Agree with the first part - that's what I was trying to say, essentially. As for the second ... I don't think Moridin's instructions meant she had to stay in AD. He didn't say she had to involve herself directly, only that he wanted certain things to happen to Rand. She could have accomplished that by ordering DFs or Compelling other people, from just about anywhere. I doubt she'd ever have risked direct contact with Rand.
RJ/BS just wanted to show Graendal at one point and remind the readers where she is, what she does etc., before she is killed later. The prologue seems like a perfect place for this.
Likely Granedal even did a bit plotting in the meantime, e.g. influencing some members of the Council of Merchants, getting reports from her spies and rallying DF. IIRC, there also wasn't that much time between Moridin's order in the prologue and Graendal's death, so that it's not implausible that she just started to get her plans concerning Rand in motion and stayed in Arad Doman till then.
BS indicated as well that Graendal is dead by saying that she will just be mentioned a few times in ToM, and that ToM will make it clear, if she is dead.
Hmmm ... just because she'll only be mentioned a few times doesn't mean she's dead. We know ToM will mostly focus on Mat & Perrin (and Elayne?), so I wouldn't expect Graendal to play much of a role in ToM even if she were alive.
IMO, BS just didn't want to give a "Graendal is toast"-confirmation yet, because we shall discuss it a bit more. But ToM will make clear that Graendal must be dead and after this book BS will give us a definite "Graendal is toast"-quote (similar to the situation of Sammael's death).
Besides this, Semirhage's and Elza's ter'angreal bracelets remained, when Rand hit them with balefire on the chest. Considering this one wonders, if Graendal's angreal was even balefired, since Rand just aimed at the palace.
Presumably, the balefire stream Rand used to kill Semirhage & Elza was narrow - narrow enough that it only hit them, not the bracelets. Whereas, the balefire stream Rand used to destroy the palace was HUGELY WIDE - wide enough to wipe out the entire palace and everything in it, presumably. I don't have the book in front of me, but I recall that it was said that there was nothing left where the palace had been standing.
But apparently their shoes were balefired, too.
In Graendal's case it's said that "a column of pure whiteness exploded from him [Rand] and burned across the silent night sky, illuminating the trees below it in a wave. It moved as quick as a snap of the fingers, striking the wall of the distant fortress. The stones came alight, as if they were breathing in the force of the energy. The entire fortress glowed, transforming into living light, an amazing, spectacular palace of unadulterated energy. It was beautiful. And then it was gone."
So, initially only one wall is hit by the balefire column, but then the whole palace vanishes (which doesn't necessarily mean though, that there might not lie Graendal's small angreal somewhere on the field and Rand was just too distant to notice).
Graendal's Fate (Alive or Dead?)
05/01/2010 05:44:12 PM
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Re: Graendal's Fate (Alive or Dead?)
05/01/2010 06:46:19 PM
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Re: Graendal's Fate (Alive or Dead?)
05/01/2010 07:15:41 PM
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Nynaeve's boat...
05/01/2010 07:23:57 PM
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Good point ...
05/01/2010 07:52:04 PM
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I'm somewhat surprised objects have threads.
05/01/2010 08:45:52 PM
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Re: I'm somewhat surprised objects have threads.
05/01/2010 09:23:06 PM
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Re: I'm somewhat surprised objects have threads.
05/01/2010 10:30:42 PM
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There is another way...
05/01/2010 07:00:31 PM
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Nope
06/01/2010 04:36:56 AM
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USe Occam's Razor yourself...
06/01/2010 05:53:22 AM
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and why didn't she invert any of the weaves?
06/01/2010 05:55:54 AM
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Maybe you cannot invert compulsion?
06/01/2010 06:56:35 PM
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so it's the one and only thing we've seen that can't be inverted? seems a little
06/01/2010 11:31:09 PM
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Re: so it's the one and only thing we've seen that can't be inverted?
07/01/2010 12:02:00 AM
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She's dead as a bloody doornail. Or whatever that saying is... *NM*
05/01/2010 07:20:36 PM
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Clearly dead
05/01/2010 07:29:11 PM
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I think she's alive.
06/01/2010 06:12:50 PM
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Compulsion is rather useless isn't it?
06/01/2010 07:44:42 PM
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It may take an exceptional Delver/Healer
06/01/2010 08:49:37 PM
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perhaps, but still I have a hard time believing Graendal didn't invert the weaves!
06/01/2010 11:06:49 PM
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Re: perhaps, but still I have a hard time believing Graendal didn't invert the weaves!
07/01/2010 03:42:17 PM
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