The Wheel of Time Companion

by Robert Jordan

  Forerunners. See Hailene

  Forest of Shadows. Also called the Great Blackwood, it lay east of the Mountains of Mist and just south of Two Rivers, stretching south for a hundred miles or more toward Ghealdan, without a road or a village, but with plenty of wolves and bears.

  Foretelling. The rare ability to foretell the future with absolute certainty, although, paradoxically, Foretelling was rarely clear, and often was so difficult to understand that events outran it before it was understood. Then again, the certainty was not always as pure as might be expected: Elaida’s Foretelling about the “true Amyrlin” for example, she applied to herself because she believed that she was the true Amyrlin, when in fact it referred to Egwene. Foretelling was conceptually related to Dreaming, but a woman who could Foretell simply knew; a Dreamer had to interpret, and the Dream usually said things in images, allegories or puns.

  forkroot. An herb used to prepare a tea with the main purpose of preventing channeling by those with the ability to do so. It had a cool, minty aftertaste. Forkroot tea took only a few minutes, and perhaps two swallows, to bring the onset of symptoms, including lethargy, yawning, heavy-headedness, swollen tongue, wobbly knees and finally unconsciousness. Forkroot affected people who could channel more than people who could not channel. The basic tea that put Elayne and Nynaeve under would have made Ronde Macura extremely drowsy and fumble-witted, but it might not have induced unconsciousness in her. Residual headaches and stomach cramps were normal, especially after long dosing.

  After getting the basic information from Ronde Macura, the Seanchan worked out a very low-level dosage of a concentrate that cut the ability to channel to useless levels while not causing any side effects. In a slightly stronger dosage, it cut the ability and also made the channeler unsteady. It was used to make captures when there were no sul’dam and damane around, and in training new-caught damane, who believed that their ability had been taken from them in some way, with restoration of their ability as a reward. This dosage of forkroot was also developed, in somewhat the same form, by the sisters in the White Tower. When captured by the White Tower, Egwene could dreamwalk, but if given enough forkroot to make her sleep through the night, or repeated doses, she would not have been able to dreamwalk. Sufficient doses to make her sleep through the night would have left her doubled over with belly cramps the whole next day.

  Forney, Eazil. See Eazil Forney

  Forrell, Nalaene. See Nalaene Forrell

  Forsaken. The name given to thirteen of the most powerful Aes Sedai ever known, who went over to the Dark One during the War of the Shadow in return for the promise of immortality. According to both legend and fragmentary records, they were imprisoned along with the Dark One when his prison was resealed. They were given special powers and abilities. The Forsaken were not the only Aes Sedai to go over to the Shadow before and during the War of the Shadow; others, some as powerful, also made that choice. The Dark One always believed in the starkest social Darwinism, though. His Aes Sedai would winnow themselves. The thirteen called the Forsaken were the top ranking at the time of the Shayol Ghul strike—Ishamael always was—but others had risen and fallen. They all plotted against one another as hard as they did against Lews Therin and the forces of the Light; after all, they felt that it was obvious they would win, so equally important was seeing where you would stand when it was all done. Each wanted to be Nae’blis, second only to the Dark One himself. Relatively few of the higher-ranking died from enemy action; assassinations and executions were much more common. The Chosen—what the top thirteen called themselves—always had to look out, for each other and for those below. Other Chosen would undercut one or worse, of course, but those lower in rank would also look for an opportunity to pull one down; a vacancy at the top always meant a reshuffling and a chance to move up.

  Death was common, but not the only way to be brought down. Demotions were possible, but some considered that worse than death; demotion was a great sign of weakness, and once on that slippery slope, one could be forced all the way to the bottom. Also, the Dark One could seem capricious to human minds; what mortal brain could comprehend the Great Lord of the Dark completely, or truly know his goals or reasons? Failures could be ignored by the Dark One, although they were always exploited by others of the Chosen, or even those of lesser rank looking to move up, or they could be punished severely. Weakness was worse than failure, though; failure might be explained, but weakness never could be, and the Dark One wanted servitors without weakness. One could rise again by showing that one was strong, but it was an uphill climb at best and more often a climb up a sheer cliff; sometimes the cliff was glass. No one ever rose as high after a fall as their former prominence, and very few even came close to it. In fact, once one was down, it was like blood in the water attracting sharks; it might be all one could do not to be eaten by those one had looked down on from the safety of the boat, and forget about hopes of climbing back into the boat.

