Re: His response certainly seem to raise more questions than it answers, perhaps deliberately. - Edit 1
Before modification by DomA at 27/05/2012 04:37:46 PM
Honestly, those quotes seem somewhat at odds with the confirmation, unless LTT both recalls all the events from all his incarnations as a Hero of the Horn, including each encounter with incarnations of Hawkwing, AND recognizes the sword as Hawkwings
You're missing the obvious possibilities: Justice may predate Artur Hawkwing.
LTT should know nothing of Hawkwing, and he never showed any sign of having any "Dragon" memory not belonging to him. It doesn't mean he doesn't remember anything about that sword, or about an AOL owner of that sword.
Some have even suggested the sword that became Justice used to be LTT's in the WOS, and has now returned to Rand.
Others have suggested Justice may be like the Horn of Valere: a pre-AOL artefact that sat in a museum through the AOL, before it found its way to its archetypal owner when Hawkwing was born in the third Age.
There's little reason why Tuon should recognize Justice on sight, unless it has some very distinctive feature that has been described in Seanchan history books. Tuon didn't recognize it in its dragon-marked scabbard, we can say as much.
Rand himself didn't necesseraly recognize it so much as his memory of it from Falme was enough to confirm what he was told. It's believed by many that the scholars who found it have discovered the previously unlocated grave of Hawkwing, underwater in the pool beside Hawkwing's statue, in the abandonned stedding from EOTW. Rand was told by those who brought him the sword it was Justice, his memories from Falme merely validated that.
That does not permit the luxury of looking over all our shoulders as Jordan often seemed to do, and there is probably a wealth of theory and debate to which Sanderson remains nearly or completely oblivious.
His assistant keeps a closer eye than Brandon on the MBs. But Brandon has done tons of Q&A and meetings and conventions with WOT fans by now. He knows the theories better than you think.
I always assumed the Forsaken Traveled as close as they safely could to Shayol Ghul, then hiked the remaining distance.
SG isn't a dreamspike. The Forsaken must walk the last stretch to the Pit of Doom, because he doesn't allow use of the OP or TP anywhere close to the Pit. Sure, he must also enjoy it.
Regarding the approach to the BT in Tel'aran'rhiod, however, my understanding was that the dreamspikes dome is impenetrable within TAR by ANY means.
No, Perrin crossed the perimeter in TAR "on foot" in TOM, that's how he managed to reach the dreamspike and take it away. It's just impossible to move instantly anywhere inside the dome, or once you're under it, to move instantly anywhere outside the dome. The second dreamspike will forcibly be far better protected from dreamwalkers, since they know of that weakness.
It is however impossible to enter stedding or the Blight/SG from TAR, even on foot (and the why is a RAFO). Before its protection was broken, that was also the case with Rhuidean, so creating such a barrier in TAR is possible. I merely suggested the presence of SG rocks at the BT might have made it another such impenetrable zone, which would pretty much leave the Light only the possibility of reaching the dreamspike in the real world.
The majority is convinced the presence of Pevara and co. at the BT has the story purpose of escaping and warning everyone early about Taim. But it's far from impossible that the purpose of that Asha'man with a Gateway talent is rather to puzzle out from inside the BT how Travelling is blocked there and narrow down the location of the dreamspike, very likely in Taim's palace. In other words, they may manage to hide from the upcoming purge - they already found out enough to know they're in dire danger - and remain hidden inside the grounds... and eventually find and disrupt the dreamspike. If there's no visible sign the dreamspike no longer works, that may open an opportunity for a massive surprise attack on the BT, late in the game.
As for the possibility the dreamspike's range can be adjusted, there's the fact Nynaeve managed to Travel just outside the BT. It suggests the coverage of that dreamspike is fairly precise. It's not a confirmation, but it leaves the possibility open for now.