Re: Yeah, my bet is it is something more like that. - Edit 1
Before modification by DomA at 24/05/2012 02:27:02 AM
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.
I wish he would rather shut up about stuff like this too. It reminds me of him confirming for no good reason that the sword Rand was given by scholars in TGS was Hawkwing's Justice. That too sent many minds spinning on why Rand may need the sword of the leaders of the TAR heroes. Sanderson may not have realized he was killing many alternative theories doing this (Guaire Amalasan's sword, LTT's WOS sword was two of those). But no, he just flatly told people it was Justice, and in the book Rand said "Rand remembered the sword from his own memories rather than LTT's / there were things about that sword LTT knew and wasn't telling him"
It may be the same with the Shayol Ghul rocks, Brandon may not have realized how much discussions are ongoing about Shayol Ghul, tel'aran'rhiod, the true nature of the Bore etc.
There are restrictions concerning TAR and SG (a confirmed recent RAFO even), and we've long known for instance the Blight area can't be entered through TAR like stedding and once Rhuidean, yet the Forsaken seem to be able to enter TAR near SG (some of their meetings appears to have taken place in the TAR reflection of Moridin's palace). That's another path which opened early: perhaps a purpose of the SG rocks is to make that perimeter totally impassable in TAR because the BT isn't reachable there anymore - not even "by foot", which would make disabling the dreamspike at the BT near impossible, without getting close enough to destroy the BT's walls.
And that makes one wonder why the Shadow would be so adamant to protect that location from nearly everything unless it's meant to be the Tarmon Gai'don HQ of the Shadow in the heart of the land... Combines this with possible increased DO powers in that place, the fact without a doubt Shaidar Haran can Shadow-Travel in and out of that place at will... and the global increase of the DO's power breaking the seals would bring... Really not good. We also don't know if the dreamspike is at full capacity yet or if its perimeter can in time be extended to cover the whole city of Caemlyn, which would in effect mean the Shadow could soon hold a very important Waygate (it's becoming fairly urgent Egwene gets told to close the one in the Tar Valon Grove). The worse may be the suspected extra "Talisman of Growing" in Elayne's collection and what it might mean if the Shadow seized it and has Ogier DF (which is almost a given, among the Gardeners if not among the Westlands' Stedding-bound Ogier)... It's not even the fact that Rand had Elder Haman and previously Loial do which may be undone, it's also that the Shadow might be able to create new Waygates in totally unexpected locations... And it's no trivial matter, the Ways were in part the result of research into pre-AOL Portal Stones technology, and the Shadow has an expert in that domain and many related ones in Cyndane (who we should remember is also an expert in drilling holes in the Pattern...). What would happen if the Shadow tried to create a Waygate at the Pit of Doom? Would that create extensions/mirrors of the Bore at every Waygate location, letting Shai'tan create a Blight around each of them?