It seems to me that the general consensus on the board here is that Rand will personally use the Choedan Kal at Tarmon Gai'don because they are the most powerful sa'angreal in existance. I have to disagree, I believe that Rand will use Callandor in the final battle.
Why?
- Callandor was the instrument to herald the arrival of the Dragon Reborn. It has only been used by Rand 3 times:
• To kill Ishamael
• To kill the trollocs in the Stone
• Against the Seanchan
But any of these could have been done with the male access key. So why did the Aes Sedai decide to use Callandor instead of something else unless those in the Age of Legends knew more about the need for Callandor by the Dragon Reborn by foretelling than is currently revealed?
- The sword is historically a symbol of power, and Callandor is no less so. In the prophesies the Dragon Reborn is a destroyer and in the songs from the fourth age he is known as a protector, both of which are accomplished with a sword. To quote from the end of The Great Hunt,
Let the arm of the Lord of the Dawn shelter us from the Dark, and the great sword of justice defend us.
- Every time that Rand fought who he thought was the Dark One, it was always with a sword. Further, when he cut Asmodean's link with the Dark One it was with a weave like a sword of light.
- Callandor is unique in that it is the only angreal or sa'angreal that we know of that has no buffer against taking in too much of the One Power. We have learned time and again in this series of books that in Randland there is no limit to how far back in the age lace required elements can be created. The lack of a buffer on Callandor will be the deciding factor in the final battle.
So now that I have listed some of the key elements to
Callandor I will try to show how it will all come together. It is known that the Dark One's prison will either have to be mended or recreated all together after the last seals have been broken. It is obvious that this will require immense power and will require the combined power of the
Choeden Kal, but nothing says the Dragon Reborn has to be the one to do that.
It is my assertion that Rand's role will be to hold the Dark One until the prison is mended/reformed, hence Egwene's dream of him walking into a dark hole in the earth. I believe that Rand will link with Alivia (probably the strongest female channeler alive), him using
Callandor and her using the
sa'angreal wand used to heal Mat. This will fit with Min's vision that Alivia will help Rand die.
We have seen twice before the immense power available when a channeler in despair draws too much power into themselves. The first when Lews Therin died on the Dragon Mount, and the second when Eldrene died killing all of the Dreadlords in Manetheren quite some distance away. Now imagine the amount of
Saidin that Rand could channel drawing too much through an
angreal like
Callandor. Linked with Alivia he may be able to equal or surpass the
Choeden Kal for a short period of time. With a bit of poetic flair
Callandor will shatter as Rand dies.
How Rand comes back alive is part of a future theory!
He who lives by the sword dies by the sword.
Geer
Burr says: Good theory. It would be poetic, in Rand's case. On the other hand, if Rand pulls a Lews Therin, won't a lot of the other main characters die from the OP explosion? It seems to me that, one way or another, they would have to be near the Bore to fix the Bore.
Comments
but the second part is brilliant. No way is Rand going to use Callador, even without a buffer it cannot compete with the strength of the Choeden Kal. Why would he take the chance with a weaker sa'angreal that is flawed?????
Loved the second half though, interesting about Rand walking throught he hole, and the wand and Alivia. I've forgotten about the wand, I wonder who has it in the White Tower right now.....it would definitly be something that Messana would try and take.
plus
equals
I don't really think the wand is worth anyone's time. I mean, during Nynaeve's first few days at the Tower, she felt she could channel half of what a full circle of thirteen using it could. Now it's possible that they weren't using it to it's potential, but that's not a very impressive amount of saidar compared to what we've seen recently.
I mean, even Graendal's wussy little ring angreal allows her to channel twice what she normally could, which would be roughly the same amount as the circle of 13 w/ the wand sa'angreal.
I think a more likely scenario involves Elayne creating a new access key. She has had success creating "linking" ter'angreal before in the a'dam.
Don't get caught up in expecting Rand to try to survive. From what we see, he firmly believes he's going to die at Tarmon Gaidin, so he very well may WANT what Callandor can give him.
