: 2007-07-06
Well...I'm surprised you didn't quote a question or two I had for Jordan during Dragon Con on this issue...but let's just say I'm willing to consider other options concerning the Black Cords. However, I would like to dispute the idea that the white cord was a different power. The Aginor instance was Aginor pulling the OP from the Eye. Pure Saidin that, as we discover after their battle, is completely used up by Rand and Aginor. You would have to compare an apples to apples situation where Rand was pulling from tainted Saidin. If you can find an instance of tainted Saidin creating a white cord, then you would have a more firm foundation for your idea. I'm not completely against the black cords being symbolic of the True Power connection. I find it hard to believe that Asmodean had access to the True Power. Also, I was quite sure that Rand sensed Asmodean's attacks while they fought in Rhuidean. I just went and looked. Rand and Asmodean fight over control of the ter'angreal. So, Asmodean was channeling the One Power, when Rand severed those wires attached to him. Thoughts?
2
forsaken soul: 2007-07-07
"That is excepting Dashiva/Demandred, of course."
You mean Dashiva/Osan'gar.
Maybe the cords represent the ability to channel the true power, but not necessarily that it is being channeled right then.
3
Ozymandias: 2007-07-09
Tam, I don't see why Asmodean wouldn't have access to the True Power. It's clear that in the War of Power, all of them did, since they were all well acquainted with its side effects, and I don't see any reason why access would be removed afterwards, given what a huge resource it is.
Access to the TP is only revoked, actually, as a way of the DO showing displeasure with his lieutenants and in doing a little to make them easier to control.
And as for Asmodean in Rhuidean... why couldn't he be channeling both? There is no evidence that this is an impossible feat, it seems like weaving several flows. In any case, it might have been the drop that turned the advantage in their fight his way, if it worked.
And in any case, how exactly would Asmodean or any of them realized they were cut off? We don't have any evidence suggesting that the protection they get is tangible to them. But like stilling, being cut off from the TP probably gives the impression of a piece of you being missing. Having the protection from the Taint removed would be impossible to detect unless saidin was being channeled at the time, and while their is no evidence to say this is not the case... nor is there evidence for it.
And I don't know how to work the Q&A things... so if anyone knows something from those to disprove this, go ahead... I earned it
4
terez: 2007-07-09
From the TOR Questions of the Week:
Week 20 Question: Why was Aginor so interested in the Eye of the World? He could channel clean saidin anyway so it shouldn't have been an issue?
Robert Jordan Answers: He was able to channel clean saidin, true, but only through the "filter" which had been provided by the Dark One just a short time previously, which meant the Dark One would be aware of him channeling wherever he was. Remember, Aginor was the creator of the Trollocs; he is quite able to reason things out clearly, at least in a scientific sense. Also, he wasn't certain whether or not the Dark One also would know what he was doing when he channeled, too. For someone as secretive, competitive, and generally untrustworthy as the one of the Forsaken, the Eye of the World amounted to a valuable asset if it could be secured. To put it simply, Aginor saw a means of channeling without the Dark One looking over his shoulder, and maybe a way to increase his own power at the expense of those who didn't have that advantage. Balthamel might well have been for the long drop, administered by Aginor, if things hadn't worked out differently.
5
Marie Curie 7: 2007-07-10
Ozymandias:
"All of these circumstances point firmly to the fact that the black wires represent a connection to the True Power, rather than a connection which implies a protection from the Taint. Make of that what you will."
Well, unfortunately RJ said otherwise. From signing reports in the wotmania FAQ:
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Access to the True Power is a matter of wanting it and the Dark One letting you. NOT black cords. In Prologue to The Eye of the World we saw True Power to heal insanity. The One Power cannot be used to heal insanity. The True Power used at Shayol Ghul will fry you instantly.
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6
Marie Curie 7: 2007-07-11
Ozy,
I have a few more comments...
