I've been kicking this thought around for a while, and it is by no means fully fleshed out, but I'd like to hear thoughts on it.

To begin, we know that channeling the One Power lengthens the lifespan of the holder. We also know that taking an oath of the binder (oath rod) limits that effect, but does not eliminate it.

I began thinking about why channeling the One Power causes a person to "slow." Eventually, the reasoning I came up with is that the One Power, as the driving force of the Universe, the creation force if you will, gives the person's body new energy and fights the corrosive effects of time and wear by renewing the cells of the body.

So, why should taking an oath on the binder change this?

The connection that leapt to mind was that oaths on the binder are severed when a person's connection to the One Power is also severed, and the person reverts to the way they should look for their age (after slowing). Siuan might be in her 40s, but the slowing due to channeling means she would be a very young woman by AOL standards.

That fact made me think about how the oath is tied to a person's connection to the source. Why would their oath be broken from them when their connection to the source is severed?

The connection built in my mind that the oath must be bound to the person's connection to the source.

Now, whenever an oath is taken, it is described as feeling as if a second, tighter, skin settles onto the oath taker. I would think that this means every part of the person's body feels tighter, constrained, not just their skin.

What could cause that sensation? I think that the binder creates a filter on the person's connection to the source that causes a "film" of the oath to go with the Power to each cell in the person's body, giving them that tighter, constrained feeling. The weave created by the oath, in my thoughts, probably interferes with the connection of the Power with the person's body, interfering with their longevity.

The tighter looking face is probably unrelated to the "filter." Rather, that effect is probably simply as a public marker of the criminal as a danger to society... the unrepentant, unchanging, danger to society.

So, as the filter is connected to the person's connection to the source, when they are stilled/gentled/severed, the filter is also destroyed, along with its effects. The tightness of the face is taken away, the tightness of the oaths on their body is also taken away, as are the oaths themselves.


OK, people... tear it apart, point out the holes, and let me know where it can be stronger.