Re: So what was the point of the White Tower struggle?
Lord Haart Send a noteboard - 07/02/2010 06:14:31 PM
All in all, I have to say this is an important reason to look forward to ToM or aMoL - to see what RJ had in mind for the White Tower that is going to make this nine-book sub-saga worth the space it took within the series. Otherwise, just think! Eliminate Egwene or the Tower from the story, and you eliminate the need for the other! I find it hard to believe that this Panglossian version of WoT could truly be a viable alternative, so I must believe that, like Gollum (in oh so many ways), the Tower "has some part to play yet, for good or ill before this is over."
I think it's pretty much inescapable, because one of the core anchors of WoT is that saidin = insane and saidar = sane (pre-Cleansing). The White Tower must logically exist in the world, and if it exists then it is an obvious target for subterfuge and division by Moridin and the other FS. Whether it's worth saving or not is debatable, but I'd say it is. We've only really seen 6 organised groups of channelers at this time:
1) The Kin - They are weak and disorganised. They pretty much embody the negative aspects of AS from their actions in Caemlyn, where they do nothing much at all.
2) The Seafolk Windfinders - These women are organised, disciplined, and battle-ready, but unfortunately they seem to be restricted largely to oceanic or coastal areas. One of my pet theories is that this is where Demandred's power base is, because several hundred Windfinders striking the southern shores would devastate the Light. They have reason, since Rand has failed to meet his side of the Bargain (Brandon said so).
3) The Damane - Deadly and numerous, but they are slaves and the practice will need to end. The adam also makes them unable to join circles, so there is little they can offer that the Asha'man can't.
4) The Wise Ones - this is Rand's most likely alternative to the WT if he wants large numbers of female channellers for circles, but I think that in tGS he pushed them a little too far. Their numbers are not so great, either.
5) The Black Tower - Festering at it's birth, the BT cannot act as a base for channelers in Randland until new management takes over. Taim must go, and I don't really trust Logain either - perhaps Narishma might lead them one day.
And of course there's (6), the White Tower. Despite the incompetence of it's current individual members, it has a history of acting as a stabilising and uniting force in Randland, a beacon of hope against the Shadow. In these times, that is worth saving. As we've seen, Rand can send out messengers, soldiers, Aiel and Asha'man everywhere, but few places if any have given him as much respect as they would afford to an AS (note: respect, not fear). If Egwene can unite the WT, and convince it that Rand is not a tool to be handled (something that only Min & Moiraine in the series seemed to understand), then she could use the Tower to consolidate the forces of Randland behind him, and create a truce with the Seanchan (note that even they consider the WT to be a massive threat, big enough to send their entire Raken fleet). Much of this power is based upon perception, but it exists nonetheless.
So what was the point of the White Tower struggle?
07/02/2010 04:41:58 AM
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The Tower will likely have some sort of "badass army" moment at the end... or, they'd BETTER
07/02/2010 06:46:51 AM
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Re: The Tower will likely have some sort of "badass army" moment at the end... or, they'd BETTER
08/02/2010 05:43:52 PM
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I think the breaking of the tower was....
07/02/2010 07:55:48 AM
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Yes, but that isn't the point.
08/02/2010 04:14:32 AM
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Re: Yes, but that isn't the point.
08/02/2010 04:40:52 AM
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YES!! The SPLIT is important. So why is ENDING the split such a necessary goal?
08/02/2010 04:55:46 AM
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Re: YES!! The SPLIT is important. So why is ENDING the split such a necessary goal?
08/02/2010 02:43:48 PM
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Re: YES!! The SPLIT is important. So why is ENDING the split such a necessary goal?
10/02/2010 09:49:59 PM
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Re: the wise ones.
13/02/2010 10:21:55 AM
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Re: So what was the point of the White Tower struggle?
07/02/2010 06:14:31 PM
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Re: The point was that Rand needed the division.
07/02/2010 08:34:10 PM
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small disagreement
07/02/2010 08:42:07 PM
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Re: small disagreement
08/02/2010 04:37:03 AM
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Egwene and Siuan have noted that there are plenty of the new Novices
15/02/2010 04:22:35 PM
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Re: So what was the point of the White Tower struggle?
08/02/2010 04:34:52 AM
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Re: So what was the point of the White Tower struggle?
08/02/2010 06:56:01 AM
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Such a resolution could have been a minor plot point like settling Tear or Cairhien
11/02/2010 11:53:41 PM
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Re: Such a resolution could have been a minor plot point like settling Tear or Cairhien
13/02/2010 10:45:06 AM
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Re: So what was the point of the White Tower struggle?
07/02/2010 10:42:27 PM
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These are reasons why the SPLIT is necessary. I was not questioning that.
08/02/2010 04:50:11 AM
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Re: These are reasons why the SPLIT is necessary. I was not questioning that.
08/02/2010 05:47:36 AM
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Re: These are reasons why the SPLIT is necessary. I was not questioning that.
13/02/2010 09:33:04 AM
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For that matter, what is the point of Andor?
08/02/2010 06:08:32 AM
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Re: For that matter, what is the point of Andor?
08/02/2010 03:38:54 PM
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But Tar Valon is critical too.
08/02/2010 07:41:43 PM
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Really?
10/02/2010 05:30:02 AM
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So what? This is more or less true, but it has zero relevance to the issue of the Tower.
10/02/2010 10:13:56 PM
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Re: So what? This is more or less true, but it has zero relevance to the issue of the Tower.
12/02/2010 12:43:19 AM
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Re: So what? This is more or less true, but it has zero relevance to the issue of the Tower.
15/02/2010 02:23:57 PM
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To pad the last few books in order to make Egwene the Amyrlin.
17/02/2010 05:25:22 PM
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