  In the Third Age, the thirteen awoke and troubled the world again. Their names were Aginor, Asmodean, Balthamel, Be’lal, Demandred, Graendal, Ishamael, Lanfear, Mesaana, Moghedien, Rahvin, Sammael and Semirhage.

  Fortress of the Light. The great fortress that served as the headquarters of the Whitecloaks, in Amador, Amadicia.

  Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag. The name that Tuon took upon becoming Empress. See Tuon

  Fote, Julanya. See Julanya Fote

  Four Holes. A sept of the Taardad Aiel.

  Four Kings. A scruffy merchant village, bigger than most, on the Caemlyn Road in Andor. Another heavily traveled highway came in from the south, used by Lugarders having business with mines in the west. Four Kings got its name from a battle during Maragaine’s reign, when four kings brought armies against her; the town was named for the battle that took place on the site. The surrounding country held few farms, barely enough to feed themselves and the town, and everything in the village centered on the merchants and their wagons, the men who drove them and the laborers who loaded the goods. Plots of bare earth, ground to dust, lay scattered through Four Kings, filled with wagons and abandoned except for a few bored guards. Stables and horse lots lined the streets, all of which were deeply rutted and wide enough to allow wagons to pass. There was no village green. Drab wooden houses, run down, stood close together, with only narrow alleys between. Heavy shutters on the houses had not been opened in so long that the hinges were solid lumps of rust. Rand and Mat stayed at The Dancing Cartman there on their way to Caemlyn. A Darkfriend, Howal Gode, tried to trap them in a storeroom, but lightning created an exit from the sealed room for their escape. Siuan, Leane and Min also went through the village after escaping from Kore Springs, hoping to contact a Blue eyes-and-ears, but she had disappeared.

  Four Stones. A sept of the Taardad Aiel.

  Fourth Circle of Elevation. A Seanchan institution in which the Imperial Record House of Seandar was found.

  Fourth War of Cairhienin Succession. See Reconciliation

  Fox and Goose, The. An inn in Maerone, Cairhien. It was a stone building, frequented by common soldiers. Mat and Edorion went there while making rounds of drinking halls to check on men of the Band; there they saw a gleeman juggling flaming batons.

  foxhead medallion. A ter’angreal given to Mat by the Eelfinn to help him be free of Aes Sedai, one of Mat’s wishes to them. It was a silver foxhead with only one eye showing, shaded in such a way that it looked like the ancient symbol of Aes Sedai. The medallion blocked both saidin and saidar from affecting him directly, but not from indirect effects. Power-wrought lightning zapped him and a clump of horse dung flung at him with the Power hit him. A side effect of the device was that it protected the wearer’s dreams. A channeler could still channel if wearing the medallion. Elayne made imperfect copies of the medallion; those did not allow one to channel while touching the medallion.

  foxtail. A tea that aided sleep without grogginess.

  Fransi, Careane. See Careane Fransi

  Frask Taglien. The husband of Li
nd, innkeeper of The Great Gathering at the Black Tower.

  freeday. A day of rest for novices in the White Tower.

  Freidhen, Alviarin. See Alviarin Freidhen

  Frende, Janya. See Janya Frende

  Frenn, Grayor. A Two Rivers man who watched the forging of Mah’alleinir.

  Fridwyn Ros. A former soldier who managed Lord Aedmun Matherin’s estate in Andor. He had heavy shoulders and only one leg. When Elayne visited, he gave her soldiers to take back to Caemlyn with her and wished that he could have gone himself.

  Frielle Anan. The middle daughter of Setalle Anan. She was eighteen years old. She volunteered to look after Olver, saying that she wanted six sons of her own. After a short time of tending Olver, Mat suspected she was beginning to hope for daughters. She married while Mat was in Ebou Dar.

  Friends of the Dark. An old name for Darkfriends.