You gave this quote, and suggested that Rand was speaking in ignorance:
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TITLE: Shadow Rising; CHAPTER: 58 - The Traps of Rhuidean
Somehow Rand managed to stand, still holding the stone-and-crystal figure to his chest. He would not continue on his knees in her presence. "You Chosen" - he knew taunting her was dangerous, but he could not stop himself - "gave your souls to the Dark One. You let him attach himself to you." How many times had he replayed his battle with Ba'alzamon? How many times before he began to suspect what those black wires were? "I cut him off from the Dark One, Lanfear. I cut him off!"
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Yet, a little later in the same chapter, Asmodean confirms that the black cords do indeed provide protection from the taint:
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TITLE: Shadow Rising; CHAPTER: 58 - The Traps of Rhuidean
Asmodean was struggling to his feet, unsteady and nearly falling again. He no longer bled, but blood still traced thin lines from his ears down the sides of his neck, made a smear across his mouth and chin. His filthy red coat was torn, his white lace ripped and snagged. "It was my link to the Great Lord that allowed me to touch saidin without going mad," he said hoarsely. "All you have done is make me as vulnerable as you. You might as well let me go. I am not a very good teacher. She only chose me because --" His lips writhed, trying to pull the words back.
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So how do you square Asmodean's own words with your assertion that Rand was speaking in ignorance when he told Lanfear that he cut Asmodean off from the Dark One?
There's more:
Ozy:
"Firstly, we don't see these mysterious lines in every case. In the fight against Rahvin, there is certainly no evidence of the black wires."
The only times that I recall that the black cords have been seen are in Tel'aran'rhiod and the Skimming Space. When Rand fights Rahvin in Caemlyn, the first time he sees him, they're in the real world. After they enter Tel'aran'rhiod, Rand doesn't actually see Rahvin again until the very end when he balefires him. So, Rand likely had no real chance to observe the black cords.
Ozy:
"This gives us interesting insights into other situations. It has been theorized by others that in the battle in the Stone, Rand was able to deflect the balefire Ba'lal shoots at him with Callandor because Callandor is of the One Power and the balefire is of the True Power."
Minor point: Be'lal didn't shoot balefire at Rand; Be'lal was killed by Moiraine before Rand ever drew Callandor. It was Ishamael that created the balefire that Rand deflected by using Callandor after they both had entered Tel'aran'rhiod. Ishamael did use the One Power to make the gateway to enter Tel'aran'rhiod - Rand felt a sense of folding, which he wouldn't have with the True Power - so I don't see any reason why Ishamael would have switched to using the True Power. And Rand does see the black cords on Ishamael when they are in Tel'aran'rhiod.
Ozy:
"Some will certainly say these men were darkfriends beforehand, but can it seriously be believed that sheerly by coincidence at least 5 of the most advanced Asha'man are Darkfriends?"
Why not, if they were personally trained by Taim?
7
Ozymandias: 2007-07-11
Firstly, RJ's response in no way invalidates my theory. Just because access to the True Power requires your desire and his approval does not mean it isn't linked to the cords.
On the exact same note, just because the black wires link Asmo & Co to the Dark One doesn't mean they aren't an access point for the TP. These aren't mutually exclusive ideas. Asmodean doesn't know for sure; by all accounts, we can only see the cords when they're visualized in TAR. The Chosen probably just don't think the way Rand does and don't visualize it, but they WOULD feel the snapping of their connection to the DO and TP.
Thirdly, your point about Rahvin is utterly useless, because as you say we have no way of knowing what he looked like, cords or no. However, given that Rand does glimpse him a few times and mentions nothing, evidence might point in the other direction.
In addition, Nynaeve DOES see Rahvin before the end, and sees no indication of black wires. Since we know Rahvin was using the OP (Rand could feel it), they wouldn't be present. His connection to the Dark One is obviously still there, so you need to reconcile that as well.
