Some sweeping statements there... - Edit 5
Before modification by Shannow at 20/09/2009 01:32:29 PM
"Demandred is going to lead a large army, and fight in the Final Battle as a general, but he's probably going to die by someone else's hand - my own personal opinion is it will either be Mat who kills him, or Logain. Demandred's theme is treachery to achieve greatness, and RJ will deny him that. There's almost no chance that Demandred will rise above his personality flaw and his inability to beat Lews Therin. RJ never rewards the Forsaken."
One could argue that the point has repeatedly been made that Demandred takes no joy from military strategy, that he is in fact a reluctant general, and that military strategy is merely a necessary sideshow for him in his primary quest of destroying Lews Therin. This has been made very clear. It was made yet again in the Prologue to TGS.
The confrontation between Lews Therin and Demandred has been built up from both sides (by both Demandred and Lews Therin himself), throughout the series. You don't think that it would be quite an anti-climax if nothing comes of it? Certainly, RJ could have gotten a lot more mileage out of Demandred's character than he has up to now. The only reason for keeping him in the background would be for the brief bits of foreshadowing to culminate in this epic confrontation at the end.
"I think the stage has been adequately set up for Moridin and Rand to meet and fight. The Final Battle is about the two champions of the Light and Shadow meeting - there's really no place for the other Forsaken."
One could equally argue that the theme of the Shadow being brought low by its very nature - by the infighting and betrayal within its own ranks - would be equally well demonstrated by Demandred thwarting Moridin on the cusp of victory by killing Rand instead of letting him be turned.
It is pretty clear now that Moridin's only hope is for Rand to be turned to the Shadow rather than being killed. His decision to bring Graendal into his fold is driven precisely by this need. He needs her to use her specialist skills to start preparing him psychologically for covnersion to the Shadow. Rand being killed would be the exact opposite of what he needs to happen - and yet that is exactly what is going to happen. Rand WILL die -at least this incarnation of him will. That much has been heavily foreshadowed. Whether his soul lives on in another body is yet to be revealed. But he will die, somehow. And the above is a likely way for it to happen, in my view.
"Even if Demandred did meet Rand, he'd be annihilated. Rand is the most powerful and dangerous man in the world. He can't be defeated. Even Moridin is going to lose to him."
Moridin isn't going to fight him. Because killing him will kill Rand as well. I agree that no one is going to beat Rand in a face to face confrontation. But the end won't be a face to face, one on one battle to the death. It will be a complex, multi-faceted engagement, with plenty of opportunity for treacherous balefiring from the sides, and no doubt with more than one unexpected twist thrown in for good measure.
One could argue that the point has repeatedly been made that Demandred takes no joy from military strategy, that he is in fact a reluctant general, and that military strategy is merely a necessary sideshow for him in his primary quest of destroying Lews Therin. This has been made very clear. It was made yet again in the Prologue to TGS.
The confrontation between Lews Therin and Demandred has been built up from both sides (by both Demandred and Lews Therin himself), throughout the series. You don't think that it would be quite an anti-climax if nothing comes of it? Certainly, RJ could have gotten a lot more mileage out of Demandred's character than he has up to now. The only reason for keeping him in the background would be for the brief bits of foreshadowing to culminate in this epic confrontation at the end.
"I think the stage has been adequately set up for Moridin and Rand to meet and fight. The Final Battle is about the two champions of the Light and Shadow meeting - there's really no place for the other Forsaken."
One could equally argue that the theme of the Shadow being brought low by its very nature - by the infighting and betrayal within its own ranks - would be equally well demonstrated by Demandred thwarting Moridin on the cusp of victory by killing Rand instead of letting him be turned.
It is pretty clear now that Moridin's only hope is for Rand to be turned to the Shadow rather than being killed. His decision to bring Graendal into his fold is driven precisely by this need. He needs her to use her specialist skills to start preparing him psychologically for covnersion to the Shadow. Rand being killed would be the exact opposite of what he needs to happen - and yet that is exactly what is going to happen. Rand WILL die -at least this incarnation of him will. That much has been heavily foreshadowed. Whether his soul lives on in another body is yet to be revealed. But he will die, somehow. And the above is a likely way for it to happen, in my view.
"Even if Demandred did meet Rand, he'd be annihilated. Rand is the most powerful and dangerous man in the world. He can't be defeated. Even Moridin is going to lose to him."
Moridin isn't going to fight him. Because killing him will kill Rand as well. I agree that no one is going to beat Rand in a face to face confrontation. But the end won't be a face to face, one on one battle to the death. It will be a complex, multi-faceted engagement, with plenty of opportunity for treacherous balefiring from the sides, and no doubt with more than one unexpected twist thrown in for good measure.