The scene in AMoL where Demandred lends Taim his sa'angreal, and warns him not to use it against him because he has bound it to himself annoys me rather a lot.
One of the things I like about channeling in the Wheel of Time is that it seems to mostly follow a set of consistent rules, almost like physics. Thus, I feel that a vague concept like using something "against" someone has no place. What does that even mean?
At first, I thought it might cover the case of touching Demandred with a weave while using the sa'angreal, yet what about healing? Touching someone with a weave isn't neccessarily using the weave "against" them.
Then, how about secondary effects, like lightning bolts? Mat was killed by a lightning bolt while wearing his medallion. And what about throwing stuff at him?
And what about other indirect uses, such as using the sa'angreal in a way that hinders Demandred's plans, without actually touching the man himself? Does that constitute using it "against" him?
It seems to me that the concept of binding an angreal to yourself is either pretty much useless, because it doesn't cover everything, or it takes channeling more in the direction of magic by introducing a mystical mechanism to somehow determine wether a particular use can be said to be "against" the owner of the angreal or not. Either way, it annoys me.
Since the first book, we have seen objects that were "attuned" to a person(s). Moiraine did it with the coins she gave the boys so she could locate them. Once they gave up the coins, the connection was broken.
There are more: Maybe the best example is the Horn of Valere, that is "bound" to the user until death. Callandor was bound with weaves that were attuned to LTT/Rand. The doorway ter'angreal were attuned so a person could only go through one time. The Glass Columns in Rhuideen were attuned so only descendants of the Aiel could go through them and see thru their ancestors' eyes. The ter'angreal collars the Seanchan use are attuned to channelers only. We also saw Wards that were specifically attuned to alert/kill Shadowspawn.
That Demandred was able to bind a sa'angreal to him is not out-of-line with other precedents introduced earlier, IMO.
Formerly Mat Bloody Cauthon on Wotmania, blessed be its name
Binding an angreal
- 09/02/2013 05:35:19 PM
1877 Views
I got the impression that "binding" allowed Demandred to take control of the Power being Channeled
- 10/02/2013 12:40:09 AM
1360 Views
Re: I got the impression that "binding" allowed Demandred to take control of the Power being Chan...
- 10/02/2013 07:52:59 PM
1042 Views
Perhaps a booby trap type thing ... Or just a wording issue
- 10/02/2013 10:58:53 PM
1088 Views
I think its a warding
- 11/02/2013 05:34:09 AM
1169 Views
Re: I think its a warding
- 11/02/2013 01:35:04 PM
1488 Views
As we have seen in many instances there is no fool proof way to accomplish something with the OP
- 11/02/2013 03:08:50 PM
1153 Views
I didn't find it that odd
- 10/02/2013 01:33:44 AM
1211 Views
You stole my examples. Good job *NM*
- 10/02/2013 04:54:32 AM
696 Views
Re: I didn't find it that odd
- 10/02/2013 07:49:57 PM
1308 Views