The Return of Moiraine:

[FortyFiveAuto 1]

Maybe it's just me, but I think she is going to be probably the most bad ass character in all of Randland once she comes back. Now I've got little or nothing to support this, but here is how I envision her as she returns:

 

1) No more Oath Rod means no more stuffy and restrictive Aes Sedai constraints. If you piss her off, she's going to light a fire under your ass, or worse. Look the f*** out Cadsuane, Momo's getting some payback.

 

2) For the past several books, Nynaeve has let her head swell. "Oh look at me, I am the greatest Healer to ever live since the AoL." Due to the enabling fact of #1, I pray that Moiraine FINALLY brings her down a peg or ten. I hope she yanks that braid right out of her skull, giving Tuon a run for her money.

 

3) Lanfear came back as Cyndane, and so I suspect Moiraine will take on a different image. I think she will retain the dark hair and eyes, but perhaps she will come back taller, and fuller in the bosom. As a result, Lan will perhaps regret that he never pursued her, pissing off Nynaeve, and Moiraine will completely ignore him. I think Lan is the most bad ass swordsman in the WoT world, but I cringe every time I see how whupped he is. Upon seeing the new Moiraine, he will pine for her, castigate himself for such thoughts against his wife, and all the while, Moiraine will pay him NO MIND. Serves you right, whupped-ass bitch.

 

4) Cairhienin are shrewd negotiators. Aes Sedai are even better, and Moiraine herself was one of the best. This is why I think she will get one over on the Finns and come back with some DEVASTATING knowledge of the One Power. She will use this to A) Galvanize the good-guy channelers (male and female) Defeat Mazrim Taim, Demandred, and the evil Black Tower faction, C) Craft some wicked sa'angreals and teach others to do it, and D) Use said sa'angreals to finish the Forsaken, Seal the Bore, and slap Rand and the other ta'veren out of the funk they're in so that they can finally decimate the Dark One once and for all.

 

 

Maybe that won't happen. Or maybe MORE than that will. In any case, watch out. She's coming back with a vengeance.

[Kaitlin 22]

I want to see her balefire some more Forsaken. I don't know if she could do Lanfear... Rand might need to do that... but I'd love to see her take out Graendal. Now that would be a fight. She couldn't do it unless she did it a sneaky way though or she came back even more kick ass!

 

Hopefully she won't change. She's hot already! Lan already liked the way she looked in New Spring enough to pine away if he hadn't already have known about how tricky Cairhienin girls were. She should run off with Nynaeve instead. At least for a weekend.

[Tosh 8]

Lanfears body didn't change in any way. Lanfear died and shai'tan put her soul into the body of a woman that had been captured my his minions. So unless Momo is dead too and somebody suddenly feels like getting her a new body she will not go through any major changes in that department, maybe a few scars from jumping around in a burning doorway.

 

I really don't want her to get all buffed up in power, the charm with Moiraines character is that she doesn't have that kind of bloody "superpowers" thus creating a sense of mortality and also forces her to use some tact in dealing with problems instead of rushing in guns blazing.

[FortyFiveAuto 1]

Ah, but see, that's the problem! Too many characters have entered this state of resignation, esp. Rand.

 

Guns blazing is the only way. You KNOW the Shadow is going to bring the noise, so what of the good guys? I think Moiraine will prove instrumental in this regard.

 

I missed the part where Cyndane's body was one captured by the Dark One. Perhaps Moiraine will return more or less the same, but I imagine without the ageless look. More youthful, probably, like Siuan and Leane are now.

 

As for her ability with saidar, I don't think she'll really gain strength, but she will gain knowledge. Remember that Sorilea the Wise One was not strong enough to weave much of anything, but she taught Cadsuane how to Travel. There are plenty of women strong enough to carry out the bidding of Moiraine, once she teaches them what she has learned.

[Tosh 8]

Guns blazing is the only way. You KNOW the Shadow is going to bring the noise, so what of the good guys? I think Moiraine will prove instrumental in this regard.

What I meant was that she has a more tactfull way of solving problems, for example she can't just rush in and slap up 20 black ajah, she has to think of another way to either dispose or get around them. As for the war in general I agree with you, it makes no sense to just sit around idle waiting for the shadow to build up its armies instead of crushing them while their weak, warfare is about using the enemies weakness to your advantage.

 

As for her ability with saidar, I don't think she'll really gain strength, but she will gain knowledge. Remember that Sorilea the Wise One was not strong enough to weave much of anything, but she taught Cadsuane how to Travel. There are plenty of women strong enough to carry out the bidding of Moiraine, once she teaches them what she has learned.

If she has so much freedom in there as to have someone train her why does she need to be rescued?

[FortyFiveAuto 1]

It is obvious that Finnland operates differently from Randland, and they DID break a rule by bringing fire, so it could be that she is to be held captive until some exonerating act takes place (the actions of Mat, Thom, etc.) Being a reasonable and tactful person, she opts not to destroy the Finns (if she even could -- physical rules there are different, and the rules of channeling probably are as well) in order to escape.

 

It would be not that she attained freedom to train; this could be the result of the bargaining that takes place with the Finns. Besides, she has to leave sometime, else how will she assist with TG?

[Tosh 8]

It is obvious that Finnland operates differently from Randland, and they DID break a rule by bringing fire, so it could be that she is to be held captive until some exonerating act takes place

We're talking about the Finns, the people who wear human skins as coats, I don't think they are so hot on the whole forgive and forget thing.

[FortyFiveAuto 1]

Yes the Finns who make seemingly arbitrary rules about what you can and can't bring into their world. Who knows what the hell they're thinking, and why? All we know for sure is that Mat and Rand both escaped, a channeler and a non-channeler (although both ta'veren); it doesn't seem very far-fetched that Moiraine could wheedle her way out of impending death by agreeing to be captive until some deed is fulfilled.

[Tosh 8]

As far as I remember Rand and Mat didn't leave on their own accord, they were thrown out, and that was different since they were invited according to the pact and followed all its rules, atleast from the start. Might be my memorys failing me

[Kaitlin 22]

*eats popcorn*

 

You both remember more of the books than me.

 

I don't want her to be superpowerful, though. We have Nyn to be that way. She's got that big personality that sort of overshadows her massive abilities too... so it fits her. As long as RJ spends time to just write her kicking ass in her usual style (whether or not she has some new abilities or has gained knowledge) it will be kick ass, because she fights kick ass. *thinks of her wall of fire and earthquakes, staff attacking the Black Wind and staff blocking the Whitecloak, fighting the trollocs in Tear, dealing with those Black Ajah who were afraid of her, the darkhounds, taking out Asmodean*

 

...kick ass

[Marie 73]

I can see why she would need something new about her. Since she has been gone Aes Sedai have been finding new ways of ass kicking and if Mo wants to regain her throne she better be ready to throw it.

I have no idea what I just said.

[Kaitlin 22]

Yeah, she needs to be able to throw down. I don't want her all scarred up and not as tough willed, or Stilled and acting helpless too... just want her to be Mo still!

 

Maybe the Finn didn't give her anything, but she took something from Lanfear? The better the ability the more of a price she'd have to pay, it would seem like.

[Ishmael Moridin 0]

I think she would be the same Mo we've come to know, except with some kind of a vulnerability not immediately decipherable.

[Marie 73]

A weakness for old men.

[Kaitlin 22]

What's not to love!