Third Place - Most Novel
DISCLAIMER: Any resemblance to Robert Jordan's "Strike at Shayol Ghul"
is purely *coughNOTcough* coincidental. Please don't sue me.
(A Preliminary Introduction)
One of the most important finds of recent years, perhaps since the
perfection of Portal Stone use, is a partial copy of no less than a
prophesy of the world from the drilling of a Bore into the Dark One's
Prison (?) to the End of the Third Age. The original apparently dated
from late in the Twentieth Century A.D. (First Age) Despite the extreme
paucity of material from the entire time before our current age, we can
only be thankful that the art of printing survived the Time of Lawyers
when so much else did not, and was indeed practiced to some extent
during the Great Lawsuit itself, though under severe and restricted
conditions. Considering the widespread destruction of The Noodle
Incident and the War of the Hundred Stoonts, which although far less
than the near totality of the Lawsuit, still saw cities, nations, and
far worse, knowledge, go to the shredders, we must marvel at any writing
that has survived more than three thousand years. What we know is based
on fragments, copied and recopied a thousand times, but at least we know
something from them. Even a little knowledge is better than ignorance.
Discovered in a dusty storage room in the Sharom while Mierin made room
for an upcoming experiment, the pages were in a chest full of old bills
and receipts, students' copy books and private diaries, some so foxed by
age and with ink so faded as to be unreadable where the pages themselves
had not crumbled. The fragmentary manuscript was readable, barely, but
presented the usual problems, quite aside from the difficulties of
translation and dealing with centuries of copyists' errors; such a
prophesy would no doubt be a vast, multi-volume work, yet of the two
hundred and twelve surviving pages, the largest number of consecutive
pages number six, and nowhere else more than two. Such dates as are
given are totally incomprehensible, as the calendar for the next Age has
not been made yet. Many references to cataclysmic events (dire battles
and cities destroyed during the Trolloc Wars (???), whole regions
covered by the sea and mountain ranges raised overnight during the
"Breaking" (Breaking of what??) ) and to such minutiae as the appearance
of a certain person are but curiosities. The pages which might reveal
exactly where these things will happen, what their special significance
will be, the resolution or end result, are usually missing. Why then is
this collection so important? First because, sundered as it is, it
contains more information of the next Age than any other known single
source, perhaps as much as all other sources combined in some ways. But
even more importantly, it gives a great deal of information available
nowhere else. And most importantly of all, the six consecutive pages and
others which must be placed close to them contain the only known
Fortelling of events surrounding what surely must be the most
far-reaching single event in the history of the world, in any Age: the
story of our very own friend Lews Therin's next incarnation preparing to
battle the Dark One itself. Whoever the profit, this "Robert Jordan"
is, it is sure that we would make a fortune on the stock market if he
had protected these books better. Most of the remaining passages seem
to be from the 8th (?) book in his series of prophesies, entitled
"A Path of Daggers".
For reasons unknown, even the best preserved copies were
detached from thier covers. Stuck to the cover of the Eighth book,
along with a map too faded to make out, is the following passage:
The wind blew North, past the small fishing boats and through the marshes, all the way to the city of Tear.
A section here is too faded to read, but on the other side of
the page the top is readable:
"Sir? Your breakfast is ready. The cook has never heard of Lutefisk, but his salmon is great with Saldean ice peppers."
The man left, never noticing the greasy handprint on
the blade of Callandor.
Much of the book from this point on is destroyed, having been
deprived of a cover, but it is clear that much revolves around Rand
Al'Thor. At the beginning of the book (or as close to the beginning of
the book as has survived; it is possible there was more about him before
this) he is sitting on the throne of Illian. Most of the passage is
incomprehensible mutterings about "Duty is heavier than" something, and
complaints of some sort of recent (or old, depending on the paragraph)
wound in Rand's side itching.
Not much is mentioned of Al'Thor for quite a while, but a
single page remains of a battle between Perrin and some Seanchan troops.
