Difference between revisions of "Shayol Ghul"

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''Author: Alghar Khan''
 
  
 
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Revision as of 13:20, 14 November 2007

This article is a stub. A longer, more in depth article will be added at a later time.


Shayol Ghul is a mountain that is located in the Great Blight. This is where a thinness in the pattern enables the Dark One to reach for the world. The Dark One was bound outside of time by the Creator at the moment of creation. And even though he seem to have godlike abilities, there is no doubt that he couldn't have broken free of his prison unaided. This evil presence goes by many names, but naming him by his true name (Shai'tan) is considered an evil curse. Shai'tan can neither be described as male nor female as such, but he is usually referred to as if he was male. The Dark One has a far greater control over Shayol Ghul, and surrounding areas, that any other place in the world. Therefore his followers travel there to commune with him and pledge their oaths to him. Prophecies has told that Shayol Ghul is the place where the final stages of Tarmon Gai'don will take place. Channeling the One Power at the Pit of Doom is known to be associated with great risks.

The drilling of the Bore was done by a research team from Collam Daan university, led by Mierin Sedai (later Lanfear) and with assistance of Beidomon Sedai. They had discovered a Power emanating from a specific area - Power that could be drawn by both male and female channelers. They wanted to tap into this Power. Though they didn't know it at the time, this was in fact the Dark One's True Power. The drilling was done with the Sharom, a floating white sphere that was a thousand feet in diameter (TSR:26). During the Age of Legends this place used to be a lush island resort (The world of RJ:s the Wheel of Time). The Bore itself does not actually exist as Shayol Ghul. Instead, the Bore exists everywhere, but Shayol Ghul is the place where it can best be detected. Ripples in the fabric of reality itself sent shockwaves into the Great Pattern. For the first time in this Age the Dark One could touch the world. This resulted in evil corruption of the human minds. The society oozed with envy and other evil impulses. Chaos and violence started to occur more frequently. This decline of the once idyllic society goes by the name "the Collapse".

The War of the Shadow started just a little more than a hundred years later. And that war in turn lasted about ten years. The people fighting for the Light found themselves on the losing side. The situation grew even more hopeless as several of the most prominent of the Aes Sedai joined the Shadow. Lews Therin, The Dragon, was the highest military leader for the Light during the war. His plan was to attack and reseal the Bore in attempt to put the Dark One back in his prison. The Bore would be closed with seven seals, each with a disc of cuendillar serving as a focus point. However, many among the Hall of the Servants raised the objection that if these seals weren't placed with exact precision, the strain could very well rip the Bore open instead. A leader for the female Aes Sedai, Latra Posae Decume, led the opposition, which later came to be called "the Fateful Concord". No woman would participate in forming a circle at Shayol Ghul. Instead, their plan centered around the completion of two great Sa'angreal (the Choedan Kal) that would be controlled with access keys. Apparantely the Forsaken were aware of these plans (WH:13), because at the completion of the Choedan Kal some of the Forsaken stormed the areas where the access keys were made. A group of 113 strong male Aes Sedai (called "the Hundred Companions") gave their support to the Dragon, and they Traveled to Shayol Ghul together with about 10 000 soldiers. They placed the Seals and successfully trapped 13 of the Forsaken, namely the Forsaken known to the afterworld. They accomplished their goal, but the Dark One launched a devastating counterstrike in the last moment and managed to taint saidin. The Dragon and all sixty-eight of the surviving Hundred Companions went mad on the instant. They went rampaging the world. Later on, other male Aes Sedai suffered the same fate. Their madness changed the world beyond recognition. This is known as "The Breaking of the World".