Towers of Midnight
Encyclopedia
Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan
and Brandon Sanderson
is the sequel to the novel The Gathering Storm
, and the 13th book in the Wheel of Time
series.
The novel is the second part of A Memory of Light
, Robert Jordan's projected final book. Because of the amount of material to cover, it was agreed by Jordan's wife, Tor Books
and Brandon Sanderson to break the final book into three works. All three books are to be written by Sanderson with the aid of extensive notes left by the late Jordan. The title 'Towers of Midnight' was proposed by Sanderson, replacing the much earlier working title of 'A Memory of Light: Shifting Winds'. It was released on November 2, 2010 and is composed of 328,000 words. The book debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list.
The novel consists of a prologue, 57 chapters, and an epilogue.
, announced that Sanderson would hand out bumper stickers throughout his promotional book tour. Some of the bumper stickers contained a code which would unlock one page of the Towers of Midnight. Fans were able to guess the codes without receiving a bumper sticker and unlocked an entire chapter (Chapter 8). The final code was placed in Venice, Italy. The codes were the chapter names of Towers of Midnight. This event was promoted by Tor at Brandon Sanderson's request, and was able to generate an unexpectedly high amount of involvement from the fan community.
and his followers encounter the Children of the Light, who recently raised Galad Damodred
as their leader. Jaret Byar and Dain Bornhald accuse Perrin of killing two Children of the Light, Lathin and Yamwick, an incident from The Eye of the World
. Both Galad and Perrin want to avoid a battle over this issue and when Galad discovers his stepmother Morgase Trakand is alive and among the refugees, Galad and Perrin agree to have a trial with Morgase as the judge under Andoran
law. Perrin reveals his ability to speak with wolves and claims as his defense the fact that the two men killed his wolf friends, but Morgase still judges Perrin guilty—not of murder, but of "illegal killing" under an obscure law governing mercenaries. She suggests that Galad set the sentencing, and Perrin agrees to abide by the ruling after Tarmon Gai'don
. Galad does not immediately pronounce sentence.
Faile Bashere
and Berelain sur Paendrag reach an agreement over the rumors that Perrin and Berelain were intimate during Faile's imprisonment: Berelain will publicly denounce the rumors, and she will arrange to be linked romantically to someone else as soon as possible. When she meets Galad, they are immediately attracted to one another and also recognize the political and military efficacy of an alliance between Mayene
and the Children.
Nae'blis Moridin charges fellow Forsaken Graendal
with killing Perrin, revealing a Shadow prophecy that Perrin will die. He gives her a ter'angreal called a "dreamspike," one of two he possesses, that hinders both Traveling and movement in Tel'aran'rhiod
, as well as the service of his minion Isam. Graendal orders Isam to plant the device so that Perrin's Asha'man
Jur Grady cannot form gateways, enabling her to destroy his forces with an army of Trollocs. Perrin, who has been improving his Wolf Dream talents with the spirit wolf Hopper, finds the dreamspike and attempts to remove it, but is limited by being able to move instantaneously only within the device's radius of effect, which shifts with his movements. He eventually makes his way to Tar Valon
, with Isam chasing him.
Egwene al'Vere
plots to find the Forsaken
Mesaana
, whom she believes to be hidden in the White Tower, while also dealing with a series of murders of Aes Sedai
. Egwene refuses to bond Gawyn Trakand
as a Warder
due to his disobedience; when he confronts an intruder outside Egwene's chambers, it disrupts the wards she had set against Mesaana. Egwene believes that Mesaana is behind the murders and the intruder. Gawyn departs, feeling unappreciated; while visiting Elayne in Caemlyn, he uncovers evidence that the murders are the work of Bloodknives, Seanchan
assassins. Egwene sets up a dream meeting between Aes Sedai
, Aiel
Wise Ones, and Sea Folk Windfinders, to discuss cooperation among the channeling women of the three cultures, but with the hidden agenda of drawing Mesaana into a trap. When Mesaana and the Black Ajah
attack, the dreamspike moved by Perrin keeps Mesaana from escaping. Perrin and Egwene are surprised to see each other and by each others' skill within the dream. Mesaana attempts to hold Egwene with an a'dam, but Egwene's mastery of Tel'aran'rhiod enables her to reject the power of the a'dam and to break Mesaana's mind. Gawyn returns to Tar Valon just in time to stop three Bloodknives from killing Egwene in her sleep. Egwene awakens and bonds with Gawyn, who has been hurt badly, and heals him. They agree to marry.
On the Tower grounds, Hopper and Perrin fight Isam, and Isam kills Hopper, forever ending any chance of a rebirth for the wolf. Perrin destroys the dreamspike by dropping it into a nightmare that has taken the form of a volcano. Perrin escapes from Isam by returning to the real world. Perrin feels compelled to forge a war hammer, and Neald discovers a Talent for creating a Power-forged weapon, resulting in a hammer that Perrin names Mah'alleinir, "he who soars" in the Old Tongue. Meanwhile, Galad's Children are unaware that they are about to be ambushed by the Trolloc army intended for Perrin. Perrin's army attacks first, destroying the Trollocs and saving the Children. Galad sets a light sentence for Perrin's crimes: he must make financial restitution to the families of the two slain men and he must fight in the Last Battle. Jaret Byar attempts to kill Perrin, but Byar is instead killed by Dain Bornhald, who no longer believed that Perrin killed his father Geofram due to the inability of Byar to give evidence in favor of the charge at the trial. Galad accepts Perrin's proposal to join Perrin's force and swears to remain under Perrin's command until the last battle is over.
The Dark One
's hand, Shaidar Haran
blames Forsaken Graendal for the deaths of three Forsaken (Mesaana, Aran'gar, and Asmodean
), and begins to punish her.
meets Andoran Queen Elayne Trakand
in Caemlyn to discuss building "dragons" (artillery) to former Illuminator Aludra's specifications. They bargain over who gets to keep how many dragons, and Mat agrees to let Elayne borrow the foxhead ter'angreal he wears to block the One Power
, so that she can make copies.
Elayne uses an angreal to weave a disguise, in an attempt to impersonate one of the Forsaken. She questions the Black Ajah
Chesmal, but she is exposed after the arrival of Chesmal's Black sisters Eldrith and Temaile, as well as the secretary of House Caeren head Sylvase. She uses Mat's ter'angreal and a copy of it she made to defeat them, but after a surprise appearance by her Darkfriend
former guard Doilen Mellar, she loses both medallions to him. In desperation, she uses the One Power to collapse the roof on him. She regains the original ter'angreal, but Mellar escapes with a copy.
Mat and Talmanes lure the gholam into a trap; after battling the creature into a burning building, Mat wounds it with Elayne's copies of his own medallion, and forces it into a gateway opened to endless dark, doomed to fall forever.
When Perrin and his group arrives, Morgase convinces Elayne to let Perrin administer the Two Rivers under Andoran rule. Elayne uses the dragons, and a promise of estates in Andor for Cairhienin nobles, to convince the Cairhienen to make her queen of Cairhien
, uniting the kingdoms of Andor and Cairhien.
Mat, Thom Merrilin
, and Noal enter the Tower of Ghenjei
to rescue Moiraine Damodred
, who has been missing since she fell through a ter'angreal portal in The Fires of Heaven
. Guided by his luck through an extra-dimensional labyrinth, the three ward off the cunning Eelfinn with fire, music and the threat of iron weapons. Upon finding her, Mat strikes a bargain with the Eelfinn for safe passage outside, offering them 'half the light of the world'-his left eye plucked mercilessly from its socket. Though they begin to leave, the snake-like Aelfinn chase after them, Mat having left them out of the prior bargain. Noal, revealing himself as the folk hero Jain Farstrider, offers to stay behind and buy the others time to escape. Driven to a dead end, hope seems dead, until Mat realizes his ashandarei polearm is their key to safe passage from the Tower, rending the walls and earning their freedom. Safe outside, Moiraine awakes to reveal herself severely weakened in the One Power due to her capture (though in possession of a supremely powerful angreal), and in love with Thom, who gladly reciprocates. As they share news of the world with her, they prepare to find Rand before the Battle is begun.
proceeds to the world to fight the Dark One
's touch, his positive demeanor righting the wrongs the Shadow had been allowed to perpetrate. Much to the surprise of all involved, he then embarks to the White Tower to deliver a stunning announcement to Egwene al'Vere
, the Amyrlin Seat: he intends to shatter the remaining seals on the Dark One's prison in order to erect a more permanent replacement. Unable to convince him of the dangers, she concedes to meet him in one month's time at the Fields of Merrilor at his request. Desperate to delay what she could only believe was the doom of the world, Egwene hastens a plan to unite the nations of the world in hopes of stopping the Dragon's seeming madness.
