Yes the Seanchan's ability to move has increased, but without the ability to link the damane do not have enough strength to move more than men and horses and relatively small amount of equipment. This ability will be fantastic for them in certain ways, but a huge tactical advantage is lost by not being able to move large armies and establish unraidable supply lines.
With the amount of domane the Seanchan have there are bound to be a number of domane that are capable enough to make gateways large enough for wagons. If they are reasonable efficient they should be able to get at least 2 wagons through in a minute. 120 wagons in an hour per gateway should be able to supply quite a large army. On top of this, what is stopping them from making slightly narrower but longer wagons? The Seanchan have been portrayed as extremely efficient and organized. They could have enough new wagons that are specially made for gateway travel in very little time at all. They are going to be able to move large well supplied armies great distances in very little time.
I'm not saying they won't pick up information from Elaida and the others they captured, I'm saying they aren't likely to believe that there is no super weapon just because a few women they captured don't know what it is.
The former leader of the White Tower along with all other captives will inform them that there is no super weapon. There spy networks will reveal no evidence of any super weapon. They are going to have serious doubts about it's existence especially with all the abnormal incident that they have seen happen. (towns appearing and disappearing and such)
You are incorrect. Karede has already addressed this in KoD when he's thinking about Mylen. He can't even imagine anyone allowing themselves to be Healed by a damane. These people don't look at damane as human. It would be like you or I going to a dog instead of a doctor. Oh it might be tempting to go to the dog since we'd heard that it had magical powers, except I also believe that the magic it uses to heal me will also destroy the world if the dog gets off it's leash.
The Royals don't want the common folk of Seanchan to be comfortable with the Power, if they get comfortable with it they might start questioning why damane (like their sister or cousin perhaps) need to be leashed.
Tuon seemed to be in favour of using the healing, and as she is the ultimate ruler and all. It may take a while for people to get used to the idea but once people start living that would have otherwise died, the practice will take root. The troops will follow orders.
As for information in the 13th depository will only be meaningful to the AS... the common folk of Randland are already distrustful of AS, some hidden tidbit from 500 years ago will mean less than nothing to someone like Tam!
The people may be distrustful but they also fear the AS. The new information will make them seem much more fallible, much more human.
The raid was aimed at crippling the marath'damane headquarters and gain 2 specific weaves. One weave they don't have and the other will prove to be less effective since damane cannot link and create Gateways large enough to make massive military maneuvers possible.
The raid did extensive damage to the White Tower, captured many AS including the leader of the white tower, gave them access to a huge amount of information, gave them reasonable doubt to the existence of the super weapon, and they also acquired many new weaves including the all important gateways.
Look at it from the Seanchan side... they did not achieve all of the goals they set out ... they still believe there is a weapon the AS can use against them and discovered a much stronger opponent than they anticipated. They lost far more raken than they should have since Egwene fought back so fiercely, they lost many damane and sul'dam and got a real dose of what they think the WT is capable of ... by no means was this a loss to the Seanchan, but it wasn't some massive, or even decisive, victory. It served about half of it's purpose and nothing more.
Looking at it from the Seanchan side. They gained access to some very powerful weaves, the most important being the one for gateways, the one they would have been willing to trade or sacrifice all their raken for. They captured the leader of the White tower, gained invaluable information (troop strength, tactics, AS spy networks procedures, 13th depositry). With all the new information they are to be reasonably sure that the super weave doesn't exist. Oh, and with the new gateway weave they can now move vast armies across great distance in very little time. They can also move large amount of supplies wherever they want or need whenever they want. A very successful raid in deed!
Imagine if they had acquired an angreal or sa'angreal on top of all that.
All good things come to those who wait.
The Seanchan attack and the upcoming round 2
- 29/10/2009 11:39:16 PM
1088 Views
I don't see it happening that way
- 30/10/2009 12:00:09 AM
621 Views
IMO the Seanchan take over Randland, but Rand forces them to drop the damane practices.
- 04/12/2009 05:58:56 PM
465 Views
I think they'll see it as a draw or minor victory
- 04/12/2009 11:33:16 PM
438 Views
Traveling can be a huge advantage for the Seanchan
- 05/12/2009 06:15:37 AM
412 Views
Re: Traveling can be a huge advantage for the Seanchan
- 05/12/2009 07:19:31 AM
453 Views
Re: Traveling can be a huge advantage for the Seanchan
- 05/12/2009 08:03:53 AM
501 Views
Re: Traveling can be a huge advantage for the Seanchan
- 05/12/2009 05:40:51 PM
436 Views
Re: Traveling can be a huge advantage for the Seanchan
- 05/12/2009 09:27:23 PM
416 Views
The raid could have been far more successful
- 05/12/2009 10:13:07 PM
505 Views
Re: The raid was hugely successful
- 06/12/2009 01:08:44 AM
506 Views
nope
- 06/12/2009 02:47:49 AM
420 Views
Re: Egwene's words
- 06/12/2009 07:12:59 AM
986 Views
The Seanchan are likely to feel the same way Egwene did
- 06/12/2009 07:54:38 AM
392 Views