8
Anubis: 2007-07-11
**Rand felt a sense of folding, which he wouldn't have with the True Power - so I don't see any reason why Ishamael would have switched to using the True Power.**
Why wouldn't Rand feel folding? The folding is not the True Power, merely an affect of it.
Also "he wouldn't have switched to using the True Power" demonstrates a profound ignorance of Ishamael.
9
fish06: 2007-07-12
I dont necessarily agree with this... I havnt really made up my mind. I think that the cord when rand was fighting the forsaken in the tEotW is white because it is a conduit to the clean source of saidin that was hidden in The Eye. Wouldn't black cords then be tainted sadin?
10
Marie Curie 7: 2007-07-12
Ozy:
"Firstly, RJ's response in no way invalidates my theory. Just because access to the True Power requires your desire and his approval does not mean it isn't linked to the cords."
The second part of the response from RJ says "NOT black cords." Meaning, Access to the True Power is NOT black cords. How is that not in direct contradiction to what you stated in your theory?: "What they do represent is access to the True Power."
"On the exact same note, just because the black wires link Asmo & Co to the Dark One doesn't mean they aren't an access point for the TP. These aren't mutually exclusive ideas. Asmodean doesn't know for sure; by all accounts, we can only see the cords when they're visualized in TAR. The Chosen probably just don't think the way Rand does and don't visualize it, but they WOULD feel the snapping of their connection to the DO and TP."
I agree that the black cords could potentially serve more than one purpose. But I'm not sure what you mean by saying Asmodean doesn't know for sure - he seemed pretty clear that he had been made vulnerable to the taint by what Rand did. And Rand is the only one who has seen the cords, either in Tel'aran'rhiod or the Skimming space; perhaps it is a talent of his.
"Thirdly, your point about Rahvin is utterly useless, because as you say we have no way of knowing what he looked like, cords or no. However, given that Rand does glimpse him a few times and mentions nothing, evidence might point in the other direction."
Rand absolutely does NOT glimpse Rahvin a few times - please prove it with quotes if you think this is the case. As I stated previously, Rand sees Rahvin first in the real world, in the throne room in Caemlyn (thus, no black cords). Rand then follows Rahvin into Tel'aran'rhiod, but he doesn't see Rahvin, just the residue of the gateway that Rahvin. All the rest of the time that Rand is in Tel'aran'rhiod, he does not even get a glimpse of Rahvin (until the very end, which I will get to in a bit). Rand sends lightning at all the windows and openings, but never sees Rahvin. Air gets turned to water, and Rand sends balefire all around, but he doesn't see Rahvin.
The ones who first see Rahvin are Nynaeve and Moghedien. Nynaeve sees him vanish around a corner, and then she catches a glimpse of him. Finally, they catch up to Rahvin, and Nynaeve sets him on fire:
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TITLE: Fires of Heaven, CHAPTER: 55 - The Threads Burn
Whatever he was staring at - Rand perhaps? - had his full attention, but Nynaeve gave him no chance to notice her. It might be Rand down there. She could not tell whether Rahvin was channeling or not. She filled the corridor around him with fire from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, pouring into it all of saidar she held, fire so hot the stone itself smoked. The heat made her flinch back.
Rahvin screamed in the middle of the flame - it was one flame - and staggered away from her, back to where the hallway became a columned walk. A heartbeat, less, while she still flinched, and he stood, inside the flame but surrounded by clear air. Every scrap of saidar she could channel was going into that inferno, but he held it at bay. She could see him through the fire; it gave everything a red cast, but she could see. Smoke rose from his charred coat. His face was a seared ruin, one eye milky white. But both eyes were malevolent as he turned them on her.
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Finally, Rand sees the fire and then Rahvin and balefires him:
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TITLE: Fires of Heaven, CHAPTER: 55 - The Threads Burn
Fire thrust through the carved window-screens above Rand, fingers of it filling every hole, dancing toward the colonnade. As it did, the struggle within him ceased abruptly. He was himself so suddenly it was almost a shock. He had been drawing desperately at saidin, trying to hold onto some of it. Now it rushed into him, an avalanche of fire and ice that made his knees buckle, made the Void tremble with pain that shaved at it like a lathe.
And Rahvin stumbled backwards out onto the colonnade, face turned to something inside. Rahvin wreathed in fire, yet somehow standing as though untouched. If untouched now, it had not been so before. Only the size of the figure, the impossibility of it being anyone else, told Rand it was him. The Forsaken was a figure of char and cracked red flesh that would have strained any Healer to mend. The agony of it must have been overwhelming. Except that Rahvin would be inside the Void within that burned remnant of a man, wrapped in emptiness where the body's pain was distant and saidin close at hand.
Saidin raged inside Rand, and he loosed it all. Not to Heal.
"Rahvin!" he screamed, and balefire flew from his hands, molten light thicker than a man, driven by all the Power he could draw.
It struck the Forsaken, and Rahvin ceased to exist. The Darkhounds in Rhuidean had become motes before they vanished, whatever kind of life they had had struggling to continue, or the Pattern struggling to maintain itself even for them. Before this, Rahvin simply... ceased.
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Now, right before the balefire, we see that Rand had been struggling to maintain himself, to draw on saidin, and all of a sudden it rushed back into him, so much so that it made the void tremble. Then he sees a person, realizes that the charred person was Rahvin, and didn't waste any time in unleashing balefire. There were no other chances during this event for Rand to have observed the black cords because he never saw Rahvin in Tel'aran'rhiod before this. It is possible (thought I think not likely) that Rand might have been able to observe the black cords on Rahvin at the point at which he saw him come out of the flames, but his mind was clearly on other things - regaining saidin, struggling with the void, and his fury with Rahvin for killing Aviendha, among other things, so he apparently didn't see the black cords, at least not so that we were made aware.
Ozy:
"In addition, Nynaeve DOES see Rahvin before the end, and sees no indication of black wires. Since we know Rahvin was using the OP (Rand could feel it), they wouldn't be present. His connection to the Dark One is obviously still there, so you need to reconcile that as well."
Why would you expect Nynaeve to be able to see the black cords if they are in any way related to saidin? Female channelers cannot see weaves of saidin or even feel male channelers just holding saidin. I would not expect any female channeler to be able to see the cords on a male channeler. Furthermore, Rand is the only person that we know of who has the ability to visualize the cords - as I suggested earlier, this seems to potentially be a talent of his.
11
Ozymandias: 2007-07-13
Marie, my entire point is that the cords aren't related to saidin. So therefore... Nyn can see 'em.
Secondly, when RJ says that the black wires aren't access to the TP, he doesn't say they can't be an indication of the TP being channeled. Access is a passive word; it implies that the wires would exist even when the TP isn't being channeled. I don't agree with that, so in that case I agree with RJ. They are only visible when the more active form of access is used; also known as when the TP is physically being channeled.
This, as I said, syncs up perfectly with the instances we see the wires. Never in a non-channeling situation, always in one where the TP is almost certainly being used.
I can't really see what your evidence against this theory is. As far as I can see, most of it compromises of the fact that we have no proof this is the case. However, despite this, we have more evidence to the effect that those black wires are the TP being channeled than we do against it.
12
El Bogarto: 2007-07-19
How about option 1.5?
Perhaps the black cords are a manifestation of the Taint being siphoned off of Saidin at the moment of channeling – the DO’s protection for his male Chosen.
One could play with semantics; one could label it a 'connection' to the DO, and when Rand severed this connection, Asmo lost his Taint protection, but was still Forsaken.
The DO still owned Asmo’s soul, in other words, but for all intents and purposes had no 'direct' connection to Asmo - much like the DO’s relationship to the female forsaken.
13
Marie Curie 7: 2007-07-20
Anubis:
"Why wouldn't Rand feel folding? The folding is not the True Power, merely an affect of it."
We know that Ishamael was using the One Power to make that gateway. Rand later recognized a residue of the same weave and attributed his knowledge to the incident in the Stone of Tear. When Rand went after Rahvin in Caemlyn later, he thought about the weave in question:
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TITLE: Fires of Heaven, CHAPTER: 55 - The Threads Burn
Rahvin had not gone that way, though, and he had not died in that blast of balefire. A residue hung in the air, a fading remnant of woven saidin. Rand recognized it. Different from the gateway he had made to Skim to Caemlyn, or the one to Travel - he knew now that was what he had done - into the throne room. But he had seen one like this in Tear, had made one himself.
He wove another now. A gateway, an opening at least, a hole in reality. It was not blackness on the other side. In fact, if he had not known the way was there, if he could not have seen the weave of it, he might not have known. There before him were the same arches opening onto the same courtyard and fountain, the same columned walk. For an instant the neatly rounded holes his balefire had made in arch and column wavered, filled, then were holes again. Wherever that gateway led, it was to somewhere else, a reflection of the Royal palace as once it had been a reflection of the Stone of Tear. Vaguely he regretted not talking to Asmodean about it while he had the chance, but he had never been able to speak of that day to anyone. It did not matter. On that day he had carried Callandor, but the angreal in his pocket had already proved enough to harry Rahvin.
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Rand saw the same gateway in Tear (the one that Ishamael made) - and he made one himself in Tear to follow Ishamael into Tel'aran'rhiod. Rand recognized the residues of the weave that Rahvin made in Caemlyn from seeing Ishamael's gateway in the Stone, woven using the One Power. How would he have recognized the weave otherwise?
14
Lord of Ravens: 2007-11-08
also there isnt any mention Ishy using the TP until he becomes Moridin... in fact i dont think anyone else is allowed to use it except moridin
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Davian93: 2007-11-26
**** also there isnt any mention Ishy using the TP until he becomes Moridin... in fact i dont think anyone else is allowed to use it except moridin ****
That's not exactly true. Ishy's grand entrance in the Stone is generally believed to be a TP thing...the whole floating down etc.
16
Anubis: 2007-12-03
**also there isnt any mention Ishy using the TP until he becomes Moridin... in fact i dont think anyone else is allowed to use it except moridin**
Seriously?
TEotW, Prologue:
**Tossing back his black cloak, Elan Morin flexed his hands. "A pity for you," he mused, "that one of your
Sisters is not here. I was never very skilled at Healing, and I follow a different power now. But even one of
them could only give you a few lucid minutes, if you did not destroy her first. What I can do will serve as well, for my purposes." His sudden smile was cruel. "But I fear Shai'tan's healing is different from the sort you know.
Be healed, Lews Therin!" He extended his hands, and the light dimmed as if a shadow had been laid across the sun.
Pain blazed in Lews Therin, and he screamed, a scream that came from his depths, a scream he could not stop. Fire seared his marrow; acid rushed along his veins. He toppled backwards, crashing to the marble floor; his head struck the stone and rebounded. His heart pounded, trying to beat its way out of his chest, and every pulse gushed new flame through him. Helplessly he convulsed, thrashing, his skull a sphere of purest agony on
the point of bursting. His hoarse screams reverberated through the palace.**
Or there's this..
**Demandred flinched in spite of himself. That had been the True Power; he had felt nothing. A black
speck floated across Moridin's blue eyes, then another, in a steady stream. The man must have been using the
True Power exclusively since he last saw him to gain so many saa so quickly.**
Ishamael/Morridin only uses the True Power. He does not use saidin. This is not a secret, or a great revelation.
17
smokinbrigand: 2007-12-05
The black wires only repersent the protection from the taint for the male forsaken. Thats why only the men are mentioned with them. He cuts removing the DO protection. I would assume to get it back you must visit the bore.
18
smokinbrigand: 2007-12-10
The black wires are the male forsaken's protection from the taint on siadin. This is why you only see them on the males. Asmo can't get his protection back due to lanfear telling the others he betrayed them.
19
Kathy Sedai: 2007-12-12
In response to Nynaeve not seeing the black cords, I do not remember any other time a woman, who has no need for protection from the taint, seeing black cords. How would she see them, and why would she know what they were if she saw them?
During my last re-read of the battle of Rhuidean, I remember thinking that the cords were significant to Rand, and possibly wondered if his severing of the cords had anything to do with his difficulty channelling. Each male Forsaken he has severed from the DO, as well as killed, who was connected to this "filter" might be what is causing his illness?
Any thoughts on this?
20
Dragon Tamer: 2008-02-04
the black wires are the male connection to the DO, but why does Rand see them and no one else? I think that this is Rand's talent. All chanellers have a talent, and since we haven't seen any other ones, it only makes sense. This is probably the creator giving his champion the ability to overcome his opposition.
As to why the Ashaman do not have the lines, well, they are not "chosen". We have only seen them on the forsaken, the DO's pets, because the DO doesnt care about wasting the ashaman, they are weak and inferior in his opinion to his chosen ones. So, not worthy, no protection.
21
Dragon Tamer: 2008-02-07
Rand's illness comes from crossing balefire with Moridin in SL. It wasn;t until after then that Rand felt the illness.
22
92ysoldier: 2008-02-10
but what about when Rand went into Rhuidean. He saw that the bore was drilled when they were trying to access the true power. I still feel that many of the future answers of what is to come lay in the past and what Rand learned. I do not believe the black lines were to the true power but it would make since in a way since the dark one was the only one who could grant that power but on the same note the fear that Asmodean when he talks about going mad now. I still feel that the black line were protection against the taint. If it were merely the link to the dark one then why is it that women do not see that blackness on women choosen. There is no mention of that and it would be something worth noticing. And with the Asha'man if he offered them protection from insanity they would have abandoned the dark one once the taint was cleansed.
I wonder about the end though
23
peleus: 2008-04-03
theres one big problem with your reasoning as to why asmodean would use the true power rather than the one power doesnt make sense do to the fact that asmodean later teaches rand how to invert weaves and hide the fact that he's holding the power
24
JakOShadows: 2008-04-10
Dragon tamer:
I always thought that Rand could see the cords when he was in t'a'r. and then when he cut them later in the battle, he was just remembering where the link was in relation to Asmo. And every other time he sees the black cords in the other male forsaken its the same kind of situation.
25
iSynic: 2008-09-16
My first post at Theoryland so I doubt this will have much weight, but here it goes.
While I found the theory interesting, I disagree fairly strongly. In my opinion, the black wires are a manifestation of the 'strings' the Dark One ties to his followers. The fact that the Forsaken have given themselves body and mind to the cause of the Shadow perhaps make them more visible, perhaps not. What I do believe is that the Dark One himself channels the True Power, and that these cords would have been tied to them before they had access or understanding of the unified source they delved for.
It is made relatively clear by Lanfear that she knows the Forsaken are tied to the Dark One in ways stronger than oaths. The fact that she believed it impossible to be cut off from him shows that she believes there is something to be cut in the first place.
There are a few possible functions to these strings. The fundamental reason behind all of them is that the Dark One has a lot invested in his Chosen and he’ll take whatever hold he can get on them. Beyond that, there are a few purposes that come to mind.
First, I believe the wires serve as a conduit for tapping into the True Power. This is supported by a few things, among them the fact that the Dark One can deny that access at a whim (Moridin Nae’blis).
Second, I am of the opinion that the strings could be the way that the Dark One manages to capture a soul before death in order to reconstitute it into another body. If he was really the master of death as he’d clearly like us to believe, a little balefire shouldn’t make much bother when it comes to resurrection. He makes it fairly clear that he has a window of opportunity in order to snatch somebody before death takes them.
