The Wheel of Time Companion

by Robert Jordan

  “There’s no point letting honey age too long before you eat it.”

  “Three things annoy to distraction: a tooth that aches, a shoe that pinches and a man that chatters.”

  “To know two, you must first know one.”

  “Waiting turns men into bears in a barn, and women into cats in a sack.”

  “What can’t be changed must be endured.”

  “What you need is not always what you want.”

  “When a woman plays the fool, look for the man.”

  “When the honey’s out of the comb, there’s no putting it back.”

  “When you ask questions, then you have to hear the answers whether you want to or not.”

  “‘Wish’ and ‘want’ trip the feet, but ‘is’ makes the path smoother.”

  “You can do whatever you wish, child. So long you are willing to pay the price.”

  “You can never put the honey back in the comb.”

  “You can’t know another woman’s reasons until you’ve worn her dress for a year.”

  “You cannot hold the sun down at dawn.”

  “You could weave silk from pig bristles before you could make a man anything but a man.”

  “You count your plums in the basket, not on the tree.”

  “You should not be displaying wares you do not mean to sell.”

  linking. The ability of channelers to combine their flows of the One Power. While the combined flow was not as great as the sum total of the individual flows, it was directed by the person who led the link and could be used much more precisely and to far greater effect than the individual flows could be. Men could not link their abilities without the presence of a woman or women in the circle. Up to thirteen women could link without the presence of a man. With the addition of one man, the circle could increase to twenty-six women. Two men could take the circle up to thirty-four women, and so on until the limit of six men and sixty-six women was reached. There were links that included more men and fewer women, but except in the linking of one man and one woman, one woman and two men, or of course, two men and two women, there always had to be at least one more woman in the circle than there were men. In most circles, either a man or a woman could control the link, but a man had to control in the circle of seventy-two as well as in mixed circles of fewer than thirteen.

  Although men were in general stronger in the Power than women, the strongest circles were those which contained as near as possible to equal numbers of men and women. Entering a link was normally a voluntary act, requiring at least acquiescence, but under certain circumstances, a sufficient circle already formed could bring another woman forcibly into the circle as long as no man was part of it. Insofar as was known, a man could not be forced into a circle, no matter how large.

  Lion. The name of the horse belonging to Lord Orban, the Hunter of the Horn who captured Gaul.

  Lion Banner. The symbol of Andor, a white lion rampant on a field of red.

  Lion Throne. The royal throne of Andor. Carved and gilded, with huge lion’s paws at the ends of its legs, it displayed the Lion of Andor picked out in moonstones on a field of rubies above where the Queen’s head would be while seated.

  Lioness. The horse Elayne rode in Ebou Dar; she was killed when Elayne’s unraveling gateway exploded.

  lionfish. A predatory fish found in the Sea of Storms.

  lionheart. An herb used for pain in Seanchan. Tuon had some administered to a damane who had been caned.

  Lions, the White. See White Lions, the

  Lir Baryn. An Andoran man who was High Seat of House Baryn. His sigil was a silver-winged hammer on a field of green. Blade-slender and blade-strong, he opposed Morgase during the Succession and became one of Gaebril’s sycophants. He was too smoothly unctuous and too smooth altogether. He was used by Rand and fled when Rand reached an accommodation with Dyelin. He supported Arymilla for the throne of Andor, but was captured and threw his support behind Elayne, offering to publish his support.

  Lira. A serving girl at the Blue Rose in Canluum, Kandor who had eyes for Lan. She had full lips and dark eyes and checked Lan’s wounds after he fought and killed six assassins.