The idea I try to toy with is trying to view a Rand after Tarmon Gaidin. I seriously doubt, if he somehow survives, that he'll be able to channel. (just a hunch...but Rand is determined to be competent or expert in things besides channelling)
If he doesn't expect to live, he may not particularly care about conserving his channeling.
Me likey a lot!!
It makes sense that the lack of a barrier on the amount of the OP is necessary to get the job done.
AOBtD
It`s frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.
I know Rand doesn't plan on surviving Tarmon Gai'den (sorry if I spelt it wrong), but he does plan on surviving long enough during the battle to win!!! There would be no point in him using callador at the begining of the battle just to die right then, he needs to win first then die.
I'm not saying he'd use it to beat Demandred or anything; it'd be more like (just a wild statement), Rand pouring an endless stream of balefire into the DO in the final gambit.
Keep in mind, he's a pretty big gambler himself. I guarantee you that the winning move will not be something pre-planned, hashed out, discussed, debated, etc.(except with himself, maybe). Rand will spring a surprise and pour everything he has into it.
Callandor would fit that purpose.
and once more, this is just a guess -- but it fits his profile.
...i just can´t decide....I´ll give it a maybe.
It would certainly have flair if rand would use callandor.
but as always RAFO!
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Think of the kittens!!!!
Rand using Callandor at Tarmon Gaidon would be like Harry Truman ordering the use of really really big conventional bombs to try and end the war instead of Fat Man and Little Boy. A previous post said they though Rand would have to be near the Bore, but it was my understanding that the Bore had no "there," as such. Personally, I feel Rand dominates Tarmon Gaidon until the Dark One breaks free. Then whatever he's using, probably the male access key but it could be Callandor as well, gets obliterated. In desperation, Rand travels to just outside Cairhein and accesses the male sa'angreal directly to seal the Bore "permanently," but burns himself out in the process and probably blows up the big statue too. In fact, at that point he's probably so hurt he doesn't know who he is and goes around as a beggar.
Just a thought. Back to lurker mode.
The Great Crabuki
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Husband to Jennlene the Queenlene 
Making pretty babies since August 2001 
There seems to be discussion about whether the 'hugeness' of CK is better or the 'bufferless' ability of Call is better. Given the point just made by Crabuki, it's possible that CK is obliterated by the DO and then Rand grabs the next best thing- Call, being the second most powerful male Sa'angreal in the world.
Not sure about the theory though- I don't think that the sword imagery is vital, it'll be a matter of what Rand does on the spur of the moment to throw everyone off (think travelling to the waste using the stone).
Jeremias 
Sorry but just too illogical. Your theory hinges on Callandor being somehow more important than we think and the AOL Aes Sedai who put it where they did, knowing that and doing it for that reason. And your support for this idea is "why didn't they use the access key instead?" Oh, I can think of a few reasons. First, how about the fact that only a handful knew of the existance of the access keys, much less where they were. Second, Callandor was put where it was as much to keep the insane male Aes Sedai from using it as to serve as a sign of the Dragon's return. Unlike the access keys, the whereabouts of Callandor must have been well known. Third, how dramatic would it be for someone to touch a foot tall statue that no one else could. Not very Arthurian, huh? On the other hand, a sword....you get the picture.
As far as the second half of your theory, well I must echo everyone else: why use the third strongest when the strongest is available? (Lanfear: there are only TWO more powerful that a man can use) As the saying goes, why send a boy to do a man's job? Same thing with the s'angrael from the Tower. Not that big a deal. Not when there is the possibility of fixing the access key. Or maybe finding the elusive Ring of the Tamrylin, which just might be that stronger s'angrael we haven't yet seen. Like I said, sorry can't agree at all.
Da Mook
"You're not cute, you're a silver-fox sex god is what you are." LiterateDog to me, of course
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I don't know why but i had the feeling that Both the key and the Female one were destroyed..taking the ppl of the water leaf with them..and the end of illusions was the end of their lifes...like the Aiel call this life a dream... maybe i'm wrong hehe..