Meanwhile, finally allowed to undertake the final test to becoming a Wise One, Aviendha
journeys through the Aiel Waste
, making her way to the ancient city of Rhuidean. During her trek, a wandering Aiel named Nakomi visits her and asks to share her fire; after beginning an innocuous conversation, the mysterious woman muses to Aviendha about the fate of the Aiel, once their toh to the Dragon has been met. The question perplexes Aviendha, and worries her, as it seems the Aiel might lose purpose and meaning once the Last Battle was fought. After arriving in Rhuidean and passing the final trial of the crystal columns (a comprehensive history of the 'shame' of the Aiel, as seen through her ancestor's eyes), she attempts to learn more of the ter'angreal through which she had just passed by touching them. This inadvertently reveals to Aviendha what may be the future of the Aiel, where her own descendants begin a chain of events that would allow the Seanchan to overtake the wetlands, drive the Aiel into hiding, and systematically reduce them to pathetic scavengers, all knowledge of ji'e'toh abandoned, and finally driven to extinction. Faced with this crushing possibility, Aviendha leaves Rhuidean to find Rand, desperate at any chance to right this grim future.
After dispelling a pair of powerful Darkfriends within his own ranks of Tairens, he Travels with Min Farshaw
to the ruined port of Bandar Eban, which he had abandoned to starvation and decay. His demeanor and influence brightened, he quickly proceeds to set the city right on its feet, feeding the hungry and raising the downtrodden. He then heads north to the beleaguered fortress of Maradon, the main city of Saldaea, seized by countless Shadowspawn descended from the Blight. Though bravely fought by forces commanded by famed general Rodel Ituralde, the forces of Light are hopelessly overwhelmed, the city on the brink of destruction. Enraged by the plight of the men he had nearly consigned to death, Rand places himself at the forefront of the Shadow's assault, and repels the horde of tens of thousands single-handedly with an unimaginable amount of the One Power. Unfortunately he is unable to help the nations of Kandor and Arafel which also are overwhelmed by Shadowspawn.
He now prepares to parley with the forces of the nations gathered at the Fields of Merrilor, poised precipitously close to the Blight border, and the advent of Tarmon Gai'don
. At the end of the book, while sleeping at the Fields of Merrilor, the night before the parley, Rand hears a scream in a dream of a woman he does not recognize. Her face is different but he knows she is Mierin Eronaile, also known as Lanfear
. She begs him to help her escape from the torture but the wall falls away and she tumbles into darkness.
is ruling the black tower with an iron fist. Logain has been absent from the Black Tower for some time. Several of the Aes Sedai who have traveled to the tower originally sent by the leader of the Red Ajah
have been given permission to bond some of the Soldiers and Dedicated, however, none have been bonded. The entirety of the Tower is guarded, entry and exit are strictly monitored, and the behavior of many Aes Sedai and Asha'man have changed significantly and disturbingly; some of Taim's most ardent detractors seem only to sing his praises, and behave as if in hollow imitation of themselves. Gateways fail upon construction, confining those within Tower grounds to the watch of Taim and his faithful. A small group of Soldiers and Dedicated, denied the Dragon even though their skills may warrant it, take notice of the darkness that seems to grip the Tower and its inhabitants, and desperately try to glean Taim's intentions while managing their own escape to Logain and the Dragon Reborn.
Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. , under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.-Biography:Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina...
and Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is an American fantasy author. A Nebraska native, he currently resides in American Fork, Utah. He earned his Master's degree in Creative Writing in 2005 from Brigham Young University, where he was on the staff of Leading Edge, a semi-professional speculative fiction magazine...
is the sequel to the novel The Gathering Storm
The Gathering Storm (novel)
The Gathering Storm is the 12th book of the fantasy series The Wheel of Time. It was incomplete when its author, Robert Jordan, died on September 16, 2007, from cardiac amyloidosis...
, and the 13th book in the Wheel of Time
Wheel of time
The Wheel of time or wheel of history is a concept found in several religious traditions and philosophies, notably religions of Indian origin such as Hinduism and Buddhism, which regard time as cyclical and consisting of repeating ages...
series.
The novel is the second part of A Memory of Light
A Memory of Light
A Memory of Light is the planned 14th and final book of the fantasy series The Wheel of Time, written by American author Robert Jordan with Brandon Sanderson. A Memory of Light was expected to be published around March 2012. The latest information indicates that it will be sometime between March...
, Robert Jordan's projected final book. Because of the amount of material to cover, it was agreed by Jordan's wife, Tor Books
Tor Books
Tor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
and Brandon Sanderson to break the final book into three works. All three books are to be written by Sanderson with the aid of extensive notes left by the late Jordan. The title 'Towers of Midnight' was proposed by Sanderson, replacing the much earlier working title of 'A Memory of Light: Shifting Winds'. It was released on November 2, 2010 and is composed of 328,000 words. The book debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list.
The novel consists of a prologue, 57 chapters, and an epilogue.
Pre-release information
On August 30, 2010, Tor Books, in conjunction with the release of Sanderson's 2010 novel, The Way of KingsThe Way of Kings
The Way of Kings is an epic fantasy novel by Brandon Sanderson. It was released by Tor Books on August 31, 2010. It is the first volume in a planned ten-novel series called The Stormlight Archive.-Synopsis:...
, announced that Sanderson would hand out bumper stickers throughout his promotional book tour. Some of the bumper stickers contained a code which would unlock one page of the Towers of Midnight. Fans were able to guess the codes without receiving a bumper sticker and unlocked an entire chapter (Chapter 8). The final code was placed in Venice, Italy. The codes were the chapter names of Towers of Midnight. This event was promoted by Tor at Brandon Sanderson's request, and was able to generate an unexpectedly high amount of involvement from the fan community.
Perrin Aybara and Egwene al'Vere
Moving through Ghealdan, Perrin AybaraPerrin Aybara
Perrin t'Bashere Aybara, or Goldeneyes, is one of the main characters of Robert Jordan's epic fantasy The Wheel of Time. Character is largely based on Slavic god Perun. In addition to the name similarity Perrin's choice of weapons include the axe, hammer, and bow...
and his followers encounter the Children of the Light, who recently raised Galad Damodred
Galad Damodred
Lord Galadedrid of House Damodred, called "Galad" for short, is a fictional character in the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan....
as their leader. Jaret Byar and Dain Bornhald accuse Perrin of killing two Children of the Light, Lathin and Yamwick, an incident from The Eye of the World
The Eye of the World
The Eye of the World is the first book of The Wheel of Time fantasy series written by American author Robert Jordan. It was published by Tor Books and released on January 15, 1990. The unabridged audio book is read by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading...
. Both Galad and Perrin want to avoid a battle over this issue and when Galad discovers his stepmother Morgase Trakand is alive and among the refugees, Galad and Perrin agree to have a trial with Morgase as the judge under Andoran
Andor (Wheel of Time)
Andor is a country set in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series of fantasy fiction novels.Andor is one of the strongest countries in the Westlands of the main continent. It is located in the middle of the Westlands, and is one of the largest nations...
law. Perrin reveals his ability to speak with wolves and claims as his defense the fact that the two men killed his wolf friends, but Morgase still judges Perrin guilty—not of murder, but of "illegal killing" under an obscure law governing mercenaries. She suggests that Galad set the sentencing, and Perrin agrees to abide by the ruling after Tarmon Gai'don
Tarmon Gai'don
Tarmon Gai'don, or the Last Battle, is an event set in the world of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time fantasy series. The event is both feared and anticipated in the lands of the Wheel...
. Galad does not immediately pronounce sentence.
Faile Bashere
Faile Bashere
Faile Bashere is a character in the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.-Life as Zarine:Zarine "Faile" ni Bashere t'Aybara is the daughter of Lord Davram Bashere, the Marshal-General to Saldaea and uncle to Queen Tenobia...
and Berelain sur Paendrag reach an agreement over the rumors that Perrin and Berelain were intimate during Faile's imprisonment: Berelain will publicly denounce the rumors, and she will arrange to be linked romantically to someone else as soon as possible. When she meets Galad, they are immediately attracted to one another and also recognize the political and military efficacy of an alliance between Mayene
Mayéné
Mayéné is a small town in Abanga-Bigne Department, Moyen-Ogooué Province, in northwestern Gabon. It lies east of Anonébéré on the Ogooue River. Nearby the N2 road coming from the west connects with the N3 road.-References:*...
and the Children.
Nae'blis Moridin charges fellow Forsaken Graendal
Graendal
Graendal is one of the primary antagonists of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. She is one of the Forsaken.-Age of Legends:...
with killing Perrin, revealing a Shadow prophecy that Perrin will die. He gives her a ter'angreal called a "dreamspike," one of two he possesses, that hinders both Traveling and movement in Tel'aran'rhiod
Tel'aran'rhiod
Tel'aran'rhiod or the World of Dreams is a fictional reality where the reality is mutable, mentioned in the fictional world of Robert Jordan's fantasy series The Wheel of Time. The word itself is from the in-universe language known as the Old Tongue, and literally means 'the unseen world'...
, as well as the service of his minion Isam. Graendal orders Isam to plant the device so that Perrin's Asha'man
Asha'man
The Asha'man are an organization of men who can channel the male part of the One Power, Saidin, in the fictional world of Robert Jordan's fantasy series The Wheel of Time.-Description:...
Jur Grady cannot form gateways, enabling her to destroy his forces with an army of Trollocs. Perrin, who has been improving his Wolf Dream talents with the spirit wolf Hopper, finds the dreamspike and attempts to remove it, but is limited by being able to move instantaneously only within the device's radius of effect, which shifts with his movements. He eventually makes his way to Tar Valon
Tar Valon
Tar Valon is a fictional city in Robert Jordan's fantasy series the Wheel of Time.-The City:Tar Valon is an island city in the River Erinin, within sight of the Dragonmount. It is the home of the White Tower, which is the center of Aes Sedai power...
, with Isam chasing him.
Egwene al'Vere
Egwene al'Vere
Egwene al'Vere is one of the main characters of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.-Description:She is described as beautiful, with large brown eyes and long dark hair. Like all adult women in her home village of Emond's Field, she initially wore her hair in a long braid, but as soon...
plots to find the Forsaken
Forsaken (Wheel of Time)
In the fictional world of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time fantasy series, the Forsaken are the most powerful and favored servants of the Dark One. They were formerly Aes Sedai, but became corrupted by the desire for power and immortality...
Mesaana
Mesaana
Mesaana is one of the primary antagonists of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. She is one of the Forsaken.-Origin:...
, whom she believes to be hidden in the White Tower, while also dealing with a series of murders of Aes Sedai
Aes Sedai
The Aes Sedai are a special society in the fictional universe of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time book series. Aes Sedai means "Servant to All" in the Old Tongue. They are the wielders of the One Power...
. Egwene refuses to bond Gawyn Trakand
Gawyn Trakand
Gawyn Trakand is a fictional character in the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.Lord Gawyn of House Trakand is the son of Taringail and Queen Morgase, as well as the brother of Elayne and half-brother to Galad Damodred...
as a Warder
Warder (Wheel of Time)
A Warder in the world of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series is a person bonded by an Aes Sedai through the use of saidar to become her bodyguard as she travels....
due to his disobedience; when he confronts an intruder outside Egwene's chambers, it disrupts the wards she had set against Mesaana. Egwene believes that Mesaana is behind the murders and the intruder. Gawyn departs, feeling unappreciated; while visiting Elayne in Caemlyn, he uncovers evidence that the murders are the work of Bloodknives, Seanchan
Seanchan
In the fictional world of Robert Jordan's fantasy series The Wheel of Time, Seanchan is the name of a continent, the empire that occupies it, and the people that live in the empire...
assassins. Egwene sets up a dream meeting between Aes Sedai
Aes Sedai
The Aes Sedai are a special society in the fictional universe of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time book series. Aes Sedai means "Servant to All" in the Old Tongue. They are the wielders of the One Power...
, Aiel
Aiel
In Robert Jordan's fantasy series The Wheel of Time, the Aiel are a race of people. They live between the "wetlanders" in the west and the Sharans in the east, in a desert which the Aiel call The Three-fold Land and which everyone else calls the Aiel Waste. They have earned a reputation as skilled...
Wise Ones, and Sea Folk Windfinders, to discuss cooperation among the channeling women of the three cultures, but with the hidden agenda of drawing Mesaana into a trap. When Mesaana and the Black Ajah
Black Ajah
An Ajah is a sub-organization within the Aes Sedai of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series. The Black Ajah is a secret society of Aes Sedai who have forsaken the Three Oaths. This Ajah supports the Dark One, and its members are also active members of the other seven Ajahs to keep their...
attack, the dreamspike moved by Perrin keeps Mesaana from escaping. Perrin and Egwene are surprised to see each other and by each others' skill within the dream. Mesaana attempts to hold Egwene with an a'dam, but Egwene's mastery of Tel'aran'rhiod enables her to reject the power of the a'dam and to break Mesaana's mind. Gawyn returns to Tar Valon just in time to stop three Bloodknives from killing Egwene in her sleep. Egwene awakens and bonds with Gawyn, who has been hurt badly, and heals him. They agree to marry.
On the Tower grounds, Hopper and Perrin fight Isam, and Isam kills Hopper, forever ending any chance of a rebirth for the wolf. Perrin destroys the dreamspike by dropping it into a nightmare that has taken the form of a volcano. Perrin escapes from Isam by returning to the real world. Perrin feels compelled to forge a war hammer, and Neald discovers a Talent for creating a Power-forged weapon, resulting in a hammer that Perrin names Mah'alleinir, "he who soars" in the Old Tongue. Meanwhile, Galad's Children are unaware that they are about to be ambushed by the Trolloc army intended for Perrin. Perrin's army attacks first, destroying the Trollocs and saving the Children. Galad sets a light sentence for Perrin's crimes: he must make financial restitution to the families of the two slain men and he must fight in the Last Battle. Jaret Byar attempts to kill Perrin, but Byar is instead killed by Dain Bornhald, who no longer believed that Perrin killed his father Geofram due to the inability of Byar to give evidence in favor of the charge at the trial. Galad accepts Perrin's proposal to join Perrin's force and swears to remain under Perrin's command until the last battle is over.
The Dark One
Dark One
The Dark One is a fictional character in the The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It is the main antagonist; bound to its prison at the moment of Creation and partially freed during the Age of Legends , it is the primary source of evil in the series.-Character:In The Wheel of Time books,...
's hand, Shaidar Haran
Shaidar Haran
Shaidar Haran is a fictional character in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.In the Old Tongue Shaidar Haran means "Hand of the Dark". He looks like a Myrddraal but is much taller and seems to have a sense of humor. Whereas most Myrddraal wear all black robes, Shaidar Haran has been known...
blames Forsaken Graendal for the deaths of three Forsaken (Mesaana, Aran'gar, and Asmodean
Asmodean
Asmodean is a major antagonist in the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.-Age of Legends:...
), and begins to punish her.
Mat Cauthon and Elayne Trakand
Mat CauthonMat Cauthon
Matrim "Mat" Cauthon is a fictional character in Robert Jordan's fantasy series The Wheel of Time. He is one of the primary protagonists and has moved over the course of the series from his beginnings as a mischievous farm lad into the role of a powerful, shrewd and successful general and...
meets Andoran Queen Elayne Trakand
Elayne Trakand
Elayne Trakand is one of the main characters of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. She bears a resemblance both in name and appearance to Ilyena, the doomed wife of Lews Therin Telamon from the Age of Legends.-Description:...
in Caemlyn to discuss building "dragons" (artillery) to former Illuminator Aludra's specifications. They bargain over who gets to keep how many dragons, and Mat agrees to let Elayne borrow the foxhead ter'angreal he wears to block the One Power
One Power
In The Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan, the One Power is the force that maintains the continuous motion of the Wheel of Time. It comes from the True Source, and it is separated into two halves: saidin , the male half, and saidar , the female half. It is used in the series by people...
, so that she can make copies.
Elayne uses an angreal to weave a disguise, in an attempt to impersonate one of the Forsaken. She questions the Black Ajah
Black Ajah
An Ajah is a sub-organization within the Aes Sedai of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series. The Black Ajah is a secret society of Aes Sedai who have forsaken the Three Oaths. This Ajah supports the Dark One, and its members are also active members of the other seven Ajahs to keep their...
Chesmal, but she is exposed after the arrival of Chesmal's Black sisters Eldrith and Temaile, as well as the secretary of House Caeren head Sylvase. She uses Mat's ter'angreal and a copy of it she made to defeat them, but after a surprise appearance by her Darkfriend
Darkfriend
In the fictional world of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time fantasy series, Darkfriends are followers of the Dark One. Darkfriend in the Old Tongue is Atha'an Shadar, which translated more directly to "People of the Dark"....
former guard Doilen Mellar, she loses both medallions to him. In desperation, she uses the One Power to collapse the roof on him. She regains the original ter'angreal, but Mellar escapes with a copy.
Mat and Talmanes lure the gholam into a trap; after battling the creature into a burning building, Mat wounds it with Elayne's copies of his own medallion, and forces it into a gateway opened to endless dark, doomed to fall forever.
When Perrin and his group arrives, Morgase convinces Elayne to let Perrin administer the Two Rivers under Andoran rule. Elayne uses the dragons, and a promise of estates in Andor for Cairhienin nobles, to convince the Cairhienen to make her queen of Cairhien
Cairhien
Cairhien is a country set in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series of fantasy fiction novels. Cairhien is located in the east central part of The Westlands, on the east it borders with the Spine of the World. The sign of Cairhien is a golden sun rising on a field of deep blue...
, uniting the kingdoms of Andor and Cairhien.
Mat, Thom Merrilin
Thom Merrilin
Thomdril "Thom" Merrilin is one of the main characters of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.Not much of his early life is known, although he was Bard to the young Lady Morgase of House Trakand. He helped her ascend to the throne of Andor and became her Court Bard, and was renowned...
, and Noal enter the Tower of Ghenjei
Tower of Ghenjei
The Tower of Ghenjei is a location in The Wheel of Time book series by Robert Jordan.The Tower of Ghenjei is a shining column of metal some 200 feet tall, and as big around as a house. Despite this, it has no apparent seams or an entrance. Through the Tower of Ghenjei it is possible to reach both...
to rescue Moiraine Damodred
Moiraine Damodred
Moiraine Damodred is one of the main characters of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. She is an Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah and is the niece of King Laman Damodred of Cairhien.-Description:...
, who has been missing since she fell through a ter'angreal portal in The Fires of Heaven
The Fires of Heaven
The Fires of Heaven is the fifth book in American author Robert Jordan's fantasy series The Wheel of Time. It was published by Tor Books and released on October 15, 1993....
. Guided by his luck through an extra-dimensional labyrinth, the three ward off the cunning Eelfinn with fire, music and the threat of iron weapons. Upon finding her, Mat strikes a bargain with the Eelfinn for safe passage outside, offering them 'half the light of the world'-his left eye plucked mercilessly from its socket. Though they begin to leave, the snake-like Aelfinn chase after them, Mat having left them out of the prior bargain. Noal, revealing himself as the folk hero Jain Farstrider, offers to stay behind and buy the others time to escape. Driven to a dead end, hope seems dead, until Mat realizes his ashandarei polearm is their key to safe passage from the Tower, rending the walls and earning their freedom. Safe outside, Moiraine awakes to reveal herself severely weakened in the One Power due to her capture (though in possession of a supremely powerful angreal), and in love with Thom, who gladly reciprocates. As they share news of the world with her, they prepare to find Rand before the Battle is begun.
Rand al’Thor
Fresh from his soul-saving epiphany on the slopes of Dragonmount, Rand al'ThorRand al'Thor
Rand al'Thor, also known as the Dragon Reborn, is the fictional main character and protagonist of The Wheel of Time, a series of fantasy novels by Robert Jordan.Rand al'Thor has many other titles within the series:...
proceeds to the world to fight the Dark One
Dark One
The Dark One is a fictional character in the The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It is the main antagonist; bound to its prison at the moment of Creation and partially freed during the Age of Legends , it is the primary source of evil in the series.-Character:In The Wheel of Time books,...
's touch, his positive demeanor righting the wrongs the Shadow had been allowed to perpetrate. Much to the surprise of all involved, he then embarks to the White Tower to deliver a stunning announcement to Egwene al'Vere
Egwene al'Vere
Egwene al'Vere is one of the main characters of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.-Description:She is described as beautiful, with large brown eyes and long dark hair. Like all adult women in her home village of Emond's Field, she initially wore her hair in a long braid, but as soon...
, the Amyrlin Seat: he intends to shatter the remaining seals on the Dark One's prison in order to erect a more permanent replacement. Unable to convince him of the dangers, she concedes to meet him in one month's time at the Fields of Merrilor at his request. Desperate to delay what she could only believe was the doom of the world, Egwene hastens a plan to unite the nations of the world in hopes of stopping the Dragon's seeming madness.
Meanwhile, finally allowed to undertake the final test to becoming a Wise One, Aviendha
Aviendha
Aviendha of the Nine Valleys sept of the Taardad Aiel is one of the main characters of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.-Description:...
journeys through the Aiel Waste
Aiel Waste
In the fictional world of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, the Aiel Waste is an almost waterless desert that had no inhabited cities until Rand al'Thor opened Rhuidean to all. The Aiel also call the Waste the Three-Fold Land....
, making her way to the ancient city of Rhuidean. During her trek, a wandering Aiel named Nakomi visits her and asks to share her fire; after beginning an innocuous conversation, the mysterious woman muses to Aviendha about the fate of the Aiel, once their toh to the Dragon has been met. The question perplexes Aviendha, and worries her, as it seems the Aiel might lose purpose and meaning once the Last Battle was fought. After arriving in Rhuidean and passing the final trial of the crystal columns (a comprehensive history of the 'shame' of the Aiel, as seen through her ancestor's eyes), she attempts to learn more of the ter'angreal through which she had just passed by touching them. This inadvertently reveals to Aviendha what may be the future of the Aiel, where her own descendants begin a chain of events that would allow the Seanchan to overtake the wetlands, drive the Aiel into hiding, and systematically reduce them to pathetic scavengers, all knowledge of ji'e'toh abandoned, and finally driven to extinction. Faced with this crushing possibility, Aviendha leaves Rhuidean to find Rand, desperate at any chance to right this grim future.
After dispelling a pair of powerful Darkfriends within his own ranks of Tairens, he Travels with Min Farshaw
Min Farshaw
Elmindreda "Min" Farshaw is one of the main characters of The Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.- Description :She is slender, a little taller than Moiraine , and has short dark hair that becomes curly when grown long. She has large, dark eyes...
to the ruined port of Bandar Eban, which he had abandoned to starvation and decay. His demeanor and influence brightened, he quickly proceeds to set the city right on its feet, feeding the hungry and raising the downtrodden. He then heads north to the beleaguered fortress of Maradon, the main city of Saldaea, seized by countless Shadowspawn descended from the Blight. Though bravely fought by forces commanded by famed general Rodel Ituralde, the forces of Light are hopelessly overwhelmed, the city on the brink of destruction. Enraged by the plight of the men he had nearly consigned to death, Rand places himself at the forefront of the Shadow's assault, and repels the horde of tens of thousands single-handedly with an unimaginable amount of the One Power. Unfortunately he is unable to help the nations of Kandor and Arafel which also are overwhelmed by Shadowspawn.
He now prepares to parley with the forces of the nations gathered at the Fields of Merrilor, poised precipitously close to the Blight border, and the advent of Tarmon Gai'don
Tarmon Gai'don
Tarmon Gai'don, or the Last Battle, is an event set in the world of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time fantasy series. The event is both feared and anticipated in the lands of the Wheel...
. At the end of the book, while sleeping at the Fields of Merrilor, the night before the parley, Rand hears a scream in a dream of a woman he does not recognize. Her face is different but he knows she is Mierin Eronaile, also known as Lanfear
Lanfear
Lanfear is one of the primary antagonists of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. She is one of the Forsaken.-Age of Legends:...
. She begs him to help her escape from the torture but the wall falls away and she tumbles into darkness.
The Black Tower
Mazrim TaimMazrim Taim
Mazrim Taim is a character in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time fantasy series.-Description:Taim is described as having black hair, above average in height with a dark face, tilted eyes, hooked nose and high cheekbones...
is ruling the black tower with an iron fist. Logain has been absent from the Black Tower for some time. Several of the Aes Sedai who have traveled to the tower originally sent by the leader of the Red Ajah
Red Ajah
An Ajah is a sub-organization within the Aes Sedai of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series. The Red Ajah is strongly dedicated to preventing another Breaking of the World.-Organization:Its leader is known as the Highest...
have been given permission to bond some of the Soldiers and Dedicated, however, none have been bonded. The entirety of the Tower is guarded, entry and exit are strictly monitored, and the behavior of many Aes Sedai and Asha'man have changed significantly and disturbingly; some of Taim's most ardent detractors seem only to sing his praises, and behave as if in hollow imitation of themselves. Gateways fail upon construction, confining those within Tower grounds to the watch of Taim and his faithful. A small group of Soldiers and Dedicated, denied the Dragon even though their skills may warrant it, take notice of the darkness that seems to grip the Tower and its inhabitants, and desperately try to glean Taim's intentions while managing their own escape to Logain and the Dragon Reborn.