  Lirene Doirellin. A Cairhienin Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah and the loyalist contingent, with a strength level of 24(12). Born in 820 NE, she went to the White Tower in 835 NE. After spending eight years as a novice and six years as Accepted, she was raised to the shawl in 849 NE. She was 5'2" tall and was once plump, with a strong face; she had lost considerable weight and her pale skin looked weathered. Lirene was raised Sitter for the Red in 953 NE, but was forced to resign in 985 NE after the discovery of the male channeler pogrom and her part in it. Although the true circumstances were kept secret for the good of the White Tower, she suffered a severe penance in the Tower, was birched, though in private, and was exiled, a supposedly voluntary retreat that lasted until she was recalled after Elaida took the stole. Elaida considered her broken by her experiences, and in many ways, Lirene was broken. She was indeed of a nervous disposition after her return, and exceedingly afraid to be caught in anything wrong. She very much feared a return to her exile, and feared almost as much that something she did might result in another dose of the birch. Even when she remembered to try hiding her fears—she had lived with them so long that she was hardly conscious of the need to hide them—it was apparent that she was hiding something. She wore only a few red slashes or other details about her dress, despite having once been a Sitter. Like the other two Sitters who were unchaired—Toveine and Tsutama—she had two major passions: a hatred of men who could channel, and a desire for revenge on those who caused her downfall and suffering, as well as those who had abandoned her. The second passion was sometimes greater than the first, sometimes less. Lirene had an additional passion: hatred of those who rose because of her fall. Those included the Red Sitters who replaced her, the other two who were unchaired, Galina, who became Highest of the Red in 981 NE, and Elaida, as she was not implicated in the male channeler pogrom and also rose to the Amyrlin Seat. While teaching Egwene after Egwene’s capture by Elaida, Lirene said that she believed that Elaida had made some serious mistakes.

  Lisaine Jarath. A senior der’sul’dam from Seandar, under Miraj’s command. She was gray-haired with a pale plump face and blue eyes. She was a friend of Miraj, and they often shared cups of kaf and games of stones. Usually very animated, when approaching the final battle against Rand, she was icily calm, which alarmed Miraj.

  Lisandre. A sulky novice from Moiraine’s earlier days in the Tower, very tall with long golden hair. Moiraine thought that she would be allowed to test for Accepted if her sulkiness could be cured.

  Listeners. Spies for the Empress of Seanchan. Listeners were always hidden, and they had no authority whatsoever. Their duty was to report everything they saw, heard, or learned. Anyone could act as a Listener, even a servant whose family had served a noble House for generations. Some Listeners were what might be thought of as professional spies, while others were brought into the fold through rewards, threats or blackmail. Once a person became a Listener, he was a Listener for the rest of his life, and the penalty for revealing that one was a Listener was death. The identity of Listeners was known only to the core bureaucracy who controlled them for the Empress and in some cases to a control or case officer. This bureaucracy existed to record the information received from the Listeners and decide what was to be passed to the Empress and what to the Seekers. All of it had to go one place or the other if not always to both. Members of the bureaucracy could be found everywhere, including with the Forerunners and the Return. The bureaucracy controlling the Listeners was itself secret, the members known only to one another, though the highest echelons were known to the Empress. They all were hidden among the other bureaucrats and functionaries.

  When called to give evidence, Listeners did so with their faces hidden and identity disguised, speaking through a tube which disguised their voices as well, keeping secret even then.

  Little Tower. In S
alidar, an abandoned stone inn adopted by the rebel Hall of the Tower.

  Llyw. Kairen Stang’s Warder. He was as wide as a horse; Malind thought that he could almost pass for an Ogier. After Kairen was killed, he was primed for murder, but was dosed with something to make him sleep. When Lelaine first suggested that Myrelle bond him, she paled; Faiselle twisted her arm and convinced her that it was her duty. Myrelle did bond him then, and, at least early on, he made her look harassed.

  Lodanaille. A vintage of wine served in a Tairen punch, mixed with honeymelon and offered by Sunamon to Rand.

  lofting tubes. Devices used by Illuminators to shoot fireworks skyward.

  Logain Ablar. A Ghealdanin minor nobleman with a small estate in the mountains until he became a false Dragon, for which King Johanin and the Crown High Council stripped him of title and estate; he kept the sigil, three golden crowns in a field of blue. His strength level was ++2, which was one step below Rand and five steps above the strongest women. He was born in 971 NE, began channeling around 992–993 NE, declared himself the Dragon Reborn in 995 NE, and slowed around 998 NE, just prior to being captured. Logain was a large man, about 6'2" tall, with a dark complexion and brown eyes; his hair was dark and curled to his broad shoulders. One of his special Talents was being able to see ta’veren. Logain as false Dragon was captured in a big battle near Lugard, trying to move his army from Ghealdan to Tear. Aes Sedai died defeating him. He was taken to Tar Valon and gentled, but escaped with Siuan, Leane and Min; he traveled as Dalyn, though he wanted to use the name Guaire.