Disagree, like most others here commenting, no way would Rand use Callandor over Choedan Kal, it'd be like using a sword when you have a uzi ready....And Narishma will wield Callandar at Tarmon Gai'don, or so I believe...
Know why the nightingale sings, is the answer to everything...
Callandor is more a symbol then a weapon, I know it is powerful but it was meant more as a symbol of power then as a power it self. The Choedan Kal will be used, but with the female half gone will the male hal be even stronger. The DO needs to die or Robert Jordan needs to live forever cause if the DO is sealed up again it would be like a new bible or something... Might as well start a new religion and compose all of the wheel of time into one book and carry every where you go preaching the word of Robert. OR the DO could die end the series and we could all be happy it's over and sad the its no longer there to comfort us.
Can I have some of what Maisac is smoking?
"Why on earth would anybody want to kidnap a groundhog?"
"I can think of a few reasons, the pervert!"
I really wish people would stop posting theories without any real evidence even circumstancial.
To your first part of your theory about the aessedai choosing Callandor instead of the CK to herald the dragons coming. It is probably because they didn't have the access keys or didn't want the forsaken to know that the dragon reborn had access to the keys. Nothing states that the aessedai gained access to the keys after the bore was sealed. Remember the area where the keys were being made was overrun by Sammael at the end of the war. Chances are the aessedai in Rhuidean gave them the keys when they shielded Rhuidean.
2nd Alivia is probably going to help Rand die before Tarmon Gaidon. Remember the vision about he who is dead yet lives?
3rd the rest of your theory is complete conjecture without any evidence of anykind.
If you are so tierd of the theorys without evidence, then try to think like a writer. I'm sorry, but some of these theorys, even with minimal evidence, make more sence then some with loads (taimedred for example (I dissagre with that but hay)). Quite frankly a well thought out theory is just as good as a mediocher supported theory.
That and he does bring a little RJ insperation that we all might of over looked in this. Remember, the wolfhound must look more the wolfhound in the wolf's eye than his own.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't we forgetting something here? There seems to be an argument here of which sa'angreal Rand will use during the last battle, either Callandor or the choden kal one. Question: Why can't he use both? We know that someone can use two at a time because Rand once used the little fat man angreal and Callador at the same time. So what am I missing here? He can grab Aviendha and Elayne to use Callandor, if need be, but it still seems very possible.
If you can't find much wrong with your manuscript, then it's probably so awful it should be burnt.--Sara Douglass
I like the idea of Rand using a sword to kill the DO or seal him in, but, correct me if I am wrong, I am pretty sure that Cad. tells him he must have a female directing the flows in order for it to not be tainted. It doesn't seem like a good idea to try and make a seal on his prison with a flawed instrument. Basically I think that the Choden Khal will be used it just makes more sense. As for Rand dying I am not altogether convinced that he will. I remember a scene where everyone is mourning a paper mask of his that he breaks through. It seems to me that he needs to appear to die, and that will be what Alivia helps with. If he dies and returns to life that will make absolutely no sense and I will burn every one of His books.
es mejor ser la mano derecha del diablo que estar en su camino
I would rather be feared then loved
One of the choedan chal broke when rand flamin cleansed the bloody male half of the flamin true source.
Cusser of words.
Killer of flamin darkfriends.
Uno1
I don't know if it has struck anyone as odd that the second most powerful sa'angreal that was made during the age of legends was flawed. I mean, they were pros at making these things, so it seems kind of odd that it were defective. Unless of course it isn't really defective? Maybe it was originally intended to have no buffer. That would be the only way to explain its "defectiveness." Maybe, when you use it in conjuction with another sa'angreal (such as the CK) you can bypass the second one's buffer, and use more of the power than possible. That would definately prove usefull, especially during TG.
I hope that Rand uses the Sword because it seems to make him far more optimistic. Rand always seems to do things that he doesnt fully understand when he uses the Sword. With the CK he had a plan and did what he had reasoned. With the Sword he always does what feels right, and for some reason allways seems to be just what he needs. If it were me and I was as strong as he is I would want someone to guard my back with the CK. Rand will have to throw his all into whatever he does and if I were him I'd want someone with the most powerfull San'angreal to cover my back from attacks...