  Furen Alharra. One of Seonid’s Warders. Furen was a Tairen, with a complexion nearly as dark as good soil, dark eyes and gray streaking his curly black hair. He was six feet tall, hard and lean. At the time of Dumai’s Wells, Furen was close to fifty years old. He and Seonid and Teryl, her other Warder, took part in the battle at Dumai’s Wells, and later joined Perrin’s party.

  Furlan, Gainor. See Gainor Furlan

  Furyk Karede. A Seanchan member of the Deathwatch Guards. He was about 6'1" tall, and moderately stocky, with a bluff face and gray at his temples. He had a pleasant, almost fatherly appearance. He was born circa 958 NE to a family of weavers owned by Jalid Magonine. Family lore told of an ancestor who had been a nobleman and accompanied Luthair Paendrag to Seanchan at Artur Hawkwing’s command; a subsequent ancestor ran afoul of authorities by trying to create his own kingdom and was sold on the block.

  At age fifteen, Karede was chosen for the Deathwatch Guard. After seven years, during which he was cited twice for heroism and mentioned in dispatches three times, he was named to the bodyguard of Tuon upon her birth. The same year, he survived the first attempt on her life. He was then trained to be an officer, and served during the Muyami Uprising and the Jianmin Incident. At his request, he returned to Tuon’s bodyguard shortly before her true-name day. The following year, Furyk was wounded while saving Tuon’s life again; she gave him her doll, which he kept for ten years until it was lost in the Great Fire of Sohima. Two of his sons followed him into the Deathwatch Guards, and the third was among the honored dead. Karede’s wife, Kalia, did not live to see any of that.

  He was proud of his raven tattoos.

  Karede served as a captain in the bodyguard of the Empress until named to accompany the High Lord Turak and the Hailene. He was promoted to Banner-General, with three thin black plumes, after he had some success against the Asha’man in battle. He was approached by Almurat Mor, a Seeker, about a plot to kill Tuon. He went in search of Tuon with Musenge, Deathwatch Guards, Gardeners, sul’dam and damane. After four weeks, he found Mat and his party with Tuon, and returned Tuon to Ebou Dar. Assassins reached Tuon’s presence twice, and Karede and other Deathwatch Guards were sent to the front lines of the Last Battle by Tuon as a death sentence. Karede helped Mat in combat, and did not die.

  Fyall. A town east of Samaha, Willar and the River Boern, probably in Altara. Moiraine, Lan, Perrin and Loial passed through the town while on Rand’s trail, and the unusual events that had occurred were evidence that Rand had been there: the crops had failed, but the mayor had found sacks of Manetheren gold coins while digging a privy, which saved the town from poverty.

  G

  Gabal. One of Perrin’s erroneous attempts at “Gaebril,” when speaking of Rahvin.

  Gabil. Another of Perrin’s erroneous attempts at “Gaebril.”

  Gabrelle Brawley. An Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah and the loyalist contingent, with a strength level of 19(7). Born in northern Murandy in 902 NE, she went to the White Tower in 917 NE. After spending seven years as a novice and six as Accepted, she was raised to the shawl in 930 NE. About 5'5" tall, with an average build, she was a pretty woman, though not beautiful except when she smiled. She had a dusky complexion, with large dark green eyes, an upturned nose and brown hair worn short, barely to her shoulders. A member of the expedition to take the Black Tower, she was captured and bonded by Logain. She seduced him and tried to make the best of her situation. Like Toveine she was under orders, enforced by the added bit in the bond, not to embrace the Source without Logain’s permission, not to attack anyone in a black coat, and not to try to escape. Gabrelle thought Toveine’s stubborn bitterness was defeatist. Gabrelle suggested to Toveine that they submit to Desandre and Lemai to unify the sisters. Toveine thought Logain was taking advantage of her, but Gabrelle told her that was not true. Gabrelle’s notion of making Logain her lover began purely to obtain information, but Gabrelle found making love with Logain exhilarating in two particular ways. The first was that while she had always known that she was stronger than the men she made love with, because of the Power, this didn’t apply with Logain, and that made her feel helpless, which she found strangely thrilling. The second was that sometimes his masking of the bond slipped, which meant that she got the effects of positive feedback through the bond. Gabrelle went with Logain to Cairhien and then to Tear to join Rand; she participated in the defense of Algarin’s manor. Gabrelle fought in the Last Battle, and gave Logain the name “Sealbreaker.”

