wotmud.org

I was wondering if anyone else thought that Sheriam had been turned to the Black Ajah against her will. I kind of think she was.

When Egwene goes through the Arches, Rand tells her he can be turned against his will. She mentions it to Sheriam who missed a step but explains it as a weakness to being able to channel. She's the first who ever mentioned it.

It's not really evidence and of course we don't know how someone would act after being turned to the Shadow. Would they act evil as well as committing evil acts? Would it be like compulsion? I don't know but she seems pretty regretful at other points later as Egwene's Keeper.

in the new book there was a passage that was basically like... 'I shouldn't have been so curious... stuff happened and I was forced to swear to the DO or they would have killed me, I like my life so I swore'

Yeh Verin just kind of started looking into it and doing little bad things to investigate and then realised that she was in over her head and had to go the whole way or die.

There is mention that 13 sisters and 13 fades can turn someone to the dark previously though, although never been realised in the books.

Sheriam made it sound like she went along willingly. She wanted to advance. She did.

I agree with Skittles. I think it she turned willingly.

As to turning a channeler to the dark, I read somewhere that when a channeler is turned, they become like a mirror image of themselves and there is no altruistic thought, unless it benefited the darkfriend some how.

Huh, well that is obviously proof she did it willingly. My poor, foolish, sad Blue sister.

Just kidding. But I guess I missed that passage.

Nah Sheriam was always weak.

When she gets beaten in her tent after Egwene declares war on Elaida and she "wishes she never had anything to do with the hall etc"
I always thought this either had to do with Delana/Halima or Romanda/Lelaine.
I admit I thought it was the latter. One darkfriend beating another Darkfriend. Makes sense.

Just a lackey.

I think Sheriam was willing. But as many Darkfriends find out they are just a pawn to be used and discarded. Or in her case to have her fingers broken. She's not the first DF to go bad thinking it's going to bring her power and then find out she's in waaay over her head. Pretty funny how she got outed by Egwene though. =P

was it just me or was anyone else confused in the scene when elayne tried to subdue the black ajah in caemlyn? it seemed like 2 of the 3 aes sedai she went with to capture them were black ajah as well? and yet they still tied those two up and killed one later (one got backstabbed by the non-black she was linked with)? didn't understand that part.

there were 3 black ajah in caemy.

2 were in the room, 1 was somewhere else.

elayne goes in with her 2 AS, 1 is the sister of the AS that had her throat slit (vandene maybe?) and another.

elayne and her group shield the 2 black ajah, then the black sister that wasnt in the room comes in and uses some terangreal that causes pain on elayne and co. and they capture elayne and her 2,

one of the black ajah (that are now freed) knows that one of the sisters with elayne is black and says so.

since vandene knows that means she killed her sister, she stabs her in the heart and kills her, and vandene is then killed by (temaille?) the yellow that is good with killing with the power, and stops her heart

so now there are the original 3 black ajah, and elayne left.

Yeah, I actually really liked that scene. My first thought was, "Whoo! Go Vandene! That's how to go out!" Then the Warders were like, "Phs. She can't top us," and do the whole manly nod that says, "We've lived a good life. It's time to go die, brother," without saying anything and charge into the Black Ajah-filled room with naught but swords. It was very dramatic.

Afterwards my thoughts were just, "Elayne, you are a freaking idiot. You knew there were at least two Black Ajah there, but you admitted there could have been more... and you have a palace full of channelers (not Aes Sedai, but you could link a full circle with them still and be super strong) at your disposal."

Elayne was kinda cool in the mid-early books (3-5), but her cool moments in later books are thinly dispersed between expanses that make me want to pull my hair out if frustration (and occasionally boredom).

Regarding Elayne -- she *is* pregnant. And any of you who have been around pregnant women know that their heads don't always work right (I'm married with a kid, so I know what I'm talking about, and I'd say this to my wife any day, and she'd agree, so no one should get her/his panties in a wad about this!).

So, maybe Elayne was having one of those moments before going in to fight.

But, on the whole, most (all?) of the main characters just do stupid things... kind of like the rest of us.

Anyone else think Egwene's response was exceptionally poor? Admittedly it would have been impossible to figure a way to do it so no one got away but I couldn't help thinking she should have waited until the Tower was reunited then had the Black Ajah hunting team with the oath rod subtly take out one by one rather than playing her hand on a grand public scale and ensuring that those that fled were able to give warning. Disappointing.