Can it? It is his own energy, his own essence.

I have a big problem imagining that you can do anything to the DO with the True Power that he won't be able to undo, deflect or even simply cut you off.

I also have a problem with the idea that you could place a patch on the Bore using Shai'tan's own essence. What would you place between him and that patch, so that he can't touch it and undo it? If something has to go in between, we're back to square one: what can it be that won't touch Shai'tan directly with the OP?

I see the "Pit of Doom" as a material manifestation of the global weakness in the Pattern caused by Beidomon's team. In Creation, there are all the laws of space/time. The global weakness had to manifest itself physically on this side of Creation, thus SG and the Pit.

The only things I can think off to remove the Bore with the OP without touching Shai'tan is to cut a larger part of the Pattern out like a tumor so it become part of Shai'tan's so-called "prison" and no longer part of reality, which may not be a realistic/achievable option, or else to momentarily force Shai'tan to release "his grip" on the Bore, then it would be a matter of removing/reweaving the hole before Shai'tan returns. The only way I can think of shocking Shai'tan to back off/lose his grip for a short time would be to use the evil of Shadar Logoth, which cannot co-exist in the same space as Shai'tan or the TP. The very lame idea of throwing Fain into the Bore could theorically work, for a very short moment the part of Shai'tan directly touching the Bore would be destroyed, before the much larger part of him that's left rushes back to "grip" the Bore again. This is a bit lame and too Gollum-esque, and it sounds way too much like a way to enlarge the Bore even more...

Some have suggested that the EOTW was mean to provide channelers with a "closed loop" of the One Power. Shai'tan would strike back, but it couldn't taint the True Source, just the well. We don't know if using a well really isolate you enough from the True Source itself. Then, there was more than the counterstrike that seemed flawed in LTT's plan. The patch he made wasn't perfect. Shai'tan was still able to touch the seals. Doing it using a mega-well (it shouldn't be a problem to refill the Eye of the World now if it's what is needed. LTT would no doubt know how. Perhaps Callandor is just used so Rand can empty and use the OP from the Well much faster than he did in EOTW) which Shai'tan would taint during the sealing might achieve the same. (Crazy idea: what if you used Fain to destroy any part of the TP/taint/or Shai'tan that are touching the seals?)

Prttt... the whole thing is very likely to be based in principles of physics which I might understand if they're explained to me, but that I seriously doubt I could even come close to by speculation. I'm afraid I'm part of the mass of fans who even after RJ gave us the final clue that Rand got inspiration from his wounds in his side to cleanse saidin had zero idea how he would do this concretely before he did it.



I agree. I still don't dismiss the possibility there's a tie between what happened and the TP or Taint wound in Rand's side, inflicted by Ishamael in TGH. Perhaps the crossing balefired streams simply allowed Shai'tan to piggy back to Rand and connect himself to his wound.

But more (and aside from that) I'm quite convinced it was an accident, something Moridin had no idea would happen in SL. I think Moridin's control of the True Power was overode by Shai'tan in that episode. Moridin wove balefire. By accident it came into contact with Rand's OP stream, and Shai'tan in that blink seized the opportunity and made the TP going through Moridin piggy-back on the OP balefire stream and bonded the souls of Rand and Moridin. RJ always said that OP/TP interactions can have unpredictable effects. I suspect Shai'tan can take direct control at any time of the True Power he allows anyone to use, that Shai'tan's will is much greater than any human's and he can force the TP to alter its behavior and change what you meant to be doing. However, if interactions with the OP are unpredictable, perhaps Shai'tan got extremely lucky to accomplish a bonding, or earlier, to taint saidin, in the sense that he may have had no garantee he would succeed and not have another result altogether. But that's why I tend to think that attempting to use the TP against Shai'tan isn't a possibility, unless perhaps your goal is to trick Shai'tan into taking control, for some obscure reason that this would provide a window of opportunity to do something detrimental to him with something else.



That's fairly close to the notion of using Fain/SL to create that fright. For now it's the one thing the Light has which frightens Shai'tan very badly. If as we think the sum of Creation and Shai'tan are equal, it suggests Fain would have to turn the whole of Creation into corrupted energy to be able to destroy both Creation and Shai'tan. So it would be more about destabilizing or harming him temporarily.

If it involves Rand drawing the TP however, he would get destroyed by Fain, which would make it a bit difficult for him to use the opportunity to seal the Bore.

But perhaps it's leading somewhere like this. That may be why Rand has to shed his blood tainted by SL on the rocks before striking.

The other big problem is that Jordan said it's impossible for humans to touch the True Power anywhere near the Pit of Doom, that you'd be fried instantly. If it's because it's too strong there, that's a huge problem, but Jordan rather seemed to hint it's about the DO killing you instantly if you try to use the TP or OP near him. His control over SH may be such he's excluded from this rule, but I think we can rule out any of the Forsaken being present in the Pit, or at least that they will be able to take any OP/TP action during the Pit scenes.



I always found that a bit lame, which is why all my theories about that dagger were centered on Mat/Elayne having to use it to hide among Shadowspawn in a specific scene, eg: to defeat the gholam. That didn't pan out. Now, that stack of OP objects is in a palace in a city under attack from the Shadow. If it turns out as many think, the city will soon be a Shadoswpawn camp. If the Light needs to retrieve an object from the stack, it won't be easy. Someone might have to sneak there and steal things. If that triggers wards, the dagger may be their only hope.

