Ok here i will try to shed light on what i think may be another part of the D/O plans for T/G (Tarmon Gai'don)<br><br>and the very real possibility of its sucess.<br><br>In the age of legends, the D/O counter stroke was the taint. Rand has dealt with this. it seems clear that even in defeat tha D/O clings to the hope of "better luck next time" <br><br>takes one last jets at the light.<br><br>For him to taint saidin again would be pointless since by now there are others that have learned how Rand did it and his taint would be removed.<br><br>I believe that the D/O has a win/win counter stroke planned that involves Rand.<br><br>We all know that the dak side has its set of prophecies.Dark as they are.. even they are fulfilled. They too MUST come to pass, now HOW they come to pass is another matter.<br><br>lets look at one from book 2:<br><br>Daughter of the Night, she walks again.<br><br>The ancient war, she yet fights.<br><br>Her new lover she seeks, who shall serve her and die, yet serve still.<br><br>Who shall stand against her coming?<br><br>The Shining Walls shall kneel.<br><br>Blood feeds blood.<br><br>Blood calls blood.<br><br>Blood is, and blood was, and blood shall ever be. <br><br>Ok. now we already know from the other books that the D/O can intercept a soul at the moment of death and re incarnate it into a new body. in a sense resurecting that person. We also know that 13 mydrhal can force a chaneler to turn to the dark.Among the many abilities the dark side has i will focus on these two for a minute.<br><br>"Her new lover she seeks who shal serve her and die yet serve still."<br><br>hmm<br><br>now i relize that this does not necesarily suggest that Rand will be turned OR forced.<br><br> One of the possible outcomes Moiriane seen in the rings of Rhiudean was that Rand turned by his free will and named himself Lews Therin. why would this be so? why would Rand change names? Well, several reasons come to mind but the one i will point out here is that Lews Therin lives in his mad state of torment inside rands soul. trapped if you will.and LT is much more suceptable to temptation than Rand is.<br><br>Dont forget that Isy can heal madness. Along with a few other temptations.. if Lews therein takes over Rand,Lews is much easier to turn.<br><br>now how could one serve lanfear after death as the dark prophecy implies?<br><br>ok lets look at another dark prophesy.<br><br>The man who channels stands alone.<br><br>He gives his friends for sacrifice.<br><br>Two roads before him, one to death beyond dying, one to life eternal.<br><br>Which will he choose? Which will he choose?<br><br>What hand shelters? What hand slays?<br><br>two roads before him,one to death beyond dying,(sounds like either interception or a forced turning to me) now the fact that this prophecy ends with the question of choice, itt weakens the whole forced truning theory.Weather Rand chooses light or dark, either way his friends will be givin in sacrifice.the fullfilment of that can serve either side.<br><br> Now lets look at the Weakened state of our Dragon.<br><br>this guy has problems.<br><br>he has three men inside his head.. every time he thinks about matt or perrin he sees what tey are doing, he gets dizzying sickness everyime he grabs Saidin, a wound in his side that has two evils countering each other constantly throbbing and opening up from time to time, a hand missing,a huge guilty conscience about the women that died in his sevice and a hard man rather than a strong man.<br><br>so much for our shining knight hero.<br><br>I dont know how much more he can take.<br><br>Now lets look at the three men in Rands head, LT,Mordin,and this mystirious "third" that some have surmied as either a previous dragon or the result of the intergration of LT and Mordin.<br><br>In shadar logoth when the balefire streams crosses i dont think for one second tht it was an accident on Mordins behalf. I think he did this on purpose knowing exactly what woul happen.With that in mind i think part of what Mordin intends is that he wants to intergrade with LT and together they work to overtake Rand(another sub-section to the D/O plan)<br><br>What was it that Cadsuane said? if she failed her task the result may be worse than losing TG. what could be worse than that? i mena if u win TG for the light, the D/O is done for. despite the mess the world wil be in, the hope of rebuilding still shines.<br><br>well simply put, if Rand does not remember these things and fulfill that part of prophesy, the D/O counterstroke will suceeed. Rand will turn.Think of it.<br><br>consider his already weakened state. there on the rocks of SG, he bleeds. his blood gives light. he dies, at that moment his sould intercepted and re incarnated( a darker fulfillment of Mins viewings of rands fake death)<br><br>Or scenario #2, Rand bleeds on teh rocks, weakened tired confused with enought Saidin running through him to tear a continent apart, as he slowly dies his conscience kicks in had his coping device of hardening rather than mourning for them, is too much.<br><br>a hardened heart resembles a dark heart. <br><br>"There can be no health in us, nor any good thing grow, for the land is one with the Dragon Reborn, and he one with the land. Soul of fire, heart of stone, in pride he conquers, forcing the proud to yield. He calls upon the mountains to kneel, and the seas to give way, and the very skies to bow. Pray that the heart of stone remembers tears, and the soul of fire, love." - From a much-disputed translation of The Prophecies of the Dragon by the poet Kyera Termendal, of Shiota, believed to have been published between FY 700 and FY 800. <br><br>and ther you have it. <br><br>i conclue that the D/O counterstroke is to aquire Rand. see if the light wins TG, hte D/O imprisoned, with the forsaken.Rand would be the D/O's last hope.this explains why the D/O did now want rand killed and it explains why Lanfear got her "reprieve" after her incident with Moirirane.<br><br>The D/O has comanded Demandred to use balefire in his service to cause chaos to the pattern. to "undo" the light's prophecies. see if the pattern comes undone, then the liht is in chaos.. which means... dark one rules.<br><br>So to make a sumary, i think the D/o counterstroke is to either turn range by force or choice and if that fails, to intercept Rands soul at the monent of death.Either way the D/O has sown a seed for his future escape.<br><br>and its is made possible byt the combination of weather or not Cadsuane fails, and Mordins intergration with LT to over take Rand.<br><br>remember what artur hawkig said in his speech after mat blew the horn?<br><br>"i have fought by your side many times and just as many against.I know you even if you dont know yourself."<br><br>how many times did Bal'Zamon ramble on about how death would not help him, but rather serve the dark side just as well.<br><br>This is i think another part of the D/O "insurance policy"