Warding

Wards are weaves used to keep things out or warn of their presense. They can also be used as traps. The three main types of ward covered here are detection, barrier and trap. Little of the warding knowledge of the Asha'man is presented in the series. From comments made by Mazrim Taim, it is obvious that he knows a little about the subject and could therefore have taught the Asha'man. The only other mention is when Rand sends Jahar Narishma to fetch Callandor for him. It seemed to this author that Jahar had some knowledge of the subject and was just told about the specifics of the ward with which he was to deal. In any event, one should keep in mind that the Black Tower has not been in existance very long and avoid doing overly complex things with the wards.

Detection Wards:

The construction of a detection ward is dependent on what types of things are being detected. If one is setting up a ward to warn when living things contact it, then the weave will be made of pure Spirit. If one wanted to make an elaborate ward that would alert him to the presense of armored soldiers, Spirit would still be required for the framework of the weave and to detect the person, but Earth would also be required to pick up the presense of the metal. It is possible to refine the lifeform detection and narrow it down. It is well established that wards can be made to warn of Shadowspawn or humans. From comments made by Taim when discussing the plans for attacking Illian, it is apparent that channeling of Saidin is detectable. Considering that men can feel women channeling, it should also be possible to detect them with wards. This is likely something that would take a bit of time to figure out how to do, though. If unsure, one should err on the side of caution. It is suggested that GL approval be sought before weaving particularly complex wards.

Joe concentrates and spins out thin threads of Spirit in a complex web, stretching to extend it to cover the entire campsite, perhaps an area fifty yards in radius. He turns slowly in place to examine the ward one last time before tying it off. Then he turns and reports,"No one will sneak up on us tonight, m'Lord."

Barrier Wards:

This is almost the opposite of a detection ward. Instead of being receptive to the presense of a certain creature or material, the polarity of the weave is reversed, causing it to repulse such things. For the most part, this is only useful for dealing with vermin. It would require a great deal of power to repulse anything larger. Basically this particular weave just generates an unpleasant sensation that causes the rats to avoid the warded area. An intelligent creature, such as a Fade, would be able to persevere through the discomfort unless the weave was of sufficient magnitude to kill, in which case the Fade would sense it from a goodly distance, rendering the ward more of a large glowing arrow pointing out the weaver than an actual useful defensive weave. As with the detection ward, a barrier ward that keeps out living things would be composed of Spirit. Examples:

Joe's eyes narrow in concentration as he weaves threads of Spirit into a grid pattern which grows to cover the ground level of the entire Inn. He cocks his head to one side as he carefully tunes the vibrations of the weave. After several long moments, he smiles in grim satisfaction and ties off the weave. Turning to his companion, he says with a slight shudder,"I can't abide rats."

Trap Wards

A trap ward is a framework of Spirit holding some other weave that is set to release when a certain condition occurs. Two examples from the books are the ward Rand placed on the Waygate to slowly kill any Trollocs that passed through and the one he put on Callandor to keep anyone but himself, or someone who he had told the trick, from retrieving the sa'angreal. This is likely the most complex type of warding. Exactly how it is set up depends on what the "trap" weave is and what conditions "trigger" it. In a case of a door opening being the trigger, it is likely that the weave is done in three parts, a framework of Spirit to hold the trap weave, the trap weave itself, and the weave, likely of Earth, to detect the door opening. They would be woven together in such a manner that when the door opens, the framework unravels, releasing the offensive weave. Spirit would always be involved in the framework, but the other threads would vary depending on the triggering condition and the nature of the trap. In the case of the door, Earth would be needed to detect the solid object. If the trap were set up to go off on the first living creature that passed through, then Spirit would be involved in the detection. The actual trap weave could be almost anything, depending on what kind of offensive weave it is. For example, Fire and Air if it were a fireball. Such wards are usually not effective against channelers of the same sex, as the weaves are visible. Obviously, this would not apply to an inverted weave, or one attached to the opposite side of an opaque door.

Joe carefully refolds the letter and drops it into the ornate ivory case. Seizing Saidin, he quickly weaves a small web of Spirit into the bottom of the box. Holding that weave, he channels threads of Fire, as well, into a construct designed to incinerate the the papers in the case, but with the web of Spirit carefully interposed to prevent the fire weave from completing. He ties both weaves off deftly, leaving a loose end on the Spirit weave in a slip knot pattern, such that if it were tugged upon, the entire thing would unravel. He fixes a simple thread of Spirit to the inside of the lid and carefully lowers it, attaching that thread to the loose end just before the lid closes.

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws