Member Spotlight: Kelgan al'Moranwin

Author: Jeffan Caliarthan, October 2013

Kelgan al'Moranwin has been a member of TarValon.Net since November of 2009, and he has been a rather prolific member ever since. However, if you don't venture into Current Events all that often, you might not know who he is. Out of the 503 Current Events threads currently in the forum, Kelgan has posted in 385 of them. That takes some dedication. But who is Kelgan outside of Current Events? Well, that's why we're featuring him!

For those of you that don't know, Kelgan is married to one of our long-standing members of the Brown Ajah, Naomi. Unsurprisingly, that's also how he heard about the site! He enjoyed the site, but "it took CE to get [him] to stay." Shocker? I don't think so!

Speaking of Current Events, I had to ask what exactly it is about the forum that he loves so much. "I enjoy politics. Quite aside from thinking that being informed about current events and building informed opinions about policy is part of being a good citizen, it's today's gladiatorial arena except that there are no rules and (usually) no one gets killed." Usually, he says. I didn't realize that Current Events could get so violent.

"CE is a rare place on the internet, and in life generally, where you can go and have a conversation about politics or religion or whatever and come out the other side still friends with (almost) everyone. I know most people avoid it like the plague because that conversation won't always be pleasant, but coming out the other side is something still liking each other is something special, something I appreciate a great deal."

Like many of us, he happened by The Eye of the World in a bookstore, and hasn't really looked back. "I picked up EotW on the strength of an advertisement that made it out to be Tolkien-esque. Whether it is or not is a very long conversation, but I can't say I'm sorry I grabbed it." I'm sure that if you'd like to discuss the merits of whether or not Robert Jordan is Tolkien-esque, Kelgan would be more than happy to discuss it with you (sorry Kelgan)!

In his years at the Tower, he's contributed in several staff positions in various departments. When I asked him about it, he had this to say: "I enjoy being involved. I enjoy the decision-making process. And I enjoy working in and helping improve systems. Patterns of order and schemes of recurrence are very attractive to me. These, coupled with a strong ability to compartmentalize, mean I can contribute to Tower function in roles that are sometimes either difficult to fill or difficult to perform. It's a great challenge that forms a significant part of my identity as part of the Tower."

Kelgan is also coming up on the one year anniversary of his bond with Lyara of the White Ajah. "We met briefly at 11th Anni, though we have very little memory of one another from that event. We started communicating via PM late at night and found ourselves to be fast friends," he said. "She's someone I can talk to about just about anything and everything, someone I can talk to when I just need to talk and someone I can lean on for emotional support. I certainly try to be the same for her. We're very good friends and kindred spirits, and I'm glad to have met and bonded her."

Having attended a few events during his time on the site, I decided to ask him what some of his favorite experiences during those events were. "I think the absolute best was being part of Viv's installation as Amyrlin. That whole Anni was great, but I think that tops the list. After that would definitely be the tour of RJ's house at 10th. Harriett was incredibly kind to let us come tromping through, and it was a great thing to be able to see where the magic was made." It's definitely a thought that all of us who were lucky enough to take a tour of Mr. Jordan's house share.

As I wrapped up the interview, I decided to ask him about what he liked most about the Tower. "I like knowing that there are people nearly everywhere I could land that I can connect with, people who are willing to lend a hand (or a car) at a moment's notice. The sense of community is powerful, and I really appreciate that."

And what he likes the least? "Well, that's not for public airing."

There we have it! An insight into the life of our very own Kelgan al'Moranwin, Gaidin of Dai M'Hael. Check back next month for another great Membership Spotlight!