  Gadarin, Shevan. See Shevan Gadarin

  Gadren Grady. Jur and Sora Grady’s ugly young son.

  Gaean, River. A muddy stream in Bellon, Amadicia, twenty miles from Amador.

  Gaebril, Lord. The persona taken by Rahvin when he awoke in the Third Age. See also Rahvin

  Gaelin. A Two Rivers family. See Edelle and Jon Gaelin

  Gaelin, River. A river flowing west from the Spine of the World below Kinslayer’s Dagger, into the River Alguenya.

  Gaffin. Someone known to Renald Fanwar.

  Gahand, Daria. The author of Essays on Reason, a book studied by Min.

  Gahaur. An area of Saldaea; Lady Zavion was from there.

  gai’shain. Aiel term meaning those sworn to peace in battle. They were required by ji’e’toh to serve for a year and a day in any capacity required, humbly, obediently, touching no weapon, doing no violence, making no effort to escape. Gai’shain were dressed in cowled white robes and sandals when outdoors; they often wore much less indoors. When the year and a day was up, they were sent home. There was no shame in being gai’shain, unless one escaped or tried to. An escapee was returned by his/her family to begin the year and a day all over again. Sometimes another family member or two, closely related, demanded to be made gai’shain as well, to lessen dishonor to clan and sept. There were cases of men and/or women touched by an enemy while armed demanding to be made gai’shain to lessen their own loss of honor and also lessen the enemy’s gain. Stone Dogs and Maidens of the Spear had a reputation for being especially touchy about points of ji’e’toh and carrying it to that extreme, but others also believed there was much honor to be gained from walking unarmed into an enemy hold and demanding to be made gai’shain, especially if there was a blood feud in effect. It was not usual to take gai’shain on a journey any distance from the hold. Gai’shain were never allowed to wear anything that those who could touch weapons did.

  Many Aiel were disgusted by the idea of servants, the idea of someone voluntarily spending their entire life serving others. This despite gai’shain. The only way to incur toh toward a gai’shain was reminding him or her of what/who they were before having been made to put on white, though there were some exceptions, including roofmistresses, with whom it was almost obligatory to remind her of her former status. Toh owed to a gai’shain was considered the hardest of all to meet. While harming or killing a gai’shain was considered akin to harming or killing a child, they were definitely not considered children in any way. They were expected to be worked, and hard, and they generally were.

  It was perfectly all right to be physically harsh to a gai’shain. Beatings and switchings were
not uncommon, and gai’shain submitted to them meekly, to the extent that a full-grown warrior would allow himself to be switched by a child. There were gai’shain who tried to induce such treatment; this gai’shain pride was disapproved of as a violation of proper meek and humble spirit. A gai’shain could be bedded by whomever he or she served, and would submit to that also. Some individuals would not bed a gai’shain, but this was personal, not a matter of custom in any way. Custom neither required nor rejected it. A gai’shain obeyed, and that was that. Gai’shain were not sold, like slaves, but they—or rather their service—could be given as a gift. Captured gai’shain normally served whoever captured them, but since the belief was that there was no point to having more gai’shain than you could use, the excess were given away. An additional check on anyone keeping too many gai’shain was that you were responsible for the shelter and feeding of those who served you, and while you could work them hard, by ji’e’toh they had to eat as well and sleep as comfortably as you did yourself.

  Except in certain specified instances—such as trades—gai’shain had to be allowed to follow any trade they had, and in some instances had to be allowed to work some days for themselves alone. They could not be compelled to follow their trade, though. In no instance was anyone allowed to keep all of the profits of a gai’shain’s labors; in fact, in some cases, what one was allowed to keep amounted to no more than the gai’shain’s upkeep and in some instances less.

  That one had been gai’shain was not mentioned after the white was put off, nor was one reminded of anything that might have happened to one while one was gai’shain. To do so was to shame the one who had been gai’shain, and while it incurred only very minor toh, it was considered rude. In effect, the person was treated as if he or she had never been gai’shain; that year and a day never happened, and neither did anything that occurred during it.