This is probably just something RJ thought of when he was conceiving the BT. The may or may not have ever thought of a use for any special properties, but it is the kind of thing that one would think of when brainstorming the creation.
I am sure his notes (compiled over 20+ years) are full of irelevent little details (such a character's favorite color or lucky number) that have no way of making it into a story, but flesh out the world solely for the author's writing process.
I am sure his notes (compiled over 20+ years) are full of irelevent little details (such a character's favorite color or lucky number) that have no way of making it into a story, but flesh out the world solely for the author's writing process.
As much as he played up the idea of everything in Shayol Ghul being permeated with the Dark Ones foul essence, it is difficult to imagine surrounding the BT with huge slabs of stone from the place without it having some effect. It is equally difficult to imagine that effect being trivial, given whom and what else is located there.
It doesn't mean it's totally irrelevant, so much as the fact giving us a confirmation those rocks are from SG may not give us any huge clue about the relevance of that detail. If it's tied to a prophecy, the revelation in itself would be a huge spoiler. It for instance it merely extends the DO's powers in another location beside SG, or increased Shaidar Haran's powers to act there/in Caemlyn, it's not a spoiler since we currently don't know of any property anything brought from SG might have and everything is thus purely speculative. As I said above, that those black rocks have been brought from SG has long been suspected.
Simply confirming their origin does not really give us much insight into their purpose, apart from the fact it is a malevolent one (an atmosphere ominously surrounding them from their first appearance back in LoC.) The most logical explanation for needed rocks specifically from SG, however, is that they somehow extend SG, at least partially, to include whater location they occupy/surround. That opens up a wealth of possibilities we can only guess.
However, something like that is almost certainly non-trivial, bringing me back to my confusion over why Sanderson would needlessly tip his hand (or rather, Jordans.) It sets in motion many mental gears he should not want turning.
Honorbound and honored to be Bonded to Mahtaliel Sedai
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
So apparently the palace at the Black Tower is made of Shayol Ghul stone...
- 23/05/2012 12:57:37 AM
2184 Views
Maybe Shaidar Haran's physical limitation to SG can be bypassed by moving tainted rocks elsewhere? *NM*
- 23/05/2012 03:10:59 AM
518 Views
Not the palace...
- 23/05/2012 03:32:59 AM
1193 Views
That is good logic, but the flip side is: Why would RJ bother to specify that if it were minutiae?
- 23/05/2012 11:22:24 AM
1026 Views
Wouldn't have taken any time away from creating the ending.
- 23/05/2012 02:58:32 PM
922 Views
It just seems an odd thing to mention purely as background color.
- 23/05/2012 08:17:45 PM
1006 Views
Re: It just seems an odd thing to mention purely as background color.
- 23/05/2012 08:42:09 PM
1027 Views
Yeah, my bet is it is something more like that.
- 23/05/2012 09:14:24 PM
933 Views
Re: Yeah, my bet is it is something more like that.
- 24/05/2012 02:23:54 AM
967 Views
His response certainly seem to raise more questions than it answers, perhaps deliberately.
- 25/05/2012 01:38:30 AM
896 Views
Re: His response certainly seem to raise more questions than it answers, perhaps deliberately.
- 27/05/2012 04:32:24 PM
1135 Views
Re: His response certainly seem to raise more questions than it answers, perhaps deliberately.
- 03/06/2012 08:44:57 AM
830 Views
Forgive me if I missed it, but I think the most obvious points haven't been discussed:
- 22/06/2012 10:59:02 PM
1346 Views
Be'laim FTW, but technically half the Andoran nobility is Rands blood.
- 22/06/2012 11:15:12 PM
880 Views
Re: Why would RJ bother to specify that if it were minutiae?
- 23/05/2012 07:58:50 PM
942 Views
The way RJ played up everything in the Blight (especially Shayol Ghul) being subsumed in the DO...
- 23/05/2012 09:07:31 PM
903 Views
Re: So apparently the palace at the Black Tower is made of Shayol Ghul stone...
- 23/05/2012 05:52:12 PM
992 Views
Re: So apparently the palace at the Black Tower is made of Shayol Ghul stone...
- 23/05/2012 08:51:36 PM
1041 Views
If SG rocks have special properties...
- 28/05/2012 01:28:28 AM
842 Views
Blightfortress, Towers of Midnight, etc.
- 18/06/2012 12:31:48 PM
747 Views
Re: Blightfortress, Towers of Midnight, etc.
- 19/06/2012 05:42:21 AM
897 Views
Re: Blightfortress, Towers of Midnight, etc.
- 19/06/2012 06:51:02 AM
744 Views