The Seanchan were willing to let them go after hearing them swear some
rather vauge and harmless oaths, but someone named Aram decapitated a
Seanchan and brought thier wrath down upon the group. Faile was wounded
badly, but it is not known if she survived. The last radable portion of
that chapter says:
A huge portion of the book is destroyed here; roughly 1300
pages (a full third of the book) is totally unreadable. from this 1300
page gap only one page remains, and it is likely that this page is
either a mistake or a joke; it contains phrases that, to judge from the
placement, are attempts at humor, though I do not know what is supposed
to be funny about Rand "throwing his robe recklessly open" And why
Loial would blush when he said he was helping out with a preschool class
is beyond me. The book picks up at the White Tower, with this passage:
"I have a few things I need you to do, Mother." The last word was dripping with sarcasm. Alvairin walked out over to the window and looked out at the construction. "Come here, Elaida." Elaida stood up and walked to the window, pausing only to put her knitting down on the desk and pick something up in her shaking hand. Her whole body was shaking now, but she pushed the fear down. _The tower must be whole! Everything that has gone wrong, it is all her fault. I will prevail. I am the Amyrlin. I am!_ Elaida stopped next to Alvairin and looked out the window. "You know, Elaida, they will be here soon. Very soon. What I am going to tell you to do will be the only thing that will keep that pretty shawl on your shoulders after Al'Vere's army arrives. Listen carefully." "I will listen, Alvairin."
Elaida listened to Alvairin scream as she stabbed her with a letter opener.
The book is horrably damaged here, and has marks on it
resembling tooth marks from a rodent, possibly a badger. It tells, in
sentences that are barely legible, about Elaida stuffing Alvairin in a
closet, and then moves on to other matters. This place is returned to
when a Sister named Seaine, who was apperantly going to help Elaida
expose Alvairin (see notes on LoC) is told by Danielle that there is a
problem in the Amyrlin's chambers.
It is clear from the next portion of the book that Birgitte
had stayed in the city as it was overrun, even though the Aes Sedai, the
Kin, and the Windfinders all left. It is unclear if she did this on
purpose or by accident. Olver saw Mat being pulled out of his pile of
rubble, and attempted to kill a large group of Seanchan with a kitchen
knife. He was loaded onto the boat with Mat, and Birgitte, witnessing
this, snuck on board the boat to rescue them.
There are few useful quotes after this point in the book, but
it is obvious that Rand gets more power hungry and paranoid as time goes
on. Min finds something in a book she had borrowed from Harid Fel, but
What she might have found is anyone's guess. The Seanchan spread at a
furious pace, and while Egwene basks in her easy victory the Seanchan
attack Tar Valon.
By this point in the prophesey, Egwene, Perrin, Mat, and thier
groups are deeply involved in the Seanchan attack, while Rand,
Elayne/Nynaeve, and several other potential key players seem oblivious
to the threat. Through means that were apperantly explained in a
chapter that was destroyed Bela ended up in Seanchan, and an apperantly
pointless paragraph was dedicated to her.
Apperantly the Bowl of the Winds is finally used, because all
the fighting stops abruptly as a cold wind begins to blow all around the
world. Everyone, everywhere, stops what they are doing for a moment,
except for Birgette and Bayle Domon, who take advantage of the
distraction to attempt a jailbreak. Unfortunately, what seems to be an
interesting and informative prophesy is cut short here; only two other
pages are readable.
Elayne stopped suddenly, color blooming in her
cheeks. _Wow._ Rand stepped into the room and gave her a
strange look. "Come to get your throne? Well it's mine now."
He scratched the cut on his side. "You hear me? Mine. So
you can just -ooph!" Rand's head rebounded off the marble
tiles as Elayne tackled him and removed his clothes with
careful flows of Fire and Air.
Alanna Sedai sat bolt upright and stopped crying.
Seeing a servant walking by, she grabbed him and started to -
While that is the only clearly readable page, the bits that
are left from the next few chapters imply that this trend continiued for
quite some time.
In conclusion, these prophesies (Wheel of Time, vol 8) imply
that in the upcoming Third Age, after our current time of relative
bliss, much will go wrong.
* Elaida will die and the Salidar Aes Sedai will take over
the Tower, but be hasseled by the Seanchan.
* Perrin will possibly lose his wife, and be surrounded by
whitecloaks and Seanchan.
* Mat will be taken to some Seanchan occupied Seafolk
islands, followed by Olver, Birgette, Bayle Domon, and Bob. (?)
* Rand will become more insane and power-hungry, possibly due
to the scratch on his side. (Fain's Dagger)
* Bela will have some amazing adventures, possibly taking her
to the far ends of the earth.
The only completely unexplainable passage comes from the last
readable page, and quite simpy says: