The Companions are the Illianer version of the French Foreign Legion, sort of. Elite troops with an unknown but non-zero percentage of foreigners, but a much smaller group than the Illianer army. The top spots in the actual army of Illian would all be Illianers.
Not quite. The Companions are, like the Queen's Guard or the Defenders of the Stone, the closest thing to a professional national army. They're are not a separate but elite force like the Foreign Legion. The rest and bulk of the army is the retinues and levies of nobles. So just as Captain-General of the Queen's Guard is the top military office in Andor, so is First Captain of the Companions in Illian. According to the Companion, the Companions are the only standing unit.
It's unclear, I think, whether 2nd Captain of the Companions is the second in command or one of several officers who serve at the second level below the 1st Captain.
In discussing the symbols of rank, it says THE First Captain has..., THE Second Captain has..., Lieutenants have..., under-lieutenants have...
So I think it's as clear as can be without a direct statement, that the Second Captain is a singular office.
Of course, blademaster should be enough to 1v1 almost any Aiel, and an officer's rank hopefully has less to do with hand-to-hand skill and more to with skill at tactics.
He's on a TV show. While that would be true in the books, TV shows, and Sanderson, seem to equate rank with hand-to-hand skill. eg Gareth Bryne's blademastery coming out of nowhere. That, plus the point that they ARE an elite unit, deployed to the schwerpunkt, as it were, as well as the King's bodyguard, in addition to his private army, makes them more like the Kingsguard in aSoI&F, where hand-to-hand should be as important as the normal qualities that recommend promotion. It's like Gawyn, who has to train to be both war minister and bodyguard.
And in general, Tam faced prejudice in his rise through the ranks due to his foreign birth, which is thought (in-story) to have prevented him from being named First Captain.
All in all, to me this suggests that he would not have risen so high without considerable skill. If his blademastery was merely technical or minimal, they'd find excuses to keep him back.
Cannoli
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*
"Wheel of Time" Episode 7
18/12/2021 03:56:32 AM
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Re: "Wheel of Time" Episode 7
18/12/2021 06:10:20 AM
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Re: "Wheel of Time" Episode 7
18/12/2021 11:36:51 AM
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Very good episode! But I assume no Forsaken in E8?
19/12/2021 04:07:09 AM
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Since on the show, they are evil gods who might not even exist, probably not. *NM*
20/12/2021 05:44:48 PM
- 149 Views
On second viewing I didn't hate it as much
19/12/2021 10:18:00 AM
- 202 Views
This is the problem with assuming TV writers can improve the source material.
19/12/2021 03:52:17 PM
- 177 Views
Now with the Rand-Tam flashback, it rather undermines the whole silly Dragon secret thing.
19/12/2021 04:36:15 PM
- 204 Views
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Here are a few of my own:
19/12/2021 10:19:17 PM
- 226 Views
Good stuff. BTW, did I missed something about Fain?
20/12/2021 01:16:12 AM
- 223 Views
Yes, you did miss something...
20/12/2021 08:37:23 AM
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Re: Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Here are a few of my own:
20/12/2021 05:43:44 PM
- 324 Views
Re: Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Here are a few of my own:
21/12/2021 06:19:35 PM
- 222 Views