How about the "missing" buffer actually being a way to find what you need, kinda like how Elayne and Nym found the bowl of the winds, but with weaves instead? That would mean that the "buffer" is still there, but it redirects Sadin in a different way.
First, regarding one who is dead yet lives --
This, and any other resurrection/death/etc. issue is totally clouded by the Lews Therin thing. We KNOW Lews Therin died. We KNOW Rand is the Dragon (Lews Therin, though LTT and Rand could simply be aspects of a greater element, similar to the Fisher King). And we know that there appears to be a personality identifed as LTT that interacts within Rand's head.
Given that these two 'different' people are essentially just aspects of the same persona, and that both people seem to have cognizance, it is quite possible that one dies (seeming to fulfil the prophecies) at Tarmon Gaidin, and one lives. BUT...until we have more evidence, anything that ANYBODY (save RJ) mentions is just speculation.
Regarding AS 'choosing' Callandor (and other aspects of prophecy). The Aes Sedai did not create the conditions of the prophecy; they (or just one of them) merely identified the prophecies; they have no power over any aspect of the prophecies.
Consider the opening chapter of Book 1: LTT created the vast destruction that he did (and Mount Dragon) WITHOUT ANY ASSISTANCE!!! If Rand is essentially as powerful as him, imagine what he can do with Callandor. LTT drew in saidar way beyond any safe limits, with some astonishing results. I wonder if the Choedan Kal's built-in buffer would actually prevent that.
Callandor may not be flawed -- the lack of buffer may be on purpose. Remember -- Aes Sedai in the Age of Legends were known to perform channelling that they know (or could expect to) would kill them (see: Eye of the World). Perhaps Callandor was created to enable such a sacrificing channeler to accomplish what they could not do without the augmentation.
Just some stuff to consider.
In defence of my theory I will try to answer some of the points previously posted here. This is very long so please bear with me!
As first mentioned by
Huor and seconded by many others, the belief is that
Callandor is not strong enough. But this I believe goes back to what I was saying about the enormous strength of people channeling beyond their capacity. Lewis Therin, who should have an identical strength to Rand, was able to call down a bolt of lightning that bore a hole all the way through the planet's crust into the molten layer. This is far in excess of anything we have seen anybody do short of the
Choedan Kal. With the additional focus of
Callandor, and possibly the extra strength/stamina from being bonded 4 times, Rand may be able to match/exceed the more powerful
Choedan Kal for a short period of time. We have seen that Rand has been able to force himself to his utter limits time and again. He does not have to be alive at the end of it, he just has to hold on long enough.
As noted by
Daemione Nynaeve thought she could maybe channel half of what the circle did with the wand, which may very well be true. But a fair analogy of
angreal is a microscope, think back to Jr. High Science classes. You have the eyepiece with a set magnification setting, this is like the individual power of the
Aes Sedai. Then you have the bottom magnifier which is like an
angreal. To get 100x magnification you can use a 5x and a 20x magnifier or 10x and 10x... etc. The
angreal magnifies what is already there. With someone like Alivia, that
sa'angreal may be quite powerful.
I do agree that Elayne will make a new access key, but it will require both
Choedan Kal to make a prison strong enough to hold the Dark One (more on this in another theory). Only the access key was destroyed, the actual
sa'angreal itself is untouched. And as yet nobody has been able to explain to me how it is known that an
indestructible substance like
Cuendillar becomes harder when you channel more at it.
As mentioned by
The Dragon Lews TheRIN the Dragon Reborn is supposed to break the world again. He already has! The entire social and political system of the world is being forced to change by his presence. The white tower is broken, the Aiel are on their way back to the way of the leaf, nations who used to war with each other are now allies, new laws regarding peasants in Cairhien and Tear, the Seanchan Empire will probably collapse once the secret about
sul'dam becomes known, Ogier probably leaving the Stedding, etc. He is forcing change on the world the likes of which has not been seen since the "first" breaking. To quote from "The Dragon Reborn":
His coming shall be like the sharp edge of the plow, turning our lives in furrows from out of the places where we lie in our silence. The breaker of bonds'; the forger of chains.damookster and
first punic war state that all of this is nothing but supposition. And to some extent this is true because until Robert Jordan put it on paper we have no proof as to what is going to happen. The only time we really know anything is when he makes it really obvious, like Thom will rescue Moiraine. But if we return to "The Dedicated" from "The Shadow Rising" we know that a crystal sword (i.e.
Callandor for those of you really slow on the uptake)
and the Dragon Banner were present on the table when an
Aes Sedai said:
What good is your Foretelling, if you cannot tell us when? The world rests on this! The future! The Wheel itself!"Now these same sisters sent the Aiel off with a vast collection of
ter'angreal,
angreal, and maybe
sa'angreal. I am willing to bet that the two access keys were among the items sent off that eventually made thier way to Rhuidean. So what did the
Aes Sedai fortell that might mean the very existance of the Wheel itself? I propose that it is the need of the Dragon Reborn to have
Callandor at
Tarmon Gai'don in order to defeat the Dark One!
To
kael with respect to Cadsuanne's information about
Callandor. The sword magnifies the effect of the taint requiring a sister to "filter" it and also required a female to lead the circle so that the male did not draw too much power. The taint is gone, so the need for a sister to "filter" the flow is gone, and if Rand leads the circle of 2 he can draw as much of the One Power as he darn well feels like!
*phew* defending my theory is longer than the theory itself! To anyone who has read this far thanks for bearing with me!
Geer
When Rand used the Choedal Kal, Lews Therin began screaming "YOU FOOL! THEY WERE NEVER TRIED! THEY WERE NEVER TESTED! YOU WILL DESTROY US ALL, YOU FREAK!" Or something along those lines.
The most powerful sa'angreal made during the Age of Legends were ALL flawed. They were made in haste by desperate Aes Sedai. Or perhaps it's very difficult to make such immensely powerful tools.
So saying that Rand should use the Choedal Kal because it is unflawed is not a valid argument. It's unflawed ONLY as far as we know...
Assuming that the taint is totally removed Rand can indeed direct the flows. Sometimes it is hard to remember how much the taint being gone will change things.
but I believe Narishma, not Rand, will use Callandor at Tarmon Gai'don. My belief stems from one of Egwene's dreams where "A dark young man held an object in his hand that shone so brightly she could not see what it was". Callandor shines like that when used. Narshima did use Callandor during the cleansing of Saidin, of course, but not in the foreground, and not to do much of anything important, as I recall. I doubt Egwene would have a dream about something that's not very important. What would be important enough for a Dreamer to see is the use of Callandor, the second most powerful sa'angreal made for a man, in Tarmon Gai'don.
I do like the part with Alivia, though. And the imagery thing is cool too, I simply think Narishma with Callandor makes more sense
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what about the Sad Bracelets, they will come into play, and without the Taint, they will function pretty well no? There will be no fight for control, just harmony, but it will be SAD, Rand will die. Rand has 3 girls, 2 of whom can channel, hook them up to the Sad Bracelets, and presto, you got the Dragon linked to his two fav gals rdy to rock and roll. Maybe he will wield the sword too while this happens, who knows. But the Sad Bracelets will play a part yet, for sure, they have been around too long not to. The CK, last battle, I think no, they were built to match the DO, and just for the fact that they were built for that, I think it won't happen, it's your typical things are going to happen not like we expect deal. Sword that is not without buffer and Rand with a Collar held by his two girl friend channelers, much more likely.
"Why on earth would anybody want to kidnap a groundhog?"
"I can think of a few reasons, the pervert!"
Why would Aviendha/Elayne need the bracelets? They're not going to need to control him. If they wanted to do something together & have one of the chicks lead the flows, they could just link normally. The bracelets are only a factor for the Seanchan, in their attempt to try & control him (although, they're going to have to come up with several hundred more sets to take care of the Asha'man).
And if the point of using Callandor is that there's no buffer, why would he want to link to gain a buffer?
I thought that that was a type of male A'dam but when was it made? I thought that a'dams were made after Hawkwing sent his sons to a different land. I thought it was made by Aes Sedai over on the new land. I didn't think that they had "forced links" in the Age of Legends. When was it made, in the First age? Somewhere after the Third? How can it be on Rands side of the world if the Return is the "first" time that the A'dam was brought to Rands home. Was a ship at sea lost with it, and the thing floated close enough that it was taken by a fisherman? Was it made and sent over with another person in mind? Was it even sent?
I just brought them up because everybody was talking about the different things that might be used at the last battle. There must be some reason that the bracelets "feel" sad. I was thinking perhaps they might be used to form the final link with Rand at the last battle. They would feel sad because they must sacrifice their savior during said battle. You bring up some very good points about them though, if the whole a'dam thing was not in the AOL, how did Moggy know so much about the things? Perhaps they were used for things other then controlling a male channeler, in fact, by Moggy's description, the man can also control the females to an extent. So exactly how long have these things existed, have they been around though every spinning of the wheel? They are made of cuendillar (sp), and therefore can’t be destroyed. So what if both parties don the bracelets working together? I am just throwing more food for thought on the table.
"Why on earth would anybody want to kidnap a groundhog?"
"I can think of a few reasons, the pervert!"
I think Rand should put the collar on & wear the bracelets himself. Maybe then he could control Lews Therin.
I had assumed the male a'dam was created at some point during the breaking, as an attempt to control the insane male Aes Sedai. Ishamael was around during that mess, so we can figure that's Moghedien's source of knowledge regarding them.
As for the "sad" property in them, maybe the Aes Sedai were bummed out when they made it. It was the breaking, after all, and they were developing a ter'angreal designed to enslave their former colleagues. The making of it must have been passed down until whatshername (Hawking's friend) adapted it for use on saidar channelers.
I don't see any use for it by the "good" guys, except maybe to teach a forsaken a lesson or two (Halima would be suitably ironic).
Everyone talks about the Last Battle as if it already happened. Did I miss a book? Look at it this way; the bore was probably opened using large amounts of the one power, perhaps saidin and saidar linked. It was then sealed with the maximum amount of linking between men and women. Why does anyone think it will take even more then that to remove the bore completely? The right amount of balefire would be enough to remove the bore, but how much power would be needed? Remember, when balefire was used during the War of Power whole cities were removed from the pattern. Not destroyed, just erased from time. I consider the maximum age of the average city to be 500 years during the age of legends. Now, to remove the bore would require 3200 years of balefire on Lanfear, right? She made it, linked I believe. The amount of power necessary would not require either the Choeden kal or Callandor, since neither had common use during the War of Power.
i havent seen anyone mention the fact that Call. can deflect balefire. that could come as a huge role in TG. and the CK terrify Rand, so why would he use them at TG. true Call. isnt as powerful and it wouldnt be logical, but Rand isnt logical is he.
Dragons Wriath
"And can you by no drift of circumstances
Get from him why he puts on this confusion
Grating so harshly all his days of quiet
With turbulant and dangerous lunacy" - Hamlit
it makes more sense to use Callandor than the CK.
Why build Rand up as an expert swordsman? Why bother having Callandor in it at all? Its use so far has not fulfilled the hype.
But on the other hand, the CK have been built up as able to break the world, so there must be some reason for this too. Oh, who knows? Will we ever get that far?
From the flashback in TSR, it seems that Callandor was made well into the Breaking, after the CK access keys were lost in shadow-overrun territory. The Aes Sedai probably figured the keys were lost, or didn't know where they were, or even if you needed the keys (Strike and Shayol Ghul says only a few, even in the Lightside, knew of the keys). So they made callandor, weaker than CK, but which they figured would be needed. But now that Rand has the key..
Already you can use more than one *angreal at a time so why would he need to select one or the other. Just use both.
Thinking of things for sig's is hard
i like the idea of this theory, but i personally think that Rand will use the Choedan Kal to fight the DO head up. and Rand will win b/c the amount of the power used will overwhelm the DO or Rand will reason out some new trick with the power. when Rand is cleansing saidin doesn't he mention something to the effect that the amount of power in callandor is like a small stream compared with the ocean of power from the Choedan Kal? maybe it was nynaeve. on a different note, by eclipsing the buffer of callandor Rand would most likely burn himself out and then he would be useless against the DO. unless of course the DO challenged him to a sword fight. but i doubt it
I completely agree that Callandor will be Rands weapon of choice in the last battle. One of the fortellings say specificly that Rand's death will be the key to victory in the last battle. This would fit perfectly with Rand overdrawing the one power, in one last dramatic act of self sacrafice he saves the world. The imagery that Jordan gave us the first couple of books had people able to do extrodary things by overdrawing far surpassing their normal powers in that one last act. I belive that this would more than compensate for Callandor not being quite as powerfull as the statue sa'aragel. Remember that Rand didn't use Callandor for the clensing not because he didn't think was powerfull enough, but because he needed to do the weaving himself without using a woman proxy to safeguard him. Besides Callandor is easy to carry and using the Chochen Chal seem to make the users immobile taking all of their concentration just to control it. That would be a great hiderace during a massive battle in enemy territory.
Ok, first of all, I don't remember ever seeing that Callandor was unbuffered against drawing too much of the one power. Please quote where that's said, because all I remember is that it magnifies the taint.
Now...Abby...what evidence do we have of the CK being flawed? Even if LTT ranted and raved when the idea was kicked around, it means that LTT is concerned and in no way constitutes any proof that they're flawed...just that they're untested...also remember that LTT is absolutely nutso.
Rand is learning the use of the sword because he knows he may not have access to the OP at some time, and will need to use a sword to defend himself (I believe he's said so at various times).
Sub
No matter how you shake and dance...
When you die you're food for worms and ants!
I seem to remeber Rand thinking he could challenge the Creator with Callandor at one point. Or that there was nothing he couldnt do with it.
I think we may be missing something though Rand may use the Key but someone else may be using Callandor in a very large link.
I doubt they will remake the prison whole but something akin to how it was prior to the bore being drilled. Which was probably the remnant of the previous last battle.
That's a damn cool idea(and I mean DAMN COOL!), but if that was actually how he did it, then what would happen to the 3200 years of history? And remember that balefire only cuts holes in inanimate objects, it evaporates only living beings(Rahvin, shadowhounds, etc.), so it's not necessarily true that they pulled out 500 years of threads. But even assuming that he can pull together a 3200 year balefire, then what would change? People would still have acted as though the same things had happened, and Lanfear and Shai'tan(odd hearing him actually referred to as that, used to the wimpy book names) didn't do very much directly. But really, there's no background info on this, so we can't say how plausible it is. I don't think it's right, but that's one of the more imaginative ways of fighting Tarmon Gai'don that I've seen yet.
when you use the Quote
Let the arm of the Lord of the Dawn shelter us from the Dark, and the great sword of justice defend us. I do NOT believe that the sword in the quote is Callandor. In a great Hunt on page 660(paperback) it says this:
Tall and hooked-nosed, with dark, deep-set eyes, his great sword Justice at his side. Artur Hawkwing I believe thatthat the sward in the quote at the end is refuring to the same sword. I think something happens with all the heros or maybe just Hawkwing. So i dont think that you can base part of his use of Callandor on this quote.
I like to think he uses it but i think there more evidence for him using the CK. i mean he decrides as an ocean compared to a stream. Plus he knows he may die but he doesnt want to.
well thats what i have to say.
flame it all u want
The Truth is Shrouded by Darkness,
Only our Gaze Pirces the Darkest Night.
My Question is, why can't he use the Chodean'kal? I mean, callandor is a good sa'angreal, but the male key is much stronger, as stated many times in the book. So why use callandor, when you can use something even stronger? just my thoughts.
I didn't read all the comments, but most people think rand is going to use the choedan kal (which he might), but he wouldn't if he pursues the path this theory set out.
This theory offers him going AS A DIVERSION. If someone else would be sealing the bore, Rand would know they would need the largest amount of power they could get, hence they would use the choedan kal (both male and female, there should still be some surviving female access keys, its stated flat out in the books there were several sets made). Rand would use the next best thing, which at the moment is Callandor. I personally don't think he will, but within the parameters of the theory, he would.
It is a very well thought out and reasoned theory though. Arguments definitely make sense.
Fyatuk Loth
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WTF?
If I remember the theory correctly, it is said that the DR will hold back the DO while the Bore heals. That may be correct, but I don`t agree.
I do believe the Bore must heal to its original Seal made by the Creator in the beginning. IMHO, not so H, rand will first crush the seals made by LTT and then spill his blood on the dark rock of SG. This will give time for the Bore to heal while Rand and the rest of the World good people and Ogier, Wolves, etc battle Friends of the Dark, Shadowspawn,etc. This fulfills Nicola`s Foretelling--the great battle done but the world not done with battle.
For those who think RJ will bring WoT to our age, even if this is true, the Dark One is still with us! To my knowledge, evil has never been defeated- only skirmishes over the Ages.
In addition, the Dark One and the Creator are not people, like us. They are Forces beyond anyone`s imigination, IMHO.
jofraz
Egwene fanatic
"Elaida will be removed one way or another".
The seeds are being planted and some have sprouted.
The end is near
The play of Tarmon Gaidon is pretty obvious to me but it seems everyone else hasn't actually paid attention while reading the books and have furthermore gotten themselves into a bickering match over the comparitive power of Callandor and the male Choedan Kal. I'm not going to outline my theory here, it deserves a proper post all to itself but there are a few things need to be said.
Spelling is necessary. You cannot balefire the bore. Only that access ter'angreal to the female Choedan Kal was destroyed. The Dark One's prison must be destroyed. The seal was made by many male channelers (and no females) working together but not linked because it's impossible.
These points are written straight out in black and white in the books, plain as day for anyone to see.
Thank you.
Dovien Gleeman - Lore Master
I agree with the theory that Rand will face Tarmon Gai'don with Callandor. I think that the remaining (male) access key will be used by Logain to reform the seal over the bore. Rand will decide to do it this way because he will want the most power available to reseal the Dark One, while he keeps the Dark One busy with Callandor in a duel.
I'm as yet unsure whether Rand will survive or not, but if he does, then he will be lessened somehow, whether burnt out, or suffering amnesia. But hey, we all hope for a happy ending!!
In the prophecies it says something like "Humanity will come to a crossroads of twilight, and all that is, was and all that is yet to come will be balanced on the point of a sword". (sorry if ive got it wrong, i havent got my copy of the cycle with me).
This is obviously callandor.
And another thing, RJ talks about circles in the guide and mentons that the strongest possible circle is one with 37 women and 35 men (the most possible in a circle and the closest possible proportion of men to women).
Yet this has yet to be used in the story.
Hell we havent even had a circle with more than 2 or so men in it yet!
Why cant Rand circle up the Ashaman that hes got as his protectors and all of the strongest female channelers(wise ones, windfinders, damane, aes sedai etc) and use give the chlorel kai to the strongest channelers (other than himself) and use callandor. He would lead the circle (because a man has to, at these proportions) and the strongest possible cahnnelling in history would take place.
This would suit RJs "shock" style.
The Wotmaniac currntly known as "Taint Bearer"
If you ever catch on fire, try to avoid looking in a mirror, because I bet that will really throw you into a panic.
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meh, could you imagine rand running around chasing after the dark one carying a foot tall statue of an old man...so not cool...
everybodys forgeting that the statues are just ter'angreal not sa' they link to the big ones
(or maybe your not forgetting
)
oh and i read about the male a'dam awhile up...why does everybody call them sad bacelets? only nyneave is an empath (feels emotions from objects and people)
True Power is knowing that you can, but you don't. 
-Deathbone1 
I'm aliena's jig-dancing partner 
If I'm here, consider yourself blessed by my presence 
Disagree about the first half.........