[tangent]An offshoot possibility of this is that the reason the Dark One wants Rand to kneel to him so badly is that it is the only way to destroy him. Death is neither the domain of the Dark One or the Creator. When the host body of the Dragon’s soul dies, it is kept by the Creator and stored in Tel’aran’rhiod which is why the soul is reborn again and again. If the Dark One can get an incarnation of the Dragon to swear to him, he’ll have a string tied to him, and at Death, he’ll be able to capture the soul and destroy it once and for all.
Really though, that’s a theory for later and maybe not at all once I’ve thought it through with a bit more effort.[/tangent]
Third, I believe it is the method with which the taint is filtered for male forsaken. Thusfar, I believe Rand has only seen the black wires on male Forsaken. This may have to do with a resonance to Saidin that Rand is able to recognize, or for another reason I’ve not thought of.
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terez: 2008-09-22
iSynic:
â€My first post at Theoryland so I doubt this will have much weight, but here it goes.â€
Well, it might be given more weight if you had bothered to read the previous comments. ;)
"First, I believe the wires serve as a conduit for tapping into the True Power. This is supported by a few things, among them the fact that the Dark One can deny that access at a whim (Moridin Nae’blis)."
Marie already provided a quote from RJ where he said that accessing the True Power has nothing to do with the black cords.
â€Second, I am of the opinion that the strings could be the way that the Dark One manages to capture a soul before death in order to reconstitute it into another body.
RJ also nixed that idea:
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Tamyrlin: I'm trying to verify Rand's impression he has at the end of book four, regarding the connection he cuts from Asmodean to the Dark One. He seemed to believe it was the connection directly from that individual to the Dark One. So what I am wondering is, is that connection key to transmigration?
Jordan: No, because what you are thinking of wasn't a connection. Rand only thought it was.
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â€If he was really the master of death as he’d clearly like us to believe, a little balefire shouldn’t make much bother when it comes to resurrection. He makes it fairly clear that he has a window of opportunity in order to snatch somebody before death takes them.â€
Balefire does matter because the Dark One cannot step outside of time, as he said in the prologue of Lord of Chaos. Here’s another RJ quote:
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Week 3 Question: There are many theories that attempt to create a connection of time duration to the transmigration of the dead Forsaken. Are there time and/or power constraints on the Dark One's ability to transmigrate souls?
Robert Jordan Answers: There are definitely time constraints on the Dark One's power to transmigrate a soul. The soul doesn't have to be secured immediately - that is, the Dark One doesn't have to be ready to snatch the soul at the instant of death - but the longer that passes after the death, the less chance that the Dark One will be able to secure the soul. Someone who has been killed with balefire in actuality died before the apparent time of his or her death, and thus the window of opportunity for the Dark One to secure that soul for transmigration is gone before the Dark One can know that the soul must be secured unless the amount of balefire used is very small. Remember that the more balefire is used, the further back the target's thread is burned out of the pattern.
After the soul is secured, then a suitable body must be acquired and stripped of the (former) owner's memory and soul to make way for the favored one. By the way, what constitutes a suitable body from the Dark One's perspective is not that of the recipient. Certainly Aginor would never have chosen to be reincarnated in his, shall we say, less than imposing body, nor would the womanizing Balthamel have chosen to be reincarnated as a beautiful woman. It was only chance that Moridin ended up in a body that is young, fairly good looking and physically imposing. Those things simply don't matter to the Dark One. But the body has to be basically healthy and sound, and neither too young nor too old. After all, the Dark One wants his servants to be effective, and a body that meets those basic requirements is more desirable than one that doesn't. Since there is no stockpile of such bodies, the only way for someone to die and immediately be reincarnated would be a matter of pure chance. That is, the death occurred when a suitable body was on hand for some other reason.
There are a few other limits and constraints, but I won't go into them here, since I may want to use them in the books, and I would rather they come as a surprise if I do.
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You can find these and many other RJ quotes in the Robert Jordan Interview Database.
â€I believe it is the method with which the taint is filtered for male forsaken.â€
Asmodean confirmed this just before he died:
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TITLE – The Fires of Heaven
CHAPTER: 56 – Glowing Embers
Idly – but with a shiver, too – he wondered whether being reborn in this fashion made him a new man. He did not think so. Immortality was gone. That was a gift of the Great Lord; he used that name in his head, whatever al'Thor demanded on his tongue. That was proof enough that he was himself. Immortality gone – he knew it must be imagination, yet sometimes he thought he could feel time dragging at him, pulling him toward a grave he had never thought to meet – and drawing the little of saidin he could was like drinking sewage. He was hardly sorry Lanfear was dead. Rahvin neither, but Lanfear especially, for what she had done to him. He would laugh when each of the others died, too, and most for the last. It was not that he had been reborn as a new man at all, but he would cling to that tuft of grass on the cliff's brink as long as he could. The roots would give way eventually, the long fall would come, but until then he was still alive.
27
locke: 2010-04-11
I believe that Rand only recognises the black cords during or soon after use of large amounts of the one power (i.e. after channelling the eye in tEotW and after winning contol of the Choedan Kal in Rhuidean). I think this could reflect on a knowledge of the pattern of the ages, gleaned from drawing the power ( we know these are connected due to the fact that some channelers can fortell) or maybe a connection to the creator. As to what the black lines are, I am pretty certain they are a connection to the dark one, the reason the darkfreind channelers do not have them is because the chosen have pledged their souls to the DO in shayol ghul.
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Dragon Tamer: 2012-11-06
There are a few things to think about when it comes to the black cords.
First, only Rand has seen them. I believe that this is his talent. Each person who can channel has a talent (seeing ta'veren, sensing the use of items of power, listening to the wind) but we have never heard of anything like that for Rand, other than the ability to sense or see a connection to the Dark One. We see more of this later on wen he can look people in the eye to know what is in their heart.
Second, we have only seen it in instances where it was important for Rand to see the lines. With Ba'alzamon/Ishamael Rand saw the lines so he could cut him off from the Dark One and win his fight against him. He saw the lines on Aginor so that he could steal the flow of pure saidin. Every other Forsaken he has encountered there was not anything for him to be gained from seeing the lines. Maybe this is his Ta'vereness workjing together with his inherent ability to sense people with connection to the Dark One. This could also explain why he never felt the connection with Verin. Either because he needed her and he would have never trusted her if he knew, or because she opnly joined up to be a spy against the Dark One.
Third, The conversation between Asmodean, Lanfear and Rand at Rhuidean suggests that the black cord was Asmodean's connection to the Dark One. We know that darkfriends have a connection to the Dark One, one that can be made stronger such as with Fain. The Forsaken (or Chosen if you prefer) would have the strongest connection to the Dark One of all as they are his Chosen. Asmodean says in TSR '"It was my link to the Great Lord that allowed me to touch saidin without going mad," he said hoarsely. "All you have done is make me as vulnerable as you". So the lines were his connection to the Dark One and because of that connection he was immune to the taint. The lines were not a funnel or any such thing as that, only a representation of his connection to his master. This connection afforded him something like an immunization to the taint and madness. Now that it is gone, it can effect him. If it was the indicator of using/the ability to use the True Power, then RJ would have made sure that Rand saw the same coming from him before he used it against Semirhage in TGS. Rand would have to have the lines since he also apparently can channel the True Power.
In conclusion, The black lines are the connection of one of the Forsaken to the Dark One, and only Rand has the ability/talent to see it. This connection grants an immunity to the corruption of the Dark One. Oh, and Asmodean straight out says that the lines were his connection to the Dark One.
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naviguessor: 2012-11-07
i seem to recall one of the properties of the true power being that other channelers cannot sense when one holds it nor perceive the flows when one channels it--am i remembering accurately?
