I don't have much to say re: Cuendillar, so most of this post will be 'angreals. All I can guess is that Cuendillar was ethically discouraged during the AoL due to it's permanence, and most of it got buried in earth or water. Flimsy, I know.



And yet Elayne doesn't construct ter'angreal that easily. She can make cheap copies of existing ter'angreal, or really, really simple originals. She's not churning out the balefire rods or anything.

And she hasn't made angreal. She gets frustrated that she can't.



I don't think it is a time issue, but an equipment issue. In the AoL, I think angreal, sa', and complex ter'angreal took high-tech facilities utilizing other ter'angreal, highly skilled technicians, and definitely mixed gender circles.



More like electronics and military-grade weapons. Simple ter'angreal might have been as inexpensive as microwave ovens, and as "cheap" as smartphones. Angreal might have been as commonplace as bazookas and tanks, Sa's as accessible as nukes.



I'd mostly agree, but I do think they'd still wear disguised 'angreals. Sort of a concealed weapon.



Yes, and Barak Obama has his own jet airplane, a large, highly-trained personal security force, and the ability to end the world.



Agreed. I don't doubt that each of the Forsaken and other Chosen had impressive arsenals. But I would be very surprised if the Dark One allowed a single 'angreal into his presence.



More like a regular RPG character with a standard-issue bottomless backpack.



My bad. I didn't see this before I posted above.



I had not heard this theory. ToM seems to have killed it anyway.



The way I see it, it'd be like taking the top ~100 greatest minds alive today (shorter lifespans), freezing them for 3000 years while the apocalypse comes and goes, and then 2-3 other slightly less damaging apocalypses pass by, with semi-constant warfare before, during, and after. Then let them out, and see just how much that can get rebuilt in 2-3 years. I'd be impressed at a single city with indoor plumbing and electricity, not disappointed at the lack of TVs and cell phones, much less howitzers, fighter jets and Tomahawk Cruise missiles.

After the Forsaken got out, they were probably told to make infiltration and conquering a higher priority than power multipliers. The DO needs competent generals and leaders, he can use the natives for most of the fighting.