First, RJ wrote most of the scene, which is believed to have been part of the original prologue. Brandon said he merely tweaked it a little (most think it's to reword/write the parts about Perrin to make it matched with events in TOM).

I don't think there's much of a contradiction. Isam first assumed a Chosen had no reason to disguise herself, then he must have concluded she was free on the town's constraints just like Moridin is.

It wouldn't necessarily conclude that Isam meant the Chosen cannot channel saidin/saidar in the Town and it's why they couldn't follow him in the Dream. This town is the Blight. RJ told us once it's not possible to enter the Blight from TAR, there might be a restriction in entering it in the flesh through a gateway from the Blight. It might be part of Isam's gift that the DO gave him something by-passing this.

But more simply, by "from here" Isam might have meant the real world. A channeler could open a gateway to TAR, but by the time they entered it Isam would be long gone from the spot from which he entered. It could have simply been what he meant by not even a Chosen being able to follow him from there. Incidentally in his place I wouldn't bet too heavily on the likes of Lanfear and Moghedien being unable to track him in TAR...


We've learned from Moghedien that this "place" Moridin summons them to isn't the normal TAR, it's a folding of his dreams and TAR. We used to assume he or the Chosen had the way to enter TAR in the Blight/SG area, but it appears it might not be the case.




What has convinced you he meant "in the town"? No way he would have dared attacking the Red Veils in front of the Chosen who assigned them to him, and was probably not thinking so specifically. Isam most likely meant he couldn't kill those in general, that they'd kill him first if he tried.



They do not carry bows or spears, they aren't weaponless, and this seems to confirm restrictions or the impossility for the Red Veils to channel in the townn itself. Isam thinks it takes the barest provocation, actually a mere whim, for a Red Veil in town to take a knife to a Talentless.

This could simply be forbidden on penalty of death to channel in town, it could be there's a Far Madding style device in town, perhaps just stopping saidin... or it could simply be they're using the TP and the DO doesn't let them access it in the town area.




As I said, I believe the whole thing about restricting the TP among the Chosen is strictly a manipulative ploy of the DO. Moridin knows where he stands, he cares little for the trappings of power. He wouldn't mind others having access to the TP.



They may not know much at all about them.

IMO, we never saw Moridin in town. I believe it's the Chosen who met Isam who came in disguised as Moridin, made sure to clear the area and fetched the two Red Veils she needed before she went to meet Isam.

My guess is that the Red Veils are allowed to use only the TP, and in the town area the DO doesn't make it available (Moridin has no such restrictions). They do not know saidin well anyway - they abandonned it early for those who are captured sparkers and those who were born in the town probably never really used it. So neither would be able to do much of anything with it, even if it was allowed.

One thing for sure, they do have the proper, inhuman attitude characteristic of the TP...

Another guess is that the "women" in carriages Isam saw are the local equivalent of Wise Ones - probably offspring of the Red Veils born with the ability - and they apparently live totally apart from the men and enter the town only in those carriages. They're probably never seen unless there's a need for a turning.

I'm pretty sure the Chosen wasn't disguised when she met Isam. This was Cyndane, whom Isam may never have met yet. Brandon didn't want us to be sure who this was, so he made sure not to qualify her features the same way as we had before (no mention of her silvery hair or impressive bosom.. but we know Cyndane is petite and dollish... so slim with delicate features probably fits) In his place, I would worry very much if that's truly Cyndane, because her life may depend on not getting caught with this scheme, and those Red Veils very likely have orders to kill him once he kills Rand or if he shows aby . Cyndane while she wore a MOM to portray Moridin might have compelled them to forget about her orders. Again, this is all possible if Cyndane can channel saidar there (as presumably the 13 women entering town for a turning can...), but the men don't have access to the TP in town.



With the True Power, it's as simple as the DO letting you access or not.



It's not completely impossible, granted, but I doubt this is Taim's back story.

I'm rather convinced he's been given a basic training in saidin by Ishamael to serve him as a decoy Dragon, once he captured Rand.

That plan failed in Tear when Rand was seen taking Callandor and thus proclaimed.

It is Demandred, I'm still pretty much convinced, who with Mesaana's help had Taim rescued by the BA and who has trained him in military arts, OP and otherwise, and organization.


Taim's "so-called Aiel" comment really strikes as something he picked up from Demandred. He's the one who has a motive to be hateful of Aiel, because of the ties between the Da'shain and LTT which recently Demandred had witnessed prolonged in Rand's ties to the Aiel. Demandred also referred to Rhuidean as "this cursed place".