  After reaching Salidar, he cooperated with Siuan and Leane’s plot, claiming falsely that the Red Ajah, naming sisters, found him and instead of sending him to Tar Valon to be gentled, talked him into proclaiming himself the Dragon Reborn. He also said that they supplied him with information about the forces he faced and about where other Aes Sedai were. He couldn’t be sure Siuan and Leane wouldn’t kill him if he didn’t cooperate, and the plot was a chance for revenge that gave him at least a small new lease on life, though he had been sinking into despair; and while he wanted revenge on all Aes Sedai, he realized he was unlikely to get it. Siuan’s plot offered at least a chance to damage the Red Ajah, and by association to damage them all to some degree. While he wanted revenge on Aes Sedai, his innate pragmatism meant that he could abandon that desire if he had to, though not entirely without difficulty.

  Logain was accidentally Healed by Nynaeve; the rebel Aes Sedai held him prisoner while they decided whether or not they could afford to gentle him again, given Rand and his amnesty. Since Leane and Siuan were not as strong as they once were after being Healed, the rebel Aes Sedai assumed that Logain wasn’t either; none of them knew that this Healing needed the opposite sex for completeness. In fact, because he had been Healed by a woman, he was just as strong as ever. He regained some of his old swashbuckling manner after he was Healed, but there was a darker strand in him, a touch of bleakness. He showed just a sign or two of the madness that would have come. To Min’s eyes, sometimes he wore a halo of gold and blue that spoke of glory to come.

  He escaped from Salidar with the assistance of Siuan and Leane, on orders from Egwene, and headed straight for the Black Tower. There was no chance for him alone, not as the world stood, but he thought there might be a possibility in company with other men who could channel. Logain was the only man inside the Black Tower to wear the Sword and Dragon who did not receive private instruction from Taim, which others put down to the animosity between them. He and Taim did not like one another, which most attributed to the fact that each had once declared himself the Dragon Reborn. From Logain’s point of view, they felt, not only did he have to place himself below Rand, but below Taim as well, something he plainly found difficult since he had been, in fact, more successful as a false Dragon than Taim, more famous, or perhaps one should say more notorious.

  Logain had a following among those not favored by Taim, including the men brought from the Two Rivers, though many of those were wary of him as a former false Dragon. He had considerable charisma, as well as leadership and organizational ability and a fair degree of military skill. He had no lesser desire for glory or power than he had before. He never really believed that he was the Dragon Reborn, unlike some who claimed it. He felt, like Taim, that if he had managed to fulfill enough of the Prophecies, he could have pulled it off. There certainly hadn’t been anyone else around claiming to be the Dragon Reborn that he knew of. He was not a man who liked being second to anyone, but he knew that taking advantage of Rand’s amnesty was his one real chance for power and glory, not to mention safety from the Aes Sedai. Despite his ambitions, he was not a bad man, not vainglorious, nor would he have made bad decisions merely for self-aggrandizement. In fact, Logain would have been a very good leader, administrator and ruler, though a hard one in some ways, and very pragmatic rather than idealistic.

  Logain took part in the ambushes of the White Tower’s expedition against the Black Tower. On the first day, he bonded Gabrelle Brawley, a Brown. On the second day, despite orders that no man was to bond more than one of the Aes Sedai, he was forced to bond Toveine Gazal, though if he hadn’t been distracted by his horse nearly bucking him off because of her kicking, he could have bound her legs with the Power and not needed to bond her. He did wonder why none of Taim’s particular cronies were given positions where they could bond sisters; not that it was a special privilege, but he thought Taim would want the men who held those bonds to be especially loyal to him.

  Logain found and burned Toveine’s traveling desk with all of its contents, including the order from Elaida to hang every man found at the Black Tower. He did that for exactly the reasons Toveine and Gabrelle surmised, and also hoped the act would make Toveine and the others cut him some slack, since he knew what they were about.

  Logain left the Black Tower, went to Cairhien and then to Tear to find Rand and fought against the Trollocs at Algarin’s manor. Rand sent Logain to the Sea Folk to demand that they ship supplies to Arad Doman. Logain accompanied Rand to his meeting with the Daughter of the Nine Moons. When he returned to the Black Tower, he was imprisoned and attempts were made to Turn him to the Shadow, but he escaped with help from Androl and other Asha’man loyal to him. He engaged Demandred in combat, was injured and had to flee. He tried to find Demandred’s sa’angreal, but was interrupted by a plea for help, and instead he went to the ruins on the Field of Merrilor to save Caemlyn refugees who were being killed by the Shadow. Logain broke the seals on the Dark One’s prison at the right time in the Last Battle, in accord with Rand’s plan, and Gabrelle dubbed him “Sealbreaker.”

  Loial son of Arent son of Halan. A young Ogier who wanted to see the world. He was born in 908 NE and left the stedding in 995 NE. He had eyes the size of teacups, a nose so wide it seemed almost a snout, a mouth that seemed to cut his huge head in two, a shaggy head and tufted ears that stuck up through his hair. His ears were very mobile and expressive of his emotional state, besides being an Ogier secondary sexual characteristic. His long eyebrows hung down like mustaches almost to his cheekbones. His fingers were like sausages, as big as a man’s thumbs, or as big as two of a man’s fingers. A narrow strip of hair like fur went up the middle of his chest. Loial was close to ten feet tall. His voice was as deep as a drum and rumbled and boomed.

  Loial was a very talented Treesinger, one of the last in existence, and he said that he could feel a stedding once he was within ten miles of it. He didn’t like heat and damp; Stedding Shangtai, his home, was in the cool mountains. Loial liked to play stones and played very well. In the three years he was out of the stedding before meeting Rand and Mat in Caemlyn, Loial visited Tear, Illian and Cairhien, among other places. He journeyed through the Ways to Shienar with Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, Nynaeve, Moiraine and Lan, then accompanied them into the Blight, to the Eye of the World. He left Fal Dara in pursuit of the Horn of Valere, traveled via Portal Stone through a strange world, facing grolm, then out through another Portal Stone in Kinslaye
r’s Dagger with Rand, Hurin and Selene. They went on to Cairhien and then to Stedding Tsofu and traveled via Portal Stone again to Toman Head, where he saw Rand’s battle in the sky with Ishamael.

  After wintering in the Mountains of Mist, he set out with Moiraine, Lan, Perrin and later Faile, chasing after Rand first to Illian, then to Tear. From Tear he went by the Ways with Perrin and Faile to the Two Rivers, where he faced the Trollocs in battle; he and Gaul went alone to seal the Waygate there. While in the Two Rivers, Loial became weary, beginning to feel the effects of the Longing but not wanting to leave Perrin and his other friends. Also, he didn’t want to give over writing his book, which he planned to call The Dragon Reborn. After leaving the Two Rivers with Perrin, he refreshed himself on the way to Caemlyn by visiting the abandoned stedding where the ruins of Hawkwing’s statue lay, and subsequently claimed to be fine. In Caemlyn, he reunited with Rand, and went on to Cairhien, then set out with Karldin Manfor to visit the stedding and secure the permission and cooperation of the Elders in guarding the Waygates.

  Loial and Karldin returned to Cairhien to find Rand gone. With the arrival of Logain and Davram Bashere, Loial and Karldin joined up with them to find Rand, using the Warders left behind by sisters sworn to Rand when they went away with Cadsuane. Loial learned the Elders had named him a runaway and that his mother had promised to have him settled in marriage to someone she had chosen. Loial’s mother searched for him with the Ogier maiden Erith in tow, accompanied by his old teacher, Elder Haman. Loial was in a swivet after learning that they showed up in Caemlyn looking for him, but he was quite taken with Erith; she gave Loial a flower and listened to even his most complicated explanations, which she found interesting, and which made her interesting in return; he later married Erith.

  Loial also argued convincingly at the Great Stump at Stedding Shangtai that the Ogier should not yet open the Book of Translation, but rather help fight the Dark One. He and Erith fought together in the Last Battle.