I wonder also about the purpose of Aviendha's talent. It's cute and all, but it sounds like a plot device. Perhaps its purpose was to be able to foreshadow the presence of an object in the stack. It's fairly obvious RJ put red herrings in there. There's an apparent Talisman of growing. Not very useful to the Light that we can see, but this object falling in the hands of the Shadow could be disastrous... it's that and perhaps some DF Ogier (does it even need Ogier to work, or is the refeence to the Elders merely an indication the Elders have the one the Ogier still own and authorizing its use?) they need to re open the Waygates Loial "killed". There's an i pod on which it's likely there's some Aiel Singing (LTT may know nearly everything about da'shain, it doesn't mean he can teach anyone how to use the Voice, or specific harmonies etc.), there's the dagger-shaped thing. There's an AOL library, which could be useful to LTT if he's blocked because he would need to read about some specific area of knowledge he knows someone from his Age wrote a treatise/theorical book about..

LTT's memories now make Aviendha's talent a bit redundant/useless, at least pre-TG. What she identifies by hints/clues, Rand is likely to know specifically on sight. Afterward she'd be useful for Elayne's research, I guess, but how much of that we're gonna see in the books? However, if you need to retrieve specific objects, or look in the various piles for a specific object, Aviendha's talent could be really useful, because Rand could give her a physical description and the purpose of the ter'angreal he's looking for. Aviendha could use her talent to search the stockpiles and confirm she's got the right object. Aviendha like all maidens have great sneaking skills. The dagger could be useful however once she retrieves it. The stockpiles are likely to be under guard. Some of them the Shadow won't be able to move because of nasty wards, but it doesn't mean they will let the Light get to them either.




Rand's victory, though Sanderson has said AMOL brought all the characters through hell.



Moridin is the most likely, perhaps Cyndane. I'm not convinced he will face any of the others himself.

I get the feeling LTT will make sure he frustrates Demandred of any face-off between them. That sounds like a good psychological strategy to force Demandred into mistakes and stray more and more from his plans because all he tries to force Rand to give him their match fails to work, and Rand lets the likes of Mat, Logain, the other generals deal with him. Somehow, I think Demandred will fall into one of Mat's traps in the end.



It gives her her original strenght and some extra. It's purpose may not be what you want.

Nynaeve may be on a collision course with Graendal, if Graendal's role isn't done. I'm not quite convinced she'll be back as one of Moridin's pets. She did get her "ironical end" already by becoming SH's pet, perhaps Jordan intended to leave it at that. I'm convinced Brandon already increased her role by putting her in charge of the plot surrounding Perrin because of the book split, that Jordan rather intended Graendal to meet her punishement after she failed completely with Rand. I think we were not supposed to learn for now which of Cyndane or Moghedien was dealing with Perrin for Moridin. That worked when Perrin's storyline was in a "support role" while Egwene's and Rand's were taking the forefront, but to turn Perrin's story into a central storyline in a book, Brandon needed some more tangible foe, and he picked Graendal as it let him give her the same fate RJ intended.

We'll learn it's Lanfear who drove Masema insane later on, I think.

My feeling is that we'll have to make do with Lanfear, Moghedien, Demandred and Moridin for the LB. Moridin is our POV near Shai'tan/close to his plans. Demandred will be the mastermind of the War. Cyndane will be used to make this personal. Moghedien could well have a support role for the most part.




Definitely.



It's what I thought about the circle, and now you confirm it I have the exact same reservations you have.

Perhaps the circle will happen, but if so I don't think it will be used for what we think it will be used.

The only way I could see Jordan pulling this off is if the crucial role is played by the Dragon and sealing the Bore becomes just a sideshow. In other words, without Rand there, and specifically Rand, what one of the women does would have simply been impossible. The only advantage of doing this is showing it's not and never was about the Dragon's glory, that this is a selfless sacrifice in the name of and out of love for humanity. It is still a very risky plot twist after such a long series, many readers would be pissed off, I think, that the key event of the final face-off is a circle lead by someone else than Rand.

He could lead the circle if he links with one of them, but then Callandor will remain unstable as it requires two women to stabilize the missing buffer.



If it requires much dexterity. I have long held the view that the endgame can't possibly center on OP skills. It's not that kind of series. Not saying it won't involve a crucial OP deed in the middle, but it will have to be about a far more personal achievement. Just like the Cleansing was about putting aside fears and prejudices. It was about Nynaeve making a leap of faith to trust Rand, it was about Rand deciding to be totally defenseless and his faith in letting Cadsuane organize the defense. It was about team work. The big OP deed was a side-show to all of that, Jordan was so succint in his explanation of what was happening that tons of readers had to wait for his elaborate vulgarization of what went on, at a Q&A, to fully understand the OP stuff in those scenes.

And yes, it may well involve something other than the OP in the end. That sounds anticlimatic, but perhaps the LB is so full of huge OP deeds that not having a huge OP deed to close the Bore won't feel like a let down at all.

I guess I won't dismiss too soon my notion that perhaps Rand comes with Callandor and two women so the Shadow believes it's how he interprets the KC prophecy, thus hiding his real plan from Shai'tan.