Recently BS gave an interesting answer at Twitter regarding Rand's and Taim's apparent auras of darkness:



If BS isn't completely misleading here, this answer strongly suggests that Rand's and Taim's dark auras might have occured for similar reasons.

It was reported that BS said at a signing that „the black/dark aura around Rand is partially, but not entirely, an effect of True Power usage“.

After his TP usage Cadsuane describes Rand as having „a strange serenity about him now, but it had a dark edge“, and that „the air around him seemed to warp, and she could almost think that the room had grown darker.“ Tuon notes in her talk with Rand that „in the corners of her vision, she thought she saw something around him. A dark haze, a halo of blackness, emanating from him. It warped the air like a great heat.“

I'm not sure, if other people note Rand's halo as well in TGS.

Taim is described by Elayne in WH, prologue, „as nearly as tall as Rand, with a hooked nose and dark eyes like augurs, a physically powerful man who moved with something of a Warder’s deadly grace, but shadows seemed to follow him, as if half the lamps in the room had gone out; not real shadows, but an air of imminent violence that seemed palpable enough to soak up light.“
And Pevara tells in KoD, epilogue that Taim „was tall, with a strongly hooked nose and an air of physical strength about him. An air of darkness, too.“

IIRC, this darkness around Taim isn't noted before WH, though, especially not already when Taim meets Rand in the end of PoD.

So, does this indicate that Taim being, a high-ranking DF, has used the True Power once between PoD and WH for some reason? Or did he at least come into contact with the TP then, e.g. from the Myrddraal during a turning to the Shadow via the 13+13 trick?

The problem with both ideas is that, as far as I know, this dark aura is never mentioned around the ultimate TP channeler Moridin, e.g. when Rand meets him in ACoS or TGS, or at the Forsaken meetings; just the saa are mentioned (therefore this darkness is IMO also not a convincing clue that Moridin is Taim, as some suggest). On the other hand, I think Ishy had such a dark aura in certain scenes in the first books. But other people, who obviously came into contact with the TP, like Slayer, Fain, Elza or Alviarin, never showed such a dark aura either, IIRC.

Or can this dark aura only be seen by certain sensitive persons or under special circumstances? The persons who mention this dark halo around Rand and Taim (Ishy is another case again) are apparently all female channelers (with the possible exception of Tuon), but don't see it all the time, but rather for a moment only.

It's all pretty puzzling, especially since BS said that the halo is not entirely an effect of TP usage. Any further ideas or comments on this?

BTW, there were also the following Q&A, which are a bit informative: