Graendal

Author: Estyrien al'Halien

GREHN-dahl

General

Graendal is one of the thirteen Forsaken, the most powerful of the Aes Sedai to join the Shadow during the Age of Legends. (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 5) During that Age she was known as Kamarile Maradim Nindar, her work as a Healer of minds gave her enough status to earn the third name. (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 6) After the Forsaken had proclaimed themselves to be serving the Shadow, the people of the Age gave each of them names in the Old Tongue to represent this betrayal. It is not known what Graendal means, though we can assume that reflects her character (TGH, Ch. 7). After having awakened from her imprisonment, Graendal is impersonating the Lady Basene, a frail Domani woman who lives in a palace overlooking the Mountains of Mist (LoC, Ch. 6). When visiting the Shaido Wise Ones, she goes by the name Maisia, something that she is not best pleased with (ACoS, Ch. 20). Robert Jordan explained at one interview that Maisia was a name commonly used for pets in the Age of Legends, something that Graendal would be aware of.

Graendal is fairly beautiful, if somewhat plump, and has red-gold hair. She likes to wear it in ringlets, often with jewels in it (LoC, Ch. 6). Though she is not as beautiful as Lanfear, she dresses to show off her body. (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 6) She wears Domani dresses and has even recovered streith for her clothes, (LoC, Prologue; Ch. 6); she found the streith in a stasis box (LoC, Ch. 23). She is fond of wearing lots of jewellery. As the Lady Basene, she is frail and looks like an old Domani woman. She has coppery skin, dark hair and eyes but she looks ill and frail (LoC, Ch. 6) Her disguise for Maisia is dark hair, black eyes creating the effect of beauty, though she is rather short (ACoS, Ch. 20). Both disguises are no doubt achieved by the Mask of Mirrors.

During the Age of Legends, Graendal was a leading psychologist and ascetic (LoC, Ch. 6). There were few that could rival her knowledge of healing mental illnesses without the One Power, even in that Age. She led a sparse life with few pleasures and called for other people to do the same. She was very harsh to those who she thought didn't live up to her standards which was most people. Roughly ten years after the Bore was drilled, Graendal changed her whole way of life, focusing on the materialistic and sexual pleasures. It has been suggested that this change was not brought on by her allegiance to the Shadow; she was already changed before she went to Shayol Ghul. However after fifteen more years Graendal joined the Shadow, possibly because she was one of the first to realise what lay ahead (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 6).

Graendal managed to keep her new allegiance secret and used her position to help the Shadow. Several riots and suicides of important members of the Light can be linked with her. She only revealed herself as having sworn to the Dark One when she chose to; nobody knew that she was before that, save a few select Friends of the Dark. Within 24 hours of her announcement, Devaille had been seized and the first army of Trollocs had been unleashed. Graendal used her skill in manipulations to defeat her enemies rather than relying on what little military skill she might have had (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 6).

Timeline

• Age of Legends: Graendal takes Sammael to Shayol Ghul for him to swear allegiance (LoC, Ch. 6).
• Age of Legends: Graendal announces herself to be serving the Shadow and that day the War of Power really begins (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 6).
• Age of Legends: Graendal is bound with the other Forsaken when Lews Therin and his companions seal the Bore (TDR, Ch. 36).
• Third Age: Graendal takes up residence in Arad Doman, posing as the Lady Basene (LoC, Ch. 6).
• Third Age: The Dark One hints strongly that Graendal will be made Nae'blis (LoC, Ch. 6).
• Graendal is duped by Sammael into thinking that the Dark One has promised to make him Nae'blis.(LoC, Ch. 23)
• 1000NE: Graendal visits the Shaido with Sammael in order to scatter them and cause chaos (ACoS, Ch. 20).
• Graendal travels to Illain after Sammael dies and finds a gold ring angreal in his chamber.(TPoD, Ch. 12)
• Graendal sends a letter to Rodel Ituralde signed from the king. Then Cyndane and Moghedien show up and tell her that Moridin is Nae'blis. She refuses to believe it but Shaidar Haran shows up and tells her its true and tells her to visit Moridin.(TPoD, Ch. 12)
• 1000NE: Graendal Travels to Shadar Logoth to try to prevent Rand from cleansing the Taint (WH, Ch. 35).
• 1000NE: Graendal attends a meeting called by Moridin. Aran'gar offers an alliance, which she considers to try and counter the ongoing alliance of Semirhage, Demandred and Mesaana (KoD, Ch. 3).
• 1000NE: Graendal attends a meeting of Forsaken. She is annoyed that she doesn't know where Demandred is. She thinks that the Borderland army would have been a coup (TGS, Prologue)
• 1000NE: Moridin tells Graendal that the Dark One appreciates initiative (TGS, Prologue)
• 1000NE: He instructs her to prevent Rand from restoring order (TGS, Prologue)
• 1000NE: Rand learns from Kerb that Graendal is at Natrin's Barrow (TGS, Ch. 33)
• 1000NE: Rand sends Ramshalan to see Graendal. He expects her to compulse Ramshalan to use him in ways he can't predict (TGS, Ch. 37)
• 1000NE: Ramshalan comes back infected (TGS, Ch. 37)
• 1000NE: Rand allows the sun to set then balefires the entire fortress. Nynaeve checks and the Compulsion is gone, suggesting Graendal is dead (TGS, Ch. 37)

Strengths and Talents

Being one of the Forsaken, Graendal is very strong in the One Power, (TEotW, Glossary), though not as strong as Lanfear who is the strongest of the female Forsaken (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 6). However, she is forbidden to touch the True Power since Moridin was named Nae'blis (WH, Ch. 13). Rahvin believes that he is stronger than Graendal (TFoH, Prologue). Graendal is so strong that a circle containing Verin, Kumira and Shalon cannot Shield her (WH, Ch. 35).

As a Forsaken, she no doubt has a great wealth of knowledge about the One Power. She can Travel, (TFoH, Prologue), weave the Mask of Mirrors, (LoC, Ch. 6), and hide the fact that she can channel (WH, Ch. 35). One of her greatest Talents is Compulsion; this is how she gets her slaves to obey her (TFoH, Prologue). She can invert her weaves (WH, Ch. 35). She presumably has some skill in Tel'aran'rhiod (TFoH, Ch. 14). and can weave Balefire (TFoH, Prologue).

Relationships

None of the Forsaken get on particularly well with each other and this is also true for Graendal. (TFoH, Ch. 3) Graendal and Lanfear do not particularly like each other (TFoH, Prologue). However, Graendal has meetings with Rahvin, Lanfear and Graendal to try to bring down Rand, (TFoH, Prologue), and she tries to meet with Moghedien but the Spider does not show up (LoC, Prologue). Mesaana does not trust Graendal enough to tell her about her plans, although she does let slip that she is in the Tower (LoC, Ch. 6). Graendal follows Sammael for a while but only because she thinks that he is Nae'blis (ACoS, Ch. 20). She doesn't like Cyndane, but agrees to follow Moridin because he is Nae'blis (TPoD, Ch. 12).

Graendal acquires many servants from all over the world. All her slaves are beautiful, but they also had power before Graendal took them (TFoH, Prologue). She uses Compulsion on them to make sure that they obey and worship her completely. Her slaves include Chiape and Shaofan, the Sh'boan and Sh'botay of Shara, and most of the Domani Royal family (LoC, Ch. 6).

Graendal would flirt with anybody apart from those of the Chosen who were above her at the time. She refuses to be considered less than her partner. She has been known to flirt with assassins sent after her just to pass the time (ACoS, Ch. 20).

Graendal does not trust Darkfriends because she believes that they are not faithful to their oaths (LoC, Ch. 6).

She is responsible for the death of Asmodean (Towers of Midnight, Glossary)

Miscellaneous

• Graendal takes one step at a time and only then when she is sure of victory (TFoH, Prologue).

• Graendal murdered thousands of children out of 'pity' because their parents were enslaved (LoC, Ch. 2).

• Graendal seems to prattle about silly things but she usually lets slip tiny hints in order to confuse people. She went to great trouble to steal the Sh'boan and Sh'botay from Shara in order to try to send Sammael off in the wrong direction (LoC, Ch. 6).

• Graendal is one of the Forsaken who approached Alviarin in the White Tower (ACoS, Prologue)

• Moridin would be suitable enough for Graendal if it were not for his strong chin (ACoS, Ch. 25).

• When looking through Sammael's apartments after his death, Graendal finds a female angreal in the shape of a ring (TPoD, Ch. 12).

• Graendal doesn't like nature because it is too wild and lacking in order (TPoD, Ch. 12).

• Graendal sends a letter supposedly from the Domani King Alsalam to Lord Ituralde to create chaos, which she succeeds in doing (TPoD, Ch. 12; CoT, Prologue).

• When Graendal Travels to Shadar Logoth, she attacks Verin, Kumira and Shalon when they try to shield her (WH, Ch. 35)

Quotes

"Is that what we are?" Graendal arched an eyebrow. "Merely human? Surely we are something more. This is human." She stroked a finger down the cheek of the woman kneeling beside her. "A new word will have to be created to describe us."'- Graendal about the Forsaken (The Fires of Heaven, Prologue).

"Beside Lanfear, she was merely plumply pretty. If the inevitable comparison bothered her, her amused smile gave no sign of it"- Rahvin about Graendal (The Fires of Heaven, Prologue).

"A former lord for her footman, a lady to draw her bath; that was Graendal's taste"- Rahvin about Graendal (The Fires of Heaven, Prologue).

"It would be a dire mistake to take Graendal at surface value. Most who had taken her for a fool were long since dead, victims of the woman they disregarded"- Mesaana about Graendal (Lord of Chaos, Prologue)

"Graendal prattled like a fool, but only a true fool took her for one. What she seemed to let slip among her babbling was often planted as carefully as a conje needle"- Sammael about Graendal (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 6)

"She was afraid, an emotion she was far more used to inspiring in others, but she knew how to control her fear"- Graendal (The Path of Daggers, Chapter 12).

“You make her think that you are sitting down across the table from her, ready to play her game. Then you punch her in the face as hard as you can” - To Ramshalan, about Graendal (The Gathering Storm, Chapter 37)