There are too many problems with the theory that gateway disruption is made with wards...
1. There is no evidence at all for this ward. I have no problem with a bit of insight. Someone once suggested using a gateway as a weapon and in KoD it suddenly appeared. Still, it's theoretical at best, whereas gateway blocking is an established weave and hints that gateway interference is done in such a way.
2. Tactically, a ward is stupid. If you block the area off against Travelling you injure your own abilities too. You cannot escape, or Travel somewhere, or send your own troops off. It's like making a ward against channeling - its helps you but also harms you. In effect, the defending army is pinned down.
3. The warding would have to be enormous to have a big enough effect. Shannow suggests that it's too difficult for a channeler to run around blocking gateway formation and that a channeler can merely make a gateway half a mile away. However, a ward needed to cover such an area anyway would require an enormous amount of the Power - either with a sa'angreal or a large circle.
So in my opinion it works like this...
Channelers ward the battlefield for miles around with wards that detect saidin or saidar. This is an established tactic used by Forsaken generals, especially Sammael who was a master of defense and probably Rahvin who located Rand almost instantly with lightning. It also seems to be a tactic that both Rand and Taim agree to be the most apt for defending a battleground.
When channelers detect saidin or saidar, they immediately Travel to that area of the battlefield. They know the area, so it's easy. A gateway will probably be established by then but no one is going to use one gateway to send an army - more will follow. A group of channelers will then attempt to either unravel the formed gateway, block gateways which are forming, or kill soldiers who are trying to get through. Does this mean that channelers spend all their time running around doing this? Of course it does. If you have a thousand channelers in your army, you should dedicate at least twenty percent to running around trying to thwart incoming gateways and tactical advancements. The other 80% can fight or Heal, or whatever else they do.
Channelers on both sides will attempt to do the following...
- form gateways for reinforcements
- help maintain the gateways in case enemies try to unravel them
- block incoming gateways
- destroy anyone who tries to get through
- try and destroy the channelers on the other side, or at least shield them.
- try and unravel their platforms if they use skimming.
It makes much more sense for an army to do this than to create a Travelling deadzone that hurts your army as much as the enemy's.
Wheel of Time board admin
Fan of Lanfear
Fan of Lanfear
How to disrupt gateways that are made into a battle zone...
16/11/2009 08:48:36 AM
- 767 Views
I might as well present my argument in full
16/11/2009 09:52:34 AM
- 579 Views
Both options can be valid, but here's why you MUST have the ward...
16/11/2009 10:10:55 AM
- 745 Views
Re: Both options can be valid, but here's why you MUST have the ward...
16/11/2009 12:08:30 PM
- 459 Views
I think there's some evidence in favor of the wards idea you are all missing.
16/11/2009 05:29:22 PM
- 428 Views
I disagree
16/11/2009 07:15:53 PM
- 429 Views
Except
16/11/2009 07:24:56 PM
- 385 Views
there's no indication that the gateway isn't almost on top of a city
17/11/2009 03:09:31 AM
- 385 Views
It's definitely possible that there can be a ward to detect a gateway opening.
17/11/2009 03:22:33 PM
- 403 Views
We know that, for e.g., Sammael could detect the location of a Gateway
16/11/2009 08:21:57 PM
- 389 Views
i think an automatic weave would be too complicated to cover any reasonable area.
17/11/2009 06:06:54 AM
- 416 Views
Re: i think an automatic weave would be too complicated to cover any reasonable area.
17/11/2009 12:53:19 PM
- 393 Views
I don't think you need to travel to the Gateway to disrupt it if the ward notifies you of location
17/11/2009 10:57:06 PM
- 454 Views
I believe that you cannot make a ward completely preventing Traveling.
17/11/2009 01:52:24 PM
- 387 Views